here also a woorde or twayne We had neede to take hede euery where that wee bee not begyled with false allegories whether they be draweÌ„ out of the new Testament or the old either out of any other story or of the creatures of the world but namely in this booke Here a man had neede to put on all his spectacles and to arme him selfe agaynst inuisibles spirites First allegories proue nothyng and by allegories vnderstand examples or similitudes borowed of straunge matters and of an other thyng then that thou entreatest of And though circuÌ„sion be a figure of Baptisme yet thou canst not proue Baptisme by Circumcision For this argument were very feble the Israelites were Circumcised therfore we must be Baptised And in like maner though y e offering of Isaac were a figure or example of the resurrâ—ction yet is this argument nought Abraham would haue offered Isaac but GOD deliuered him from death therefore we shall rise agayne and so forth in all other But the very vse of allegories is to declare and open a text that it may bee the better perceaued and vnderstand As when I haue a cleare text of Christ and of the Apostles that I must be baptised then I may borow an example of CircumcisioÌ„ to expresse the nature power and frute or effect of baptisme For as Circumcision was vnto them a common badge signifiyng that they were all souldiers of god to warre his warre and separating them from al other nations disobedient vnto God euen so baptisme is our coÌ„mon badge and sure earnest and perpetual memoriall that we pertaine vnto Christ and are separated frome all that are not Christes And as Circumcision was a token certifyeng them that they were receaued vnto the fauour of God and their sinnes forgeueÌ„ them euen so Baptisme certifieth vs that we are washed in the bloud of Christ and receaued to fauour for his sake and as CircumcisioÌ„ signified vnto them the cuttyng awaye of their owne lustes and sleayng of their free will as they call it to folow the will of GOD euen so Baptisme signifieth vnto vs repentaunce and the mortifying of our vnruly members and bodyes of sinne to walke in a new life and so forth And likewise thoughe that the sauing of Noe of them that were with him in the shyp thorough water is a figure that is to say an example and likenesse of Baptisme as Peter maketh it 1. Peter 3. yet I can not proue Baptisme therewith saue describe it onely for as the shyp saued them in the water thorough fayth in that they beleued God and as y â— other that would not beleue Noe perished euen so Baptisme saueth vs through the worde of fayth whiche it preacheth when all the world of the vnbeleuyng perish And Paule 1. Corin. 10. maketh the sea and the cloude a figure of Baptisme by which and a thousaÌ„d mo I might declare it but not proue it Paule also in the sayd place maketh the rock out of which Moses brought water vnto the children of Israell a figure or example of Christ not to proue Christe for that were impossible but to describe Christ onely euen as Christ him selfe Iohn 3 boroweth a similitude or figure of the braien serpeÌ„t to lead Nichodemus froÌ„ his earthy imagination into the spiritual vnderstaÌ„dyng of Christes saying As Moses lifted vp a Serpent in the wildernesse so must the sonne of man be lifted vp that none that beleue in hym perish but haue euerlasting lyfe By which similitude the vertue of Christes death is better described then thou couldest declare it with a thousaÌ„d wordes For as those murmurers agaynst God as soone as they repented were healed of their deadly woundes thorough lookynge on the brasen Serpent onely without medicine or any other helpe yea and without any other reason but that God hath sayd it should be so and not to murmure agayne but to leaue their murmuryng euen so all that repent and beleue in Christ are saued froÌ„ euerlastyng death of pure grace without and before their good works and not to synne agayne but to fight agaynst sinne and henceforth to synne no more Euen so with the ceremonies of this booke thou canst proue nothyng saue describe and declare onelye the putting away of oure sinnes thorowe the deathe of Christe For Christe is Aaron and Aarons sonnes and all that offer the sacrifice to purge sinne And Christ is all maner offering that is offered he is the oxe the shepe the gote the kyd and lambe he is the oxe that is burnt without the host and y t scape-gote that caried all the sinne of the people away into the wildernesse for as they purged the people from their worldly vncleanesses thorow bloud of y e sacrifices euen so doth Christ purge vs froÌ„ the vncleannesses of euerlasting death with hys owne bloude and as their worldly sinnes coulde no otherwise be purged then by bloud of sacrifice euen so can our sinnes bee no otherwise forgeuen then thorowe the bloud of Christ All the deedes in the worlde saue the bloude of Christ can purchase no forgeuenesse of sinnes for our dedes do but help our neighbour and mortify the flesh and help that we sinne no more but and if we haue sinned it must be freely forgeuen thorow the bloud of Christ or remayne euer And in lyke manner of the Leapers thou canst proue nothing thou canst neuer coniure out confession thence howbeit thou hast an handsome example there to open the binding losyng of our priests with the key of Gods worde for as they made no man a Leper euen so oures haue no power to commaund any man to be in sinne or to go to purgatory or hell And therefore in as much as binding and loosing is one power as those Priestes healed no man euen so oures can not of their innisible and domme power driue any mans sinnes away or deliuer hym from hel or fayned purgatory how be it if they preached Gods worde purely which is the authoritie that Christ gaue them then they shold binde and lose kill and make alyue agayne make vncleane and cleane agayne and send to hel and fetch thence agayne so mighty is gods worde For if they preached the lawe of God they shold bynd the consciences of sinners with the bondes of the paynes of hell and bring them vnto repentance And then if they preached vnto theÌ„ y e mercy that is in Christ they shold loose them and quiete their ragyng consciences certifie them of the fauour of God and that their sinnes be forgeuen Finally beware of allegories for there is not a more handsome or apte thyng to beguile withall then an allegory nor a more subtle and pestilente thyng in the world to perswade a false matter then an allegory And contrariwise there is not a better vehementer or mightier thyng to make a man vnderstand with all theÌ„ an allegory For allegories make a man
sawest workes also sawest the entent meaning of y e worker least hipocrisie deceaue thee Our deedes are the effect of righteousnesse and thereto an outward testimonie and certifiyng of the inwarde righteousnes as sourenes is of Leauen And when I say fayth iustifieth the vnderstanding is that faith receaueth the iustifiyng God promiseth to forgeue vs our sinnes and to impute vs for full righteous And God iustifieth vs actiuely that is to say forgeueth vs and reckoneth vs for full righteous And Christes bloud deserueth it and faith in the promise receaueth it and certifieth the conscience therof Faith chalēgeth it for Christes sake which hath deserued all that is promised and cleaueth euer to the promise and truth of the promiser and pretendeth not the goodnes of her worke but knowledgeth that our works deserue it not but are crowned and rewarded with the deseruinges of Christ Take an ensample of young children when the father promiseth them a good thing for y t doing of some trifle and when they come for their rewarde delayeth with them saying What that thou hast done is not worth halfe so much should I geue thee so great a thing for so little a trif◠▪ They will aunswere ye did promise me ye sayd I should haue it why did ye promise and why then did ye say so And let him say what he will to driue them of they will euer say agayne ye did promise me so ye did ye sayd I should haue it so ye did But hirelinges wyll pretend their woorke and say I haue deserued it I haue done so much and so much and my labour is worth it Now at the first couenaunt making with God and as oft as we be reconciled after we haue sinned the righteousnes commeth of God altogether But after the attonement is made and we reconciled then we be partly righteous in our selues vnrighteous righteous as farre as we loue and vnrighteous as farre as the loue is vnperfect And faith in y e promise of God y t he doth reckē vs for full righteous doth euer supply y t vnrighteousnes imperfectnes ▪ as it is our whole righteousnes at the beginning Finally our workes which God commaundeth and vnto which he annexed his promises that he will reward them are as it were very sacramētes and visible and sensible signes tokens earnest obligations witnesses testimonies and a sure certifiyng of our soules that God hath and will do according to his promise to strēgth our weake fayth and to keepe the promise in mynde But they iustifie vs not no more then the visible workes of the sacramentes do As for an example the worke of baptime that out ward washing which is the visible facramēt or signe iustifieth vs not But God onely iustifieth vs actiuely as cause efficient or workeman God promiseth to iustifie whosoeuer is baptised to beleue in Christ and to keepe the law of God that is to say to forgeue them their foresinnes and to impute righteousnesse vnto them to take them for his sonnes and to loue them as well as though they were full righteous Christ hath deserued vs y ◠promise and that righteousnes And faith doth receaue it God doth geue it impure it to faith not to y ◠washing And the washing doth testifie it and certifie vs of it as the Popes letters do certifie the beleuers of the Popes pardons Now the letters helpe not or hinder but that the pardōs were as good without them saue onely to stablishe weake soules that could not beleue except they reade the letters looked on the seale and saw the print of Saint Peters keyes O a mercifull God and a most louing father how careth he for vs first aboue all and beside all his other benefites to geue vs hys owne sonne Iesus and with him to geue vs hymselfe and all and not contēt therewith but to geue vs so many sacraments or visible signes to prouoke vs to helpe our weake fayth to keepe hys mercy in mynde as baptime the sacramēt of his body and bloud and as many other sacramentes as they will haue if they put significations to them for we destroy none but they destroy which haue put out the significations or fayned some without as wedlocke to signifie that Christ is the husband and we his wife and partakers wyth hym as the wife with her husband of all his riches c. And beyond all those visible sacramentes to geue vs yet more sensible and surer sacramentes suraunces of his goodnes euen in our owne selues as if we loue and geue almose to our neighbour if we haue compassion and pray for him if we be mercifull and forgeue him if we deny ourselues and fast and withdraw all pleasures from the flesh for loue of the life to come and to keepe the cōmaundemētes of God For whē such things beyng before impossible and now are easie and naturall we feele and are sure that we be altered and of a new creature shapen in righteousnesse after the image of Christ and God our father seing his lawes of righteousnes are written in our hartes When ye fast be not sad as the hipocrites are For they fashion them a new countenaunce that it might appeare vnto men how they fast Verely I say vnto you they haue their rewarde Thou therefore when thou fastest annointe thine head washe thy face that it appeare not vnto men how thou fastest But vnto thy father which is in secrete And thy father which seeth in secrete shall rewarde thee openly As aboue of almose and prayer enē so here Christ rebuketh the false entent and hipocrisie of fasting That they sought prayse of that worke that was ordayned for to tame the fleshe and vsed such fashions that all the worlde might know that they fasted to prayse them and to say O what holy mē are these how pale and pitifull looke they euen like death hanging downe their heades and beholding the earth as mē cleane out of the world If these come not to heauen what shall become of vs poore wretches of the worlde If these be not great in the fauour of god and their prayers be heard whatsoeuer they aske in what case are we laye people Happy is he that may be a brother among them partaker of their prayers and fastinges and other holy liuing In an vnhappy in an happy I woulde say houre was he borne that buildeth them a cell or a cloysture or geueth them a portion of his land to comfort them good men in this painfull liuing and straite penaunce which they haue taken vpon them Blessed were he that might kisse the edge of the coate of one of thē Oh he that myght haue his body wrapped in one of their olde coates at the houre of death it were as good to him as his Christendome c. It appeareth also by that they asked Christ why his disciples fasted not as well as
of faith trust to Godward in Christs name and a false fayth of thine owne fayning to Saint Whiteward for thine imageseruice or seruyng her with cheese as though she were a bodely thyng And like disputatioÌ„ is it of all other saintes And as we worship the Saintes with imageseruice to obtaine temporal thinges euen so worship we God And as the Iewes turned their sacrifices vnto imageseruice whiche were giuen theÌ„ of God to be signes to moue them to serue God in the spirite Euen so haue we our Sacramentes And for an exaÌ„ple let vs take the Masse which after the Popes abuse of it is the most damnable imageseruice that euer was sence it began Christ accordyng to the testimonie of the Scripture made in the dayes of his flesh satisfaction for al the sinne of them that had or should be leue in his name obtained that they should be the sonnes of God and taken from vnder the damnation of the law and put vnder grace and mercy that God should henceforth deale with them as a mercyful father dealeth with his children that runne not away from him no though ought be at a tyme chaunced amisse but tary euer still by their father and by his doctrine confesse their trespasse and promise henceforth to inforce them selues vnto the vttermost of their power that they doe no more so negligently And this purchase made he with the thinges whiche he suffered in his flesh with the stroÌ„g prayers which he prayed And to kepe his TestameÌ„t euerfresh in minde that it were not forgot he left with vs the Sacrament or signe of his body and bloud to strength our faith and to certifie our coÌ„science that our sinnes were forgeuen assoone as we repented and had recoÌ„ciled our selues vnto our brethren and to arme our soules through the continuall remembraunce of Christes death vnto the despisyng of the world mortifying of the flesh quenching of the lustes and thyrst of worldly thinges As they which haue dayly conuersation with the sicke and miserable and are present at the deathes of men are moued to defie the world and the lustes therof And as Christ had institute the Sacrament of his body and bloud so the Byshoppes in processe of time set signes of all the rest of Christes passion in the ornamentes and gestures of the Masse so that the whole passion was dayly described before our eyes as though we had presently looked vppon it And that thou mayst see for what cause they came vnto the Sacrament they reconciled them selues ech one to other if any man had offeÌ„ded his brother ere they were admitted into the congregation or body of Christ to be members of ech other knit together in one fayth and loue to eate the Lordes Supper as Paule calleth it for the coÌ„gregatioÌ„ thus gathered is called Christes body and Christ their head And likewise if a man had ben taken in opeÌ„ sinne agaynst the professioÌ„ of his Baptisme he was rebuked openly And he confessed his sinne openly and asked forgiuenes of God and of the congregation whom he had offended with the example of his euill deede and tooke penaunce as they call it of the congregation that is certaine discret iniunctioÌ„s how he should liue and order him selfe in tyme to come came his flesh for the auoyding of the sayd vice because his confession and repentaunce which he semed to haue shuld be none hypocrisie but an earnest thing For if an open sinner be founde among vs we must immediatly amende him or cast him out of the congregation with defiaunce and decestation of his sinne as thou seist how quickly Paule cast out the Corinthian that kept his fathers wife and when he was warned would not amend Or els if we suffer such to be among vs vnrebuked we can not but at once fall from the constancie of our professioÌ„ and laughe and haue delectation and coÌ„sent vnto their sinne as it is come to passe throughout all Christendome Which is ten thousand tymes more abhominable then if we sinned our selues For the best man in the world that hateth sinne might at a tyme throughe â—rayltie of the flesh be drawne to sinne But it is altogether deuilish and a sure token that the spirit of Christ is not in vs nor the profession of our Baptisme written in the hart if we laughe at an other mans sinnes though we our selues absteine for shame or feare of hell or for what so euer imagination it be or that we be so blind that we see no other sinne in vs then our outward deedes And the penaunce enioyned frayle persons that could not rule them selues was vnder the authority of the Curate and the sad and discrete meÌ„ of the Parish to relesse part or all at a tyme if necessitie required or when they sawe the person so growne in perfectnes that he neded it not But see wherto it is now come after what maner our holy father that is at Rome dispenseth withall together And see what our Bishops officers do and where the authoritie of the Curate and of the Parish is become If in ten Parishes round there be not one learned and discret to helpe the other theÌ„ the deuil hath a great swynge among vs that the Byshops officers that dwell so farre of must abuse vs as they do And if within a Diocese or an whole land we can finde no shift but that the Pope that dwelleth at the deuill in hell must thus mocke vs what a stroke thinke ye hath Sathan among vs And all is because we be hipocrites and loue not the way of truth for all our pretendyng the contrarie And to begyn with all they sayd CoÌ„fiteor and knowledged them selues to be sinners And then the Priest prayed in generall for all estates and degrees and for encrease of grace and in especially if neede required vnto whiche prayers the people harkened and sayd Amen And then the Gospell and glad tydinges of forgiuenes of sinnes was preached to styre our fayth And then the Sacrament was ministred for the confirmation of the fayth of the Gospell and of the Testament made betwene God and vs of forgiuenes of sinnes in Christes bloud for our repeÌ„taunce and faith as ye see how after all bargaynes there is a signe therof made either clapping of haÌ„des or bowyng a peny or a groate or a peece of gold or giuing some earnest and as I shewed you how after a truse made they slewe beastes for a confirmation And then men departed euery man to his busines full certified that their sinnes were forgiuen and armed with the remembraunce of Christes passion and death for the mortifieng of the flesh all the day after And in all these was neither the Sacrament neither other ceremonies of the Masse imageseruice to God and holy dedes to make satisfaction for our sinnes or to purchase such worldly thinges as the Gospell teacheth vs to dispise And now compare this
