this therefore from henceforth thou shalt haue warres Thus we may sée that King Asas peace and quietnesse was turned into warres and trouble bicause he slidde from the Lorde and hearkned not to his voyce euen so if your Idolatrous Masse shoulde be planted and vsed here as you desire then our prosperitie and peace would be turned into aduersitie and warres And then King Asa to mend the matter withall did imprison the Prophet for telling him so and did not repent and turne to the Lorde as King Dauid did when the Prophet Nathan reproued him which encreased the Lordes displeasure the more against him Here it is manifest as before and as it is throughe the whole Scriptures that God doth blesse his people with victorie quietnesse and peace so long as they stay vpon him and obey his worde and no longer Marke how God did blesse that good and vertuous King Iehosaphat the sonne of King Asa with victories peace and great riches bycause he walked rightly in the sight of God and abolished Idolatry which godly vertuous King in the third yéere of his raigne sent his Princes and Rulers and learned men with them to set forth Gods lawe and to teach it in the Cities of Iudah And they did teache it in Iudah and had the Booke of the lawe of the Lord with them and went about throughout al the cities of Iudah his kingdome and taught the people And the feare of the Lorde fell vpon all the kingdomes of the landes that were rounde about Iudah And they fought not against Iehosaphat Nowe weigh the comparison and consider the like or more Hath not the Lorde likewyse blessed our gratious Quéene Elizabeth with an vnfoughten victorie without any bloudshed against hir rebellious subiects the Papists and hath not he besides blessed hir with such a plenty quietnesse and peace al the rest of hir raigne as before was neuer séene in England bicause she hath hearkned to the voice of y e Lord as Iehoshaphat did who staid not vntill the third yéere of hir raigne but in the first yéere and in the beginning therof abolished Idolatrie and did set forth the worde of God the holy Bible in the Englishe tongue throughout all England not onely in Cities but also in all townes villages and other places and commaunded and gaue commission to all hir Bishops Doctours Preachers Curates and Ministers to preache teache and vse the same purelye and rightly and all other hir Magistrates to defende it And accordingly al the time of hir worthy raigne it hath béene and is dayly preached and taught throughout all England And as the feare of the Lord fell vpon al the kingdomes of the landes that were round about Iudah and they fought not against King Iehoshaphat euen so the Lorde our God hath feared all the Countries and Kingdomes round about Englande and therefore they haue not fought against our Quéene Elizabeth Thus you cannot choose but graūt that if Iehoshaphat was blessed and prospered of God then our Quéene Elizabeth is blessed and prospered of God if Iehoshaphat was a good King and did please God then our Elizabeth is a good Quéene and pleaseth God and if that were Idolatrie that Iehoshaphat did abolish out of Iudah then papistrie was Idolatrous that our Quéene hath abolished out of England and if that were y e law of God that Iehoshaphat proclaymed published and caused to be taught throughout Iudah then this is the very lawe and word of God that our Quéene Elizabeth hath set forth throughout al hir Realme of Englande If this and all the rest that I haue written can not persuade you that this our religion is the verye true religion and that God doth both like and allowe it then I thinke you are determined not to be persuaded But yet to winne you if it wil be marke what followed of wicked Iehoram thoughe he was the sonne of godlye King Iehoshaphat This king Iehoram when he was placed in the kingdome of Iudah after his father slew and killed his brethren and y e princes of Israel he walked not according as Iehoshaphat his father did but wrought euil in gods sight And he caused the inhabitaunts of Ierusalem to commit spiritual fornication that is Idolatry and compelled his people of Iudah thereto whervpon the Prophet Eliah spake to him by writing saying Thus sayth the Lord God of Dauid thy father bycause thou haste not walked in the wayes of Iehoshaphat thy father nor in the ways of Asa king of Iudah but haste walked in the wayes of the Kings of Israel and haste made Iudah and the inhabitaunts of Ierusalem to go a whoring as the house of Ahab wente a whoring and haste also slaine thy brethren of thy fathers house which were better than thou Beholde with a great plague wil the Lord smite thy people and thy children and thy wyues and all thy substaunce And thou shalt be in great diseases in the disease of thy bowels vntil thy bowels fall out for the disease daye by day Then the Lord stirred vp against Iehoram the Philistines and the Arabians and they came vp into Iudah and brake into it and carryed away al the substance that was in the Kings house and his sons also and his wiues so that there was not a son left him saue Iehoahaz the yōgest of his sons And after al this the Lord smote him in his bowels with an vncurable disease and in processe of time euen after the end of two yeares his guts fel out with his disease so he died of sore diseases c. And againe you may sée vnlesse you do wilfully winke that the abolishing of Idolatrie setting forth of the lawe of God was the cause that God did blesse and prosper good King Iehoshaphat and contrary the committing of Idolatrie and the compelling of the people of Iudah to sin therein and the forsaking of the law of God was the cause that God did thus plague and punish wicked Iehoram his son with wars with the taking awaye of his sons and wiues and spoyling his house and with y e falling out of his guts wherof he dyed Here you may easily perceiue that God spared not wicked Iehoram though he were the sonne of godlye Kyng Iehoshaphat whom God loued so wel for it is not the person or place but the truth and the godlinesse of the person whatsoeuer he be and whersoeuer he be that God doeth respect Therfore as God doeth nowe blesse vs and thys realme with prosperitie quietnesse plentie and peace aboue all other kingdomes that are rounde aboute vs as he did Iehoshaphat for abolishing Idolatrous Papistrie for setting forth obeying and preaching his holy worde Euen so assure your selues and loke for none other but that God wil cursse vs and plague this Realm of England with troubles warres with comming in of straungers spoyling of vs and our goods with the losse of wiues and childrē and with vncurable diseases or such like as he did Iehoram and
sayth Whatsoeuer the Church teacheth mening y e Pope and the Church of Rome That same is the expresse word of God and whatsoeuer is taught against the meaning consent of the Churche is the expresse worde of the Diuel So that if this be true that he sayeth then the Romish religion which the Papists teach is Gods word and the Gospell which we teache is the worde of the Diuel What a blasphemous wretch is this to cal gods word the worde of the Diuel Hosius and other that saye so and take it so at the dreadfull terrible day of iudgement when neither proude Pope presumptuous Prelates blasphemous Byshops nor péeuish Priests nor Papists shal beare any such sway as they do now and haue done shal then know whether that which we now Preach and teach is the word of the Diuel or not I beséech God that al suche may repente before for then to repent it wil be too late Siluester Prierias sayth Whosoeuer leneth not to the doctrin of the Church of the Bishop of Rome as vnto the infallible rule of God of which doctrine the holye Scripture taketh force and authoritie he is an Heretike Let Prierias and a thousand of the Popes Doctors besids saye so for as long as Christ sayeth not so we care not if Prierias saye true then Christe and his Apostles were Heretikes and manye other for in Christs time there was no Pope of Rome for as loÌ„g as Christ himself was aliue he néeded no vicar And was y e scripturs then w tout authoritie and of no force bycause the church of Rome was vnplanted and bycause there was no Pope it was happy there came a Pope after or else the Scriptures had bin of no force nor had any aucthoritie it was maruell that Christ bad them then Search the Scriptures Did Christ send his Apostles abroad to preache a Gospell that had no aucthoritie and that was of no force it appeares that it had some force for Christe saide that They that beleeued the Gospell which they Preach and were baptized shoulde be saued and they that beleeued not shoulde bee damned Oh what a diuelish preposterous doctrine is this Papistrie y t teacheth that the holy Scripture and word of God taketh his force and aucthoritie of the Churche of Rome whereas their doctrine and all other muste take their force and aucthoritie froÌ„ it For Christ saith Euery plant that my heauenly father hath not planted shal be rooted vp And bycause Papistrie is contrary to Gods word and so not plaÌ„ted by God therefore it shall be pluckte vp by the rootes Therefore though the Churche of Rome and the Pope shoulde bothe perish as many Churches haue done and as the Romish Churche muste néedes perishe yet God hathe and wyll still gyue aucthoritie and strength to his worde This your Papisticall doctrine is suche a false and rydiculous religion that in euerye point it ouerthrowes it selfe Marke againe an other of the Popes pen-men howe blasphemously he writes for the exalting of the aucthoritie of the Romishe Churche Iohannes Maria Verractus saieth We do humbly confesse that the aucthoritiie of the Church meaning the Churche of Rome is aboue the authoritie of the Gospell if it be true that he writes thoughe he be not ashamed to write a moste abhominable lye yet I am sory to write true of him whiche is that I am moste certayne that the spirite of the Diuell hadde greater power in hym when he wrote it than the spirite of God Saint Paule is of a contrary opinion to this Ioannes Maria Verractus for he saith That the gospel of Christe is the power of God to saluation to all that beleeue and both for hys credite and for his authoritie and auncientie is to be beléeued as well as thys Papisticall writer Nowe if the Churche of Rome haue greater power than to be the power of God to saluation then I knowe not what power it shoulde be vnlesse it be the power of the Diuell to Damnation And if that be his authoritie aboue the gospel that he doth meane let him kéepe that authoritie to himselfe and much good doe it him but there is no wise man wil yéelde or submitte hym selfe to that power I thinke This fellowe belike takes his own word for a warrant for he brings neither Scripture nor auncient Doctor to confirme his sayings Well séeing hée bringeth no other aucthoritie to affyrme his saying but himselfe I will be an other that wil maintaine his assertion that the aucthoritie of the Romaine Church and of the Byshoppe of Rome is aboue the aucthoritie of the Gospell And nowe you shal knowe wherein it is greater which hée woulde not vtter for belike he was somthing ashamed of the matter forsooth it is greater for to set the Pope aboue Emperoures and Kings to make him Lord of Lordes and King of Kings to make him tread on the Emperors necke to make him claime to haue al power in heauen in earth to make al the whole earth to be his Uicarage or Dioces to set Kings and Princes togither by the eares to make true subiects rise and rebell against their Prince and King to make him take vppon him to be called the Lamb of God that takes away the sinnes of the worlde to make hym a tyraunâ—e and to burne the Scriptures to murder burn and kil the seruaunts of God that professe the Gospell to make hym commaunde the Angelles to come oute of Heauen at hys pleasure if they wyll doe so much for him and to carrye mens soules to Paradise howe wickedly soeuer they dye to make him an earthly God to make him be called our Lord God the Pope to make him do in a maner whatsoeuer God can do and to make him and Chryste to haue one Consistorie or seate of Iudgement In these béefore declared the Churche of Rome hath greater aucthoritie than Gods worde for Gods worde hathe no suche force nor authoritie This is your godly Churche of Rome In all these thinges and manye moe suche she hath aucthority aboue Gods word but in godlinesse in trueth and in all thinges that appertayne to our saluation the Scriptures and the word of God hathe force and aucthoritie aboue your Church of Rome But perhappes you wil not beléeue me though I haue sufficiently proued it by the Scriptures vnlesse I shewe you some authorities out of ancient Doctors If you looke that the Doctors ought to confirme the Scriptures then you are wide for the Scriptures must confirme and allow the Doctors But to satisfy you withall I wyl alleadge the Doctors who you shall sée wyl agrée with me that the Scriptures must allowe the Churche and that the right Church is knowne by the Scriptures and whosoeuer refuseth to bée tryed by the Scriptures is not of the right Church nor of the church of God The Churche of God is knowne only by Gods word as the auncient learned Father
he performed and broke not And is not our Princesse Quéene of England as wel as Asa was King of Iuda And hath not she as great power in hir kingdome as he had in his And if God was well pleased wyth King Asa for making and performing that couenant as hée was indéede woulde he then be angrye thinke you with Quéene Elizabeth if she made the like and performed it I thinke not But our merciful Quéene though she hathe set forth the very true law of God as spéedily as earnestly and as zealously as eyther king Asa or anye other Ruler hathe done to be followed and obserued throughoute hir whole Realme hath not made any such couenaunt or lawe to slea or kil them that do not followe and obey the same But consider this well if the Pope not appointed by Gods law to raigne and rule as he hath done and doth may murther and kill as many of you thinke he may the professors and folowers of Gods word being not his subiects for disobeying his law deuised inuented by man on earth and procured by the Diuel Then may not we thinke that our Quéene appoyâ—ted by God and allowed by his word to raigne ouer vs may lawfully kil and put to death the Idolatrous Papistes hir subiectes for wilfully disobeying and withstanding the law of God that came from heauen béeing long sinâ—e taught vs by the Prophets by Iesus Christ the sonne of God and by his Apostles moued and procured thereto by God the holy ghost Therfore I beséeche you weigh the milde nature of our gratious Quéene the mother of Mercie that doth not vse the iustice she may and marke your holy father the Pope the Captain of Crueltie that vseth â—he iniusticie he ought not I pray you is not our Elizabeth Quéene of England aswel as Quéen Mary was what power what iurisdiction what auctoritie what superioritie what excellencie and what else hadde Quéene Mary that this our Quéene Elizabeth hath not Quéen Mary was King Henry the eights daughter so was our Quéen Elizabeth Quéene Mary was King Edw. sister so is Quéene Elizabeth Q. Mary succéeded hir brother King Edward so dydde Quéene Elizabeth succéede hir sister Quéene Mary Quéene Mary was lawful Quéene of England Quéene Elizabeth is as lawful Quéene of England I wil not say more Quéene Mary put downe Gods worde planted by hir brother and set vp Papistrie and Idolatrie and obeyed the Pope Quéene Elizabeth putte downe Papistrie and Idolatrie planted by hir sister and obeys God Quéene Mary vsed hir harmlesse and obedient Subiectes cruelly and