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A13311
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An apologie or defence agaynst the calumnacion of certayne men which preferring wylfull wyll and carnal reason before the playn trueth of Gods gospel, (do sclaundre those men, which for the better seruinge of God with a more pure conscience, according to his holy word) haue abandoned theyr liuinges and vocacion, abydinge as exyles in poore estate oute of theyr natyue cou[n]trye.
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I. T., fl. 1555.
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1555
(1555)
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STC 23619; ESTC S103238
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12,085
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24
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labor which I neuer had done nor was brought vp in such extremitie wherfore they feared I should not be able to endure it I aunswere them with S. Paul I haue learned in what estate soeuer I am there with to be content I can doe all thinges thorough the helpe of Christ I also saye with S. Paul Phil. iiij Rom. viij shall tribulacion or anguishe or persecucion eyther hunger or nakednesse perill or sworde separate vs from the loue of God Timo. vi Mar. viij More the same Apostle sayth Godlines is great ryches yf a man be coÌteÌt with that he hath for we brought nothing into the world and it is a playne case that we can carye nothing out What should it auayle a man to winne the whole world lose his owne soule I most hartely reioyse in god that I haue not receyued his gospell in vayne For I had rather with Lazarus enioy a poore estate Luke xvi begging my bread in myserye with a quiet coÌscience theÌ with dyues to wallow in welth and for pleasure sake lose the lyfe euerlasting Christ Iesus the alone Sauiour Philip. ij our Lorde mayster thought it no robberye as S. Paule sayth beyng very God to take our nature vpoÌ him and for our sakes to become man in moste lowe degree Who as a most pure paterââ and godly example for vs to folow walked in this vale of miserie in great humilitie and poore estate saying the foxes haue holes Luke ix the byrdes of the ayre haue nestes but the sonne of man hath not a place to put his head in O my frend these places of Scripture are not written in vayne but for our learninge Roma xâ that we through pacience and comforte of the Scripture might haue hope It is geuen vs as S. Paule sayth not onely to beleue on Christ but to suffre for his sake yf Christ Iesus my Lord and maister walked in such poore estate Wall I a wretched sinner beyng but earth wormes meat hauig no certeÌtie of my life Rom. viij ij Tim. 7. for a litle pleasure in this worlde lose the life euerlasting ⪠God forbid remeÌbring the yf we wil raigne with Christ we must suffre with him Now my freÌde yf I other men should doe as you other do what nede we to suffre with christ For yf wheÌ as the gospel by god his special mercy auctoritie of the king is set forth I theÌ embrace it as a truth in those daies there is no cause why I should suffre for the gospel as in the time of the godly Price king Toward the sixt Psal lxvi Gapien 3 Lcclesi 2 But wheÌ for our vnthaÌkefulnes wretched liuing god doth take his gospel away froÌ vs as it is come to passe in our laÌd at this day to make trial of his elect according to this saying As gold is tried in the furneys so god doth trie his elect yf I then as you most men doe now i these daies dissemble with the trueth which before I embrased coÌfirming my selfe to the impiete of this time There is theÌ no cause why I should suffre with christ no maÌ wil lay any matter to my charge yf externally I obserue the law and theÌ were these wordes of suffring with christ in vayn the gospel such a trueth as I liste to make applie it Yf I shal perswade my self to please christ to be in fauor with God yet wil not suffre with christ My freÌde in mine opinioÌ it is not in our chose to take vp christes crosse as we lift the way we would but as god our he aueÌly father in christ hath destined appointed vs vnto wel let the maÌ be ware which obserueth the ordre of this time maynteyninge his owne doyng coÌdeÌning other meÌ for not doyng the same yet wil say he is gods seruâât Truely I wil not coÌdeÌne hi for God shal be his iudge But surely I thinke he might aswell saye there were no god for god is none otherwise knoweÌ honored of him but as his fleshly