realme of Englande I haue also proued by the Scriptures by examples and by other infallible argumentes that wée haue the true religion and how that God therefore hath and doth prosper and blesse vs I haue proued also that the Popes whom you so much loue and leane to haue béene moste wicked Murtherers Coniurers Aduouterers Heretikes Blasphemers Idolators Sacrificers to Diuels and Derogators of Christs benefites hys death and passion and that they are the enimies of God the children of the Diuel yea and the verye Antichrist Therefore I beséeche you procure not to youre selues the cursses of God for the blessings of that wicked Antichriste enforce not youre moste mercifull Princes displeasure that doth defend you for that wicked Popes good will that will destroye you and séeke not youre Countries confusion that doeth nourishe you to haue youre Popishe religion that wil bring Gods plagues and cursses vppon you Perhappes some of you maye saye thoughe the Pope be wicked euil and thoughe he be proued to be Antichrist yet this religion that you and your fore-elders haue hadde vsed is not therefore euil nor to be despised to whome I answere if the trée be euil the fruite cannot be good can the Diuel sette forth a godly religion no it is agaynste his nature then can the Pope which is of the Diuell and the very Antichriste sette forth the pure worde of God no it is impossible for as the euil fruit doth shew the trée to be euil so the detestable doings wicked religiō of the Pope shewe him to be wicked and of the Diuell therefore make the trée good and the fruite good or the trée euill and the fruite euill But bycause I wil leaue nothing vndone that may allure you not onely from the Pope but also from his pestiferous religion I will God willing prooue the chiefest pointes of Papistrie that you stand vppon both by Scripture auncient Doctors and by naturall reason to be false most wicked and abhominable And bycause one parte of the Popes religion whiche is worshipping of Images is mentioned before among the cursses of God and therefore abhominable vnto the Lorde and directly against the second commaundement therefore I will firste beginne with it not doubting but that many of you doe not so much regarde and estéeme the worshipping or hauing of Images though some of you are déepely and superstitiously giuen thereto And first let vs heare what God said to Moses therein and in his lawe Thou shalt not saith God make to thy selfe any grauen Image of any likenesse that is in Heauen aboue nor in the Earth beneath or in the water vnder the earth thou shalt not bowe downe to them nor worshippe them This is the very commaundement of God that he gaue to Moses and enioyned the children of Israel in anye wise not to breake for if they did he promised to send vpon them his plagues and greate cursses before at large declared which diuers times he performed when they after did breake the same worshipped Images straunge Gods as I haue manifestly proued before by diuers examples Nowe bicause your Papistrie permitteth Images and your papistical Churches are al ful of Images and Idols and bicause you bowe downe vnto them knéele vnto them go on pilgrimage vnto them and pray vnto them therfore your religion is cleane contrarie to this lawe of God written in the first Table of Moses and therefore moste wicked and abhominable which deserues procures Gods great plagues cursses and vengeance And the yongest chylde that is if hée haue eyther read aught or learned aught knowes that to estéeme reuerence or worship Images is euill and wicked and against the commandement of God so that your religion of Papistrie in this poynt muste néedes be euill wicked and abhominable as is aforesayd and the Pope and his Prelates doo not onely suffer and permit them in Churches but also maintaine them defende them and make lawes that they shall be adored and worshipped as vtter enimies to God striuing with all their power to set vp Images whiche God directly dooth forbid And that this may more plainely appeare Pope Gregory the second did not onely withstand the Emperours Deputie by force of Armes which he neuer learned of Christ nor yet of his Apostles in taking downe and suppressing Images out of Churches but also wrote into all partes that neither for feare nor entreatie they shoulde obey the Emperours commaundement in taking away of Images and pictures of Saintes out of Churches for auoyding of Idolatrie but would haue Images erected set vp worshipped contrary to the holy worde of God Also the Pope and his Bishops in Nicene Counsell agréed with one consent contrarie to the counsell of God that Images in Churches are not onely to be allowed but also deuoutly and reuerently to be honored and that with the same honour that is due to God him selfe O Cerberus whelpes Sathans broode and destroyers of mens soules are they Christes Uicars can not they erre that make such lawes and decrées in their Deuilishe counsels that a péece of crooked rotten wood or a stone wrought and framed by earthly wretches is to be deuoutly honored euen with that honour that is due to God himselfe how can you that take God for your Father and Christ for your Sauiour abide either the Pope or his