bosome Psalm 79.13 and to powre out of his wrath as vpon the nations and vpon those kingdomes that know not his name yea let all the enemies of the Lorde perish let none prosper that loue not the Lorde our God â—â—d 5.31 As in the day of ouerthrow so let the vnrighteous men perishe I hope the Lord will raise vp in his furie and lift vp himselfe in the coastes of his enemies Then shal your iniquities be as the inâ—quities of Galgall Hos 9.15 For those the Lord loueth not because of the malitiousnesse of their inuentions And as for vs we wil not cease to speake against you and against Rome and against all the enymies of God both day and night for the thinges that you commit are execrable thinges Nothing that you doe pleaseth the Lorde for you haue not one iot of his lawe in your lippes but all that you haue is of man God saith heare my wordes you heare the wordes of a straunger and of the Pope God saith doe that I command you you doe as man commandeth you God saith remember me for euer you forget him in all the thinges that you doe and you vse other ordinances and other lawes then you hane commaundement for You thinke I doe you iniurie no I séeke to reclaime you you say I deale hardly with you nay not so I will deale frankely with you These inâ—entiâ—â— of men 〈…〉 successâ—â—el 〈◊〉 Pope to Poâ—â—â— till their veâ—â—mous 〈◊〉 poison 〈…〉 and 〈…〉 are so 〈◊〉 with 〈◊〉 mes that 〈◊〉 can inueâ—â— nâ— more For if you can prooue either that your owne order of Iesuites which some of you professe or that your Hermites your Anchorists your Nunnes your Friers your Monkes your Chanons haue so much as any color or shew in the booke of God I am contented to like of them If you can finde but the name of any one of them all there or their customes or their rites or their traditions wee will thinke you haue proâ—ited maruellously I am sure that your fathers coulde not And as for you because I am to frame my speach as to men present not absent I haue déeply straitly to charge you What presumptioÌ„ was it for you to come to vs Wee sought you not What arrogancie to teach vs We are not destitute of such as can instruct What was it because you woulde sowe your damnable errors heere Paul Floren of Cesaâ—s schoole a â—â—â—te in Vienna hath opened and this much more as you did of late amongest the Iaponians a people that might haue béene conuerted nowe they are infected by you that might haue séene the light nowe they are blinded thorowe you that were forwarde nowe they goe backewarde by meanes of you that would haue known Christ aright now are farre from him thorowe you For with the Iaponians whome you haue mocked there are Iamambuxae knightes of the Vallies for high personages in their spiritualtie they committe horrible thinges amongest them there bee Tundi in stead of your Bishoppes and they sell mens soules for monie These are all one with the massing Priest that did all for the penie there bée Boulit in steade of Monkes they make shipwracke of the men of that countrie they with their fellowes take menie to be paide when they are deade in an other worlde there be Idols Amida and Zaca which the men of that countrie worshippe as they were taught by you Thinke you that it is vnknowne to vs are we ignorant of your dealinges Simon Magus Carpocrates Saturninus Basilides were the first heretikes that vsed charmed drinkes associating accompaning of spirits al which the Iaponians had of the Iesuites No I tell you no For we are certified euen of the horrible and detestable sacrifices which were taught the Iaponians who doe offer dayly vnto spirites and for that they shoulde not hurt the standers by your Colleges taught them to giue them of the fruite Crizam which in banquet wise they set before them And come you hither and haue you hope to preuaile héere with vs and as Apostles as Apostataes I should say come you hither into Englande to confirme that your Copemats haue spread abroaâ—e there Why you are beguiled you haue no hope you can not preuayle For our children laugh at you when they heare or sée you our yong men condemne you for they can indge of you our fathers and graue Seniors controll you for they sée into you olde and young young and olde cryâ— out and spurne againste you there is not one onely some reprobate heere or there or one Sanders or some Harding or a runnagate out of his Countrie excepted that holde with you But if GOD giue you eyes and grace this you may sée That this honourable and great assemblie haue all their eyes set vppon you and they would be right glad if happily the spirit of the Lord would rest vppon you at this present and chaunge you that you might become newe men We pray for all that God 〈◊〉 turne all if hee please We pray against all â—o many as are wicked and hardened least they shold infect all for so wee are coÌ„manded And you sée what harme wee wishe you wée labor to alter you wee labor to conuert you wee labor to labor to perswade you wée labor to teache you And as many of my fellowe bretheren and learned men haue béene here So am I come to say something vnto you that at the least whether it bée to life or to death the worde of the Lorde may haue his course wherefore I will nowe come to particular pointes which you defende wherein if you stande not as you haue done hetherto peruersely I hope in the Lord to doe good if not let the will of the LORD bee done Articles of our faith must depend on the scriptures â—hen if 〈◊〉 will 〈…〉 leeue 〈…〉 they 〈…〉 〈◊〉 refeâ—â—e the 〈◊〉 the scriptures else 〈◊〉 not wee to credit them In this place GOD sayth thus My wordes which I commaunde thee this day shall bee in thy hearte Tell mée then séeing the wordes of GOD are onely to bée looked vnto what worde what commaundement what scripture or what place you can prooue it in That your Masse is lawfull or that it is a propitiatorie sacrifice for the quicke and the deade What worde haue you to prooue that Christ is really corporally fleshe bloode and bone in the Sacrament What worde haue you for your administration of the Supper of the LORD in one kinde What word haue you the you should refuse to come to heare the word of the LORD which you will not hears but by compulsion If I can prooue that all these your assertions for which you suffer and are in bondes bee vntrue vnlawefull most false will you then yéelde and relent For my parte I doe ensure you that if all the learned Papistes in the worlde coulde from the firste originall and springe of these
haue practised and taken counsell against the Lord against Christ against his annointed but Achitophell with you and you with him you with Absolon Absolon with you shall be ouerthrowne bothe alike and haue one ende you your interprises fall as they did that Adonias did You you shal he ouerthrowne with Hamon you you with your Ioacim and Ioacim with you and you all ioyned together shall not be able to stand against one Ieremie wherfore returne repent amend and conuert and come vnto the Lorde and be saued Leu. 5.4 The soule that hath sworne and hath spoken the worde that he will doe euill yet if hée repent and be sory the lawe dyd admit him to bée reconciled againe vnto the Lorde There was no man that had offended Deut. 4.29 no man that had trespassed but if hée sought the Lorde his God with all his hart and returned hée was receiued was there euer any in Israell but when they had transgressed and serued straunge Gods Gods of siluer and Gods of stone and offended the Lorde after the maner of the nations that for all that were cast off 1. Reg. 8.33 and dispised of the Lord if they came home O then harken vnto his worde harden not your hartes the Lord wyll accept of you as of Israell learne to doo well séeke his statutes looke into the law of the Lorde sée if it be not an vndefiled law yea it is a law wherin is no imperfectioÌ„ no vanity no leasing no deceipt It is a law that suffereth no manner of Image Exo. 20.23 Exo. 34.1.7 which you onely stand vpon It is a lawe that admitteth you not to eate of the sacrifices of the nations nor of the fornications of the Gentiles all which you depende vpon it is a law that willeth you to runne from ydoles and from the abhominations of Ieroboam the sonne of Nabat that made Israell to sinne but you are all one with hym and runne a whoreing from the Lorde The worde of God 2. Reg 20.30 is most pure nothing like vnto it O therefore runne from the inuentions of men For why Dagon may not stand before the Arke Psa 18.33 1. Sam. 5.3 2. Par. 32.19 he shall fall flat vpon his face The Lorde dooth not regarde the workes of mens hands and the inuentions of their hartes bée farre from him The Lorde is hiest aboue all the world like vnto him there is none before hym was none and after him there shall be none such as is our god his name is an vndefiled name and it cannot be giuen to any other Then deferre not to come vnto the Lorde for Kinges haue not bene ashamed of hym Princes haue yéelded vnto his lore and the Kinges of the earth haue bene subiect to his commaundement The whole worlde hath relented to his voyce and commaundemente and all Nations haue subscribed to his hestes who is like vnto our God that sitteth in his throne aboue and what man may be compared vnto him His power and his righteousnesse is in the highest places Psal 35.11 his rules and his commaundements his wonders and his noble Actes within the clowdes Psa 77.13 Psa 83.1 Psa 89.9 None is lyke vnto him and none may be compared vnto our God Then harken you that are héere I require you agayne to harken yet it is in vayne I speake vnto the winde and I cast foorth my spéeches as into the ayre my talke is to disobedient Children and my wordes are powred foorth in vayne I sée you mooued as men are moued in wrath and you gather you together as the Adder doth stopping his eare charm the Charmer neuer so conningly you doo euill you generation of the wicked and your pride is looked vppon from heauen there is one sitteth aboue laugheth you to scorne and hée hath you already in derision Though you repine at him yet canne you not avoide his handes though you grin and mock yet wyl he hamper you your disobedience wyll hée punishe and your wicked cogitations will hee bringe to naught your haughtie mindes will he bringe downe and your dead lookes wyll hee chaunge I tell you there is a fire gone out alreadye and if it kindle but a litle yea happy shall you bée if you come vnto him For my owne part I hope it not for your partes you intende it not For my selfe I thinke it not for you you determin it not For that which I thinke I doo ensure you I perceiue it not for this time not I but all present sée it not how you are moued wée all sée how you are pricked we all iudge how you wil frame your selues herafter that the Lord knoweth but none of 〈◊〉 Concerning these therfore that are héere whom I perceiue you all are moued at let nothing trouble you right honorable and welbeloued in the Lorde they are as God wyl haue them you bee as God hath thought good for you they shall when God will returne vnto him I must therfore say Lib. 4. dialogorum as Gregorius saieth of such as were hardened in his time Sionti subeâ—dem igne aurum rutilat palea fumat ita sub eodem igne electus purgatur pecâ—ator crematur 1 As vnder the same fire Golde glistereth chaffe smoketh so in the same furnace the electe is purged the offender is burned As the king Iosuah said so must I say who speakinge of the Princes that were destroyed sayde thus It came of the Lord to harden their harts that they should come against Israell in battell Iosh 11.20 to the intent that they shoulde destroye them vtterly And so is it héere either you are come amonge vs that you may sée your selues and repent or els you bée sent of the Lorde that you may harden your hartes and haue a more gréeuous downefall At this let no man wonder For the fiery piller was a light to the Isralites Exo. 13.21 Exo. 14.22 Exo. 19.3 Exo. 16.20 but it was death and destruction to the Egiptians All passed throw the red sea and were baptised in the Clowde and in the Sea by Moses yet all sawe not the Land of promise Mounte Sinai burned and was death to the Isralites but Moses passed throw by the fire and went vp to the Lorde and was not hurt Num. 11.33 The Manna was Angels finde and nourished many it scrawled full of wormes to other and the Quayles nourished and were good meate yet diuers of them died with the meate in their mouthes So likewise is it in the worde of the Lord to some it is saluation to others it is condempnation The Heauens are pleasant and alike to all yet rayned they downe Haylestones vppon the Amorites Iosh 10.11 Cense and Sacrifice were good for all that Nadab and Abihu were consumed with fire from Heauen as they did Sacrifyâ—e Many were stonge with fierie Serpents and dyed but the godâ—ye and righteous men were healed when they looked on the same All that came to Iordan dyd not passe ouer Leu. 10.3 Num. 21.9 2 Reg. 2.8 2. Reg. 5.14 yet the Prophet Elias had no sooner touched it with his Mantell but hée went ouer on drie lande Many bathed in the riuer onely Naaman the Syrian was â—lonsed of his leprosie and by the worde of the Lorde the godly 〈…〉 the wicked are hardened the godly haue lyfe the reprobate are in death I doo remember the Toâ—er of Silâ—â— defended many but the 18 were killed for it fell vpon them and the Angell came downe into the water of Beehesda at certaine times and stirred the water for all that diuers went away Crepâ—â—s as they came 〈…〉 and were not holpen There were many Lopers in the dayes of Christ 〈◊〉 very fewe the ix Leapers were all only they you read of cleansed Great multitudes touched the hâ—m of Christes garments but the woman a Straunger was healed of hir fluxe of blooud Diuers sat in the seate of Moses all only Casphas gaue right sentence that one should die for the people In lyke maner many heare as you doe but God openeth and giueth vnderstandinge And so I conclude with Paule Rom. 9.18 of whom the Lorde our god wyll of hym hath hee mercie and whom hee wyll hee hardeneth And as for you the Lord if it be his wyll and pleasure open your eyes If not his wyll and purpose bee fulfylled FINIS ⧠Faultes escaped in Printing For the first part Page 7. line 9. reade he set page 7. line 22. reade to possesse and pa. 10 line 2. reade and howe page 11. lin 35. reade with power with right page 16. line 25. reade since Christes page 26. line 27. reade force page 29. line 9. reade There is page 36. line 16 reade must page 4â— line 29. reade slaine by them page 43. line 31. reade Apollyon For the second part Page 7. line 15. reade Euen the same commaundement page 11. line 22. reade They all yéelded to that page 13. line 15. reade The Lorde wyll ryse vp in his furie page 13. Annota For hat reade that page 14. Annot. 1. reade hath opened this page 14. lin 17. reade There bée Bonlij page 14. line 27. reade of the fruite Orizam page 16. lin 1. reade condescend vnto the end page 17 line 15. reade for Midbhath Nidbhath page 17. line 21. reade that should lyghten page 18. line 3. kept as at the day page 18. line 8. goe a gleaning page 18. Annot. 2. reade They all almost page 18. Annot. 3. reade not Christ and his Apostles page 20. line 7. reade Is no other page 20. li. 18. For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 page 21. line 4. reade then in vse page 21. line 7. reade Enthutianus page 25. An. Vltima reade Valafridus an Abbat page 29. An. Vltima reade To haue any page 32.17 reade But looked vpon ..
