knowledge of God to al waye of truth to newnes of the whole liefe and to euerlastinge hope of saluation Wee beleeue that there is one Church of God and that the same is not shutte vp as in times past amonge the Iewes into some one corner or kyngdome but that it is catholique and vniuersall and dispersed throughout the whole worlde So that there is now no nation which can truly complaine that they bee shutt furth maye not be one of y e Church people of God And that this Churche is the Kingedome the bodye and the spouse of Christe and that Christ alone is the Prince of thys Kyngedome that Christ alone is the heade of this bodye and that Christ alone is the brydgrome of this spouse Furthermore that there be dyuerse degrees of ministers in the church wher of some be deacons some preestes some Byshops to whom is committed the office to instruct the people and the whole charge and settinge furth of Religion yet not withstanding we say that there neither is nor can be any one maÌ„ which may haue the whole superioritie in this vniuersall state for that Christe is euer present to assist his Church and nedeth not any man to supply his roome as his onely heyre to all his substaunce and y â— there can bee noe one mortall creature which is able to compreheÌ„d or conceaue in his minde the vniuersall Churche y â— is to witte all the partes of the worlde muche les able to put them in ordre and to gouerne them rightly and duely For all the Apostles as Cyprian sayeth were of lyke power among themselues and y â— rest were the same that Peter was and that it was sayed indifferently to them al Feed yeâ—indifferentlye to them all Goe into the whole world indifferently to theÌ„ al Teache ye the gospell And as Hierom saithe all Byshoppes wheresoeuer they be be they at Rome be they at Eugubium be they at Constantinople be they at Rhegium be all of lyke preeminence and of like preesthood And as Cyprian saith there is but one Byshoprike and y t a peece therof is perfitely wholy holdeÌ„ of euery particular Byshop according to the iudgement of the Nicene Counsel wee say that the Byshop of Rome-hath nomore iurisdiction ouer the churche oâ— God then the rest of y e Patriarkes either of Alexandria or Antiochia haue And as for the Byshop of Rome who nowe calleth all matters before him selfe alone except he do his deuty as he ought to do except he administer the sacraments excepte he instructe the people excepte he waxue them and teache them wee say y t he ought not of right once to bee called a Bysshop or so much as an elder For a Byshop as saith Augustine is a name of labour and not of honour bycause he would haue that maÌ„ to vnderstand him selfe to be no Byshop which will seke to haue preeminence and not to profyt others And that neither the Pope nor any other worldly creature can nomore be head of the whole Church or a Byshop ouer all then he can be the brydegrome the lighte the saluation and lyfe of the Church For these priuileges and names belong onely to Christe and be proprely onely fyt for hym alone And that no Bysshop of Rome did euer suffer hymselfe to be called by such a proude name and â—uâ—e before Phoras thempetoures â—ime who as wee know by killing hys owne souerain Morice the Emperour did by a traiterous vyllanie aspire to Thempere â–ª which was about y e sixt huÌ„dreth thirtenth year after Christ was borne Also the Councell of Charthage did circumspectly prouide that no Bysshop should bee called either the highest Byshop or chiefe preeste And therefore â—thens the Bysshop of Rome wil now a daies so be called chaleÌ„geth vnto him self an auâ—thoritie y t is none of his besides y t he doth plainly contrary to y e auÌ„cieÌ„t CouÌ„cels coÌ„trary to y e old Fathers We beleue that he doth giue vnto himselfe â–ª as it is written by his owne companyon Gregory a presuÌ„ptuous a prophane a sacrilegious and Antichristian name that he is also the kinge of pryde that he is Lucifer which preferreth himselfe before his bretherne that he hathe forsaken the faith and is the foreronner of Antichriste Further wee saye that the Minister ought laufully duely and orderly to be preferred to that Office of the church of God and y t no maÌ„ hath power to wrest himself into y e holy ministery at his own pleasure list Wherefore these persons do vs y e greater wrong which haue nothing so common in their mouthe as y e wee do