putte them to death that professed Gods word Quéene Elizabeth vseth hir wicked and disobedient Subiectes mercifullye and suffereth them to liue that professe and stiffely defende Papistrie and Idolatrie the doctrine of the Diuel These comparisons duly considered your Quéene Mary did not muche excell oure Quéene Elizabeth vnlesse in crueltie and burning hir harmlesse subiects Nowe if Quéene Mary might put to death hir humble and harmelesse subiects for professing of Gods worde then I can not sée but that our Quéene Elizabeth maye as wel execute hir stubborne and disobedient subiectes whiche she as yet neuer did that withstande Gods worde and wil néedes followe Papistrie and Idolatrie And further if Quéene Mary hadde a lawe to burne the seruauntes of God that were obedient to hir concernyng their worldly duty and neuer meant hir harm Then why may not our Quéene Elizabeth make a law to execute the Popes seruants that are bound to be hir louing subiects which are disobedient vnto hir and that séeke procure desire and wish hir death and destruction Therfore be thankfull to God that hath giuen you and vs such a merciful Prince to raigne ouer vs loue obâ—y hir that gyueth you for Iustice mercy and for extremitie lenitie And now as hir Grace doth refraine fcom that she may do so prouoke not hir highnesse to that she can doe And as I saide thinke not that hir Grace can not vse the sworde againste you bycause she hathe not vsed it for if you thinke so you do not only deceiue youre selues but also do much abuse hir Maiestie in that you séeme thereby to make hir a Prince without power whereby you are vnworthy of the great mercy she shewes vnto you What seruant is so foolishe to thinke much more to say that bycause his Maister doth not beate him for his faulte therefore he can not beate him Bycause the mercifull father doth not beate his sonne for his offence that maketh not that he can not beate him for the same Shall hir clemencie and mercie make you thinke in hir disabilitie Therefore if anye of you thinke so as I beléeue some of you haue said so you are not worthy of suche a mercifull Maistresse that vseth you so And I am sure that it is the spirite of vnthankfulnesse the spirite of blindnesse the spirite of errour or rather the spirite of the diuel that makes you say so Thinke not I beséech you that I haue written this for that I woulde haue the Quéenes Maiestie to withdrawe hir mercie from you and to vse you with crueltie whiche is contrary to hir milde and merciful nature if anye other way would serue for I do it as the Lord knows my hart to make you to sée and vnderstand hir great mercy lenitie and gentlenesse towards you thereby to win and allure you froÌ„ obstinacie to obediencie from ingratitude to thaÌ„kfulnesse from ignorance to knowlege froÌ„ error to truth It may be that some of you wil saye that you loue the Quéene as wel as we and wishe the commoditie of youre country as wel as we If you do so then you wil not procure nor wishe anye forraine foes to come into anye of hir Graces dominions to help aide or succor any rebelles or traytors against our Quéen neither wil you be glad when you heare that any such are aryued or come into anye of hir highnesse dominions to fight against hir neither will you reioice if they and the rebels shoulde prosper againste oure Quéene and country But if you hearken for their comming in to fight against hir Maiesty and hir louing subiects or to aide rebelles againste hir or if you reioyce that they aide or helpe traitors against our Quéene or if you desire that they the rebels may get the victorie of hir and hir louing subiects as I feare many of you haue done and yet doe then whatsoeuer you say you are I am sure you are not true subiects but traitors to your prince no friendes but enimies to England Did none of you reioice that the forraine foes ariued in Ireland of late were none of you glad that they aided the rebels there against our Quéene and hir louing subiects And were none of you sory for their euil successe and ouerthrow you in your consciences know whether you do thus or not whether you are such or not whether you reioyced that the forraine foes ayded the
most necessarie as true tokens and signes of a perfecte faythe they crye out againste sinne they perswade the Quéenes subiectes to obey loue hir maiestie all which I am sure agrées with the worde of God but if your preachers that you should heare preache contrarie that is that you maye be saued by some other meanes as by Masses Trentals Dirges or by the Popes pardons and if they wil animate and bolden you to disobey your lawful Quéene and soueraigne and wil preache remission of sinnes to all men that will fight in the Popes quarrel whether it be right or wrong yea thoughe it be against their owne King or countrey you may cal it y e word of God but I am out of doubt it is the doctrine of the Diuel Therefore the premisses well wayed and considered if you shoulde require at the Quéenes hande to vse fréelye the Romishe religion without checke or controlemente truely you know then no more what you aske of hir grace than the sayd Pyrates or théeues do know what they aske of theyr kyng or the fonde Schollers of theyr Schoolemaister But if the Quéenes maiestie could not haue your loue but vppon that condition then she were better to haue your hatred in denying you than your loue in graunting you But what if a king shoulde graunt such a libertie to Pirats and théeues as Mogallus did once king of Scots and the scholemaister to his schollers might not wise men iudge that the one were more méete to be a Cobler than a King and the other more fitter to be a Crow-kéeper than a Scholemaister yes truely But though you would moste gladly haue such a libertie yet at hir graces hands you are neuer like to haue it which you know wel ynough for hir grace is too wise and too goodly to grant for vncertain loue a certain mischiefe For if hir highnesse should graunt you this libertie y t is to vse your Romish religion fréely only to haue your good wil and loue would you then loue hir vnfainedly I hardly beléeue it for it wil skant stand with your religion to loue faithfully a pure Protestaunt who euer he be which loues gods word yea though he liue neuer so godly nay perhaps therefore you wil hate him the more for if he be a Papist indéede that is a sound perfect Papist he wil not stick to carry fiâ—e faggots thrée or four myles yea and further if néede be to burne a Protestant though it be his brother sister or the nearest kinne or beste friend he hath or else an haulter to haÌ„g him withal Therfore you may say what you wil but surely I thinke that you wil neuer loue hir hartily vnlesse she should become a Papist whiche the Lord forbidde or vnlesse you become Protestants which I beséech God to graunt Is not this a godly religion trow you that bréedes such charitie in your brestes making your harts so warme that you can finde in your hartes so to warme your Christian brother that neuer after he shall féele any cold That same religion is it that hath taught you neyther to care for king nor Countrey that religion is déepe in your breastes that hath wrought this in you is it not worthy to be embrased followed and honored that teaches true subiects to be vntrue to their prince and that perswades men to be foes to their Countrey you may loke a good while in gods worde or therby you can learne any such lesson Therefore howe can youre doctrine bee good that maintaines suche mischiefe Wherfore I beséech you be not wilfully blind but open your eyes and willingly sée flie vnto gods worde that will only teache you truely and cleane not to the Pope for he wil teach you falsely I remember that Christ sayeth that we must forsake father and mother sister and brother and cleane vnto our wife but I neuer reade in any part of the Scriptures y t we must disobey our prince refuse hir laws hate our country wish or procure our Princes death and cleane to y e Pope whose law is as cleane contrary to Gods word as black is too white euil to good and as the diuel is to God King Dauid was no Papist as appeared by hys obedience for if he hadde bene so King Saule when he was priuily with him in the caue I beléeue had not escaped so as he did but he being a pure Protestante be not angrye bycause I call him so for he fauoured Gods word wold not lay his hands on him or hurt the Lords annointed yet he was as heire apparaunt then to the croune and was King after the death of King Saule Nowe if worthy Dauid being such a great estate woulde not hurt a wicked King being his enimie and one that sought his death but honored and obeyed him then why shoulde any of you to him farre inferior procure or wishe any harme or disobey your most louing mercifull and peaceable Princes that tenderly loues her subiectes and carefully defendes them being the chiefe and onely proppe staye and pyller of our safetie quietnesse and florishing common wealth I beséeche God kéepe hir from being in such a snare with some of you as King Saul was with his seruant Dauid For then your close meaning would be openly spyed I feare hir grace should not finde then halfe the fauour at your handes as you haue founde mercie at hir handes for you that are of the Popes Religion would not thinke it an offence as godly Dauid did to hurt the Lordes annoynted For the Pope is so farre in your Bookes that you thinke there is no offence but that he can pardon and that nothing is an offence that woulde please him So that to please him withall where he bids you strike you will not sticke to kill and to kill where he commaundes you woulde thinke you did a godly Acte yea if it were the ruler of a Realme As though he had a commission to kill Kings and others at his pleasure Marke how the Pope and king Dauid differs The Pope will blesse you pardon forgiue you though God will not and reward you for killing them that neuer did him harme But King Dauid caused him to bée killed that killed his mortall enimie King Saule yea and that at King Saules request Now which of these two were of the better Religion thinke you the Pope or King Dauid which of them wyll you choose though you loue the Pope neuer so well yet I hope you will not vtterly cast off king Dauid Gods Prophet Therefore by Christes doctrine choose the better of them who saith you shall knowe them by their workes Nowe it plainely appeares that herein the doings of king Dauid is better than the Popes vnlesse murther be better than mercie then if Dauids doings bée better then Dauid himselfe is better and thus to conclude if you would followe the better and leaue the worse then you must followe Dauid and forsake the
change that you desire and hope for must néedes be warres troubles penurie aduersitie crueltie and such like as before is mentioned Now if you will not beléeue me beléeue y e word of God that cannot lye which plainely declares what prosperitie and blessings they shall haue that followe his worde and kéepe his commandements and also the plagues that shall happen to them that chaunge and turne from his worde which are written by Moyses the Prophet the seruant of God as followeth If thou shalt obey diligently the voyce of the Lorde thy GOD not the voyce of the Pope and obserue and do al his commandements which I do coÌ„mand thee this day then the Lord thy God will set thee on highe aboue all the nations of the earth and al these blessings shal come on thee ouertake thee if thou shalt obey the voice of the Lord thy God Blessed shalt thou be in the Citie and blessed in the fielde blessed shall be the fruite of thy bodye and the fruite of thy grounde and the fruite of thy Cattell the encrease of thy Kine and the flockes of thy Sheepe blessed shal be thy basket and the Dough blessed shalt thou bee when thou comest in and blessed also when thou goest out The Lord shal cause thine enimies that rise againste thee to fal before thy face they shal come out against thee one way and shal flye before thee seuen ways The Lord shal coÌ„mand the blessings to be with thee in thy storehouses in al that thou seâ—st thy haÌ„d vnto wil blesse thee in the land which the Lord thy God giueth thee The Lord shal make thee an holy people vnto himselfe as hee hath sworne vnto thee if thou shalt kepe the commandements of the Lord thy God walke in his wayes TheÌ„ al the people of the earth shal see that the name of the Lord is called vpon ouer thee they shal be afraid of thee And the Lord shal make thee pleÌ„teous in goods in the fruite of thy body and in the fruite of thy Cattel and in the fruite of thy ground The Lorde shal open vnto thee his good treasure eueÌ„ the heaueÌ„ to giue thee rayn vnto thy land in due season and blesse al the workes of thy handes And thou shalt lende vnto many nations but shalte not borrow thy self and the Lord shall make thee the heade and not the taile and thou shalt be aboue onely and shalte not be beneath if thou obey the commaundementes of the Lorde thy God which I commaunde thee this day to keepe and to doe them But thou shalt not decline from anye of the wordes which I commaunde you this day eyther to the right hande or to the lefte to goe after other Gods to serue them But if thou wilt not obey the voyce of the Lorde thy God to keepe do all his coÌ„mandements his ordinaunces which I commaunde thee this daye then all these curses shall come vpon thee and ouertake thee Curssed shalt thou be in the Towne and curssed also in the field curssed shal be thy basket and thy Dough cursed shal be the fruite of thy bodie and the fruite of thy land the encrease of thy kine the flockes of thy sheepe cursed shalte thou be when thou comest in and cursed also when thou goest out The Lorde shall sende vpon thee cursing trouble and shame in all that whiche thou settest thy hande to do vntil thou be destroyed and perish quickly bicause of the wickednesse of thy works whereby thou hast forsaken me the Lorde shall make the pestilence cleaue to thee vntill hee hath consumed thee c. The Lorde shal smite thee with a consumptioÌ„ and with the feuer and with a burning ague and with feruent heate and with the sword and with blasting with meldew they shall pursue thee vntil thou perish And thine Heauen that is ouer thyne head shall be brasse and the Earthe that is vnder thee Iron The Lord shall giue thee for the raine of thy lande dust and Ashes euen from the Heauen shall it come downe vpon thee vntil thou be destroyed And the Lorde shal cause thee to fall before thine enimies thou shalte come out one way against them and shalt flee seauen ways before them And shalt bee scattered through al the kingdomes of the earth And thy carcasse shal be meate to all the foules of the ayre and vnto the beastes of the earthe and none shall fray them away The Lord wil smite thee with the botche of Egipt and with the Emrods and with the scab and with the Itche that thou canste not bee healed And the Lorde shal smite thee with madnesse with blindenesse with astonnying of the heart Thou shalt also grope at the noone days as the blinde gropeth in darknesse and shalt not prosper in thy wayes Thou shalt neuer but be oppressed wyth wroÌ„g be polled euermore no man shal succour thee Thou shalt betrouth a wife and another man shal lye with hir Thou shalt build a house shalt not dwel therein thou shalt plant a Vineyarde and shalt not eate the fruite Thyne Oxe shal be slaine before thine eyes and thou shalt not eate thereof Thine Asse shal be violently taken away before thy face shal not be restored to thee Thy sheepe shal be giueÌ„ vnto thine enemies and no man shall rescue them for thee Thy sonnes and thy daughters shal bee giuen vnto another people thine eyes shall still looke for them euen till they fall out and there shall be no power in thine hand the fruite of thy land and all thy labors shal a people eate which thou knowest not Thou shalte neuer but suffer wrong and violence alwaye so that thou shalt be madde for the sight that thine eyes shall see The Lorde shall smite thee in the knees and in thy thyghes with a sore botch that thou canst not be healed euen from the sole of the foote to the toppe of thine head The Lord shall bring thee and thy King which thou shalt set ouer thee vnto a natioÌ„ which neither thou nor thy Fathers haue knowne there thou shalt serue other Gods euen wood stone thou shalt be a wonder a prouerb a common talke among all people whether the Lord shall carry thee Thou shalt carrie out much seede to the fielde shalt gather but little in for the Grassehopper shall destroy it Thou shalt plant a Vineyard dresse it but shalt neither drinke of the Wine nor gather the Grapes for the wormes shall eate it Thou shalt haue Oliue trees in al thy coasts but shalt not annoint thy selfe with the oyle for thine Oliues shall fall Thou shalt beget sonnes and daughters but shalt not haue them for they shal go into Captiuitie c. Here you may sée the great blessings of God promised to his people that hearken to his voyce and obey his lawes and commaundementes so that they decline neither to the right hand nor