vertue increase vice and sinne to the vtter destruction of the common wealth and quyet lyuing of the people And thus much he maketh an end As to the first where he sayth that it would put awaye the dreade of God and geue boldnes to sinne if we thought there were no Purgatory we sée and may euidently perceaue the contrary all day both in young old of them that beleue there is a Purgatory The young say I wil take my pleasure whyle I may and if I may haue but one houres respite to cry God mercy I care not for then shall I go but to Purgatory so shall I be sure to be saued The old say I will kéepe my goods as long as I may for I wote not what nede I shal haue But when I dye I will cry God mercy and then shall I go but to Purgatory and myne executours that haue my goodes shall redeme me theÌ„ce well inough And so to beleue Purgatory is rather an occasioÌ„ of rechlesse boldnesse then of the feare of God Besides that if they knew y â— there were no Purgatory then should many the more feare God and do wel them selues and not trust to their executours for feare of damnation howbeit as I haue sayd before they that feare not God but for payne whether it be of hell or Purgatory are yet vnder condemnation and not in Gods fauour And this dare I boldly affirme that they whiche feare not God but for Purgatoryes sake shall neuer come in it no nor yet in heauen And therfore it is but folye to imagine Purgatory for that intent As concernyng the second poynte If the people beleue that they neded not to make satisfactioÌ„ to their neighbours for their trespasses c. I haue sufficiently auÌ„swered before that we must make satisfaction vnto our neighbours if we be able or els will God neuer forgeue vs. And if we be not able yet must we knowledge our offence then is our neighbour bounde to forgeue vs vnder the payne of damnation And so can this proue no Purgatory Now as touchyng the thyrd that if they beleued that such a light repentaunce were sufficient without any other satisfaction it should be an occasion of vice and subuersion of the common wealth I auÌ„swere as I haue done before almost in euery argument sith thou art ignoraunt of Christes death and his satisfaction vnto the father for vs that all the repentaunce whiche we can take is not sufficient to counterpese one cryme but that if Christ were not we should all be damned Here will I leaue Rastell and his Turke Gingemin with all their naturall Philosophy which is now proued foolishnes for hetherto hath he proued no Purgatory neither hath hee one good reason nor yet to that baren reasons one good solution as we haue sufficiently declared But let vs heare somewhat more of Gods word and sée how Purgatory standeth with that Paul saith we must all be brought before the iudgement seate of Christ that euery man may receaue accordyng to the workes of his body whether it be good or bad 2. Cor. 5. If this be true then can there be no Purgatory whiche shall profite hym after he is dissolued from his body for then should he not receaue accordyng to y e workes of his body But rather accordyng to the paynes that he suffered in Purgatory Now if this text be true then must it folow that all thyne executours dealyng offeryng of Masse pence c. helpe thée not a myte And by this text it is not possible that there should be a Purgatory Vpon this text would I fayne dispute a poynt of Sophistry whiche I would gladly haue dissolued of them that thinke theÌ„ selues learned in Philosophy My Sophisme is y e ij contradictories may staÌ„d together be both true Whiche I am sure no Sophister dare graunt for it hath in tymes past ben condemned in Oxford for an heresie The coÌ„tradictories are these Euery man shall receaue accordyng to the workes of his body And some maÌ„ shall not receaue accordyng to the workes of his body that these two coÌ„tradictories be both true I wil proue The firste proposition is Paules 2. Cor. 5. which no man will deny to be true And the secoÌ„d may easely be proued true which is that some maÌ„ shall not receaue accordyng to the workes of his body For be it in case y â— there depart a maÌ„ out of this world which is not cleane purged by fayth and the word of God neither are his rebellious members subdued through death as they imagine but that the spottes and remnauntes of sinne remaine in him for the which he is worthy to lye in the paynes of Purgatorye for the space of sixe yeare This graunted which I am sure they will not deny then also put I the case that this man lyeng in Purgatory by the space of a moneth haue a frend which offereth for hym a peny vnto S. Dominikes boxe which hath such power that assoone as the tinging is hard in y e boxe so soone the soule is frée in heauen or that a frende of his bye a Pardon for hym which may absolue him a poena a culpa for all commeth to one effect This man deliuered on that maner doth not receaue accordyng to the workes of his body for by the workes of his body he should yet lye in Purgatory more theÌ„ fiue yeares And that doth he not but is by and by deliuered from Purgatory Ergo I may conclude that some maÌ„ receaueth not accordyng to the workes of his body so are two contradictories true or els there can be no such deliueraunce out of Purgatory whiche destroyeth all Pardons Massepence and Suffragies for the dead This would I haue soluted How beit I will not adnumber it for an argument because the vnlearned people to whom I write this booke can not well perceaue it But this Sophisme haue I writteÌ„ to stop the chatteryng mouthes of the Sophisters and to cast them a bone to gnaw vpon Paule sayth you whiche were in tymes past straungers and enemyes because your myndes were set in euil workes hath he now recoÌ„ciled in the body of hys fleshe thorough death to make you holy such as no man can complayne on and without â—aulte in his owne sight if ye continue grounded and stablished in the fayth and be not moued away from the hope of the Gospell Collos i. Here Paule affirmeth that you are reconciled through his death so that ye are made holy and without faulte in his sight I haue expounded what it is to bee without fault in his â—ixt argument looke ye yet for an other Purgatory are ye so childish and insensible no imagine that ye must yet go through Purgatory â—ith ye are already without faulte in his â—ight This a playne â—ase God of his righteousnes will not punishe a man for nothyng but all that are
grouÌ„ded and stablished in the fayth are in hys â—ight without faulte for their sinnes are not imputed vnto them but forgeuen through Christes bloud wherfore of necessitie I must conclude that no faythfull shall euer come there Euery man that departeth this world is either faithfull or vnfaithful if he be faithful then commeth he not there as y e foresaid argumeÌ„t proueth And if he be vnfaythfull theÌ„ commeth he neuer in Purgatory but is all ready damned Iohn iij. Marke the last Now if neither â—aythfull nor vnfaithfull enter into it then should it be in vayne but there is nothyng made in vaine wherfore I must conclude that there is no such Purgatory Paule sayth he that spared not his owne sonne but deliuered him for vs all how shal he not with him geue vs all thynges also who shall lay any thyng to the charge of Gods chosen Roma viij Forsooth Lord God our prelates lay so sore vnto their charge that they would haue them broyle in Purgatory But Lord be our protectour for it is thou that iustifiest vs hast fréely geuen vs all thynge with him Roma viij Paule sayth the law of the spirite wherein is lyfe through Christ Iesu hath deliuered me from the lawe of sinne and death Roma viij Seyng we be so deliuered what nâ—…de vs seke an other deliueraunce specially â—ith they make it so paynefull Sâ—yng we are on y e maner deliuered how â—hauÌ„ceth it that we are taken prisoners agayne vnder sinne that we must be purged a fresh by the fire of Purgatory I pray God geue vs grace that we may be purged froÌ„ this our blynd ignoraunce thorough hys spirite of knowledge that we may perceaue how it is Iesus Christ that purgeth our sinnes and hath deliuered vs thorough his bloudshedyng So should we geue hym the prayse whiche hath deserued it And not be so vnkind vnto hym as we now be Paule sayth y e there is no condeÌ„natioÌ„ to them which are in Christ Iesu Roma 8. But if we continue firme stable in Christ vnto the end theÌ„ shall we be saued Math. 24. what néedeth theÌ„ purgatory yea what should purgatory doe Is not Christ sufficient theÌ„ is our faith in vayne And if he be sufficient theÌ„ is Purgatory in vayne Paule sayth if you be iustified by the law then is Christ dead in vayne Now if the lawe beyng good iust and holy Roma vij And euen of Gods owne makyng caÌ„ not iustifie vs thinkest thou to be iustified by fryenge in Purgatory They that are the chief patrones and proctours of Purgatory do fayne it for no other intent but to purgeeuill workes and to be as a penaunce to supply the good workes whiche we lacked beyng in this world But all this can not bryng vs into heaueÌ„ For then were Christ dead in vayne And of this haue we euident examples Abraham Isaac Iacob Dauid and all holy Prophetes were excluded from heauen vntill Christe had suffered death this all men testifie But if good workes or penaunce could haue brought them to heauen they should not haue taryed out of it so loÌ„g Therfore I may conclude that it is but vanitie to imagine a Purgatory for to purge euill workes and supply good For as I haue shewed that holpe not the Patriarches Peraduenture thou wilt say vnto me shall I then do no good workes I aunswere yes Thou wilt aske me wherfore I aunswere thou must do them because God hath commauÌ„ded them Thou wilt say for what intent hath he commaunded them I aunswere because thou art liuing in this world and must nedes haue conuersation with men therfore hath God appointed â—hée what thou shalt doe to the profite of thy neighbour and tamyng of thy flesh As Paule testifieth Ephes 2. we are his worke made in Christ Iesu to good woorkes whiche woorkes God hath prepared that we should walke in them These workes God would haue vs doe that the vnfaythfull might sée the godly and vertuous conuersation of his faythfull thereby be compelled to glorifie our father whiche is in heauen Math. v. And so are they both profitable for thy neighbour and also a testimonie vnto thée by the which meÌ„ may know that thou art the right sonne of thy heaueÌ„ly father and a very Christe vnto thy neighbour and euen as our heauenly father gaue his Christ vnto vs not for any profit that he should haue ther by but onely for our profite likewise y â— shouldest do all thy good workes not hauing respect what coÌ„modities thou shalt haue of it but euer attendyng through charitie the wealth and profite of thy neighbour Thou wilt yet obiect then sée I no great profite that I shall haue by them I aunswere what wouldest y â— haue First Christ is geuen thée fréely and with him hast thou all thinges He is thy wisedome righteousnes halowyng and redemption i. Cor. i. by him art thou made inheritour of God and felowheyre with Christ Roma viij This is fréely geuen thée with Christ before thou wast borne thorough the fauour and election of God whiche election was done before the foundations of the world were cast Ephes i. Now were thou very fonde and vnkynde if thou thoughtest to purchase by thy workes the thyng which is already geueÌ„ thée Therefore must thou do thy workes with a single eye hauyng neither respect vnto the ioyes of heaueÌ„ neither yet to the paynes of hell but onely do them for the profite of thy neighbour as God commaundeth thée and let him a lone with the residue To this well agréeth Paule Ephe. 2. saying by grace are ye made safe through fayth and that commeth not of your selues but it is y t gift of God coÌ„meth not of workes lest any man should boast him selfe Loe here sayth Paule playnly that our saluatioÌ„ is the gift of God coÌ„meth not of workes if it come not of workes then are we worse then mad to fayne a Purgatory For the chiefest operation of that should be but to supply the woorkes which we haue not accomplished beyng in this body Paule sayth Roma xi The remnaunt which are left at this time are through the election of grace If it be through grace theÌ„ is it not by workes for then grace were no grace Or if it be for the workes sake so is it not of fauour and grace accordyng to that which he wrote before Roma iiij If AbrahaÌ„ sayth Paul were iustified by his workes then may he reioyse but not before God But what sayth the Scripture Abraham beleued God that was imputed vnto hym for righteousnes for he that worketh receaueth his reward not of fauour but of dutye Now if it be duty then nedeth he not to thanke God but rather him selfe for theÌ„ God geueth him nothing but that which is his owne of dutye Where is then the prayse
If he can deliuer them for money then may he also deliuer them wythout money And then is he a very cruel tyraunt which kéepeth them in paynes so intollerable as he imagineth him selfe vntill they pay money THe first hee soluteth on this maner Sith our Lord sendeth them thether for satisfaction to be made in some maner for their sinne the Pope should rather agaynst Gods purpose delyuer them free then chaunge the maner of their satisfaction frō payne into prayer almose or other good workes to be done by their frendes for them in some pointe profitable and necessary for the whole corps of Christēdome or some good member of the same As concernyng satisfaction I haue spoken sufficiētly before agaynst Rastell The Scripture knoweth no other satisfaction to be made for sinne towardes God but onely the bloud of his sonne Iesu Christ for if there were an other satisfaction then dyed Christ in vayne yea and he that séeketh any other satisfactiō for his sinne towardes God then Christes bloud which must be receiued with a repētyng hart through fayth doth despise Christes bloud and treade it vnder his féete And so is the first part of M. Mores solution false that they should be shut in Purgatory to make satisfaction Besides that where hee sayth that if the Pope should so deliuer them he should deliuer them free I say nay For the Pope can deliuer no mā from thence vntil satisfactiō be made as both he all his adherentes graūt And therefore to finde away how he might seme to deliuer thē he fayneth that he hath in his hands the merites of Christes passion and the merites of all Saintes to destribute them at his pleasure And therfore might the Pope apply the merites of Christes passion of other Saintes vnto these sely soules and so deliuer them For those merites ar inough to satisfie for y t soules in purgatory if there were ten tymes so many And so should the Pope deliuer them not frée but chaūgyng the maner of their satisfaction from payne into merites of Christes passion and of all Saintes And so is this reason not abated but rather strōger thē it was before Howbeit to say the truth the merites of Christes passion are onely distributed vnto the faythfull and tha◠by God and his spirite and not by the Pope And as for the merites of Saintes can not helpe other for they haue to litle for them selues if God should enter into iudgement with them Psalme 104. And Christ sayth Luke 17. when you haue done all that is commaunded you say we are vnprofitable seruauntes To this well agréeth the parable of the x. Virgins Math. 25. whiche could not depart with any of theyr oyle for feare that they should not haue had inough for them selues THe second reason byteth him somwhat and therefore he calleth it vnreasonable and would auoyd it by an example on thys wise Presuppose that the Pope may deliuer al soules out of purgatory yet if he were therfore cruell as oft as he leueth any there This vnreasonable reason layeth cruelty vnto the blame of God which may vndoubtedly deliuer al soules thence and yet he leaueth thē there This blasphemye should also touch hys hye maiestie for keeping any soule in hell from whence no man doubteth but that he might if he list deliuer them all for euer I aunswere that the example is nothing like for God can deliuer no man neither from hell nor from purgatory if such one were vntill hys iustice be counterpaysed as I haue sufficiently proued agaynst Rastell