wyll list to knowe serue him not captiuating his iudgemeÌt to the word of god by the which word god is truly serued worshipped not pleased as we imagine Mat. xvij We are coÌmauÌded to harkeÌ to the voyce of christ to heare him which sayth he the wyll be my disciple let him forsake himselfe take vp his crosse folow me Now yf the maÌ which wil liue â al securite pleasure of this life wheÌ God maketh trial of his church wil nether suffre with him Mat. xvi nor take vp his crosse folow him yet wil say he hath right in his doyng surelye this place may be verified of him Not al they which say lord lord shal entre into the kingdoÌ of heaueÌ Iames .i. Roma ij but he the doeth the wil of my father which is in heaueÌ not the hearers of the law but the doers shal be iustified Christ sayth Zroade is the way that leadeth to destructioÌ many go in therat but narow is the way the ledeth to saluacioÌ Mat. vij Luke xiij few ther be which find it Christes flock is bât a litle flock The cause my freÌd why it is but litle the narrow way not fouÌde out is because the of our nature we are sinful delight in the corrupcion thereof pleasing our selues with corruptible thiÌges not delighting in heaueÌly misteries for flesh bloud is not capable of heaueÌlye knowledge Therefore hath God geuen vs ouer to a lewde mynd perswading oure selues to be in the righte when as manifestlye we are in the wroÌg according to the saying of S. Paul Roma i. wheÌ as they knewe God dyd not worship him an god the lord gaue theÌ ouer to their own lustes And because that wheÌ we had the light of Gods Gospel among vs we embraced not nor walked in the same Therefore hath God suffered darkenes errour to ouerwhelme vs yet we wyll saye we are in the right may dissemble for the time saying God knoweth our hartes My frende be not deceyued God requyreth the whole maÌ withall our powers to serue him according to the fyrst coÌmaundemente Exod. xx Mat. xxij where it is writteÌ Thou shalte loue the Lorde thy God withal thy harte soule mynd withall thy powers How we obserue this precepte when as we prostrate our selues before an Idol partaking with the vngodly the Lorde at the last day shal reuele make openly knoweÌ It is like as yf a maried womaÌ should submit her body to the vse of another maÌ when her husbande layeth the offeÌce to her charge she auÌswereth husband be not angrie for my so doyng for although I abandoned my body to that maÌs vse yet I reserued my hart wholy to you My freÌd I thinke there is no man beynge of any godly knowledge could digest that
those holy men to coÌmauÌde vs to auoyde the coÌpany of Idolaters is written in vayne to no purpose Truely in my simple iudgement as my conscience testifieth to me ruled by Gods holy spirite They ar written specially for our dayes that we shoulde be without al excuse wheÌ as God shal lay make open euery mans dedes ij Cor. vi S. Paul hath the lyke saying Come out froÌ amonge them separate your selues froÌ them saith the Lord reade out the Chap. and note the wordes well And lette your conscience witnesse with you who hath the right It is a thig very difficile to touche pitch Eccl. xiij and not to be defyled I wylknitte vp the first parte of your matter obiected against me with this coÌclusioÌ The. viij Chap. to the Romains and so consequentely all the whole Scripture through doth teache these two poinctes That fyrst God the father in his free mercy by hyâ sonne Christ hath chosen vs withoute any deseruing on oure partes accordinge to this sayinge Those which he appoynted before them also he called which he called them also he iustified which he iustified them also he glorifyed Secondly he dyd it to this ende that as the scripture sayth they might be made like to the Image of his sonne in suffring with him Now my freÌd yf we wil persâade our selfes to be chosen in Christ and wyl not suffre with him and yet thinke to raygne with him I pray God we beguyle not our selues To come to the second part In that ye layd agaynste me the doynges of other men which being both good and godlye obserued the order of this tyme. Laying to my charge why I shoulde be more precyse and scrupule of conscience then other men they beyng godly To that sayinge I aunswere The doynges of men is no presidente for a Christen man to folowe how good soeuer they be called onles they dyrecte theyr wayes according to Gods holy worde Howbeit folowing the counsayle of S. Paule I wyll reporte well of them as Christen charitie woulde to iudge the