nothing ordrely and comely but al thinges troublesomly and without ordre and that wee alow euery man to be a preest to be a teacher and to be an Interpretour of the Scriptures Moreouer we say y t Christ hath geueÌ„ to his ministers power to bind to loose to open to shutt and y t the office of loosing consisteth in this point that y e Minister should either offer by y e preaching of the gospel the merits of Christe full pardoÌ„ to suche as haue lowly contrite hearts and do vnfaâ—nedly repent theÌ„ pronouÌ„cing vnto y e same a sure vndoubted forgeuenes of their sins hope of euerlasting saluation Or els y t the minister when any haue offended their brothers mindes with a greate offence with a notable open tault wherby they haue as it were bannyshed and made themselues straungers from the common fellowship and from the bodye of Christe then after perfitte amendement of suche persons doth reconcile them and bringe them home againe and restore them to the company and vnitie of the faithfull We say also that the minister dothe execute the aucthoritie of binding and shutting as often as he shutteth vp the gate of the kingedome of heauen against the vnbeleeuing and stubborne persons denouncing vnto them Gods vengaunce and euerlastinge punishmente Or els when he doth quite shut them out from the bosome of the Churche by open ex-communicatioÌ„ Out of doubt what sentence so euer the Minister of God shall giue in this sorte God him selfe doth so well alowe of it that what soeuer here in yearth by their meanes is loosed and bounde God him selfe wil loose binde and confirme the same in heauen And touchinge the kayes wherewith they maye either shut or open the kyngdome of heauen wee with Chrysoâ—â—om saye they be the knowledge of the Scriptures with Tertullian we say they be the interpretation of the lawe and with Eusebius we call theÌ„ the worde of God Moreouer that Christes Disciples did receiue this aucthoritie not that they shoulde heare priuate confessions of the people and lysten to their whisperinges as the coÌ„men Massing preestes do euery where nowe a dayes and do it so as though in that one poinct laye all the vertue and vse of the kayes but to thend they should goo
to Gratianus y e Emperour Let the scripture sayeth he bee asked the question let the Apostles be asked let y e Prophets be asked let Christ be asked For at that time made the Catholik Fathers and Bysshops no doubt but that our Religion mighte be proued out of y e holy scriptures Neither were they euer so hardy to take any for an heâ—itike whose errour they coulde not euidently apparently reproue by the selfe same scripturs And we verely to make aunswere on this wise as S. Paul did According to this way which they cal heresie we do worship God and the father of our Lorde Iesus Christ do allowe all thinges which haue ben written either in y e Law or in the Prophetâ— or in y e Apostles workes Wherefore yf we be heretikes and they as they woulde faine be called bee Catholikes why do they not as they see the fathers which were Catholike men haue alwaies don why do they not conuince and maister vs by the diuine scriptures â–ª why do they not call vs agayn to be tryed by them why do they not lay before vs howe wee haue gon away froÌ„ Christ from the Prophets from the Apostels and from the holy fathers why stick they to do it why are they afraide of it It is Gods cause whye are they doubtful to commit it to y e trial of gods worde yf wee be heretkes which referre all our controuersies vnto the holy scriptures report vs to y e selfe same words which wee knowe were sealed by God him self and in comparison of them set little by all other thinges whatsoeuer may be deuised by men howe shall wee say to these folke I pray you what maÌ„ner of men be they howe is it meete to call them which feare the iudgement of the holy scriptures that is to say y e iudgement of God hym self and do preferre before them theyr owne Dreames and full colde Inuentions and to maintaine their owne traditions haue defaced and corrupted now these many hundred yeares the ordinances of Christe and of the Apostles Men say that Sophocles the tragicall Poet when in his oulde dayes he was by his own sonnes accused before the Iudges for a dotinge and sottishe man as one that fondelye wasted hys owne substaunce and seemed to neede a Gouernour to see vnto him to thintent he might