rather the losse of my worldlye substāce yea and of my life to then to deny his known truth that he will comfort me aid me and strengthē me euermore euen vnto thend and to the yelding vp of my spirite and soule into his holy handes wherof I most hartely beseche his holy sacred Maiestie of his infinite goodnes mercy through Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen Nowe that I haue taken my leaue of my Countrimen and kinsfolke and the Lord doth lende me life and geueth me laysour I will bid my other good frendes in God of other places also farewell And whome fyrste or before other then the vniuersitie of Cambrige wher as I haue dwelte longer founde more faithfull and harty frendes receiued more benefites the benefites of my natural parents onlye excepted then euer I did euen in my owne natiue countrye wherin I was borne Farewel therfore Cābridge my louing mother nurse If I shuld not acknowledge thy manifold benefits yea if I shuld not for thy benefites at the least loue the againe truely I were to be cōpted vngrate vnkind what benefites haddest thou euer that thou vsest to geue bestow vpon thy best beloued children that thou thoughtest to good for me thou diddest bestow on me all thy scole degrees Of thy common offices the chaplainship of the vniuersitie the Office of the proctorship and of a common reader And of thy priuate cōmodities emolumēts in colledges what was it thou madest me not partner of First scholer then felow after mi departure frō the thou called me again to a mastership of a right worshipful colledge I thāck the my louing kindnes for all this thy kindnes And I pray God y t his lawes and the sincere Gospell of Christe may euer be truely taught faithfully learned in thee Farewel Pembroke hal of late mine own Colledge my Cure and my charge what case thou arte in nowe GOD knoweth I knowe not well Thou wast euer named sithens I knew the which is nowe a .xxx. yeres agoe to be studious well learned a great setter forth of Christes Gospell and of Gods true word so I foūde the and blessed be God so I lefte the in deede Wo is me for the mine owne deare Colledge if euer thou suffer thi self by any meanes to be brought from that trade In thy Orchard y e wals buts and trees if they could speke wold beare me witnesse I learned withoute boke almoste all Paules Epistles yea and I wene all the Canonicall Epistles saue only the Apocalipse of whiche studye although in time a great part did departe from me yet the swete smell therof I trust I shall carrye wyth me into heauen For the profit ther of I thincke I haue felt in all my life time euer after And I wene of late whether they abide there now or no I can not tel ther was that did the like The Lord graūte that this zeale loue toward that parte of Goddes word which is a key a commentary to all holy scripture may euer abide in that colledge so long as the world shall endure From Cambridge I was called into Kent by the Archbishop of Cāterbury Thomas Cranmer y t most reuerend father and man of God And of him by and by sent to be Uicar of Herne in East Kent Wherefore farewell Herne the worshipfull and wealthy parishe the fyrste cure wherunto I was called to minister Gods word Thou hast hard of my mouth ofttimes the word of God preached not after the popiste trade but after Christes Gospell Oh that the frute had answered to the seede And yet I must knowledge me to be thy debtoure for the Doctrine of the Lordes Supper which thē at that time I acknowledge God had not reueled vnto me But I blesse God in al y e godly vertue and zeale of Goddes word which the Lorde by preachinge of his worde did kindle manifestlye both in the hart life and workes of that godly woman there my Lady Phynes God graunte y t his word toke like effecte there in manye other mo Farewell thou Cathedral churche of Canterburye the Metropolitike sea where of once I was a member To speake thinges pleasant vnto thee I dare not for daūger of conscience and displeasure of my Lord God And to say what lieth in my hart were now to much and I feare were able to doe thee now but a litle good Neuerthelesse for the frendship I haue founde in some there and for charity sake I wishe the to be washed cleane of all worldlinesse and vngodlinesse that thou maiste be founde of God after thy name in truth Christes Church in dede Farewell Rochester sometime my Cathedrall sea In whome to say the truth I did finde much gētlenesse and obedience whyche I truste thou wilte not saye the contrarye but I did vse it to Goddes glorye and thine owne profitte in God Oh that thou haddest and mighte haue continued and gone forewarde in the trade of Goddes lawe wherein I did leaue thee Then thy charg and burden shuld not haue bene so terrible and daūgerous as I suppose verelye it is like to bee alasse on the latter daye To Westminster other aduertisemente in God I haue not nowe to say then I haue said before to y e Cathedrall church of