the worthynesse of mens works and the satisfying to God for sinnes committed against his maiestie And for your vnprofitable and hurtfull vsages it were enough to will the reader to remember your gadding on Pilgrimage your visiting kissing and worshipping of Reliques and your burning of Lights before blinde Stockes and Stones in the open day and sunne light And for your damnable abuses there néedeth no more but to wish the reader to consider of your abhominable Masse which you make a sacrifice for the sinnes both of the quick and of the deade which being doone I sée no reason why the readers may not cry out say vnto this Offerer and his fellowes yéelde and recant for shame The one and twenty Offer Offerer One and twentie If vnity in faith austerity of lyfe sharp discipline great penance much fastings large almes godly deuotion obedience to higher powers grauitie and true charitie bee not more euidently exercised and vsed in our cōmon knowne Catholike church then in the protestants congregation and contrarywise if discord in religion licentiousnes in liuing contempt of discipline reiecting of penaunce lothsomnesse of fasting lacke of zeale and deuotion disobedience to magistrates Sacrilege Apostacie breaking of vowes vnlawfull lusts wantonnes in all lyfe and maners doo not agree better and more cleare to the Protestants then to the Catholikes being the plaine signes and fruites of a false church Then will I recant and not before Crowley How well the vnitie of the true Christian faith is exercised in your commonly knowne Catholike church that is your Antichristian church the reader may sée in the which the protestant hath written in answering the 14. Offer As for your austeritie of life your sharpnes of discipline your greatnes of penance your largenes of almes godlines of deuotion may very well be packed vp in a pocket of Hypocrisie superstition and sent to your holy father the Popes holines the next new yéere for a new yéeres gift And as for your obedience to higher powers your grauitie true charitie may right well be séene in Pope Constantine the first who admitted the Emperor Iustinian to the kissing of his foote about the yéere of our Lord 710. And in Pope Gregorie the second who caused the subiects of Leo the Emperor to breake out in open rebellion against their liege Lord the Emperor bicause he had taken Images out of churches About the yéere of our Lord 730. In Pope Steuen the 2 who suffred him selfe to bée borne into the church called Laterane vpon mens shoulders whereby hée gaue occasion to his successors to be so carried after the maner of Heathen princes About the yéere of our Lord 755. In Leo the third who being accused before the Emperor Charles the great suffered the bishops that then were present to answere the Emperor when he required them to say their mindes concerning the crimes that were laide to his charge saying thus The Apostles seat which is the heade of other seates ought not to be iudged of any man especially being a lay man About the yéere of our Lord 800. In Pope Leo the 4. also who hauing obtained a victorie against the Sarasens did offer his owne féete to bee kissed of the people About the yéere 850. In Pope Ioane who being a woman in mans apparell was Pope for the space of two yéeres and died in trauell of chylde as shee was going in Procession towards Laterane church in Rome About the yéere of our Lord 855. In Pope Steuen the sixt who through the hatred that hee bare to Formosus his predisessor did condemne him and all his acts or ordinaunces Yea and hée reuenged himselfe vpon the deade body of Formosus which déed grew into a custome from thence foorth This was about the yéere of our Lord 898. In Pope Sergius the third also who bearing a pryuate grudge towards the same Formosus did not only abrogagate all the lawes that had bin made by him but he did also cause his deade body to be taken out of the graue wherein Pope Steuen the sixt had caused him to bee buried amongst the common people and his head and thrée of his fingers to be cut of and his headlesse body to be cast into the riuer Tiber. About the yéere of our Lord 910. An example of true charitie in these two Popes Another example of true loue in a Deacon the assisting Pope Victor the second at his Masse did put poyson into his Challice so dispatched him About the yeere of our Lord 1055. In Pope Gregorie the seuenth wée sée a notable example of obedyence to the higher powers For about the yéere of our Lord 1080. hée excommunicated the Emperor Henry the 4. and absolued all his subiects from their oth of obedience to him In Pope Victor the third there is to bée séene a notable example of true loue or charitie in that person that put poyson into his Challice so dispatced him about the yéere of our Lord 1090. Alexander