that in our CoÌ„gregationis we haue the fauourable presence of Iesus Christ aswel in his word as in his holy sacrameÌ„tes For in his name alone conuene we be him alone we call vpon God our Father and be him alone we are assured through y â— power of his holy spreit to obtene our requeastes made according to his wil. We â—onder greatlie that the wryter considderis not that the promise of the Prophet is that all Nationis shall cum to that holie montane We are a Nation how abiect y â— euer we appeare why theÌ„ will the wryter deny vnto vs fre passage to the hous of y â— Lord seing that the terme of the last dayes is not yet expyred and seing that we desyre to be taught in the wayes of the Lord and to walk in his pathes yea seing that thousandis in Scotland refuses not to be rebuked of the Lord and to suffer him to iudge amoÌ„ges vs. If the wryter will say becaus we will not acknowledge Rome to be the mother of all other Kirkis We answer as befoir let vs heare the commaÌ„dement of our God charging vs so to do and our obedience shall not be long craued For we are most willing to obey our mother Prouyding that she shaw the vndouted signes of a naturall mother But an vsurped tytle without farther assuraÌ„ce we dar not admit And this far for his assertion and for the mynd of the Prophet Now followeth his conclusioun in these wordes Wherefoir if ye can not shaw what place of the worlde afoir thre hundreth yeares your Kirk was into It followeth of necessitie that it is no Kirk c. ¶ How this conclusion may be rightly gathered of the wordes of the Prophet we suffer the readers and the wryter him self to coÌ„sidder And yet becaus y â— till vs it wer a thing moste greuous so to be excommunicate that we â—er no Kirk That is no parcell of the holy Kirk vniuersall We answer for our entres and say That befoir 15. hundreth yeares our Kirk was in Ierusalem in Samaria in Antiochia and wheresoeuer Christ Iesus was trewly preached and his blissed EuaÌ„gell obedientlie receaued whether it was amonges y â— Iewis or Gentiles There we say was our Kirk which is not bound to any one place but is dispersed vpon y â— face of the hole earth hauing one God one faith one baptisme and one Lord Iesus sauiour of all that vnfeanedly beleue And so we feare not to receaue the tytle and authoritie of a particulare Kirk becaus we haue all thinges be Godes word that thereto apperteâ—nes Yea we are farther bold to affirme that if euer it shall please God to bring y â— Kirk of Rome to hir originall puritie that she shall not be ashamed to imbrase and reuerence the pure Kirk of Scotland as her dearest sister and nixt resembling her in all thinges before that pryde and auarice ioyned with Idilnes and ryatous leuing corrupted her Ministers and that the inuentionis of men wer preferred to Godes simple treuth We say yet againe y â— whensoeuer the Kirk of Rome shal be reduced to that estate in the whiche the Apostles left it we ar assured that she shall vote in our fauoures against all such as shall deny vs to be a Kirk if God continew vs in y â— simplicitie which this day is mocked of y â— world Now let vs heare how the wryter proceadeth ¶ TYREIS LETTER AND swyftlie gif ze or ony of zour cunning Ministeris of zour new inueÌ„ted Euangell schaw me the dew successioÌ„ of his Kirk sen Christ and by that aggre the manifest contradictioun that baith I haue red and sene with my ene amangis y â— Doctouris principallis of zour new doctrine I sall not only reâ—unce the senteÌ„ce quhilk I haif haldin heirtofoir bot al 's sall afoir all that will heare me confes my ignorance and faâ—lt and sall employ all my strength to the furthsetting of zour Religioun c. ANSWER OF this part of the wryters letter of that w t is past befoir it is easie to coÌ„sider that he wil acknawledge no Kirk to be the trew Kirk of Iesus Christ onles y â— it can shaw the dew succession therof froÌ„ the dayes of Iesus Christ. And farther y â— the teachers of it do so aggre in doctrine that in no point they be found to differ one from an other We answer if the immaculate spous of Iesus Christ wer bouÌ„d to these two extremities The bondage thereof wer moste miserable but becaus we find our maister Iesus Christ is moir fauourable to his pure Kirk then Maister Tyrie craues we are decreed to stand in that fredome and libertie whereunto our head and only souerane Lord hes called vs. We find y t he sendes not his afflicted Kirk to seak a lineal successioÌ„ of any persones befoir that he wil receaue theÌ„ but he with all gentilnes calleth his sheap vnto him self saying cum vnto me all ye y t laubour and are laden I will ease yow And