And if you obiect his absolute power then aunswer I that he hath an absolute iustice as well as an absolute power and so can hys absolute power do nothing vntill hys absolute iustice be satisfyed And agayne I say that God hath no power nor lust to do agaynst hys scripture and himself but his power lust is to fulfill that he hath promised vnto the faythfull euerlasting glory and vnto the wicked eternall damnation So that god by hys scripture can deliuer no man out of hell for then had he power to make himselfe a lyer so were he no God neither can he deliuer any man out of purgatory supposed that there were one vntill hys iustice be pacified But the pope as he sayth himselfe hath the full satisfaction in hys own hand wherby Gods iustice must be pacified wherfore it is onely the popes fault which hath the satisfaction in his power and will not geue it till he haue money not Gods fault which must néedes tary vntill satisfaction be made And so is thys reason as strong as it was before the pope proued a cruell tyraunt BVt yet to excuse the pope he sayth It is not meete that the Pope should be so quicke in deliueraūce for so should he geue a great occasion to mē boldly to fall into sinne and litle to care or feare how slowly they ryse agayne and that were not mete for his office Forsooth this is a gentle reason He may not be quicke in deliueraūce because he should geue men occasion of sinne But for one peny he will quyte deliuer you and that with spede For if ye offer a peny into S. Dominikes boxe assoone as ye heare y e peny ryng in the boxe euen so soone is the soule in heauē Call you not that quicke deliueraūce If you geue not that peny then may he not deliuer the soule for it should be an occasion of sinne But if you geue that peny thē is there no such occasiō of sinne Such great vertue hath that one peny in M. Mores sight that it cleane wypeth away the occasion of sinne Furthermore if this redemption may be done for money it shall be still an occasion vnto the rich that they regard not sinne and yet they had more néed to be brydeled then the poore for where riches aboundaunce is there raygneth sinne most of all Howbeit I haue shewed sufficiently before agaynst Rastell that they which feare not to sinne but for feare of purgatorye shall neuer come into it but be damned in hell For we should not abstaine from sinne for any feare but for the pure loue that we haue to god our most mercifull Father c. THen commeth maister More to this imagination that we should say how no mans prayer or good deed can help an other And saith he if that were true thē could not Christes bitter passion prosite vs. Sir mine opiniō of Christes death is this 1 We haue al sinned in Adam without our own consent and worke 1 And we are loosed from sinne thorough Christ without our workes or deseruinges 2 Sinne is come into the world thorow Adam and is punished w t death 2 The death through Christ is turned into a medicine and cleane finisheth sinne 3 One mans sinne whiche is Adam hath condemned many men 3 One mans grace which is Christ hath
DIEV ET MON DRIOT ¶ THE WHOLE workes of W. Tyndall Iohn Frith and Doct. Barnes three worthy Martyrs and principall teachers of this Churche of England collected and compiled in one Tome togither beyng before scattered now in Print here exhibited to the Church To the prayse of God and profite of all good Christian Readers Mortui resurgent AT LONDON Printed by Iohn Daye and are to be sold at his shop vnder Aldersgate An. 1573. ¶ Cum gratia Priuilegio Regiae Maiestatis ARISE FOR IT IS DAY A Table of the seuerall Treatises conteyned in M. William Tyndals workes A Preface to the Christian Reader The lyfe of Wylliam Tyndall A protestation of the state of the soules departed A preface that he made before the v. bookes of Moses A prologue shewyng the vse of the Scripture Seuerall prologues that he made to the v. bookes of Moses fol. 2. 7. 11. 15. 21. Certaine harde wordes expounded by him in the fyrst second and fourth booke of Moses fol. 5. 10. 16. A prologue vpon the Prophet Ionas 23. Prologues vpon the iiij Euangelistes 32. Prologues vpon the Epistles of S. Paule 39. Prologues vpon the Epistles of S. Peter 54. Prologues vpon the iij. Epistles of S. Iohn 55. The parable of the wicked Mammon 59. The obedience of a Christian man and how Christian rulers ought to gouerne 97. An exposition vpon the v. vj. vij chapters of S. Ma. thewes Gospell 184. An answere to Syr Thomas Mores dialogues 244 The practise of popishe Prelates 340. A pathway into the holy Scripture 377. The exposition vpon the first Epistle of S. Iohn 387. The exposition vpon M. William Tracies will 429. A fruitfull treatise vpon signes Sacraments 436. Two notable letters that he sent vnto Iohn Frith 453. The Supper of the Lord wherein is confuted the letter of M. More sent vnto Iohn Frith supposed to be written by Tyndall 457. ¶ The Epistle or Preface to the Christian Reader AS we haue great cause to geeue thankes to the high prouidence of almighty God for the excellent arte of Printing most happely of late found out and now commonly practised euery where to the singular benefite of Christes Church wherby great increase of learnyng and knowledge with innumerable commodities els haue ensued and dayly doe ensue to the lyfe of man and especially to the fartheraunce of true Religion so agayne of our parte it is both of vs all in generall to be wished and especially of them to be procured who occupie the trade therof rightly to vse the same to the glory of hym which gaue it and to the ende wherefore it was ordayned and not to abuse vnworthely that worthy facultie eyther in thrusting into the worlde euery vnworthy trifle that commeth to hand or hauing respecte more to their owne priuate gayne then regarde to the publike edifiyng of Christes Church or necessary preferment of Religion For therefore I suppose this science of Printing first to be set vp and sent of God to mans vse not so much for temporall commoditie to be taken or mans glory to be sought thereby but rather for the spirituall and inwarde supportation of soulehealth helpe of Religion restoring of true doctrine repayring of Christes Church and repressing of corrupt abuses which had heretofore ouerdarckened the doctrine of fayth to reuiue agayne the lost lyght of knowledge to these blynde tymes by renuing of holsome and auncient writers whose doinges and teachinges otherwise had lyen in obliuion had not the benefite of Printing brought them agayne to light or vs rather to light by them Wherfore such Printers in my mynde are not to be defrauded of their due commendation who in pretermitting other light triflyng pamflets of matter vnneedful and impertinent little seruing to purpose lesse to necessitie doe employe their endeuour and workemanship chiefly to restore such fruitfull workes and monumentes of auncient writers and blessed Martyrs who as by their godly lyfe and constant death gaue testimonie to the trueth in tyme wherein they suffered so by their doctrine and learning geeue now no lesse lyght to all ages and posteritie after them In the number of whome may rightly be accompted and no lesse recommended to the studious Christen Reader these three learned fathers of blessed memory whom the Printer of this booke hath diligently collected in one volume togither inclosed the workes I meane of William Tyndall Iohn Frith and Robart Barnes chiefe ryngleaders in these latter tymes of thys Church of England Wherein as we haue much to prayse God for such good bookes left to the Church and also for such Printers in preseruing by their industrie and charges such bookes from perishing so haue I to exhorte all studious readers wyth lyke diligence to embrace the benefite of God offered and seriously to occupie them selues in markyng and folowing both the valiaunt actes and excellent wrytinges of the sayd godly persons Concernyng the prayse whereof I shall not neede in thys place to bestow much commendation because neither is it the prayse of men but profite of the godly that they doe seeke nor yet the contempt of the vngodly that they doe feare Moreouer what is to be sayde or thought of them rather by their owne workes then by other mens wordes by readyng their bookes then by my preface is to be seene In perusing whereof thou shalt fynde gentle Reader whether thou bee ignoraunt what to learne or whether thou be learned what to folowe and what to sticke to Briefly whatsoeuer thou art if thou be yong of Iohn Frith if thou be in middle age of W. Tyndall if in elder yeares of D. Barnes matter is here to be founde not onely of doctrine to enforme thee of comfort to delyte thee of godly ensample to directe thee but also of speciall admiration to make thee to wonder at the workes of the Lord so mightely workyng in these men so oportunely in stirryng them vp so graciously in assisting them Albeit diuers other also besides these I say not nay as well before them as after through the secrete operation of Gods mighty prouidence haue beene raysed vp both famous in learnyng florishyng in witte and stout in zeale who labouryng in the same cause haue no lesse valiantly and doughtely stoode in the like defence of Christes true Religion agaynst blynde errour pestilent superstition and perillous hypocrisie namely agaynst the Arche enemye of Christ and hys flocke the Byshop I meane of Rome with hys tyrannicall seate as namely here in England Iohn Wicklyffe Rigge Aston Swynderby W. Thorpe Walter Brute L. Cobham wyth the residue of that former age And also after them many other moe freshe wittes faythfull preachers and learned writers haue sprong vp by the Lord of hoastes to furnishe hys fielde Briefly no age nor tyme hath euerlacked some or other styll bayting at the beast but especially nowe in these our present dayes such plenty yea whole armyes the Lord hath powred vppon hys Church of heauenly souldiours who not
by the way of repentance vnto the fountayne of Christes bloud to washe it away thorow faith By the reason of which false righteousnes they wer disobediēt vnto the righteousnes of god whiche is the forgeuenesse of sinne in Christes bloud and could not beleue it And so thorow fleshly interpretyne the law and false imagined righteousnes their hartes were hardened and made as stony as clay in an whot furnace of fire that they could receiue neither repentance nor fayth or any moysture of grace at all But the heathen Niniuites though they were blinded with lustes yet werin those two poyntes vncorrupte and vnhardened and therfore with the only preachyng of Ionas came vnto the knowledge of their sinnes and confessed them and repented truly and turned euery man from hys euil dedes declared their sorrow of hart and true repentaunce with theyr deedes which they did out of fayth and hope of forgeuenesse chastieing their bodies with prayer and fastyng and with takyng all pleasures from the flesh trustyng as God was angry for their wickednesse euen so should he forgeue them of his mercy if they repented and forsoke their misseliuing And in the last ende of all thou hast yet a goodly ensample of learnyng to see how earthy Ionas is still for all his trying in y t whales belly He was so sore displesed because the Niniuites perished not that he was wery of hys life and wished after death for very sorow that he had lost the glory of hys prophesiyng in y t hys prophecie came not to passe But GOD rebuked hym with a likenes saying it greueth thine hart for the losse of a vile shrub or spray wheron thou bestowedst no labour or cost neither was it thine handy work How much more then should it greue myne hart the losse of so great a multitude of innocentes as are in Niniue which are all mine hādes worke Nay Ionas I am God ouer all and father as well vnto the heathen as vnto the Iewes and merciful to all and warneere I smite neither threate I so cruelly by any prophet but that I will forgeue if they repent and aske mercy neither on the other side whatsoeuer I promise will I fulfill it saue for their sakes onely which trust in me submit themselues to keepe my lawes of very loue as naturall children ON this maner to read the Scripture is the right vse therof why the holy ghost caused it to be written That is that thou first seke out y t law that God wyll haue thee to do interpreting it spiritually without glose or couering the brightnes of Moses face so that that thou feele in thyne harte how that it is damnable sinne before God not to loue thy neighbour that is thine enemy as purely as Christ loued thee that not to loue thy neighbour in thyne hart is to haue committed already all sinne against him And therfore vntill that loue be come thou must knowledge vnfainedly that there is sinne in the best deede thou doest And it must ernestly greue thine hart and thou must wash all thy good dedes in Christes bloud ere they can be pure and an acceptable sacrifice vnto god and must desire God the father for his sake to take thy dedes a worth and to pardon the imperfectnesse of them to geue thee power to do thē better and with more feruent loue And on the other side thou must serch diligently for the promises of mercye which God hath promised thee again Which two poynces that is to witte the law spiritually interpreted howe that all is damnable synne that is not vnfayned loue out of the ground and bottome of the harte after the ensample of Christes loue to vs because we be all equally created and formed of one God our father and indifferently bought and redemed with one bloude of our sauiour Iesus Christ and that the promises be geuen vnto a repentyng soule that thursteth and longeth after thē of the pure and fatherly mercy of God thorow our fayth only with out all deseruyng of our dedes or merites of our workes but for Christes sake a lone and for the merites and deseruynges of hys workes death and passions that he suffered all together for vs and not for hymself which two poyntes I say if they bee written in thyne hart are the keyes which so open all the Scripture vnto thee that no creature can locke thee out with which thou shalt go in and out find pasture and foode euery where And if these lessons be not written in thyne hart then is all the scripture shut vp as a cornel in the shale so that thou mayest read it and commen of it and reherse all the stories of it and dispute wittily and be a profounde sophister and yet vnderstand not one iot thereof And thirdly that thou take the stories and lyues which are contained in the bible for sure and vndoubted ensamples that god so wil deale with vs vnto the worldes ende ¶ Herewith Reader farewell and be commended vnto God and vnto the grace of hys spirit And first see y t thou stoppe not thyne eares vnto the callyng of GOD and harden not thine hart beguiled with fleshly interpreting of the law and false imagined and hipocritish righteousnes least then the Niniuites rise with thee at the day of iudgement and condemne thee And secondarily if thou fynde ought amisse when thou seest thy selfe in the glasse of Gods worde thinke it necessary wisdome to amend the same betymes monished and warned by the ensample of other men rather then to tary vntill thou be beaten also And thirdly if it shall so chaunce that the wylde lustes of thy flesh shall blynde thee cary thee cleane away w t the for a tyme yet at y t latter end when the God of all mercy shall haue compassed thee in on euery syde with temtations tribulation aduersities and combrance to bryng thee home againe vnto thine owne harte and to set thy sinnes which thou wouldest so fayne couer and put out of mynde with delectation of voluptuous pastunes before the eyes of thy conscience then cal the faythfull ensample of Ionas and all like stories vnto thy remembrance and with Ionas turne vnto thy father that smote thee not to cast thee away but to lay a corosie and a fretting plaister vnto the pocke that lay hidde and fret inward to draw the disease out to make it appeare that thou mightest feele thy sicknes and the danger therof and come and receiue the healyng plaister of mercy And forget not that whatsoeuer ensample of mercy God hath shewed since the beginnyng of the world the same is promised thee if thou wylt in like maner turne agayne and receiue it as they did and with Ionas bee a knowen of thy sinne and confesse it knowledge it vnto thy father And as the law which fretteth thy conscience is in thine hart and is none