cleere him selfe of the faulte he came into the place of Iudgemente and when he had rehearsed before them his Tragedye called Oedipus Coloneus which he had written at the verye tyme of his accusation maruelous exactly and conningly did of him selfe aske the Iudges whether they thought any sottish or doting man could do the like peece of worke In like manner bycause these men take vs to be mad and appeache vs for heretikes as men which haue nothing to do neyther with CHRIST nor with the Churche of GOD wee haue iudged yt shoulde be to good purpose and not vnprofitable yt wee doe openlye and frankely set furth our faith wherein we stande and shew al that confidence which wee haue in CHRISTE IHESV to the intent al men may se what is oure iudgement of euery paâ—te of Christian religion and may resolue w t them selues whether y e faith which they shall see coÌ„firmed by the words of Christ by the writinges of the Apostles by the testimonies of the catholique Fathers and by the exaumples of many ages be but a certain rage of furious and mad men and a compicacie of heretikes This therefore is oure Beliâ—ffe WE BELEEVE that there is one certaine nature and diuine power whiche wee call GOD and that the same is diuided into three equall persons into y e Father into the Sonn and into the holy Ghoste and that they all be of owne power of one Maiestie of one eternitie of one Godhed and of one substaÌ„ce And although these three persons be so diuided that neither the Father is the sonne nor the sonn is the holy Ghost or the Father yet neuertheles wee beleeue y e there is but one very God And that the same one God hath created heaueÌ„ and earth and al thinges contained vnder heauen Wee beleeue that IESVS Christe y e onely Sonne of the eternall Father as long before it was determined before all beginninges when the fullnes of tyme was com did take of that blessed pure Virgin bothe â—â—eshe all the nature of man that he might declare to the world the secret hid will of his father which will had ben laide vp from before all ages and generacioÌ„s And that he might full finishe in his humaine bodie the misterie of our redeÌ„ption might fasten to the crosse our sinnes and also that handwritinge which was made againstâ— vs. We beleue that â—or our sake he dyed and was buried descenâ—yâ— into helâ— the third day by the power of his Godhed retorned to â—yfe aâ—d rose again and that y e fourtyth day after his resurrectioÌ„ â–ª whiles his Disciples behelde and loked vppon him he ascendid into heauen to fulfill all thinges and did place in maiestie and glory the selfe same body wherwith he was borne wherin he liued on earth wherein he was â—ested at where in he had suffred most painful torments cruell kinde of death wherein he rose againe and wherein be ascendid to the right hand of the Father aboue all rule aboue all power all force all DominioÌ„ and aboue euery name which is named not onely in this worlde but also in the world to com And that there he now sitteth and shall syt till all thinges be full perfetted And althoughe the Maiestie and Godhed of Christ be euery wheare habundauntly dispersed yet wee beleeue y e his body as S. Augustine saâ—eth must needes be still in one place that Christ hath geuen maiesty vnto his bodye but yet hath not takeÌ„ away from it y e nature of a body and that wee must not so affirme Christ to be God that wee deny hym to be man and as the Martyr Vigilius sayth that Christ hath left vs as touching his humaine nature but hath not left vs as touchinge his diuine nature And that the same Christ though he bee absent from vs concerning his maÌ„hood yet is euer present with vs concerning his Godhed From that place also wee beleeue that Christ shall com againe to execute that general iudgemeÌ„t aswel of them whom he shall then synde aliue in the bodye as of them that be already dead Wee beleeue that the holy Ghoste who is the third person in the holie Trinitie is very God not made not â—reat not begotten but proceding from both the Father and the Sonne by a certain meane vnknowen vnto men vnspeakable and that it is his propretie to mollifie and soften y e hardnes of mans heart when he is once receiued thereunto eyther by y e holsom preaching of the Gospell or by any other way that he dothe geue men light and guide them vnto the
