go aboute to hyndre or let the going forth of your worke prouyde watch men I meane preachers to defende you with the worde of god as the people dyd at the buyldyng agayn of Ierusalem with weapons ii â—â—â— iiii some labouring with one hand hauyng their weapons in the other hand So ye that are labourers in what scyence so euer it be to gete your lyuyng with trouthe accordyng to the wyll of god yf ye can handle your weapon yf ye haue any knowledge in the scriptures then let the lawe of god his holy testament blessed word beyng the sworde that Christ coÌ„maunded his dyscyples to by be alwayes redy at your hande â—â— â—xii whether ye eate or drynke slepe or wake go or ride ye wheÌ„ ye be at your lawfull workes in all places haue it in a redynes to resyst therwith the enemyes of the lordes worke which wolde not haue his holy temple repayred agayne Beholde what an ouerseer mayster of your worke the lorde your god hath chosen apoynted vnto you our most gracious kiÌ„g a true defender of the fayth of Christ his churche agaynst the wrongful violatours therof And for because he wolde not take the name in vayne craftely giueÌ„ to his grace to support maynteyn a church which is agaiÌ„st christ depriuyng prynces from their iust tytle true name He hath takeÌ„ vpon hym as the law of god permytteth to be the supreme heed of the church vnder god which was not only faisly vsurped from his grace his predycessours but also froÌ„ al other kynges prynces Reioyce be mery all ye which haue ben as shepe goyng a stray i. Pet. ii Luce. xv Esa liii But now retourned agayne to your bysshop shepeherde of youre flocke they that be not come let theÌ„ come herken vnto his voyce to theyr voyces whom he hathe sent to call them Let theÌ„ no longer disceyue you which sent you to deed ymages no nor yet to the sayntes to be youre aduocates Our aduocate â—s Ihesus Christe i. Ioh. ii whiche optayneth grace for our synnes and not for our synnes onely but for the synnes of all the world Serche the scriptures and ye shal se howe wrongfully falsly they haue belyed it bothe agaynst god and maÌ„ For where they haue borne kynges prynces in hande that yf the people shulde be suffered to haue it in theyr maternall tonge that it wolde make them heretykes to god disobedient vnto theyr gouernours There is nothyng more true then this is an abhomynable lye a very blasphemy to god and treason to kynges for it is the onely perfyte thyng that teacheth men theyr true obedyence and duety bothe to god to the prynces to ther gouernours 〈◊〉 iii. Saynt Paule wrote vnto Titus sayeng warne the people that they submyt them selues vnto prnyces and to the hyer auctorite to obey the officers to be redy vnto al good workes Ro. xiii And vnto the Romaynes let euery soule submyt hym selfe vnto the hyer powers for there is no power but of god In the same chapter he sayeth gyue to euery man therfore his duety trybute to whome tribute belongeth custome to whom custome is due feare to whom feare belongeth i. Pet. ii honour to whom honour perteyneth Saynt Peter sayeth submyt your selues vnto all maner ordenaunces of men whether it be vnto the kynge as vnto the chyef heed or vnto rulers as vnto them that are sent of hym for the punysshment of euyll doers But for the prayse of theÌ„ that do wel honour al men loue brotherly felowshyp Feare god and honour the kyng And Christ hym selfe sayd vnto the discyples of the pharises mat xxii whiche were sent to tangle hym in his wordes concernynge trybute to be payde vnto the Emperour Gyue vnto Cesar that whiche is Cesars gyue vnto god that whiche is gods Many mo places are ther conteyned in the scryptures to establysshe and confyrme my sayenges to be trewe teachyng the people the trewe loue feare of god and the iust obedience honour of prynces and suche as be in auctoryte But I trust that this shall suffyse at this tyme to be a memoryall vnto you for to beware of those which durst presume so to belye the worde of god and that vnto kynges and rulers of the worlde And in stede of goddes worde to fede al men with fables lyes and false tradycyons For it teacheth them not onely theyr duety to god to the hye powers but also of chyldren vnto theyr parentes Eph. vi seruauÌ„tes vnto their maysters wyues vnto theyr husbandes and how the husbandes agayne shuld loue theyr wyues Ephe. â— educate theyr childreÌ„ prouyde for theyr housholde vse them selues towardes theyr seuauntes and howe euery degre shulde behaue hym selfe one towarde an other Now yf these which haue taken vpoÌ„ them to be preachers in tyme paste bothe to vs and our fathers be not approued to be vntrue mynysters of goddes worde and false lyers therof then beleue not my worke And yf with theyr lyeng and false doctryne they had hurted the body onely the thyng mought more easely be suffered