detestable religion any longer Also one of them saith I receyue and worship the reuerend Images and this will I teach whyle I liue An other sayth I doe perfectly adore the holy Images and I accursse all them that holde the contrarie yea but I beléeue your cursses come to late What if God haue curssed you before that worshippe Images how will you doe then I thinke his cursse will stand for a cursse before yours if you can either out cursse God or vndo his cursses make your owne curses to stande or to be of force then I will saye you haue good lucke Marke what a godly decrée was allowed in the Gréekes Counsel touching the worshipping of Images which is as expresly against the lawe of God as is possible to be And thus it is He that feareth God adoreth or worshippeth an Image as he would adore the sonne of God he that adoreth or worshippeth an Image and saieth this is Christ offendeth not he offendeth that adoreth or worshippeth not an Image he that adoreth not an Image is an Heretike wée muste adore or worshippe an Image wyth the same reuerence wherewith we adore or worshippe the holy Trinitie What varlets are these what vile wretches are these that make such contrarie decrées to Gods lawe would you haue thought it vnlesse you had read it nay will you beléeue it for that you doe heare it God sayeth Thou shalt not bowe downe to Images nor worship them The Pope sayeth he that feareth God worshippeth an Image as hée woulde worshippe the sonne of God The children of Israel worshypped a golden Calfe and
sayde This is the God that brought vs out of the land of Aegypt wherewith God was highly displeased and plagued them sore for it The Pope sayeth whosoeuer worshippeth an Image and saith this is Christe offendeth not And also God curseth all them that doe worshippe Images The Pope calles them Heretikes that do not worship Images Mardocheus said I feared least I shoulde turne the glorie of my God to a man but the Pope doth make a lawe that wée shoulde turne the honor and worship of God to a blocke or a stone Mardocheus said that he feared to worship any man saue God but the Popes lawe is that we must worshippe a deade Image with the same reuerence wherewith we worship the holye Trinitie The Angell of God would not suffer Saint Iohn to worship him but y e Pope will haue vs fall downe worship dead stockes stones But if it be not lawfull to worship an Angell then surely it must néedes be vnlawfull to worship blockes and stones Thus you that haue eyes may sée that as falshood is contrarie to the trueth so the Popes lawe is cleane contrarie to Gods lawe therefore as Gods lawe is most holye and godly so the Popes lawe muste néedes bée most wicked and diuelish Doe you thinke that these holy Fathers that were gathered togither in this Councell and set out this detestable decrée had the holye Ghost Wel thoughe they hadde not the spirite of God yet they were inspired with the spirite of the Diuel but we must not beléeue for all this but that the Popes haue the holy ghost and spirit of God to direct their doings in all their counsels whereby they cannot 〈◊〉 as it appeareth by the decrée of this Greeke Counsel and of the other Nicene Counsell And therfore at the beginning of all their holy Counselles they haue first of all a Masse of the holy Ghost after which beyng once sayd or sung they can not erre or go wrong And that you may the better perceyue howe readye the holy Ghost is to come among these holy harlots Prelates I shoulde saye at these their holy Counselles Marke wel this that followeth On a tyme in one of their late Counselles in Rome as they were singing and roaring oute of Veni creator Spiritus that is Come holy Ghost c. by and by at their becke and calling a poore olde Owle amazed with the noise thinking belike she was y e holy ghost they called so earnestly for leapte out of the hole where she sat and came downe in the middes of them and sat amongest them Thus you may perceiue there is a gret differēce betwéen the spirite of God and the Popes holy Ghost For God the holy Ghost descēded and appéered to Christ in the likenesse of a fayre white Doue but the Popes holye Ghost did descend and appéere to the Pope to his holy Cardinals Coūsel in the shape of a foule euil fauored Owle Wherby you may learne how holy their lawes and decrées are by their holy Ghost that came down among them to inspire and instruct them for such holy Ghost such holy lawes No doubt God had their counsels in derision and discouered their hypocrisie and their diuelishe doings that the worlde might vnderstande and perceiue in what spirite they did assemble and gather togither Marke also what holy men your Popes Doctors are and how learnedly and truely they write on their God y e Popes behalfe Hosius saith God will neuer haue thée consyder whether the Pope bée a Iudas a Peter or a Paule it is sufficient onely that he sitteth in Peters Chaire that he is an Apostle that he is Christes Embassadour that he is the Angel of the Lorde of hostes from whose mouth thou art commanded to require the Law This thing only Christ would haue thée to consider but you tell vs not in what place of the Gospell wée shall finde it be he Iudas forasmuche as he is an Apostle let it not