that haue offered vp of the Children of God vnto Deuilles You haue serued Baall Hamon and you haue runne vnto the Calues euen the golden Calues of Dan and Bethell You haue laide in waite for the Lordes annointed and you haue cursed â—auid to his face The Preistes of Nob haue béene slayne by your handes and by your Fathers handes haue the righteous men béene eaten vp Wherefore wee must require this blood at your handes if you will not returne and come vnto the Lorde Truely your blood shal be spilt at the Poole of Samaria according to the worde of the Lorde and that Roome shal be as the house of Baasa The Sworde of the Lord shall waxe red with blood and he shall reioyce in the fat of the slaine As did the Children of Edome at the day of his wrath so shall you sée the bones of your mighty men lye in the stréetes For the Lorde hath seene you and he hath tryed you you are already wayed in the Ballaunce and you are founde to light And if now you repent not and retorne not If now you amend not and reuolte not from your errors as I found you so I must leaue you open to the hand of the enimie And it shal be my prayer bothe day and night that the Lord would quicken you or that he would shorten you that the Lorde would amend you or that he would ende you that you be not reserued as flaming firebrands till the day of displeasure to consume any more of the Saincts of God And for the second parte of this my Sermon the next time that I come hether and when I haue leisure you shall know and vnderstande more * ⎠* FINIS Primae partis THE SECOND PART OF the Sermon preached against the Iesuites at the Towre the 21. of May 1581. being written in the 6. of Deut. ver 6. These wordes which I commaunde thee this day shall be in thy heart Deut. 6.6 THis briefe and shorte sentence beloued in the Lorde is a portion and parcell of the wordes going before in this verse where the Lorde exhorting his people to feare him and to feare him onely did in a compendious maner vtter his will and pleasure in a few estminstances namely to heare his voyce and his worde with all their minde with all their soule with all their might with all their strength wherevpon successiuely did follow a reason of that was spoken that is These wordes which I commaunde thee this day shall be in thy heart Nowe if you doe remember in my generall diuision were noted the other day these two things First an exhortation secondly a commaundement of the exhortation wee spake then at large and nowe wee must say some thing of that remayneth therefore there is generally noted here out of these wordes rehearsed one thing namely â— The onely and sole commandement here set downe And this commandement is seene in circuÌ„stances 1 Who commaundeth The Lorde our God commaundeth 2 Who they bee the commandement concerneth The Israelites be they it coÌ„cerneth 3 What is the comandement These words that I coÌ„mand this day shall be in thy hart that is the commandement 4 For how long a time was this commandement giuen euen for euer and for euer vnto all is it giuen Circumst 1. The Lord commandeth and it is not without cause whose power it we disobay him whose loue if we do serue him whose strength if wee refuse him whose mencie if we imbrace him Whose rigor if we resist him whose fauor if we stick to him haue not now onely but from time to time béen séene of all Therefore is hee omnipotent that hee may rule vs and hée is almightie that hee may fame vs and hee is stout that hee may bridle vs and hee is high that hee may ouersée vs and he the Lord our God is terrible that he may feare vs if we go astray and do that which is amisse Of this that I haue spoken and of him in this place that is the Commander I may giue diuers reasons yet will I onely yéelde thrée vnto you which I know may particularly touch vs all The first is a Personae magnitudine that is a reasonable persuasion from the greatnes of of the person to feare him the Lorde God Deut. 4.39 The Lorde why who is like vnto him who may be compared vnto him Vnus solus est he onely is one and onely God Psal 73.1 The Lord Why Solus bonus bonis hee is onely good to the good Isay 30.18 The Lord Why Clemens c. He is bouÌ„tifull and of long suffering Nech 9.6 The Lord Why Deus est creator he hath made all he hath framed all and he will bee feared of all Esay 49.13 The Lorde Why Suorum consolator he comforteth those that are his 1. Par. 29.12 The Lord Why Vniuer sorum Dominus he is Lorde of all Ezech. 13.21 The Lord Why Dux populi sui he is a leader a captaine and a guider of his people Out of all which wee may gather this conclusion He that made all that framed all that ruled all that guideth all that protecteth all is all in all for to be feared by all But the Lorde our God that heere commaundeth vs that heere forwarneth vs is hee that framed al that ruled all that guideth all that protecteth all ergo The Lorde our God is all in all and onely to be feared by all The second reason from the person of God is taken a personae bonitate i. froÌ„ the goodnesse of his person if we feare him Deut. 7.9 Hee the Lorde our God hee is true faithfull Psal 36.10 Hee the Lord our God he is the Lord the welspring of life Esay 49.5 Hee the Lord our God he is the God of strength Psal 89.18 Hee the Lord our God the glorie of the power and strength of his people Esay 33.22 Hee the Lorde our God is a righteous God and a good trustie lawgiuer Hee the Lorde our God hee is the light and bewrie of Israell out of these is made this conclusion Who so with loue hath tendered vs with mercie hath loked on vs with life hath quickned vs and by his righteousnes hath deliuered vs is to be honored feared of all liuing creatures else none but he The Lorde our God in this place commaunding vs is the same also that hath tendered vs and looked to vs and quickened vs and guided vs ergo The Lord our God is to be feared honoured and obeyed of all liuing creatures and else none but he The thirde reason is taken three manner of wayes from the persoÌ„ of God 1 Amanu i. from his hand that striketh vs 2 Apotentia i. from his power that reacheth vs 3 Apoena i. from his scourges and plagues which consumeth vs If wee obeye him not For he is the sworde of the glorie of his people Deut. 33.29 For he is a consuming
whether he did well or euill And Osorius did but the other day sende abroade his CoÌ„nfections to poyson the young Frie of England who as he flaunteth it out in a leafe or two yet halteth he in many places and speaketh verie roughly and breaketh out euery where vnpleasauntly and then healeth vp the wound so rawly againe as that his gleaned and piked vp corne stolne words borrowed ware deceiptfull stile quauering Notes and slaunderous speeches against the trueth be wundered at and greatly pittied of all cunning woorkemen Moreouer the other day was the like seene for the Snowe hath not yet falne vpon the ground nor yet hath the Sickle beene put into the Corne sithence one to name Campion and an other to name Howlet haue caste out Rebellious Pamphlets and offered combate to all the learned in this Realme Now all these men for that they wanted credit and estimation where they liued before are coÌ„tent like Maisterlesse men to goe abegging and aske for entertainement abroade Therefore haue they praesumed to enter the Courte gates and there to open their Pedlers Packes and to set out to sale their counterfeit Merchaundies supposing that because her Maiesties Subiects vpon hope of amendement haue in all clemencie beene borne with all to this day Therefore also they should looke for the same fauour and good woordes bothe of her Maiestie and your Honours handes as a rewarde giuen them for their slaunderous and Scismaticall Libelles May it please you therefore with the same eyes and like harte as you haue to this daye moste Honourably continued so also to turne back and looke vpoÌ„ the learned with in this Realme It wil be knowne vnto you that God hath so blessed them in England with all kinde of furniture Timber Wood and Stone fine woorke wrought woorke and needell woorke golde siluer and all other kinde of Science Arte and knowledge bothe diuine and humaine as all theyr outlandish falshoods robbery pilfering and stealth with their foolish and mishapen Quiddities loose arguments broken reasons falsified Scriptures coloured and disguised Authors are neuer able to be compared or come neere vnto vs. For whye the Lorde is on our side and he rayseth vp bothe the eloquent and the good man As for those men what haue we to doo with them seeing they are bewitched with falsehood and lyes The Lorde our God is he that we must follow his voyce must we heere and as for those that bring not his woorde the Lorde shal be reuenged on them himselfe For my owne parte what I haue set downe against our aduersaries the Iesuites in this booke in the same I will not be my owne Iudge but I will referre that I haue spoken to the indifferent Reader and he all that I haue doone vnto the Scriptures The Lorde the true and righteous euermore the God of our fathers that hath alwayes beene with you kindle your noble and vertuous proceedings more and more that you maye bee a light and fartherer in the same to all those that looue and feare the Lorde And the Lorde graunt that his countenaunce may shine vpon vs that his word may be knowne rightly his lawes and commaundements obserued diligently the vertuous and godly men defended mightely the wicked and obstinate punished seuearely and his goodnes and mercie spreade abroade openly vpon vs all That her Maiestie may raigne long time ouer vs to see the iudgements of our God put in execution that her Grace may see an end of all vnquietnes dissention and strife and establish peace vnitie and concorde in the Church of God Amen Your Honours moste humble to commaund Iohn Keltridge From my Chamber in Holborne at London Iune 10. To the Readers and faithfull Christians health and peace in Christe Iesus THe great looue that the Lord our GOD hath borne to the Church neither is it neither can it be hid from any man and if we which haue nowe Itued in the same many yeeres be not either stuffed and choaked vp with his manifolde benefites or carelesse secure for that they haue béene so plentifull Then will euerie faithfull and good man say as I say that of all Nations and Countries vnder heauen we haue hitherto liued most happily For if Warres were looked for the Lord hath turned all to peace If conspiracies and Treasons were practised they haue béene reuealed from time to time If Insurrections were made they the authors haue béen suppressed immediatly If Forrainers and straungers haue determined any thing against vs their pretended deuises neuer tooke effect If at any time they haue purposed to spoyle vs the Lord hath deliuered them into our handes If the heauens haue portended any great thing or the earth hath shaken her pillers against man or the Elements in flaming manner cast foorth their sparkes of fyre yet haue all these moste straunge thinges to this day shewen their force declared their effectes and plainely manifested their angrie countenaunâ—â—s against other Nations and straunge people not against vs of England So that I may say happy are we if we may continue happy and blessed be we aboue all other if we be still blessed of the Lord and most of all are we to praise our God if héereafter we shall be able to stande as hetherto we haue done which he onely knoweth not man Of this I am certaine and for the same I haue a good warrant that if our sinnes be not come vp vnto the brim if our iniquities be not ripe or our manifolde transgressions come vp before God then haue we not to feare any thing but whatsoeuer kinde of â—â—â—righting it be howsoeuer mens heartes doo fayle them or what rumors and signes of alterations the wicked doo forecast in their hearts all shall be turned to the best if we haue not prouoked the Lord. In verie déede it is true that the Lord is able to remooue our Candelstitke that the Lord is able to carrie vs into a straunge lande and he is of power to hang vp our Harpes vpon the willowe Trées and enforce vs to sing a song of Sion in Babell Yet let Israel be of good chéere and you the people of the Lord comforted for if you will feare the Lord and obey him all thinges shall goe well with you Deut. 28.2 all the blessinges of God shall be powred vppon you and you shall stande in feare and dread of none But and if you disobey the Lord your God and cleaue not vnto him all the plagues and curses set downe in his booke shall ouertake you Leui. 26.14 Lamen 2.17 I tell you of a trueth that if we looke not to our wayes and take héede to such thinges as the Lord our God hath forbidden vs without questioÌ„ he will bring such a thing to passe as all the eares of men that heare thereof shall tingle at it For my owne part I am perswaded that euen now God hath begun to becken his hand and shake his rod at vs and of the same I will
yéelde certaine reasons Pride First of all the pride of Sion is great and her daughters haue waÌ„dring eyes and stretched out neckes they mince it in the stréetes with their féete as if onely they had a care to liue héere and to doo nothing else Securitie Secondly the fulnesse of bread is great and 〈◊〉 are inglutted with the Oliue and the Grape therefore beginne freé to to be carelesse Whordom Thirdlie there is a gréeuous sinne which of all other I feare which aboue the rest I abhorre which of all is most damnable which in the most is most common yet estéemed of ouer lighthe by the most godlie which is whoredome that is so sparinglie punished For these sinnes am I perswaded that God hath begunâ—e to shewe his displeasure and angrie countenaunce vpon vs the Lord hath nowe forewarned vs to looke about and to examine our selues against the tyme of his comming And assuredlie I am sore grâ—ucâ— for the same for the Papistes finding that we haue displeased God and knowing that the Lord neuer striketh but when he is angry have nowe of late lyft vp their heads thinking to make a conquest and to pray vpon vs So that I sée we are nowe in distresse and two kinde of inconueniences fall vpon vs for our sinnes First the Lord is 〈◊〉 honoured and the Papistes they hope for a day Secondlie our people and nation is affrighted and in parte discouraged 〈◊〉 they feare that because the multitude of Heretiques are nowe incâ—â—sed that therefore God as he hath warned vs hath also forsaken vs and as he hath touched vs hath certainly delivered vs into their handes which is nothing so wherefore séeing the the aduersaire is so exalted against God in his pride and the poore Church so discouraged for her sinnes in great humilitie I will say some thing to them be the. As concerning you the aduersaries of God and enimies to England whether you be called by the name of Papistes or tearmed as Catholiques or estéemed as Iesuites or thought to be Seminaries 〈◊〉 called by any other name among men Vnderstand all of you that if we haue sinned you haue no cause to reioyce we haue not trespassed against you but against God and if any thing happen vnto vs we are vnder the handes of the Lord not vnder yours What if our fathers haue erred what if our Kinges and Princes haue offended what if our Rulers haue trespassed and we his people gone astraie that appertayneth not vnto you but vnto our God To him we submitte our selues to him we yéelde to him we acknowledge our sinnes 〈◊〉 for you what haue you to doo with vs why trouble you his people and what haue you to doo with his annointed we will submitte not selues to the highest we will not be delyuered into your handes nor into the handes of men Knowe you that we will neither choose to â—ye thrée dayes before our enimies nor haue seuen yéeres famine come vpon vs in the land but we will fall into the handes of God let the Lord doo what séemeth him best in his eyes Now if it should come to passe that we were againe made slaues vnto you as we haue béene of oide tyme yet would the Lord be reuenged vpon you your Shéepheards should be scattered as was Gardner and Bonner your Princes and blasphemers should perishe as all those haue done that stoode against vs your Runners and Deuowrers with the swoord should haue a deadly ende as hath befaine to the persecutors of our Church and you your selues should haue all the plagues of Egipt to trouble you tyll you had deliuered vs. what if we serued you seuen or eight péeres for our sinnes to reclaime vs yet would the Lord send an other Othoniell Iudg. 3.9 to redéeme vs consume you what if eightéen yéeres as we confesse some times we did what aduantage was that to you when Eglon your King Iudg. 3.14 with the Ammonites and Amalekites were afterward destroyed for it by Ehud of Gera the Captaine of the Lord What I pray you aduauntageth it you to rayle on the hoast of the lyuing God and to curse vs and to defie vs before the Lord if afterwards you and yours be found all onely to be they that are cursed for so it fell out in the dayes of Ezechias when Senacherib defied Israell and rayled on the lyuing God Isai 37.38 And so fell it out at the beginning to Balack the sonne of Ziphor Numb 22. that hyred Balaam to curse Israell as the Pope hath hyred and sent you out to curse vs. Therfore this people if they will feare the Lord shall not be afraide of two or thrée Bées of the East but euen they shall sée your dead carcases vppon the ground and you the enimies of God to be drowned and swim before their faces And nowe for the second point for which I doo perceyue the people of this Land are greatly troubled namely because that the Papistes and Iesuites with other the riffe raffe and scumme of this Realme are nowe séene to appeare who before this tyme haue béene hidden in the bytches and channelles of England Let them all vnderstand that it is a small thing with God and no great or rare matter to haue wicked men and vngodlie ones to arise in the Familie of the Lord. For so it must it be in his Church Congregation for euer that those that are his may be tried VVhy wherefore for what cause should you be â—â—â—couraged it hath béene so of olde from the beginning it hath béene thus Looke and sée search and vnderstand it will be found true It is a small matter in great abundance of small hearbes to haue a handfull of stinking wéedes in a mightie ground well eared with corne to finde some Darnel or some Cockle in plentifull Gardens and well â—â—ored to haue a bundle or two of Nettles or in our great and mighty Church of England to haue a fewe of wicked and peruerse papistes The Israelites cannot doo amisse though some Préestes of â—â—all 〈◊〉 in the Land the Congregation shall not all perishe though Coré Dâ—than and Abiram conspire the Prophetes of God all faithfull persons must not be dismaied albeit some offer vp Incense to the Quine of Heauen and England must not be afrayde though some Iesuiets trouble them The Church of Corinthus had in it false brethren that hindred them and Laodecaea and Smirna and Theatyra in the Reuelation had among them wicked persons that withortwe them and the Primitiue Church hath not béene without Heretiques at all tythes that haue withstoode them neither shall England be without Seâ—inaries and schollers of the Pope to molest them I remember what Augustine sayth August ad Petrum Cap. 43. Firmissime tene et nallatenâ—â— dubites Aream esse Dei ecclesiam Catholicam et in ea vsque in sinem seculi frumento mixtas pale as contineri That is It is to be thought