the third did vse Lewes king of France and Henry king of England as his Horskéepers appoynting the one of them to go one foote by his Horsses head on the right side and the other on the left each of them holding the raigne of his Bridle About the yeere of our Lord 1160. A singuler example of obedience to the hygher powers Gregorie the 8. did decrée that bishops should bee preferred before Princes in degree about the yeere of our Lord 1190. And Pope Innocent the thirde is reported to haue sayd thus in his brauerie against Phillip whom the seculer Princes had chosen to be Emperor Let the Pope take the kingly Diademe from Phillip or els let Philip take the Apostolike insigne from the Pope Who would not take this man to bee a singuler example of obedience to the higher powers Yea in the decretals that this Innocent hath set forth it is decreed that the Pope ought to haue the correcting of the Princes of the earth and that hee is Emperor whom the Pope dooth crowne This was doone about the yeere of our Lord 1200. Pope Gregorie the ninth did promise euerlasting life to as many as would serue in the field against Frederike then Emperor About the yeere of our Lord 1230. And when this Emperor was reconciled to the Popes fauour againe hee did his penance which was to bring into the treasurie of the church that is the Popes Coffers 120000. ownces of golde And yet after all this the same Pope Gregorie did excommunicate the same Emperor againe and holding a counsell with his Cardinalles hee did depriue him of his Empire caused the Crosse to be preached against him Which was to incite and to stirre vp all men to make warre against him as against the greatest enimy of Christian religion Pope Innocent the fourth did by a firme decrée make it lawful for the Pope to depose the Emperor About the yeere of our Lord 1250. Pope Martine the fourth excommunicated th' Emperor and the king of
Arragon and made warre against the sayd king of Arragon About the yeere of our Lord 1280. Pope Bonifacius 8. in a great glorie shewed him selfe twice First in his pontificalibus granting large pardons to the people and on the next day in the imperiall robes hauing a naked sworde carried before him And as hée sate in his maiestie hée cried with a lowde voyce saying Ecce duo gladij hic Behold héere are two swords This was about the yeere 1300. A Frier of the Order of the popish preachers did poyson Henry the seuenth Emperor by deliuering vnto him a consecrated hoste as they terme it wherein hee had put a stronge poyson which dispatched him About the yéere 1310. Pope Clement the sixt hauing excommunicated Lewes the Emperor and all the Princes and bishops that tooke parte with him sayd that now th' Empire was fallen vnto him and therefore he placed captaines in the cities of Italy This was about the yeere 1340. Pope Vrbane the sixt in hatred toward Clement the 7. whom the Frenchmen had chosen to be Pope tooke fiue Cardinalles and lapped them in one sacke and drowned them This was doone about the yéere 1380. A singular example of true charitie Yea and a singular example of obedience is to be seene in Alexander the third of whom I spake before in that hee admitting the Emperor Frederike surnamed Barbarossa to the kissing of his foote did set his foote in the Emperors neck pronouncing these woords of the Psalme 91. Super aspidem c. Vpon the Adder and Basiliske shalt thou walk and thou shalt stamp vpon the Lyon the Dragon This was done about the yeere 1170. And Celestinus the fourth when he crowned the Emperor Henry the fift sonne to the foresaid Frederike did set the Emperiall crowne vpon the head of the Emperor with his feete and did topple it of againe with one of his féete in token that as hee had powre to make an Emperor so hée had powre to depose him againe Héere M. Offerer may sée a number of examples of obedience to the higher powers of great grauitie of true charitie euen in such as haue bin the chiefe in his Catholike church if hée can shew mee but one example amongest them that haue bin of the protestants Catholike church like vnto these manifolde examples of commaunding controuling excommunicating persecuting and deposing of the higher powers and triumphing ouer them then will I recant the protestants Catholike religion and professe Poperie as this Offerer dooth and not before But now on the contrarie saith this Offerer if discord in religion licentiousnes in liuing contempt of discipline reiecting of penaunce lothsomnes of fasting lacke of zeale and deuotion disobedience to maiestrates sacryledge Apostacie breaking of vowes vnlawfull lusts and wantonnes in all life and maners doo not agree better more cleere to the protestants then to the Catholique being the plaine signes fraits of a false church then will I recant and not before As