most exceleÌ„t and gracious prince / yt is not vnknowen vnto alle the worlde that my lordes the bisshops haue purchesed youre grace this tytylle to be defender off the faith / oure lorde strength youre grace that yov may performe yt / nothwithstoÌ„ding there was neuer none of all the bisshops / that wold take so grete payne for youre graces sake / as to declare what was the very trewe faythe whiche youre grace was bovnd to defend / but thei lefte youre grace as a man shyt in a darke housse that wolde fayne come out / but he colde not fynde the dore for want of lyght So lyke wysse / they gaue vn to youre grace The tytylle of defendyng the faythe / but they neuer declaryd what it was / but alle ways lefte youre grace to the name of faythe and to the olde opynioÌ„ that went of faithe but neuer clearly set out what it wasse / where fore moste nobille prince / for to declare my trewe and faithfulle seruyce that I haue vn to youre most noble hyenes I haue taken the labours and paynys / to the vttermost powre of my smalle gyfte to declare this artykille / so playnlye and so stronglye / not alonlye by the heuynly worde of god / but also by the clarkely exposicions of holy doctours / that no faythefulle man caÌ„ haue any place to doute in it / wherfore most excelent prynce with al humble subieccion / and with all due honoure and reuerence / I besech youre grace to reseue graciously my faithefulle and trew harte For if I coulde do youre noble grace any better seruyce It shulde not be vndone Now do I not doute but that youre grace wille defend this pore aÌ„d sympille laboure of myne / from the vyolence of the bysshops that they shalle not condemne it by tyranny / nor with out lernynge as their maner is to doo / and for that cause haue I dedicatyd the holle boke / vnto youre most noble grace / vnto whome it can not be vn knowyn / how greatly it were agenst youre honoure to suffer the bysshops to condemne by tyranny with out reason and lerninge so playne scripturs of god so cleare exposicions of holy doctours How were youre grace abille to answere to it a fore the dredfull trone of christ Iesus This present lyffe is shorte / and sone faylythe vs / but if we suffer the godly worde / of the euerlasting God to be ouertrodyn and oppressed bi vyolence / there remaynythe nothynge to vs but everlastynge wo and damnacion / for we are lost for ever For euer is a great tyme and god wille not be mokkyd / for as the holy goste saithe / if we do dispisse so gret helthe how shalle we escape Hebr. 2. IbideÌ„ 10. also in a nother place / it is an horrible and a ferfulle thynge to falle in the hoÌ„dys of the lyuynge god where fore I doute not but that youre grace wille more regarde the holy verite of chryst Iesus and also youre soulle helthe / than any out ward shynynge of thys dysseuable worlde And here by this present wrytinge do I offer my selfe vn to youre most nobylle grace to proue alle thyngys that I haue here wryten agenst the bisshops and alle maner of men that wille holde with them in this cause / ye and that vnder the payne that your most noble grace shalle sett thys do I not to preferre mi selfe / but alonly that I can not suffer the glorious bloud of christ Iesus to be extynctyd and trodyn vnder the foote by vyolence I requyer no defence of none evill cause / but alonly I requyer youre graces fauoure and defence from vyolence and oppression as god is my Iudge who preserve youre most Noble and excellent grace to his pleasure and honoure ever Amen Vvhat is holy churche / aÌ„d who be therof aÌ„d wher by men may know hyr THe name of that holy church / haue those men of longe tyme vsurped presumptuously with out all shame / that were the greatyst enymys the holy church coulde haue in erthe / For they did no more agre with the maners of holy churche / thaÌ„ darknes aÌ„d light / thaÌ„ god the deuyll For where holy churche hard no man but Christ only / They wolde here all maner of meÌ„ sauyng christ / neuer here him / except it were to theyr profyte or glory where as holy churche was rulyd in this world / they wold rule all the world / and where as holy church wold be holy by christ oÌ„ly / they wold be holy by their awne helpe / And where as holi churche was all ways dispisid / and persecutyd of the world / They wolde be honouryd of the worlde aÌ„d persecuters of all men / And where as holie church was in wardly deckyd with spirituall vertues they wolde be vtwardly shinynge in spiritual araye where as holy church wolde be chayste in spryte they wold with their mouthes vowe chastite / and spend all their liuâ—s in horedome / And where as holy churche dyd all ways shew meknes in the worlde / they wolde be so proude that harte coulde deuyse no more / Breuely