Canterbury And so God geue the of his grace that thou maist learne in dede and in truth to please him after his own lawes And thus fare you well Oh London London to whome now may I speake in the or whōe shall I bid farewel shall I speake to the Prebendaries of Poules alas all that loued Goddes worde and were true setters forth thereof are now as I heare saye some brēt and slain some exiled and banished and some holden in hard prisō and appoynted daily to be put to moste cruell deathe for Christes Gospell sake As for the rest of thē I know they coulde neuer broke me well nor I could neuer delight in them Shall I speake to the Sea therof wherein of late I was placed almoste and not fully by the space of iii. yeares But what may I say to it being as I heare say I am deposed and expulsed by iudgemente as an vniust vsurper of that rome O iudgement iudgement can this be iust iudgement to condemne the chief minister of Goddes word the pastor and bishop of the Dioces neuer bring him into iudgemente that he might haue hard what crimes were laide to his charge nor neuer suffer him to haue any place or time to answer for him selfe Thinckest thou that hereafter whē true iustice shall haue place that this iustice can euer be allowed either of God or of man well as for the cause and hole matter of mi deposition and the spoil of my goods which thou possessest yet I referre it vnto God which is a iust iudge And I beseke God if it be his pleasure that that whiche is but my personall wronge be not laid to thi charge on the latter
in the remembraunce of Christes body torn vpon the crosse was broken and the Cuppe in the remembraunce of Christes bloude shed was distributed and bothe cōminicated vnto al that were present and woulde receiue them and thereunto were also exhorted of the minister to do All was done openly in the mother tonge so that euery thing might be both easely hard and plainlye vnderstand of all the people to Goddes high glory and the edification of the hole Church This Churche had of late the hole diuine Seruice all commen and publique Prayers ordeined to be saide and hard in the commen congregatiō not only framed and fashioned to the true vaine of holye scripture but also all thinges so set forthe according to the commaundemente of the Lorde and Sainte Paules doctrine for y e peoples edificatiō also in their vulgare tonge it had also holye and holsome Homelies in cōmendation of the principall vertues which are commended in scripture and likewise other Homelies against the moste pernitious and capitall vices that vseth alas to reigne in this Realme of Englande This Churche had in matters of controuersy articles so penned and framed after the holye Scripture and grounded vpon the true vnderstāding of Gods word that in shorte time if they had bene vniuersallye receiued they shoulde haue bene able to haue set in Christes church much concord and vnitie in Christes true Religion and to haue expelled many false errors heresies wherwith this churche alas was almost nigh ouergone But alas of late into this spirituall possession of this heauenlye treasoure of these godly ritches are entred in theues that haue robbed and spoyled all this heauenly treasoure away I may wel complaine on them and crye oute vpon theese Theues with the Prophet saying Deus venerunt gentes in hereditatem tuam c. Psal. 79. O Lord God the gentiles heathen nations are come into thy heritage they haue defiled thy holye Temple and made Ierusalem an heape of stones that is they haue broken and beate downe to the grounde thy holye Citie This Ethenishe generacion these Theues of Samaria these Sabei and Caldei these robbers haue rushed oute of their dennes and hath robbed the Churche of Englande of all the foresaide holye Treasoure of God they haue carried awaye and ouerthrowne it and in steade of Goddes holye woorde the true and right administracion of Christes holy Sacraments as of baptisme and others they mixte theyr ministery with mennes folish fantasies and manye wicked and vngodly tradicions withall In the steade of the Lordes holy table they geue the people with muche solemne disgisinge a thinge they call it their masse but in dead and in truthe it is a very maskinge and a mockery of the true Supper of the Lord or rather I may call it a craftye Iuglinge whereby these false theues Iuglers hath bewitched y e mindes of the simple people y t thei haue brought thē frō the true worship of god vnto pernicious Idolatry make them to beleue y t to be Christ our Lord sauior which in deede is neither God nor man nor hathe anye life in it selfe but in substance is the creature of breade and wine and in vse of the Lordes table is the Sacramente of Christes body and bloude And for thys holy vse which the Lorde hathe ordeined them in his Table to represent vnto vs his blessed body torne vpon the crosse for vs his bloud there shed it pleased him to cal thē his body and bloud whiche