touching discord in religion the Offerer may think him selfe to bee sufficiently answered in that which I haue said to the fiftéenth Offer The rest that hée rehearseth as falâ—â— agréeing to the protestantes religion are not at all agréeable to that religion that the Protestants doo professe For wée say as S. Iames hath written Iacob 1. Iacob 1. If any man doo think him selfe to bee religious and yet refraineth not his owne tounge but suffreth his owne heart to go a stray that mans religion is vayne This is the religion that is pure and vndefiled before God and the father for a man to visite the fatherlesse widowes in their trouble to kéepe him selfe vnspotted of the world Yea wee holde as saint Paule teacheth Coloss 3. Coloss 3. that Christians being risen againe togither with Christ should seeke those thinges that are aboue where Christ is at the right hand of God and not things that are héere on earth Yea anâ— as the same S. Paule wrote to the Phillip 3. Philip 3. that Christians should haue their conuersation in heauen not vpon earth so that although our bodies must be heere for a while yet our mindes must be setled in heauen froÌ„ whence wée looke for a Sauiour euen the Lord Iesus who by that mighty working whereby he is able to subdue all thing to him selfe shall transforme alter and change our vile bodies and make them like vnto his owne glorious body Yea and wée doo holde as S. Paule taught the Romaines Cap. 6. Rom. 6 that such as are baptized are baptized to dye and to bee buried with Christ vnto sinne to be risen againe with him vnto righteousnes of life So that as naturally wée are enclined to make all our partes instruments or tooles of vnrighteousnes procéeding from one vnrighteousnes to another euen so being baptized our duetie is to endeuour to make our bodies and all our partes instruments of righteousnes proceeding from one righteousnes to another Yea and as hee writeth in the 12. Chap. we hold that our duety is to make our bodies a sacrifice to God that is as I take it the most acceptable seruice that wee can doo vnto God Rom. 12. Rom. 13. Yea and as he writeth it the 13. Chap. we hold that wee may make no prouision for the flesh to satisfie the lusts thereof But as he writeth 1. Tim. 6. 1. Tim. 6. hauing meats and drink and cloth necessarie house harbor wée be there with contented Yea we doo hold as S. Peter hath taught 1. Pet. 2. 1 Peter 2. that our dutie is to abstaine from fleshly lusts that fight against the soule and by honest and good conuersation to stop the mouthes of malicious speakers if it be possible to winne them to ioyne with vs in religion that wee may glorifie God togither Now let the indifferent reader iudge howe those foule vices that you doo charge our religion with doo agrée with this our profession It maye that there be some and I confesse that there bee a great number to many amongst vs which are not of vs but doo only beare the name of protestant Catholiques and are in déede of no religion And these are such as you speake of the vices that you name doo very well agree vnto theÌ„ And I pray you hath your popish Catholike church at any time lacked a good rouÌ„d number of such maner of men When your Pope who is the head of your church was such a one as Platina reporteth Iohn the 12. to be MonstruÌ„ hominis A monster amongst men and as Volateran saith Sceleratum hominem A man giuen ouer to all wickednes that he was slaine being taken in adultery And as the same Platina and Volateran doe say of Syluester the second that be gaue himselfe to the deuill that he might be made Pope and that he was made Pope in déede and did gouerne your church foure yeeres togither And your Pope Benedictus the ninth of
the Lambe Mulier amicta sole a woman clothed wyth the Sunne Habitatio fratrum inuicem a dwelling of bretheren all togither Mont Dei the hill of God Sacra Anchora the holy Anchor Vinea Domini our Lordes Vyneyarde Terra viuentium the Lande of the lyuinge Ecclesia magna the great and mightie Church Arca Noe Noes Arke Vna sancta Catholica Apostolicâ— Ecclesia one Holy Catholique and Apostolike Church Domus pacis the house of peace Domus refugij the house of refuge Domus veritatis the house of trueth Societas Sanctorum the fellowship of holy Saints Nutrix Christianorum the Norishe of the Christians Vxor de latere Christi the Spouse out of Christ his side sicut Eua de latere Adam like as Eue was out of the side of Adam Let the learned Protestant make proofe that these most exellent properties and peculier denominations and callinges may possibly agree to their hid and vnknowne congregations and priuate societies or to any other knowne societie of the whole worlde but onely to the holy societie most blessed companie and fellowship of the common knowne Catholique church of