to the left hand to goe after other Gods or to serue them which blessings most plentifully he hath poured on this Realme of England euer since our gracious Quéene put downe Idolatrie and Papistrie and set forth the Gospell and word of God And also here you may plainely perceiue and vnderstand the maruellous curses and plagues promised and threatned to them that will not obey the voyce of the Lord our God and kéepe his commaundementes and ordinaunces which plagues and cursses haue aboundantlye lyghted on those Countreys and Kingdomes that embrace and maintayne Idolatrous Papistrie reiecting the Gospell and persecuting the Professours thereof Which is a manifest argument that this Religion that we haue is the true Religion wherewith God is well pleased and your Papisticall doctrine is a false and wicked religion wherewith God is highlye displeased For as God did prosper and blesse the Iewes his people to whome Moyses pronounced the sayde blessings so long as they hearkened to his voyce and obeyed and followed his word and commaundements and as hys sayde plagues and cursses fell vpon them when they harkened not to the voyce of the Lord but committed Idotrie euen so euer since he hath and doeth blesse and prosper the professors and followers of his worde and poures his sayde plagues and cursses on them that despise his worde that are enimies to the Gospell and persecute the professors of the same Marke well and you shall sée that in all ages God guided protected and blessed the Kings and Rulers that clensed their Countreys of Idolatrie and that did set forth and obeyed his law What famous victories did he giue to Iosua the Duke and Captaine of the Israelites which obeyed God and harkened to his voyce to whom God spake as followeth Moyses my seruant is deade nowe therefore arise goe ouer this Iorden thou and all thy people vnto the lande whiche I giue them that is to the children of Israell euerye place that the sole of your foote shall treade vppon haue I giuen you as I sayd vnto Moyses from the Wildernesse this Libanon vnto the greate riuer Perath all the lande of the Hettites euen vnto the great Sea towarde the going downe of the Sunne shal be your coaste There shall not a man bee able to withstand thee all the dayes of thy life As I was with Moyses so will I be with thee I will not leaue thee nor forsake thee Be strong of a good courage for vnto this people shalt thou deuide the land for an inheritaunce which I sware vnto their Fathers to giue them onely be thou strong and of a most valiant courage that thou mayest obserue doe according to all the law which Moyses my seruant hath cōmaunded thee Thou shalt not turne awaye from it to the right hand nor to the lefte that thou mayest prosper whersoeuer thou goest let not this booke of the law depart out of thy mouth but meditate therein day night that thou mayest obserue and do according to all that is written therin for then shalt thou make thy way prosperous and then shalt thou haue good successe These were the wordes that God spake to Iosua Therfore marke y e promises of God to him if he follow do according to the law of God then his way shold be prosperous he should haue good successe none should withstand him al the dayes of his life God would be with him which in déede God performed wonderfully and kept promise with him for that he hearkned to y e voyce of the Lord and directed al his wayes according to the law of God For was not God with Iosua when miraculously he departed the water of Iorden and the children of Israel went drie ouer the same straight towardes Iericho did not God wonderfully deliuer Iericho to Iosua and his people when after the sounding of the Trumpettes the walles thereof fell downe through his power and so Iosua and all his people went into it and tooke the Citie and so they destroyed all the Idolatrous people the enimies of God that were in the same But sée howe sodainely the Lorde went from them and suffered the men of Ai to kill .xxxvj. of the Israelites and made the rest of thrée thousande of them fearefully to flée away bicause Achan in the spoyle of Iericho tooke that for a praye which the Lorde directly commaunded to the contrarie Thus you may easily perceiue that the harkening to the voyce of God following of his worde is the cause of good successe and victorie and the disobeying of his worde and following of their owne fansies was the cause of euil successe and ouerthrowe But God blessed Iosua still bicause he was not cōsenting to Achans fact who stoned him therfore to death for after y t the Lord made Iosua to vanquish and ouercome the fiue Kings of the Amorits in which conflict the Lord threw stones from heauen vpon his enimies and at Iosuas bydding the Sunne and Moone did stand still a whole day togither that he might haue time to ouercome his enimies These wonders did the Lord for his seruant Iosua and his people that harkened to his voyce and obeyed his worde Many other kings did Iosua ouercome through the strength of the Lord that fought for him and his people And when Iosua waxed olde then he called all Israel their elders their heades their Iudges and their officers before him giuing them then the same warning that Moyses and God gaue him to hearken to the voyce of the Lorde saying I am old and stricken in age also you haue séene all that the Lorde you God hath done vnto all these nations before you howe the Lorde hath fought for you Behold I haue diuided vnto you by lot these nations that remaine that as yet were not ouercome to bée an inheritaunce accordyng to your Tribes from Iorden with all the nations that I haue destroyed euen vnto the great sea Westward And the Lord your God shal expell them before you and cast them out of your sight And ye shall possesse their lande as the Lorde your God hath sayde vnto you Bée ye therefore of a valiant courage to obserue and doe all that is written in the Booke of the lawe of Moyses that ye turne not ther from to the right hande nor to the lefte c. But sticke faste vnto the Lorde your God as yée haue done vnto this daye for the Lorde hath cast out before you great nations and mightie and no man hath stande before your face hitherto One man of you shall chase a thousande for your Lorde your God hée fyghteth for you as he hath promysed you Take good héede therefore vnto your selues that yée loue the Lorde your GOD Else if yée goe backe c knowe yée for certayne that the Lorde your God will cast out no more of these nations from before you but they shall bée a snare and destruction to you and a whippe on your
sides and thornes in your eyes vntill you perish out of this good land which the Lorde your God hath giuen you c. Therefore as all good things are come vppon you whiche the Lorde your God promised you so shall the Lorde bring vpon you euery euil thing vntil he hath destroyed you out of this good lande which the Lorde your God hath giuen you when ye shall trangresse the couuenant of the Lord your God which he commauÌ„ded you and shall go and serue other Gods and bow your selues to them then shall the wrath of the Lorde wax hot against you and ye shall quickly perishe out of the good land which he hath giuen you This was the lesson that Iosua a little before his death gaue vnto the Israelites his people And thus may you sée that al the charge that God and the godly giueth is to harken to the voyce of the Lord and obey his law which is his word and he wyl defend prosper and fight for vs no longer than we abide in the same So that the prosperous successe victories and other great blessings of Kings and Rulers that knowe Gods worde and professe the same is a manifest Argument that they walke rightly in his wayes and that he is wel pleased with them And such Kings Princes and Rulers as haue troubles warres euill successe and are ouercome in battell of their enemies thoughe they say they haue the true doctrine of God and that they follow it and obserue it most truely of all other yet it is an infallible token that they do offend their Lord God that they doe not walke rightly nor obserue his lawes and word as they ought and that he is not wel pleased with them And thus as God did blesse prosper Iosua and all other before him that hearkned to his voyce obeyed his worde euen so he did to other that did likewise after him For God gaue such wonderfull successe to Iudah the Captaine of the Israelites who feared God obeyed his worde against Adoni-Bezek the Cananites as he gaue to Iosua And Iudah did cut off the thumbes off his handes and off his féete according to the iust iudgement of God for his great tyrannie vsed to other for the sayde tyrant Adoni-Bezek confessed that he had vsed seauentie Kings before in like manner and they gathered bread vnder his table And then hée was compelled to say thus As I haue done God hath rewarded me God also blessed the sayde Iudah and the Israelites and gaue them many wonderfull victories after that againste their enimies the Cananites and heathen Idolators But when the Israelites hearkened not to the voyce of the Lorde and disobeyed his worde and worshipped the Gods of the Cananites and did wickedly in the sight of the Lorde then the Lordes furie and wrath kindled and waxed hote against them so that he suffered them to be ouercome and he deliuered them into their enemies handes that spoyled them and he solde them into their enemies handes so that they coulde stande no longer before their enemies and whether soeuer they went out the Lord was against them according as before he had promised And God suffered the king of Aram to preuaile against them and to carry them away wiâ—â— him And so serued him were captiues vnder him eight yéeres Consider also howe wonderfully Gedeon the Capitaine of the Israelites that hearkened to the voyce of the Lorde with thrée hundreth men through Gods power and might did ouercome the huge armie of the Madianites that were as Grassehoppers in number What a victorie did God giue to little Dauid his seruant against the mightie Giant Goliah his enemie howe did he prosper him blesse him and fight for him against the Philistines whose Images he burnt which pleased God And as God hath and doeth daylye giue victorie to such Princes Kings and Rulers that hearkened to his voyce and obeyed his worde so he hath giuen and doth giue maruellous quietnesse and peace to such Kings Princes and Rulers as do the same For God did prosper and blesse king Asa King of Iudah which hearkned to his voice and obserued his law making him raigne in a maruelous quietnesse and peace the space of fiue and thirtie yéeres bicause he tooke away the Sodomites out of the lande and put away all the Idols that his father had made and tooke away the Aultars of strange Gods and the high places and brake downe the Images cut down the Groues and commaunded Iuda to séeke the Lorde God of their fathers and to doe according to the lawe and the commaundement And he tooke awaye out of all the Cities of Iudah the high places the Images therfore the kingdome was quiet before him and the Lord gaue him rest on euery side And as the Lorde did prosper and blesse King Asa wyth suche a quietnesse and peace for breaking downe the Aultars of the straunge Gods and destroying the Images set vp by Abija his father euen so he hath blessed and prospered our most gratious Quéene with a most plentifull peace al the time of hir raigne which is thrée and twentie yéeres beséeching God to triple it with the quiet raigne of King Asa for plucking downe the Aultars for breaking and destroying the Images for abolishing the most Idolatrous Masse the Popes inuented sacrifice committed and done on these Aultars for the extirping and rooting vp the abhominable law religion of the Pope erected planted by hir sister Quéene Marie to the great dishonor of God the derogation of the passion of our sauior Iesus Christ setting forth in steade thereof not onely in euery Citie but also in euerie towne and village throughout hir whole Realme of England the pure and perfect word and lawe of God And thus it is plaine that the cause of the quiet raigne of King Asa and the peaceable and quiet raigne of our Quéene Elizabeth is all one Which is for the putting away of Idolatrie which God doth most abhorre for the setting forth of his law word which he doth chiefly desire But thoughe King Asa had peace al this while bicause he abolished Idolatrie and hearkned vnto the voice of God yet after wheÌ„ he did slide froÌ„ God put not his whole trust in him the case was then cleane altred for the Lorde tooke his peace awaye and God sent to him the Prophet Hanani who spake vnto King Asa as followeth Bycause thou hast rested vpon the King of Aram and not rested in the Lorde thy God therefore is the hoste of the King of Aram escaped out of thine hande The Aethiopians and Lybyanes were they not a great host with Chariots and horsmen exceeding many yet bycause thou didst rest vppon the Lorde he deliuered them into thine hande For the eyes of the Lorde beheld al the earth to shewe himselfe strong with them that are of perfect heart toward him Thou hast then done foolishly in