agane all that the Father giueth me shall come to me and him that cometh to me I cast not away O golden and moste comfortable sentence pronunced of him who can not lie Heir is no mention of any succession that we should clame to befoir that we be receaued of him who is the head of y â— Kirk but only it is said that that which the father giueth and that the sone receaueth shall not be cast away nether yet will he lose any that cuÌ„meth to him but that he will saue them and rase them vp at y e last day And the Apostle speaking of the vocation of the Gentiles sendes them not to seak a succession but in the persone of y â— Ephesianes pronunceth this sentence in fauoures of all that beleue in Iesus Christ. Now therefore ye ar no moir strangers and foraners but Cietizens with y â— sanctâ—s and of the houshold of God And ar builded vpon the fundatioun of the Apostles and Prophetes Iesus Christ him self being thâ— cheaf corner stone in whome all the buylding coupled together groweth vnto an holy TeÌ„ple in the Lord. Heir we find men who befoir wer strangers maid Cietizenes with the sainctes and of the houshold of God we find them buyded vpon the â—undation of the Apostles and Prophetes we find Iesus Christ to be the cheaf corner stone but we find no mention of any sic successioÌ„ as maister Tyrie seameth rigorously and without Godes commandement to craue And thereâ—oir we caÌ„ not but wonder why that mortall man shall craue of vs that which nether God y â— Father his sone Châ—ist Iesus nether yet thâ— holy Apostles in their Ministerie craued of any Realme or Nation And therefoir let Maister Tyrie tak this for an answer That an iniust requeast may iustly be denyed And yet least that the wryter or any other should think theÌ„ selues rather mocked then answered We
nixt answer to signifie vnto vs why he calleth the Kirk of Scotland inuisible seing that the ground and the persones inhabitant within the same ar subiect to the senses of all those that list to looke vpone them yea the doctrine taught vnto vs is so patent that the verray enemies them selues ar not forbidden to heare and to iudge of it And finally the administratioÌ„ of the Sacramentes within our Kirkis are so pâ—blict that none iustly can coÌ„pleane that they ar either debarred from hearing or from sight And therefore howsoeuer it pleaseth the wryter to delite him self in his owen vanitie we feare not to affirme That the Kirk of god within ScotlaÌ„d this day is as visible as euer it was in IerusaleÌ„ â–ª after that Christ Iesus ascended to y â— heauenes or as that it was visible in Samarea after that it receaued â—he Euangell Yea we will further affirme that y â— trew Kirk of Iesus Christ is as visible yea as beutifull in all her proper ornamentes this day within the Realme of Scotland as euer she was in Corinthus Galacia Philippi yea or yet in Rome it self what tyme that any of the Apostles rewled them or that when they wer saluted be the Apostle in his Epistles for Kirkis And this for the first head The answer to the secund can not be so short for his assertioÌ„ aggreis so lytle with the place of the Propheit that we stand greatly in dout whether that euer y â— wryter hes trauelled to vnderstand the mynd of the Prophet His assertion is this Of the Kirk whereof the Propheit speaketh It is said be him in the secund Chap. that it shal be manifest and visible through all the world The wordes of the Propheit are these It shal be in the last dayes that the moÌ„tane of the hous of the Lord shal be prepared in the tope of the montanes shal be exalted aboue the hilles and all Nationes shall flow vnto it And many people shal go and say CuÌ„ let vs go vp vnto the montane of the Lord to the hous of the God of Iacob and he will teache vs his wayes and we will walk in his pathes For the Law shall go furth of Syon and the word of the Lord from Ierusalem and he shall iudge among the Nationes and rebuke many people c. In these wordes of the Prophet we find no such thing as the Kirk shal be manifest and visible through all the worlde We acknawledge a promise of glade thinges to cum to be ioyned to Ierusalem vnto Mont Syon after the miserable distructioÌ„ of the same We find the time appointed to wit the last dayes But that the promise may be the better tryed We must know of the wryter when these last dayis begaÌ„ and wheÌ„ they shal be compleit We must further know if there be any one certane place appointed in the which it is said y â— the Kirk of God shal be visible and manifest in all ages These two heades being considdered it shal be moir easie to iudgâ— of the assertioun of the wryter and how it