now also write I haue to lead me therunto these causes First my office and calling draweth me as beeing a Dispensar of the woord of God Secondly my dutie which is to winne all but especially you which are so farre off Thirdly that care which beyond measure I haue had is a prick and a spurre within me since the firste time I was with you at the Tower And which should prouoke me I haue a commaundement giuen me from the eternall God to preach in season and out of season in time and out of time whersoeuer I see the Church to stand in need Therfore I beeing espetially mooued aboue the rest you haue no farther to enquire after me As concerning the thinges I am to charge you withall they are many great importable and such as you can neuer answere They concerne the Lord the high God whose lawes you contemne They concerne the Church from which you are fled They concerne the trueth which you denye They concerne Religion which you abhorre They concerne Christianitie which you are farre from They concerne true Woorship which you repose in your Imageâ— They concerne Faith which you lay in Worâ—â—s They concerne perfecte and Christian adoration this you claspe vp in the bosome of the Pope They coÌ„cerne prayer which in steed of God you giue to men They concerne Christe whose institutions you chaunge They concerne the perfect seruice of the Lord which you infolde in the Masse They concerne our Meditation which you make but a sacrifice Propitiatorie by the woork of a Preest They concerne our attonement and reconciler Christe and him whome the heauens containeth you infolde in a Wafer cake They concerne the Gospell which you refuse you stick to the customes of your fathers And they concerne the woord of the Lord which you heare not but compelled which you slaun der beeing hardened which you contemne beeing blinded and which you spurn throwe away euen before our faces to our great greef and your confusion if you repent not All these many things more I am to charge you with hauing this purpose in my selfe That first you are to be loked vnto and if that you will not turne vnto the Lord our God and serue him after the manner that we his People Israell doo either we must shut you out of the Tents and dwelling places of the inheritaunce of our God or we must finde some way to pacifye the Lord withall For I am certainly perswaded that you haue been kept ouer long you and your fellowe Ammonites yea these twentie yeares haue you been pricks and thornes in our sides now you come out of your holes wherin younestled resisting openly the hoste of the Lord vnto their faces But this may not be suffered least your example of gathering sudâ— vpon the Sabaoth day be an occasion also that others shall violate and break the commaundements of God I warne you therfore in time and these Sermons of myne which I made vnto you haue I gathered together in a little volume that you may read them They contayne in them a breefe and short confutation of all such Heresies as you doo holde With this speech if you be not contented I wil then call back and reclaime it when as I perceiue and see thorow ly that you are amended More I cannot say more I may not say and more I dare not say as yet to you whom not I but aâ— Christian harts doo thinke to be instruments of Satan raysed vp for our sinnes as two edged Swoordes to rent and out in peeces the poore Church of England For mine owne parce I wil pray to the Lord our God for your amendement and I will begge that Discipline at his hands which you if you come not to him are woorthie to haue To whom I doo commit you that hath both life and death faluation and condemnation in his handes Yours in the Lord if you come vnto the Lord. Iohn Keltridge At London Iune 10. 1581. The first part of the Sermon wherein is largelie confuted sundrie grosse heresies which the Iesuites Seminaries and other the Popes Schollers doo holde preached at the Tower in their presence that the trueth might be known vnto them more apparantlie 7. Maij. 1581. IT is thus written right Honourable right VVoorshipfull and belooued in our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christe Deut. 6. v. 4. Heare O Israel the Lord our God is Lord onely and thou shalt looue the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy soule and with all thy might And these words which I commaund thee this day shall be in thy heart THe looue that our Lord God bare to Israell his people though it be in many places of this booke shewed openly and declared plainlie to them Of all the bookes of Moses this of Deuteronomy for the blessing great benefiteâ— God shewed to his people is the most coÌ„fore table and heauenly booke Yet in more ample manner it was neuer set downe at any time to that Nation as in this the vnspeakable looue of the Lord their God who in daunger defending them in troubles deliuering them in extremities assisting them in slauerie and captiuiâ—e vpholding them by his mightie hand did not onely by Myracles she we his power or by his Prouision for them signifie his looue or by his outstretched arme manifest his care or by fighting with Kinges for their sakes driue all onlie an especiall reuerence into their hearts of his Maiestie But verie fatherlie in affection most loouingly in Mercie and tenderlte with long Patience did the Lord instructe and teach them by Moses and Aaron that they might know the Commaundements of the Lord and feare him Wherefore as at the first to cause them to remember him the Lord our God appeared in fire and lightning and in most terrible manner to beate a care and reuerent feare into their hearts So to â—omfore them againe was Moses sent with this 〈◊〉 and these Coâ—â—tâ—ndements as reâ—embraunces pledges of his looue that in the same they might acknowledge him and in trembling and feare obey him in knowledge increase their looue towards him and in reuereÌ„ce serue him all the dayes of their lyfe Now this booke is a recapitulation a bréefe summarie and short rehersall of all such Lawes Ordinaunces Statutes as the Lord had giuen to Israel and a Commemoration of all his sundrie notable and famous benefites as Israel and this People had receyned at the handes of God and therefore sayth Moses Heare O Israel the Lord thy God is Lord onely These woordes haue in them noted two principall thinges common bothe in the Lawe and in the Prophetes 1. First an exhortation In requesting and in praying them 2. Secondlie a Commaundement In willinge and in forcing them The Inuocation or calling on them to heare that which appertayneth to God declareth howe ready the Lord is to saue man The Lawe and constraint vsed by commaundement certifieth vs albeit we will not come vnto
the Lord willinghe yet for the commaundement sake and for necessitie we must obey him The exhortation is to the good and godlie men whome the Lord hath alwayes vsed to styrre vp and prick foreward in his seruice The Commaundement is to the wicked wilfull and vnbeléeuing persons who albeit the beanies and light of trueth apppeareth will not for all that beléeue Wherefore I am of opinion that the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 the generall Proposition ende purpose and drifte of Moses is this to exhort and require all such as are the Lordes to haue a regarde to his Commaundements and to feare his name and of this I must speake two manner of wayes First generallie 1. To all that are heere and to such as shall heare heereof heereafter Next perticularlie 2. To certaine persons whom I see in this place and I would they were rather in some other place then heere The first kinde of reuerence and feare to be spoken of generally is appertinent vnto all that looue the Lord who in yeale with perfectnesse in looue with thankfulnesse in great care with earnestnesse ought bothe daylie and continuallie to serue the Lord their God For who defendeth them at all assayes but hée who protecteth them when they are in distresse but onely hée who is able in néede to ease them in myserie to reléeue them in daungers to comfort them in anguishe of soule and heart to deliuer them but onely this whome we should feare whome we should dread whome we should reuerence the Lord our God For this cause in Deuteronomie I finde it thus written Deur 11.18 First that you shall lay vp Secondly the wordes spoken by the Lord. 3. In your heart 4. In your soule 5. You shall binde them as signes on your hands 6. They shal be as Frontlets between your eies 7. Then you shall teach them your children 8. Euen then when thou sittest in thine house 9. Then when thou walkest by the way 10. Then wheÌ„ thou lieft down 11. Then when thou risest vp 12. Then shalt thou write them vpon the postes of thy house and vpon thy gates The reason of this That your dayes may be multiplied that the dayes of your Children may be multiplied in the Land for the Lord sware vnto your Fathers to giue it them so long as the heaueâ—s are aboâ—e the earth Yet there is a condition for this blessing is graunted vpon a bonde wherein Israel was and we nowe his people we bound also Euen to looue the Lord our God to walke in his wayes and to cleaue vnto him c. In the Prophesie of Isaiah Isa 8.19 where as the Lord God dooth most gréeuoustie denounce the heauy Iudgements vpon Iuda Israel and the Affirians for not obeying and seruing the Lord their God At the length the Lord comforteth his people and encorageth the Saintes and wylleth them not to feare albeit they be as signes and wunders to the wicked men and he fetteth downe his will and his purpose of his feare and reuerence in two thinges First In an Inquisition Secondlie In an aunswere to the same The Inquisition is of the wicked men and of Idolaters that say vnto the godlie Enquire of them that haue a spirite of Diuination enquire of them that are Southsayers enquire of them which whisper and murmure The olde Idolaters vpstart Papistes are a lyke in all things and the first kept away the law froÌ„ the people these make ignoraunce the mother of deuotion Then at that tyme this shall be the aunswere made by the godlie Should not a people enquire at their God should you goe from the lyuing to the dead Nay to the Lawe and to the Testimony should you goe and if then you speake not according to that woorde there is no trueth and no lyght in you wherefore they haue first done vs great iniurie I meane the aduersaries of the grace of God the Papistes who haue drawne away not onely the simple and plaine men from the Lord by kéeping the booke of God shut from them but also haue taught them an other lawe of their owne inuentions and contrarie to the lawe they haue receyued of the Lorde O that they had perfectly the Lawe of the Lord in Mathew Where at such time as the Saduces had béene put to silence by our Sauiour Christe and the Pharisées vnderstanding thereof gathered together them selues also to dispute with him Math. 22.34 One among them all an expounder of the Lawe could not temper his affections but boldly rusheth out and speaketh which shall be séene by you in the circumstaunces of the Text. First in a Question The Question mooued by a Scribe Secondlie in a replie to the Question The replie made by our sauiour Christe The Question is the greater moued by the Scribe 1. In the asking 2. In the tempting 3. In the speaking to Christe The Question mooued was Maister VVhich is the greatest commaundement in the Lawe The Aunswer and replie by Christe is this Thou shalt looue whome the Lord thy God Howe 1. With all thine heart 2. With al thy soule 3. With al thy mind And this is the first coÌ„maÌ„demeÌ„t the greatest Moreouer for the aunswer of Christ is twofolde it concerneth The Lorde onely as before is seene in his seruice Man onely which is thus 1. Thou shalt loue 2. Thy neighbor 3. Euen as thy selfe And in these two coÌ„sisteth the Law and the â—…ophets In Marke the Euangelist This same peruerse man the Scribe that did oppose him selfe against Christe after the Question mooued and the replie added the revnto by our sauiour Christe is â—pted to haue spoken discretelie and to haue set downe his opinion bothe soundlie and wiselie concerning this thing And his iudgement was this Maister thou hast saide truelie For there is but one God For there is none other but he And to loue him 1. With all the heart 2. With all the vnderstaÌ„ding 3. With all the soule 4. With all the strength 5. And thy neighbour as thy selfe Is more then all burnt offeringes and Sacrifices In these places rehearsed you plainly sée that in the seruice of the Lord the principall thing required is this That we obey him and his commaundements O how godly and pleasaunt a thing is it for Israel to know the Lord his statutes are in his mouth his Ordinaunces shall make him blessed his séede shall inherite the land he shall not feare by night nor stand in dreade at noone day for the Lord of hoasts is with him the God of Iacob is his defence The Lorde shal be a shéelde to that man and the stay and staffe of peace shal be vpon his head he is sure not to be mooued and to the nethermost hell shall he neuer fall His pathes are pathes of righteousnesse his wayes be the wayes of lyfe Glorie is on his head honour and renowne are a couering for that man happy shall he be for euer and all generations shall remember him
Yea I will set foorth the prayses of such a man as feareth the Lord for it is a good thing to obey him and to haue a care and reuerence to his name and this feare and dreade this seruice belonging to his Maiestie is thriâ—folde in this place Therefore it eyther 1. Concerneth God alone not man 2. Concerneth God as well as man 3. Concerneth man onely not God The seruice due vnto the Lorde is seene in Circumstaunces 1. First that Israel his pople 2. Secondly heare or vnderstand 3. Thirdly such thinges as concerneth their God This seruice is seene in those Epithites and titles giuen vnto the Lord in this place whome you onely ferue 1. First he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Lord of all 2. Secondly he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 God seeing all 3. Thirdly he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 our God in deliuering all 4. Fourthly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 he is only one God there is no more among all The first name of Dignitie héere set downe as Augustine noteth Potentiam denotat She weth his power For God ruleth and gouerneth all And in the same he sate the FirmameÌ„t aâ—one that spreadeth it selfe as a Canapie and the earth beneath the is inustoouâ—able as be the Pillers of heauen and betwixt bothe the fire which burneth not by the power of his woord and the ayre which infecteth not for he restraineth the gates of death And the water which as in the house presumeth not to goe ouer the thresholdes and bankes that are limited The Lord it is indéede that lifteth vp and pluckesh 〈◊〉 shaâ—exaltath hâ—â—bleth that deliuereth casteth 〈…〉 pleasure he brought Israel thorow the red Sea 〈◊〉 his eniâ—â—ies as in a wall he brought in the Waters and drowâ—ed them but he led Israel his people on drie land The Countries of the Nations did the Lord giue vnto them to possesse returned with an angrie couÌ„tenante against the â—ings he spared not the Giâ—nit with his Chaâ—â—ots nor the Mike Countries with the walled Townes but brought in destructioÌ„ for their sinnes and gaue them the slaine as a portion for their vngodlinesse wherefore let all men praise the Lord and serue and obey him aboue all The second tytle giuen vnto the Lord is that he is called 〈…〉 which is as much â—s To see take a view and to to perse thorowe all things very narrowly For the eyes of the Lord are vpon all the earth he giueth strength to them the trust in him vnderstanding to them that walke vprightly he beholdeth the endes and coasts of the Sea and stilleth the raâ—ing of the tempeste 〈◊〉 in his fury he mounteth foorth on she â—â—â—ges of the winde and with the same he bringeth in all 〈◊〉 thinges to trouble sinners who like vnto our God whose eyes are vpon the iuste whose countenaunce is against all those that doo euill to roote them out 〈◊〉 â—he land he giueth and man receyueth he detayneth and man perisheth For the cup of his wrath is powred foorth vpon malefactors and as a man prepared to the battell so is the Lord girded to fight against the wicked For why all thinges are done by him he filleth the hungrie soule and replemisheth with meateÌ„ the néedy Creatures His woorkes are séene aboue and his wunders in the deapth Among the holie ones dooth the Lord raigne and filleth with his blessing euerie lyuing soule The haires of our head are numbred before him and the Sparoâ—e séeketh for meate in due season let euerie soule therefore feare the Lord and let nothing staye him to acknowledge his name for he is a God which séeth all things and nothing may be hidden from him at any time This vvord our then God also our God dooth exclude all forrain and straunge Gods and prooueth that the Lord all on ly is to be feared The thirde tytle and Epithite giuen vnto God is this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 our God euen the God of Iacob and the God of Israel which name of remâ—nthraunce no 〈◊〉 was put in and added in this place that Israel should neuer forgetts their Lord God that fought for them therefore is it sayde The Lord can God is Lord onely as being none other that fought for them but ouâ—ly he For in déede the Lord kept the promise that he made them and the â—athe which he swâ—re vnto their Fathers he wought them out of the house of bondage and redéemed them out of the straunge land For why God was iâ—yned to their séede and he would not forsake them for their Fathers sake the Lord gaue vnto them Ierusalem for their portion and the land of Mountaines for their rest he planted his Posteritie to the which 〈…〉 sworne and withdrewe not his woorde though they 〈◊〉 therefore is the Lord woorthy to be praysed and Israel must haue none other God then him alone that saued them The fowrth name and rythe giuen to God is this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Thy God is onely one For there is no 〈◊〉 then he he is the Lord of Hoases meyther will the Kord 〈◊〉 God giue his gloâ—ie to any other Ierâ—â—e of this word sayth Identitatem 〈…〉 alnatem notat 1 That is The 〈…〉 and vnitie of the same not the varietie or plurality of Gods is to be noted and considered heere For I doo finde that the most best learned haue gathered out of this place of Scripture bothe the Vnitie in the Trinitie and the Trinitie in the Vnitie which is to be worshipped For the word Lord in the first place may signifie the Lord God the first person which made all the worde God in the second place may represent Christe the worde of God that redéemed all And one onely Lord in the third place may be well the spirite of God who béeing equall with them bothe doo make but onely one true eternall euerliuing and glorious God Then you sée that I haue two things héere proportioned and drawns out vnto me wherof I must of necessitie speake 1. The first that Vnitie in Trinitie and Trinitie in Vnitie is to be worshipped 2. The second that all manner of Idoll worship and all seruice not agreeing to this commaundement in this place is to be abhorred The maner of theyr preaching in tyme of Popery was known wheÌ„ they handled nothing else but the defence of theyr filthy and Idolatrous Ceremonies as for doctrine of faith of maÌ„ners of life of religion or any other good vvholsome Article of our beleese they neuer dealt vvith any of them For the first point which is our Faith we ought to holde concerning the Trinitie I say this As you whereof I sée too many héere Schollers of the Pope are not able to escape without suspitioÌ„ of great Sacriledge for that diuers of your sect and your heresies with whome I doo confesse I haue reasoned haue béen of opinion that in the body of the Bible the olde Testament no man