But how can they recompence the iniury done vnto the soule of man whiche coulde neuer haue ben redemed Ephe. i Col. i. Heb. i. but with the precyous bloode of Chryste onely whiche also they haue belyed Who soeuer thynke I wryte truely let them beleue the truthe But for the satysfyeng of their myndes I desyre them to serche the scryptures which I doubte not shal be a wytnesse vnto me that I haue wrytten the trouthe And ye that haue receyued the name of Chryst and are called christiens I testefye vnto you that ye are bounde also to receyue his doctryne whiche is his holy gospell or els ye haue a name in vayne as for the decrees decretales constitucions and tradicions of men and the rules of Benedicke Dominicke Austyn Fraunces or any of them all ye ought to gyue no ferther credence vnto them then they agre with the scripture and perfyte word of god of the which word I requyre and exhorte all men not to be reders herers onely but also folowers therof For yf any man here the worde and do it not he is lyke vnto a man that beholdeth his bodely face in a glasse Iaco. i for as sone as he hath loked on hym selfe he goeth his way forgetteth immediatly what his facyon was But who so loketh in the perfyte law of lybertye contynueth therin yf he be not a forgetfull herer but a doer of the worke the same shall be happy in his dede These are not myne owne wordes but the godly wordes counsell of saynt Iames the apostle of Chryst And for because ye shall not thynke the I haue attempted in this my worke to entyse your hertes from deuocyon to set you at lyberty to do what euyll ye lyst as the sclaunderers of goddes
parte of England to haue watches kept at churches chapels vpon the saintes eueÌ„s And if eating drinking kissyng pipyng syngyng dauÌ„syng be a mete thyng to honour the saynt to be vsed in the temple then is the saynt as wel honoured the church as wel vsed as can be thought or deuysed They haue a terme theris called boustenyng which is to make the blynd to se the dombe to speke the defe to here the halt lame to go True it is that they which neuer saw nor had hering nor felte any thyng at all haue opteyned this grace there but not iÌ„medyatly for it was euer .xl. wekes aft Before the benefite of this bousteniÌ„g toke his ê‘feccyon ye know what I meane if I shuld recyte the abhomynacioÌ„s which I ashame to put iÌ„ writyng or remembrauÌ„ce it wold coÌ„teyne a large volume of it self mat xxi Re. viii Esa v. Ier. vii Christ draue out the byers sellers of the teÌ„ple sayng my house is a hous of prayer which ye haue made a den of theues vpoÌ„ this the church hath beÌ„ coÌ„uerted to a very good vse for vnder a pÌ„tence of prayer aperyng to folow the wyl of christ the prestes haue ê‘mytted his house to be chauÌ„ged froÌ„ a den of theues to a den of rybaldes harlottes And though they wold say that no acte of syn was coÌ„mytted in the church yet true it is that the occasyoÌ„ of syn arose oftymes onely of theyr metyng ther the bargens of vyce was ofteÌ„ made apoynted there the thyng which elswher could not be brought to passe at their comyng to such holy places toke effect there as it ofteÌ„ apered before the yere came about O merciful god that the pictures of his sayntes shuld not only be set vp to cause his people to coÌ„mit ydolatry but for the couetousnes of their offring pence suffred to be a cloke of vice syn ribaudry but what meruayl is it that they haue so abused the pyctures of his sayntes which feare not to abuse the pycture of hym selfe his precyous blood so belyeng it that it may cause any chrysten herte to lament wepe to thynke theron though the thyng haue ben wrytten and preached of al redy yet can it not be to often put in remembraunce to cause both the doers and permytters therof to repent and be ashamed of theyr foly yf ther be any grace in them I omyt many thynges to wryte of because that all meÌ„ can not yet abide to here the truth But I trust the tyme is come that the truthe shal declare it selfe as concernyng the sayntes I wolde men shulde iudge none otherwise of me but that I loue them as well and better then they whiche lycke kysse theyr ymages For I wolde that all honoure that is due vnto them shulde be gyuen them But in no condycyon that any thyng whiche dothe apperteyne vnto Chryst shulde be taken from hym For it doth appere by the great paynes that ye haue takeÌ„ to seke these holy places weryeng of your bodyes speÌ„dyng of your substaunce many leuyng theyr chyldren and housholde at home in penury and by knelynge kyssyng prayeÌ„g before the ymages that ye haue a certayne fayth coÌ„fydence in theÌ„ wherin ye rob god of his due honour and glory but there be a sort of crafty scole maysters whiche haue taught you to saye when any suche thynges is imputed vnto you that it is all for goddes sake