aggreis with the mynd of the Prophet And first we think that the wryter will not deny but the last dayes whereof the Prophet speakes began long befoir y â— euer the Euangell of Iesus Christ was knowen or publictlie receaued in Rome To wit at the appearing of Iesus Christ in the fleshe when that he reuealed vnto the worlde the hole will of his Father For so are we taught be the Apostle saying god in auld tymes spake vnto our Fatheres in diuers maners be the Prophetes In y â— last dayis he hath spokeÌ„ to vs be his sone c. Aâ—d the Apostle Peter in that his moste notable Sermone made to Ierusalem the day of pentecost affirmes That the Prophâ—sie of Ioell made as concerning the powring furth of Godes graces vpon all fleshe in the last dayes was euen then coÌ„pleit when that the holy spreit discended doun vpon those that beleued So theÌ„ we haue gotten the last dayes to haue begun with Iesus Christ who is the glorie of the secund Temple when think we that they ended If the wryter will say wheÌ„ Rome receaued the Euangel then was the accoÌ„plishment of the last dayes As men iustly may dout thereof so will y â— Apostle planelie deny saying The spreit speaketh euidentlie that in the last tymes some shall depart from the faith c. Whereof we may gather that the Apostle appointetâ— the lâ—st tyme â–ª to contineâ— longer then y â— the EuaÌ„gell was 〈◊〉 pâ—blictly preached To wit till that men should begin to fall from the faith and giue eares to the doctrine of 〈◊〉 Yea if ye will searche tâ—e Scriptures we shâ—ll 〈◊〉 thâ—t the last dâ—ves coÌ„tineâ— from the 〈◊〉 appeâ—ring of Iesâ—s Christ in fleshe vnto â—is lâ—st returning vnto Iâ—dge 〈…〉 So y â— the 〈◊〉 dayes do not onely include the first 〈◊〉 of the Euangell but also the defectioun from it yea and the restitution of it agane vnto the world be the brightnes wherof that man of sin should be reuealed distroyed Whereof we conclude that if y â— last dayes do yet continew whereof the Prophet maketh mention the thinges ê“mysed to be performed in them are not yet altogether compleit but are in their progres and shall so procead till that all be finished that is foirspoken be the holie Prophetes and Apostles of Iesus Christ. And so may Iesus Christ this day be working in Scotland albeit that Papistes rage against his Euangell as in those dayes he wroght in Ierusalem when the Preastes the hole visible Kirk for y â— moste part raged against the same But now to the secund head We wold knowe if the wryter can appoint vnto vs any one certane place wher this holy montane of God is promysed to remane manifestly and visible For this we mak knowen to the hole world That for the lufe we beare to the buylding and reparing of Goddes holy hous we haue endangered life and all thinges temporal And therefore if the wryter can appoint vnto vs a certane place whereunto God hes maid promise we shall euerie one exhort an other with all diligence to go vp thereunto But if he caÌ„ appoint none hauing greater assâ—rance be Godes mouth moir then an other Then will we cheritabillie desyre him to desist from taunting mockage of so notable workes of god as he of late yeares hes shawen in mo Realmes then one Our Maister Christ Iesus apointes vs to no one certane place wher that we shal be assured of his presence but rather forbidding the obseruatioun of all places he sendes vs to his owen spirituall presence saying wheresoeuer two or thre are gathered in my name There am I in the middest of theÌ„ And in an other place Behold I am with yow to the end of the world We being grounded vpon these promyses haue good hope through Iesus Christ
not the Kirk sall perishe This holâ— argument we admit and mâ—st constantliâ— we do affirme it and yet sall he neuer be able to proue his intent which is that y â— Kirk of Scotland is no Kirk We will oppin the wound which the wryter of the letter keapes couerit yet it most greuis him as it doeth the rest of al papistis The Realme of Scotland all praise to God hes refused the Pape that Romane Antechrist and not only be preaching bot also be the publict Lawes hes dampned his tyrannicall lawes his odious superstitiounis and vsurped iurisdictioÌ„ And therefoir cry the papistis that we ar declyned from the trew Kirk and ar fallen back froÌ„ the Catholick faith But befoir that they be able to coÌ„uict vs of those crimes thay moÌ„ preif two thinges former that whatsoeuer was promysed to Ierusalem dois properly and only appertene vnto Rome and this mon thay do not be coniectures but be plane wordis as God pronouÌ„ced be his Prophet of Ierusalem This is the first The secund is that albeit Rome wer as able to