what so euer thynge that was agreabylle with the churche / of that had they never a crumme but allonly by vyolence vsurpyd the name off holy churche / So that yf a man had had a croune or a longe goune and a whyte smock ouer his goune / thaÌ„ was ther no remedy but he must nedis be of the churche / yee and holy church her selfe / So that yf a barber had made a bulle a crone / aÌ„d a Tayler Iachnappis a longe goune and brought an asse forthe in a white rochitte / than no maÌ„ might doute but that there were holy churche euerie maÌ„ must fall doune to receyue clene remissioÌ„ a pena a culpa / tocieÌ„s quocieÌ„s / for there caÌ„ the successors of peter paule they that haue the dispeÌ„sacioÌ„ of christes bloud / the meritis of holy sayntes / aÌ„d the suffragis of holy churche to dystribute / the keyberrars of heuyn hell / who caÌ„ deny but this is truth It is to opyn to nede any probacyoÌ„ / for we see it dayly a fore oure yies So that if a maÌ„ wil coÌ„pare oure master Christ that is the very hed of holy church vn to these pelattis that call theÌ„ self his vicares he shall finde but smal agremeÌ„t / by twene the ê‘son the vicar and he that wil coÌ„sider S. peter S. paul / with al other holy apostillis shal think that eyther they were none of holy churche or ellis oure prelatris â— for they agree in nothing / yee he may rekkyn yt. S. peter S. paul were stark foolis right mad men that liuyd so despectuê° a liff what ned me to make many wordys / or to tell their namys that I speke of / There is no doute but the galde horise wil
counselle that hathe a thousande bisshopes and in a nother that hath fyve thousande can the multitude helpe to the veryte Than had the turke the veryte and we the falsed / 3. Reg. 2 3. Reg. 18. than had the prophete Micheas the worsse parte for he was a lone agenst .iiij. hundred / so was the veryte by the prophetes of Baale / and not by Elyas / for they were foure hundred and fiftye and he was but one man Breuely Christis flocke is all ways the smallyste number in this worlde / but yet yt ys the best / not that the smallest number maketh christis flocke / but that christes churche stondeth neyther by the grettest number nor yet by the smallest / nor by the iudgemeÌ„t or numberynge of man / but by the callynge and eleccion of god / wherefore lett my lorde bryng forthe / what counselle that he will and yf they haue not the worde of god / I wylle not alonly say they may erre / but also that they do erre in verye dede And the wylle I proue by the grettest lawyar that they haue called Panormitanê° whose wordes be these / De â—ectio â— sâ—gnifica that counselle may erre as it hath erred / as coÌ„sernynge the coÌ„tracte of matrimony / inter raptoreÌ„ et raptaÌ„ / The counsell of mel delci did â—rre and the saynge of S. Hierom was afterward preferred a â—oue the statute of the counselle as yt ys proued 36. q. 2. Tria / for in thynges consernynge the faith ys the saynge of a pryuate persone to be prefarred a fore the saynge of the pope yf he haue better resons and scripturs of the newe and the olde testament for hym than the pope / nor yt caÌ„ not helpe to say that the counselle can not erre by cause that Christ dyd pray for his church that her faythe shulde not faylle / for I answere to this / that though the generalle counsell doo represent the wholle vniuersalle church / neuerthelesse in very dede there is not the very vniuersalle church / but representatiue For the vniuersalle church stondeth in the electâ—on of alle faithfulle meÌ„ all faith fulle meÌ„ of the worlde make the vniuersalle church / whose hed spouse ys christ Iesus the pope is but the vycker of Christ not the very hed of the church / this is the church that can not erre cÌ„ Here it is open that the counselle may erre / aÌ„d that a priuate person hauynge scriptures for hym is to be harde a fore the pope and also the conselle hauynge no scriptures for them / yov haue also what is the very trew church which can not erre / whiche thinge caÌ„ not be veryfyed of youre counselles for they be neyther wyth out erroure nor yet the holye churche but that they doo represent the church as a legate representeth a kynges person but of the followeth not that he is the kynge or hath as muche power as the kynge / or ys a bove the kynge or that he may rule the kynge / Augustinê° de bap Ki. 2. c. 3. contra donaâ—as this maye also be proued by S. Augustine whose wordes be these / those couÌ„selles that be gethered in everie ê“uince must with out geue place to the auctorite of the full couÌ„sellis which be gethered of all chrystendoÌ„ / aÌ„d also those ful couÌ„sellis oft timis must be a mendyd by the full counsellys that come after / yf any thynge be openyd by any