Christ and I will then relent yeelde and recant and not before Crowley This Offer may bee diuided into three partes In the first the Offerer requireth a proofe of that which is already prooued in the answere to the seuententh Offer Wherefore I refer that reader to that which is written there where hée shall finde that which may satisfie him in that which the Popish Offerer requireth the learne Protestant to prooue first In the second part he requireth the Protestant to prooue that the church whereof be is hath had at some one time or other such powre and authority ouer the whole Christian world as the Romish Catholike Antichristian church hath vsurped and exercised and doth still claime exercise where it may bée suffred To this I doo say on the behalfe of that learned Protestant that Christ him selfe did neuer exercise such authoritie ouer kingdomes and Nations as the Antichristian Popish church hath exercised and dooth still exercise so farfoorth as it is able and may be suffered Neyther did our Sauiour Christ giue any such authoritie to his Apostles as to haue all Christian Nations vnder obedience or to call them togither to generall Counsells or to execute discipline vpon them and to correct their falts for that power is giuen vnto Princes and Christ did not come to take that powre from them but hee hath confirmed it in them The Apostles therefore and the Apostolike men that were the immediate Successors of the Apostles euen as many as God made excellent in his Church in the time that was before Antichrist began to shewe him selfe in the estate of the papacie were contented to leaue that powre to princes and did both by doctrine and by example of life teach all Christians to shew their due obedience to Princes But when your Bishops of Rome were become Antichristian then they must needes aduaunce them selues aboue all that is called God that is aboue all Princes and they must sit in the temple of God and boast them selues as though they had bin Gods that so they might bee knowne to bee that man of sinne that Saint Paule ment of in that hee wrote 2. Thess 2. 2. Thes 2. For the third parte of this Offer wherein the Offerer requireth the learned Protestant to prooue that the tytles which are in the scriptures and Doctors giuen to the church of Christ coulde euer bee challenged by any right to their hid and vnknowne Congregation c. For answere to this the learned Protestant referreth the Reader to that answere that hee hath made to the seuentéenth and to the eighttéenth Offer with this addition that if this Offerer can prooue that euer any of these excellent properties or peculier denominations and callings might possibly agrée to that knowne Antichristian church that hee is of then will this learned Protestant relent yeelde and recant and bee an Antichristian Catholique and not before ¶ A new Offer touching the sixe seuerall signes that the Offerer calleth certaine and sure signes c. Certayne assured signes and tokens of fals prophets Heretiques and schismatikes Last of all when these notes following being most certaine and sure signes and tokens of Antichristians false Prophets Heretiques and schismatikes mentioned manifestly expressed in diuers partes of the scriptures shall by the learned protestant be prooued more aptly and truely to agree vnto vs of the common knowne church of Christ then vnto the Protestantes of so many sundry and diuers sects and congregations I shall submit yeelde and recant and not before Crowley When this presumptuous Offerer shall prooue that the Church of Rome that now is whereof hee glorieth that hee is a member is the true Catholique church of Christ and not Antichristian Hereticall and schismaticall and that the notes that hee speaketh of doo not more aptly and truly agree vnto him and to men of his sort then vnto vs that be Protestants whom hée calleth Antichristes false Prophets Heretiques and schismatikes then will I submit yeelde and recant and not before The first signe and token Offerer First signe and token appropriated to Antichrists false Prophets Heretiques and schismatikes in the scripture is their departure from the common knowne Catholique church of Christ wherein they were baptized and first receiued Christian faith and religion of the which signe and token speaketh the Apostle S. Iohn saying Ex nobis prodiâ—runt 1. Iohn 2. sed non erant ex nobis nam si fuissent ex nobis permansissent vtique nobiscum They departed from vs but they were not of vs for if they had bin of vs and of our church they would saith the Apostle S. John haue continued with vs still not haue departed from vs. And now the learned Protestant not being able to denie that they haue departed from our common knowne Catholique church from our faith religion wherin they were first baptised and