proue a promise maid to it as Ierusalem was of whome it was said This is my rest heare will I dwell becaus I haue chosin it And albeit that the papis of Rome whome he stylis the perpetuall successioun of that Kirk had as an assured plane probatioÌ„ that be god they wer called be God they wer admitted and that be God they suld be maÌ„teyned in their ministerie functioun as that the Leuites and successioun of Aaron had to ê“duce at all tymes for their defence yet if they we say who cal them selues the successouris of the Apostlis be not able to proue that they haue coÌ„stantlie remaned in the first league coÌ„uenaÌ„t which Christ Iesus maid with his Apostlis when he send them furth to preache the glaid tydingis of the Kingdome and to establishe his Throne not only amonges the Iewis bot also amonges the Gentiles according to ye former propheseis Albeit we say that all thir former thay wer abil to proue as thay ar neuer able to do yet haue they said nothing y â— may help their caus nor â—urt ouris onles that they thairwith planely proue y â— the Kirk of Rome and the successioun of the same hes remanit and yet remaneth in y e original puritie of the Apostlis in doctrine lyfe lawes ceremonies For thir being corrupted the tytill of successiouÌ„ will na mair help them then did the braging of the Preistis vnder the Law who cryit aganis the Propheit Ieremie the Temple of the Lord the TeÌ„ple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord. What was answered vnto them let ye â— Chap. of his Prophesie witnes But farther of the sâ—ccessioun and of the assurance thairof efter Now moÌ„ we sumthing speak of Faith Religioun and Catholick Kirk whairwith he wold terâ—fie your consciencâ— and deface the treutâ—â—nd then mon we answer to his blaspheamous tauÌ„tis and mockage befoir we haue confessit that to leue without faith without Religion without the societie of the Catholick Kirk bringis with it most certanely death and dampnation But yet we affirme yat all opinion that is coÌ„monly receaued vnder the Name of faith is not faith which God approuis bot trew faith moÌ„ haue for the ground and assurance thereof Godis expressed word of his mercy ê“mysed in Christ Iesus whereto the heart of y e faithful mon coÌ„sent so moued be y â— haly gaist And therefor we fear not to affirme that the Papistis hauing no better ground for thair faith then consent of men decreis of counsallis and antiquitie of tyme haue no faith bot a fonde yea a dampnable opinion And the same we affirme of ReligiouÌ„ whiche if it be pleasing acceptable vnto God must haue his a win coÌ„mandemeÌ„t and approbatiouÌ„ for a warrand other wise it can not be bot odious in his presence as a thing repugning to his expres commandement saying not that which appeariâ— good in thy a win eyis sall thow do to the Lord thy God bâ—t what the Lord thy God hes commanded the that do thow ade nothing to it diminishe nothing froÌ„ it Be this precept of that Eternall God who is immutable and that can coÌ„mand nothing but y â— which is iust or all people Realmes and Natiounis that will auow them selues to be the inheritance of the Lord bound and oblist to measure thair Religioun not be the exemple of other Realmes nether yet be their owen good intentioun or determinatiouÌ„ of men but only be the expressed word of God So that what therein is commanded aucht to be done and what is not commanded be him aucht in na wyse to be done be the people of God what apperance or externall shaw of holynes that euer it hes And thairfoir haue we most iustly reiected the Rable of ceremoneis which the Papistis held for the cheif exercise of thair Religioun as thingis hauing na better ground then the inuentioun and consent of men Now shortlie of the Kirk commounlie callit Catholick The name of the Kirk is commoun and is taken aswell for the coÌ„gregation of the wicked as for the assemblie of the godlie as it is plane be ye wordes of Dauid saying I haue hated y â— Kirk or the assemblie of the wicked the terme Catholick which signifyis vniuersall heâ— not included in it that vertew which Papistes alledge That is that whatsoeuer is catholick y â— must be gude For if so wer then sin in the originall world shuld haue bene gude for it was so Catholick that is vniuersal that it ouerflowed y â— hole earth only one hous excepted How vniuersall Idolatrie was amongis the Gentiles Historeis witnesse aud how braid the pestilent sect of Machomet is this day spred experience dois teich vs. And yet we suppone that no man of right iudgemeÌ„t will either approue the one or the other notwithstaÌ„nding of their vniuersalitie there fore we must