mooue thée thoughe he bée a théefe Is not here good stuffe trow you there is very hard choice of Embassadours when Christe is constrayned to choose or haue a théefe for his Embassadour If a true man shoulde goe to a théefe to enquire the law or aske Counsell doe you not thinke that he will giue hym good Counsell or tell him the lawe rightly it is more lyke that he woulde take hys pursse from hym or cutte hys throate These holye Fathers are verye harde driuen when their Doctours aforehand are constrayned to excuse their Popes if they chaunce to bée Théeues they thinking belike that Théeues shal sitte in that chaire but it is no great matter for though they bée Théeues when they come to sitte in the Chaire yet they are true men and must néeds be most holy and Godly assoone as they be sette in it such as maruellous vertue hath the Popes chaire For if the Pope hath little or no goodnesse at all of hys owne as some of them had but very little as before it appeares yet for al that he can want neyther goodnesse nor holynesse for Saint Peter hath made the Pope heire of his goodnesse This glose vpon the Popes distinction was wel remembred for if Saint Peter had not made the Popes heires of his goodnesse and left it in hys Chayre behinde him some Popes then perhaps mighte haue wanted bothe godlynesse goodnesse and honestie And so the cheiefest holynesse that the Pope hathe is oute of hys Chayre for Cardinall Cusanus saith Veritas cathedrae adhaeret The truth cleaueth fast to the Popes Chayre c. yea for if it had not bene verye faste nayled vnto it it hadde bin quite gone ere this Christ hath fastned or nayled his truth to the Popes Chaire and not to his person for he saith the Scribes and Pharisies are placed in Moyses Chayre If this be true that the Trueth is so fastened to the Chayre I feare then that some haue stolne that true Chayre awaye and haue set a chaire of falshood in the place of it for surelye all the Popes haue had such lucke that haue of a long time sitten in that Chayre at Rome that they haue told nothyng but lyes woulde not that Chaire that was so ful of knowledge and truth make any desirous to steale it and carry it awaye for if the Pope were neuer so false by and by as soone as he got himselfe into that Chaire he could not erre For then he coulde saye nothing but trueth But as soone as the Pope was gone out of that holy chaire he left al the truth behinde him in the Chaire and carried none awaye with him If the Pope were neuer so vnlearned and could not construe hys owne name by and by as soone as he did once sit in that chayre hée was the greatest Doctor in both lawes that was in the world all knowledge was then crept into the Popes bosome or breast oh if eyther the studentes of Gods law or
it hath not yet it had néede to haue a very strong commission to tie the trueth so harde to it that it shoulde neuer departe thence Hierusalem was once a holy Cittie and the Temple of God was placed in the same wherein hée appeared and shewed his Maiestie and reuealed his will in which Temple King Salomon that buylded it thought the Lord would dwell there for euer and that there should be his house and his Churche yet now God hath lefte both that Cittie of Hierusalem and the Temple suffred them to be destroyed and ouerthrowen now if God hath departed from and left Hierusalem and the holy Temple which he himselfe appointed to be buylded to be his house for himselfe and wherein he appeared and reuealed his will and pleasure then there can be no great warrantie made but that he and the truth may departe from and forsake the Cittie and Churche of Rome which he neuer called his Cittie neyther appointed any Temple or Churche there to be buylded for him to dwell in neyther euer appeared there and reuealed his will to his Prophetes and seruants as he did in the Temple of Hierusalem which Cittie of Rome was first buylded with murther continued with murther and maintayned with murther where in is the Churche of couetousnes the pallace of pryde the Castell of crueltie the boothes of brothelrie the Innes of Idolatrie the mansion of mischiefe the houses of Harlotrie and the dungeon of all Diuelishnesse and iniquitie Therefore it is verie harde to warrant that the truthe shall neuer departe from this your Churche of Rome vnlesse you meane that the trueth can not departe from thence bycause it is not there or neuer wil be there By this vndoubted assertion it should séeme that you haue bound Christe in some great bond or statute Marchant that he beyng the trueth shall not departe from the Pope but it were more méete that the Pope were bounde not to departe from Christe Therefore seing the truth hath departed from Hierusalem and the Temple there which was the Cittie and Temple of God where he was content to appeare and reueale his will to his people Then the truth may well departe from Rome if it were there which God neuer chosed for his Cittie neyther euer appeared there in any Temple nor appointed any house there to be buylded for him as he did in Hierusalem Yet we may boldly affirme that the truth was once in Rome and the Gospell of Christe was there embrased and then there was the Churche of God but now of a long time it hath not