Iudah if we forsake the word of God commit Idolatrie receiue againe Papistry worship Images sette vp aulters crouche and knéele to an Idol in the Masse and force and coÌ„pel with threatning punishing emprisoning racking famishing killing and burning the people of England so to do Also what a mightie king did king Iotham become and howe did God blesse him make him victorious ouer his enimies bicause he walked vprightly according to y e lawe of God What good successe and prosperous raigne had that godly king Hezekiah and what a wonderful victorie did God giue him against the blasphemous king Sanneherib hys huge mightie host by sending his angel to fight for him bycause he hearkened to the voyce of God and did walke rightly in his sight But nowe if GOD did blesse and giue victorie plentie quietnesse peace and prosperitie to these godly kings Rulers before mentioned besids many other for hearkning and cleauing to his word and for setting forth and obeying his law that was deliuered by Moses the prophet then it is not to be doubted but that he wil and doth giue victorie plentie prosperity quietnesse and peace to al godly kings and rulers that shal put down idolatrie superstition and al heretical religions and shal plant in steade thereof the pure word of God and the Gospel which was preached and deliuered to vs by our sauiour Iesus Christ the only and very son of God And if God did sende troubles wars huÌ„ger vncurable diseases thraldome and captiuity with many other curses and plagues aswel to these kings before mentioned as also to king Saule king Salomon Rehoboam Ieroboam Baasha Elah Omri Ahab Ahaziah Ioash and Ahaz with diuers other and to them that they gouerned being the chosen people of God for committing of idolatrie reiecting y e law of God deliuered to them by Moses the Prophet Then we must néeds thinke that God wil send troubles wars hunger vncurable diseases thraldome and captiuitie with other plagues and curses vpon al those kings and their people that were not his chosen people but once gentiles and heatheÌ„ that commit idolatrie worship Images and embrace Papisticall superstition and despise and obstinatly and wilfully withstand the very true and pure word of God the gospel that at the first was taught deliuered by our sauiour Christ y e very soÌ„ of God which is more thaÌ„ ether apostle or prophet Therfore if you be not blind dumb deafe altogither senselesse you will with all spéed flée from your Papistrie superstition and idolatrie on the professors and followers wherof the aforsaid curses and plagues do dayly light and embrace the true word of God and the comfortable Gospel of Christe whiche bring the greate blessings of God as quietnesse peace plentie prosperity and victorie in this world and endlesse ioy in heauen after this life to the professors and followers therof I hope you are not foolishe but that you haue some vnderstaÌ„ding not so blind but y t you haue some glimmering and not so senselesse but that you haue some reason Shut not therfore your eyes purposely bycause you will not sée If you knew how swéete our law the Gospel is as I know how sowre your papistical law is if you knew what certaintie of saluation is in our lawe the Gospell of Christe as I know what certaintie of damnation is in your law of Papistrie the doctrine of Antichrist and if you knewe and felt how this our law the Gospel of Christ doth make the wicked to be godly and to be the children of God as I know that your law of Papistrie makes the godly to be wicked and to be the children of the Diuell you woulde then I thinke embrace our Gospel and forsake your Papistrie vnlesse you loue darknesse better than light the diuel better than God hel better than Heauen which I truste you do not Perhaps some wil saye if they that get the victorie ouer their enimies are blessed of God so they are the people of God Then y e Heathen Idolaters are blessed of God are Gods people for they haue had haue dayly good successe victory ouer their enimies yea haue many times ouercome the people of God y t had his law his word I graÌ„t it as before it appeareth but therfore they were not Gods people and blessed For the heathen and Idolatrous people bicause they haue good successe doe ouercome are not blessed and godly but the children of God are scourged and ouercome by them bycause they are euill and wicked and forsake the law of God The rodde is not good bycause it doth beate the childe but the rodde doth beate the child bycause the childe is euil It is manifest before that the children of Israel were ouercome and carried away Captiue of King Aram an Heathen Idolatour yet King Aram his people was not blessed of God nor yet wer the people of God neyther their law was the law of God althoughe they got the victorie But God deliuered the people of Iudah into their hands and suffred them to be carried awaye Captiues by them bycause they did forsake the Lord disobeyed his worde and committed Idolatrie for so God did promisse The scriptures are ful of the like examples It is most manifest throughout the whole Scriptures that God hathe chieflye blessed those Kings and countries with wealth prosperitie and victorie which mightily and spéedily pluckte down Images and false Gods and did extirpe and destroy Idolatrie and set forth earnestly and zealously the worde and lawe of God though they in some other particular things somtimes offended as King Dauid did â—n numbring of his people and committing aduoutrye and murther as King Asa for putting confidence in the King of Syria and leand not wholy vpon the Lord and as King Iehoshaphat did in going to fight with King Ahab diuers other committing such like whose faultes thoughe God punished yet he neuer therefore deliuered them into their enimies hands nor to be caryed away captiues But those Kings that cast away Gods word and hearkned not to his voice but fel to Idolatrie and worshipped Idolles and strange Gods thoughe they were neuer so godly before immediatly the Lords wrath kindled against them and stirred vp enimies to fight with them and sold and delyuered them into their enimies hands suffred them either to be killed woÌ„derfully to be plagued or to be caryed awaye prisoners and captiues So that hereby it plainely appeareth that the most safetie quietnesse prosperitie and victorie of a Prince and his people and to be moste assured to haue God on their side and to defende them is to sette forth and maintaine the true lawe of God and the Gospell of Christe and to plucke vp put away deteste and abhorre all Idolatrie superstition and all religions whatsoeuer that are contrary to Gods word But as al the Kings and people that did set forth and obey Moses lawe and
make you and manye other beléeue they cannot erre nor go wrong whatsoeuer they doe and that they that sitte in the Popes chayre there must néedes be Gods fellowes and equal to Christ. The Popes disagrée and are contrarie one to another marry in wickednesse they agrée all in one yea and somtimes the Pope is contrarie to himselfe Pope Sabianus would haue burned all Pope Gregories Bookes Pope Romanus vtterlye abolyshed all the actes of hys predecessor Pope Stephen And the same Pope Stephen defaced and mangled the dead carcasse of his predecessor Pope Formosus and condemned vtterlye all that he hadde done before And thus that that one Pope doth like another Pope misliketh and that which one Pope alloweth another condemneth Therfore I would aduise you to lay hold on Christ and his Apostles which are no chaungelings and forsake these wicked Popes whiche are suche chaungelings for I will neuer truste them nor fauour their religion vntil they be more vertuous godly and honest and agrée better among themselues than they do Pope Adrian sayeth of himselfe Whatsoeuer the Emperour hath he hathe it of vs it is in our power to bestow the Empyre on whome wee liste It may be so but one may looke all the Bible ouer ere he can finde it And also the Pope hath made it Heresie though Christe did not make it for a king not to holde his kingdome at his handes It is happy that he named no Quéenes for if he had putte the Quéenes as wel as he put in kings then haply he mighte haue made the Quéens maiestie also one of his Heretiks The Pope if we may credite his prerogatiue being of his owne penning is of no small power For he is called Lorde of Lordes and King of Kings he compelleth Emperors and Princes to sweare fealtie and obedience to him Cardinal Zabarella sayeth The Pope doeth what hym listeth yea though it be vnlawful and is more thā a God And one sayth that a priest is so much aboue a King as a man is aboue a beaste as muche as God is better than a priest so much is the priest better than a King he that setteth a King before a prieste setteth the creature before the Creator By thys it appeareth that Priestes are no small fooles if this be true then it is no maruel that men were wonte to haue Priestes in great estimation and reuerence But I maruell that king Iosias was so bolde to burne suche a number of Priestes that were so farre hys superiours and that were as farre aboue him as he himself was aboue a beaste truely I thinke it was bycause they could not shewe him their Commissions belike they lefte them at home As the Popes before vsed much wickednesse so they haue vsed here a péece of knauerie to make the people beléeue that they and their Priestes are farre aboue them thereby to bring themselues vaine honor and estimation And nowe marke I praye you whether these wicked Popes before mentioned with many other that cal themselues Christes Uicars are not more like Lucifer the diuell in pride than Christe the sonne of God in Humility I thinke there was neuer such lordlinesse or pride in anye worldlye prince as hathe bene in diuerse of these wicked Popes for the Pope suffereth the Emperoure whiche is the chiefe ruler of all Christendome to holde his styrrope to holde his horsse by the brydle to beare his trayne and to kisse his féete yea and the Emperoure was shent of Pope Hyldebrand bycause he helde the left styrrope in steade of the righte when he got vpon his Horsse there was neuer Emperour nor king that euer receiued any such seruice of any of the Popes But the Earle of Wiltshire and the other Embassadours from king Henrie the eighte to the Pope farre inferiour to the Emperour refused to kisse the Popes foote thoughe the Pope helde it oute purposely therfore yet the Earle of Wiltshires Dogge hauing a greater deuotion thereto than they did not onelye kisse the Popes foote thoughe something vnmannerlye but also snatchte at his greate Toe thinking belike that it was more méete to be bitten of dogs than to be kissed of men Consider nowe therefore the greate humilitye and the symple seruice that the Pope requires In the Popes owne booke of the Ceremonies of Rome it is written thus The Emperoure electe going in arraye wyth all hys trayne passeth vppe the Stayres into the Scaffolde and as soone as hee seeth the Pope hee worshippeth hym wyth bare heade touching the grounde with hys knee Agayne when hee commeth to the foote of the Popes throne hee kneeleth downe laste of all when hee commeth to the Popes feete hee kisseth them deuoutelye in the reuerence of our sauiour Is not thys trowe you a trimme reuerencing of Christe to kisse the Popes féete Christe washt hys Apostles féete but I neuer heard that the Emperour did kisse Christes féete nay Christes Apostles did neuer kisse hys féete yet if féete ought to be kissed truely it had bin as fit for the Apostles to haue kissed theyr maysters féete as for the Emperour whyche is the chiefe ruler of all Christendome to kisse the Popes féete Therefore you that luste to learne humilitie may learn here of the Pope And if this be not sufficient to shewe you of the Popes humilitie you shall sée further When the Pope taketh his staires to mount on horsebacke the greatest Prince that is present whether he be King or Emperour holdeth his stirrop and afterward leadeth his Horse a little by the brydle but if there were two Kings in the presence the more Honorable of them shoulde holde the Brydle on the right side the other on the left If there happen no King to be present then let the worthiest person leade his horse But if the Pope would not ride but be borne on mens shoulders in a chaire then must foure of the worthiest Princes yea the Emperour himselfe or any other mightie Monarch if hee bee present beare the Chaire Pope and all a little way forwarde vppon their shoulders Againe the Emperour delyuering ouer his goldē Apple and his Sceptre to one of his men commeth vnto the Popes Horse and in honor of our Lorde Iesus Christe whose person in earth the Pope beareth he holdeth the Stirrop vntill the Pope be mounted and afterward he taketh the Brydle and leadeth foorth his horse While the Emperour dothe these profitable seruices the Pope oughte modestly a little to refuse the same and yet afterwarde with certaine good and gentle wordes taking that honour as done vnto Christ and not vnto himselfe he holdeth himself contented This is the strangest honoring of Christ that euer I hearde of to leade the Popes Horsse Further it is appointed thus The moste noble man that shal be in the Courte shall beare vp the traine of the Popes Cope yea though it be an Emperoure or a King Againe let the most noblest lay man whether he be king
world with his wicked wiles and to come and dwel neare him in Bethlem which was situate in the holy lande and the place consecrate to the birth of Christ. Here it appeares that he did not only know that Babilon is Rome and is the verye seate of that Purple whore but also that hée did maruellously detest and abhorre it Primasius also affirmeth that the prophesies of the Apocalips concerning Antichrist are to be fulfilled in the Romaine Empire S. Augustine in his excellent worke De ciuitate dei oftentimes calleth Rome Babilon and Babilon Rome as in his sixtéenth booke and seauententh Chapter he calleth Rome another Babilon in the Weast And in his eightéenth booke and second Chapter he calleth Babilon of Chaldea the firste Rome and Rome of Italie the seconde Babilon And the same Augustine in the two and twentith Chapter of the eightéenth booke calleth Rome another Babilon and the daughter of the firste Babilon And also he calleth Rome Westerne Babilon This and much more did the learned D. Fulke declare in his Sermon at Hampton court These are sufficient to proue that Rome is the very seate and place of the whore of Babilon spoken of by Saint Iohn in his Reuelations And now you shall sée whether the Pope be that strumpet and whore of Babilon or not Irenaeus saieth notwithstanding he be but a slaue yet he will be worshipped as if he were God S. Gregorie sayeth he is Antichrist that shall clayme to be called vniuersall Bishop and shall haue a guarde of Priestes to attend vpon him Ioachimus Abbas sayeth Antichrist is now borne in Rome and yet shall he be higher in the Apostolike See Saint Barnard sayeth the beast that is spoken of in the booke of Reuelations vnto which beast is giuen a mouth to speake blasphemie and to keepe warre against the Saints of God is now gotten into Peters chaire as a Lion prepared to his praie Franciscus Petrarcha calleth Rome the whore of Babilon the mother of Idolatrie and fornication and that all shame and reuerence is quite departed thence Baptista Mantuanus sayth Viuere qui sanctè cupitis discedite Roma Omnia cùm liceant non licet esse bonum that is to say All yee that would liue godly gette you away from Rome for whereas al things are there lawfull to be good it is not lawfull Saint Gregorie writing of Antichrist saith thus whereas he is a damned man by lying and not a spirite he faineth himself to be God and thus bicause the Pope as is before declared is called an earthly God and our Lorde God the Pope therefore he must néedes be the very Antichrist all things before well weighed and considered But perhappes you will saie that other haue bin called God as well as the Pope therefore why should hée bée Antichrist more thā they I grant that Antiochus somtime King of Syria entitled himselfe by the name of God So the Emperoure Domitian vsed to assigne his Proclamations Your Lorde God Domitian So the Emperour Caligula called himselfe the beste and most mightie God and the great God Iupiter of Italie Sopores the great King of Persia called himselfe the brother of the Sunne and the Moone Nicagoras made himselfe a payre of winges and woulde néedes be called the God Mercurius And the Romaines in olde time erected an Image in the honor of Simon Magus the sorcerer with this inscription or poesie In the honor of Simon the holy God These and diuers moe haue bin called Gods but they were heathen and did neuer sitte in the Temple of