that ye do it that ye do it for to please god withall Alas that ye wyl styl be so dysceyued to suppose that ye please hym with that thyng whiche hyghly dothe dysplease hym Why wyll ye not loke in his testament or herkeÌ„ vnto his prechers that ye maye knowe what his godly wyll is rom iii. Ephe. v tess iiii what ye shulde do to please hym And yf ye thynke ye are not bounde to knowe his wyll but to folow your awne wylles fantastycall appetytes the wylles of theÌ„ whiche sought not the glory of God but their awne fylthy lucre aduauÌ„tage Then doth the lawe of god nothyng at all aperteyne vnto you It is to be thought that ye haue a certayne zele vnto Christ but it is not accordyng to truthe Wherfore beware that zele wyll disceyue you for as it shal be no good ple for a man that hath commytted felony murdre or otherwyse transgressed the kynges lawes to say that he knew them not No more it shall be for you that offende the lawes and wyll of God to make suche a lyke answere specyally to theÌ„ whiche maye knowe it yf they lyst There be certeyne persones whiche say it is better not to know the lawes of God then to knowe them and folowe them not In dede to some men I thynke it is better but not vnto all men It is better to oure Fathers whiche coulde not be suffered to knowe it then vnto suche as at the tyme attayned the knowledge therof and folowed it not Luce. xii For Christ sayth to whom moche is gyuen there is moche to be requyred of hym But nowe at this tyme the gospell wyll of god is offered vnto all men It is preached taught vnto them who so euer do refuse to receyue and here it There is as moch or more to be layd vnto his charge theÌ„ vnto theÌ„ which knoweth it and foloweth it not there is no excuse to be made in this matter why do they refuse it but because they wolde not folowe it And there be some that haue an other reason Beholde say they these newe gospellers how vnthryftely many of them lyue who are more couetous then they be where regneth enuy rancour malyce more then in their hertes They speke of loue concorde and charyte yet no men showe lesse charyte nor lesse loue theÌ„ they do they be proude they be lecherus al iÌ„ vices as euyl or wors theÌ„ they which haue not the gospell Truely I say euery man is bound to know it folowe the same to the vtterest of his power and they that be suche as ye haue herde reported of reken them to be sclaunderers of the worde of god in theyr dedes as other men are in wordes that speke euyll of it Luce. xii Iac. iiii And theyr knoweledge shal be euyll vnto them For the seruaunte that knewe his lordes wyll and dyd it not shal be beaten with many strypes Let not the noughty conuersacyon of the euyl plucke backe your hertes from the knoweledge of gods word for it is not the scrypture that maketh them euyll Psal xxxvi But it byddethe them to abstayne frome euyll and do good and suche as be euyl knowyng goddes worde withoute fayle wolde be wars yf they knewe it not But throughe theyr noughty lyuyng they cause the worde of god to be euyll spoken of so that they offende not onelye them selues but are an occasyon to other men to offende
gyuen vnto the syke and poore people A lorde that thy people shuld so be â—â—â—dyd that theyr offerynge vnto dee Images shuld be amayntenauÌ„ce vnto quicke and detestable harlottes This is the goodnesse that comyth of youre pope holynesse This is the profyte that commythe of youre payne and pope holye pylgrymage whordome aduoutry is maynteyned through your Idolatrye I thynke there is no faythful chrysteÌ„ hert to whoÌ„ god hath gyuen a mouth to speake other a hand to wryte the can suffre this in iury against his lord god his people to be vnrebuked Wherfore saye not that I rayle For I suppose it is my parte and all chrysten mennes partes not onlye to speake and wryte agaynst it but hertelye to praye god to put in the rulers myndes to reforme and route vp the occacyon of suche myscheue The lorde god be praysed the thyng is alredy gracyouslye begon whiche I hope shall haue lyke successe endynge Wherfor loke vp ye that haue profest to be Christ Let bales prophetes no longer dysceaue you I mean these wicked scole maysters whiche throughe couetousnesse made you to beleue that youre pylgrymage goynge and offrynge vnto Images was pleasyng and acceptable vnto god Where in verye dede it was playne Idolatrye and a mere madnes to speke vnto it that hathe no soule and to make Sapien xiiii petycyoÌ„ vnto it for helth or lyfe that is deed to pray vnto it for helpe that is not able to helpe it selfe and for a good Iournye to hym that can not go And when a man is on the ragynge see or purposeth to sayle ouer it to call for helpe vnto a stocke that is far weaker then the tre that beryth him Sapien xiiii gene vi God causyd an arke to be made and therfore do