had the truth as before it appeares but is the enimie to the truth and forsakes and driues from them the trueth that is the Gospell Therefore Rome is not nowe the Churche of God but the Synagoge of Sathan Yet Doctor Harding did write that the Churche that nowe is meaning the Churche of Rome and the Churche that was in the olde time is one Churche as the man in his olde age is the same he was in his youth I graunt herein that Maister Harding saies true but though hée be the same man yet the same man may be an honest man in his youth and a false harlot in his age Euen so your Churche of Rome when shée was yong she was godly honest and was a true spouse to Christe hir husbande but now your Churche of Rome in hir olde age is become wicked dishonest and false to Christe hir husbande and is a verie vnshamefast whore and an aduoutresse and goeth a whooring worshippes Images and committes Idolatrie And as the learned Maister Iewell late Bishop of Salisburie saith thus vpon the same Euen so is the Moone being full and the same Moone Eclipsed is one Moone Euen so a man well aduised and the same man starke madde is one man Euen so the house of God and a caue of theeues is one house And the same Master Harding was so farre in loue with the Church of Rome that he thought it to be so holie true that all other Churches ought to receyue their truth and light from it and would not haue it dayed or Iudged by the Scriptures or by any other thing but that all other Churches ought rather be daied iudged by the church of Rome thought she was too old ancient to be controlled in these daies either of God Christ or of the Scriptures And therfore he saith thus as followeth Our doctrine meaning the doctrine of the Pope and of the Churche of Rome hath had too high a teacher to be tried by mē now it hath bene approued too lōg to be put in daying in these daies at the latter end of the world Thus much saieth he of the Churche of Rome thinking she is too true honest and auncient to come to triall or to be put to daying But I say he that refuseth triall of his matter doubtes belike that it is not very good he that standes so much vpon his honestie and will refuse to be tried by his neighbors may be thought to be scant an honest man so the Church of Rome refusing to be tried by the Scriptures and by the worde of God which is as honest as true and as auncient as she is I am sure doubtes the truth of hir cause and suspects hir owne honestie The Iewes doctrine was once the doctrine of God and the auncientest truest of al other they the people of God it was long before y e Gospel which is y e doctrine of Christ yea and before the Popes holie religion or the Romish doctrine yet for all that the Iewes now are not the people seruantes nor the true Churche of God Who might now say thus aswell as the Popes proctors a great deale better Our law hath bene approued too long to be put in daying in these daies at the latter end of the worlde I trust you would not thinke y e saying were sufficient to ouerthrowe your Churche of Rome although it might well inough It is not the auncientnesse but the truth of the doctrine that ought to be allowed or accepted Caine the first wicked murtherer that murthered his brother Abel was elder than Abel Yet murther for all the auncientnesse and long continuance therof may be put to daying wel enough and that by Gods lawe which Abel profest though he were the yonger brother The Heathen may say by as good reason our worshipping of Idolles beyng long before the religion of the Christians hath bene approued and vsed too long by our auncestors to be put in daying in these dayes in the latter end of the worlde The Diuell was before the worlde began and fell from Heauen for his pryde a great while before God did sette foorth his lawe eyther by Moses or else by Christe Yet I trowe that pryde is not therefore to be allowed to be good The Diuell might likewise say my law of pryde began so long agoe yea before the worlde
dayly increased for kill they neuer so many yet let them tell them they shall finde them mo in number And so doth no other religioÌ„ in the world but it therfore there is no better marke wherby to know the true religion the church of Christ than by persecution by increasing thereby And hereto Tertullian agréeth who saith Crudelitas vestra nostra gloria est Your crueltie is our glorie your earnest crueltie is an entisement and a prouocation to this sect as often as ye recken vs ye find vs mo mo the seede is Christian bloud Thus it appeare that the Gospell of Christ growe and spring by being troubled persecuted so as I said doth no other religioÌ„ But the Popes doctrine would decrease if they should not trouble and persecute When the Emperour Adrian had yéelded to graunt one church within the cittie of Rome certaine of his priuie CouÌ„sel aduised him in any wise not to do so for that they said if the ChristiaÌ„s might haue but one church within the Citie the whole people would al become Christians and thereby their idols churches should be forsaken EueÌ„ so if y e Princes that holde on the Pope his religion would cease froÌ„ their killing murthering burning tormeÌ„ting of the professors of the gospel suffer them quietly