the life of all The third Letter Van and which is also a Coniunction Copulatiue dooth aptly represent The Spirite the holie Ghost who is the knitting together of bothe I am not ignoraunt that the Iewes were a superstitious and verie foolishe people therefore helde they vainely and obserued toyishly and helde ignorauntly many thinges of no moment whereof this is one That this word Iehouah was called of them Nomen inessabile 1 A name not to be spoken The things vvhich are good though in any man refuse them not such thinges as are amisse though in the highest alowe them not And in a booke of theirs which is their bookâ— Senhadrin I finde it thus written He that pronounceth the name of the fowre Letters as the Letters themselues do souÌ„d shall haue no part in the world to come I cannot tell how to think other wise of you present héere somtimes schollers to the Pope then I doo of them but it is verie like the you are drowned in this Iewish blockish opinion for howsoeuer it be that you thinke of the Trinity there is none of you all haue done it none of you that doo purpose héereafter none of you the euer I read of or haue found that durst or would in the dayes of ignorance preach openly or speake publiquelie this excellent and most heauenly Doctrine of the Trinitie The Fathers of olde were not ashamed thereof neyther halted they â—â—â—â—t good and euill but rightly and vprightly perfectly as prositably and directly as exactlie handled they euery thing to expresse the Trinitie they vsed similitudes A ugustine shewed it Per solem Currentem fulgentem et Calentem 1 By the sunne which runneth which glistreth and heateth with his beames Yet to the constitution of the body of the SuÌ„ne these thrée properties doo not come as making thrée but one body no more doo the thrée persons make thrée but one God Tertullian to Praxea describeth it thus Per fontem fluuium et riunluÌ„ 1 By the spring which deliuereth by the Flood which floweth by the Riuer which runneth And yet it is but one the same water gushing foorth into them bothe Similitudes do expresse heauenly and diuine thinges though they agree not in the comparison in all thinges The same Tertullian dooth open the same Mysterie of the Trinitie Per radicem fruticem et Truncum 1 By the Roote which gathereth by the Fruite which proceedeth and by the body of the Tree which beareth it So in like manner may we say of the Trinitie the Father giueth the SoÌ„ne saueth the holie Ghost procéedeth from them bothe yet are they not thrée but one God In common experience we may gather and collect a proper similitude to expresse this for there is the body and we stand by it there is the soule we are quickened and liue by it there is the Spirite we breathe and continew with it yet these make not thrée but one man This thing also Cyprian noted vpon the Créede for this part therefore sufficient enough it is that I haue spoken I will come to the other Particular point which is this First that I promised to speake particularlie not generallie Next is a braunche of the same to examine and trie whether any Idolatrie may be admitted and so to ponder and way equally the opinions and dealinges of you the Schollers of Roome Thirdsy shall appeare the first point required in a Christian what seruice that is that appertayneth and is duely to be giuen vnto the Lord. The thing generall to be spoken of heere is this That Idoll worship and all false adoration is condempned and forbidden in this place For this cause I haue some thing to say vnto you whome I sée before me at this present and in the same I haue to charge you déepelie in the name of the Lord how to speake vnto you and by name to all you I knowe not This I am sure of you came lately from Roome and to a good ende you could not come for you haue not come to vs in the Lord And you be they to whome I will direct my spéeche as vnto men foolorne and cast off from out the Tents of Israel for you are Leapers Tell me if you will whether in your consciences you finde not your selues guiltie of sacriledge and Idolatrie yea or no The Lord sayth Heare O Israel the Lord thy God is Lord onely Then I conclude and my force is bent against you thus They that serue any other saue the Lord their God onely are guilty of sacriledge commit spirituall whordome and be Idolaters You of late the Popes Schollers Seminaries and of his Colledge euen you woorship Images euen you haue Agnos Dei in your bosome and you serue not the Lord your God onely but Idolles Ergo. You are guiltie of sacriledge you commit spirituall whordome you be Idolaters And giue eare belooued in the Lord I request you be you Iudges of that I speake and be witnesses of those thinges I vtter I call not you that haue refused the Lord I speaks otherwise and thinke of you as of those that be without and yet for all that belooued if you will be belooued and belooued because the Lord may looue you and belooued for I burne in zeale looue towardes you as towardes them I would haue to looue and feare the Lord. To you all therefore I speake demaunding of you this Question why rather you séeke after Images then after God why rather to Idolâ—es then to the Lord why rather any other woorshippe wherein you are insnared then the Lord your God onely If you thinke I offer you iniury for I speake you may say nothing I preache you holde your peace I haue lybertie you are cut short I may holdly say what I can you may not say any thing in defence of your selues Then I will doo yet more for you and I will walke equally twixt you me and hauing hurthened you with that which I sée you are faulty in I wil 〈◊〉 all that before God and his Angels and in the presence of all these lay open the trueth and declare that sincere and true meaning which these woords this Scripture aloweth The Lord sayth héere Heare O Israel heare the Lord You heare the Pope and you feare man The Lord sayth Heare the Lord thy God you giue eare to your inuentions The Lord sayth I the Lord thy God am Lord onelie you haue other Gods worship Images Then iudge you let not me he your Iudge any otherwise then in this so plaine a matter which you your selues cannot deny And for all this sée how fauourably I will deale on your behalfe You say that beside this plaine coÌ„mauÌ„dement O Israel the Lord thy God is Lord onely That you for all that haue a liberty giuen vnto you for the worshipping of Images How shall this be tride In the deciding of the Question you will suspect me I shall not be thought to be indifferent but
world Yet for that you séeme to make a colour of some matter I will not sticke to enter into your follie and discouer it to the world An aunswer to the place of Ezechiel and the Iesuits argument You say that one appeared We knowe it was an Angell and shewed his readinesse Therefore shall you be aunswered out of Ezechiel the Prophet that will be an equall Iudge betwéene vs bothe answer 1 First that which is vttered by the Prophet is done by way of a Vision no materiall or reall thing done indéede But by a Vision is the Captiuitie and destruction of Ierusalem opened by the comming of the Babilonians from out of the North who should ouer runne them answer 2 Secondly all that which was séene was a representation and figure of those thinges were to be done As for example The sixe men seene were the Babylonians and messengers of Gods wrath Lying toward the Northâ— Declared the place from whence they came Hauing weapons in their hand Betokened destruction Wheras a man appeared in white Linnen cloathes Was shewen the looue of God to the faithfull who sent them a helper Hauing a writers Inckorne Opened that he marked such as should be saued The persons are described that should be marked namely such as mourne for Gods children crie out and mourne for the iniquities and transgressions of the wicked séeing the glorie of their God defated The marke wherewith they are marked is Signum Than as some translate which you that holde of the Popes side call the signe of the Crosse And as in other things so in this doo I wunder at you how impudentlie and boldlie how falselie and vntruelie how corruptlie and vnaduisedlie you haue affirmed this At Roome as they say there men haue great skill in the tongues but it is vnlyke For the Hebrue is so plaine they caÌ„not vvrest it the Greeke is not so intricate but they may attaine it But heere lyeth all they reade olde Idolatrous vvriters they reade vvicked superstitious meÌ„ they neuer conferre that they do with the Scripture heere it is that they fall bothe into the ditche those that haue skill in the Hebrew tâ—gue can tell And God be thanked for it how euer it be that the Hebrew tongue is eyther hidden or obscured or dimmed by you yet we knowe well enough that in shamelesse manner you falsifie bothe the Scriptures and the Hebrew bookes Maister Harding blusheth not to say that Ierome affirmeth Thau To haue had the similitude of the Crosse when as in verie déede Ierome auoucheth no such thing but repreheÌ„deth the Samaritanes that superstitiouslie doo lene vnto the same and the same thing is condempned not commended by Ierome Now therfore shewe vnto me two things which I will aske of you such as béeing present defend the Pope and hold with Images Can you prooue that this Signum Thau is the Crosse which you woo ship when as you say to a péece of wood Aue Rex noster 1 All hayle O King Or can you prooue out of this place that if Thau were the Crosse which we denie Yet that eyther the Man that was séene or the Saints which were marked or the Babilonians which were sayde to come vpon them dyd woorshippe pray vnto or adore this Signum Thau and if you can doo eyther of these I will subscribe to your opinions and become one of you If not then knowe you haue abused the Lord vnderstand you haue misconstrued his woord thinke that you haue beguiled his Saints and be you assured the Lord will require it at your handes And nowe to certifie all men in a trueth I will bothe aunswere you and satisfie the Reader It is to be vnderstoode that the Lord dyd nothing in vaine in his booke there is no lyght thing no néedlesse thing no incoÌ„modious friuolous thing set downe But euerie place euerie Vision euery Prophesse euerie woorde hath his meaning and proper sence which bringeth vnto the ignoraunt personne some knowledge So that if any one of you héere before mée shall aske this question at my handes why the Lord God commaundeâ— the Aungell to write rather the signe Thau then any other of the Letters in the foreheads of the Saintes I wyll giue to that Questionist thrée reasons reason 1 The signe Thau hovv vvas it abused by Papists First Thau is the last letter of the two and twentie Hebrew Letters therefore dooth it make vp the iust and perfect number whereby is signified that the Saints marked with this marke are such as be perfect and pure and wise and such as shall make vp and fullfill the nomber of the elect reason 2 Secondly the law with the Hebrews is Torah Therefore Thau the first letter of this worde Torah which is the lawe dooth represent that those which are marked with the same letter Thau are such as doo indeuor to kéepe the lawe of the Lorde reason 3 Thirdly I am of opinion that as the letter Thau is the last letter of the Alphabet among the Hebrews so those that are signed with the signe Thau are certified to bée such persons as are and shal be counted to bée the last and the worst the basest and the homeliest the meanest and most despised among men And now if any of you all or any of yours are able to saye any thing against this my Assertion I will not hinder you but as patiently here you as you haue hetherto harde me thus concluding that as yet you haue sayde nothing to prooue Images lawfull Against you that worship them against them that made them against all such as holde with them the Lorde God saith much in his booke Isai 40.19 Isa 46.7 Ier. 10.3 Now then shall we obay you or the Lorde Man or God Christe or the Pope or beléeue you or the Scriptures For if it be true Non habebis Deos alienos coram me 1 Thou shalt haue none other Gods before me Exo. 20.3 If it be true Per nomen externorum deorum non iurabitis c. 1 You shall not sweare by the name of any other Gods Exo. 23.13 If it be true Nolâ— adorare Deum alienum Ne ineas pactum cum bominibus earum gentium Thou shalt not worship a strainge God thou shalt not make a league or a treuse with those men and with the Nations Exo. 34.14 If it be true in Leuiticus Thou shalt not tourne thy selfe to Idols and thou shalt make thee no molton Gods Leu. 19.4 Then Images and Idolles are not lawefull If the Lorde saythe well when hee sayde Ego Deus gloriam meam non dabo alteri 1 I am the Lorde God I will giue my glorie to none other Isai 41. If the Lord saith well Confundantur omnes c. Let them be confounded that worship the worke of mens handes c. Psal 105. If the Lord saith well in this place Thou shalt feare the Lord thy God and him onelie thou shalt feare
Then as yet your Images are not lawfull And if Paule saide rightlie 1. Cor. 10.20 The things which the Gentils doo offer they offer vnto Diuels If that Iohn is to be credited 1. Ioh. 5.21 Filioli custodite vos a simulachris My Babes keepe you free from Images Let these peruerters of the truthe the Papists take heede If in the Reuelation Apoc. 18.4 the people of God are commaunded to depart and to get them out from among them least they be partakers of theyr synnes It is then high time to looke to you high time to abhorre you high time to flie from you least we also perish togeather with you O that your harde harts were not hardened that your iniquities were not ingrauen with a Diamonde that you were not iustly blinded for your obstinacie that the Lord had not cast you off that wilfullie you reâ—â—â—ted not the truthe that your throats were not open Sepulchers that you were not swifte to shed blood that your waies were not execrable and that you had not denied the Lord to his face I tell you and I tell you in gréefe that which I tell you You haue a two edged sword in your hand and it is drawne and you come heather to wounde vs with all Arrowes and coales of fire are in your mouthe to spit them out against the Saints Serpents tongues are with in you and the poyson of Aspes is in your lippes to infect all those are pure in hart Truelie you are the reprobate Siluer which God hath reiected Iere. 6.30 We haue offered the preatious Stones vnto you as Hogges you treade them vnder your feete Math. 7.6 Our holie things haue we cast vnto you you runne away from them as Dogges As the waxe so shall you be before the Lord for it and melte at the heate of his fierie countenance Psal 68.3 As fier on the Mountaines deuoureth the wood so shall you perish in his furie Psal 83.15 with the Bitte and with the Snaffle shall the Lord breake in sunder your Iawe boanes Psal 32.12 And be you assured that the axe is alreadie put vnto the roote of the trée and the heauie iudgement of the Lord God approacheth yea it is at hand if you returne not Images why their names are abhomination to the Lord. Images why Psal 16.4 They that make them are fooles and infatuated their doctrine is a doctrine of vanitie Psal 16.4 Iere. 10.8 Images why the names of them shal be â—oted out from off the earth and they shall not be remembred any longer Zach. 13.12 O therfore feare the Lord and he will loue 〈◊〉 the sonne least he be angry and you peâ—ish from off the Lande if once his displeasure fall O then happy are all they that put theyr trust in him Tell me of all you that are here which of the innumerable people and Nations vnder heauen hath the Lord our God spaced that haue vsed Imageâ— whether the Sidmians that worshipped Astaroh or the Ammoriâ—â— which serued Melcom or the men of Accaron who adored Baal zebub or the Philistines that held of Dagon or you or the Romans that gaue themselues ouer to all Idolaâ—â—â—â— then stand in a we and sinne not examine with your owne harts and be still One thing I will tell you and admonish you off The Fathers haue determined to giue sentence vpon you the best and the generall Councels that are good and holy haue condempned you our Church of England and all the reformed Churches in the world haue deâ—â—â—ede and set themselues against you and you are not able to stand to your opinions and therefore there is a gréeuous fall prepared for you and it is at hand I would that you called to minde the words of Cyprian Cyp. Tract 4. De vani Idolor Vans igitur omnium Deus neque enim illa sublimitas potest habere consortem cum sola omnium â—eneat potestatem 1 There is one Lord God of all and his highnes will not admit an equall seeing that he hath onely power ouer all Lactantius Firmianus albeit in many things he wrote well yet in this aboue the rest he is moste principally commended who in his second of his Institutions hath this saying 2. Inst lyb De origine erroris 2. Cap. 19. Deus supra hominem est nec in imo positus sed in summa regione quaerendus est quare non act dubium quin religio nulla sit vbicunque simulachrum est 1 God saith Lactantius is aboue man and he is not to be sought after heere on earth but abooue on high in the highest heauens Wherefore wee doubt notall to pronounce and saye that in that place there is no manner of religion at all whereas any Image or Idoll is founde Gregorius is of this opinion Omne manu factum adorare non licet Lib. 9. Indict 40. Epist 9. Cypr. aduer Demetr that is It is not lawfull to adore and fall downe to any thing that is made with hands Cypâ—ianuâ— against Demâ—â—ris 〈◊〉 didâ—vâ—rite very shaâ—pâ—y and merueleus whetly against this Idoll worship and after many reasons at the lengthe dooth bring in that place of Scripture to prooue his assertion which I haue now in hande for it is written saith Ciprian 〈◊〉 Deâ—â—is tuum adâ—rabis The Fathers are vvholie bent against Images in euery place 〈◊〉 all 's soli serniâ—s that is Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and thou shalt serue him onely I could say much vnto you out of the Fathers and shewe you your grosse errors by the iudgement of so learned and reuerend men but bothe the time dooth rall me backe and my purpose is not to compile a volume and the other Articles which you holde doo require that I should spées delie runne ouer this that I may also saye something of them This I say vnto you Lib. 5. de Iust Lib. 4. Lib. 11. Cap. 16. reade Lactantius in his fifth booke of True righteousnesse he will enforme you sufficiently reave Origen against Celsus he will teache you perfectly Reade Cyrill vpon Iohn he will instruct you directly Turne vnto Athanasius against the Gentilles you shall learne prensely forget not at your leasure to séeke to Clemens to Iames brother of our Lord Liber 5. Epist 44. for he hath done euerie thinge there mosse exactlie Or search out Augustine to Maximus where he flowteth and laugheth at their Paganisme there shall you finds how purely he instructeth them how sharplie he reprehendeth them how fiercely he striketh them and how â—uâ—â—tingly he forewarneth them to auoide the heauy hande of God in worshipping of Images and so leauing you to the force and strength of these men I leaue you for this time to consider better of this Article The second point in the third parte of the fyrst diuision There followeth now in my firste part the second point remayning in my thirde diuision namely that there is
71. And see if there be any honor or reuerence or adoratioÌ„ giuen to any other saue onelye to the Lord God then I conclude Ergo none ought to be giuen vnto the Pope The holy order of the Priesthood is not vnknowne vnto you yet if you could finde either in Aaron or in Eleazar or after that in Ely and his sonnes or els if you made any shewe at all of the honor that was giuen to Iehosuah in Zachary Cap. 6. the may séeme to be equiualeÌ„t or come néere vnto yours which you attribute to your Pope no doubt you would cauill perilousâ—ie and fight manfully for your Popedome Your Pope Os Porci that is a Hogge for his filthines of life and after that chaunged his name to Sergius did according to his former name vsurpe the name of God and Constantinus the fyrst was also the fyrste that kissed the Popes feete fell dovvne vnto him as vvitnesseth both Nauclerus Platina but for as much as there is no resemblaunce vnto that man of sinne made by any one in the old law you are lawlesse men that so vnlawfully will striue and impugne the lawe of the Lorde And concerning the Chayre and Cathedrall estate of Peter wherin you suppose him to haue set as Lord and chéefe of the Apostles I saye thus much vnto you if in the Scripture there be any such thing founde of Peter eyther that as Lord he ruled the rest or as Christes Vicegerant he tooke the office or as Vniuersall Bishop he gouerned at Rome or as Supreame head Peter commaunded all or that Peter left any Successour behinde him or that hee was honoured and reuerenced and called vpon as your Pope is I will yéelde subscribe vnto all your opinions But if you cannot prooue this you speake of the Pope will you yéelde to vs wyll you confesse a truthe and renounce your errors will you come to the Lorde and acknowledge your backsliding from the trueth This will I doo if any one of your side can finde the name of Pope or Supreame head or Lord of the Angelles or a Man that can not sinne or generall Bishoppe or successour of Peter or a holie Father or gouernour of the whole Church or any other of your Titles that you giue vnto him I say that againe finde them in any one place of the Bible olde or newe I will subscribe and become as one of you In contrarie manner if not then yéelde you vnto vs. How euer it be we can conuince you by the Scriptures therefore against the Pope héere is the second reason Against the Pope the second reason That which is not found in the Scriptures for the which you haue no warrant which derogateth from the Maiesty of God is not to be done The name of your Pope the tytles of your Cardinals the honor and worship you giue to the Pope and them taketh and derogateth from the maiestie of God Ergo. Your Pope is not to be worshipped as you worship him and that you doo and giue vnto him is not to be done This is not rare in Popes to cause blood shed and rayse Treâ—sons and tumults in coÌ„mon vvealths for by blood Engenius vvas elected vnder Ludouicus Prus Zacharie Pope in his tyme stoode against Caesar and gaue the kingdome of Fraunce to Pâ—pinus after Christe 755. Childericus the true heyre vvas shauen then thrust into a Monastarie by the Pope and thus would he deale with Englande if he could Where finde you that death and lyfe is in the Popes handes as you doo affirme that hée may dispence with any sinne as he dooth That he can redeeme Soules from out of hel and Purgatory as you imagine that he may giue lybertie to whordome frée accesse to Treasen without breache of lawe that he may send out his Bulles with frée release of all the sinnes men haue committed Thinke you that we may suffer these horrible blasphemies or that â—ee may snffer you that vpholde them what an other redéemer beside Christe what that a mortall man shall haue lyfe and death in his handes what that they shall be lybertie graunted to finne and frée accesse to all wickednesse what that any one may redame the soule of his Brother from hell or that a satisfaction maye bée made after his departure What Bulles Pardons Indulgencies or Masses for any Soule aliue or dead Why where what place by whome in what Prophet what Scripture haue you this in It is straunge it is vnknowen to vs Abraham neuer heard thereof Isaack and Iacob neuer knewe so much Daniel Enoch Iob these thrée righteous men neuer spake it they can saue but theyr owne soules in the day of the Lord. And shall we giue more vnto the Pope then we haue done vnto them It is the Lord that bindeth the golden chaine about the necke that giueth Siluer and Golde vnto féeble men The Lorde is cloathed with glorie and honour for it is he that couereth him selfe with lyght SaluatioÌ„ commeth of none but of the Lord lyfe of none but of the lyuing glorie froÌ„ none but from God that is glotious Ergo God onely not the Pope can haue any of these giuen vnto him and spreadeth the heauens as a Curtaine The Lord openeth his handes and filleth with good thinges and the gates of death are at his pleasure He sendeth his spirite and they are created and he â—arieth downe to the nethermost hell He spared not the Families of Core and the multitude of Rebelles were swallowed vp quicke He euen the Lord dooth binde Princes to his wyll and he teacheth his Auncientes wisedome he can holde their féete in the stockes and he can chayne them with chaynes of Iron The Lord can saue and defend his people the Lord can delyuer and lyft vp but farre be it from the sonnes of men and let not disobedient chyldren take it vpon them least he strike if he be angrie least his indignation doo aryse and we perishe And if any one will haue lyfe or the people of the Land looke for redemption let them come to the Lord of hoastes the God of I acob shall be their defence Cursed is he that trusteth in man and I wishe all those that feare the Lorde to saye Amen And now concerning my selfe for that I speake vnto you at this tyme rather then any other it is bothe because I would confirme the doctrine which my brethren haue Preached héeretofore and in part also for the hope I may doo some good among you I thinke this and thus of you you haue from your Infancie béen trained vp in blindnesse and error neither doo you vse to reade the scriptures If Papists prayed earnestly lyued soberly and hardned not theyr haits vvylfully but vvould submyt them selues to the Lord vvyllingly then vvould they not erre so grossely so much as to tranaile and ware old in the Doctors So that vpoÌ„ thrée causes which may well be taken away I easily perceyue