the. Now a dayes the Pope chalengeth to hym selfe both swordes and vâ—eth both wherefore it ought to seeme lesse maruaile yf y â— haue folowed whiche Clement saith that is that he hath deceiued both his own selfe those which haue giuen eate vnto him Pope Leo saith vpon one daye it is laufull to say but one masse in one Churche These men say daily in one Church coÌ„monly tenne Masses twentie thirty yea often tymes moe So y t the poore gaser on can scant tell which waye he were best to turne hym Pope Gelasius sayth it is a wicked deed and sibb to sacriledge in any man to diuide the CommunioÌ„ and when he receiued one kinde to absteine from the other These menne contrarie to Goddes worde and contrarie to Pope Gelasiusâ— commaunde that one kinde onely of the holy CommunioÌ„ be giuen to the people by so doing they make their preistes gilty of sacriledge But yf they will saye that all these thinges are worne now out of vre and nye dead and pertaine nothing to these present tymes yet to thend all folke may vnderstande what faith is to be geuen to these men and vpon what hope they call togithers their generall Councelles let vs see in few wordes what good heed they take to the selfe same things which they them selues these very last yeres the remembraunce thereof ys yet new freshe in their owne generall Councell that they had by order called decreed and commaunded to be deuoutely kepte In the last Councell at Trident scant fourtene yeares paste it was ordeined by the common consent of all degrees that one man shoulde not haue two benefices at one time What is become now of that ordinauÌ„ce is y e same to so sone worne but of mynde and cleane consumed For these men ye se giue to one man not two benefices onely but sundry Abbaies many times sometime also two Bishoprykes sometime three sometime foure and that not onely to an vnlearned man but often times eueÌ„ to a man of warre In the sayde Councell a decree was made that all Byshops should preach y e Gospell These menne neyther preache nor once go vp into the Pulpet neyther thinke they it any parte of their Office What great pompe crake then ys this they make of antiquitie Why bragge they so of the names of the auncient Fathers and of the new and olde Councelles Whye will they seme to trust to their auctoritie whome when they lyft they despise at their owne pleasure But I haue a special fansy to coÌ„mon a worde or two rather with the Popes good holinesse and to saye these thinges to his owne face Tell vs I praye you good holy Father seyng ye do crake so muche of all antiquitie and boast your selfe that all menne are bounde to you alone which of all the Fathers haue at any time called you by the name of the highest Prelate the vniuersall Byshop or the head of the Churche Whiche of them euer said that both y e swords were commited to you whiche of them euer said that you haue auctoritie and a right to call Councelles whiche of them euer saide that the whole worlde is but your diocesse which of them that al Bishops haue receiued of your fulnes whiche of them that al power ys gyuen to you as well in heauen as in yearth whiche of them that neyther kyngs nor the whole Clergie nor yet all people togyther are able to be iudges ouer you whiche of them y e kynges Emperours by Christes commaundement and wil do receiue aucthoritie at your hand which of them with so precyse and mathematicall limitacion hath surueied and determined you to be seuenty seuen times greater then 〈◊〉 mightiest kinges Whiche of them 〈◊〉 more ample authoritie is geuen to you then to y e residew of y e Patriarkes â—â—ich of theÌ„ y t you are y e Lord God or that you are not a meere naturall man but a certaine substaunce made and growen together of God and man Whiche of them that you are the onelye headespringe of all lawe Whiche of them that you haue power ouer purgatories Which of them that you are able to commaunde the Aungels of God as you list your selfe Which of them that euer said that you are Lorde of Lordes and the Kinge of Kinges Wee canne also go further with you in like sorte What one amongest the whole numbre of the olde Bysshops and fathers euer taught you either to say priuate Masse whyles the people stared on or to lyste vp the sacrament ouer your heade in whyche point consisteth nowe all your religion or els to mangle Christes sacraments to bereaue the people of the one parte contrarye to Christes institution and plaine