church is set forth before oure eyes Wherby we maye euidently percaue / that the holy Catholike church is nothing els but a feloshippe of saynctes And the same is also the bryde of Christ without spot or wrynckle / purified thorow the bloude of the brydgrome himselfe euen the heauenly hierusalem / in to the which / no vncleane persone commeth the most holy temple / wher into is entred oure bishope Iesus Christ / who is a prest for euer after the ordre of Melchisedech This I saye / is the church buylded vpō the roke / agaynst the which nether the windes / ner the waues of waters / no ner the gates of hell / cā preuayle the head and fundacio wheoff is Christ himselfe To this church pertayne all they / that syns the begynnyng of the worlde haue bene saued / and that shal be saued vnto the ende therof For they are the lyuinge stones of this heauenly hierusalem and of this most holy temple Know ye not saieth S. Paul that ye are the tempel of God / and that the sprete of god dwelleeh in you Yf anye man defyle this temple / him shal god destroye for the temple of god is holy / the same temple are ye Euen this church / doth this Christē brother of oures beleue stedfastly ◠yea and in this church also beleueth he forgyuenesse of synnes / ond after the resurrection of the flesh an euerlasting life Why saiest thou than / that he is falelen awaye from the church To the speake I now / thou vnreasonable accuser What hast thou yet more to laye to his charge He beleueth in god the father allmightie maker of heauen and arth / and in Iesu Christ his onely begotten sonne oure lorde / which was conceaued of the holy goost / borne of Marye the virgyn / suffred vnder Pōtius Pilate / was crucified / dead and buried / descended vnto hell / on the thirde daye rose agayne from death / ascended vnto heauen / sitteth at the right hand of god the father allmightye / from thence shal he come to iudge the quycke an dead He beleueth also in the holy goost / and al the rest that we mencioned afore of the church He beleueth likiwise all that is written by the prophetes and other olde fathers of the olde testament In like maner beleueth he all that in the gospels is written of the actes and doctryne of Christ He confesseth also that the doctryne of the Apostles and disciples of Christ is not to be dowted vpon Moreouer he beleueth that whatsoeuer the holy fathers of the new testament haue written / is true / so farre as it is not contrary to the doctryne of Christ and of his Apostles With this true and fre confession of faith / I suppose thou art so satisfied / that now thou wilt not sticke with all expedicion to quyte this Christen mā / and faithfully to commytte him vnto the iudges as a right membre of the church and for asmuch as thou hast vnaduysedly accused him as an heretike and as a rennegate from the church / hast done him wrong / I hope thou wilt therfore aske him forgeuenesse But I se well / thou shakest thy heade / bytest thy tethe one vpon another / and art be come as me thinketh nothing the mylder Wherfore beholde I besech you / how shameles this man is / yf I maye call such one a mā / which so vnmāly dealeth / that I suppose he hath forgottē / that he himselfe is a man I doute not right deare Iudges / but the same fre confession of this Christen man is sufficient ynough to quyte him / and that in youre iudgment he neadeth no farther clearyng of himselfe Notwithstōding lest oure aduersary shulde reporte / that I haue sayde nothing to the ordely rehearsall of his accusaciō / but wittingly passed ouer it or how that I am so short of memorye / that I haue forgottē what he hath layed for him selfe therfore wil I rehearce it all agayne to the intēt that whā I haue repeted his vnhonest complaynt / and confuted it / euery man maye vnderstond / that he is smytten with his owne swerd Ye haue perceaued / I suppose / that his whole accusacion consisted in eight principall articles / which I will now repete in ordre / that yf any thing ther in haue bene forgetten / it maye be called vnto remābraunce agayne This heretike saith oure aduersary doth affirme First / that the bishope of Rome is not the head of the church ner the true vycar of Christ Secondly that the masse is no sacrice ner ought to be vsed for other Thirdly that the supper of the lordt ought to be mynistred in fourmes both of bread and wyne / and that also vnto the laye people Fourthly that ther is no purgatory / and that suffragies for the deed are in vayne / and supersticious Fyfthly that it is not necessary to call vpon saynctes Sixthly that auricular confession was nether commaunded ner institute of Christ and his disciples Seuenthly that on the daies prohibited and forbiddē by the church of Rome / it is no synne to eate flesh Eightely / and fynally / he saieth planely / that prestes maye mary These ye deare Iudges