egredietur de ore meo c. My woord shall not returne vnto me voide but it shall accomplish that which I will and it shall prosper in the thinge whereto I sent it Isa 55.11 And therefore I desire you and I pray you in the Lord that you would redéeme the time knowing that those things which I haue spoken are not spoken by me but by the Lorde And for that you shall not in any thing mistrust me looke into the Reuelation of Saint Ihon Apoc. 9.1 and there shall you finde that I haue spoken nothing but that which the spirit of God prophesied of before should happen to the Churche of Rome and all her abhominations and all her filthines are opened long before the things shoulde happen are expressed in thrée circumstaunces Three circumstaunces 1. First in the Angell 2. Secondlye that sounded 3. Thirdlie the Trumpet The statelie messenger is a token of the certaintie of the thinge The sounde betokeneth it should come to passe The Trumpet signifyeth that it should be blased commonlie knowen thorow out the world to all And the things to be knowne are these A description of the Pope 1. First a Starre that is a Bishop and Minister and who greater with you then the man of Rome 2. Secondlye that fell for your Pope from time to time hath gone from God Novve that vvhich should be done and should happen is this 3. Thirdly from heauen for heauen and heauenly thinges hath he forsaken and taught mans Traditions 4. Fowrthly to the earth for as all things therin are vncertaine so be all things taught by you and by the Pope most vnstable most wauering and earthly 5. Then he had giuen vnto him a gifte for without Gods permission he dooth nothing 6. The thinges giuen were keyes you say that he hath the keyes on his shoulders yet I thinke you will scarse reioyce in them if you consider well 7. But what keyes the keyes of the bottomles pit for he openeth hell gates to all that follow him 8. Then he opened the bottomles pit for all abhominatiōs and all sin iniquity that leadeth vnto hel come frō him 9. Then there arose a smoake from the pit and you knowe that all filthines hath been spread abroade by the Pope Roome Romanistes are neuer able to aunswer Iohn to this place 10. Then the smoake was like a furnace for the aboūdance of his errors and heresies darkned Christe and his Gospel 11. Then the ayre was darkned by the smoake of the pitifor what trueth what good and perfect doctrine hath not beene obscured by him the Pope 12. After that appeared Locustes false Teachers Cardinals Bishops Monkes Friers c. 13. After that power was giuen vnto them euen false and deceiueable doctrine pleasaunt vnto men 14. Not power onely but the power of Scorpions for your Abbie lowbies did so sting the cōsciences of men of the weake as they died an eternall death by their teaching 15. Yet they hurt not the grasse such as were vpright and knew God for the Elect can not be beguiled by you doo what you can 16. But onely those that were not sealed in their foreheads 1 such as God had not praeordained to life but Infidels whome Sathan had blinded 17. Lastly those that were sealed they should be troubled sixe moneths Euen a certaine time which God had appointed for though Rome hath troubled along time all the faithfull yet is your time limitted and we know that this trouble is but for a season ◠But enter in farther sée and looke whether this be so yea or no your whole Idolatrie knauerie bawdrie of Roome is described and it is showen plainly that the Romanistes be the Locustes Homoiomata A description of the Locusts 1. First they are like horses rebellious bolde cruell fierce lecherous and impenitent 2. Secondly they are prepared for they are armed and readie against the Saintes 3. Thirdly vnto battell for they fight and they encounter and they are in armes against the righteous 4. Fourthly they haue crownes on their heads for they of Rooome challenge honour and dignitie aboue all 5. Fiftly their crownes are like golde they haue no right to that supremacie they claime But they make a false challēge thervnto rob others of their right dignity 6. Sixtly their faces are like faces of men quicke politique brabling and subtill such as pretend humanitie and curtesie and looue and good will towards men yet are they sauadge and cruell and such as eate vp the people of God Harding dooth defend the Stewes erected at Roome 7. Seuēthly they haue haire like vnt o the haire of women which noteth the wantonnes idlenes whorishe apparell and effeminate mindes of the Clergie of Roome 8. Their teeth as the teeth of Lyons for you of Roome haue oppressed the Saints of God and deuoured them 9. They haue Habergions of Iron for they be sturdie and not moued to pittie countenaunced by Princes 10. They haue winges for they be prowde and lyfted vp aboue Kinges and Emperours 11. They haue stinges in their tayles for the number of the Saints of God that are slaine is innumerable 12. They haue a King and he is the king of the bottomlesse pit euen the Deuill and Sathan 13. Your Kinges name is Abaddon and Apolyon euen a most horrible cruell and bloody deuowrer of the Saintes of God a destroyer in doctrine by the Pope Antichrist a destroyer of men bothe of body and in soule in soule with falsehood and lyes in body with fire and sword This feare of the Lord is to be knowen of all for God commaundeth it This reuerence is to be obserued of all for else God punisheth and to be kept for vve are bound vnto it it is alwayes to be looked vnto and vve ought espetially to regard it You haue had a most liuely description of the Pope with his Cleargie not at my handes but at the handes of God Nowe followeth that I should saye some thing of the true feare reuerence and homage which is to be giuen vnto the Lord God it is the last member of all whereof if I speake at large I shall doo great iniurie to this honourable great assemblie If I say nothing I shall be suspected of you our aduersaries and be iudged able to doo nothing If I clippe my spéeche I shall leaue but the halfe man to be séene of you whome I had rather you should sée fully drawne out and in his strength Therfore I am determined to speake yet not fullie because that I doo must be done bréeflie I will speake but not to please or satisfie you but to shewe that duetie which bothe I and all other good Christians doo owe vnto the Lord I will speake that I will speake of no otherwise then of the most true and Christian Veritie which I finde as vndoubted holie and to be euidently declared in the booke of God The
Gregorius Na. in his Philos vvylled vs to pray onely to God Lactātius sayth Lib. 2. Cap. 18. That we ought onely to pray to God Ambrose Lib. 3 de Spiritu Sancto praieth to the holy Trinitie Hyllarius in Psalm Referreth him all onely to God that vvyll pray aright But for praying to Saints for praying to the dead for making of any prayer to the Virgin Mary it is not to be found in all theyr Bookes Wherefore you fée first this was no prayer next that the Virgin Marie deserued of her selfe no more then any other Thirdly that the Lord did fréely accept her and that he tooke her vnto mercie Now if you can prooue that any woorship or seruice or honour or homage is to be giuen to Marie or that you should and ought to pray to her for my part I wyll condiscend and yéelde vnto you If not then be no more erronious returne and amende and come home and be saued Why should you yéeld to mens Traditions why should you holde with that which is found out by flesh and blood why should you stand to vaine illusions and deuises of the Popes why should you holde with foolishe constitutions and ordinaunces of your Fathers why should we beléeue you rather then God then Scripture then Trueth then the Gospell Search and sée and finde any such one thing as you maintaine then I know that my fellow brethren and I will not only cease to preach against you but we will think of you as becōmeth men to thinke of the members of Christ But knowing that we doo know we dare not we may not we can not we will not be partakers of your sinnes for sée and looke euen as other so also this abhomination springeth of your Popes and hath rysen from out of the sea of Roome Therfore when Iustinian the Emperour had made a Feast called the receyning in of our Sauiour Christe which was a remembraunce of that day when Simeon dyd receyne him in his armes in the Temple The feast of the Assumptiō of Mary Concilium Lugdunense Your Pope did transferre that was giuen to God vnto the Virgin Marie so the feast of Marie came in in the stéede of the feast and solemnized day of our Sauiour Christe as appeareth at a generall Councell in your booke of Decretals the yéere after Christe 1273. Visitation of Marie You haue a Feast called the Visitation of Marie brought in by Vrban Pope sirt of that name after Christe 1380. who lyued at that tyme when as one of your owne Order a Monster of the worlde a Monke brought in the first vse of Gunnes Annuntiation You haue a Feast of the Annuntiation of Marie which was confirmed vnder Ludouiens Pius by a generall Councell after Christe 819. Conc. Aquisgrangense Conceptio Presentatio Horae Canonicae You haue the Feast of the Conception of Marie allowed in a Councell at Basill after Christe 1439. You haue the Feast of the Presentation of Marie after Christe 1484. You haue howres Canonized in which you praye seuerallie to the Virgin which was done by Vrban the second which was scholler to Gregorie the seuenth after Christe 1090. and he troubled the whole world Salue regina Coelorum You haue Salue Regina All hayle O Queene of Heauen c. That worishh and Romishe that Deuillishe and faithlesse Song which was the worke of Gregorie the ninthe 1240. And you haue certaine times for Bels to be roong to Marie which Iohn Pope 22. dedicated after Christe 1320. Belles So that no more filthynesse no more superstition no more damnable and gréeuous enormities may possiblie be found out or inuented then your Popes haue sought out and imagined to dishonour the Lord God with all And nowe tell me if you be not ashamed of these fooleries which in gréefe I doo repeate but yet of necessitie The wickednes vvhich the Papists doo commyt is great for they pray to many they should pray but to one they pray to man they should pray to God they pray to the Saints they should pray to Christe they should pray to the lyning they pray to the dead they pray to the creatures they should pray to the Crento wherefore there is no man that wilfullie wyll not erre as they doo but he may see very plainly that theyr blasphemy is outragious theyr sacriledge is perillous and theyr dealing is most of all daungerous to the state of the soule I must rehearse that your wickednesse may be séene shewe me if these be tollerable If they be what Scripture haue you If not why defend you them If you can maintaine them then speake for them If you be sorie for them then run from them If you holde them then make proofe of them If you flie from them then denounce them It is better to retyre with modestie then be ouerthrowne desperatlie It is fitter to acknowledge your faultes willinglie then to suffer and be accused publiquelie It is more manlike to holde that is right and good constantlie then to accuse your selues and burne in Conscience inwardlie It is a more pretious thing to the Lorde more acceptable to men and more commended of all to reuolt and returne in tyme then to hope in errour to truste in euyll or defend an vntrueth that your commendation may bée renowned and your names famous among vnrighteous personnes Wherefore giue glorie to whome glorie belongeth honour to whome honour belongeth thanksgiuing to whome thanksgiuing belongeth and prayer to whome prayer belongeth and repent and beforie that you haue derogated so much from the Maiestie of God and giuen vnto Creatures that is none of theirs It may be you will replie and say Why diuers of the Fathers are of our opinion why many of the Doctors say as we say why the Schoole men the greatest number doo as we doo But what then men are men and haue alwayes erred the Trueth is the Trueth and will not lye the Fathers haue béene faithlesse and haue sinned the Scriptures are sacred and no filthinesse hath béene found in them the Doctors haue done amisse the Lord our God neuer troade his foote awrie the Schoolemen haue béene but scoffers in many thinges the schollers of the Lord and his Prophetes neuer led you but right in euerie thing Then take these refuse yours alowe of God cast off men receyue the good auoyde the euill remember the woord eschew lyes And yet though you thinke you haue all the worlde on your side you are deceyued for albeit one or two of the Fathers or more haue allowed in part the prayers to the dead and to Saints yet for all that I can and will appose others against them of more sounder indgement a great deale that doo thinke it vtterlie vnlawfull Errors of the Fathers to pray vnto the Saintes And what though Anathasius dyd thinke that it was lawfull to pray to the Virgin Marie shall we therefore subscribe I tell you no for I will neither holde with
fire Deut. 4.24 For the Lorde he is a iudge of the world 1. Sam. 2.10 he is as in Egle swift to anger Exod. 19.4 he is as a man strengthened with wine Psal 78.65 hee is as a roaring Lyon to the wicked Isay 31.4 and as a deuourer and eater vp of the impenitent The Lord he is terrible Deut. 7.21 a reuenger of vnrighteousnes he is swift to deuoure the families of the wicked and he will not spare the vngodly houses therefore out of these places of scripture I make this conclusion His wordes are to be feared and his lawes and comandements are to bee kept that is able if wee disobay him to destroy vs But The Lord our God is a consuming fire a two edged sworde as a flaming fire to the wicked that disobey him ergo The Lorde our God is to be feared and his lawes his command ementes but none other whatsoeuer coÌ„trarie to his are to be kept Now this coÌ„maundement here is taken two manner of wayes Exclusiue 1 Excluding all manner of false worship 2 Excluding all other commaundements of men contrarie to this 3 Excluding all foraine power and iurisdiction of Turke and Pope contrarie to this Inclusiue For God includeth all kinde of true worship within this coÌ„mandement of his word The second circumst was this Who they were this commandement did concerne touch They were the Israelites and the people of God hereof I may principally yeeld two reasons 1 First because the promise made so Abraham should be kept that God shoulde be mindfull of that that was spokeÌ„ namely that he and his séede should be blessed for euer which â—hing hath bene must largely and most aboundantly both séene and knowne to all the world and continued so long as Israel feared his name serued him the Lord their God Was it not so of old and doe not we knowe that it is true Israel why they were the inheritaunce of the liuing God Deut. 4.20 Deut. 9.26 Deut. 14.2 2. Sam. 21.3 Israel they were redéemed in his strength Israel was a holy people to their God Israel was as the vineyard of the Lord and he brought out the Heathen and planted them Psal 80.9 Israel was elected of God and the Lorde loued them euermore Deut. 10.15 Israel was a royall Priesthoode Exod. 19.6 and a holy nation counted of till they forsooke the Lord their God of hoste and then God forsooâ—e them 2 Secondly this lawe was giuen to Israel that it might be a witnes vnto them of the iust iudgements of God if they obeyed him not as Moses did prophecie for for this cause are they called by God Rebels and runnagates from the Lorde Deut. 9.24 Psal 106.40 Then were they castawayes from the face of GOD. Eze. 16.3 Then were they counted a wicked generation and of the posteritie of Cham Then as they sell straungely were they called ignominiously by the name of Apostataes Then Eze. 2.3 Then named hypocrites for their dissembling with their God Rom. 2.17 Then Incredulous persons for their vnbeliefe Then were they called the Slayers and murtherers of the Prophetes Iohn 7.28 for in déede they killed them Then the Persecutours of the Gospell Matth. 23.34 for they hated the way of life Then were they called the betrayers of Christ for they killed him And from that day to this Actes 13.46 haue they and their séede bene Vagabonds in strange landes they haue runnâ— from countrie to countrie Actes 3.13 and they haue had no place for why they prouoked the Lord their God to anger and nowe hath he punished them according to the wordes of his seruaunt Moses long before Nowe therefore this appertaineth vnto vs As the Ammorites Pâ—eresits and Iebusites were dâ—â—en â—ut of their owne land thâ—â—â—â—â—el might postede and eâ—â—oy the same So were the Israelites dispossessed of their inheritaÌ„ce for their sinnes that we might be heirs in their steede for séeing that this lawe was giuen vnto them to kéepe and they disobeyed it it is taken from them and giuen vnto vs that we may loue it And in as much as all the day long the Lord stretched foorth his hande vnto a disobedient and gaynesaying people we haue also to take héede that we harden not our heartes as they did in the day of temptation wherefore in many trials and in a long patience and sufferable affection did the Lords leade them from time to time that they might knowe him At the length did he cast them off for their stubbornnesse and hardnesse of heart and whereas they were accepted before GOD gaue vnto them the spirite of slumber and their table was made a snare and a net and a stumbling blocke as 〈◊〉 recompence vnto them to this day And whereas before they were braunches of the right Oliue trée nowe are they cut off and we are taken in in their steade Rom. 11.24 Israel is cast off and we the Gentiles are in their place we must therefore take héede that we also liue now according to the lawes of our God lest that the Lorde despise vs God is of long suffering and of great mercy but when as he striketh he is a consuming fire as he did them for his rigor vpon Israel and his mercy towardes vs his angrie countenaunce shewed vnto them and his louing fauour to vs warde declare both his seueritie and iustice vpon them in refusing them and his clemencie towarde vs that were straungers in that he hath chosen vs as an other Israel and an other Church vnto him selfe for we are nowe the Israel of God and so long we shall be the same as we either obey him rightly or serue him vprightly or be readie to serue him or swerue not from him but kéepe the right way which that we may doe we will examine the third circumstance The thirde circumstance What is the commaundement commaunded here It is this These wordes which I commaund thee this day shall be in thy heart c. Wherein I wold that you noted many thinges 1 First the words commaunded are the words of God not the wordes of Man Turke Pope c. 2 Secondly giuen this day noteth that as yeres doe consist of dayes so day after day making many dayes doth declare that God is to be loued and feared euery day 3 Thirdly here is to be noted the future time these words shal be in thy heart which is a precise lawe that in as much as no time is limited but the future time named it doth argue that God is to be remembred at all times 4 Fourthly I doe gather here in that God saith These wordes shall be laide vp in thy heart that therefore Rires and ceremonies are not to be required so much in the true seruice of the Lord as is the soul and spirit For God will be serued in spirit and trueth 5 In that his wordes are to be remembred is