God as that Antichrist that Saint Paule speaketh of that he calleth the man of sinne that should sitte in the Temple of God and shewe himselfe as if he were God For which of those before named did sit so déepe in mens consciences as the Pope hath done and yet doth did euer any thinke that they coulde not erre or do euill whatsoeuer they did did euer any beléeue in them so muche that if they had curssed them they should then haue bin dāned did they euer make the people beléeue that they were the Deputies or vickars of Christ were they euer so farre and déepe in mens consciences that men thought to be saued by their pardons did they euer make any beléeue that they could commaund the Aungelles to come from Heauen and to carrie whose soules they list to Paradise did they make euer any man beléeue that they had the Keyes of the Kingdome of Heauen did they euer sitte so déepe in mens consciences which is the Temple and place of God that they coulde dispense with Whoredome Murder Thefte Idolatrie or any other Sins Did euer any beléeue that whatsoeuer they loosed in earth should be loosed in Heauen and whatsoeuer they bound in earth shoulde be bounde in heauen Did they euer say that they had all power in heauen and in earth Didde they euer make men beléeue that they coulde do in a manner whatsoeuer God could do that they Christ hadde one seat of iudgement Did they euer take vpon thē to be Christ the son of God wer they euer called the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world or did euer any fall down before them say so to them Did these before mentioned that were called Gods make men beléeue these things as the Pope hathe done and hath sit so déepe in mens consciences the temple of God as the Popes haue done No no neuer any but only the Pope Therefore it is he onely that S. Paule calleth the childe of Sinne that should sit in the Temple of God and shewe himselfe as if he were God It is the Pope onely that is that purple Whore of Babilon that hath names of blasphemie spoken of by S. Iohn in the Apocalips Therefore Anselmus saith verye truely and well that Antichrist shall faine himselfe to be holy that he may deceiue men vnder the colour of holines yea and he shal cal himselfe God and shall cause himselfe to be worshipped and shal promise the Kingdome of heauen Now tel me as I said before who euer did al these things or attempted to do thē but only the Pope The Pope onely therefore must néeds be the very Antichrist spoken of by Saint Iohn in the Reuelation and none other If this and all the rest that I haue spoken of the Pope which is most true wyl neither make you thinke euil of the Pope nor flye from him nor yet beléeue that he is the verye Antichriste then according to Esay the Prophet I feare that you haue eyes and see not eares and heare not and heartes and vnderstande not leaste you should repent and turne and the Lord thereby should haue mercie on you Thus you sée that you that are so addict to the Pope I haue proued you to be English enimies not obedient nor louing subiects to your Prince enimies to your Countrie and séeke or wishe the ruine of this famous
of God you wil scantly like The Popes Doctors say auouch it for truth that if the Priest say thus when he doth Baptise a childe Ego te Baptiso in nomine patris filij spiritus sancti diaboli that is I Baptise thee in the name of the Father of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost and of the Diuell yet the forme of Baptisme is very good and the child is rightly christned I remember that Christ bad his Apostles Baptise in the name of the Father of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost but that he bad them Baptise any in the name of the Diuel I neuer heard If they be rightly christned that are christned in the name of the Diuel according to the Popes law then I hope they are not falsely christned that are christned in the name of God without naming the Diuell accordyng to Gods lawe If wée shoulde allowe such Baptizing to bée good and that they were rightlye Baptized that were Baptized in the name of the Diuell you that call vs nowe Sathans broode woulde then call vs as you myght well the chyldren of the Diuell Must not this Churche of Rome bée a holy Church that hath such goldy doctrine and diuine Doctours if they bée curst that take any thing from the worde of God then they are not blest that adde the Diuell to the Baptizing of the children of God Euerye one that haue an affection to the Popes Religion woulde scantly beléeue that there is such handsome doctrine belonging to his religion This is not much vnlike other of the Romish Doctors doctrine for in the Defence of the Apologie which the learned Bishop of Sarisburie wrote against the confutation of Doctor Harding are these wordes Petrus Asotus Hosius sticke not to affirme that the same Counsell wherein our Sauiour Iesus was condemned to die had both the spirite of Prophesie and the holy Ghost and the spirite of truth And that it was no false saying when the Bishop sayd we haue a lawe and by our lawe he ought to die and that they so saying did light vpon the very truth of iudgemēt and that the same was a iust decree whereby they pronounced that Christ was worthy to die Thus the Popes Prelates take part with Annus Caiphas against Christ. If that were a good true iudgement that most shamefully wrongfully condemned the sonne of God to death then where shal we finde any false and wicked iudgement by this meanes the Popes sentences iudgements in burning the members of Christ for professing of y e Gospel cā not be false wicked or euill I feare they y t say they had the holy ghost the spirite of truth y t iudged Christ to death and that the same was a iust decrée wherby they pronounced y t Christ was worthy to die I feare I say y t they are none of them that Christ dyed for and as they y t iudged Christ most wrongfully did it not by the spirit of God Euen so Asotus Hosius and all other that say y t their iudgement was true that their decrée was iust whereby they pronounced that Christ was worthy to die spake and vttered the same by the spirit of y e diuell for if they gaue true iudgement against Christ then Christ was an offendor and deserued to die The Lorde blesse euery man from beléeuing the doctrine of such that either say or beléeue that Christ the Sonne of God that neuer offēded nor sinned was worthily or rightly condemned to die If our Bishops Preachers and Doctors shoulde preach teache or write such blasphemous doctrine you might then iustly cal vs Heretiks as we may wel cal them al other y t take their partes blasphemers the disciples of Antichrist But Caiphas sayd it is good that one man die for the people least all the people perishe Ergo sayth M. Harding Caiphas had the spirit of God To whom that learned and worthie M. Iewel late Bishop of Sarisburie replyes with these wordes But that ye may the better M. Harding espie your ouersight like as ye saye Caiphas prophesied blindly himselfe not vnderstanding what he sayd Ergo he had the holy Ghost S Paule sayth no man can say the Lorde Iesus but in the Spirit of God hereof by your Logicke you may reason thus the Diuell sayd vnto Christ I knowe that thou arte Christ the Sonne of the liuing God Ergo the Diuell had the Spirit of God c. If Caiphas had the spirit of God then he had y e holy ghost that wrote this note vpon the Popes decrée that the Iewes had committed mortall sinne if they had not nayled Christ to the Crosse. Now open your eyes and beholde whether this be good sound doctrine or not y t these Papisticall Doctors do teach They that worship God aright follow Christes Gospel wil do detest such diuellish doctrine Therefore flie from this Romish Church that taketh the Pope to be hir heade and that refuseth to be tried by the Scriptures and spéedily become members of that Churche that taketh Christ to be hir heade and is content to bée iudged by the Scriptures For they that are of Christ will heare his voyce which is the Gospell which true Church wherof Christ is the head can not be knowne but by the Scriptures Chrisostome saith now can no mā know the Church but by the scriptures S. Augustine saith Whether they haue the Church or no let them shewe by the Canonicall Bookes of the holy scriptures we must know the Church euen lykewise as we know Christ which is the head of the Churche in the holy Canonicall Scriptures Againe he saith the holy Scriptures shewes the Churche without any doubtfulnesse Againe the question or doubt is where the Churche shoulde be what then shall we doe whether shall we seeke the Churche in our owne wordes or in the wordes of hir heade which is our Lorde Iesus Christ In my iudgement wee ought rather to seeke the Churche in his wordes for that he is the trueth and best knoweth his owne body And agayne he sayeth Let vs not heare these wordes this say I This sayest thou but these wordes let vs heare Thus sayth the Lorde there let vs seeke the Churche there let vs discusse our cause And Saint Ambrose sayeth the Church shineth or is knowne not by hir owne light but by the light of Christ which is the word of God These learned holy and auntient fathers wordes are sufficient to proue vnto vs that y e Church of Christ is known and is chiefely to be discerned by the word of God But what if these auncient and learned Doctors had not written thus shoulde wée then haue taken that for the Churche of God which the Popes doctrine doeth allowe then we shoulde haue a trimme and holy Church as by the premysses doth appeare And nowe bicause nothing can describe which is the true Church better than Christ
Pope knewe that it was a good way to bring him in credite For if kings rulers and Lords of the earth which may be deceiued do chose as nie as they can their most dearest and trustiest friendes to bée their presedents and deputies then I am sure that Christ the sonne of God and the King of all Kings that can not be deceiued if he had ment to haue had a general vickar on the earth woulde haue made one of his dearest and trustiest friendes his vickar and not his mortal enimie And therfore the Pope may saye what he wil but al wise men do sée that Christ neither takes him for his vickar nor yet for his Curate Can he or his chaplaines be the children of God that prefers ignorance before knowledge I think not some of them haue affirmed that ignorance is the mother of deuotion O Lord how contrarie are these mē both to God and to his son Christ nay ignorāce of Gods word is rather the mother of mischiefe the father of falsehoode the sister of sinne the son of sedition the daughter of disobediency the coosin of conspiracie and the Captaine of crueltie Ful wel the Diuel knew that ignoraunce was the next way to bring the Pope to promotion and the people to destruction for their ignorance made them thinke that none but the Pope or his Prelats did know the truth And their blindnesse did make them beléeue that none did sée perfectly but he and his pretious Prelates So that for wante of knowledge of Gods word which of purpose they kept frō them they beléeued that al they spake was true and that it was the very right way that they did lead them So that the peoples ignoraunce was the occasion of the Popes credite his credite the cause of his gaine his gaine the cause of his power his power th◠cause of his pride his pride the cause he made Emperours and Kings his seruauntes or rather slaues and thus the ignoraunce of Gods worde brought the Pope to promotion the Princes to subiection and the people to destruction And if you mark wel you may perceyue that the Popes suppressing and the keeping of Gods worde from the people is a manifest argument that he is neither Christs vickar nor his deputie nor that he loues Christe For Christe sayde to Peter louest thou mee to whome Peter sayde yea Lorde thou knowest that I loue thee then Christ saide to him againe Feede my sheepe c. So that Peters loue to Christ appeared by féeding of Christes shéepe whiche was not by féeding their bodies with meate and drinke but by féeding their soules through preching to them the Gospel Now if they loue Christe that féede his shéepe then they must néedes hate Christ that starue his shéepe neuer preching to them at all And such a one is the Pope for he neuer preacheth therfore he neuer féedes Christs shéepe Nay besides that he doth not only trouble molest hurt burne and kill suche as do or would féede Christes shéepe but also hideth kéepeth backe and burnes the Bybles and Testaments leaste the people shoulde loke on them and féede themselues So that here it is manifeste that the Pope loues not Christ bycause he féedes not Christes shéepe And he that loues not Christe muste néedes hate Christe and therefore the Pope being Christes enimie can not be the vickar of Christ. And here also is a great contrarietie betwéene Peter the Pope though he claime to be Peters successor for Peter loued Christ for that he fed Christs shéepe but y e Pope hateth Christ bycause he sterueth his shéepe yea and also kils his shéepe So that the Pope doth not succede Peter in any thing vnlesse it be in denying of Christ. Here it plainely appeareth that the Pope maye wel be the Uicar of the Diuel for Christes Uickar sure he can not be I am moste certaine that it was Christes wil that hys word should not be kept from any though it be the Popes will it should be rightly knowen of any For would Christ haue vs kepe that we neuer heard of and would he haue vs searche we know not what no Christe was neuer so vnreasonable For Christ sayth vnto vs all If you loue me keepe my commaundements that is whatsoeuer he hath willed by his word But how can we knowe what is his commandements y t we should kéep if none declare thē vnto vs neither read thē our selues nor yet haue thē red vnto vs Therfore if our louing of Christ depēd on y e kéeping of his cōmandements thē how cā we loue him séeing we can not knowe his commaundements So that y e Popes kéeping or hurding of Gods word from the people is the cause they can not kéepe Gods commaundementes And their not kéeping of Gods commaundements is the cause they doe not loue him and their not louing of him is the cause that he hates them and his hating of them will be the cause of their dampnation And thus the Pope is the first worker of the ignorant peoples damnation Christ saith also Search the Scriptures for they are they that witnesse of me but how can they search the Scripturs that haue not the Scriptures to search neyther know how to come by them now if the Scriptures witnesse what is Christes wil and pleasure and if their searching and looking therein wil shew them how to performe his wil and please him and the pleasing of him would be the cause of their saluation Then the Popes hiding and kéeping the Scripturs from them is the cause they cānot heare read or search the Scripturs and not hearing reading or searching of the Scriptures is the cause they cannot know the wil of Christe and the not knowing the wil of Christe is the cause they can not please him and their not pleasing of him is the cause they please the Diuel and the pleasing of y e Diuel is y e cause of their dānation And thus once again y e Pope is the chief cause of the ignorant peoples dānation Christe saith also Blessed are they that heare the word of God and keepe it so that they that heare the worde of God and kéepe it not are vnhappy Nowe if all they that heare the worde of God are not happy then all they that heare not the worde of God muste néedes be vnhappy for there are none happy but they that kéepe or folow the word of God but howe can they kéepe the word of God that neither heare it nor reade it Nowe if the hearing of Gods worde is the cause that they kéepe it and their kéeping or following of it is the cause they are happye or blessed then the Popes restrayning of Gods word frō the people is the cause they doe not heare it and their not hearing it is the cause they cannot kéepe or followe it and their not kéeping or following of it is the cause they are vnhappy and theyr vnhappinesse is the cause of their damnatiō