not wee departed from them but still remaining in the profession of the same faith and religion that wee first receiued hee must needes by the drift of Argument and reason graunt also that this first signe and token of false Prophets Heretiques and schismatikes was before spoken of the Apostle S. Iohn onely of them and not of vs. Crowley Touching this first signe and token which this Offerer would appropriate vnto vs as vnto Antichristians false Prophets Heretiques and schismatikes I might very well referre the indifferent Reader to that which I haue written in answere to the tenth Offer Where I haue made it manifest the the same faith and religion that wée doo professe and practize now was professed practized in the time of the Apostles and many yéeres after the ascention of our sauiour Christ although not so purely towards the ende of those sixe hundreth yéeres as at the beginning of them and for the space of 300.
to burie them with theyr fathers in the buriall places that belonged to them And they found vnder the garmentes of them that were slaine certaine of the giftes that had béene offered to the idols that were at Iamnia from which the lawe had commaunded the Iewes to abstaine It was therefore made manifest to al men that this was the cause wherefore they were slaine The whole companie therfore did commend the iust iudgement of the Lorde which had made manifest the déedes that had béene hidde and kept secret And so they gaue themselues to prayer and besought God that the faulte which had béene committed might be blotted out of memorie But the most valiant man Iudas exhorted the people to kéepe themselues without sinne hauing euen before theyr eyes those thinges that had happened for the sinnes of them that were slaine And hauing ended his Collation hee sent to Ierusalem 12 thousande drachmas of siluer that sacrifice might bee offered for the sinnes of them that were dead Thus farre goeth the report of that which was doone by Iudas Machabaeus This is translated out of that latine text that the Tridentine councell hath allowed of which text this Offerer and his fellowes may not disalowe of In the Gréeke the sence is vncertaine and hardly can there any certaine sence be gathered in this place And this one thing I must note that where as this vulgare translation hath 12. thousande drachmas the Gréeke hath but two thousande drachmas which together with the rest of the circumstaunces of the texte doo cause me to thinke that Iudas néeded not to make any collection of money to be sent to Ierusalem For yâ—â—â—m being no greater he might very wel spare it out of his own treasure as it may be supposed Hauing therefore ended his collation or concion which he made to the whole company of hys Souldiours that then were about him wherein hée exhorted them to consider of that which had happened and to take warning thereby to bée careful to kéepe themselues from sinne lest the lyke should fall vpon them also he sent that summe of money to Ierusalem that Sacrifice might be offered there for the sinnes of them that were dead Slaine by the iust iudgement of God for that contrarie to the lawe they had taken to theyr own vse some of those things that had béene offered to the Idolles of Iamnia But what Shall we thinke that Iudas Machabeus being a man so precise in obseruing the lawe of God as in this Historie it dooth appeare that he was would cause any newe kinde of Sacrifice to be deuised or that he wold cause any of those Sacrifices that Moses had by Gods direction commaunded to be offered to bée vsed for any other purpose then for those purposes that God himselfe had ordayned them for If you will reade the whole Leuiticall lawe throughout you shal not finde that euer God did command any Sacrifice to bée offered for sinne other then that which is called a sinne offering and was to be offered for penitent sinners in such sorte as the lawe dooth prescribe which was in the presence of the penitent sinner him selfe laying hys hand vpon the head of the Sacrifised beast thereby signifying that it was he that had deserued that death which that innocent beast was there and then to suffer The sacrifice therefore which Iudas would haue to be offered at Ierusalem must néedes be of that kinde which is called a peace offering and was to be vsed for the pacifying of Gods wrath which should at any tyme by any occasion be bent eyther against the whole people or against any one sorte of the people for any offence committed amongest them Iudas therefore considering that God might in iustice as often tymes he had doone visite the sinne of the fathers vpon the children euen to the third and fourth generation in them them that committing willing and wilfull sin had shewed themselues to be haters of his maiesty feared least this iust