haue a better assuraÌ„ce of y â— Kirk to the which we aucht to ioyne our selfis then that it is Catholick or vniuersall To wit it must be holy the coÌ„munioun of Sanctis For in the confessioun of our faith we say not I beleue the Kirk vniuersal bot I beleue the holy Kirk vniuersall the coÌ„munion of Sanctis Wherefoir we affirme that if that Kirk whiche is called Catholick or vniuersall haue not holynes in the heart be trew faith the Confessioun of the same in the mouth in the foirhead it ceissis to be y â— immaculate spous of Iesus Christ in whose bosoÌ„e the sonnes of God ar nurished to the lyfe euerlasting And so befoir that the wryter of the letter shal be able to conuict vs that we haue declyned from the holy Kirk he must first defyne what is the verray holynes of the Kirk wherein it consistis â–ª fra whome it flowis and what is the effect of the
is there is continuall succession of doctrine and that the selfsame which is preached now hes bene taugh in all ages This we affirme is a moste impudent lie For now of late yeares it hath bene taught and of the people receaued that the Messe was a â—acrifice propitiatorie for the sinnis of the quick the dead That the Pape was the head of y â— Kirk such other heades of moste heretical doctrine approued in the Papisticall Kirk Wâ—ich heades we affirme wer vnknoweÌ„ in the age of the Apostles or yet of the Fathers that immediately followed them And for the probation thereof we desyre their wrytingis to be produced euer beginning at them who wer appointed of God to preache and to plant the veritiâ— in the world We are not bound to crâ—dite whatsoeuer the Fathers haue spoken But our faith as is befoir said is buylded vpon the sure Rock Iesus Christ and vpoÌ„ the fundatioun of the Apostles and Prophetes So far as any Fathers aggre therewith we reuerently do imbrase it But if the Fathers haue affirmed any thing with out the warrand of the written word of y e Eternall our God To whose only voce the sheap of his pasture ar bound It is as laughfull to vs to reiect that which proceadeth from man and not from God as it is easie to them to affirme it Maister Tyrie may know that we vse the wordes of the Ancientis It appeareth to vs be the hole progres of Maister Tyries letter that he and his factioun can acknowledge no Kirk which in all ages hes not bene visible to the eyes of men hauing lykwise a visible succession For first he affirmes that the Kirk whereof the Prophet Isaias speakes should be manifest and visible through all the world And heare last he alledgeth that we can cum in no place where we sall not find that Religion spred at the least in many persones And thereof he concludes that if we can not proue the lyke of our Religion It followis that it is not the trew Religion If Maister Tyrie recant not this assertioÌ„ he must correct his crede Aud where vniuersally befor we vse to say credo sanctam ecclesiam c. He must say video sauctam ecclesiam For if there be no kirk vpon the face of the earth but that which is visible and thâ—t which may be shawen first be certane notes external then superfluous and vane it wer to vs to say I beleue the holy Kâ—rk vniuersall but confideÌ„tly we might affirme I see y â— holy kirk If Master Tyrie will say we may bothe se beleue and be our sight our Faith may be strengthned For Thomas saw y â— wouÌ„des in the handes 〈◊〉 and syde of Christ Iesus and beleued and so may we se the Kirk and yet beleâ—e it If we should graÌ„t so far to Mâ—ister Tyrie yet wer his argument nothing helped For the question is not whether that we may notiâ—ie those thinges that we ar bound to beleleue But the question is if that we are not bound to beleue those thingeâ— which somtymes ar vtterly 〈◊〉 from the external senses of men Mâ—â—ster Tyrie will acknowledge no kirk except that which hes bene and is visible We in the coÌ„trare acknowledge and reuerence the spous of Chiist Iesus somtymes exyled from the world receauing somtymes the wynges of an Egle that she may fle to the wyldernes Whereof God and not of man she hath her place prepared We reuerence her w t doeth complane that she hath bene desolate barrane a captiue and a wanderer to and fro That spous of Iesus Christ brages so lytle of her succession visible to maÌ„nes eyes that she is reft in admiration who should haue nurished her Children during the tyme of her baniwement If master Tyrie be so well sene in the ancient Wryters as in his wryting he wold shaw him self to be then can he not be ignoraÌ„t that it is not without great caus that the holy Goste hath taught vs to say I beleue the holy Kirk vniuersall To wit becaus that