all in all thinges woorketh a mans iustifiyng saluation and health yea poureth fayth belefe lust to loue Gods will strength to fulfill the same into vs euen as water is poured into a vessell and that of his good will and purpose and not of our deseruynges and merites Gods mercy in promising and truth in fulfilling his promises saueth vs and not we ourselues and therfore is al laude prayse glory to be geuen vnto God for his mercy and truth and not vnto vs for our merites and deseruynges After that he stretcheth hys example out agaynst all other good workes of the law and coÌ„cludeth that the Iewes can not be Arahams heyres because of bloud and kinred onely and much lesse by the workes of the law but must inherite Abrahams fayth if they wil be the right heyres of Abraham for as much as Abraham before the law both of Moses also of Circumcision was through faith made righteous and called the father of all them that beleue not of them that worke Moreouer the law causeth wrath in as much as no maÌ„ can fulfill it with loue and lust and as longe as such grudgyng hate and indignation agaynst the law remayneth in the hart and is not takeÌ„ away by the sprite that commeth by fayth so long no doubt the workes of the law declare euideÌ„tly that the wrath of god is vpon vs and not fauour wherfore fayth only receyueth the grace promised vnto Abraham And these ensamples were not written for Abrahams sake onely sayth he but for oures also to whom if we beleue fayth shall be reckened lykewise for ryghteousnesse as he sayth in the end of the chapter In the 5. chapter he commendeth the fruit and workes of faith as are peace reioycing in the conscience inwarde loue to God and maÌ„ moreouer boldnesse trust confidence and a strong a lusty mynd and stedfast hope in tribulation and suffering For all such follow where the right fayth is for the aboundant graces sake and giftes of the sprite which god hath geuen vs in Christ in that he suffred hym to die for vs yet his enemies Now haue we then that fayth only before all workes iustifieth and that it followeth not yet therfore that a man should do no good workes but that y t right shapeÌ„ workes abide not behind but accompany fayth euen as brightnesse doth the sunne and are called of Paul the fruites of the sprite Where y t spirite is there it is alwayes sommer and there are alwayes good fruites that is to say good workes This is Paules order that good works spring of the sprite y e spirit commeth by fayth and faythe commeth by hearyng the worde of God when the glad tidings and promises which God hath made vnto vs in Christ are preached truely and receiued in the ground of the hart with out waueryng or doubâ—ing after that the law hath passed vpon vs and hath damned our consciences Where the worde of God is preached purely and receiued in the hart there is faith the spirit of God there are also good workes of necessitie whensoeuer occasioÌ„ is geueÌ„ Where Gods word is not purely preached but mens dreames traditions imaginations inuentioÌ„s ceremonies superstition there is no fayth and consequently no spirite that commeth of GOD and where Gods spirite is not there can bee no good workes euen as where an apple tree is not there can grow no apples but there is vnbeliefe the diuels sprite and euill workes Of this Gods sprite and hys fruites haue our holy hipocrites not once knowen neither yet tasted how swete they are though they fayne many good workes of their own imaginatioÌ„ to be iustified withal in which is not one cromme of true fayth or spiritual loue or of inward ioy peace and quietnes of conscience for as much as they haue not the worde of GOD for them that such workes please GOD but they are euen the rotten fruites of a rotten tree After that he breaketh forth and runneth at large sheweth whence both sinne and righteousnesse death and life come And he compareth Adam and Christ together thus wise reasonyng and disputyng that Christ must nedes come as a seconde Adam to make vs heyres of his righteousnesse through a new spiritual birth without our deseruinges Euen as the first Adam made vs heyres of synne through the bodily generation without oure deseruyng Wherby it is euidently knowne and proued to the vttermost that no man can bryng himselfe out of synne vnto righteousnesse no more then he could haue withstaÌ„d that he was borne bodily And y t is proued herewith for as much as y t very law of God which of right should haue helped if any thyng could haue holpeÌ„ not onely came and brought no helpe with her but also encreased synne because that the euil and poisoned nature is offeÌ„ded and vtterly displeased with the law and y t more she is forbid by the lawe the more is she prouoked and set a fyre to fulfill satisfie her lustes By the law then we see clearely that we must needes haue Christ to iustify vs with his grace to helpe nature In the vi he setteth forthe the chiefe and principall worke of fayth the battayle of the sprite agaynst the fleshe how the sprite laboureth and enforceth to kyll the remnaunt of sinne and lust which remayne in the fleshe after our iustifiyng And this chapiter teacheth vs that we are not so free from sinne through fayth that we should henceforth go vp and down idle carelesse sure of our selues as thoughe there were now no more synne in vs. Yes there is sinne remayning in vs but it is not reckoned because of fayth and of the sprite which fyght agaynste it Wherefore we haue inough to doe all our lyues long to tame our bodies and to compell the members to obey the sprite and not the appetites that therby we myght be like vnto christes death and resurrection and might fulfill our baptisme which signifieth the mortifiyng of sinnes and the new lyfe of grace For this battayle ceaseth not in vs vntill the last breath and vntyll that sinne be vtterly slayne by the deth of the body This thyng I meane to tame the body and so forth we are able to doe sayth he seyng we are vnder grace not vnder the lawe What it is not to be vnder the lawe he himselfe expoundeth For not to be vnder the lawe is not so to be vnderstand that euery maÌ„ may do what hym lusteth But not to be vnder the law is to haue a fre hart renewed with the sprite so that thou hast lust inwardly of thine owne accorde to do that which the lawe commaundeth without compulsion yea though there were no law For grace that is to say gods fauour bringeth vs the sprite maketh vs loue the lawe so is there now no more sinne neither is the law now any more
is forasmuch as faythe iustifieth and putteth away sinne in the sight of God bringeth lyfe health and the fauour of God maketh vs the heyres of God poureth the spirite of God into our soules and filleth vs with all godly fulnes in Christ it wer to great a shame rebuke and wronge vnto the fayth ye to christes bloud if a man would worke any thyng to purchase that wherwith fayth hath indued hym already and God hath geuen hym freely Euen as Christ had done rebuke and shame vnto hymselfe if he would haue done good workes and wrought to haue bene made thereby Gods sonne and heyre ouer all which thing he was alredy Now doth fayth make vs the sonnes or childrē of god Iohn 1. he gaue them might or power to be y t sonnes of God in that they beleued on his name If we be sonnes so are we also heires Roma viij and Gala. iiij How can or ought we then to worke for to purchase that inheritaunce withall whereof we are heyres already by fayth What shall we say thē to those scriptures whiche sound as though a man should do good workes and lyue well for heauens sake or eternall reward As these are make you frendes of the vnrighteous Mammon And Math. vij Gather you treasures together in heauen Also Math. xix If thou wilt enter into lyfe keepe the commaundementes and such like This say I that they whiche vnderstand not neither feele in their hartes what fayth meaneth talke and thinke of the reward euen as they do of the worke neither suppose they y t a man ought to worke but in a respect to the reward For they imagine that it is in the kyngdome of Christ as it is in the world among mē that they must deserue heauen with their good woorkes Howbeit their thoughtes are but dreames and false imaginations Of these men speaketh Malachias Chap. i. who is it among you that shutteth a doore for my pleasure for nought y t is without respect of reward These are seruauntes that seke gaynes and vauntage hyrelinges day labourers whiche here on earth receaue their rewardes as the Phariseis with their prayers and fastynges Math. v. But on this wise goeth it with heauen with euerlastyng lyfe and eternall reward likewise as good workes naturally folow fayth as it is aboue rehearsed so that thou nedest not to commaunde a true beleuer to worke or to compel him with any law for it is vnpossible that he should not worke he taryeth but for an occasion he is euer disposed of him selfe thou nedest but to put him in remembraunce and that to know the false fayth from the true Euen so naturally doth eternall lyfe folow faith and good liuing without sekyng for is impossible that it should not come though no mā thought there on Yet is it rehearsed in y ◠Scripture alledged and promised to know the difference betwene a false beleuer and a true beleuer and that euery man may know what foloweth good liuyng naturally and of it selfe without takyng thought for it Take a grosse ensample Hell that is euerlastyng death is threatned vnto sinners and yet foloweth it sinne naturally without sekyng for For no mā doth euill to be damned therfore but had rather auoyde it Yet there the one foloweth the other naturally though no man told or warned him of it yet should the sinner finde it and feele it Neuerthelesse it is therfore threatned that men may know what foloweth euill liuyng Now then as after euill liuyng foloweth his reward vnsought for euen so after good liuing foloweth his reward naturally vnsought for or vnthought vpon Euen as when thou drinkest wine be it good or bad the tast foloweth of it selfe thoughe thou therfore drinke it not Yet testifieth the Scripture and it is true that we are by inheritaunce heyres of damnation and that ere we be borne we are vessels of the wrath of God full of that poyson whence naturally all synnes spring and wherewith we can not but sinne which thyng the dedes that folow whē we behold our selues in the glasse of the law of God do declare vtter kill our consciences show vs what we were and wist not of it certifieth vs that we are heyres of damnatiō For if we were of God we should cleaue to God and lust after the wil of God But now our dedes compared to the law declare y ◠contrary by our dedes we see our selues both what we be and what our end shall be So now thou seest that lyfe eternall and all good thynges are promised vnto fayth and belefe so that he that beleueth on Christ shal be safe Christes bloud hath purchased life for vs hath made vs the heyres of god so that heauen commeth by Christes bloud If thou wouldest obtaine heauē with the merites and deseruinges of thine own woorkes so dyddest thou wrong yea and shamedest the bloud of Christ and vnto thee were Christ dead in vayne Now is the true beleuer heyre of God by Christes deseruynges yea and in Christ was predestinate and ordeined vnto eternall life before the world began And when the Gospel is preached vnto vs we beleue the mercy of God and in beleuyng we receaue the spirite of God which is the earnest of eternal lyfe and we are in eternal life already feele already in our hartes the swetnes therof and are ouercome with the kyndnes of God and Christ and therfore loue the will of God and of loue are ready to woorke freely and not to obtaine that which is geuen vs freely and whereof we are heyres already Now when Christ sayth Make you frendes of vnrighteous Mammon Gather you treasure together in heauen and such like Thou seest that the meanyng and entent is no other but that thou shouldest do good so will it folow of it selfe naturally without sekyng takyng of thought that thou shalt find frendes and treasure in heauē and receaue a reward So let thyne eye be single and looke vnto good lyuyng onely and take no thought for y t reward But be content For as much as thou knowest and art sure that the reward all thyng contained in gods promises folow good liuyng naturally and thy good workes do but testifie onely and certifie thee that the spirite of God is in thee whom thou hast receaued in earnest of Gods truth and that thou art heyre of all the goodnes of God and that all good thynges are thyne already purchased by Christes bloud and layd vp in store against that day when euery man shall receaue according to his dedes that is according as his dedes declare and testifie what he is or was For they that looke vnto the reward are slow false suttle and crafty workers and loue the reward more thē the worke yea hate the labour yea hate God which commaūdeth the labour and are wery both of the commaundement and also
miracles his wonders his mighty hand his stretched out arme and what he hath done for you hetherto He shall destroye them he shall take theyr hartes from them and make them feare and flye before you He shall storme them and stirre vp a tempest among them and scatter them and bring them to naught He hath sworne he is true he will fullfill the promises that he hath made vnto Abraham Isaac and Iacob This is written for our learning for verely he is a true God and is our God as well as theyres and his promises are with vs as well as with them and he presente with vs as well as he was with them If we aske we shal obtain if we knocke he will open if we seeke wee shall finde if we thyrst his truth shall fullfill our lust Christ is with vs vntill the worldes ende Math. y ◠last Let this little flock be bold therefore for if God be on our side what matter maketh it who be against vs be they byshops cardinalles popes or what so euer names they will Marke this also if God sende thee to the sea and promise to goe with thee and to bring thee safe to lande he will rayse vp a tempest agaynst thee to proue whether thou wilt abide by his worde and that thou mayst feele thy fayth and perceiue his goodnes For if it were alwayes fayre weather and thou neuer brought into such ieoperdy whēce his mercy onely deliuered thee thy fayth should be but a presumption and thou shouldest be euer vnthanckfull to God and mercilesse vnto thy neighbour If God promise ritches the way therto is pouertie Whom he loueth him he chasteneth whome he exalteth he casteth downe whome he saueth he damneth first he bringeth no man to heauen except he send him to hell first if he promise life he slayeth first when he buildeth he casteth all downe first he is no patcher he can not builde on an other mans foundation he will not woorke vntill all be past remedy and brought vnto such a case y ◠men may see how that his hand his power his mercy his goodnesse and trueth hath wrought all together he will let no man be partaker with him of hys prayse and glorye his workes are wonderful and contrary vnto mans workes Who euer sauing he deliuered his owne sonne his onely sonne hys deare sonne vnto the death and that for his enemies sake to winne his enemye to ouercomme him with loue that he might see loue and loue againe and of loue to do likewise to other men and to ouercome them with well doing Ioseph saw the Sunne and the Moone and xj starres worshipping him Neuerthelesse ere that came to passe God layed hym where he could neither see sunne nor moone neyther any starre of the skye and that many yeares and also vndeserued to norture him to humble to meeke and to teach him Gods wayes and to make him apt and meet for the roome and honor against he came to it that he might perceiue and feele that it came of God and that he might be strong in the spirite to minister it godly He promised the children of Israell a lande with riuers of milke and honny But brought them for the space of fourty yeares into a land where not onely riuers of mylke and honny were not but where so much as a drop of water was not to nourture them and to teach them as a father doth his sonne and to do them good at the latter ende and that they might be strong in their spirite soules to vse his giftes and benefites godly and after hys will He promised Dauid a kingdome and immediatly stirred vp king Saule against him to persecute him to hunt him as men do hares with greyhoundes and to ferret him out of euery hole that for the space of many yeares to tame him to meeke him to kill his lustes to make him feele other mens diseases to make him mercifull to make him vnderstand that he was made king to minister and to serue his brethren and that he shoulde not thincke that his subiectes were made to minister vnto his lustes and that it were lawfull for him to take away from them life goods at his pleasure Oh that our kinges were so nourtured how a dayes which our holy byshops teache of a farre other maner saying Your grace shal take your pleasure yea take what pleasure you list spare nothing we shall dispence with you we haue power we are Gods vicars and let vs alone with the realme we shall take payne for you and see that nothing be well your Grace shall but defende the fayth onely Let vs therefore looke diligently whereunto we are called that we deceaue not our selues We are called not to dispute as the popes disciples do but to dye with Christ that we may liue with him and to suffer with him that we may raigne with him We be called vnto a kingdome that must be wonne w t suffring only as a sicke man winneth health God is he that doth all thing for vs and fighteth for vs we do but suffer onely Christ sayth Iohn xx As my Father sent me so sende I you and Iohn xv If they persecute me then shall they persecute you and Christ sayth Math. x. I send you forth as sheepe among wolues The sheepe fight not but the shepheard fighteth for them and careth for them Be harmeles as Doues therfore saith Christ and wise as serpentes The doues imagine no defence nor seeke to auenge themselues The serpentes wisedome is to keepe his head and those partes wherein his life resteth Christ is our head and Gods word is that wherin our life resteth To cleaue therfore fast vnto Christ and vnto those promises which God hath made vs for his sake is our wisedome Beware of men sayth he for they shall deliuer you vp vnto theyr counsels and shall scourge you and ye shall be brought before rulers and kinges for my sake the brother shall betray or deliuer the brother to death and the father the sonne and the children shall rise against father and mother and put them to death Heare what Christ sayth more The disciple is not greater thē his master neyther the seruaunte greater or better then his Lorde if they haue called the goodman of the house Beelzebub how much rather shall they call his household seruants so And Luke xiiij sayth Christ Which of you disposed to builde a tower sitteth not downe fyrst and counteth the cost whether he haue sufficient to performe it lest when he hath layd the foundation and then not able to performe it al that behold it begin to mocke him saying this man beganne to builde and was not able to make an ende so likewise none of you that forsaketh not all that he hath can be my disciple Whosoeuer therefore casteth not this aforehand I must ieoberd life goods honor worship and al that there