experience that was a fore shyt / and yf any thyng be knowen that was hyddyn And this may be done with out any shaddow of supersticious pryde / with out any bostyd Arrogancye with out any contencyon of malyciê° envye / but with holy meknes / wyth holy peasse / and with chrystened cheryte cÌ„ Here it is playne that youre full couÌ„selles may be a mendyd and reformyd / the whyche thynge nede not / yf they coulde not erre yee and if they did not erre in dede Moreouer you must nedes grauÌ„t that there is a rule where by youre counsellys must be exaÌ„mynyd / and where by sentens must be geuyn whyche of youre counsellys be trewe and which false / by the whych rule yf youre couÌ„sellys be not ordered / they must nedys erre and be false / and of the deuyll wherefore gather all youre counsellys too gether and yet of them can you not make holy churche / But peraduenture there may be many in youre counsellys good and perfyte men and of holy churche / But they and you to gether make not the vniuersall holy churche that can not erre / Neyther haue yow any auctoryte ouer holy churche / further than the holy scrypture off god / But as sone as you for sake Chryst aÌ„d his holy worde / so sone are you the congregacyoÌ„ of the deuyll / and theuys and murtherars / aÌ„d yet for all thys there must nedis be an holy churche of chryst in erthe that ys neyther bounde to Ierusalem nor to CouÌ„staÌ„tinopill / nor yet to Rome as though she were lyke vn to / the Asse and the foolle But now wyl there be obiected / that oure Master Christe commandeth / Maâ— 1â— yff my brother offend me that I shuld complayne to the church / Now ys this church that I haue sett out spretualle no man knoweth hyr but God onlye / she is also scattered thorow out the world / wherefore how can a man complayne to that church I answere oure master Christ dothe playnly speake of a man that hathe wronge / the which must nedes be a perticuler and a serten man / and therfore lyke wysse he byddythe hym complayne not to the vniuersalle churche / but to the perticular church Now this particular church / if she be of god / and a trew member of the vniuersalle churche / she wyll iudge ryghtwysly after Christes words / and after the probacions brought a fore hyr / neuer the lesse oftyn tymes comyth yt that this particular church doth fully and holly erre and iudgeth vnryght and excommunycateth hym / that is blessed of god / 24. q. 3. Si quis et c. cuÌ„ aliquis as yt is open in youre awne lawe / whose wordes be these / oftyn tymes he that ys cast out ys with in / and he that is with out ys kept with in cÌ„ Here haue yov playnlye that the particular church may erre / wherefore that church that can not erre is alle only the vniuersalle church which is called the communion and the felowshyppe of saynctis / the whiche addicion was made by holy fathers for in Ciprians tyme was there no mencion of yt by alle lyklyhod to declare the presumpcion of serten men / and of serten congregacions that rekened them selfe to be holy church wherefore my lordes se welle to lest the holye goste haue prykkyd yov with this addicion / for yov haue alle wayes made youre selfe holy churche / yee and that
obedyent vnto temporalle prynces / ye and that vnto infidels And not alonlye he / but all hys ordinaunce All hys wrytynges / and all his bisshops dyd agre to the same And yff they wyll dispice S. Paule / by cause he was but a begger / and no lorde off the parlament what wyll they say to oure Master Christe oure mighty / gracious / and excellent prynce / was not he obedyent vn to Pylate that was an infydelle / and in auctorite muche lesse than youre grace / dyd not he obey in bodye and goodes / dyd not he paye tribute vn to Cesar / was not he crucifyed / vnder Pons Pylat / was not he a spirituall man / was not his cause ryghtuous / was not he mighty to defende his cause was not he worthy to be exempted / was he not annoynted I meane not with oyle but wyth the holy gost so well as they / and yet wolde kepe the order / that was sett by hys heuynly father Dyd not he sore rebuke Peter / that wolde haue defended his cause / and sought for suche carnall lyberte / agenste the power off princes / Dyd he not clearly take a waye / the temporall swerd from hym we neuer rede that euer he drewe yt after / and yet we reade that he had causys suffycient And now commyth Peters successoure / and he wyll drawe yt out / and hed pryncis there with who gaue master vicare auctoryte / to doo that the the parson durste neuer doo / ner coulde neuer doo yt / was his cause neuer so ryght ye though yt were to defēd christ wyth out greate rebuke of his master Thus youre grace maye se / how they do vsurpe / bothe the name of christ / and off his holye