iudgement should be executed vpon such amongst his people as remained yet aliue and were of the posteritie of them that were already slaine for that wickednes that they had committed The writer of the historie therefore hath doone great wronge to Iudas in that which hee addeth to the ende of this parte of this History Bearing hys readers in hand that Iudas ment to redéeme by Sacrifice the sinne that the flayne had committed and to teache that to pray for the deade that they may be released of theyr sinnes is an holy and an holsome cogitation Thus if this offerer and his fellowes wyll they may sée vpon how slender a foundation their opinion conceruing praying for the soules departed is builded I doo conclude therefore that theyr vowes their inuocation of saintes and praying for soules departed are superfluous Yea and as they haue conceyued opinion of them superstitious and as they doo vse them very impious But finally this Offerer dooth charge vs with speaking against the Church it selfe flatly denying that Christ hath here vpon earth any spouse or visible Church to bée heard speake perceyued or séene Here I must say that this Popish offerer dooth offer the Protestantes open wrong in charging them with that which neuer any one amongest them that is learned hath affirmed spoken or thought It may be that some such amongest the Protestants as haue not had the knowledge of the arte of reasoning haue béene by captions manner of reasoning brought into such a mase that they could not deliuer themselues from the captious Argumentes that these subtyle Popish Catholiques doo vse to frame And so haue séemed to be conuinced and enforced to graunt that Christ hath no visible Church here vppon earth but such amongst the Protestant Catholiques as doo knowe howe to answer such captious argumentes are able and haue alwayes béene able to vse such distinction as by the Arte of reasoning are allowed to bée vsed and thereby to make it playne to as many as be not wilfully blind that Christs Church that is here vpon earth may in one respect be sayd to be visible and in another respect the same Church may be sayd to bée inuisible 2. Timot 2. The Apostle Paule writing to Timoth 2 Epist 2 chapter sayth thus Firmum fundamentum Dei stat habens signaculum hoc Cognouit dominus qui sunt sui c. The foundation of God standeth firme and sure and hath this sure seale The Lord dooth knowe who be hys And let that person that calleth vpon the name of the Lord departe from euill Here the Apostle Paule dooth make the Church of Christ here on earth inuisible as knowen onely to the Lord and not vnto any man For none but onely God dooth knowe or can knowe who they bée whome hée hath chosen to be enheritors of hys kyngdome Yea none but onely God whych hath chosen them before the beginning of the world And such onely are that Church that may rightly be called the church of Christ And
strong you haue dispersed the flocke of Christ which was at the first but one societie and fellowship In not sparing nor preseruing the vnitie of that flock you haue made your selues knowen to bée the same rauening wolues that the Apostle S. Paule spake of Acts 20. Act 20. Ego scio saith S. Paule I doo knowe that after my departing from you raueninge wolues shall enter in amongest you not sparing the flocke And from amongst your selues there shall rise vp men that shall vtter frowarde speaches that they may drawe schollers after them Not from the common knowen Catholique Church of Christ therefore whereof wée Protestants are members but from the now knowen antichristian Church whereof this offerer and his fellowes are members dyd that Schisme procéede that this Offerer speaketh of For by the deceitfull false doctrine that they haue taught and by theyr bloodie tyranny they haue drawen many from the vnity in Christ which is the verity and ioyned them to the Schisme of Antichristian impietie This matter béeing made so plaine as to mee it dooth séeme to be I doo thinke that euery indifferent reader here of will in hys heart say thus to this Offerer for shame stay no longer but yéelde and recant out of hand lest the heauie wrath of God fall vpon thée for that thou hast not yéelded and recanted before The fift signe and token false Prophets Offerer Fift signe and token of false Prophets Schismatickes and heretiques is disobedience Et non obedire sed resistere eis qui praesunt in Ecclesia Dei And not to obey but resiste those which doo beare rule and gouerne in the Church of God of the which sorte of men the Apostle S. Paule giueth vs warning Quemadmodum Iamnes Mambres restiterunt Moysi ita hi resistunt veritati homines corrupti mente reprobi circa fidem 2. Timot 5. Exodus 7 Like as Iamnes and Mambres dyd resiste Moises euen so doo these resist the trueth beeing men of corrupt minde and reprobates in fayth Now when the learned Protestant shal be able to prooue that this rebellion and disobedience to all Bishops Prelattes and ecclesiasticall gouerners is to be found in the chatholick Church and not in the priuate Church and congregations of the Protestantes then I shall yeeld submit and recant and not before Crowley As obedience is more acceptable in Gods sight then sacrifice 1. Regum 15. 