to be merciful is louingly to forgeue them that offended thee assoone as they knowledge their misdoyng aske thee mercy To be mercifull is patiently long to abide the conuersion of sinners with a lusty courage and hope that God will at the last conuert them and in the meane tyme to pray instantly for them and euer when he seeth an occasion to exhort theÌ„ warne them monishe theÌ„ and rebuke them And to be mercifull is to interpret all to the best and to looke thorow the fingers at many thynges and not to make a greuous sinne of euery small trifle and to suffer and forbeare in his owne cause the malice of them that wil not repent nor be a knowen of theyr wickednesse as long as he can suffer it and as long as it ought to be suffred and when he can no lenger then to complayne to them that haue auctoritie to forbidde wrong and to punishe such euill doers But the hypocrites cleane contrary condemne all meÌ„ for greuous sinners saue them onely that buy their holynesse of them And because they wyll suffer wyth no man they get them to silence And because they will helpe no man all that they haue say they pertayneth to the Couent and is none of theirs And if they be offended they wyll be auenged immediatly And to clooke that they should not seeme to adueÌ„ge theÌ„selues the matter say they pertayneth to God and holy Church or to some Saint or to one or other holy thyng as if thou smite one of them on the one cheke he will turne to thee the other yer he will aduenge himself But the iniury of the holy oyle wherwith he was annointed that must he aduenge and that with a spirituall punishmeÌ„t that thou must be accursed as blacke as a Colyer and deliuered to Sathan And if thou come not in and aske absolution and to offer thy selfe to penaunce and to paying thereto they wyll not suffer till the Deuil fetch thee But will deliuer thee to the fyre in the meane tyme. And all for zeale of righteousnes say they O hypocrites the zeale of righteousnes is to hunger and thyrst for righteousnes as it is aboue described that is to care and study and to do the vttermost of thy power that all thynges went in the right course and due order both thorow all degrees of the temporaltie and also of the spiritualtie and to ieoparde lyfe and goodes thereon All the worlde can beare recorde what payne ye take and howe ye care for the temporall common wealth that all degrees therein dyd and had their dutie how ye put your liues in aduenture to preach the truth and to informe Lordes and Princes and to cry vpon them to feare God to be learned and to minister their offices truly vnto their subiectes and to be mercyful an example of vertue vnto them And howe helpe ye that youth were brought vp in learnyng and vertue y â— the poore were prouided for of foode and rayment c. And how prouide ye that your Priestes be all learned and preach and do their duties truly euery maÌ„ in his Parish how prouide ye that sectes arise not to polle the people and leade them out of the way â–ª vnder a colour of long praying and hypocritish holynesse liuyng them selues idle and beyng vtterly vnto the commoÌ„ wealth improfitable who smelleth not y â— swete odoure of chastitie that is among you What righteousnes is in your saÌ„ctuaries and what indifferent equitie is in all your exemptions priuiledges and liberties By your workes we iudge you and your zeale to righteousnes not by your sophisticall suttle reasons with which ye would claw our eares bleare our eyes beguile our wittes to take your tyrannous couetous crudelitie for the zeale of righteousnes Finally he that will not be mercyfull to be blessed of God to obtayne mercy of him both heare and in the life to come let him be accursed with the vnmercyful and to him be iudgement without mercy according to y â— wordes of S. Iames in the second chapter of his Epistle Blessed be the pure in hart for they shall see God That which entreth into a man defileth not a maÌ„ But y â— thyngs that defile a man procede first out of his hart as â—hou mayst see Math. xv Thence come out euill thoughtes saith Christ as murther adulterie fornicatioÌ„ theft false witnessynges and blasphemyes These are the things that make a man foule A man then is not foule in the sight of God till his hart be foule And the filthinesse of the hart are thoughtes that study to breake Gods coÌ„maundementes Wherfore the purenesse of the hart is the consenting studious purpose to keepe the law of God and to meane truly in al thy words works and to do them with a true intent It foloweth then that thou mayst be pure harted and therewith do all that God hath commaunded or not forbidden Thou mayst be pure harted and haue a wife and get childreÌ„ be a iudge and condemne to death them that haue deserued it hang or behead euil doers after they be by a iust processe condeÌ„pned Thou mayst be pure harted do all the drudge in the world Lot was pure harted amoÌ„g the Sodomites Nicodemâ—s beyng in the councell among them that conspired the death of Christ was pure harted consented not with them to the death of that innocent If the law be written in thyne hart it will driue thee to Christ which is the end of the law to iustifie all that beleue Rom. x. And Christ will shew thee his father For no man seeth the father but the sonne and he to whom the sonne will shew him Luke x. If thou beleue in Christ that he is thy Sauiour that faith wil leade thee in immediatly and shew thee God with a louely amiable countenaunce and make thee feele and see how that he is thy father al together mercyfull to thee at one with thee and thou his sonne and highly in his fauour and grace sure that thou pleasest him when thou doest an hundred thinges whiche some holy people would suppose them selues defiled if they should but thinke on theÌ„ And to see God is the blessing of a pure hart Impure and vncleane harted then are all they that study to breake Gods commaundementes Impure harted are all that beleue not in Christ to be iustified by him Impure harted are all hypocrites y t do their worke for a false purpose either for prayse profite or to be iustified thereby which paynted sepulchres as Christ calleth them can neuer see God or bee sure that they be in the state of grace and that theyr workes be accepted because they haue not Gods word with them but cleane agaynst them Blessed are the peacemakers for they shal be called the children of God To inherite this blessing it is not onely required that
their obedience they destroy the obedience that God ordayned in this world desireth no other With their pouerty they destroy the pouertie of the spirit which Christ taught onely whiche is onely not to loue worldly goodes With their fast they destroy the fast which God commaundeth that is a perpetuall sobernesse to tame the fleshe With their patteryng prayer they destroy the prayer taught by God whiche is either thankes or desiryng helpe with fayth trust that God heareth me Their holynesse is to forbyd y t God ordeined to be receaued with thankes giuyng as meate matrimony And their owne workes they maintayne let Gods decay Breake theirs they persecute to the death But breake Gods and they either looke through the fingers or els geue thee a flappe with a Foxe tayle for a litle money There is none order among them that is so perfect but that they haue a prison more cruell theÌ„ any iayle of theues and murtherers And if one of their brethren commit fornication or adultery in the world he finisheth his penaunce therin in three Wekes or a moneth and then is sent to an other place of the same religion But if he attempt to put of the holy habite he commeth neuer out is so straytly dioted therto that it is meruell if he liue a yeare beside other cruell murther that hath bene found among them and yet is this shamefull dyoting of theirs murther cruell inough Be not deceaued with visions nor yet with miracles But go to iudge their workes for the spiritual iudgeth all thinges sayth Paule i. Cor. ij Who is that spirituall not such as we now call men of holy Church But all that haue the true interpretation of the law written in their harts The right fayth of Christ and the true inteÌ„t of workes which God byddeth vs worke he is spirituall and iudged all thinges and is iudged of no man Not all that say to me Lorde Lorde shall enter into the kyngdome of heauen But he that fulfilleth the will of my father which is in heauen Many will say vnto me at that day Lord Lord dyd we not prophesie in thy name and in thy name cast out deuils and dyd we not in thy name many miracles Then will I confesse vnto theÌ„ I neuer knew you depart from me ye workers of iniquitie This doublyng of Lord hath vehemency and betokeneth that they which shal be excluded are such as thinke theÌ„ selues better and perfitter then other men and to deserue heauen with holy workes not for them selues onely but also for other And by that they prophesied by which thou mayst vnderstand the interpretyng of Scripture and by that they cast out deuils did miracles in Christes name and for all that they are yet workes of wickednesse and do not the will of the father which is in heauen it is playne that they be false Prophetes and euen the same of which Christ warned before And now for as much as Christ and his Apostles warne vs that such shall come and describe vs the fashions of their visures Christes name holy Church holy fathers and xv hundred yeares with Scripture and miracles and commaunde vs to turne our eyes from their visures and consider their frutes and cut them vp and loke with in whether they be sound in the core kernell or no and geue vs a rule to try them by is it excuse good inough to say God will not let so great a multitude erre I will folow the most part and beleue as my fathers dyd and as the preachers teach and will not busie my selfe chose them the faute is theirs and not ours God shall not lay it to our charge if we erre Where such wordes be there are the false Prophetes all ready For where no loue to the truth is there are y â— false Prophetes where such wordes be there to be no loue to y e truth is plame Ergo where such woordes be there be the false Prophetes in their full swyng by Paules rule ij Thessa ij An other conclusion where no loue to the truth is there be false Prophetes The greatest of the world haue least loue to the truth Ergo the false Prophetes be the Chaplaines of the greatest which may with the sword compel the rest As the kynges of Israell compelled to worshyp the golden Calues And by false Prophetes vnderstand falâ—e teachers as Peter calleth them and wycked expounders of the Scripture Who soeuer heareth these words of me and doth them I will lyken him vnto a wise man that built hys house vppon a rocke and there fell a rayne and the floudes came and the windes blew and beate vppon that house but it fell not for it was grounded vpon a rocke And all that heare of me these wordes and do them not shal be lykened vnto a foolishe man that buylt his house vpon the sand and there fell a rayne and the floudes came and the windes blâ—w and dashed vpon that house and it fell and the fall therof was great Christ hath two sortes of hearers of which neither of them do there after The one wil be saued by fayth of theyr owne makyng without workes The other with workes of their owne makyng without faith The first are those voluptuous which haue yelded them selues vp to sinne saying tushe God is mercyfull Christ dyed for vs that must saue vs onely for we cannot but sinne without resistaÌ„ce The second are the hypocrites which will deserue all with theyr owne imagined woorkes onely And of fayth they haue no other experience saue that it is a litle meritorious where it is paynefull to be beleued As that Christ was borne of a virgin and that he came not out the way that other children do he no that were a great inconuenience but aboue vnder her arme yet made no hole though he had a very naturall body as other meÌ„ haue and that there is no bread in the Sacrament nor wyne though the fiue wittes say all ye And the meritorious payne of this belefe is so heauy to them that except they had fayned them a thousand wise similitudes and lowsye lykenesses and as many madde reasoÌ„s to stay them with all and to helpe to captiuate their vnderstandyng they were like to cast all of their backes And the onely refuge of a great many to keepe in that fayth is to cast it out of their myndes not to thinke vpon it As though they forgeue not yet it they put the displeasure out of their myndes and thinke not of it til a good occasion be geueÌ„ to adueÌ„ge it they thinke they loue their neighbour well inough all the while and be in good charge And the fayth of the best of them is but like theyr fayth in other worldly stories But the fayth which is trust and confidence to be saued and to haue their sinnes forgeuen by Christ which was so borne haue they not at all
saued By which wordes he declareth euidently that he meaneth that faith that is in the promise made vpon the appointmeÌ„t betwene God and vs that we should kepe his law to the vttermost of our power that is he that beleueth in Christ for the remission of sinne and is Baptised to do the will of Christ and to kepe his law of loue to mortify the flesh that man shal be saued and so is the imagination of these swyne that will not leaue wallowyng theÌ„ selues in euery myre and puddell cleane excluded for God neuer made promise but vpon an appointment or couenaunt vnder whiche who soeuer wil not come can be no partaker of the promise True fayth in Christ geueth power to loue the law of God for it is written Iohn the first He gaue them power to be the sonnes of God in that they beleue in his name Now to be the sonne of God is to loue righteousnes and hate vnrighteousnes and so to be like thy father Hast thou then no power to loue the law so hast thou no fayth in Christes bloud And Rom. iij. We set vp or mainteine the law thorough fayth why so for the preachyng of fayth ministreth the spirit Gala. iij. And ij Cor. iij. And the spirite lowseth the bandes of Sathan geueth power to loue the law and also to do it For sayth Paul Rom. viij if the spirite of him that raysed vp Iesus dwell in you then will he that raysed vp Iesus quickeÌ„ your mortall bodyes by the meanes of his spirite dwelling in you A well wilt thou say if I must professe the law and worke Ergo fayth alone saueth me not Be not deceaued with sophistrie but withdraw thyne eares from wordes and consider the thyng in thyne hart Fayth iustifieth thee that is bringeth remission of all sinnes and setteth thee in the state of grace before all workes and getteth thee power to worke yer thou couldest worke but if thou wilt not go backe agayne but continue in grace and come to that saluation and glorious resurrection of Christ thou must worke and ioyne workes to thy fayth in will and dede to if thou haue tyme and leasure and as oft as thou fallest set thee on thy fayth agayn without helpe of workes And although when thou art reconciled restored to grace woorkes be required yet is not that reconcilyng and grace the benefite of the workes that folow but cleane contrary that forgeuenes of thy sinnes and restoryng to fauour deserue the workes that folow Though wheÌ„ the kyng after that sentence of death is geuen vpoÌ„ a murtherer hath pardoned hym at the request of some of his frendes workes be required of him that he hencefoorth kepe the kynges lawes if he will continue in his graces fauour in which he now standeth yet the benefite of his lyfe procedeth not of the deseruyng of the workes that folow but of the kynges goodnes and fauour of his freÌ„des yea and that benefite and gift of his life deserue the workes that folow Though the father chastise the child yet is the child no lesse bounde to obey and to do the will of the father If when the father pardoneth it the workes that folow deserue that fauour then must the woorkes that folowed the correction haue deserued fauour also and then was the father vnrighteous to chastise it All what soeuer thou art able to do to please God with all is thy duty to do though thou haddest neuer sinned if it be thy dutie how can it then be the deseruyng of the mercy and grace that weÌ„t before Now that mercy was the benefite of God thy father through the deseruing of y t Lord Christ which hath bought thee with y â— price of his bloud And agayne when he sayth that he purposeth to bestow his good to be accepted as fruites of faith it is euident that hee meaneth that lyuyng fayth which professeth the law of God and is the mother of all good workes yea and nurse therto An other caâ—illation whiche they might make in the second part where he admitteth no other mediatour but Christe onely nor will geue of hys goodes to bynde any man to any fayned obseruaunce for the helpe of hys soule wheÌ„ he were whole in the kingdome of Christ cleane deliuered both body and soule from the dominion of Sathan as the Scripture testifieth all that dye in Christ to be is this they will say that he held that none should pray for him saue Christ and that we be not bound to pray one for an other nor ought to desire the prayers of an other man that he excludeth in that he sayth all other be but petitioners By which wordes he plainly coÌ„fesseth that other may and ought for to pray and that we may and ought to desire other to pray for vs but meaneth that we may not put our trust and confidence in their prayer as though they gaue of them selues that which they desire for vs in their petitions and so geue them the thankes ascribe to their merites that which is geuen vs in the name of our master Christ at the deseruynges of his bloud Christ is my Lord hath deserued and also obteined power to geue me all that can be desired for me And al that other desire for me this is desired in Christes name geueÌ„ at the merites of his bloud All the honour then trust confideÌ„ce and thankes perteyne to him also Some will haply say how should I desire an other to pray for me and not trust to his prayer Verely euen as I desire my neighbour to helpe me at my neede and yet trust not to him Christ hath commauÌ„ded vs to loue ech other Now when I go or desire helpe I put my trust in God and complaine to God first and say Loe father I go to my brother to aske helpe in thy name prepare the hart of him agaynst I come that hee may pitie me and helpe me for thy sake c. Now if my brother remember his duty helpe me I receaued it of God and geue God the thankes which moued the hart of my brother gaue my brother a courage to helpe me wherwith to do it and so hath holpe me by my brother And I loue my brother agayne and say Loe father I went to my brother in thy name and he hath holpe me for thy sake wherfore O father be thou as mercyful to him at his nede as he hath ben to me for thy sake at my nede Loe now as my brother dyd his dutie when he holpe me so do I my dutie when I praye for hym agayne and as I might not haue put my trust and coÌ„fidence in my brothers helpe so may he not in my prayers I am sure that God will helpe me by his promise but am not sure that my brother wil helpe me though it be his dutie so am I sure that God will heare me what soeuer I aske