appostles / but they neyther agre in worde nor dede what dothe yt profyte / to call an open whore an honest woman / the name can not make here honest / Disti 40. Nō est facile di 40. multi sacerdot◠so lykewysse as their lawe saith They be not the chyldern off holy men / that sytte in the romes of holy men / but they that doo their workes c̄ Also in a nother place The seate dothe not make a preaste / but the preast maketh the seate The place dothe not sanctifie the man / but the man sanctifyeth the place / All preastie be not holye / but all holye men be preastes c̄ Nowe yff youre grace wolde follow their awne lawe / what were they lesse than bysshops Take a way theyr seate / that is their worldely pompe and pryde / their outwarde shynynge / their glorious name / and what remayneth in them / Surelye not one poynte that belongethe to a bisshope / Thys may youre grace well doo / there is neyther lawe nor consciēce can lett you ye bothe the lawe of god / and also conscience dothe bynde you to doo yt / how can youre grace otherwyse be discharged / except yov sett other men in their romes / that wille doo those thynges / that belongeth by holy scripture to bysshops to doo There out commith their name / why shulde they not also be hounde to lyue there after youre grace hathe taken some off them from the bochers staulle and made them bysshops / you haue taken some out of the carte and sett them in Peters Chayre / who can denye but this youre grace maye doo All ways providyd that they doo those thynges that belongeth to their office by the worde of god / or els youre grace is in daunger But who can proue / that they are worthye off thys dignite / that youre grace hath heuen them moche lesse to be youre controllars / yee and also to be aboue all youre lawes / and to haue auctorite to deposse you But yf youre grace wolde doo thē ryght / you shulde returne them home ageyne / the bocker to his staulle / The begger to hys wallet / the carter to hys whyppe / and than aske them yff they be of the church and what exempcion they haue from youre obedyence and from youre lawe / and what auctorite to deposse kynges But as for thys / youre grace can order yt moche better / than I cane deuyse I saye yt for no nother purposse / but for to declare youre graces power / and youre goodnes towarde them / and lykewyse their vnworthynes / and ingratitude / agenst youre most noble grace I wylle returne agayne to oure Master Christ / whan the multitude wold haue chosene hym kyng dyd he not flye Io ▪ So that he dyd not allonly lerne obedience in his doctrine / but also he dyd practice yt in his outward workes and lyuinge Fynallye / they shall neuer be able to prove to youre grace / but that Chryst and alle his apostles were subiect / to the temporal princes / bothe in bodye and goodes / and toke no nother rule in this worlde / but only to preache the eternalle worde of god / and lefte all wordly rule / vnto temporall princes / whether they were faythefull / or vnfaythefull But now commyth oure spirituall fathers So muste we call them allonly of customme and of no deseruynge and wyll commaunde prynces to be sworne vn to them / and to defende them / and their lybertes / with all their gorgyousnes / and prowde dignytyes of this worlde which othe / yff the prynces wyll not make to thē / they wyll interdyte theyr londe / and priuate them of theyr dignite / yee and also asoyle men off the othe / that they made to their prince This ys opyn in their lawe / de hereticis De hereticis Ad abolendum Ad abolendum How dothe thys agre wyth S. Paulys commaundement / and wyth oure Master Christes factes Is thys obeying to princes / to depelle them their royalme / yff they wyll not be sworne vnto them / Be these trewe subiectes Is this the offyce of byshops / Be these the successors of Peter / Paule Be these the perfyt men that haue forsaken all thyng and followed Christ Doubtles they forsake all thynges / that they can not gett Be not these perfytt / forsakers But they wyll saye that princes be bounde to be sworne / to defēde their churche / from heretykes or ells to be deposed This ys yt that I lokyd for Vvhom call you heretykes Vvho shall iudge these men to be heretikes After what lawe shall they be iudged yff you call them heretikes / that speke agenst youre lawes / and agenst youre libertyes / and agenst youre dignite / than are Christ and all his holy appostles heretikes For they defende pertinaciter as yov say their lerninge agēste youre lawes / and that not in one place / but in euery place / as yt ys open in holy scripture But now yff you take them for heretykis that be agenst Christ and his holy worde / than ys the kynges grace sworne to expelle you his realme and