expressed wordes But that wee may once come to an ende What one is there of all the Fathers whiche hathe taught you to distribute Christes bloud and the holy martyrs merites and to sell openly as marchandizes your pardons and all the roomes and lodginges of purgatorie These men are wont to speake muche of a certaine secreat doctrine of theires and manifolde and sundrye readings Then let them bring furthe somwhat now if thei can that it may apeare thei haue at least reade or do knowe somwhat They haue often stoutly noysed in all corners where they went how all the partes of their religioÌ„ be very old haue been approued not only by y e multitude but also by the conseÌ„t continual obseruation of al nations and times let them therfore once in their life shew this their antiquitie let them make appeere at eye that the thinges wherof they make such a door haue taken so longe and large encrease let them declare that all Christiâ—â—â—â— nations haue agreed by consent to â—his their religion Nay nay they tourne their backes â—s we haue said alreadye and flee from their owne decrees and haue cut of and â—bolished againe within a shorte space â—he same thinges which but a few years â—efore themselues had established for euermore forsoothe to continewe Howe shoulde one then trust them in the Fathers in y e olde Councels in the words â—pokeÌ„ by God Thei haue not good Lord â—hei haue not I say those things which â—hey boast they haue they haue not y e anâ—iquitie they haue not that vniuersalitie â—hey haue not that consent of all places â—or of all times And though thei haue a â—esire rather to dissemble yet thei themselues are not ignorauÌ„t herof ye somme also they let not to coÌ„fesse it openly And for this cause they say that the ordiâ—â—uÌ„ces of the old Councels and Fathers be such as may now and then be altered and that suÌ„dry and diuers Decrees seruâ—â— for sundry diuers times of the church Thus lurke they vnder the name of the Church and begile seely creatures with their vaine glosinge Yt is to be meruailed that either men be so blynde as they canne not see this or if they
who is so blinde that hee seeth not these menne bee the maisters by whome the people as saythe Hierome hathe been ledde into errour and lulled a sleepe Or who seeth not Rome that is their Niniue whiche sometime was paineted w t fairest colours but now her vizer being pulled of is both better seen and lesse sette by Or who seeth not that good menne beinge a waked as it were out of their deade sleepe at the lighte of the Gospell and at the voyce of God haue resorted to the hilles of the Scriptures waiting not at all for the Councelles of suche maisters Butte by your fauoure some will saye These thinges ought not to haue been attempted without the Bysshoppe of Romes commaundement forsomuche as hee onely is the knotte and bande of Christian societie he onely is that priest of Leuies order whom God signified in the Deuteronomy from whom counsell in matters of weight and true iudgemeÌ„t ought to be fetched and who so obeyeth not his iudgement the same man ought to bee killed in the sight of his brethren and that no mortall creature hathe authoritie to bee iudge ouer him whatsoeuer hee dooe that Christe reigneth in heauen and hee in earthe that hee alone canne dooe as muche as Christe or God hym selfe canne dooe bicause Christ and hee haue but one Councell house That without him is no faythe no hope no churche and who so goeth from him quite casteth awaye and renounceth his owne saluation Suche talke haue the Canonistes the Popes parasites surely but with small discretion or sobrenesse for they coulde stant saye more at leaste they coulde not speake more highlye of Christe him selfe As for vs truely we haue fallen from the Byshoppe of Rome vpon no maner of worldlye respect or commoditie and woulde to Christe hee so behaued himselfe as this falling away neded not but so the case stoode that oules we left him wee could not come to Christ. Neyther will he now make any other league w t vs then suche a one as Nahas the kyng of the Ammonites would haue made in tymes past with theÌ„ of the citie of Jabes whiche was to put out the right eye of eche one of the Inhabitantes Euen so will the Pope pluck from vs the holye Scripture the Gospell of our saluation and all the confidence which we haue in Christ Iesu. And vpon other condition can