vnderstandinge Christe declareth to be his true meaning when he saithe do this in the remembrance of me And againe Saint Paule doth set out the same more plainly speking of the same Sacramente after the wordes of the consecration saying As often as ye shall eat of this breade and drincke of this Cuppe ye shall set forthe he meaneth with the same the Lords death vntil his cōming again And here also these theues haue robbed againe the people of the Lordes Cuppe contrary to the plain words of Christ writtē in his Gospel Now for the commē publike prayers which were in the vulgare tongue these theues haue brought againe a straunge tonge whereof the people vnderstand not one word wherin what do they els but robbe the people of their diuine seruice wherin they ought to pray together with the Priest And to pray in a strange tonge what is it but as sainte Paule calleth it barbarousnes childishnes vnprofitable folly yea and plaine madnesse For the godlye articles of vnitie in Religion and for the holsome Homelies what do these theues place in the stead of them but the Popes lawes decrees lying Legandes and fained fables and miracles to delude and abuse the simplicitye of the rude people Thus this robberye and thefte is not only committed nay sacrilege and wicked spoil of heauenly thinges but also in y e stead of the same is brought in and placed the abhominable desolacion of the tirant Antiochus of proude Senacherib of the shameles faced king and of the Babilonical beast Unto this robbery this thefte and sacrilege because I can not consēt nor God willing neuer shal so lōg as the breth is in my body because it is blasphemy against God high treason vnto Christ our heauenlye King Lord Master and our only sauioure and redeamer it is plaine contrary to Gods word to Christes Gospel it is the subuersion of all true godlines and againste the euerlasting saluacion of mine own soule and all my brethren sisters whome Christe my sauioure hathe so derely bought with no lesse price then with the effusiō and shedding forth of his most precious bloude Therefore all ye my true louers in God my Kinsfolk and countrymē for this cause knowe ye that I am put to death which by Gods grace I shal willingly take with harty thākes to God therfore in certain hope w tout any doubting to receiue at Goddes hande againe of his fre mercye and grace euerlasting life Althoughe the cause of the true man slaine of the thefe healpinge hys neyghboure to recouer hys goodes again and the cause wherfore I am to be put to death in a generalitie is both one as I said before yet knowe ye that there is no small difference These theues as against whome I stand are much worse then the robbers and theues of the borders The goodes which they steale are much more precious their kinde of fighte are farre diuers These theues are worse I saye for they are more cruell more wicked more false deceitful more craftye For those will kill but the body These will not sticke to kil both body and soule Those for the generall theft robbery be called are in dede theues and robbers But these for their spirituall kind of robbery are called Sacrilegi as ye would saye Churche robbers They are more wicked For those goeth about but to spoile men of worldlye thinges worldly riches gold and siluer and worldly substance These go about in the
day But this can I praye for thee O thou nowe wicked and bloudye sea why doste thou nowe set vp againe many alters of Idolatry which by y e word of God were iustlye taken awaye whye haste thou ouerthrowne the Lordes Table why dost thou daily delude the people Maskinge in thy Masses in the steade of the Lordes holye Supper whiche ought to be commen aswell saithe Chrisostom yea the Lord him self to the people as to the Priest why darest y u deny to the people of christ contrary to his exprest cōmaundement in the gospel his holy cuppe whye bablest thou to the people the commen praier in a straunge tōge wherin S. Paule commaundeth in the Lordes name no man shuld speake before the congregaciō except it shuld be by and by declared in their commen tounge that all might be edefied Nai harken thou whorishe bande of Babilone thou wicked limme of Antichriste thou bloudye Wolffe whye slaiest thou downe and makest hauoke of the Prophets of god why murtherest thou so cruelly Christes pore selye sheepe whiche will not heare thy voyce because thou arte a straunger and they will followe none other but theyr Pastoure Christe hys voyce Thinckest to escape or that the LORDE will not require the bloude of hys Sainctes at thy handes Thy GOD whyche is the woorke of thy handes and whome thou sayest thou hast power to make That thy Deafe and dum God will not in dede nor can not althoughe thou arte not ashamed to call him thy Maker make the to escape the reuenginge hande of the highe and almightye God But be thou assured oure liuinge Lord our sauiour and redemer which setteth on the righthād