bewraye him selfe But shortlye / yt the deuill wolde come in his awne ê‘son disgysyo / Tel me how it were possible that he could be more coÌ„trarie to christ his holy apostillis / thaÌ„ those meÌ„ that call theÌ„ selfe the holy church / yee take a waye the name off the church / set in her stede the name of the deuyll how wil you thaÌ„ knowe a bisshop froÌ„ the deuyll By their workis nay trewly / for they be all one yet wyll ye be the hedys of chrystis church / ye the holy church here selfe / not so ye wyked not so Vvherefore that this blessyd spouse of christ / maye be knowyn froÌ„ the opyn abhominable whores harlatis / therefor wil I bi godis grace set out what holy church is where bi meÌ„ shal know her This worde Ecclesia / bothe in the new testament and the olde / is takyn oftyntymys for the hole congregacion and the holle multitude of the people bothe good and bad / as it is in the boke of numeri / Nume 20 why haue yov brought the congregacion or churche of god in to wildernes also in a nother place / 3. ReguÌ„ 8 The kynge turnyd his face and blessid the holle congregacion or churche of Israell / â— Corin. 4 and alle the churche of Israell stode lykewysse in the newe testament S. Paule to the CorynthiaÌ„s / I haue sent vn to yov Tymothe the whyche shalle lerne yov my ways / that be in christ Iesu / 1. Corin. 11 as I do lerne euery where in alle coÌ„gregacions Also in an other place do yov dispisse the congregacion of god aÌ„d shame them that haue not In alle these placis and in many mo is it opyn that this greke worde ecclesia is takyn for the hole congregacion bothe of good aÌ„d bad / where fore this is not the church that we wille greatly speke of / for in this churche are Iuys and Sarasens / Murtherars aÌ„d theuys / baudys and harlotes though we knowe them not Ephesi 5. But there is a nother holy churche of the which S. paule spekyth yov men loue youre wiuys / as christ hathe louyd the churche / and hathe geuyn hym selfe for hyr / that he myght santyfye hyr / And clense hyr in the fovntayne off watter thorow the word of liffe / to make her to hym selfe a glorious churche with out spot or wrynkille / or any suche thynge / but that she myght be holy and with out blame Here haue yov the very trewe churche of christ / that is so puer and so clene with out spot But whereby is she puer and clene not by hyr awne meritis nor by hir awne myght / not by exterior araye / not by golde nor syluer nor yet by precious stonys / neither by myters nor crosestaues / nor by pillers nor polaxis / but whereby than by Chryst only whiche hathe geuyn hym selfe for that intent that he wolde make her clene and there fore saithe S. Paule / He gaue him selfe that he myght santifie hyr / that he might clense hyr make hyr to hym selfe a glorious churche Also in a nother place yov are wasshid / yov are sanctifyde / yov are iustifyde in the name of Iesus christ / and in the sprete of god Se my lordes / howe the churche is washed bi christ aÌ„d bi his holy sprete / and not by youre blessingis / 1. Corin. â— not by youre sprytualle ornamentis / nor by youre spritualle holy watter / for these thynges caÌ„ not helpe the holy churche for she is holy in sprytte aÌ„d not in outward hypocrysye / she is also clensyd by christes blessyd bloud / and not by outward disgysyngis This dothe S. Augustine well prove sayinge Of christ is the churche made faire / first was she fylthy in synnys / Augustinê° de verbis dnÌ„i ser 50 afterwarde by pardon and by grace was she made fayre cÌ„ here S. Augustine saithe that christ hathe made his churche fayre / and that by his grace and his pardon / And not by youre pardons / nor by youre grace for thys churche / stondythe by Christis eleccion / and not by youres and if Christ haue not wasshid yov and chosyn yov than be yov none of this churche though yov ryde with a thousande spretualle horses / aÌ„d haue alle the spretual tokyns in erth / Ioan. 6. for aÌ„d if the sone of god haue dylyuerd yov thaÌ„ are yov trewly deliuerd / ye can not make by al youre powre and holynes that we shalle al ways fynde good ale or wyne where there hangyth out a grene sygne / And wille yov with youre sprituall sygnes aÌ„d tokins make the church of god to followe yow / or by them assigne out where the church shall be nay nay my lordis / yt wyll not be but they that beleue that Chryst hath wasshed them from their synnes / and styke fast vn to his meryttis and to the promysse made too them in him only / they be the churche of god / aÌ„d so puer and so clene that yt shall not be lawfull no not for Peter to say that they be vnclene / but where they be Iue or greke / kynge or subiect / Carter or cardinalle / bucher or bisshop / TaÌ„cardeberar or caÌ„nâ—lcater / fre