men commy theyr lyues to a smale pece of woode and are sauyd Deu. iiii Deu. v. But god commauÌ„ded as ye haue rede before and as ye shall rede folowynge that Images shuld not be made What meruayle is it then that the people often perysshe whiche put more confydence in the thynge that the lord hath forbyden then in the worke whiche the Lorde deuised and caused to be made ye I maye saye and lye not then in the lorde hym selfe as it often aperythe when through the mercye and onlye goodnesse of god dyuers haue escaped the daungers perryles and ragynge tempest of the see Go bare fotyd bare legged and in theyr shyrtes with caÌ„dels and tapers to sondry Images whiche me thynke is a pytyfull syght amonges chrysten people hauyng one god the lord and creatour of all thynges whom all creatures ought to honour and obey put their truste and confydence in seke theyr helth and comforte at Deu. vi Bar. v. and that onely ought to be seruyd and worshypped It is not moch to be meruayled at and yf ther be many yet that murmour at the puttyng downe of ydolatrye specyally in them that are not learned in goddes worde For it is harde sodenly to roote out superstycyous holynesse from the vnlearnyd peoples myndes many of the prestes are very lothe to lese theyr offerynge pence For dyuers thynges can not be so wel mayntayned nowe as they were before It was no lytle suÌ„mes of money that came yerelye to the prestes haÌ„des for offriÌ„ges iÌ„ EnglaÌ„d To my Iudgement yf it had bene equally deuyded it wolde haue suffysed to haue found al the poore and nedye beggers within thys realme But yf I were a begger my selfe truly I wolde be very lothe to be fouÌ„de and kepte with that money offeryd vnto Idols I had rather begge my brede in froffe and snowe then to be kepte in a warme hospytall with it Parauenture it wyl be obiected vnto me yâ— our ymages ought not to be called ydols And that the scrypture meaneth it not of them but of suche as were in the olde tyme amonges the gentyls and hethen people what and yf I name them not Idols as theirs were called but affyrme them to be Images and pyctures of sayntes Whiche is the best name that can be gyuen them yet yf ye knele and praye vnto them I saye playnly that you coÌ„myt ydolatry chuse whether ye wyll call them Idols or not For what soeuer it be the robbeth christ from his due honour glory I count it to be an ydol though it be an ymage of the best saynt that is in heuen Saynt Paule sayth that no fornycatour â— Cor. v. Ephe. vi or vnclene persone or couetous persone whiche is a worshypper of ydols hath inherytaunce in the kyngdom of Christ And in an other place he saythe howe agreeth the temple of god with ydols ye are the temple of the lyuyng god ii cor vi as sayth god These are the admonicions of saynt Paule written in his epistles also in dyuers other places coÌ„struct theÌ„ as ye lyst chuse whether ye wyll apply them to olde ydols eyther to newe ymages And yf ther were no ymages in saynt Paules tyme then muste ye nedes graunt me that they were made syns And theÌ„ I pray you what place haue you in scrypture that wyll stande with you for the veneracyon and settyng vp of them Remembre this sayeng of Moyses vnto the chyldren of Israell deu iiii kepe wel your soules for ye saw no maner of ymage in the day when the lord spake vnto you out of the fyre vpon mount Horeb that ye dystroy not your selues and make you any ymage that is lyke a man or woman or beast vpon the erthe Deu. v. or fethered foule vnder the heuen or worme vpon the ground or fysshe in the water vnder the erthe c. Now truely this coÌ„mauÌ„dement doth nothyng aperteyn vnto you onles ye take the god of AbrahaÌ„ Isaac Iacob Moyses the prophetes and of the chyldren of Israel to be your god yf you saye and beleue that he is your god then do his preceptes belonge vnto you and not to you onely but vnto all that beleue in hym rom iii. for he is not a god vnto the Iues onely but to the gentyls also ¶ O what pyte was it when that poyson was fyrst shed in to the churche of Chryst when that papystycall honour was vsurped of the bysshop of Rome to be aboue Emperoures kynges and prynces And when he fell from pouertye vnto pryde falsly peruertynge the scryptures sayenge that he mought bynde and lose at his pleasure For then the ydolatry whiche Peter Paule and all the apostles had wyped away with preachynge of the worde of God began to renewe agayne 〈◊〉 xvi Peters keyes wer chaunged he began to playe checke mate with his mayster and set vp lawes and coÌ„stitucyons of his awne makynge He graunted large indulgences for vysytynge saynt Peters see at Rome and then other perceyuynge the profyte thereof opteyned pardons for vysytyng of syndry and dyuers other places Then vp rose ydols what ymages I shulde saye and Christ was deuyded For where as