of his father in glorye he seeth all thy wicked wais and cruelty done to his deare members and he will not forget his holye ones And his handes O thou whorish drabbe shalt thou neuer escape In steade of my farewell to the nowe I say Fie vpon the. Fie vpon the filthye drabbe and all thy false prophets Yet O thou London I may not leaue thee thus althoughe thy Episcopall sea nowe being ioyned in league with the seate of Sathan thus hath now both handled me the Saintes of God yet I do not doubt but in that great Citye there be many preuy mourners whyche daily mourneth for that mischiefe which neuer did nor shall consente to that wickednes but do detest abhorre it as the waies of Satan But these preuy mourners here I wil passe by and bid them farewel with their fellowes hereafter whē the place and occasion shall more conueniently require Among the worshipfull of the City and specially which were in office of the meralty ye and in other Citezens also whome to name now it shal not be necessary In the time of my ministerye whiche was from the latter part of sir Rowland Hilles yeare vnto sir George Barnes yere and a great part therof I do acknowledge that I found no smal humanitie and gētlenes as me thought But to say the truth that I esteme before all other for true Christian kindnesse that is shewed in Gods cause and done for his sake wherfore O Dobbes Dobbes Alderman and Knighte thou in thy yere diddest win my hart for euermore for that honorable acte that moste blessed woorke of God of the erection and setting vp of Christes holy Hospitalles and truelye religious houses which bithe through the was begonne For thou lyke a manne of God when the matter was moued for the relief of Christes pore selye members to be holpen from extreame miserye hunger and famine thy harte was moued with Pity And as Christ high honourable officer in that cause thou calledst together thy Brethrē and Aldermen of the Citie before whome thou brake the matter for the poore thou pleadest theyr cause yea and not only in thy own Persone thou diddest sette forthe Christes cause but to further the matter thou broughtest me into the Counsell Chamber of the Citie before the Aldermenne alone whyche thou haddest assēbled ther together to heare me speake what I coulde saye as an aduocate by office and duetye in the pore mens cause The Lorde wroughte with thee and gaue thee the consente of thy brethren Whereby the matter was broughte to the Commen Counsel and so to the whole bodye of the Citye by whome with an vniforme consent the matter was committed to be drawne ordered and deuised by a certaine noumber of the mooste wittye Citizeins and Politike endued also w t godlines with ready hartes to set forward such a noble acte as coulde be chosen in all the hole Citie And they like true and faithfull Ministers both to theyr Citie and to their Master Christe so ordred deuised brought forthe the matter that thousandes of sely pore members of Christ which els for extreame hunger and miserye shoulde haue famished and pearished shall be relieued and holpen vp and shall haue cause to blisse the Aldermen the commen counsel and the hole body of the Citye but specially thee o Dobbes and those chosen men by whome this honorable worke of God was begōne wrought and that so long through out all ages as that godlye worke shall endure whiche I praye almighty God may be euer vnto the worldes end And thou o sir George Barnes the truth is to be confessed to Gods glorye and to the good example of other thou waste in thy yeare not onlye a furtherer and continuer of that which before the by thy predecessor Dobbes was well begon but also diddest laboure so to haue profited the worke that it shoulde baue bene an absolute thing a perfect spectacle of true charitie godlinesse vnto all Christendome Thine endeuor was to haue set vp an house of occupations bothe that all kinde of pouertie being able to worke shoulde not haue lacked wherevppon profitablye they might haue bene occupied to theyr owne reliefe and to the profit and commoditie of the commen wealth of the Citie and also to haue retyred thither y e pore babes broughte vp in the Hospitals when they had come to a certain age and strēgth And also all those whyche in the Hospitalles aforesaide haue bene cured of their diseases and to haue broughte this to passe not wythout diligence and labor both of the and thy brethren thou obtained at that godly king Edward that christian and pierles Princes hande his Princelye place of Bridewell with what other things to the performaunce of the same and vnder what cōdition it is not vnknowen That this thine endeuoure hathe not had like successe the faulte is not in thee but in the conditiō and state of the time whiche the Lorde of his infinite mercy voutchsafe to amend whē it shalbe his gratious wil and pleasure Farewell nowe all ye Citezens that be of God of what state and condition so euer ye be vndoubtedlye in London ye haue hard Gods word truely preached My hartes desire and daily praier shall be for you as for whom for my time I know to my Lord