or bouÌ„d / fryer or fydler / Monke or Miller if they beleue in Christis worde / and styke faste to his blessed promysys / trust only in the meryttis of hys blessed bloude / they be the holy church of god yee and the very trew church a fore god / and yow with all youre spirytuall tokyns / and with all youre exteryor cleÌ„nes / remayne in youre fylthynes of synne / from the whyche all youre blessynges / all youre pardons / All youre spiritualyte / all youre holynes / caÌ„ not clense you / nor bryng you in to this church Boste / Crake / Blaste / Blesse / Curse tille youre holly yies starte out of youre hed yt wyll not helpe you / for Christ chousythe hys church / at his iudgemeÌ„t not at youres The holy gost ys fre / and in speryth where he wyll / he wil neyther be bound / to Pope nor Cardynall / archebysshop nor Bysshop / Abbot nor Pryor / Deken nor Archedeken / Parson nor Vyckar / too Nunne nor Frear Breuelye come all the holâ— tabbylle of yow to gether that call youre selfe the holy churche and exclude all other yee and take sonne / mone / and stars to helpe yow with all the frendes yow haue in heuen and erthe and yet shall yow not be of holy churche except that you haue the sprite of christ and be wasshid in his blessed bloud / For the holy churche of christ is nothyng els but that congregacion / that is sanctifyed in sprete / redemed with Christis bloud / and stykkyth fast and suer alonly to the promissis that be made theryn So that the
with out any holynes Now haue I declared vn to yov / what is holy church / that is the congregacion of faithfulle men thorow out alle the worlde and where by she is holye / that is / by Christes holynes and by christes bloude / aÌ„d also what is the cause that she can not erre / by cause that she kepeth hyr selfe so faste to the worde of god / which is a parfyt and a trewe rule â—ow a maÌ„ may knowe the churche Now must we declare by what sygnes and tokens that we may knowe that in thys place or in that place there be serten members of this holy church / for though she be in hyr selfe sprytualle and caÌ„not be perfytly knowen / by oure exterior senses / yet neuer the lesse we may haue serten tokens / of hyr spritualle presens / where by we may reken that in this place and in that place be sertyne of hyr members As by a naturalle example / though the soule of man in hyr selfe be spritualle and invisible yet may we haue suer tokens of hyr presence / as herynge movynge / spekynge / smellynge / with suche other So lykewysse / where the word of god is trewly and perfytly preached with out the damnable dreames of men / and where yt is welle of the herars reseued / and also where we se good workes that doo openly agre wyth the doctrine off the gospell these be good and suer tokens where by that we may iudge / that there be some meÌ„ of holy church As to the fyrste / where as the gospelle ys trewly pÌ„ched yt must nedes lyght in some meÌ„s hartis / as the prophete wyttnesseth / my worde / shalle not returne a gayne to me frustrate / but yt shall doo all thynge that I wille / and yt shal prospere / Esaie 55. in those thynges / vn to the whiche I dyd send yt Also S. Paule saithe faithe cometh by heryng / and herynge cometh by the worde of god / Rom. x. and therfore yt is open in holye scripture that whan Peter spake the wordes of god the holye goste felle dovne on them alle Actu 10. wherfore yt ys open that godes worde can neuer be preched in vayne / but some men must nedes reseue yt / aÌ„d there by be made of holy churche / though that men doo not know them neyther by theyr names nor yet by their faces / for this worde is reseued in to their hartes The seconde token ys / that the reseuers of this word doo worke welle there after as 1. Tessa 2. s Paule declareth of his herars whan yov reseued of vs the worde where with god was preched / yov reseued yt not as the worde of men / but euen as yt was in dede / the worde of god whych worketh in yov that beleue So that if men doo worke after the worde of god yt ys a good token that ther be men off the churche / though that we hypocrisye ys so subtylle and so secret may be often tymes dysseued by these vtward workes / but neuerthelesse cherite iudgeth well of all thynges that haue a good outward shyne / and be not openly agenst the worde of god / but it is no ieoperdye though cherite be dysseued / for he is open to alle ieoperdyes but faith is neuer disseued Now to oure purposse / that where the worde of god is preched trewly / yt is a good a perfyt token that there be some meÌ„ of christes church / this may be proued by chrisostimus wordes / they that be in Iudea let theÌ„ fle vp in to the mountayns / that is to say they that be in chrystenduÌ„ / let theÌ„ geue theÌ„ selfe to scripturs wherefore coÌ„mandeth he that alle chrystened men in that tyme shulde flye vn to scriptures / for in that tyme in the whiche hereses haue opteyned in to the church / there caÌ„ be no trew probacion of christendom nor no nother refuge vn to christen men willynge to know the verite off faith / but the scripturs of god A fore by many ways was yt shewed which was the church of Christ / and which was the congregacion of gentilles / but now there is no notherway to know vnto them that wylle knowe which is the very trew churche of Christ / but alonly by scripturs By workes fyrst was the church of christ knoweÌ„ whan the conuersacion of christen men / other of alle or of many were holy / the which holynes had not the wykked men / but now christen meÌ„ / be as evylle or worsse thaÌ„ heretikes or gentles yee and greater continencie is founde amonge them / than a monge christen men wherefore he that wille knowe which is the very churche of christ / how shall he know but by scripturs onlye / wherefore oure lorde consideringe that so grett confusion of thynges shulde come in the latter days / therfore commaundeth he that christen meÌ„ which be in christendom willynge to reserue the stedfastenes of trewe faith shulde flye vn to no nother thynge but vn to scripturs for yf they haue respect vn to other thinges they shalle be sclandered and shall perishe / not vnderstondyng which is the trewe church cÌ„ These wordes nede no exposicion they be playne I nough they do also exclude all maner of lernynge sauynge holy scripture / wherefore se how yov can with honestie saue youre holy lawes / and defend them ageÌ„st Chrisostom Moreover iff chrisostom complayne of the incontenency that was in his days / how wolde he coÌ„playne if he now lyued and sawe the baudry fornicacion / that is in the churche Also he sendith men to scripturs that wyll knowe the holy church / and not vnto the holy churche for in the churche were heresys / but not in scripture Also Ephe. 2. S. Paule wyttnesyth the same sayng / yov are bylte a pon the foundacioÌ„ of the apostylles and prophetes / here haue you playnly that the very trewe church is grounded ye and foundyd of holy scripture / and therfore where so euer that the worde of god is preched / that is a good token that there be some men of christes church But now as to the frutes and workes of this church / she dothe alonly fetch out hyr maner of lyuynge / and alle hyr good workes out of the holy word of god / and she faynyth not nor dremythe any other newe holynesse or new invented workes that be not in scripture but she ys content with christes lernynge aÌ„d beleueth / that christ hath sufficienly taught hyr alle maner of good workes that be to the honoure of oure heuynly father Therfore inuenteth she no nother way to heuen but followeth christe only / in sufferynge oppressions and persecucions / blasphemynges and alle other thynges that may be layd vnto hyr / which as S / Augustine saithe she lerned of oure Master Christe Augustinê° Oure holy mother the church thorow out alle
the worlde scattered for and longe / in hyr trewe hed Christ Iesus taught / hath lerned not to fere the contumelys of the crosse nor yet of dethe but more and more ys she strengthed not in resystinge but in sufferynge cÌ„ Now my lordes compare youre selfe to this rule of S. Augustine / and lett vs se how yov caÌ„ brynge youre selfe in to the churche or els to proue youre selfe to be holye The churche sufferth persecucions for as S. Paule saith / they that wylle lyue deuoutly in christe must suffer persecusion and yov withstond all thynges aÌ„d suffer nothynge / â— Timo. 3. yov oppres every man aÌ„d yov wyll be oppressed of no man / yov persecute everye man and no man may speke aworde agenst yov / no though yt be neuer so trewe / you cast everye man in preson / and no man may touche yov but he shall be cursed / yov compelle euerye man to say as yov say / and yov wylle not once saye as Christe saith / and as for youre holynes all the worlde knoweth what it is / for yt stondeth in clothyng in dekkynge / in watchynge slepynge / in etynge and in drynkynge this meate or that meate / thys drynke or that drynke / in patterynge and numblynge these Psalmys or that Psalmys wyth out deuocyon Breuely alle youre holynes ys in bokes / belles / candelles / challeses / oyle creame watter / horses / houndes pallycis / and alle that is myghty and glorious in the worlde there on hange yov / there in glorie yov / there on crake yov / there on boste yov / ther vppon bylde yov Is this the natures of the church is this holynes of whome haue yov lerned these maners yov can not denye but these be truth / and yf yov wolde denye yt / alle the world ys