he not agree vpon peace with vs. For wheras som vse to make so great a vaunte that the Pope is onely Peters Successour as though therby he carried the holy Ghost in his bosome cannot erre this is but a matter of nothing and a very trieflyng tale Gods grace is promised to a good mynde and to one that fearith God not vnto Sees and SuccessioÌ„s Riches saith Ierome may make a Byshop to be of more might then the rest but all the Byshoppes whosoeuer they be are the Successours of the Apostles Yf so be the place and consecrating onely be sufficient why then Manasses succeded Dauid and Caiphas succeded Aaron And it hath ben often seene that an Idoll hath stand in the Temple of God In old tyme Archidamus the Lacedemonian boasted muche of hym selfe how he came of the bloud of Hercules but one Nicostratus in thys wise abated his prydes Nay quod he y u semest not to descende from Hercules for Hercules destroied yll men but thou makest good men euill And when the Pharises bragged of their linage how they wereof y e kynred and bloud of Abraham Ye saith Christ seeke to kyll me a manne whiche haue toulde you the trouth as I heard it from God thus Abraham neuer did Ye are of your Father the dyuel and wil nedes obey his will Yet notwithstandyng bycause wee will graunt somewhat to succession tell vs hath the Pope alone succeded Peter â–ª and wherein I praye you in what Religion in what Office in what peece of his lyfe hath he succeded hym What one thing tel me had Peter euer like vnto the Pope or the pope lyke unto Peter excepte paraduenture they will saye thus that Peter when he was at Rome neuer taught the Gospell neuer fedde y e flock toke away the keyes of the kingedom of heaueÌ„ hyd the treasures of his Lorde satte him downe onely in his Castle in S. Iohn Laterane poincted out with his finger al the places of Purgatorie and kyndes of punyshementes coÌ„mittyng some poore soules to be tormented and other some againe sodenlye â—â—leasing thence at his owne pleasure taking money for so doing or that he gaue order to say priuate Masses in euery cornere or that be mumbled vp the holy seruice with a lowe voice and in an vnknowen language or that he haÌ„ged vp y e Sacrament in euery TeÌ„ple and on euerie Aulter and caryed y e same about before hym whether soeuer he went vpon an ambling Iennett with lightes and belles or that he consecrated with hys holy breath oyle war wulle belles chalices churches aultres or that he solde Iubilees graces liberties aduousons preuentions first fruits Palles the wearing of Palles bulles Indulgences and pardons or that he called hym self by the name of the head of the Churche The highest Byshop Byshop of Byshopps alone Most holy or that by vsurping he tooke vpon hym selfe the right and aucthoritie ouer other folkes Churches or that he exempted him selfe froÌ„ the power of anye civilie gouernement or that he mainteined warrâ— set Princes together at variaunce or that he sytting in his Chaire with his triple Crowne full of labelles with sumptuous Persianlike gorgiousnes with his Royall scepter with his Diademe of goulde and glittering with stones was caried about not upon Paâ—lfrâ—ie but upon the shoulders of noble menne These things no doubt did Peter at Rome in times past and left them in charge to his Successours as you would say from hand to hande for these thinges be now a dayes donne at Rome by the Popes and be so done as though nothing els ought to be don Or contrarie wise paraduenture they had rather saye thus that the Pope doth now all the same thinges whyche wee knowe Peter did many a daye a goe that is that he rounneth vp and downe into euerye Countreye to Preache the Gospell not onelye openlye abroad but also priuatelye from house to house that hee is diligente and applyeth that busines in seasone and out of seasone in dewe tyme out of dew time that he doth the part of an Euangelist that he fulfilleth the worke and ministerie of Christ that he is y e watcheman of the house of Israel receaueth answeares and wordes at Goddes mouth and euen as hereceiueth them so deliuereth them ouer to the people That he is the salte of the earth That he ys the light of the world that he doth not feed his owne selfe but his flock that he doth not entangle him selfe with the worldlie eares of this lyfe that he doth not vse a soueraintye ouer the Lordes people that he seeketh not to haue