God I am cōptable that ye neuer swarue neither for losse of life or worldly goodes frō Gods holy word and yeld vnto Antichrist wherupon must nedes follow the great displeaser of God and the losse of your bodies souls into perpetuall dampnation for euermore Now that I haue gon through the places wher I haue dwelt any space in the time of my pilgrimage here vpō earth Remembring that for the space of Kinge Edwardes reigne whiche was for the time of mine Office in the Seas of London and Rochester I was a mēber of the higher house of the parliamente Therefore seinge my God hathe geuen mee laysoure and the remembraunce thereof I will bid my Lordes of the temporaltie farewel They shal haue no iust cause by Gods grace to take it that I entend to say in ill part As for spirituall prelacy that now is I haue nothing to say to them excepte I shoulde repeate agayne a greate parte of that I haue saide before now all readye to the Sea of London But to you my Lordes of the tēporalty vnderstand ye thys firste That when I wrote this I loked daily when I should be called to y e chaunge of my life And thought y t that this my writinge shoulde not come to your knowledge before the time of the dissolucion of my bodye and soule shoulde be expired and therfore know ye that I had before mine eies only the feare of God Christian Charitie towarde you whiche moued me to write for of you hereafter I looke not in thys world other for pleaser or displeaser if my talke shal do you neuer so much pleasure or profit you cā not promote me Nor if I displese you ye can not hurt me or harme me For I shall be oute of your reache Nowe therefore if you feare God and can be content to heare the talk of him that seketh nothing at your hands but to serue God and to do you good herkē what I say I say vnto you as S. Paul saieth to the Galathians I wonder mi Lordes what hathe bewitched you that ye so sodēly are fallen frō Christ vnto Antichrist frō Christes gospel vnto mens tradicions from the Lord that boughte you vnto the Bishop now of Rome I warn you of your pearill be not deceiued except you will be found willingly consenters vnto your owne deathe For if ye thincke thus we are lay men thys is a matter of Religion we follow as we are taughte and led if oure teachers and gouernors teach vs and leade vs amisse the faulte is in them they shall beare the blame My Lords this is true I graunt you that both the false teacher and the corrupt gouernoure bothe shal be punished for the deathe of theyr subiecte whome they haue falselye taughte and corruptlye ledde And his bloud shall be required at their handes But yet neuerthelesse shal that subiecte die the death him self also that is he shal also be dampned for his owne sinne For if the blind leade the blinde Christe saithe not the leader only but he saithe bothe shall fall in the ditche Shall the Sinagoge and the Senate of the Iewes trow ye whyche forsooke Christe and consented to his Deathe therefore be excused because Annas Caiphas with the Scribes and Phariseis and their cleargy did teach them amisse yea and also Pilate theyr gouernoure and the Emperoures Lieuetenaunte by his tirranny did withoute cause put him to deathe Forsothe no my Lordes no but notwithstanding that corrupt doctrine or Pilates washinge of hys handes neither of both shal excuse other that sinagoge and seigniour or Pilate But at the Lordes hand for the effusion of that innocentes blud on the latter dai al shal drink of the deadlye whip Ye are wittye and vnderstand what I meane Therefore I will passe ouer thys and return to tel you howe you are fallen from Christe to his aduersarye the Bishyp of Rome And least my Lordes I maye peraduenture thincke me thus barely to call the Bishop of Rome Christes aduersarye or to speake it in plain termes to cal him Antichrist that it is don in mine anguish and that I do but rage and as a desperate man do not care what I say or vpon whome I do raile Therfore that your Lordships may perceiue my minde and vnderstande that I speake the words of truthe and of sobriety as S. Paule saide vnto Festus Be it knowne vnto your Lordships al that as concerning the bishop of Rome I nether hate the person nor the place For I ensure your Lordships y e liuing Lorde beareth me witnesse before whome I speake I doo thincke manye a good holy manne manye martirs and Saintes of God hath set and taught in that place Christes Gospel truely whiche therfore iustlye maye be called Apostolici that is true Disciples of the Apostles And also that Church and cōgregacion of Christians Apostolicke Church yea and that certaine hundreth yeares after y e same was first erected builded vpon Christ by the true Apostolicall Doctrine taught by the mouthes of the Apostles them selues If ye will know how long that was and