are the foule misdedes these are the horrible vyces these are the detestable blasphemies her off cometh the great vproure horrible noyse of heauē and erthe / wher thorow it is to be feared / that the foure elementes wil come together / and that rhe world wil returne in to his ol darcknes and confusion agayne And why do not we all rent oure clothes / and stoppe oure eares after the maner of the Iewes / crie ewith loude voyce He hath blasphemed Crucifie / Crucifie Such a matter might happly be laught at / yf it were shewed in the waye of ieasting / and to make the people a pastyme with all But for asmuch as the matter is now handled in Iudgment / and brought so farreforth / that this Christen man is like to suffre death therfore / Me thinketh euery faithfull Christen mā ought frō the ground of his hert to bewayle it But now let vs examen the first article / and pondre well / what is to be holden of the bishoope of Romes power All Christē men do confesse / that the holy Catholike or vniuersal church / is the feloshippe of saynctes And this is the one onely church / wherin is but one lorde / one faith / one baptyme / one god and father of all thinges But for asmuch as we saye I beleue an holy vniuersall church / we do cōfesse / that the same is not visible ner corporall Notwithstōding in the scripture / ther is named yet another church which is bothe visible and corporall Whervnto the keyes of the kyngdome of heauen are committed / which the lord also meaneth whan he saieth Tell it vnto the church In the which church all they are comprehended / that are named
Christen / good and euell / wherin also the tares groweth with the wheate vntill the tyme of the haruest Neuertheles this is not an one onely church / but destributed in to many partes for it were vnpossible to haue / in one place an one onely coÌ„gregacioÌ„ of all Christen together / seyng they dwell so farre one from another / be of so sondrie lanhages maners Therfore the Apostles as we do rede / haue in all partes ordyned as many churches / as they thought necessary acording to the nature of the countrees And gaue vnto euery church their peculiar bishoppe / to kepe the lordes flocke whom the also called prest or elder geuyng them a tytle of reputacion / either because of their age / or by reason of their excellent grauyte vertuous conuersacion To such men was coÌ„mitted the care of Christes flock and the mynistracion of gods worde / to rule the people / and to fede the flock of Christ with all As for hye bishope / vnder Christ they knew none They had al like auctorite Euery one had the ouersight of the flock that was coÌ„mitted vnto him But whaÌ„ anye doubte arose / they vsed not to shew it vnto one alone as to the head / or to theÌ„ all which was vnpossible but vnto certeyne who whan they had called vpoÌ„ the name of the lorde / knew in the holy goost / what was to be done / as we maye openly se in the Actes of the Apostles Wherfore me thinketh it a great wonder that euer the church of Rome came in such reputation / that it hath hither to bene taken of many for the head of all churches / yea for the one onely Catholike or vniuersall church coÌ„sidering that in holy scripture it hath no testimonye that maye truly be alledged to any such purpose For we haue declared now allready / that ther is not one onely visible church which thing appeareth euideÌ„tly out of the wordes of Christ / whan he saieth tell it vnto the church Shulde he now runne froÌ„ hierusalem vnto Rome / to tell his brothers faulte Therfore be there many churches or coÌ„gregacions / wherin the children of god in this vayle of misery are myxte amoÌ„g childreÌ„ of the deuel / which incoÌ„uenieÌ„ce also they daylie coÌ„playne of But let vs se with what reasoÌ„s or rater cauillacions / oure aduersary goeth aboute to maynteyne this his Romshe church / his grauÌ„dsyre pope or bishoppe of Rome We reade in the gospell / that Christ asked his disciples who saye ye that I am Peter ansuered sayde thou art the soÌ„ne of the lyuinge god Whervpon Iesus sayde vnto him Blessed art thou Simon Ionas sonne / for fleshe and bloude hath not opened that vnto the / but my father which is in heauen And I saye vnto the Thou art Petrus that is / apperteyning to the stonye rocke and vpon this rocke will I buylde my church / and the gates of hell shal not preuayle agaynst it And I will geue the the keyes of the kyng ome of heaueÌ„ what soeuer thou byndest vpon erthe / shal also be bounde in heauen And what soeuer thou loosest vpon erthe / shal be loosed also in heauen This promes of Christ / which we also beleue stedfastly to be fulfilled / taketh oure aduersary vpoÌ„ him to wraist vnto his opynion How now saieth he dyd not Christ playnlie saye Thou art Petrus / and vpon this rock wil I buylde my church and I will geue the the keyes of the kyngdome