vanquished sinne and holpen many 4 If one mans sinne be able to condemne vs without our workes 4 Then much more is Gods grace of power to saue vs without our workes 5 Sinne thorough Adam was planted in vs. 5 Grace thorough Christ is planted in vs. 6 Sinne hath had dominion ouer all men through Adam 6 Grace preuaileth ouer vs through Christ 7 Death thorough sinne is planted in vs. 7 Life through grace is plāted in vs. 8 Death thorough sinne hath dominion ouer vs. 8 Lyfe through grace preuayleth ouer vs. 9 Synne and death haue cōdemned all men 9 Grace and life haue saued all men 10 Thorough Adam Adams synne was counted our owne 10 Thorough Christ Christes righteousnesse is reputed vnto vs for our owne ¶ Of this may you perceaue that we thinke that Christes death profiteth vs for we take hys death and resurrection for our whole redemption and saluation Now as concernyng mens good déedes and prayers I say that they profite our neighbours yea and good woorkes were ordeined for that entent that I should profite my neighbour through them And prayer ought to bee made to God for euery state But if I should graūt that such workes prayers should helpe them that are departed thē should I speake cleane without my booke for the word of God knoweth no such thyng Let them therefore that pray for the dead examine them selues well with what fayth they do it for fayth leaneth onely on the word of God so that where his worde is not there can be no good fayth and if their prayer procede not of fayth surely it can not please God Hebrues xj NOw suppose sayth M. More that Purgatorye could in no wise be proued by Scripture and that some wold yet say plainly that there were one and some would say playnly nay let vs now see whether sorte of these twayne myght take most harme if their parte were the wrong First he that beleued there were Purgatory that his prayer and good workes wrought for his frendes soules might relieue them therein and because of that vsed much prayer and almose for them he could not lese the reward of his good wil although his opiniō were vntrue and that there were no Purgatory at all But on the other side he that beleueth there is none and therfore prayeth for none if his opiniō be false and that there be Purgatory in deede hee leseth much good and getteth hym also much harme For hee both feareth much lesse to sinne and to lye lōg in Purgatory sauing that his heresie shall keepe hym thence and sende hym downe deepe into hell I aūswere that he should take most harme that beleued there were a Purgatory if his opiniō were wrong and could not be proued by the Scripture as M. More supposed for he should sinne and transgresse agaynst the law of God which sayth Deut. xij That I commaunde thée that onely do vnto the Lord neither adde any thyng nor diminish And before in the iiij chap. of the same booke ye shall not adde vnto the woorde that I speake vnto you neither shall ye take any thyng from it And agayne in the v. chapter ye shall not decline neither to the left hād doyng that which is good in your owne sight neither yet vnto the right hand doyng that which I manifestly forbyd you as though he should say doe that onely whiche I commaunde thée And where M. More sayth that hee can not lese the rewarde of hys good will although his opinion be vntrue I aunswere yes for it is but chosen holynesse which Paule condēneth Collos 2. which surely shall rather be imputed vnto hym for synne then for any good worke And because as I sayd before it can not be done through fayth I say that it is vtterly reproued of God And on the other side he that beleueth it not sith it can not be proued by Scripture cā catch no harme at all although his opinion were false but rather much good and prayse both of God and all good men because he feareth to swerue frō the word of God and had leuer not to be leue that thyng which is true be it in case that purgatory were and not set forth in Scripture for so shall he be sure not to sinne then to beleue for an article of y t fayth that thyng which is false in déede for so should he surely sinne and transgresse agaynst God and his holy woorde And so is there great perill to beleue a thyng for an article of the fayth whiche is not opened nor spoken of in Scripture But if I beleue it not although it were true yet is there no ryght nor law that can condemne me Now may you sée that to beleue for an article of the fayth that there is a Purgatory sith it can not be proued by Scripture may condemne a man and make hym lye for euer in the paynes of hell where as the other shoulde but a litle lenger lye in the paynes of Purgatory if there were one and so shal he be sure to catch most harme that beleueth there is a Purgatory Sauyng sayth Master More that hys heresie shall keepe hym from thence and sende him downe depe into hell Before he supposed y t it could not be proued by scripture And now standing the same suppositiō he calleth it an heresie anheresie is a stiffe holdē opinion repugnant vnto Scripture If Purgatory can not bee proued by Scripture as he maketh his supposition then cā not the contrary opiniō be repugnaunt to Scripture thus of his own suppositiō he doth euill to cal it an heresie And where he sayth that his opiniō shall sende hym down déepe into hell verely he steppeth to farre in Gods iudgement to conclude and determine so cruelly specially in the same argument where he supposeth that it can not be proued for if it can not bee proued by Scripture whereby will ye condemne hym so déepe that holdeth the contrary forsooth you are a fierce iudge God geue you eyes to sée FInallye if ye pitie any man in payne neuer knewe ye payne comparable to ours whose fire passeth as farre in heate all the fires that euer burned vppon earth as the hotest of all those passeth a fayned fire paynted on a wall Verely among all his other Poetrie it is reason that we graunt hym this Yea and that our fire is but water in comparison to it For I ensure you it hath alone melted more gold and siluer for our spiritualties profite out of poore mens purses then all the gold smithes fires within England neither yet therewith can the ragyng heate be aswaged But it melteth castels harde stones landes and tenementes innumerable For all your sectes of Religion Monkes Friers Chanons and Nunnes with other Priestes regulare seculare by this fire multiplication and alcumye haue obtayned their whole riches and pleasures euen the swete of England
ready fully purged in their hart and their rebellious meÌ„bers through death are wholly subdued These men shall geue no reckoning neyther of idle woorde nor euill déed for all theyr sinnes are couered of Christ and hys bloud shall geue the whole accomptes for them The vnfaythfull to theyr vtter confusion shall haue the booke of theyr conscience opened and there shall be presented before them all theyr euill deades woordes and thoughtes And these are they that Christ speaketh of which shall geue thys great accompt Note also that in the text they are called men which woord in Scripture is euer for the most part taken in the worste sense and signifieth wicked men fleshly men and men that folow their own lustes and appetites THen confirmeth he purgatory out of the 66. Psalme which sayth we haue gone through fire and water and thou hast brought vs into colenesse I am sure you haue not forgotten that M. More alledgeth the Prophet Zachary in the ix and affirmeth that thâ—re is no water in Purgatory It were hard to make these two agrée for when meÌ„ ground them on a lye then for the most part theyr tales and probations are coÌ„trary and will not well stand together Neuerthelesse in one poynte they agrée full well that is both of them say vntruly for neither nother text serueth any whit for Purgatory And as concernyng the place of Zachary it is sufficieÌ„tly declared what it meaneth And now wil I also declare you the vnder standyng of this text and first that it can not serue for purgatory I besech you that haue the psalter once to read the Psalme I thinke you shal wonder at their doâ—yng dreames and ignoraunce which allege this text for Purgatory The text of y e Psalme is this Thou hast brought vs into a straite laden our backes with trouble or heuynesse Thou hast set men vpon our heades we haue gone through fire water and thou hast led vs out agayn into a place of refreshyng The textes before and after in the same Psalme will not suffer that this place should be vnderstand of Purgatory For the text immediately before sayth thou hast set men vpon our heades But the chiefest defenders of Purgatory and eueÌ„ M. More hym selfe say that they are not men but deuils which torment the soules in Purgatory notwithstandyng my Lord of Rochester good man affirmeth that they are aungels whiche torment the soules there but neuer man doted so farre as to say that men torment the soules in Purgatory wherefore I may conclude that this text is not ment of purgatory but that the Prophet meÌ„t that men ranne ouer the childreÌ„ of Israell subdued them and wrapped theÌ„ in extreme troubles which in the Scripture are signified by fire and water Besides that the textes folowyng wil not admit that this should be vnderstaÌ„d of Purgatory for it foloweth immediatly I will enter into thy house with â—urt offrynges I shall offer vnto thée fat sacrifices with the reke of wethers I shall burne to the Oxen Goates Now is there no maÌ„ so mad as to thinke that the soules of Purgatory should offer vnto God any such sacrifices So that the text is playnly vnderstand of the children of Israell which through the Lord were deliuered from their afflictioÌ„s and enemies then offred theyr loyall sacrifices of prayse and thankes to the Lord theyr shield and protection NOwe flyeth my Lorde vnto the Church sayth that because the Churche hath affirmed it we must needes beleue it for the Church caÌ„ not erre As touchyng this poynte I will referre you vnto a woorke that William Tyndal hath writteÌ„ agaynst M. More wherin ye shal wel perceiue what the Church of Christ is that hys Churche neuer determined any such thyng But that it is the Sinagoge of Sathan that maketh articles of the fayth bindeth meÌ„s conscieÌ„ces further then the Scripture will THen waxeth his Lordshyp somewhat hote agaynst Martine Luther because he would that no man should be compelled to beleue Purgatory For my Lord sayth that it is profitable and wel done to compel men to beleue such thynges whether they will or will not And to stablishe his opinion hée plucketh out a word of the parable of Luke xiiij that a certayne man made a great supper and sayd vnto his seruauÌ„tes go forth quickly into the wayes and compell them to enter in Verely there Christ ment no other thyng but that his Apostles should go forth into all the world and preach his word vnto all nations openyng vnto them the miserable state and conditioÌ„ that they be in and agayne what mercy God hath shewed theÌ„ in his sonne Christ This would Christ that his Apostles should expound and lay out so euidently by reasons Scriptures and miracles vnto the Gentils that they should eueÌ„ by their manifest persuasions be compelled to graunt vnto them that he was Christ and to take vpon them the fayth that is in Christ On this maner did Christ compel the Saduces to graunt the resurrection Math. xxij And by these meanes compelled hee the Phariseis to graunt in theyr consciences that he dyd his miracles with the power of God yet afterward of very hate knowyng in theyr hartes the contrary they sayd y e he dyd them by the power of the deuill Math. xij But to say that Christ would haue his Disciples to compell men with prisonment fetters scourgyng sword and fire is very false and farre from the mildenesse of a ChristeÌ„ spirite although my Lord approue it neuer so much For Christ dyd forbyd his Disciples such tyraÌ„ny yea and rebuked them because they would haue desired that fire should descende from heauen to consume the Samaritanes which wold not receiue Christ Luke ix But he commaunded them that if meÌ„ would not receiue their doctrine they should departe from thence and spryncle of the dust of their féete to be a testimony agaynst the vnfaythfull that they had bene there preached vnto them the word of life But with violence will God haue no man compelled vnto his law Paule also testifieth 2. Cor. 1. that he had not rule ouer the CorinthiaÌ„s as touchyng theyr fayth By our fayth we stand in the Lord by our infidelitie we fall from hym As no man can search the hart but onely God so can no man iudge or order our fayth but onely God thorough his holy spirite Furthermore fayth is a gifte of God which he distributeth at hys owne pleasure 1. Cor. 12. If he geue it not this day he may geue it to morow And if thou perceaue by any exterior worke that thy neighbour haue it not enstruct him with Gods word and pray God to geue hym grace to beleue that is rather a poynte of a christen man then to compell a man by death or exterior violence Finally what doth thy compulsion and violence
out of which all good fruites spring therfore it is necessary that this fayth be present or els we should looke for good workes in vayne for without fayth it is impossible to please God Heb. 11. Insomuch that S. Austine called those woorkes that are done before fayth swift running out of the way Moreouer that our merite cannot properly be ascribed vnto our workes doth the Euangelist teach vs saying Whē ye haue done all things that are commaunded you say we are vnprofitable seruaunts we haue done but our duety Luke 17. By the which saying he doth in a maner feare vs from putting any confidence in our own workes and so is our glorious pride and hygh minde excluded then where is our merite Harke what S. Austine sayth The death of the Lorde is my merite I am not without merite as long as that mercifull Lorde fayleth me not c. This death of the Lorde can not profite me except I receaue it through fayth and therfore he rekoneth right wel that the faith in Christ is all his merite I meane the fayth which worketh through charitie that is to say fayth formed with hope and charitie and not that dead historicall fayth which the deuils haue and tremble Iam. 2. Furthermore what S. Austine iudgeth of our merite he expresseth in these woordes marke the Psalme how the proud head will not receiue the crowne when he sayth he that redéemed thy life from corruption which crowneth thée sayth the Psalme Hereuppon woulde a man say which crowneth thée my merites graunt that my vertue hath done it I haue deserued it it is not fréely geuen but geue care rather to the pleasure for that is but thine owne saying and euery man is a lyer but heare what God sayth which crowneth thée in compassion and mercy of mercy he crowneth thée of compassion he crowneth thée for thou wast not worthye that he shoulde call thée and whome he should iustifie when he called thée and whome he shoulde glorifie when he iustifieth thée For the remnantes are saued by the election which is by grace fauour Rom. 11. Now if it be by grace thē is it not of woorkes for then were grace no grace Rom. 4. For vnto hym that worketh is the rewarde imputed not of grace but of duety Rom. 4. the Apostle sayth not of grace but of duety but he crowneth thée in compassion and mercy and if thy merites haue procéeded God sayth vnto thée boult out thy good merites and thou shalte finde that they are my giftes this is the righteousnesse of God not meaning the righteousnesse whereby he himselfe is right wise but the righteousnes wherewith he iustifieth them whome he maketh rightwise where before they were wicked These are Austines wordes Finallye let not that moue you where he addeth that a good woorke maketh not a good man but rather a good man maketh the woorke good for there is no man but he is eyther good or euyll If he be euill then can he not do good but euill for according to Christes testimonye A rotten trée beareth no good fruite Math. 7. And agayne he sayeth Howe can you say well séeing you your selues are euill Math. 12. But if he be good he shall also bring foorth good fruite at his season howbeit that fruite maketh not the man good for except the man be first good he can not bring foorth good fruite but the trée is knowne by the fruite And therfore fayth as a quickening roote must euer goe before whyche of wicked maketh vs ryghtwise and good which thing our workes coulde neuer bring to passe Out of thys fountayne spryng those good woorkes which iustifie vs before mē that is to saye declare vs to be verye rightwise for before God we are verely iustified by that roote of fayth for he searcheth the hart and therefore this iust iudge doth inwardly iustifie or condemne geuing sentence according to fayth but men must looke for the woorkes for theyr sight cannot enter into the hart and therfore they first geue iudgement of woorkes and are many times deceaued vnder