not to be grossely taken that no more is to be followed then those named in this place But by these wordes must be vnderstoode all his lawes and ordinances written in the Lawe and in the Prophetes and I referre this place Vnto Deut. 12.32 thus written God is of heauen heauenly therefore bumane traditions must not be mingled with his seruice Quicquid tibi in mandatâ—m dedero hoc facies neque addi aliquid neque diminui patieris a verbo meo What so euer I commaund thee that shalt thou doe thou shalt neither add any thing therevnto neither shalt thou plucke any thing therefrom which euen very same commandement is written Deut. 4.2 Hearken you O Israel vnto the ordinances and lawes which I teach you to doe it followeth you shall put nothing vnto the worde which I commaund you neither shal you take ought therefrom And vnto Ioshua was the same lawe giuen in commaundement Iosh 1.7 and he was charged to obserue all things that Moses the seruant of the Lord did commaund him the restraint was set downe thus Thou shalt not turne away from it to the right hande or to the left that thou maiest prosper whither so euer thou goest The Priestes of Bâ—al the foolish Chemermâ— and the Scribes and Phariâ—ies were in the same maner blinded as be our Iesurtes Papistes and Seminaries their most principall and chiefe Ceremonies were al one the same proofâ— they vse both of them for their superstitions and the verie same customs they doe allowe of bicause their fathers of olde vsed them which lawe and most sacred and holy ordinance of the Lord when I consider of I wonder how you the aduersaries of the grace of God schollers of the Pope and Antichrist either burst not in pieces for feare or holde not downe your heades for shame or accuse not your selues in your consciences or cry not out vnto the Lorde in this extremitie when you sée all thinges in your religion and profession either to be inuented either to be founded by man either to disagrée either to be contrarie dissonant from the word of God either to be whorish either to be diuelish either to be Idolatrous either to be superstitious which is the least fault you haue of al It can not be if you had read the lawe as you flée from it If you had experience in the scriptures as you shut them vp If you had exercises of prayer as you haue none aright If you had the Commaundements of the Lorde among you as you denye them If you had true seruice as you corrupt it If you had the ordinaunces of the Lord and his wordes with you as you are farre from them But that you should sée easily and perceiue rightly and iudge perfectly and deale syncerely and after an other manner to than nowe you doe in your daily administrations and vnlawfull sacrifices Remember that cursse that is laide vpon your shoulders and vpon the shoulders of your fathers in the last of the Reuelation Reuel 22.18 for your corrupting of the word Therefore after a rewarde that is giuen to euerie one according to his workes there is a description of Christ whom we ought to acknowledge in this manner 1 First as being α and ω the beginning and the end 2 Secondly as being the first and the last There is also a blessing set downe vnto those that shall feare his Commaundements 1 Their right way shall be in the tree of life 2 They shall enter in through the gates of the citie After this there are certaine per sons named the are shut out of the kingdome of God 1 Dogges be the first sort sauage wilde vntamed and wanton persons 2 Inchaunters be next such as haue bene the most of your Romish Prelates 3 Whoremongers the third and you and the Romanistes speake against marriage and yet maintame whores in your Cloysters 4 Murtherers folow such are you and such haue your fathers bene that seeke and thirst after the bloud of the Saints 5 Idolaters also are without and more vile more ougly more monstrous and more filthie theÌ„ are you of Rome I know none vnder heauen professors of religion at this day 6 Moreouer such as loue and make lyes are in the number and these can be no other than you and as you be that maintaine false doctrine and delight therein After al this there is a message sent vnto men The messinger is the Angel of God and his message or tidings is heauenly and diuine namely 1 That the roote and generation of Dauid Iesus Christ 2 That the bright morning starre Christ the light that brought light into the world Hath of his meeremercy brought â—vs good tidings 1 How that the spirit and the bride do cry come 2 How that euery one that heareth may come 3 How that al those that are a thirst may come 4 How that euery one that will take of the water of life may come freely But there followeth a Protestation with a ComminatioÌ„ 1 First that what man so euer he be 2 Secondly that heareth 3 Thirdly the wordes 4 Fourthly of this prophecie 5 Fifthly presuming to add any thing thervnto That then God shall adde vnto that man all the plagues that are written in that booke Furthermore the Lorde inlargeth that spoken before So that if any man shall presume 1 To diminish the wordes of the booke of that prophecie 2 His part shall be taken out of the booke of life 3 His parte shall be taken out of the holie citie 4 He shall haue no part in the things are written in this booke 5 And all this is confirmed by the Lorde for hee will come quickly to see it done As they are more to be feared that can kill and destroy the soul rather than those onely that do spill the bodie so are the papistes the more to be abhorred as they doe cast away both the outward the inward man Nowe therefore looke you vnto this O you the enimies of God more then enimies vnto the Lorde for you make all other whome you can get enimies vnto him worse than common enimies for you raise vp straungers against him crueller than are the enimies for they kil but the body you destroy both bodye and soule Fiercer than are all enimies for they vse the sword you abuse the word and bring in an other contrarie to it I charge you not without cause I lay nothing vnto you but that I may iustly Your consciences bewray you and you betray your selues your comming ouer to vs presuming to teach being more fitter you should learne entring and insinuating of you into the hearts of men spreading abroad your damnable opinions are tokens sufficient I say to manifest vnto the world what men you be You you haue counterfeited the Scriptures you you haue falsified the trueth You you haue added and diminished You you haue put too and taken from the word of God You you haue inclined
grosse Heresies but all onely proone these their bare assertions in Scripture I woulde and so woulde all my fellowe laborers condescende vnto you I knowe it For God they vse authoritie of Pope for Bible the body of their Canon lawe for Christ his Apostles the inuentions of men and Cardinals But this are you neuer able to doe by any one place of scripture if you wrest it not and for the manifest proofe of the same I oppose my selfe against you and against all your adverentes whatsoeuer And first of all to your first and former Article which I will handle in this wise after of the rest in order 1 First we will see what your Masse is by the name thereof 2 Secondly from whence it came 3 Thirdly whether it bee a sacrifice for the quicke and the deade 4 Fourthly wee will prooue it is no sacrifice at all neither are men iustified by the worke thereof 1 Against the masse and against the name I say this Your olde foolishe and blinde Priestes that were not able to tell the originall of their religion haue thought some one thing some an other concerning the name of your masse but none haue it right One Guilielmus Eysengrein a falsifier of the time in his rubbish gathered together In his Cent. 1. part 1. in distin 1. de suÌ„mis Pon. against the Centuries of the Magdenburgenses hath in his glosse this friuolous note Heretice ornatus sacrificii missae a Christi passione originem habuit c. Harken O heretike The glorie the bewtie of the sacrifice of the masse had his originall from the passion of Christ How the masse differeth from the supper of the Lord al their ceremonies vsed ther do declare of all which there was not one of theÌ„ vsed by Christ at the table But I may say to this whote fellowe as Paul saith Thou foole what art thou that iudgest an other looke vppon thy selfe for euen that wilde heade of his may soone perceiue that he is the heretike if hée will looke backe For Christ is saide to sit downe to eat of the Passeouer not to say masse Christ is saide to haue sit with his disciples to breake the breade and giue the cup not to haue offered at masse and Christ satt downe to supper and saide take eate and againe take drinke but Christ saide not hee and they did say masse wherefore if you may commit such sacriledge as so falsâ—â—â—e and belye Christ himselfe Tom. 2 cap. 1. then you may prooue any thing One Antonius Monchiacenus a Doctor a Serbonist in a rayling booke of his against that reuerende Maister Caluin and the blasphemers of our time for so saith that blasphemous spirite of error by his mouth Satan in that place cited he dandeleth in his handes that place of scripture in Deuteronomie Deut. 16.10 and tosseth the Hebrew and the Chaldie texte as if none had reade it but hee where hee deriueth masse of the Hebrewe Missath which he calleth an oblation as if that the Israelites of olde had sayde masse or offered vp your sacrifice which was neuer hearde off by them nor knowne of vs till you forged a kinde of holy seruice in the same Nowe howe this fellowe raueth it is a wonder to sée For the Hebrewe words are these Howe can masse come from the Hebrewes wheÌ„ as they neuer vsed it they neuer heard of it and their order of assembling they had from God out of the mouÌ„t by the hands of Moses and their masse was not knowne 2000. yeres after this and euery thing in the same sprang vp by suÌ„drie Popes 400 yeres after that also Missath Midbhath Iadeca That is a free will offering of thine hande nowe what is this to the Masse as if God spake of it there or as you had a commaundement for it there or as if there were any such thing touched there It is pitie that any man should wander but it is morepitie to sée you shold lighten others to be so dimmed your selues Now for the more full aunswering of that man consider what the purpose of Moses is It is that Israel shoulde kéepe the feast of Wéekes and that day was with them as is Whitsonday with vs Also Moses willed them to offer Also to appeare before the Lorde with their families Also to remember they were straungers in Egypt Then where is the originall of your masse Now if you will call your masse of the Hebrewe Missath you doe great iniurie to the worde and great iuiurie to your selues and much dishonor to God To the word because it will not beare it for the Ceremonie of offering is abrogated To your selues for then must you be tyed to the whole lawe as well as to any one part thereof To God for the Lorde is more dishonoured as Israel had coÌ„mandement for the they did by him none other And the was to offer once a yeare which commandement you haue not for your masse at the handes of God Secondly that commaundement was for a season in the lawe Why do you against that commaundement and would haue offeringes now in the Gaspel Thirdly the commandement was but for a day to be kept as the day of Pentecost The papistes deale with masse as beggers doe with bread they would haue it if they could get it eate it if they coulde steale it any where but you haue masse and offer euerie day euery houre almost in the day Then neither can your masse be proued here neither can your whorish sacrifice be allowed heere and that same poore man that had but that one little creuice to put in the whole body into must nowe goe a gleaming and séeke some other place for he will not be suffered to haue residencâ—e in this The second thing I promised to speak of is this An enquirie search to know from whence your masse commeth It may be you wil be as bold for your parts A goodly religiou most auncient and holy when neither the author the time the person and inuentor of of the same may be iustly named for they most doe differ one from the other as your predecessors haue beene for theirs For they haue affirmed the your masse came ioyntly and successiuely from Christe his Apostles which thing if it were so the place the chapiter peraduenture the Euangelist himselfe or that Apostle from whence you tooke your ground would not haue béen without a name all this time But it may be you made choyse of Eckius in the description of the life of S. Thomas who together with Eysengrenius are of this opinion Sancti tres magi Episcops fuisse dicuntur missam celebrasse primitiae Gentium c. Also Petrus de natal Epis Equilin That is that the three holy wife men that came to Ghrist are thought to haue been Bishoppes and to haue saide solemnised masse who were also the first fruites of the Gentils A most grosse
little did for to get them wholy permit oblations for a season that at length their superstitions might be forgotteÌ„ Now your Gregorius after that ordained it as a lawe for euer that he that came to Masse should not come emptie but bring something with him by reason whereof your pursses and your coffers are so enlarged at this day Your Prefaces are all referred for their antiquitie to Gelasius Your Canon Read Albertus Eccle. 47. which of all other is likest the Master Gregorie that instituted it hath diuelish and idolatrous stuffe within it There is the remembrance of their Saintes or rather of their Goddes There be your wordes of Consecration rather Coniuring Ioh. Syracusanâ— Episcop parte 8 epist 7. there is the Lords prayer so oft repeated there the breaking of the hoast c. So that all good and faithfull men may sée howe grieuously you haue proudked the Lord The blindnesse where with God hath stroken these men appeareth in that they obey the institutions of these wiâ—ked Popes and will not obey the word of the Lord. in bringing in of uewfangled Ceremonies which before this were neuer knowne in the Church of God Nowe therefore what delay should there be made what stay what let should hinder you that you should not come to the Lorde and be sorie and sée your follie Is it better to serue God or to serue man to obey the Lorde or to holde with the Pope to acknowledge the trueth or to be in error to remember the ordinaunces of those that are temporall which ruled you which gouerned you being but vsurpers and Termagaunts among men or to feare the eternall and euerliuing maker of heauen and earth and to giue eare vnto his wordes I am grieued I am touched I am moued in soule and spirite to sée you so hard so peruerse so vntamed in affections so vnbrideled in your speaches so carelesse of your selues so stiffened in your errors and so impudent before this assemblie as I perceiue you are Is it for that you suspect me for the antiquitie of your religion search and find it otherwise Children and fooles and Papistes are alike for if you controll them they fight if you let them alone they are worse if you doe becken at them they will return vpon you with violence then accuse me Is it bicause you be but vpstartes and wresters of all trueth Conuince me then and condemne me Is it bicause your religion commeth of men then be ashamed professe Gods worde Is it bicause all your trumperie procéedeth of the Pope reuolt returne amende and denye him stay vpon the Lorde GOD Is it bicause the inuenters of your Masse haue bene such as was also your seruice inuented filthie vngodly wicked diuelish euill disposed naughtie persons and idolaters Why you may forsake them when you will But is it bicause that I open to you the trueth bicause I tell you of the sinnes of your fathers and of your owne bicause I tell you of your manifolde lyings Your owne men speake worse of you than I doe Martinus Meyr a Chauncellor Aeneas Syluius a Cardinall the coÌ„plaint of the whole nation of the Germanes vnder Caesar Augustus Maximilianê° sheweth it great vntruthes slaunderous reproches filthie demeanor vngodly life euill déedes erronious opinions foolish Ceremonies diuelish heresies bypocriticall deuises humane institutions Popish decrées and whorish fables which you haue brought in and would confirme in England I exhort you then in the name of the Lorde to eschewe and abhorre them all you shall neuer be tolde of them any more we will forget them If not then heauen and earth shall he witnesse that I haue told you of all your sinnes and of all your abhominations this day and yet you cease not to perseuere still in the same You that are here comming from the Pope howe can you stande so boldly and face it out so gazingly and heare vs so repiningly and spurne so yrkesomely as you doe without horrour of conscience Miscellanea Missae All the appertinaunces to the Masse We can not suffer you we maye not suffer you we will neuer suffer you to defende so horrible and erronious constitutions as your forefathers the wicked Popes inuented What sinne was not committed by them what abhominations were there not done by them what stinking and slauish Constitutions were not decréed by them Your Pope Sixtus decréed the first of that name That no Lay man or any woman should touch so much as the Cuppe or Chalice that the Prieste did sacrifice in or any else of the holie vessels Platina in descript vitae Sext. Pont. Your Pope Alexander the first brought in the oblation of Wafer cakes as he calleth it Your Telesphorus commaunded that three Masses should be saide vpon Christmas day Pla. in eius vita and thereof we retaine in our Church of England this worde Christmas which came vp of that custome vsed by that Bishoppe for it was called at the first Christmas day as hauing a Masse saide that day for Christe wherefore I doe wishe that together with the sacrifice of Masse the name of Masse may be abrogated and for that worde let the good and faithfull men say as they sayde in the Churches of the East and the West Sozam lib. 8. cap. 20. The Natiuitie and Birthday of Christe let the remembraunce and memoriall of this brought in by the Pope be abrogated For at Constantinople was celebrated Natalis Christi Maximus Taurinensis in Homilijs The birth day of Christe And so also was it in the Churches of Gallia Wherefore as your Popes haue corrupted all thinges so will we and so ought we to flée from them in all thinges Nowe those that succéeded haue bene more diuelishly deluded Alexander the first who liued in the dayes of Hadrian the Emperour Liber Cone was the first bringer in of the mixture of the Wine with Water and before his time it was neuer vsed by commaundement at Masse or otherwise This was he that brought in Wafer cakes when as before that Liber Canticorum leauened breade was vsed at the Sacrament Also he appointed holie water for the people after Masse and one Masse to be sayde in one day Your Boniface Pope Lib. Conc. diuided the Cleargie from the Laytie and then seuering them Platina set the one aboue the other beneath Your Vigilius Bishop of Rome commaunded that none should say Masse Petrus de Nar. but with his face to the East Your Iohannes Portuensis Platina in the sixt Synode helde at Constantinople gathered-together by Constantinus against the Monotholites was the first that euer celebrated the Latine Masse Volater which is religiously obserued by you at this day Valafridus an Abbas vnder Ludonicus Pius 840. after Christ doth maruellous ly complanie of these and the like abuses brought in by the Popes Sabianus appointed houres for ringing of Belles and Lampes to burne in the Temple this