how manye hundreth of yeares to be curious in poyntinge the precise nomber of yeres I wil not be to bold but thus I say so lōg and so manye hundred of yeres as that sea did truely teach and preach that gospel that religion exercised that power ordered euery thing by those lawes and rules whyche that sea receiued of the Appostles and as Tertulyan saithe and the apostles of Christe and Christe of God so long that Sea myght wel haue bene called Peter and Pauls chair and Sea or rather Christes Chaire and the Bishop thereof Apostolicus or a true Disciple of the Apostles and a minister of Christ. But since that time that Sea hath degenerated frō that trade of truth and true Religion whyche it receiued of the Apostles at the beginning and hathe preached a nother Gospell hathe sette vp an other Religion hathe exercised an other power and hath taken vpon it to ordre and rule the Churche of Christe by other straunge lawes Cannons and rules then euer that Sea receiued of the Apostles of Christe whyche thinges it dothe at this daye and hathe continued so doinge alasse alasse of to to lōg a time From time I saye that the state and condition of this Sea hathe thus bene chaunged In truthe it oughte of dutye and of righte to haue the names chaunged bothe of the Sea and of the sitter therein For vnderstande my Lordes it was neither for the Priuilege of that place or Persone thereof that that Sea and Bishop thereof wer called Apostolicke but for the true trade of Christes Religion whiche was taught and maintened in that Sea at the firste and of those godlye menne And therfore as truely and iustlye as that Sea then for that true trade of Religion and cōsanguinitie of Doctrine wyth the Religion and Doctrine of Christes Apostles was called Apostolick So as truely as iustly for y e
cōtrariety of religion and diuersity of doctrine from Christ and his apostles that Sea and the Bishop therof at this day both ought to be called and are in dede Antichristian The Sea is the seate of Sathan and the Bishoppe of the same that mainteyneth the Abhominations thereof is Antichriste hym selfe in deede And for the same causes this sea at this daye is the same whiche s Ihon calleth in his reuelacion Babilon or the whore of Babilon and spiritually Sodoma and Egiptus the mother of fornications and of the abhominations vpon the earth And with this hore doth spiritually mell and lies with her and committeth most stincking and abhominable adultrye before God Al those Kinges and Prynces yea and all nations of thearth which consenteth and doth vse and practise her abhominacions That is of the innumerable multitude of thē to reherse some for example sake her dispensacions her Pardons and Pilgremages her inuocation of Sainctes her worshipping of Images her false coūterfaicte religion in her monkery and frerage in her traditiōs wher by Gods lawes are defiled as in her Massing and false ministring of Gods word and the sacraments of Christ amisse contrarye clene to Christes woorde and the Apostles doctrine whereof in perticularitie I haue touched somethinge before in my talcke had with the Sea of Londō and in other treatises more at large wherein if it shall please God to bring the same to light shal appere I trust by gods grace plain lye to the man of God and to hym whose rule in iudgement of religiō is Gods word That that religion that rule and order that doctrine and faithe whyche thys whore of Babilon and the beast wherevpon she doth sit mainteineth at this dai withall violence of fire and sword with spoile and banishment according to Daniels Prophecy and finallye with all falshead deceite Ipocrisye and all kinde of vngodlines are as clene contrary to gods word as darknesse is vnto lighte or light to darknes white to black or black to white or as Belial vnto Christ or Chirst vnto Antichrist him self I know my Lordes for sawe when I wrote this that to so many of you as should see this my writing and not beinge before endued with the spirite of grace and light of gods word so many wold at these my wordes Lordlike stāpe sporn at spit at it But sober your selues with pacience and be still know ye y t in mi writing of this mi mind was none other but in God as the liuing God dothe beare me witnes both to do you profit plesure And otherwise as for youre displeasure by that time that thys shall come to youre knowledge I trust bi gods grace to be in y e hands protection of thalmighty mi heauenly father and the liuing Lord which is as S Ihon saith y e gretest of all And thed thē I shall not nede I trow what any lord no nor what any king or prince can do vnto me My Lordes if in times paste ye haue bene contented to heare me sometimes in matters of Religion before the Prince in the pulpit and in the Parliament house and haue not semed to haue dispised what I haue saide when as els then if ye hadde perceiued iuste occasion ye mighte haue suspected in my talk thoughe it had bene