1 Reg. 15 euen so there can nothing displease him more then disobedience dooth But we may not hereof conclude that God is so displeased with euery disobedience as he was with Saules disobedience when he dyd contrary to that which he had commanded him to doo neither euery obedience is so acceptable to God as that obedience shoulde haue béene if Saule had doone in all pointes euen as God had commaunded to him to doo For that obedience onely is acceptable to the Lord that is doone in the Lord and for the Lords cause and obedience in dooing that which the Lord hath forbidden to be doon and in leauing that vndoone which the Lord hath commanded to be doon is not to be accounted for obedience but is in déede disobedience Let vs sée therefore what manner of disobedience it is that this offerer hath charged vs with Euen such as was in Iamnes Mambres when they did resist Moses By coniecture these two that S. Paule nameth in the third Chap. of his second Epistle to Timoth were the Sorcerers that stroue against Moses in Egipt and dyd by theyr sorcerie worke such wonders in outwarde appearaunce as Moses dyd by the mighty power of God in very déede as in the 7. Exod 7 8 and 8. Chapters of Exod it appeareth But Moses dooth not name those sorcerers neyther are they named in any History of the Scriptures wherefore it may bee thought that S. Paule had some other writings then are now extant whereby he gat the knowledge of the names of those sorcerers that dyd so withstand Moses But howe so euer Moses came by theyr names this offerer hath not taken theyr names aright for both the translation that the Tridentine councell hath allowed of and the Greeke text haue Iannes and not Iamnes the Gréeke text hath Iambres and not Mambres But the matter is not great let the Offerer and his fellowes descide this matter at theyr leasure The Apostle S. Paule hauing described such men as by the Spirite of prophecie he did foresée should come in the latter dayes he sayth that they should bée such as resist the trueth euen as Iannes and Iambres did resist Moses Howe those sorcerers did withstand Moses dooth appeare in the two Chapters of Exodus that I haue noted before They dyd what they could to discredit all that was doone by Moses and to stay Pharao and the Egiptians from giuing credite to that messadge that Moses dyd from the Lord God of Israell So long as the Lord would suffer them they made shewes of as great and wonderfull workes as those were that were wrought by Moses Euen so saith S. Paule those men doo withstande the trueth béeing men corrupted in minde and lewde concerning the fayth But they shall preuaile no longer For the madnes of these men shal be made manifest to all men euen as theirs was Now let the indifferent reader iudge who they bée in these dayes that may most rightly be sayd to be lyke vnto Iannes and Iambres the Popish Catholiques or we Protestant Catholiques Wee come in the name of the Lorde God onely do labour to bring the people of God out of the Egiptian darcknes of Rome to serue God in spirite and in trueth for so God delighteth to be serued Iohn 4. Iohn 4. But the antichristian Popish Catholiques doo labour as Iannes and Iambres dyd to kéepe them in that darcknes styll and to that ende they doo what they can to cause vs to be taken for false Prophets Heretiques and Schismatickes and the Gospell of Christ which wée doo preach to be false doctrine Heresie and Schisme Yea let the indifferent reader iudge whether of both the sorts protestants or roomish catholiques may be déemed to be that men that S. Paule did Prophesie of in that third chapter of his second Epistle to Timoth. 2. Timot 3. They shal be saith S. Paule loouers of themselues couetous high minded proude blasphemers disobedient to parentes vnthankfull wicked voyde of affection truse-breakers false accusers incontynent cruell vncurteous traiterous frowarde malicious and such as doo looue pleasures more then God hauing a shewe of Godlines but denying the power thereof The Chronicles or Histories of times doo witnes that no men can bée more lyke vnto these men that saint Paule hath here described then the Popish prelates haue béene for the space of these last 1000. yéeres almost and so they doo continue stil as daily experience dooth shew Whereunto I doo refer the indifferent reader for the trial of the trueth herein Nowe therefore as