of heauen Who I praye the / denyeth that the church is buylded vpon a strong rocke who will not graunt / that the keyes were committed vnto Peter Neuertheles we will seke the true vnderstoÌ„ding of this promes Whan Peter had consessed Christ to be the sonne of the lyuinge god / the lordt sayd vnto him blessed art thou Simon the sonne of Ionas / for fleshe and bloud hath not opened that vnto the but my father which is in heauen Wherby Christ â—s the gifte of god / and commeth of the father of heauen Now foloweth the promes for the faithers sake and I saye vnto the / that thou art Petrus / here geueth he him another name / not Simon Ionas sonne / but Petrus / as one that cleueth or belongeth vnto the rocke And vpon this rocke saieth he wil I buylde my church as though he shulde saye blessed art thow / for asmuch as thorow gods reuelacion / thou coÌ„fessest / that I am the soÌ„ne of the lyuynge god And therfore art thou Petrus / that is / thou belongest vnto the rocke And vpon this rocke whervnto thou eleuest now by thy confession / wil I buylde my church For where as the church of god was norished first in hope of the redempcioÌ„ for to come / and after that the lawe came as a scoolmaster / stode much in outward ceremonies and coÌ„maundemeÌ„tes of the lawe now that the perfecte tyme is come / I wil buylde my church vpon my selfe / as on the strong rock that whosoeuer beleueth in me / shal not perishe / but haue euerlasting life Yf he had sayde Super Petrum / it might happlie haue bene vnderstonde of Peter but seyng he saieth Super haue petram / we will search the scripture / whether this rock maye signifie anye thing els saue onely Christ himselfe It is written beholde / I laye in Sion a stombling stone / and a rocke that meÌ„ shal be offended at And whosoeuer beleueth on him / shal not be confounded which scripture Paul and Peter also declare in maner with the same wordes And in another place saieth Paul they dranke al of the spirituall rocke that folowed them / which rocke was Christ And in the Actes of the Apostles this is the stone that was refused of you buylders / and is become the head couer stone / / nether is ther saluacioÌ„ in anye other Loo / here is a true sufficient interpretacion of this rocke For as the Apostel Paul saieth no man can laye another fundacion then that is layde all ready / namely Christ Iesus This much haue I sayd touching the fundacion of the church Now will we come to the keies And I saieth the lorde wil geue the the keies of the kyngdome of heauen The storie now of the gospell declareth / that this auctorite of the keies / was not geuen onely vnto Peter / but vnto all the Apostles alyke And whan he had so spokon saieth the Euangelist brethed he vpon them / and sayde â–ª receaue ye the holy gost Whose synnes ye forgeue / to them are they forgeuen and whose synnes ye reteyne / to them are they reteyned These are other wordes / then the lorde spake afore vnto Peter alone / and yet is it all one meanyng For what this bynding els saue onely reteyning of synnes And what eles is loosyng / saue onely remytting of synnes Wherfore not onely Peter / but al disciples also yea al such as haue the holy goost / haue
substanciall reasons out of the scripture / yet will neuer leaue their vncoÌ„uenieÌ„t and false opynioÌ„ lest thou shuldest thinke I saye that I fauoured any such / I wil declare myne opynion / that not out of myne owne brayne / but such an opynion as is past all dowte / certeyne and sure / yea euen spoken by the holy mouth of Christ him selfe Yf hewill not heare the church saieth Christ than counte him as an heithen and open synner Hath not Christ with these wordes declared / that scuh as are dishobedieÌ„t vnto his church and coÌ„gregacion / ought to be excluded from the felashippe of the good Why lachest thou so hartely / as though it were but a trifle a maÌ„ to be excluded from the felasshippe of sayntes Me thyinkeh thou wotest not well what matter it maketh / whaÌ„ by the auctorite of the keyes / one is separated out of the church Verely I saye vnto you saieth the lorde what soeuer ye bynde vpon erth / shal also be bound in heueÌ„ â—oo / there hast thou no vayne opynion / but an assured iudgeÌ„mt out of the mouth of oure Sauioure himselfe The Apostel Paul coÌ„mauÌ„deth to eschue an heretike / after that he is sufficiently warned And the man which kepte his stepmother / delyuereth he vnto the deuell that the sprete maye be saued at the latterdaye Dyd he therfore condeÌ„ him vnto death / because he wrythet to delyuer him vnto Satan / to the destruction of the flesh That be farre from the ecxellent loue of Paul / that he wolde not rather helpe vp a brother that were fallen / theÌ„ vtterly to cast him a awye The coÌ„clusioÌ„ also of the matter / which folowed therof / declareth it selfe / that he meant not to haue