to teach preach the gospel that would to haue the Bible the coÌ„mmunion in the Churches surely the Bible would driue away al y e images the CoÌ„munioÌ„ would quite ouerthrow their Masses y e truth of Gods word would vtterly confound abolish the Pope al his false doctrine Which the Pope knowes wel inough therfore he kéepeth the Kings Rulers not only in errour blindnesse but also persuadeth theÌ„ to be persecutors of theÌ„ that professe the Gospel And as Christ is mercifull so the Pope is cruell not to the wicked but to the godly for the Pope kil them that professe the Gospell whom God would haue preserued and not killed but harlots fornicators aduouterers Sodomites and incestuous persons which God appointeth to be executed stoned to death he preserueth maketh much of maintaine Christ saued a woman from being stoned to death y e had deserued to die by the law but the Pope cleane contrarie burneth kilteh murther them that ought to liue both by Gods lawe and mans lawe If Peter were Pope of Rome as some of you beléeue then marke how his doings did differ from the Popes practises for Peter did giue sentence of death against Ananias Saphira his wife the children of the Diuell so were suddenly stroken to death by the powre of God for lying but the Pope his Prelates pronounce sentence of death agaynst the children of God and burne them for speaking of truth And thus the persecuting Pope will néedes be contrarie to Christe do and say what we can Therefore if Christ be good as he is then the Pope is euill as he is for that they be so contrarie for Christe was méeke and mercifull the Pope is proude a tyrant Christe was poore y e Pope is rich Christ was in subiectioÌ„ to Emperours Kings y e Pope maketh the Emperours Kings his subiects seruants the Iewes did offer to make Christ a King but he refused it the Pope maketh himselfe a King of Kings and no man doth offer it Christ was the Author of peace the Pope is the author of wars Christ forbad sinne the Pope doth licence to sin Christ preached the Gospel the Pope suppresseth y e gospel Christ was persecuted killed the Pope doth persecute kill Therfore as Christ is the sonne of God so is y e Pope the child of the Diuel vnlesse he turne frame himself to the fashioÌ„ of Christ otherwise theÌ„ he doth This I hope is sufficieÌ„t for you to know of whose church they are y e do murther persecute eueÌ„ of the church of the Diuell for he was a murtherer from the beginning for as I saide murthering persecuting are badges of the Diuels church but let y e Pope be assured y t God is not only angrie with him for this his cruel murthering and persecuting but also wil pluck downe his pride at leÌ„gth for if God were angrie with king Saule put him from his kingdome bicause he killed not Gods enimie king Agag according to his coÌ„mandement then you néede not doubt but y e God is angrie with the Pope will put him out of his Popedome that killeth his friends contrarie to his commaundement And though the Pope call them Heretikes burne them bicause they will not woorship images and idols and obey his Diuelish lawe yet they are the children of God and though he burne their bodies he can not hurt their Soules But if they be Heretikes that put away idolatrie whiche God doth commaunde them then what is the Pope and his Prelates that doe sette vp Images and committe idolatrie whiche God doth forbid but though the Pope call them Heretikes that hée persecutes for professing of the Gospell and sayth they be damned yet Christe is of a contrarie opinion for he sayth Blessed are they that suffer persecution for righteousnesse sake for theires is the kingdome of Heeauen Nowe if the kingdome of Heauen be theirs that are persecuted for righteousnesse then they that the Pope persecutes for testifying the Gospell which is trueth and righteousnesse are sure to haue the kingdome of Heauen though the Pope tell vs they are damned And if the kingdome of Heauen be theirs that the Pope persecutes then surely the kingdome of Hell is the Popes that thus doth persecute them So that by Christes owne wordes the Pope though he say hée can saue whom he will and can gyue the kingdome of Heauen to whome he liâ—te is so nie dryuen that he himselfe is like to dwell in the kingdome of Hell And no maruell for he hath bene so lyberall in gyuing to so many the kingdome of Heauen that thereby he hath quite dispossest him selfe of Heauen and therfore he is very lyke to dwell in Hell Wherfore if you woulde auoyde Hell haue no desire to burne your bretherne nor to persecute the professours of the Gospell for thereby you prouoke Gods wrath and also increase his kingdome and get the Diuels fauour decaye the Popes kingdome There is no striuing against God it can be no good bulwarke that is builded with bloud Suffer the house of God by the preaching of the Gospel to be builded for what soeuer you pluck downe in y e night he will builde it more to againe in the day and God will ouerthrow in the daie whatsoeuer you builde in the night For when the wicked Emperour Iulian in dispite of Christ had giuen the Iewes leaue to build repaire their Temple the Princes power assisting them no power séemed able to withstand their purpose Then God himselfe from