with a greate man it is no harme to speake to his Chamberlaine or to one that is next vnto him that he may shewe y e king of vs which vaine reason Saint Ambrose answers very wel saying we are broughte vnto the Princes of Kings by Lordes and officers bycause the king is a man and knoweth not to whom he may committe his Realme But to obtaine Gods fauour from whome nothing is secrete as knowing what euerie man is meete to haue we neede no spokes man but a deuoute minde wheresoeuer suche a one speaketh vnto God God wil aunswere him Thus hath that learned Doctour aunswered this foolish and vaine obiection wherby it plainely appeares that there wer some of your opinion in his days and that he was of the same opinion that we are in these dayes But if Saint Ambrose Saint Augustine and a thousande moe of learned men shoulde write that we ought to praye vnto the Uirgin Marie and to the Saintes yet we oughte not to beléeue them for as muche as Christ hath taught vs contrarie who biddes vs to make our prayers onelye to GOD oure Heauenlye Father But as long as the Doctoures and Fathers doe agrée with the Gospell we wil allowe them but if they do not we wil reiect them But whatsoeuer Christ sayth y e Pope saith otherwise now marke wel herein the holy doctrine of the Church of Rome which allows wils you to pray vnto y e blessed Uirgine thus Let him know thee to be his mother commaund thy sonne vse thy motherlye authoritie ouer him Is not this a trim kind of prayer you shal not finde this in al the Lordes prayer that Christ taught to his Disciples if you say y t this is but a spiritual dallying as M. Harding said to maister Iewel then I wil answere you as M. Iewel answered M. Harding this must néedes be a blessed kinde of Diuinitie that can turne praying to dallying This kinde of prayer was vsed vniuersally saith M. Iewel throughout all the Church of Rome that men women and children learned and vnlearned were taught and forced thus to praye Thou art the Queene of heauen Thou art the Lady of Angels cōmaunde thy sonne shew thy selfe to be the mother Cardinal Bembus sometimes the Popes secretarie calleth the Virgine Mary Lady and goddesse Ambrosius Catharinus in the late Chapter at Trydent calleth hir goddes fellow by these words fidelissima eius Socia that is Gods moste faithful fellow Nicholaus Cusanus a Cardinal of Rome saith This thing turneth to the praise of God and the Virgin Marie the mother of Christ that she was neuer at any time vnder the Princehoode of the author of death That Virgin neded no deliuerer that should redeeme hir from the sentence pronounced against Adam and his posteritie Mary was neued raced out of the booke of death for she was neuer written in it Here we are taught that Marie the Virgin is our Lady and goddesse that she is Gods fellow and that she had no neede to be saued by the death of Christ nay your church of Rome teacheth to pray vnto hir thus Saue thou al thē that glorifie thee and this also is in Lipomanus beholde howe mighty is the mother of God and how no mā may be saued but by hir What is blasphemie if this be not blasphemie yet this is the religion of your holy church of Rome would you haue thought y t either they had writtē thus or durst be so bold to write thus there was none that euer came of the séede of Adam but they haue néede to be saued by the death of Christ. These Bookes that containe these things you ought to burne and not the holy Scriptures wherin you can spie no such faultes Your Church of Rome calles the Uirgin Marie which is the mother of Christ the Quéene of Heauen but it mistakes hir as it doth many other things for she is not the Quéene of Heauen but hir Sonne Christ is the King heauen Therfore the Church of Rome doth most wickedly to worship hir as they doe Wherevpon Epiphanius sayth Let no man eate of this errour touching S. Marie for though the tree be faire yet is not the fruite to be eaten although Marie be beautiful holye and honorable yet is she not to be adored But these women worshipping S. Marie renue againe the sacrifice of wyne mingled in the honor of the goddesse Fortuna and prepare a table for the Diuell and not for God as it is written in the Scriptures They are fedde with meate and wickednesse And againe Their women boult flowre and their children gather stickes to make fine cakes in the honour of the Queene of Heauen Therfore let such women be rebuked by the Prophet Hieremie and let them no more trouble the worlde and let them not say we worship the Queene of Heauen Thus much writeth that auncient Father Epiphanius against the fonde and vnchristianly exalting and honouring of the Uirgin Marie for the Quéene of Heauen Marke also what a blasphemous prayer y e holy Church of Rome doth teache you to pray whereby it appeares that they that belonge to that Churche néede not the bloud of Christ to saue them for the bloud of Thomas Becket which was once a traitour to his King here in England is sufficient for they say thus in their Mattins O Christ make vs to ascend vnto heauen whether Thomas is ascended euen by the bloud of Thomas that he shed for thy sake Is not this Church of Rome thinke you the true Churche of God that blots out the blessed bloud of Christ without which there is no saluation puts in the bloud of a sinfull wretch to climbe to heauē by but I thinke they mistake y e words perhaps the meaning of them is thus make vs to descende into hell whether Thomas is descended euen by the bloud of Thomas y t he shed for the Popes sake for surely if Thomas Becket did pray to ascēd by the bloud of any but of Christ as these of the Churche of Rome doe by his I beléeue that this your holye Saint Thomas a Saint of the Popes making is rather in hell than in heauen Can the children of God or they that are Christians bée content to abide in this blasphemous Church of Rome that vseth suche a kinde of praying as desires to climbe to heauen by the bloud of a vile wretched sinner and refuseth the bloud of that immaculate lambe Iesus Christ the sonne of God Surely if I were as déepely drowned in that detestable Papistrie as any of you are or euer was hearing but halfe this that I haue written I should not onely with al spéede detest that abhominable Religion of the Pope but also flie vnto Christ and take holde on his holy Gospell as I doe not doubt but assuredly trust that many of you will And as this Romish Church hath with hir most wicked prayer blotted out the pure and perfecte order of praying
plain words that he had a wife But perhaps some of you wyll say as you haue sayd what though some of the Apostles were marryed yet they vsed not the companie of their wiues after they were Apostles but did forsake them when you haue proued that wée will credite you the better but vntill then we will not beleue you But as it is sufficiētly proued they were married so can you neuer proue y t after they were Apostles they did vtterly forsake their wiues after neuer vsed their cōpany You thinke belike bicause S. Peter hath not told you that he kept his wife still and vsed hir companie that therefore he did forsake his wife This is no sufficient proofe that he vsed not hir companie for euerie one that kéepe companye with their wiues doe not vse to tell abroade that they lye with their wiues and so S. Peter might kéepe his wife and vse hir company sometimes though he neuer tolde it abrode or wrote of it in his Epistles I thinke that Saint Peter whom you take to bée one of Christes chiefe Apostles did not breake Christes his masters decrée so soone after Christ had made him his Disciple For Christ saith For this cause shall a man leaue his father and mother and sticke to his wife and so they are nowe not twaine but one fleshe Therefore what God hath coupled let no man separate And thus séeing Peter was a man by Christes doctrine he ought not to separate himselfe from his wife And againe Christ saith Whosoeuer putteth away his wife except it be for fornication causeth hir to playe the harlot So that by this it must néedes fall out that eyther Peter did expressely against his maisters doctrine and so was a false seruant to Christ in forsaking his wife or else his wife playde the harlot for that he put hir awaye or else he kept his wife still and did not forsake hir But bicause I am sure you will not say that Peter was a false seruant to his maister in breaking of his doctrine and for that you cā not proue that she was an harlot then it must néedes bée that he did not forsake hir but kept hir still as his wife and so likewise all the rest of the Apostles that were named did not forsake their wyues if they followed the doctrine of their maister Christ. But suppose that none of the Apostles had bene married should that be sufficient to bind al Bishops Ministers and Priestes from marriage Then I may aswell say bicause none of the Apostles were Cookes therfore no Byshoppes Priestes or ministers ought to play the Cookes or in time of necessitie dresse their own dinners Christs Apostles did not ride in their iourneis that euer I heard for their maister Christe did ride but once in all his life shall the Bishops Priests and ministers therfore neuer ride The Pope and his Prelates would not lyke that Christs Apostles neuer kept any Grammer scholes shal Priests and ministers therfore neuer teache children grammer or the latine tong that wer not méete Therfore Bishops Priestes and ministers are not bounde to refuse that which Christ forbad them to do And thus though the Apostles had not bene married as the moste of them were yet that were not a sufficiēt cause to make all Bishoppes Pristes and Ministers liue vnmaried Marke how Saint Chrisostome extols marriage Excuse not thy selfe saith he by thy marriage thy Lord was at the marrying feast and honored marriage with his presence yet dost thou blame marriage And sayst thou that mariage is a hinderaunce to godlinesse I tel the mariage is no hinderance to godlinesse Wilte thou know that it hindereth not to haue wife and children had not Moses wife and children Behold Peter a piller of the Church he had a wife therefore finde no fault with marriage And also the said Chrisostome writing vpon Esay saith who speaketh these words Esaye the beholder of the celestial Seraphins who notwithstanding that he had companie with his wife yet he quenched not the grace of God and moreouer Esay had a sonne and a wife that thou mayst vnderstand that marriage is not euill but that fornication is euil Saint Augustine sayth most holy Samuel begat children and yet nothing abated the merits of righteousnesse Zacharias the Priest a iuste man in his olde age begat a childe Iohn Baptist. Wherfore then is that thing accused that is proued to do no maner of harme Thus you may sée that marriage is much commended of these learned godly Doctours of the prophets Priests and of the Apostles Tertullian was a married Priest Spiridion the Bishop of Cyprus was marryed and had children S. Hilarie the Bishop of Poyters had a wyfe and liued with hir Gregory S. Basiles brother the Bishoppe of Nysa and Gregory Nazianzum father to Gregory Nazianzene and Prosper the Bishop of Rhegium were maryed with manye other Now if Moyses and his brother Aaron and the other priestes of the olde lawe also the holy prophetes of God and the Apostels of Christ and many holy Fathers Bishops and priestes since of the newe lawe haue béene maryed and haue estéemed and allowed it and also proued that it is lawfull and not hurtfull for them in their godlye liuing Then why is it not lawful for our Bishops priests and ministers nowe to marry as well as they And why shoulde it hinder the godly liuing of vs more than the godly liuing of them But Pope Hyldebrand whose holy and vertuous doīgs is before something set forth did first of all establish as is before sayd the lawe for disanulling Priestes marryages therby to make them his chaste Chaplaines about fiue hundereth years ago which the other Popes haue allowed and defended euer since more to get monye than to make them liue chastly and more to séeme godly than indede to liue vertuously which diuelish lawe doth shewe whose disciple he was that deuised it whose Children they were that procured it whose Chaplaines they were that established it and whose Prelates they were that did practise it Therfore y e Pope by the meanes of y e Diuel for Pope Hyldebrand was a coniurer of Diuels that first establisht it hath put downe the marryage of Bishops and Priests that they may get mony to lycence them to kéepe Harlots knowing they are not able to liue chast Marke how God the Pope do agrée God forbids whordom alows maryage but the Pope forbids mariage and allows whordome clean cōtrary to God God appoynteth maryage as a remedy against whordom the Pope taketh away that remedy bicause he woulde haue whordome God sayes thou shalt not steale but he allows worke and labour But if the Princes should make a law that none of their subiects should labour or worke which is the chiefe remedie against theft as the Pope hath made a lawe that no Priests shal marry which is the best remedie againste whoredome then the most of their subiects