oftentymes it is that the Kirk militaÌ„t is so afflicted Yea the bewtie thereof is so obscured to the most part of the worlde that the Synagoge of Sathan vsurpes the tytle of the trew Kirk and Babilone is preferred to Ierusalem So that the elect are compelled to compleane and say We sâ— not our owen signes now is there no Prophet any moir amonges vs. Let the dayes of Helyas and his coÌ„plaint witnes whether that the Kirk of God is alwayes so visible that it may be pointed furth w t the finger of man Thus we wryte shortly to giue occasion to Maister Tyrie and to such as are blinded with that errour moir deaply to considder that artickle of their beleue and not so rashely to condempne such as God of his mercy calles froÌ„ darknes to light Now to the rest of his letter TYRIES LETTER THair is sum I knaw perchance for laik outher of gude discourse or wit measures the veritie of the thing thay follow be the warldly succes thay haue in the following of it Bot surely I caÌ„ not esteme zow to be of that rank and gif ze wer I wald exhort zow to reid amangis the rest the seuintene and twa Psalme and y e hundreth fourtie and thre Psalme Quhairby ze wil easily vnderstand that nouther the prosperous succes of zour part in warldly thinges I mene preifis it that ze follow to be of veritie nor zit our decay and aduersitie makis our part to be conuicted ze rather the mater being considderit as it aught to be zour prosperitie is rather a manifest argument of Goddis wraith nor of ony treuth of veritie For it is said be ane godly haly and cunning man ane xj hundreth zeir by past Quod nihil infelicius felicitate peccantium quia penalis nutritur impunitas mala voluntas velut interior hostis roboratur c. ANSWER WE might haue passed by this parcell without answer becaus that nothing in it conceaued iustly can be laid to our charge For our warldly felicitie prosperitie rest nether is nether yet hes bene at any tyme sence we haue imbrased the Euangel of Iesus Christ suche as may nurishe vs in wickednes nether yet are the Papists able to coÌ„uict vs of such impietie as all the world know hath roung among them of mo yeares then an huÌ„dreth thrise told And in the meane tyme to what honour and worldly dignitie they are ascended we mak them selues iudges If they say the dâ—ctrine which we teach is wondrously spred within this huÌ„dreth yeares So that now it hes almoste red y â— self furth of bondage We wold demand of the Papistes if the â—uangell of Iesus Christ ceased to be the doctrine of Saluation what tyme the Kiâ—kis gat rest in Iudea and elles where in the dayes of the Apostles If they answer y â— they meane
no such thing Then yet we demand if the hand of the Lord be more shortned now then that it was in the primatiue Kirk So that now he may not aswell manteane his trâ—uth and enlarge the Kingdome of his onely Sone as that he did in the dayis of the Apostlis Whatsoeuer the Papistes shall answer we are assured that nether is his power diminished so that he may not manteane his treuth nether yet is his lufe so waxen cold towardes his Kirk but that he will in his anger remember vpon mercy Why do not those cruell men considder what innocent bloode hath bene shed for the testimonie of Christes Eâ—angell within these thre score yeares Wold they that God at no tyme should shaw pietie vpon the patient suffering of his afflicted kirk Wolde they that the sworde should still deuor Wold they that the flaming fyres should neuer be queÌ„ched If that so they wold they shaw them selues the Sones of him who hath bene a murtherer from the beginning and yet continew in the same malice But our God beareth towardes his weak Children a fatherly affectioun whereby he is moued somtymes to stay y â— fuâ—ie and rage of Sathan for a ceason To the end that his chosen moir gladely may prepare theÌ„ selues to a new battell Trew it is the doctrine of saluatioun is greatly enlarged thereof we praise God Trew it is that SathaÌ„ hath not vniuersally such power to persecute as somtymes he hath had But will Maister Tyrie thereof conclude that in our Kirk there is no streÌ„gth But now to the Scriptures which Maister Tyrie coateth Trew it is that Dauid in his 73. Psalme according to the compt of the Hebrewes affirmes that nether the worldly prosperitie of the vngodly nor yet the afflictioÌ„ of the godly ought to discourage such as feare God In this generall head we aggre with Maister Tyrie and with all Papistes But we affirme that the notes and signes which y â— holy Ghost giueth in that place be the which the wicked shal be knowen do no wyse apperteane to vs but of many yeares moste euidently haue