Bishoppe liued vnder Phocas the Emperour Nowe then you haue the originall of your goodly religion no doubt of many yeares long time great antiquitie which you so holde of being a thing found out almost but the other day Yet if it were so as in the same you be shamelesse lyars that all your ordinaunces and decrées were of many thousand yeres what matter were that to proue the lawfulnesse or vnlawfulnesse of the same For séeing that you haue no allowance of them nor any one thing among you that may be tolerated by the Scriptures those opinions receiued commonly by you can be no other then damnable and so I will conclude for this point of your Masse and for the beginning and entrance in of the same into the Church We haue thirdly to enquire whether your Masse be a propitiatorie sacrifice or not for the quicke and the dead I affirme Luke 22. and I wil proue it is not In the scriptures I finde not that the supper of the Lorde is called a sacrifice but other names it hath It is called the newe Testament The Apostles call it the breaking of breade Actes 2. Paul calleth it the Table of the Lord 1. Cor. 10. and a communication of the bodie and bloud of Christ and the Cup of the Lorde But as for the name of sacrifice it was neuer vsed it was neuer mentioned in the scriptures But you say the Fathers called it so Why what then shall we beare their sinnes or shall we answere their iniquities or defend all that they spake you are deceiued to the Lawe and to the Prophets Esa 8. if they speake not according to the word of God As the Prophets had all thinges by word from God so must we allowe of nothing in his seruice that came not from Christ there is no trueth in them Nowe also you belye the Fathers they called the supper of the Lorde a sacrifice indéede but they called not your Masse a propitiatorie sacrifice for the quicke for the dead this ought you to proue and leaue the other Therefore I will come plainely and directly to you aunswering you first that you haue no one place in the Scriptures or Fathers to proue this proposition Masse is a sacrifice for the quicke and for the dead Secondly I will proue by the Scripture that there is no such thing My first reason is this We are iustified before God all only by faith therfore not by the worke and déed at the Masse done by any The argument holdeth it selfe vp vpon the authoritie of the word of God Rom. 4.2 Diuers reasons against the masse For a Scripture saith Si ex operibus iustificatus pater Abraham c. If Abraham had bene iustified by workes then had Abraham wherein to reioyce but Abraham had not wherein to reioyce Therefore Abraham was not iustified by workes Ioel saith Iustus ex fide viuit i. Ioel 2. The iust man shall liue by his faith But he that is iustified and liueth by faith is not instified by the worke he worketh and sacrifice he sacrificeth in the Masse Ergo there is none iustified and saued by the worke in the Masse In Iohn it is thus written Iohn 3.15 Whosoeuer beleeueth in Christ should not perish but haue eternall life The sacrifice in the Masse done for an other that is deade by one that is aliue hath no beliefe which is reposed in Iesus Christ Ergo by the sacrifice in the Masse a man can not haue eternall life For in Iohn I finde a reason shewed of the comming of Christ into the world 1 First for that God loued vs. 2 Secondly in that he had giuen his sonne for vs. 3 Thirdly that all should beleeue in him 4 Fourthly in the same they should haue life by him Nowe in the Masse neither is Christe knowne nor our faith séene nor the loue of God euident nor yet life giuen vs but all is thought to be accomplished by a worke of man in sacrifice therefore your Masse can not be a propitiation for vs. There is a most excellent place in the same Euangelist Iohn 6.29 as followeth A question was moued by the people what worke they should worke â—o accomplish the workes of God It is aunswered by Christe thus This is the worke of God Christe was offered vp for man Frgo a Priest at the Masse may not offer vp for man for then taketh he Christes office in hand that you beleeue in him whome he hath sent Nowe I inferre this God sent his Christ to dy for vs not a man not a Priest not a Monke to offer at Masse a sacrifice for vs therefore the worke in the sacrifice of your Masse is not the worke of God But what foolishnesse is it for you to say that you can make a propitiatorie sacrifice for vs why you are confuted againe by scripture For Paul saith to the Romanes Rom. 6. That there was one only sacrifice of Christ offered once for al then I coÌ„clude that was done once and was sufficient may not be done any more for that is vaine Christe was once offered and it was sufficient Christ left behind him no deputie to offer for man Ergo none must offer none was left bicause none was named and in so necessary a thing Christ wold not haue forgotten vs. and it was good and it was auaylable and there néed no more Ergo your sacrifices at your Masse for the quick and for the dead are in vaine And nowe I demaund againe why you should yet stand in your follie Is it bicause you are ignoraunt learne Is it bicause you are lead away turne backe then and amend Is it bicause the light is kept from you pray and you shall attaine the light Is it bicause the Scriptures are hard resist not the spirite and you shall haue vnderstanding For cast vp your eyes beholde and looke on the booke of God Read to the Hebrues the seuenth chapter It will appeare euidently that Christ onely being high Priest dyed once for all and being offered vp there nowe néedeth no more sacrifice to the end of the world The order of the priesthoode of Melchisedech was an order by wiard and promise by it selfe distinguished from Aarons priesthood So that if Christe had left behind him an highe priest he must be of the order of Melchisedech not of Aaronâ— nowe none was euer like Melchisedech but Christ and none for euer like Melchisedech hereafter again then there is no priest hood behind to be looked for For in the comparison of Christe with Melchisedech which is the more honourable Priesthood the Leuitical being abrogated Melchisedech standeth to be considered and is figured in similitude like Christ for these causes Melchisedech was King Priest as is Christ else none Melchisedech was king of peace and righteousnesse as is Christ but none other Melchisedech is said to be without beginning and without ending for neither his father nor
is giuen all onely vnto vs by the incarnation of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christe Isychius saith Lib. 1. in cap. 4. Lon. The onely worke and the effecte of the crosse of Christ is the remission of our sinnes Maximus saith verie well for this Christusommbus natus est sed fidelibus dat salutem i. Homil. 4. de Chr. Christe in deede was borne for all but hee giueth eternall life to them onely that beleeue And Prosper hath a proper verse where he speaketh of faith and of loue that man shoulde haue to God Quo fiat iustus sitque beatus home that is 〈…〉 By faith alone and loue of God we iust and happie seeme Then séeing we can neither finde in the scriptures nor in the fathers nor in the schoolemen that your masse is able to iustifie you for your partes must séeke some other way to helpe I for my part will leaue you to the Lorde whome I wishe you to séeke vnto more then you haue done But wee will examine this scripture God saith these wordes which I commaunde thee this day shall bee in thy heart It is apparant I am sure The worde of God is high yet comprehended it is largâ— yet learned it is deepe yet attayned it is darke yet opened to the faithful it is a rule for al it is enough sufficient vnto all it is all in all and without this is ther nothing to deliuer or to aue any one maÌ„ that the Lorde God doeth comprebende in this remmandement all the lawes and commandements set downe by Moses For in the wordes of God which here generally are but touched onely bee all the wordes of the Lorde vnderstood Then if the law bee so straite the charge so great the ordinance so firme and the certaintie thereof so sure as may be none more strong more ample or higher or déper or larger or broader then is this I can not but maruell greatly howe in what manner by what meanes what color what shew what proofe you can haue for your damnable and grosse opinions which you holde contrarie to this prescript worde of God Among them all for sacriledge most offending for derogation to his maiestie most greiuing God is this which you hold of transubstantiation whereof you haue no grounde but you haue the shew and color of some foundation that is laide weakely by the men of your side And now it is straung to be considered Christ is the bread ergo hee is in it really ergo bodily it doth not followe read Ambrose de Sacra lib. 4. cap. 4. Ierom. in Isa cap. 62. Hilary de Trin. li. 8. and Athanas Apol 2. There is but one counterfeiting color with which you ouerlay that reason worke of yours It is this Christ saide take eate this is my bodie ergo say you Christ is really and bodily fleshe and bloode in the Sacrament The boye that learned Seton but the last wéeke will finde the falt of this argument but we will examine the wordes and let your childish toyes be as they bee Christ saith take eate this is my bodie c. Then sée se what you doe looke vnto it and examine your selues in the same For if that bread giuen was the verie naturall bodie and naturall blood of Christ you shal sée that you be neuer able to defende it wherefore consider those wordes spoken in the interrogations and circumstances which afforde them selues willingly to be pondered of all that shall reade them 1 First If the Iesuites say Christ is here really then these heresies do arise theron if they say Christ is in the bread spiritually they are against theÌ„selues If that Christ is not there at all then are they Ophits and Nazarites that deny Christes institution If they say he is in the bread after a heauenly manner then is he not after 'a bodily manner who spake those wordes you say Christ and that two naturall bodies one at the table the other in the bread that was deliuered 2 Secondly when spake Christ these wordes at the meat eating now the bread say you was Christes substantiated body Then Christ did eate Christ Christ eate his owne naturall bodie 3 Thirdly to whome spake Christe those wordes To his disciples he spake them and saide take eate and that bread after the words of consecratioÌ„ was that very body of Christ Then also there were twelue Christes twelue naturall bodies and Christ him selfe sitting at the table made the thirteenth 4 Fourthly If they say he is there in his omnipotencie then also they haue ly ed Christ is not there in his humanitie therefore take heede that the Lorde iudge you not what time was this spoken before Christes death Christ spake the words take eat you inuert the words and say that the thing was done which yet was to bee done you take the time as past and gone which yet is not come you say his bodie was giuen which yet was not crucified you say his blood was shed and his side was not yet persed And you say the bread was his verie bodie the wine his bloode and Christe was not yet offered vp for man 5 Fifthly what be the wordes spoken These take eate this is my bodie Christ saith take this and eate it is my body You say take eate it is a conuerted bodie Christ saith it is my bodie you say it is a transubstantiated body Christ saith it is my body you say it is his naturall bodie Christ saith take eate in a remembrance of mee you say take eate I am very man you shall eate me Christ saith as oft as you shall do it remember my death til I come you say he is not to be remeÌ„bred but to be receiued not to be thought vpon looked vpon not to be absent but to be present not to be abut to bee way but to be there not to bee gone but to be knowne in the bread carnally and bodily fleshly and really as Christ was borne of his mother Marie The verie cause of all these your erronious and blasphemous opinions I take to be all only this Ignorance and want of reading the word aright are the causes of all hereâ—â—es That you are men ignorant brabblers and no readers of the scripture otherwise you could not be deceiued For read the wordes before read the wordes which follow and you shall find the the words of Christ are to be otherwise taken then you take them For they are spoken by a trope by a figure by a Metonymie As in the same Chapter Christ saith to his disciples Luke 22.8 Go and prepare me the Passouer The lambe is called the Passouer yet was it not the Passouer but a figure signe of the Passouer Luke 22.20 Also Christ saith This cup is that new Testament in my bloode which is shed for you First I note the Christ saith not this wine is my blood Or this cup is my blood But Christ saith this cup
is the newe Testament in my bloode This figure did the fathers we often times and the scholemen too Lactanâ—â—â—â— called the churche the temple of God Hylarie calleth it the house of Gods Ambrose calleth it the mother of al that liue Epiphanius saith it is via Regia the high kinges high waye Ierome saith it is the Arke of Noe and so doe they also speake of the supper of the Lord Nazianzen calleth it the supper of the Lorde a thankes giuing and againe a Table Ambrose calleth it a spirituall restoratiue and Dionisius calleth it a societie a communion a congregation an assembly so that if the Papistes and Iesuites did not willingly erre they might see the trueth In which wordes is a deuble Metonymie a double figure First the vessel is taken for that which was contained in the vessell as the cuppe for the wine which was within the cuppe Then the wine is called the couenant or Testament where as 〈…〉 the thing it is it can bée but the signe of the Testament 〈◊〉 rather of the bloode of Christe whereby the Testamente was made And thus doe I thinke of the body of Christ for it was spoken by the same figure representing the bodie and the bloode of Iesus Christ Nowe for that you may knowe both my faith and what I thinke hereof I will make open protestation of that certaine and vndoubted veritie which I beléeue as also so farre as in me lyeth confirme and establish the weake consciences of those that are here At the supper of the Lorde you shall consider two thinges 1. The person of God 2. The person of man In the person of God 1 The institutor which is Christ 2 The cause of his institution which is the remembrance of his death In the institution of these thinges 1 The externall signes 1 Bread for his bodie for his death 2 Wine for his blood shedding most precious sacrifice 3 The word for the remembraunce of both 2 The internal meaning And then shall you see all his spirituall graces most heauenly benefites Which are these most excellent 1 Faith if we beleeue 2 Assurance of life if we continue 3 Saluation if we receiue these mysteries truely 4 In Christes blood shedding our blood is not shedd 5 In his offering God the father is pacified 6 By his death hath hee ouercome the power of death and hee giueth the spirite which worketh vnto life to all those that receiue him worthily Secondly we haue here to coÌ„sider maÌ„ and it is to be done two waies 1 In his own person 2 In the persoÌ„ of his neighbor If in his owne person then let him consider 1 The time Hee is warned to flye sinne and though at all time hee bee put in minde thereof yet nowe aboue all times and though neuer vntimely yet it is the best time to remember it 2 The place it is holy for wee come before God 3 The persons and they are these 1 God the father 2 God the Sonne 3 God the holy Ghost These are al there these are naturally there these are in power ther they are not really there these are in grace there they are not in state there these are in gouernmeÌ„t of spirite truth there they will not be mocked at your handes 4 The vse of this the supper of the Lord. The vse is this 1 That we stand in faith conforme our selues to the death of Christ 2 That we examine our selues and come with a loathing of sinne meaning to sinne no more 3 That you be assured that whatsoeuer hath been done before time is pardoned Then here commeth in the last thing to be considered which is The person of thy neighbour for there be two sortes at the table 1 Thou thy selfe 2 And others For thy selfe call to minde 1 What thou wast 2 What thou art 3 What thou shalt be 1 Without God and borne in sinne 2 Made a newe man strengthned in Iesus Christ 3 An heir with God copartner with him if thou liue therafter For others remember 1 To laye aside all malice with hawtines 2 To laye aside all enuye with bitternesse 3 To lay aside all reuenge with greedinesse Then haue you fulfilled all Nowe for my owne parte I do protest simply before the Lord my God The Lord did foresee that these blasphemouâ— heretikes woulde rise vp therefore hath God giuen to vs many examples to approue that which here he spake so that Papists Iesuits cannot be excused for euer that if I had but any warrant at al in the scriptures to satistie me in this point I wold condescend willingly vnto your opinions But séeing the whole body of the Bible is against you and we haue the Lord wholy on our side what reason is there that I should credit you And as for you if you were not blinded if you were not deceiued if you were not most wonderfully drowned in your errours you might easily see the truth of this matter If God alone had vsed this figure in this place if it had béen founde no where else if the scripture would not haue permitted it if the lawe and the Prophets did not testifie it if reason and God him self did not condescend vnto it then you might haue perswaded vs but seeing that the Lord our God hath not bene against our opinions but hath euen by his owne mouth iustified all that we haue spoken what cause what reason what moueth you to coutende Search and sée looke into the booke of God if 〈◊〉 very same figure be not vsed in many thinges as it is in this one thing of his bodye The worde of God is compared to leauen that leaueneth the whole lumpe Matth. 13.33 Isay 49.2 Ephe. 6.17 Apoc. 19.15 Ier. 5.14 Ier. 23.29 Ezec. 3.3 Esa 55.10 Deut. 32.2 Matt. 13.19 the word is called a sworde the worde is called Musterde séede the worde of God is called fire the worde of God is a hammer the word of God is bony the worde of God is as snowe the worde of God is as raine the worde of God is the seede sowen yet for all this the worde of the Lord leaueneth not the worde of the Lorde striketh not the worde of the Lorde groweth not the worde of the Lorde burneth not the worde of the Lord killeth not the worde of the Lord sweeteneth not the worde of the Lorde snoweth not the worde of the Lorde rayneth not the worde of the Lorde powreth not downe materially grossely earthly and really as the wordes portende and so I say of the body of Christe you haue it not carnally you haue it not fleshly you haue it not verily flesh blood and bone in the sacrament The same maner of speach also in the scripture concerning Christ is found euery where Christ was the rocke that gushed out water 1. Cor. 10.1 yet Christ was not in the rocke and Augustine and Origen are of the same opinion that the rocke signified Christ