sunder Priestes from their wiues saying He placeth strumpets before honest wiues and fornication incest and aduoutry before Chast marriage What neede wee manye wordes in so cleare a case the whole practise of your Church M. Harding professeth the same If a Priest marrie a wife yee suspende him yee excommunicate him yee depriue him ye disquiet him and trouble the whole Church But if he keepe a Concubine one two or three ye are then contented and readie not onely to dissemble it but also with fauour to excuse it Thus much Master Iewel against Maister Harding I heard it credibly tolde that a certaine married Priest came in Quéene Maries time to Doctour Bonner then Bishop of London bringing a letter with hym from a gentleman that was wel acquainted with the Bishop which letter was to desire the sayd Bishop Bonner to be good to the Prieste for the admitting of him into a certaine benefice that he required which letter y e Bishop louingly receâ—ued willingly red which done the Bi. shewed a louing countenaunce vpon y e Priest bidding him to come again to him another time then he would answere him what he wold do As soone as the saide Priest was gone there was one y t was in coÌ„pany of the B. that knew the Prieste who sayde vnto the Bishop my Lord if you let him haue the benefice you know not what you do why said the Bishop forsoothe my Lord sayd he bycause he is a married Prieste is he so said y e Bishop now afore God let me alone y e knaue wil come to me againe And then after within thrée or foure days the same Priest came again to Bonner the Bishop of London Ah sirra said y e B. you are euen he y t I loke for you are a married knaue you no my Lord said the Priest y t is vntrue whosoeuer told it to your Lordship no said the B. it is credibly told me y t you are a married Priest truely said the Priest I had a woman I must néeds confesse but I neuer toke hir for my wife but for my Harlot no sayd the B. I pray God it be no worse I pray God it be no worse and so went casting his armes abrode saying stil I pray God it be no worse as though to haue a wife was worse than to kepe a whore Whether this honest chaste Prieste sped of that he came to the Bishoppe for I knowe not but the Bishop was better pleased with him for saying that he toke hir for his whore than if he hadde sayde that she was hys wife Thus you maye well perceiue that thoughe the Popes shew a face of chastitie by restrayning of Priests from mariage yet both he and his Prelates preferre and mainetaine abhominable whoredome as by the sequele it shall more manifestly appeare Upon the Legantine constructions of Otho ye maye finde these words noted in the glose Whether may a Priest be forced to forsweare his CoÌ„cubine or not it seemeth saith the glose that he may not the resolution hereof is this If a Priest haue married a wife in this case he is forced to forsake hir by an othe Thus these holye Fathers forbidde not fornication nor aduoutrye nor they maye not take an othe to putte their Harlots away but they muste sweare to put away their wiues and to forsake them If Saint Paul had the holy ghost then this Popes lawe is the doctrine of Diuels Further the glose sayth but marke it wel for it is good doctrine It seemeth that the Church of Rome ought to dissemble the falt of whoredome or else it is not worthye to be Sathans Synagoge for the Popes Marshal in deede receiueth tribute or pention of whores Is not this holy father worthye to beléeued estéemed and honored of you as a GOD or Christs own vickar that mayntaines Stewes and brothell houses and takes yearelye rente for whoredome you shal not finde in all the Scripturs that God did either appointe it but plainly forbad it or that eyther Christ or Saint Peter who they say was the first Pope did euer permit or allow it or got money on that fashion Yet Maister Harding woulde fayne excuse the Pope for the kéeping of his Stewes and therefore he sayth thus as followeth Wherefore is the Bishoppe of Rome more to bee blamed for maynetenaunce of his Stewes than the Frenche King or the King of Spayne well sayde Mayster Harding it is spoken like a Diuine Doctour you haue w t no small consideration allowed the Popes Stewes For though the French King and King of Spayne can learne no chastitie of y e Pope yet the Pope may learne Whoredome of the French King of the king Spaine But me thinks the Frenche King and the King of Spaine mighte saye thus rather why maye not we maintayne whoredome and open Stewes as well as our holye Father the Pope for if it were not good and lawful he being Christs vickar would neither vse it nor suffer it This had bene more méete for a lerned Doctour to haue said though not for a Catholike Doctour God sayde vnto the Iewes There shal bee no whore of the daughters of Israell nor anye whore-keeper of the sonnes of Israel Yea but the Pope and his glosers may glose this saying well ynoughe for they may saye that the Pope nor his Prelates nor Priestes that are within hys Uickaredge or Dioces are no Iewes nor are the sonnes or daughters of Iacob Therefore they are none of the sonnes or daughters of Israel and so they maye kéepe whores and playe the Harlots well ynough and bicause Gods law doth not touche them therfore the Popes law doth allow them Marke here what a straight law was made against women for lying with Priests In a prouinciall Councel holden at Oxford it is written thus Let Priests Cuncubineâ— be warned by the Archdeacon c. if they wil not amend then let them bee forbidden to kisse the Pax and to take holye breade in the Church was not this a grieuous and sore punishment to make Harlots refuse their whoredome wyth Priests did their Harlots care so much for kissing of the Pax that they woulde forsake the kissing of Priests no I warrant you and therfore this hard and straight law was made As good a law to auoyde druÌ„knesse were this whosoeuer wil not forbeare drinking of wine wherby they become drunke let them in no wise be suffred to drink water this is as good a law to suppresse drunkennesse as their law at Oxford was to auoyde whoredome Saint Paul sayth It is better to marry than to burne but the Pope is of a clean contrary spyrite and iudgement For his lawes and his déedes shewes that it is better to burne in concupiscence than to marry But if Saint Pauls words be turned cleane backward they will be the Popes owne law And though the Popes law is quite contrary to gods law yet I dare vndertake to make the Popes law
voyce that vttereth Christ hath néede of the tongue to be the minister The Captaine at this halfe out of his witte bare in hande that the hangman deceiued the sight of the people by some subtill and craftie conueyance Not so quoth the hangman if ye suspect my déede open his mouth and searche the roote of his tongue The Captaine at length being confounded with the fortitude and courage of the Martir commaunded him to be brought backe into the prison and there to bée strangled And so he was where his sorrowfull lyfe and paines being ended he now enioyeth quiet rest in the Lord and where no Tirants can hurt him This worthy Martir in whom God thus myraculously did speake when his tongue was plucked out by the rootes and in whom God thus maruellously wrought and whom God did thus strengthen and made bolde and stoute in his cause though his name was Romanus yet he was not of your Romish religion but a professor of the Gospell and of Christes religion And as the spirite of God was plentifull in this holye Martyr and true Christian so hath he bene most aboundant in our Martyrs of late and wil be for euer in all them that professe the Gospell of Christ and are true and perfect Christians And now I will recite no moe examples of the auncient Martyrs but of such as were persecuted and suffred for the professing of Christes Gospell of late dayes wherein you shall plainely sée that as they were persecuted and tormented in Christs quarrel and cause as Romanus was so God wrought in them as he did in Romanus the holye Ghost taught them as he taught Romanus and Christ did strengthem them most wonderfully myraculously as he strengthned Romanus Therfore marke the most cruell and mercilesse dealings of these Tormentors the Papistes which they doe to shew themselues howe like they are to their father the Diuell who as Christ saith was a murtherer from the beginning and yet they will néedes be Christes shéepe and his chiefe flocke But thoughe they saye they are the Churche and flocke of Christ this moste horrible murther and slaughter doeth shewe that they are the Churche and flocke of the Diuell By that holye Father Pope Pius the fourth the professors of gods word were persecuted in Cabria wherof thys that I wil now describe and shew as wel for an example of the maruellous constancie and patience of them that were persecuted as of the crueltie of them that did persecute is to be well noted There were fourescore and eight persons that were Protestants put all into a house togyther and the executioner commeth in and amongst them taketh one and blindfoldeth him with a mufler about his eyes and so led him furth to a larger place where he commaunded him to kneéele down which so doing he did cut his throte and leauing him halfe deade he helde the bloudye knife betwéene his téeth as Butchers vse to doe and carried the mufler all of goare bloude in his hande and came againe to the rest and so he led them out one by one into that other house and cut their throtes And thus Butcherly he killed thē al like Calues and shéepe Whych was a dolefull and horrible spectacle to behold who wente so humbly and patientlye to their deathes as many wyll scantly beléeue Yet as y e true professors and persecuted for the Gospel haue alwayes vsed to doe There was a blind woman was burned at Darby for saying that the substaunce of the breade and Wine is not turned into the substaunce of the bodye and bloude of Christ which woman did offer to the Bishop that perswaded hir to beléeue that the Sacrament was the verye body of Christ that if he would before that company take it vpon his conscience that that doctrine which he would haue hir beléeue concerning the Sacrament was true and that he woulde at the dreadfull daye of iudgement aunsweare for hyr therin as Doctour Taylor before in King Edwards time in diuerse of his Sermons did offer for that that hée preached she woulde then further aunsweare them Wherevnto the Bishop sayde he would But Doctour Dracote his Chauncellour hearing that sayde my Lorde you know not what you do you maye in no case answere for an Heretike Then the Bishoppe asked hir if she wold recant or no and sayde she should answeare for hir selfe Then the poore blinde woman perceyuing this sayde if you refuse to take it on your conscience that it is true you woulde haue me beléeue I wil aunsweare no further and desired them to do their pleasure And then they gaue sentence against hir and so she was burned Were not these godly and holy Fathers and of a good and true religion that did burne innocente people bycause they did not beléeue that they themselues did not beléeue to be true for if the doctrine was true that they taught and they beléeued the same why mighte not they then haue sayde on theyr conscience that it was true and why might not they haue aunswered for them therein to God at the daye of iudgemente this notable example shewes plainely that the doctrine of these persecuting Papistes is wicked and false that they are not of the church of God but of the fellowship of the Diuell that burned these poore blinde and simple women and manye other bycause they beléeued not that the Sacramentall breade and Wine was the verye body and bloud of Christe and theyr wicked religion of the Pope whyche they themselues being learned Byshoppes and Doctoures dyd not beléeue nor stande too But our Preachers of the Gospell will take on theyr conscience and wil stand betwéen God and their hearers that the doctrine they teach is true Therfore this only example if I had writtē nothing else vnto you is sufficient to persuade you that our doctrine is true and your Romishe religion is false vnlesse you winke for the nonce bycause you wil not sée Here also is another notable example whereby you may vnderstande howe God giues his spirite of trueth to the professors of the Gospell hys seruauntes that dye for the Testimonie of the same wherein you shall heare howe maruellouslye and truelye a poore man that was burned for thys our Religion prophesied of the shamefull ende of his persecuter a wicked Papisticall Commissarie A certaine pore man of Callais saying that he woulde neuer beléeue that a Priest coulde make the Lordes body at his pleasure was therefore accused and also condemned by one Haruy Commissarie there Whiche Haruy in time of his iudgement inueighing againste him wyth opprobrious words said that he was an heretike and should dye a vile death The poore man aunswering for himself saide againe that he was no heretike but was in the faith of Christe And whereas thou saist that I shall dye a vile death thou thy selfe shalt dye a viler death and that shortly And so it came to passe for within halle a yeare after the said Haruy
and hée sayde yea and if you thynke it be not wel then mend it Then Rose Allen sayd mend it nay the Lorde mend you and gyue you repentaunce if it bée hys wil. And nowe if you thinke it good beginne at the féete and burne to the head also for he that set you a worke shal pay you your wages one day I warrant you And so she went and carryed hir mother drinke as she was commaunded The saide Rose Allen being asked of one howe she coulde suffer the painefull burning of hir hand she saide at the first it was some griefe but afterward the longer she burned the lesse she felte or wel néere none at all Thus you may wel perceiue that the Gospel that shée professed was and is the true religion and that she tooke Gods quarrel in hand or else the Lord would not haue giuen hir this wonderfull patience and haue strengthned hir and mitigated hir paines in the burnyng of hir hande as he did Byshop Bonner he mighte be called Bishop Burner wel ynoughe caused a blinde Harpers hande to be burned with a hote burning coale whiche blinde man saide that if euery ioynt of him were burned yet he trusted in the Lorde not to flye Marke here agayne I beséeche you a wonderfull and straunge example not only of the great constancie and patience of one Thomas Hawkes that was burned for his professing the gospel of Christ but of the manifest proofe therby that the cause he died in was iuste and true and that God did myraculously assiste him and mitigated his torments in the flames of the fire This worthy member of Christ Thomas Hawkes was burned for witnessing the worde of God at a Towne in Essex called Coxhall A little before whose death certayne of his friends priuily desired that in the mids of the flames he woulde shewe them some token if he coulde whereby they might be more certaine whether the paine of suche burning were so greate that a man might therein kéep his minde quiet and pacient whyche thing he promised them to doe And so secreatlye betwéene them it was agréede that if the payne myghte bée suffered then hée should lifte vp his handes aboue his head towardes Heauen before hée gaue vppe the Ghost And when hée was broughte to the stake to be burned there mildely and paciently hée addressed himselfe to the fire hauyng a straighte chaine caste about his middle after whose feruent prayers made vnto God the fire was set vnto him in the whiche when he continued long and when his spéeche was taken away by violence of the flame his skinne also drawne togither and hys fingers consumed with the fire so that al men had thought certainely he hadde béene dead sodainely and contrary to expectation the saide blessed seruaunt of God beyng mindfull of his promisse before made reached vppe hys handes burnyng on a light fire which was maruellous to behold ouer hys head to the liuing God and with greate reioysing as it séemed stroke or clapped them thrée tymes togither At the sight whereof there followed suche an outcrye of the people and especially of them whiche vnderstoode the matter that the like commonly hathe not béene hearde And so this blessed seruant of God strait way sincking down into the fire gaue vppe his spirite Thys myraculous burning of the saide Thomas Hawkes was in the yere of our Lord. 1555. These wonderful examples of the Gospellers suffring so patiently of their dying so willingly of the holy Ghoste speaking in them so abundantly of their maruellous constancie of Gods strengthning them so mightilye and hys working in them so myraculouslye that if before I had not sufficiently proued the Pope to be the childe of Sathan and your Romishe religion to be the Diuels Doctrine is sufficient to winne you to God to allure you to Christe and to embrace the Gospel our heauenly and true religion to obey your Prince to loue your Countrey and nowe with great desire to become english friends But if there be any of you so deluded by the diuel so incensed by Sathan and so bewitched with papistrie that neither any thing before written can moue you nor these maruellous examples of Gods mercifull and wonderfull protecting boldening teaching strengthning fauouring comforting assisting and defending of his seruauntes the professors of the Gospell cannot allure you then I beséeche you for I can goe no further let these fearfull faithlesse horrible dolefull and desperate deaths of the persecuting and murthering cruell Papists with their mockers and scorners of Gods word and reuolters and shunners from the Gospel that folow feare and terrifie you any longer to persiste in youre erronious and most pernitious Papisticall doctrine least you be made the instrumēts of his wrath as they were Now therfore marke them well and as you like their deaths so followe their liues And as I saide before that the Martyres of the Primitiue Churche and our persecuted Protestantes suffered all alike were patient all alike and were loued ayded and strengthned of God all alike and therfore all of one religion So the tyrannous persecutors of the Martyres long since and the Papisticall persecutors of the professors of the Gospel since that time haue died desperately horribly diuelishly and dolefully all alike and haue hadde Gods wrath and vengeaunce all alike and therefore were all of a wicked and diuelish religion And for that you shall not thinke that the Papisticall murtherers and persecutors died more godlye than they you shal sée the godly ends and deaths of some of them both And firste I will shewe you some examples of the tyrannous persecutors in the olde time of the professors of the Gospell Herod that murthered Iohn Baptist and condemned Christ was condemned to perpetuall banishement where hée dyed miserably Pylate vnder whome Christe was crucified was apprehended and accused at Rome deposed then banished to the Towne of Lyons who at length dyd kil himselfe Antiochus a tormentor of the Christians fell downe from his iudicial seate crying out whose bowels burned within him and so he dyed Decius that cruell persecutor of the Christians bothe hée and his sonne were slaine of enimies in battell The Emperour Valerian a cruell persecutor of the Christians wente not without hys rewarde therefore for Sapores the King of the Persians tooke him prisoner and vsed him for his blocke when he got vpon his horse Maxentius that greate persecutor of the Christians fell off on a bridge wyth his horse and his harnesse whyche brydge he had made for Constantine the Christian Emperoure and so be was drowned Marke the endes and death of these persecutors of the Christians Dioclesian poysoned himselfe Maximinian was hanged Seuerus was slayne by Maximinian Lucinus was slaine by Constantine Thus these persecutors of the professors of Christes Gospel neuer liue quietly nor yet dye godly Galerius the Emperour of the East parts a great persecutor of the Christians was therefore plagued of GOD wyth a