the cloke of hypocrisie You may sée that here is nothyng but that a good man may expounde it well albeit the children of this world which with their wiles deceiue thē selues enteryng so presumptuously in to Gods iudgement do séeke a doubt where none is Go ye therfore and let charitie be your guide for God is charitie and though our Lawyers hart would breake yet must you néedes iudge him a Christē man which saith nothyng but that Scripture confirmeth And verely the iudgement of this cause came out of season and euē vngraciously vnto our Canonistes for they are cleane ignoraūt of Scripture therfore condemne all thinges that they read not in their law wherfore we renounce their sentence and appeale vnto the deuines which will soone knowe the voyce of theyr shepheard and gladly admitte those thynges which are allowed by the Scripture whereunto they are accustomed ¶ FINIS ¶ A Letter which Iohn Frith wrote vnto the faythfull folowers of Christes Gospell whyles he was prisoner in the Tower of London for the worde of God Anno. M. D. xxxij ¶ Grace and peace from God the father through our Sauiour Christe Iesu be with all them that loue the Lord vnfaynedly Amen IT can not bee expressed dearely beloued in the Lord what ioy and comfort it is to myhart to perceiue how the woorde of God hath wrought and continually worketh among you so that I finde no smal number walkyng in y t wayes of the Lord accordyng as he gaue vs commaundement willyng that we should loue ech other as he loued vs. Now haue I experience of the fayth which is in you and can testifie that it is without simulation that ye loue not in word and toung onely but in worke and veritie What can be more triall of a faythfull hart then to aduenture not onely to ayde and succour by the meanes of other whiche without daunger may not be admitted vnto vs but also personally to visite the poore oppressed sée that nothyng be lackyng vnto thē but that they haue both ghostly comfort and bodely sustenaunce notwith stādyng the strayte inhibition and terrible manacyng of these worldly rulers euen ready to abyde the extreme ieoperdies that tyraūts can imagine This is an euidence that you haue prepared your selues to the Crosse of Christ accordyng vnto the councell of the wise man which sayth my sonne when thou shalt enter into the way of the Lord prepare thy selfe vnto tribulation This is an euidence that ye haue cast your accomptes and haue wherewith to finish the tower which ye haue begon to builde And I doubt not but that he whiche hath begon to worke in you shall for his glory accōplish the same euē vnto the commyng of the Lord which shal giue vnto euery man accordyng to his déedes And albeit God of his secret iudgementes for a time kéepe the rod from some of them
restreynt with the Lubeckes After this he went agayne to Whittembergh to the Duke of Saxson and to Luther and there remayned to set forth his workes in Print that he had begonne And from thence shortly after he returned agayne into England in the tyme of Quéene Anne Boleyn and continued a faythfull preacher in this Citie of London all the time that shée remained Quéene And was well enterteyned and promoted After this by the meane of the Lord Cromwell he was sent Ambassadour from K. HeÌ„ry the viij to the Duke of Cleue for the mariage of y t Lady Anne of Cleue betwéene the king and her and was well excepted in that Ambassade and in all his doinges vntill the tyme that Stephen Gardiner came out of Fraunce But after he came neither Religion prospered nor the Quéenes maiestie nor Cromwell nor the preachers who after the mariage of the Lady Anne of Cleue neuer ceased vntill he had graffed the mariage in an other stocke by the occasion whereof he began his bloudy broyle For not long after the dissolution of y t sayd mariage betwéene king HeÌ„ry y t viij and y t Lady Anne of Cleue y t sayd Doctour Barnes with two of his brethreÌ„ felow preachers named Iherome and Garret were apprehended and caried before the kynges maiestie to Hampton court and there were examined where the kynges maiestie séeking the meanes of Barnes safetie to bring Winchester and him agréed at Winchesters request graunted him leaue to goe home with the Byshop to conferre with hym and so he did But as it happened they not agréeing Gardiner his comparteners sought by all subtile meanes how to entangle and intrappe them into farther daunger which not long after was brought to passe For by certayne complayntes made to the king of them they were enioyned to preach iij. SermoÌ„s the next Easter folowing at the Spittle beside London At the which Sermons besides other reporters which were thither sent Stephen Gardiner Byshop of Winchester was there present sitting wyth the Maior either to beare recorde of their recantation or els as the Phariseys came to Christ to trippe them in their talke if they had spoken any thing awry When the aforesayd thrée had preached their Sermons among whom Barnes preaching the first SermoÌ„ and hée séeing Stephen Gardiner there present humbly desired him in the face of all the audience to forgéeue him and that if he forgaue hym to holdâ—… vp his hand and the sayd Gardiner thereupoÌ„ helde vp his finger Yet notwithstaÌ„ding by the meanes of y t said reporters they all iij. immediatly after they had preached were sent for to Hampton court and from thence caryed to the Tower by Syr Iohn Gostwyke and there they remayned vntill the xxx day of Iuly next folowing TheÌ„ ensued processe against them by the kynges counsaile in the Parliament to the which Gardiner confessed himselfe to be priuy among the rest Whereupon all the aforesayd thrée Saintes and true Martyrs the xxx day of Iuly not comming to any auÌ„swere nor yet knowing any cause of their coÌ„demnation without any publique hearing were drawen on herdelles from the Tower to Smithfield where they preparing them selues to the fier had there at the stake diuerse sondry exhortations amongest whome Doctour Barnes first beganne with this protestation folowing I am come hither to be burned as an heretike and you shall heare my beliefe wereby you shall perceaue what erronious opinions â–ª I holde God I take to record I neuer to my knowledge taught any erronious doctrine but onely those thinges which the Scripture leade me vnto and that in my sermons I neuer mainteyned any errour neither moued nor gaue occasioÌ„ of any insurrection Although I haue béene slaundered to preache that our lady was but a Saffron bagge which I vtterly protest before God that I neuer ment it nor preached it But all my study and diligence hath beene vtterly to confound and confute all men of that doctrine as are the Anabaptistes which denie that our Sauiour Christ tooke any fleshe of the blessed virgine Mary which sectes I detest and abhorre And in deede in this place there hath beene burned some of them whom I neuer fauoured nor mainteyned but with all diligence I did studie euermore to set forth the glory of God the obedience to our soueraigne Lord the King and the true and sincere religion of Christ And now harken to my fayth I beléeue in the holy and blessed Trinitie three persons and one God that created and made all the world And that this blessed Trinitie sent downe the second person Iesu Christ into the wombe of the most blessed purest virgin Mary And heare beare me recorde that I doe vtterlye condemne that abhominable and detestable opinion of y e Anabaptistes which say that Christ tooke no fleshe of the blessed virgine For I beléeue that without the consent of mans will or power he was conceaued by the holy ghost and tooke fleshe of her and that he suffered hunger thirst colde and other passions of our body sinne except according to the saying of S. Peter he was made in all things like to his bretheren except sinne And I doe beléeue that he liued here among vs and after he had preached and taught his fathers will he suffered the most cruell and bitter death for me and all mankinde And I doe beléeue that this his death and passion was the sufficient price and ransoÌ„e for the sinne of all the world And I beléeue that through his death he ouercame the deuill sinne death and hell and that there is none other satisfaction vnto the father but this his death and passion onely and that no worke of man did deserue any thing of God but onely his passion as touching our iustification For I knowledge the best worke that euer I did is vnpure and vnperfect And here withall he cast abroad his handes and desired God to forgeue him his trespasces For although perchauÌ„ce said he you know nothing by me yet I doe confesse that my thoughtes and cogitations be innumerable Wherefore said he I beséech the o Lorde not to enter into iudgmeÌ„t with me According to the saying of the Prophet Dauid Non intres in iuditium cum seruo tuo domine And in an other place Si iniquitates obseruaueris domine quis sustinebit Lord if thou straightly marke our inniquitie who is able to abide thy iudgment Wherefore I trust in no good worke that euer I did but onely in y e death of Christ I doe not doubt but through him to inherite y e kingdome of heauen Take me not here that I speake against good workes for they are to bée done and verely they that doe them not shall neuer come to the kingdome of God We must doe them because they are commauÌ„ded vs of God to shewe and set forth our profession not to deserue or merite for that is onely the death of Christ I beléeue that there is a holy Church
byshopryke of the kinges grace How will you bée able by your workes to deserue heauen and iustification before the king of all kynges When you haue aunswered to this before the kinges grace then come and dispute with God the iustification of your workes and yet shall they bée farre vnlike Wherfore I conclud of these scriptures and of these doctours that the fayth that we haue in Christ Iesus and his blessed bloude doth onely and sufficiently iustifie vs béefore God without the helpe of any workes And though y e all scripture bee no thing els but a holle probacion of this article that is alonely a perfect commeÌ„dation and a prayse of Christ and of his blessed merites that hée hath deserued for vs yet will I passe ouer to bryng in any moe places For they y e are not coÌ„teÌ„t with these scriptures wyll not bée satisfied nor yet content to geue al onely glory to God though I brought in all the newe testament Yea Christ hym selfe could not satisfie them if hee were here no nor yet though heauen and earth and all creatures therin were nothyng els but probations of this article it would not helpe Wherefore I let such infidels passe and leue them to the iudgement of God alonely certifieng them of this one thyng that is infallible how the day shall come that it shall repent them yea and that sorer then I can either write or thinke that they did not beléeue the lest pricke of this holy article But vnto our purpose The very true way of iustification is this First commeth God for the loue of Christe Iesus alonely of his mere mercy and geueth vs fréely the gift of fayth wherby we doe beleeue God his holy word and sticke fast vnto the promises of God and beléeue that though heauen and earth and all that is in them should perish and come to nought yet God shall bée founde true in his promises for this faythe 's sake bée we the elect children of God This is not such a fayth as men dreame when they beléeue that there is one God and beléeue that hée is eternall beléeue also that hée made the worlde of naught yea and beléeue that the Gospell is true and all thing that God speaketh must bée true and fulfilled with other such thynges This I say is not the fayth that wée bée iustified by for deuils and infidels haue this fayth â—and also wée may attayne to these thynges by strength of reason But the fayth that shall iustifie vs must bée of an other maner of strength for it must come from heauen and not from the strength of reason It must also make mée beléeue that God the maker of heauen and earth is not alonely a father but also my father yea and that thorow the fauour that Christ hath purchased mée from the whiche fauour neither heauen nor earth tribulation nor persecution death nor hell can deuide mée But to this sticke I fast that hée is not alonely my father but also a mercifull father yea and that vnto mée mercifull and so mercifull that hée will not impute my sinnes vnto mée though they bée neuer so great so long as I hang on the blessed bloud of Christ Iesus and sinne not of malice but of frailtie and of no pleasure Hée is also a lyberall father yea and that vnto mée liberall which will not alonely promise mée all thynges but also géeue them me whether they bée necessary to the body or to y e soule Hée is also not alonely lyberall but myghty to performe all thynges that hée promyseth vnto mée Briefely this fayth maketh mée to hang clearely of God and of his blessed promyses made in Christ and in his swéete and precious bloud and not to feare death nor any affliction nor persecution nor tribulation but to despise all these thynges and not alonely these but to despise also myne own lyfe for Christes sake Finally of a fleshely beast it maketh mée a spirituall man of a damnable child it maketh mée a heauenly sonne of a seruaunt of the deuill it maketh mée a frée maÌ„ of Gods both deliuered from the lawe from sinne from death from the deuill and from all myserie that might hurt mée My Lordes this is the fayth that doth iustifie and that wée do preach And because it is geuen from heauen into our hartes by the spirite of God therfore it can bée no idle thing But it must néedes do all maner of things y e bée to the honour of God and also to the profite of our neighbour In so much that at all tymes necessary it must néedes worke well also bryng forth all good workes that may bée to the profite and helping of any man But these workes bée not done to iustifie the man but a iust man must néedes doe them Not vnto his profite but alonely to other mens profites euen as our maister Christ suffered hunger and thyrste and persecution and tooke great labours in preaching of his worde yea and also suffered death All these thinges I say did hée not to further or to profite himselfe but for our merites and for our profite So likewise doth a iust man his workes And as a good trée in tyme of the yeare bryngeth forth good Apples not to make hym good for hée is good afore nor yet this apple is not to his profite but vnto other mens notwithstanding y e good nature that is in hym muste néedes bring it forth So likewise the iust man must néedes doe good workes not by them to bée iustified but alonely in them to serue his brother for hée hath no néede of them as concerning his iustification Wherfore now here haue you the very true cause of iustification that is fayth alonely And also the very true way and maner of doynge good workes And how that no man can doe good workes but a iustified man as our maister Christ sayth Eyther make the trée good and then his fruite good or els the trée euill and his fruit euill for a good trée must néedes bring forth good fruite and a badde euyll fruite But now let mée aunswere to the Scriptures and to the reasons that they bring to prooue that workes doe iustifie First commeth the fleshly and dampnable reason and shée sayth If wée bée iustified alonely by fayth what néede wée to doe any good workes what néede wée to crucifie or mortifie our fleshe for all these wil not profite vs and wée shall bée saued though wée doe none of theÌ„ all Thus did blinde reason dispute with Saint Paule when that hée had proued that God of his mercy had deliuered vs fréely from the damnable bondage of the law Anone hée iudged that he might do what hée would for hée was no loÌ„ger vnder the law To this S. Paule auÌ„swereth y â— if wée obey vnto y â— workes of sinne then are we the seruauntes of sinne if we obey to the workes of iustice