reasonable ether desire of worldly gain or feare of displeasure How hathe thē your Lordships more cause to harkē to my word and to heare me paciently seing now ye cānot iustly thinck of me being in this case appoynted to die and loking daily whē I shal be called to come before the eternal iudge otherwise but that I onlye study now to serue my Lord god to say that thinge which I am perswaded assuredly by Gods worde shall and doth please him and profit all them to whome God shall geue grace to heare beleue what I do say And I do say euen that I haue said heretofore both of the sea of Rome and of the bishop therof I meane after this their presente state at this day Wherin if ye will not beleue the ministers of God the true preachers of his word truly I denounce vnto you in Verbum domini except ye do repent be time it shall turne to your confusion and to your smarte on the latter daye Forget not what I say my Lordes for Goddes sake forget not but remēber it vpon your death bed For I tell you moreouer as I knowe I muste be comptable of thys my speking thus to the eternal iudge who will iudge nothinge amisse so shall you be comptable of youre duetye in hearing and you shall be chardged if ye wil harken to Gods word for not obeying to the truth Alasse my Lordes how chaunseth this that this matter is now a new againe to be perswaded vnto you who woulde haue thoughte of late but your Lordships had bene perswaded in deede sufficiently or els that ye coulde euer haue agreed so vniformely with one consent to the abolishment of the vsurpacion of y e bishop of Rome If y t matter were then but a matter of pollicy wherin the Prince must be obeied howe is it nowe made a matter wherein as your Clergy saieth now and so saieth the Popes lawes in deede standeth the vnitie of the catholike Church and a matter of necessitye of our saluacion Hath the time being so short since the death of the .ii last kinges Henry the eight Edward his sonne altered the nature of the matter If it haue not but was of the same nature and daunger then as it is now and be now as it is saide by the Popes lawes and the instructions sette forthe in English to the Curates of the dioces of Yorke in deede a matter of necessitie to saluacion Howe then chaunsed that ye were all O my Lordes so light and so little passed vpon the Catholicke faithe and the vnitie therof without the whiche no mā can be saued as for your Princes plesures which were but mortal men to forsake the vnitie of youre Catholicke faithe that is to forsake Christe and his holy Gospell And furthermore if it were then and nowe so necessarye to saluacion howe chaunsed it also that ye al the hole body of the Parliament agreing with you did not only abolishe and expel the Bishop of Rome but also did abiure him in your persons and did decre in your actes great othes to be takē of bothe the spiritualty and temporalty whosoeuer shuld enter into aniwaity chargeable office in the commē wealth But on thotherside if that lawe and decree whiche maketh the supremacy of the Sea and Bishop of Rome ouer the vniuersall church of Chirst a thing of necessiti required vnto saluacion be an Antichristian lawe as it is in deede And such instructions as is geuen to the dioces of Yorke be in dede a setting forth of the power of y t beast of Babilon bi the craft and falshed of his false Prophets as of a truth
compared vnto Gods word truly iudged by the same it shal plainly appere y t they be then my Lords neuer thinck other but the day shal come when ye shalbe charged with this your vndoing of that that once ye had well done with this your periury breach of your oth which oth was done in iudgement iustice and truth agreable to Gods lawe The hore of Babilon maywel for a time dally with you and make you so dronke with the wine of her filthy stewes and horedome as wyth her dispensacions and promises of pardon A pena culpa that for drōkennes and blindnes ye may think your selues safe But be ye assured when the lyuing Lord shal trye the matter by the fire and iudge it according to his worde when all her abominations shall appeare what they be Thē ye my Lords I geue your Lordships warning in time repent if ye be happi and loue your owne soules helth repent I say or els without all dout ye shall neuer escape the hāds of the liuing Lord for the gilt of your Prince and the breach of your oth And as ye haue banketed line with the whore in the fornication of her whorishe dispensacions Pardons Idolatry such like abhomioacions so shal ye drink with her except ye repent be time of the cup of the Lords indignacion euerlasting wrath which is prepared for the beaste his false Prophets and al their partakers For he that is Partner with them in their whoredome and abhominacions must also be partner with them of their plages And on the latter day shalbe throwne in wyth them in the lake burninge wyth brimstone and vnquenchable fyre Thus fare you wel my Lordes