wyttnes agenst you / yee also youre awne factes and dedes / of whome haue yov lerned this holynes Hilarius cont Arianos not of christe nor yet of his holy churche / but yov haue lerned yt of the Arians / that were the seruantes of the deuylle / as Hylarius wryteth in these wordes / the church dothe threten / with banyshementes aÌ„d presonmentes / and she compelleth men to beleue hyr / whych was exiled and cast in preson / no whangeth she / on the dignite of hyr fellyshyp the which was consecrated / by the thretnynges of persecuters / she causeth prestes to flye that was in cressed by the chassynge away of prestes / she gloryeth that she is loued of the world / the which coulde neuer be christes except the world dyd hatte hyr cÌ„ How thynke yov my lordes doo not yov alle these thynges that be layd to the Arians charge youre awne frendes / ye youre awne coÌ„sciens must nedes accuse yov of alle these thynges / and yet wyll you be called christes childern I lay nothynge to yov / but the holye doctours lay vn to yov But lett vs se what Barnardê° suê‘ can s 33 S. Barnarde saith on yov / they call them selue the mynysters of christ but they serue Antichriste / they goo gorgiously a rayed of oure lordes goodes / vn to whome they geue none honoure / and of these goodes coÌ„mythe / the harlottes deckyng that thou seyst daylye / the game players dysgysynge / and kynges aparrelle / of this commeth goulde in their brydylles / in their sadylles / and in their spurres so that their spurs be bryghtter than the aultres of this coÌ„meth their plentuous wyne pressys and their fulle sellers / bolkynge from this vnto that / of this commeth their tonnes of swete wynys / of this be their baggys so fyllyd / for suche thynges as these be / wyll they be rulers of the churche / as dekyns / arche dekyns / bysshops / and arche bysshops cÌ„ My lordes I had thought / to haue added cardinalles and legates abbottes and pryors / to haue made the company more holly / but I durste not How thynke yov / of whome dothe he speake whane he saith bisshops and archebisshops what holynes dothe he repreue / whane he speketh of gorgius araye / of harlottes dekkynge / of game players dysgysyng / of goulden spurs / saddylles and brydylles yf there were an C. that dyd vse yt more than yov yet must yov nedes graunt that he spekyth of yov / he passyth me sore / in condemminge of youre holy ornamentes / for he calleth yov the seruantes off Antichrist / and youre holy ornamentes harlottes deckynge and game players dysgysynge / he saith that yov are neyther the churche nor ol the churche / but the seruaÌ„tes of Antichrist / how thynke yov by S. Barnarde yt is tyme to condemne hym / for he speaketh agenst holy church and all hyr holy ornamentes / this dare I wel saye / that yf the beste christen man with in the royalme shulde preache these wordes of S. Barnarde yov wolde not stycke to condeÌ„ne him for an heretyke / but yov were wonte to call hym swett Bernarde / but my thynketh that he ys soure I nough in thys thynge / wherefore dispute the matter wyth hym that yov may come in to the churche / and not wyth me Finis ☜ Vvhat the keyes of the churche are and to whome they be geuyn TO declare this matter oure scole men haue wrapped them selfe in suche doutes that they were neuer abylle to come out of them / nor yet to satisfye them seluys nor no good Christenmans consciens for alle that they wryte ys but dremys off their awne invencion / and as paule callythe them the doctryns of the deuille agenst the holy word of god / 1 Timo. 4 wringynge aÌ„d wrestyng the blessed word of god to ther purposse / alonly consyderinge how they myght / by right or by wronge stablishe the auctorite of miserable men / not consyderinge the intent of the holy gost which intendyd nothynge els in alle places of scriptur / but to opyn vn to vs christ / aÌ„d the losynge froÌ„ oure synne by him onlye The which thynge oure dremers / and inventers of alle subtille lyes dyd neuer perseue / nor neuer sought for / but by dispysynge the holy word of god / and stykkyng so fast to their awne corruptyd resons / dyd they faulle in to innumerable heresyes dyssencions and contencions / and brawlinges of wordis / aÌ„d scolding lyke harloâ—tes / so that none of them coulde agre with a nother where fore that saynge of the holy prophete may welle be veryfyed of them Psal 80. My people haue not hard my voyce and Israell hathe takyn no hede vn to me / and there fore haue I lett them passe after the desyeres of their awne hertes / and therfore they shalle folowe their awne inveÌ„cioÌ„s / thys is always the sore veÌ„geaÌ„ce of God / whane we wil not beleue and reseue alonly his word / than dothe he lett vs passe / so that we cane do