great threatning Goe tell the wolfe béehold I cast out deuils and I make men whole this day and to morrow and the third day am I consumed neuerthelesse I must continew this day to morrow and the next day c. So y e hée left not the ministration of y e word neyther for the kinges pleasure nor yet for feare of death Also we haue openly that the thrée children would not obey to the commaundement of king Nabuchodonosor but because it was against y e word of God Lykewise we haue an exaÌ„ple where as the king Darius commaunded that no man should aske any petytyon eyther of God or of man within the space of 30. dayes but of hym onely Notwithstanding Daniell weÌ„t into his house thrise in a day made his prayers to God of Ierusalem for the which thyng hée was put into the denne of Lyons the which hée dyd obey as in suffering of the payne but not in consenting to the vnright commaundement So that Christen men are bounde to obey in suffering the kinges tyraÌ„ny but not in consenting to his vnlawfull commaundement alwayes hauing béefore their eyes the comfortable saying of our M. Christ Feare not them y e kill the body which when they had done they can no more doe Also S. Peter happy are yée if you suffer for righteousnes sake neuerthelesse feare not though they séeme terrible vnto you neither bée troubled but saÌ„ctifie the Lord God in your hart And let them not feare but y e their father of heauen hath care for them and shall deliuer them and also brynge his godly worde vnto lyght when it shall please his eternall will agaynst the which no tyraunt is able to withstand But when the tyrants thinke themselues most sure of the victory and bée all ready prouided to burne Susanna then shall hée rayse vp a Daniell that shall caule agayne the senteÌ„ce of the lecherous priestes and when Ioseph is solde into Egipt and there cast in prison then will hée make him Lord ouer all Egipt yea and also ouer them that solde him He bringeth also to passe that proude Hamon bée hée neuer so great in the kinges fauour shalbée hanged on his owne gallowes that hée made for Mardocheus the Israelite Also when Pharao hath coÌ„mauÌ„ded vnder payne of death to destroy all y â— meÌ„ childreÌ„ of Israell Then caÌ„ hée finde the meanes to saue Moses yea that on y t water where as all y t power of Egypt could not saue the kyng yea and hee nourished him in the kynges house at the kynges cost yea and by the kynges daughter Did Pharao suppose this or was there any couÌ„sell of Pharaos that could preuaile agaynst this was there any wisedome or tyranny in the earth that was able to extinct Moses nay verely Furthermore when Israel hath béene in Egypt iiij C. yeres in great captiuitie and thraldome yet agaynst Pharaos will keepeth hee his promise and deliuereth them and maketh water fire earth to serue theÌ„ and when all Israell was in despayre and Pharao the tyraunt was ready to sucke bloud then shewed our God his mighty power What can Israell thinke when hée hath the read Sea béefore him And Pharao with all his might and power after him and of euery side a great mountaine what hope hath hée by mans might by maÌ„s power by mans wisedome by mans pollicie for to bée deliuered none at all But béefore Israels carnallâ—tye all thyng is in extreme desperation But now you Princes that Iudge the earth learne and take héede here commeth the God of Israell whom all Egypt hath despised scorned mocked and condemned and sheweth his might where as nothyng caÌ„ helpe but bée onely and where the tyrauntes recken to bée most sure of victordem there bryngeth hee all their malice to an end And when Herode hath Peter in prison fast bound in cheynes of euery side of him a souldier kéepers set at the prison doore euery man in his office watching that Peter shal not escape for Herode intendeth the day folowyng to bryng hym foorth to wonderyng and also to death Then agaynst Herodes will aboue all his might aboue all his wisedome pollicie notwithstandyng all the souldiers and gaylers of the prison coÌ„meth the power of our eternall God and ledeth Peter through the first and the second ward yea and the brasen gate must wilfully opeÌ„ and let Peter out whom our Lord God would deliuer Shortly what should I bring many examples to prooue Gods power to declare how the truth of God and his childreÌ„ bée alwayes in persecutioÌ„ but the ende is alwayes glory vnto them Wherfore this one exaÌ„ple of our maister Christ shall bée sufficieÌ„t to stablish to confirme all féeble harts also to mollifie all stony harts and finally to coÌ„found the violeÌ„t tyranny of mortall tyrauÌ„tes which bée but stubbles haye and dust in a momeÌ„t bee brought to a lumpe of stynkyng carryon CoÌ„sider our maister Christ which is the very true sonne of God God him selfe yet is hée crucified and put to death as a seditious persoÌ„ as a malefactor as a théefe as a traytor yea and as an hereticke hée is layd also in the graue and a great stone béefore the doore souldiours that were not of the common sort but of the Romaines hée set diligently to kéepe the graue with all the pollicie and wisedome that the byshoppes could deuise and all that hée should not rise vp agayne accordyng to his worde but all this could not helpe for the power of God woulde not bee let his veritie could not bée prooued false his worde could not bee oppressed but when the tyrauntes thought to make their triumphe of victory theÌ„ were they most ouercoÌ„med For it is neither water nor fire Sea nor land heauen nor earth death nor hell that caÌ„ let God to defend his children or to bring foorth his godly word to light and to kéepe his eternall promises Therfore let Christen meÌ„ not feare to kéepe the worde of God and fast there by to abyde and not to deny it for any tyranny for the day shall come when it shall bée greatly to their glory And Sodome and Gomorra shall bée more easely handled theÌ„ such Princes that doe persecute the holy word of God Now is it cleare made that we cannot resist this temporall power in no wise by viâ—leÌ„câ—â— but if we haue wrong eyther we must doe the thing that is commaunded vs or els flie but if any thing bée commaunded vs that is against the word of God whereby our fayth is hurt that we should not doe in any wise but rather suffer per secution and also death But against this power goeth not our article for it coÌ„maundeth nothing as consâ—â—rning the conscience but all onely as concerning the ordering of worldly thinges and therefore it mynistreth a temporall payne ouer the body onely and therwith is coÌ„tent
small occasions do rise gret euils EnsaÌ„ples for our â—earnâ—ng Learn here how to read vnderstaÌ„d y â— scripture If we herken vnto the voyce of God and bend our selues to do hys wyl he wyll be our God help vs but otherwise he wyl plague vs as he plagued the vnthankful faythlesse Iewes Trust and beleue in God and care not what the world say The world liketh well all wycked lyuers and vngodly people Here is set forth the office of euery good person TemptatioÌ„ is the triall of true christians The excellency of faith which is the gifte of God Those whoÌ„ God scourgeth he dearely loueth A necessary lesson for a good precher God commaundeth that we shold make no images The worshipping of Idoles or Images was abhorred of god Witchcraft sorcery c. abhorred of God Moses often reherseth the benefites of almighty God to moue vsto feare hym and to loue our neighbour God will haue vs to be merciful to our neighbors All the ceremonies of the olde testament weâ—â— but preachers of Christ that was to come The â—ea◠〈◊〉 of the tabernacle was to keepe the Iewes froÌ„ harkenyng to the heathen God had two Testaments that is the olde and the new The old testament was built vpon the obseruatioÌ„ of the law The law could not geue lyfe The law is the vtterer of sinne The law was geuen by God to shewe what sinne was Ceremonies are not geuen to iustify the hart but to signifie our iustificatioÌ„ by Christ Ceremonies cannot iustify The new Testament are the euerlastyng promises made to vs in Christ Faith only iustifieth Good workes spryng out of the loue we haue to God Where true fayth is there good workes do flow and abound The new Testament was from the beginnyng Our temporall lawes spring out of the law of nature Loue counselleth the faythfull to worke We must nor presume in our well doing not coÌ„deÌ„ne others that run astray the last which turneth to god is as farre forward as the first MaÌ„s wisedome is playn Idolatry it scat tereth diuideth and maketh sectes Ceremonies to the Israelites and â—ewts were as good schole masters are to young scholers All thyngs were first reueled in ceremonies and shadowes vntill it pleased almighty God to reuele hys sonne Iesu Christ Small and litle giftes geueÌ„ by the parentes to their children causeth loue obedience Sacrifices and ceremonies serue for allegories to find out Christ Similitudes proue nothyng but doe more playnly lead thee to vnderstand the text Some ceremonies coÌ„teine whole some and profitable doctrine Ceremonies ordeyned to confirme our fayth Gods secrets were opened but to a fewe The ceremonies of themselues saued not but fayth in Gods promise Our nature is so weake that we must be holpen by outwarde signes and tokens No man is holpen by 〈◊〉 promises but sinners that feele their sinne Sacraments truly ministred are profitable Sacraments truly miniâ—â—res preach vnto vs repeÌ„taunce of our sinnes Noâ— naked or dome ceremonies but the holy ghost throughe fayth washeth away sinnes The difference betwene a sacrifice and a Sacrament What slate we dye in the same wee shall rise agayn either of saluation or damnation The Sacramentes are vnto y e dead no Sacramentes at all Sacramentes abused vp y â— Clergy The Papistes haue had no smal frend and good helper of the masse Hipocrites prayers caÌ„ neither profite them selkes nor any maÌ„â—ls Those that are enemies to the worde of God loue neither god nor his people Allegories are to bee wel weyed and considered The greatest cause of the decay of faith and blindnes that wee were in â–ª was thorough Allegories How allegories are to bee vnderstand The ryght vsed of allegories Baptisme is y e commoÌ„ badge of all true professours of Christ Baptisme teacheth vs repentaunce of sinne The bare washyng helpeth not but throrough the worde of fayth it purifieth vs. How christ boroweth figures of the old Testament to make plain the textes of the new testament Our duety is to do good dedes but saluation we cannot chaleÌ„ge therby A good example taken of the Lepers The true preachyng of Gods word doth bynde and lose consciences In allegories is both hony gall that is to say both good euil All good dedes are gods work manship wee hys instrumeÌ„ts wherby he doth them Freewill and vnbeliefe were the ouerthrow of ouâ— for eâ—athers Then cannot they be the childreÌ„ of God which put more trust in their owne workes then in y e bloud of Iesus Christ Faithlesse workes The Pharises by their free-will excluded them selues from the saluatioÌ„ 〈◊〉 Christ Blasphemy to christes death O subtle Foxes thorow pouertie made themselues Lordes of all Wilfull chastitie is wilful wikednes The Papistâ—… wilful obedience is coÌ„mon disobedience to all princes Our 〈…〉 commeth not by our merites but thorow sayth by the bloud of ouâ— sauiour Iesus Christ Fayth only bringeth vs to christ and vnbeâ—… driueth do from Christ Christ rebuâ—… the Pharises for their holy and 〈…〉 The pharises ascribe righteousnâ—… workes therfore were condemned of Christ The iustifiyng oâ— our selues maketh the diuâ—… more buâ—… then he wold be What to meant in the scripâ—… by this 〈◊〉 vâ—… tymeâ— Meritâ—…gerâ— y e more their blindnes is rebuked the more they rebell against Christ and his golyâ—… The doctrine of the pharises and the doctrine of our papists do well agree The Papistes cannot away with iustification by fayth Of vowes God accepteth for vs none other sacrifice but onely Iesu christ his sonne 〈◊〉 holines in our own imaginatioÌ„ is a robbing of christes honor Faith foloweth repentaunce of sinne RepentaÌ„ce goeth before fayth and prepareth the way vnto Christ How our workes are good in the sight of God The work saueth not but the word that it is to say the promise An apt similitude for reward of good workes All vowes must be made for y â— mortifying or tamyng â–ª of our members or the edifying of our neighbours or els they are wicked How we ought to vowe wilfull pouertie Whether fished the Popes prelates with tâ—… nâ—t or no Our workes do not stand in the wisedome of maÌ„ but in the power of God Desert and free gift are contraries The sight of riches is rather a cause of coueteousnes then a meane to honor God Whether dyd the papist so or no Yet y â— spiritualities pillage was more then theyr standing stipeÌ„d A good vowe is to kepe Gods commaundementes Howe thou mayst lawfully goe on pilgrimage God heareth al that call vppon him in all tymes and at al places alyke God regardeth the hart and not y â— place where wee pray Wilfull chastitie is not mete for all persons to vow False fayned chastitie The Pope restrayned that which God permitted and setteth at liberty that which God forbiddeth A good adminition to such as wil make vowes Wherunto and howe we should apply our vowes How a vow is to be made He that fasteth to any other ende theÌ„ to
bisshops make no accompt of periury The spiritualtie are neither of y ◠〈◊〉 side nor of the other for there is no truth in them more then shall serue their turne An admonition to all subiectes Luk. 15. Here Tindall sheweth himself to be voyde of malice to any priuate person God is mercyfull to the ignoraunt but he pleaseth the malicious wilful offeÌ„der The obedience of 〈◊〉 Christen man written three yeares before this booke Scriptures should be translated into â—â—â—ry language The cause of the edition of this Pathway What are contayned in the old TestameÌ„t The contentes of the newe TestameÌ„t The Etymologie of this worde EuangelioÌ„ EuangelioÌ„ is called the newe TestameÌ„t No greater comfort can happen to a sinner being penitent theÌ„ the promises of the Gospell The Gospell was promised of God in the old TestameÌ„t by the Prophets Christ hath ouer â–ª throwen y e deuill and all hys power The 〈◊〉 was geuen by Moses grace and truth by Iesus Christ The lawe requireth of vs that whiche is impossible for our nature to do When the law hath condemned vs Christ graunteth vs free pardon Christ is Gods mercy stoole so that no mercy commeth from God but through Christ The law must euer be in sight to make vs humble spirited the gospel also before our â—yes to comfort vs. Two maner of people deceaued those which iustifie theÌ„selues by thse workes those that through their blinde opinion of faith vtterly perâ—ert the liuely fayth He that hath a right fayth deliteth in the law althogh his weaknes can not fulfill the same He that iustifieth him selfe reiecteth y t law priuises The voluptuous person A true christian A proper similitude We are plucked froÌ„ Adam and graffed in Christ by grace The bloud of Iesus hath obtained al thinges for vs of God Sundry sortes of righteousnes MaÌ„s sensuall reason can not perceaue the vertue of Christes bloud Adams fall brought vs in bondage to the deuill The natural corruption of the myndes of Adams heyres playnly sâ—â— forth Man before his regeneratioÌ„ can not thinke wel of God The harts of the electâ— do eueÌ„ melt at the preachyng of Gods mercy and Christes kyndnes Christ â—eâ—â— nothyng vndone that might be to our saluation Christ an example to vs of all goodnes What faith receiueth of God thorough Christes bloud that we must bestowe on our neighbours though they be our enemyes Christ dyd not good deedes to merite heaueÌ„ for that was his all ready but frely for our sakes The law byndeth the Gospel louseth all men The force of the law The vprising sinner feeleth such ioy in the Gospell that he thinketh it â–ª impossible that God should forsake hym All synne in vs is of 〈◊〉 selues â–ª and all goodnes of Christ Workes certifie vs of euerlastyng â—nheritaunce â—ill sinne in vs and releue the necessitie of our neighbour Giftes of grace beloÌ„g to our brother as much as to our selues Holydayes necessary to come together in learne Christes will Worldly rulers to be obayed so far forth aâ— their lawes impugne not Gods lawes Though rulers appointed of God oppresse vs yet we may not auenge they being in Gods roome We must loue our neighbour as our self Our baptisme signifieth that we repent and professe a new life The perfecter we are the greter is our repentante and the stronger is our fayth Our workes deserue not y t giftes of grace The principles of scripture perfectly learned aâ— y â— rest is more easie We must first learne the profession of our Baptisme The profession of our Baptisme what it is Gospell All our sinnes for Iesu Christes sake for hys death passion are clearely forgeuen Euery Christen man must reconcile himselfe vnto his brother The right penaunce is repentaunce of sinne and amendemeÌ„t of lyfe All our lyfe must tend to this ende to came our flesh serue our neighbour Fayth in Christes bloud with a repentauÌ„t hart is the onely satisfaction that we caÌ„ make towarde God The father of loue correcteth the child God as a louyng father careth for vs and geÌ„tlye correcteth vs to keepe vs in the right way To vnderstand our baptisme is to vnderstaÌ„d the law and the Gospell The key light of the Scripture Howe the Scripture is locked vp from ouâ— vnderstandyng If we be not taught by God we do but wander â—leane out of the way He that vnderstandeth the professioÌ„ of his Baptisme can be no hereticke The Scripture teacheth low lynes and hateth prid â–ª The Scripture maketh no heretikes If God lighten not our hartes we read the Scripture in vayne The law condemneth to driue vs to faith in Christes death Heresy springeth out of the harts of hypocrites He that is souÌ„d in faith shal easely attaine to the true seÌ„ce of the scripture The papists vnwritten berities are not to be credited The papist 〈…〉 haue corrupted the scriptures abused the sacramentes The scripture to the life of Gods elect Hypocrites say that the scripture maketh heretiques The translation of the scripture is not sufficieÌ„t onely but it must be well taught that the people may haue the true seÌ„ce Introductions made to bring you to the true vnderstanding of the scripture 〈◊〉 â–ª Ioh. 1. S. Iohn witnesseth that Christ is very God That Christ is very man He that beleueth that Christ is the sonne of God also very man hath euerlasting life To beleue in Christ To beleue that Christ is God and man is to put all our trust hope confideÌ„ce in him Moses Christ is our life By nature we are the children of wrath The law coÌ„demneth vs. Christ If we submit our selues to Christ knowledge our weakenes he will of his great mercy receaue vs. The touch stone of all true doctrine and preachers The modest charitable maner of S. Paules doctrine S. Paule preached Christ and not hym selfe As God is light so the deuill is darkenes Good workes are the frutes of lyght Walkyng in darknes or in light If wee haue the spirite of God in vs then will he rayse vs vp with Iesus Christ Hee that sayth hee hath no sinne deceaueth him selfe If we confesse our sinnes to God with true fayth and repentaunce he will forgeue vs. All meÌ„ are sinners Nothing can be so well done but it may be ameÌ„ded All the nature of maÌ„ is sinfull We must resist sinne with al our power and might We sinne daily by the frailty and weaknes of our flesh Our aduocate Iesus Iesus that is God and maÌ„ calleth â—…o thee O Father for vs. Christus By Iesu Christ we are made blessed Christes bloud is the satisfaction for our sinnes Christ gaue himselfe for the redemption salnation of al the world Christ is king ouer death hell sinne Christ onely is our sauiour Christ forgeueth all our sinnes freely for his mercy sake Christ onely is our aduocate Popish for geuenesse The forgeuenesse that we haue of god for Christes sake is â—ree Faith in