beste in hid thinges Therfore for that I can not know with what mynd they do it I muste folow the admonicioÌ of the Apostle to thinke wel of theÌ Onely this I know am not ignoraunte of by experience do proue taste in my fraile life and corrupt nature which is altogether sinneful that terrour of lawes maketh vs to stoupe and decline to thinges sinning agaynst knowledge for the preseruacion of this vncertayne life keping of our goodes O that we would remembre this saying i. Petri. i. All fleshe is as grasse all the glorie of man is as the flowre of grasse which sentence wel wayed would kepe vs froÌ dissembling in that thing whereof our coÌscieÌce accuseth vs to the which my harte in no wise can agree to consent Mat. xvi Christ sayeth who soeuer shal lose his life for my fake shal find it More I am a ialous God Exod. xx that cannot suffre my honour to be geuen to any other nor no part therof The Lord in these wordes doeth accommodate him selfe to vs as oure weake nature can know him Our fleshe is in no one cause so sone moued or prouoked to wrath as in that fighte that may styrre vs to ialowsye which offence we can almost by no intercession or sute skantly remitte or pardon And God which seeth al our doynges before whose presece al thiges are open beholdeth howe we dissemble with hys loue makinge familiar freÌdship league with his enemies Wel these wordes I am a ialous god require in vs an vpright pure vndefiled couer sacioÌ lest by our dissimulacion we prouoke the lord to anger i. Petri. i. O my frend the god which in hys mercy hath so dearely bought vs not with corruptible gold or syluer but with his moste holy precious harte bloud requyreth of vs our whole maÌ with mind coÌuersacion to serue him âccording to this saying âe holy Leuit. xix i. Petri. 1. ij Cori. vi for I am hoââ be not partakers with the vngodly for what âncorde hath Christ with Belial ãâã or howe aâreeth darkenes with light Now thy frende âamen these wordes well iudge whether it âe the acte or parte of him that would âe repuâd taken for a perfect Christen man to comâunicáte be partaker with ydolaters and to ââire his âaââe into the boke among them to yeâreat sclaundre of Gods Gospell In that the âapistes may triumphe that all me and speciâlly such as were called Feruent gospellers do âmbrace and folow the order of this vnhappy âyme whereby they boasââ glorie their reliâion to be most trew On the other part consyââe how ye wound offende the conscience of âour weake brother not yet growen to ful perâection of knowledge who hath his eyes open âpon you who seyng you to do the same thinâeth it a lawful acte so ye are the cause of his âall S. Paul sayth when ye sinne agaynst the ârethren wounde their weake conscience i. Cor. viij ye finne agaynst Christ Reade the Chapt. yf S. âaul had that mynde in lawfull thinges that âather then he would offend the conscience of âis weake brother he woulde neuer âate fleshe while he liued how much more my freÌd ought âe to haue a conscience to offend your brother ân an vnlawefull thinge We be to him sayeth âhrist that offendeth one of these little ones It were better for him to haue a mylstone tied ât his necke so cast into the sea Luk. xvij Cal to youre remembraunce digest well the worthy commendacion geueÌ to Eleaâaâ in Gods boke called the Bible That were as his freÌdes moue with peuishe pitie hauinge no taste of an vp right conscience perswaded him for the sauâ garde of his lyfe to eate swynes fleshe 2. Mac. 6 whicâ in no wise he would do for that it was againâ the lawâ of God his conscience And whââ his frendes perceyned that for no perswasioâ he would not eate it they earnestly oportunââ and counsayled him to make a countenauÌce aâ though he had eaten some which dissimulaciâ EleÌazar knowing it to be against Gods woââ aswel fearing the yll president example thâ might grow thereof to other men beyng yoâ weake and vnperfect in Gods worde as alâ remembring his honorable lyfe good conueâ sacion old age would in no case make counâ nannce to eate nor vse any such dissimulacioâ but rather presarâed to dye theÌ he would coâ terfect suche hypocâisie Loke reade the terâ calling for wysoo knowledge to God Coâming to the boke with a pure myâde ye shaââ easely perceaue whether the obseruers of thâ tyme walke in that puritie of lyfe whiche ãâã châfely requyrâd in him that in time past haââ bene called a gospeller There is another noâ and lesson in Eleagar to be marked ⪠that whââ his frendes paâaiued the constancie and