him slayne / but to haue him pourged out as an old leueÌ„ to the intent that he shulde not sowre the whole loÌ„pe of dow / and that at the last he might amende / as he dyd in dede For in the seconde Epistole to the Corinthians he coÌ„maundeth / that for asmuch as the same man came to knowlege and repentaunce / they shulde vith all louynge kyndnesse take him vp agayne / forgeue him his offence / and coÌ„forte him in his heuynes / lest he shulde be swalowed on or fall in despayre thorow ouer much sorowe All which thinges coulde not haue come to pas / yf the man in all the haist had afore bene preuented with death O the right godly pacieÌ„ce and loÌ„g suffringe of oure Sauioure / who as a god shepherde leauynge the nyne nyentie shepe in the wildernisse / seketh it that is lost not to cast it vnto the wolffe to be dedeuoured / but louyngly to bring it agayne in to his shepe folde Now vnderstondest thou / that myne opinion yea the opynion of Christ is confirmed with scriptures / with examples and by Paul him selfe Nether can it helpe the / though thou obiectest vnto me the parable of the gospell / wher in the housholder commaundeth his stewarde to hew downe the vnfrutefâ—ull tre / yf it bringe no more frute For such knowledge of tyme must onely be refered vnto god / as vnto him that onely knoweth the hertes of all men Els had noc Christ forbydden to plucke vp the wedes afore the haruest Yet must I declare vnto the / what bodely hinderaunce must growe and folowe out of this sentence of excomunicacion / to him that is condeÌ„ned ther in lest thou shuldest thinke my mynde were to iudge no forther / but with bare wordes onely to haue him excluded from the coÌ„munyon of the ChristeÌ„ Thou hast hearde the fearfull thonder bolt of oure Sauioure what so euer ye bynde vpon earth / shal also be bound in heauen Thus is he then allready put out of the boke of life / and lyuinge dead Beleue me / it is an heuye punishment I wote not where to fynde a sorer But they that in their hartes are more moued with wordly matters / let them heare this that foloweth All honest vertuous personnes shal eschue him Howbeit such a one as hath so denyed Christ / that he hath also cast from him all sham fastnesse and honesty / might peraduenture not greatly care therfore From all worshipe yf he were in anye and worshipfull offices shal he be deposed All ChristeÌ„ shal abhorre him / and ernestly hate his infidelite / and yet loue his parsone / as it becometh the disciples of Christ to the intent it maye appeare / that such punishment is layed vpon him / not of malyce or euell will / but done all to the intent / that he thorow such temporall correction / might conuerte / and be reserued vnto Christ the lorde for euer Haue I sayde ynough now to thy cruelite with this my declaracion Or is not this sufficieÌ„t Take hede / I aduyse the / that in iudging other men to sore-thou condemne not thy selfe For I trust I will shortly bringe to pas / that it shal be manifest and opeÌ„ vnto euery man / hou that thou thy selfe art euen te same heretike / to whoÌ„ the forsayde punishmeÌ„t by right and reason belongeth Now turne I me agayne vnto you Right prudent iudges hauyng no small confidence in youre syngular worshipe and grauyte / forasmuch as I knowe that ye will geue no sentence / but such as accordeth with equyte / and serueth to the honoure of Christ yea right glad I am to se / that the same lieth now in youre auctorite And because I purpose not to holde you vp long with vayne wordes / I will now come to the matter / which I suppose concerneth not onely him that here stondeth vpon life and death / but euery one of vs also that seke the honoure of Christ I will bring in no new thing / or that hitherto hath not bene heard For in this matter / wher we haue now continually gone aboute more then twentie yeares / what can be spakon that hath not bene offt spoken afore What can be meÌ„cioned / that hath not affore bene preached openly / and as they saye vpoÌ„ the house toppes I suppose it not nedefull to teach you in this matter / but onely to put you in remembraunce and to exhorte you Wherfore I beseche you / ye will but euen paciently heare me / acording as ye haue hitherto done alreadye I perceaue right deare iudges that oure aduersary hat grounded his whole accusacioÌ„ her vpoÌ„ / that he will saye how that this ChristeÌ„ man is fallen froÌ„ the holy Christen church Wherfore I se well / I must first eÌ„deuoure my selfe to declare vnto you the true descriptioÌ„ of the church Which yf it be well knowne vnderstoÌ„de / I perceaue that all the rest maye lightly be discussed / and preadueÌ„ture the sooner brought to an end As touching this we beleue an holy Chatolike or generall churche / which is the feloshhippe of saynctes Here ye se righ deare iudges with how few wordes the true description of the