al. I pray God geue you vnderstanding of his blessed will and plesure and make you to beleue and embrace the truthe Amen ¶ To the Prisoners in Christes Gospels cause and to al them whiche for the same cause are exiled and banished oute from theyr owne countrye chosynge rather to lose all worldly commodity then their master Christ. FArewell my deare beloued brethren in Christe both you my fellow prisonners and you also that bee exiled and banished oute of youre Countries because ye wyll rather forsake all worldlye commoditye then the Gospell of Christe Farewel al ye together in Christ farewell and be mearye For you knowe that the triall of your faith bringeth forth paciēce and paciēce shall make vs perfecte whole and sound on euery side And such after triall ye know shal receiue y e crown af life let vs therefore be paciente vnto the comming of the Lord. As the husbandman abideth paciently the former and latter rain For the encrese of his crop let vs likewise be pacient and plucke vp our harts for the cōming of the Lorde approcheth apase Let vs my deare brethren take example of patience in tribulation of the Prophets which spake likewise Gods word truelye in his name Let Iob be to vs an example of pacience And the ende which the Lord suffered whiche is ful of mercy and pity we know my brethren by gods word y t our faith is muche more precious then anye corruptible gold and yet y t is tried by the fire Euen so therefore oure faith is tried likewise in tribulations that it may be found when the Lord shall appere laudable gloryous and Honorable For if we for Christes cause do suffer that that is grateful before God for therunto are we called That is our state and our vocation wherwith let vs be content Christ we know suffred for vs afflictions leuing vs an example that we shuld folow his fotesteppes For he committed no sinne nor was there any guile founde in hys mouthe when he was railed vppon and all to reuiled he did not threaten but cōmitted y e punishmēt therof to hym that iudgeth a right Let vs euer haue in freshe remēbrance those wonderful cōfortable sentences spoken by y e mouth of our sauioure Christe Blessed are they which suffer persecution for ryghteousnes sake for theirs is y e kyngdom of heauē Blessed are you whē men reuile you persecute you and speake all euil againste you for my sake Reioyse be glad for greate is your reward in heauē For so did they persecute the prophets which were before you Therefore beare this alway in your mind y t if anye incōmodity doth chāce vnto vs for righteousnes sake y t happy are we whatsoeuer the world doth thincke of vs. Christ our master hath told vs before hande y t the brother shall put y e brother to death the father the sonne the children should rise against their parēts kil thē And y t Christes true apostles should be hated of all mē for his names sake But he that shal abide patiētly vnto thend he shalbe saued Let vs thē endure in al troubles paciently after thexāple of our master Christ be contented therw t. For he suffred being our master Lord how doth it not then become vs to suffer For the disciple is not aboue his master nor the seruaūt aboue his Lord. It may suffice the disciple to be as his master and the seruaunte to be as Lord. If they haue called the master of the family the master of the housholde Belzebub howe muche more shall they call so them of his houshold Feare them not thē saith our sauior for all preuities shalbe made plain Ther is now nothing secreate but it shall be shewed in lighte Of Christes wordes let vs neyther be ashamed nor afrayde to speake it For so oure master commaundeth vs saying That I tell preuely speke openli abrode and y t I tel you in your eare preach it vp on the house top And be not afraid of your selfe of them whyche kyll the bodye for the soule they canne not kyll But feare hym whyche canne caste boothe Bodye and soul into hel fire Know ye that the heauenly father hathe euer a gratious eie and respect toward you a fatherly prouidence for you so y t withoute his knowledge and permission nothing cā do you harme Let vs therfore cast al care vppon him and he shal prouide y t whyche shalbe best for vs. For if of .ii. small sparrowes which both are sold for a mite one of them lighteth not on the ground without the father And all the heeres of oure head are nombred feare not then saith oure Maister Christe for you are more worth then many small sparowes And let vs not stick to confesse our master Christ for feare of daunger whatsoeuer it shalbe remembryng the promisse that Christ maketh saieth euery one that shall confesse me before men him shal I confesse before my father which is in heauē But whosoeuer shal deny me hym shal I likewise deny before my father whyche is in heauen Christe came not to geue vnto vs heare a carnal amitie and a worldly peace or to knit his vnto y e worlde in ease and peace but rather to seperate deuide them from