appeared to this hour do yet appeare in the Pape in many of those that manteane his kingdome For whether that the generatioÌ„ of y â— Romane Antechrist hath bene exemed from the troubles of meÌ„ whether y â— their pryde hes bene as visible as euer was their garmeÌ„t whether that their eyes haue start out for fatnes And finally whether that their licentious leuinges their oppression and presumption haue not planely declared y t they haue set their mouth against the heauen we are content that the world be it neuer so blind the histories of â—heir liues not written be vs but be their owen scribes and the verray experience which all men now haue heirtofoir haue had of their proceadinges beare record whether that they or we be noted in y t psalme We giue Maister Tyrie to vnderstand That we aâ—e better acquented with the liues and conuersationis of the Papes and Cardinalles then thay think vs to be and that we know the strength of thâ—ir lawes decries statutes and counsalles better theÌ„ the lesuites knowes the reule of Iesus albeit that presumpteousâ—y they haue vsurped his name And therefoir we wil craue of Maister Tyrie and of all his factioÌ„ that in wryting either to vs or yet till suche as they wold perswade that they vse treuth and simplicitie and so shall they find theÌ„ selues better contented in reading of our answers For this befoir the Lord Iesus we protest that it is the treuth which we teach and wherein we delyte The lufâ— whereof causes vs abhor all maÌ„nes inuention superstition and Idolatrie And thus far to the answers of the Scriptures which Maister Tyrie coateth Now to the sentence of the ancieÌ„t wryter whose name he suppresseth We answer that his wordes cut the throttes of the proud Papistes of that age and of all their followers sence those day is For theÌ„ began the taill of the Dragoun to draw the starres from the heauen to the earth Then began the fontanes which sometymes gaue cleare holsome watter to become bitter yea to be turned vnto blood and yet did they prosper in all worldlie felicitie Which was the caus that many godly men lamenting that publict corruption wer compelled to pronunce that like sentences against the verray Kirk meÌ„ that then lyued And least that Maister Tyrie should thinke that this we affirme without authoritie We remit him to the wrytings of Ierome Augustine Ambrose Bernard others that wer nether come long before nor after the tyme that he whose wrytinges if he shall diligentlie examine he sal find what was their iudgement of the seat of Rome in their dayes and what others y t after followed added to the former impietie of their Fathers from the day that ones the Popes wer decored or rather deformed with a triple Crowne let the wryters of all ages sence beare witnes And least that Maister Tyrie shal think that we put him to to much pane when that we send him to all wryters in generall We shal releue him somwhat and appoint him to two only whoÌ„e iustly he can not suspect to haue bene corrupted be vs. The one is Abbas Ioachim a man sometymes of great authoritie and reputation amonges the Papistes The other is IoaÌ„nes AueÌ„tinus historiographur whose historie was prented be coÌ„mand with priuiledge of the Empreour Charles the Fyft Let the Wrytinges we say of these two beare witnes what hes bene y e iudgement of diuers men in diuers ages of Rome of the pryde of the prelacie of their corruption in lyfe and doctrine and finally of their defectioun from the treuth Abbas Ioachim wryting vpon the wordes of the Reuelation of sanct Iohne The sext Angel powred furth his Phyolâ— vpon the great flood Euphrates c. Hes this sentence Si autem aquae huius fluminis quod vocatur Euphrates populi sunt gentes linguae quae parent Romano imperio Si quideÌ„ ciuitas Romana ipsa est noua Babilon c. That if sayeth he the watters of this flood that is called Euphra tes be people Nationis and tounges that obey the Romane Impyre for the Cietie of Rome it self is new Babilon This place and that which ensewes of the drying vp of the watters euideÌ„tly shawes what was the iudgement of the wryter in his dayes of Rome To wit that it was become new Babilon And least that any should think that the Author meaneth of the ancient Romane Impyre and not of the regimeÌ„t of the Kirk that was in it or in the dominion thereof he explanes him selfe after whill that he interpretes the great hoore and the Kinges of the earth who commit huredome with her The great hoore he sayes the vniuersal Fatheris affirmed to be Rome Not sayes he as concerning the Congregation of the iust which sometymes was a pilgramer in it but as concerning the multitude