wonderful sicknesse and an incurable disease for he hadde a sore risen in the nether parte of his belly which consumed his priuie partes from whence swarmed greate plentie of wormes whyche disease coulde not be helped with any surgerie or phisicke according to the promise of God wherefore he confessed that it happened for his crueltie towarde the Christians who slew hymselfe not able to abide the stenche of his owne sore Suche hathe béene is and wyll be the gaine and ende of them that persecute Gods people Beholde here a wonderful example of God shewed vpon thrée periured persons for falsely accusing the aged and reuerend father Narcissus the seruaunt of God and a pure professor of Christes Gospell whiche Narcissus was of the age of a hundreth thrée score and thrée yeares and Byshop of Ierusalem The one of them that were hys accusers wished to be destroyed with fire the other to be coÌ„sumed with a grieuous sicknesse the third to lose both his eies if he did lye whereby the godly and guiltlesse man went and liued in a solitarie and desert place a great while But God that is a iuste reuenger of wickednesse and a defender of his innocent seruants punished them al thrée according to theyr owne wordes The first by casualtie of one little sparke of fire was burned with his goods and al his family The second was taken with a greate sickenesse from the head to the féete and deuoured by the same The thirde hearyng and séeyng the punishement of the other confessed his fault But through great repentance powred oute suche feares with wéeping that he loste bothe hys eyes And thus as God iustly punished them for their periurie against the innocent seruant of God So God of late dayes hathe maruellously punished a great sorte of the Papists that cruelly killed murthered and misused Gods true and simple seruaunts for professing the Gospell And nowe as I haue shewed you howe God hath powred his vengeaunce on the tyrantes and persecutors of the holye Martyres that were persecuted long since before the wicked Popes so also I will expresse vnto you the miserable endes and deaths of some of the Papisticall persecutors since the tyme of the wicked Popes whose terrible and fearefull endes I beséeche GOD maye bée a sufficient warning for you A cruel wretche called Iohn de Roma a Monke hauing a coÌ„mission to examine suche as professed the gospel whom they call Heretikes vsed great crueltie towardes them He filled bootes with boiling grease and so put them vpon their legs tying them backward to a fourm with their legs hanging downe ouer a small fire so he examined them Thus hée tormented verye many and in the ende moste cruellye putte them to death c. But the sayde holye Monke as holynesse goeth with Papists by the iust iudgement of God fel sicke of a moste horrible disease straunge and vnknowne to any Phisition whose paines and tormentes being moste extreame coulde not be eased one minute of an houre with any ointment or any thing els whose steÌ„ch and sauor was so greate that came from hym that none coulde abide it neyther would anye of hys owne fréendes come neare hym wherefore hée was carryed to an Hospitall to be kept but the stenche and infection so encreased and was so greate that no manne there durste come neare him no more he hymselfe was able to abide the horrible smell that issued from hys bodye béeyng full of vlcers and soares and swarming with vermyne and so rotten that the fleshe fell awaye from the bones by péece meale And whyles he was in these tormentes he cryed oute often in greate rage Oh who wil deliuer me who wil kill and rid me out of these intollerable paines which I knowe I suffer for the euilles and oppressions that I haue done to the pore men he wente dyuers tymes aboute to destroy himselfe but he had not the power to doe it In these horrible tormentes and feareful despaire this blasphemer and moste cruel vexer tormentor and murtherer of the poore professors of Gods worde most miserably ended his curssed life Here you maye plainely vnderstande that this wicked Monke thoughe he were of the Popes religion hée was not of Gods religion for that the Lord thus plagued and tormentâ—d him shewing his verye cursse béefore mentioned euen an incurable diseaâ—e as hée didde to wicked Iehoram the sonne of good King Iehoshaphat And as the Monkes tormentes and end was like to the ende of Iehoram So he was like in crueltie and also in Idolatrie forsaking the lawe of God for the wicked deuises of men Also the Lord of Reueâ—â— chief President of the Parliament of Aâ—aâ— cruellye vsâ—d the professors of the Gospell and putte them to death who after was stricken with such an horrible sickenesse of furie and madnesse that hys wife nor any durst come neare him and so he dying in hys furie and rage was iustely plagued of GOD for hys vnmercifulnesse and crueltie shewed and done to the children of God The Commendator of Saint Anthonie of Vienna that gaue sentence of condemnation on the seruaunt of GOD Wolfgangus fel sodainely downe and dyed And the Abbot of Clarilocus his fellow stricken with sodaine feare at the cracke of guns fel downe and dyed Thomas Arundale Archbishop of Canterburie a persecutor of the Gospellers y t gaue sentence on the Lorde Cobham for professing the word of God was plagued of God that hys tongue dyd swell that he could swallow no meat and so dyed And althoughe he gaue sentence on the Lorde Cobham yet gods iudgemeÌ„ts were suche that he died two or thrée yeares before him A certain Bishop of Hungarie did runne about starke mad so rauing dyed miserably that tyed Hares Géese and Hennes about a Priest and then put dogges to him who chased him about the Citie snatching and catching at him what they coulde get whereof he dyed And thus the Priest was martyred for saying that the eating of fleshe is not forbidden by the Scriptures but this Bishop gayned nothing by thus martyring of him vnlesse Gods wrath be a gayne A Priest reuolting from the Gospel was sodainely killed by two gentlemen that oughte him euill will by the iudgemeÌ„t of god immediately after he weÌ„te out of prison from one Philbert that after was strangled and burned for the word of God To which Priest Apostata the sayd Philbert sayde oh vnhappie and more than miserable is it possible for you to be so foolishe as for sauing of a fewe dayes which you haue to liue by course of nature so to start away and deny the trueth know you therefore that althoughe you haue by your folishnesse auoyded the Corporal fire yet your life shall be neuer the longer for you shall die before And God shall not giue you grace that it shall be for his cause and you shal be an example to al Apostles And immediately the reuolting Prieste was slaine as soone as he went out of
to England And thus I trow I haue proued that you are English enimies Mark again Christ sayth who is to be beléeued No maÌ„ can serue two masters for either he shal hate the one loue the other or else leane to the one and despise the other By these words of Christ who caÌ„not ly though the Pope may erre al English persons that loue the Pope and his religion must néeds hate the Quéen hir religioÌ„ or if they leane to the Pope and his religion then they despise the Quéene and hir religion Therfore if it be construed to the best all you that are Papists for that you do leane to the Pope and his religion do dispise the Quéene and hir religion And I thinke you owe no great loue where yée dispise And so if you hate or despise the Quéen whose life as I saide is the prosperitie of England then you caÌ„ not be friends to EnglaÌ„d but enimies to England And thus by Christs own words you must néeds whether you wil or no be english enimies I grant there are many other English enimies yet al that may properly be called English enimies are not enimies to England for al they that are born in England that hate the diuell wickednes sin that are enimies to them that are enimies to England may in a right sense be called English enimies of whom I neither mean neither haue I any iust cause to write for though they may be called English Enimies yet they are friends to England But I meane y t they are English enimies y t are hurtful to England wherof there are many besides you but not such as you Our théeues are English Enimies whereof many steale for necessitie Unthrifts are english enimies both to themselues to other for that they spend wastefully on theÌ„selues that other haue néede of Drunkards are english enimies but are most of al their owne foes vnlesse they kil or hurte anye in theyr drunkennesse besides many other such like enimies yet al these with many other are not suche english enimies vnlesse they be Papists withall but y t they loue their Prince obey and followe hir godly procéedings wish hir a prosperous raigne and would fight if néede were for hir grace and helpe to defend this their countrey from hir foes which may be counted as friendes in comparison of you that are such papisticall enimies For though there are many Englishe enimies as théeues murtherers pyrates coyners clyppers of mony and counterfayters of the Quéens seale with diuers other yet you that are obstinate disobedient and determined Papists are the most earnest enimies to England of al other for if the Quéenes Maiestie shoulde enrich set in authoritie or promote the said théeues murtherers pyrats coyners clippers of mony counterfaiters of hir highnesse seale vnlesse they be Papistes withall they would thanke hir loue hir obey hir obserue hir lawes so of English enimies become English friends whiche you that are peruerse and determined Papistes woulde neuer do though hir Grace should do so to you For as Harlots that loue other better thaÌ„ they loue their husbaÌ„ds though their husbands loue them neuer so well set al their whole mind deuises and studies how to be rid of their husbaÌ„ds Euen so you that are obstinate and determined Papistes that are spirituall fornicators though the Quéenes Maiestie should giue you great liuings set you in aucthoritie or highly promote you yet for all that youre chiefe minde and studie would be how to be rid of hir Grace howe to displace hir and how to haue a Papist to rule in hir roome whereby you might at your owne libertie commit spiritual whordom with Idols Images the Masse which you loue better than youre owne louing husbande Christe the sonne of God And thus let the Quéenes Maiestie doe for you neuer so much yet you wil not be Englishe friendes but vtter enimies to hir Grace and to England youre â—wne natiue country vntil of peruerse Papists you become perfect Protestants whiche is altogither my drifte Yet I beséeche you marke this and consider it well thoughe verye néed compel the aforesaid for the most part to be théeues murtherers pyrats coyners of money and such like to bée English enimies which may and do dayly become english friends yet there are such lawes for them as therfore they are put to death But for you that are obstinate disobedieÌ„t papists that are so great enimies to England without néed and that nothing can reclame to be friends to England our most milde and merciful Quéene as yet hath made no such law to put you to deth nor gréeuosly to punish you though you deserue deth a gret deale more al things wel weighed considered than any of the other english enimies do For if one that clippeth or diminisheth y e Quéenes coyne wheron hir Image or picture is but printed or stampte is worthily called a Traytor by law therfore is hanged drawn quartred Then are not you worthy to be called Traytors deserue death which procure wish or desire by any meane the displacing of your Prince the destruction of hir person the alteration of our most quiet happy state the calamitie of your countrey men the confusion of the common wealth and the ruine of this oure worthy reaime of England If he that counterfeteth the Quéenes Maiesties seale for some priuate profit breaking thereby but one parte of hir laws is a traytor is therefore put to death then are not you that are obstinate and disobedient Papists traytors deserue death that hate your Prince without any cause that withstand disobey al hir godâ—y laws procéedings in the louing and obeying of whom the kéeping obseruing of whose laws orders hir Graces safetie the preseruation of hir person the conseruation of the common wealth and the prosperous state of this realme doth chiefly depend If hereby you wil not willingly sée what you are I feare againste youre willes you will féele hereafter what you are Open youre eyes therefore and sée what a mercifull Quéene you haue that euer since she began to raigne hath rather mercifully without law sought to winne you than cruellie by law to enforce or wound you Thinke not bycause she suffereth you that therfore she cannot punish nor execute you which if some of you sticke not to say openly many of you I beléeue thinke the same priuily Thinke not bycause she hath made no lawe for you that therefore she can make no law for you for the Quéens Maiestie hath as great power to punishe the Idolatrous Papistes in hir Realme as King Iosia had to burne the Priests of Baal in his realme King Asa and his people made a couenant and swore not onely to séeke the Lorde to cleaue vnto hym and to hearken vnto his voice but also that who soeuer didde not so shoulde be slaine whether he were small or great man or woman which couenant