the comparison For as much as maÌ„ is not to liue here for euer he hath to learne the way to liue eternally In that Christ doth and perfourmeth that vnto the soule which the breade doth vnto the bodie by materiall breade life is preserued by the spirituall foode Christ saluation is attained by the corporall breade the bodie is nourished by the spirituall meate man is helped by the first we are strengthened bodily by the second we are raysed vp eternally by the first we are maintained to strength mightily by the second relieued by the spirite effectually The one is to kéepe vs here The other is to liue with God the one is for a season in this life the other for euer with the Lord So that this we knowe as bread is to be taken that we may continue so is not Christ to be forsaken least we perish 2 Secondly the comparison holdeth betwixt Christ and the breade For that breade profiteth vs not if it be not vnited to our owne nature if it be not as good nourishment receiued wherevpon we feede to our comfort No more is Christ vnited vnto vs if by faith we beléeue not that he is incarnate or by hope trust not that he hath giuen vs life or by assurance persuade not our selues that he can deliuer vs or by certaine and vndoubted confidence be not made his members vnto glorie 3 Thirdly as without breade man dyeth There is none that feareth god but he is rauâ—shed and taken vp to God as it were when he pondereth and coÌ„sidereth those spiritual and internall coÌ„solations which he attaineth by feeding and staying on Iesus Christ so without Christ man falleth as without bread we continue not so without Christ we prosper not It is farre a more liuely and pretious foode of the soule Iesus Christ whome we speake of then is that of the bodie to which he is compared for with this men haue dispensed withall for a season And Elias and Moses did fast a long time without the breade of the bodie notwithstanding as they could not continue but for a time no more may we be long without Christ 4 Fourthly It is an excellent admonition that we haue in that Christe is compared to breade For as breade of all other is most common and most necessarie whereon we stay So is Christ the most rediest in need the most liueliest in force the most strongest in power the most playnest in trueth the most desirous to saue the most valiaunt in death the most bent against Sathan and most readie and most prone to defend from destruction all such as call vpon him There is yet one member and parcell â—ehinde into the which we must looke also And it is this Howe this breade is receiued by vs August in Sext. cap. Ioh. Our sauiour Christ sheweth directly how Iohn the 6. He that beleeueth in me hath eternall life And againe He that commeth to me shall not hunger Therefore Augustine vpon those wordes of Christ rehearsed Spirituall eating of Christ what it is saith Quâ—d paras dentes ventrem crede manducasti That is Wherefore preparest thou thy teeth and thy bellie beleeue and thou hast eaten And who séeth not that this spoken is vnderstoode of the sillie creature the poore afflicted soule the hungrie conscience thirsting and gaping after the kingdome of heauen and therevpon it is that Paule speaketh so confidently to the Romanes Rom. â— Who shall separate vs from the loue of God shall affliction shall anguish shall persecution shall hunger shall nakednesse shall trouble shall the sworde c No saith Paul But in all these we ouercome by him which hath loued vs So that I conclude that on Christe Iesus we féede vnto life In Christe we are immouable we stande by him In Christ we liue for he liueth in vs In Christ we dwell who also dwelleth with vs In Christ we are fed with the bread of life and in Christ do we eate vnto saluation glory if we dâ— it as he willeth vs through faith Séeing we are ariued and nowe haue fully performed the was promised it is required of vs to go further to sée if we may find any other thing worthy either to be spoken of or to confute Not the a man shall thinke it so hard a thing to say any thing against you But bicause the stepping ouer the threshold and casting his eyes into the first elements entrance of your religion he shal scarse tell which way to betake him nor what to speake first all things among you are so corrupted If you looke into that order that I haue taken in speaking to you it shall appeare the this consequently followeth to be handled Whether or no you haue done well A flat alienation of Christ his institution in annibilating the word of the Lord propounding vnto vs your preposterous doctrine of the commixture and mingling the wine water together at the sacrament As for the first institution of our sauiour Christ if but a childe should looke in to it though he could not coÌ„fute you yet he wold chide w e you for your altering the which in so holy reuerend maner Christ ordained Alexander Pope as appeareth in his Decretals De Conc. dis 2. c. in sacramentoâ—um Cap. 5. inacted that bread and wine mixed with water should be offered vp at the sacrifice Your generall Councel held at Carthage saith thus Nihâ—laliud offeratur Conc. Carth. 3. De Conc dis 2. cap. c. vt in sacramentis quà m quod Dominus dicit hoc est panis vinum aqua mixtum the is Let no other thing be offered then that which God hath coÌ„maunded which is to say bread and wine mixt with water It is a wonder to sée how these men are blinded for in their decrée they goe against them selues and the written veritie In that they say they will do no more then God willed they did well if they would haue performed it in that they say that his institution was with wine water it is a manifest vntruth there is no mention made of any water at the supper that was vpon the table not in al the Euangelists In the also they cal the supper of the lord a sacrifice in that do they offend to for Christ neuer spake that word of his supper nor his Apostles who were with him but as other your vntruthes so is this brought in of your owne inuention whom we may not beléeue bicause you were many but we will beléeue a few if they speake the truth For a scripture saith Thou shalt not followe a multitude in doing the is euil I am not vnmindful of your councel of Affrike Conc. Afric tertium that decréed the self same But of al other your argument the is made by another general Councel where there is a reason giuen of this thing shal answere for it selfe how they haue ahused the supper of the Lorde
fortibus pax necessaria est nec morientibus sed viuentibus communicatio a nobis danda est c. That is At this present peace is necessarie not to the weake but to the strong and the communion is to be giuen not to the dead but to them that are aliue c. And after this Cyprian giueth Pope Cornelius a great charge concerning the soldiers that were then in armes that before they went to the battaile they should receiue the supper of the Lorde In Sophonianâ— Proph. both in breade and in wine Ierome is a sufficient witnesse for his tyme of this who both allowed of receiuing it in both kinds and commaunded all other to do it Therfore I shal néede to wade no further in confuting and gainsaying you whome both the Scriptures and the fathers Pope Leo did make a petition and in the same did commaund that none shuld digresse from the Apostles you do ergo and all good men of all times for this grieuous sacriledge haue condemned Wherfore it followeth My wordes shal be in your heart In this graue vehement yet short commaundement from the Lord from Moses and for the lawe of the Lorde and for the kéeping of the same I haue to obserue especially this That customes of men antiquitie in matters of waight Chanons of Bishops decrees of Popes opinions of fathers constitutions prouinciall and fond ceremonies obserued of olde are not to be allowed of against God And as euery good and faithfull Christian ought to beléeue this so is it not possible that your religion for you call it religion should stande if you helde not vppon the vaine customes and foolish inuentions of your auncesters I knowe right well that I haue in many your articles sayde something against this your vayne authoritie yet haue I nowe more occasion Against this vaine sacrilegious vsurped authoritie did Vrban Pope 25. Cyprian to Pompeius against Stephanus Augustine to Paulinus inueyghe much as I see you more diuelishly bent and more hautily at this present to lift vp your heades For if the pryde of your father the Pope were not in you or that it did not burst out at this present in your faces when you heare the trueth auowched and your lyes impugned wee could conceiue some good opinion of you and thinke that of ignorance you did that you doe but nowe that wée sée howe you kicke and spurne against the quicke and against the worde of the Lorde and his commandements oppose the decrees constitutions of your Popes wée plainly perceiue that of malice you withstande vs of disdaine you contemne vs of an euill heart you fight with vs and as carelesse and faithlesse persons you thrust in your selues for to controll vs. Dist 21. C. in no uo Testam What if Anacletus that presumptuous Herod in his Epistle to the Bishops of Italy vaunted of his Popedome and royall state which he set vp aboue others as mistresse and Quéene of all the worlde shall wée therefore thinke that his lawes can moue vs or his Decretals concerne vs or his counterfeit holynesse delude vs so that we also though he haue bewitched others shoulde nowe againe be inchaunted with his deadly cup of poyson I tell you no wee serue the God of heauen wee serue the Lorde of hostes and we knowe it is better to obey God than you what De maioritate obedientia folit howe where when what time did the Lorde euer saye as Innocentius 3. sayd the second Nimrod of the earth that the sacerdotall dignitie was aboue the imperiall crown and maiestie of the Lordes annoynted And because that one man sayde that as the Sunne was higher and greater then the Moone so the Pope is greater and higher then the Emperours Shall wee for him and his saying obey all that he did I tell you no but whatsoeuer the Lorde commaundeth that will we doe For that same decree of Pope Leo the fourth at the Councell holden of threescore and twelue Bishops may not preuaile with vs wee regarde not his edict nor cursse doe what he can and the thing that hee and all the other agréed vnto was a damnable thing For it was thus enacted Si quis dogmata mandata sanctiones c. If any man shall violate and breake the ordinances Ex conc 4. Leonis Papae 4. decrees appointmentes constitutions and edictes inacted by the see of Rome for reformation of any thing that same man shal be accursed Nowe I tell you that that same prowde Peacock is he that togither with his shal be vnfeathered and accursed to wee wil be safe in the name of the Lorde and dwelt in peace vnder his winges all the Hornets of Rome shall neuer sting vs. Thinke you that wee are moued at Adrian Pope Adrianus Papa Synodo apud Trecas for all his seuere lawe made Quòd nulli liceat vel addere aliquid vel demere de decretis Pontificum Howe it is lawfull for no man to adde or detract from the decrees of the Bishops of Rome You cannâ— shewe me any one Pope by the space of 400. yeares after Christ but he hath been tainted for his pride for som damnable and grosse sinne You may feare and you may feare in déede for it is a fearfull thing to you all to take awaye she reuerende maiestie from the soueraigne God and giue it to a cursed man as your predecessours and you haue done And I am assured and I knowe that no one Pope from the beginning of your Popedome within the compasse of these thousand yeares hath liued so vertuously or behaued him selfe so reuerently or done that he did so Christianly or raigned so peaceably among men but that he still incroched and mounted vp with Icarus winges a great deale higher then be ought to haue done and at length hath melted and béene tumbled downe very soudenly which assuredly hath béene the greate and heauie iudgement of God vppon your Prelates that the pryde and moste hautie looke of the whore of Rome might be detested of the worlde Hath not euery one for these your deformities abhorred you Verily at this time the gouernement of the worlde which sometimes you had is taken from you For who can suffer it and who wil tolerate your presumptuous hearts what are your decrées as antentike as allowable as sounde as good as holye as trewe as vndoubted as strong and as cerâ—eine as are the writinges of the Apostles In veritie Epistola 2. Anacleti episcopis Italie so haue all your Bishops sayde and what by armes what by force what by treacherie what by collusions and deceit and what by thretenings and manaces Dist 63. Ego Ludouicus Dist 63. Cap. Constitutum In Iob. lib. 35. Cap. 10. they haue attained to all that they haue attained It made the Emperour Ludouicus the first to stoope to the Bishops It made Henry the first and Otto the firste to subscribe vnto him and they both
yelded vp their right For Gregory the seuenth caused it to bee agréed vppon to be idolatrie if any one obeyed not the sea of Rome And Adrian Pope affirmed and in the same constituted Ex 2. Actione 7. Synod that the church of Rome was the heade and mother of all churches in the worlde and that all other churches shoulde stoope and obey her ordinances It is well knowen that Alexander the seconde writt to Philip king of Fraunce that all the decrées of the sea of Rome are as certeinly to be helde vppon to be beléeued and as surely receiued of all men as are the Canons of the whole worlde This caused Bonifacius to list vp his head so high aboue heauen and earth and writing to Ruffus and to other Bishops in Thessalia did chide thē mightily for their resisting him alleging out of the decrées of Pope Gelasius 9. q. 3. C. pater that the word of the Apostle of the see of Rome was neuer retracted but by the leaue of so reuerend a father and if he will not we will take leaue his fatherhood hath lyed a little and his lye is the greater as he woulde fauour that vpon the Lord 1. Sam. 10.1 which is contrary to God and his worde The Lorde sayth he choose Saul but the Pope was neuer chosen by God 1. Sam. 16.13 The Lorde did fetche Dauid from the sheepefold 1. Reg. 1.30 and willed his people to feare him And Salomon did the Lord set in the throne of his father but I do not finde that the Pope though he dwell at Rome hath any roume at all no not the breadth of a nayle in the booke of God I know that Iosias was sent from God The pope is one the King another the Pope of Sathan the King of God the Pope of mā the King is of the Lorde the Pope by vsurpation the King by ordination and therefore the Popes name is not in the Bible Kings be Matth. 20. a defender of his people and Iehosaphat was accounted as one of the worthies among the Princes and Ezechias is estéemed as a man renowned for his holynesse But for the Pope he may get him a place in some odde corner of the worlde by tyrannie and bloudshed but he was neuer ordeyned or set in place by the Lorde our God This I remember Christ sayth The Kings of the earth do raigne and striue for rule but sayth Christ to his Apostles it may not be so with you of which I inferre that séeing the Pope is in the place of Peter as he sayth in the roume of an Apostle he must not therefore rule and raigne ouer vs. Moreouer Reddite quae sunt Caesaris Caesars Giue vnto Caesar the things that are Caesars But it was neuer sayde Math. 22. giue vnto the Pope that which is the Popes for as I doe finde his authoritie is and hath béene from time to time vsurped So that for my owne parte I tell you truely you that are here the hirelings of the Pope you the very members of the very Antichriste I am so farre from beléeuing either his ordinances or his decrées or his Canons that he hath made that I will not cease to praye continuallye daye and night that the Lorde our God woulde reuenge the iniquitie of the man of Rome and plucke him out of that seate of deadly sinne wherein he sitteth For what is the Pope and his vsurped authoritie that wée should obey his ordinances His customes are the customes of Egypt and his abhominations are the abhominations of Chanaan and they are not to bee followed Facietis iudiciamea praecepta mea seruabitis Leu. 18. in eis ambulabitis You shall doe my iudgementes you shall keepe my preceptes and walke in them sayth the Lorde I will tell you the deapth of my heart You are like vnto the men that the king of Assur brought from Babel for euen as you doe in Rome so did they At the first they serued the Lorde indifferently but in processe of time when the Lyons were taken from them they returned to their olde customes againe and did as the Nations and as the Countries round about them did From whome as I suppose you haue made stealth of your Demye Goddes 2. Reg. 17.27 retaining the maner of that seruice which the Nations did You can giue no reason of your religion It was saide of olde time that men beleued on the Lord as Abraham Isaac Iacob did and after that in the GOD of Abraham Isaac and Iacob and after that men did beleeue in Christ in the doctrine of the Apostles but the Papistes say they beleeue as their fathers beleeued This did Lucius Papa 24. and Marcellus Pope reprehēd and they referred all to Christ and his Apostle◠not to Fathers if it be demaunded at your handes saue onely this that you doe as your Fathers doe and that this your faith is that by which your auncestors were saued O be not beguiled shall your saluation be grounded vpon man shall you not aunswere euerie one for your selues and euerie man for his owne soule Yes your fathers shall not defend you at the day of wrath your fathers shall not be able to maintaine your cause when both they and you shall giue an account of the workes you haue done Your fathers downfal may not be your rising your fathers miserie can not be your ioy your fathers curse shall not be your blessing but if all they did goe astray returne you home vnto the Lord and so shall you be deliuered at the day of appearing of the iust God And if you will followe the fathers remember what the good fathers haue saide and followe them I wil not hinder you It is good counsel I tell you that Cyprian giueth who hath this saying to a brother of his Non est frater charissime Lib. 2. Epist Epist 3. quod aliquis aestimet sequendam esse quorundam consuetudinem c. That is It is not to be thought my welbeloued brother that a man should esteeme the customes of al men to be retained among vs as cōmendable things For this is to be regarded who they were that they folowed Did not God say from heauen this is my beloued Sonne heare him Then it is Christe alone to whome we must giue eare The aduise of Augustine may be taken herein that in his second booke of Baptisme hath such or like wordes Lib. 2. Dist 8. Can. Veritate Veritate manifestata cedat consuetudo c. That is Custome after trueth is knowne must giue place For no man will allowe of any custome as he will of reason and of the trueth of any matter bicause reason and trueth goe before all thinges I call to minde what Gregorius saide vnto Gulielmus Auersanus Bishoppe Dist 2. Can. Si consuetudinem Si consuetudinem fortassis opponas aduertendum est quod Dominus dixit Ego sum via
veritas vita non dixit ego sum consuetudo sed veritas That is You will peraduenture set some auncient custome against me but it is to be noted what God saith It is saide by him I am the way the trueth and the life and GOD did not say I am the custome but I am the trueth Wherefore Augustine saide well Ad Casulâ—num Praesbyterum Dist 11. Can. consuetud Consuetudinem laudamus quae contra fidem catholicam nihil vsurpare dignoscitur That is We allowe and commend that custome that is not knowne to haue vsurped any thing at any time contrarie to the true and Catholique faith Therefore I aunswere you here if you can proue to me out of the Scriptures those Articles and pointes of religion which you affirme you holde by custome I will yelde and condiscend to your opinions otherwise I am of the minde these learned Fathers are of That we must beléeue the truth before all your customes and if you doe not thinke that my iudgement is sound you shall giue me leaue to offend to erre and to goe out of the way with them There is nowe remayning the last thing yet as good and necessarie a thing as any other and it is this God saith thus My words shall be in your heart what his words the words of the Lord You will heare no word at all Is it so and the Lordes wordes howe hardly are you drawne to heare them at this present Why how in what manner where shall we lay them vp where shall we repose them In your heart and in your soule they should be laid vp And I do ensure you sithence my last being in this place and from the time that I haue séene so dissolute and lewde behauiour among you and howe pyningly and howe vntowardly and howe scornfully and howe irreuerendly howe hautily and howe disdainefully you stand here before the Lorde before his Angels in his Church before vs I am not onely astonied vpon the wickednesse and sinne I sée within you as I am amazed at the heauie iudgements of the Lord that hang ouer you Contempt of his word It was neuer noted but in Castawayes Irreuerend behauiour when the word is preached It was neuer séene but in the reprobate vnséemely demeanor and disdainfull lookes vpon the Prophetes You finde it not all onely saue in the Baalites and Chemerims or Saducées or Pharisées or in some such like vnto to them Wherefore you are of that froward generation and those vntoward sprigges That claue and rent in sunder that gnashed their teeth Actes 7. and fell vpon Stephan when they heard his preaching Why 2. Pet. 1.23 Matth. 13.33 Ephe. 6.17 Mark 4.32 Iere. 5.14 Ezech. 3.33 Wherefore for what cause should this be so The worde of the Lorde is that which assureth The worde of the Lorde is the leauen that leaueneth The word of the Lord is the sword that striketh The worde of the Lorde is the graine that increaseth The worde of the Lorde is the fire that inflameth The worde of the Lorde is the honie that sweetneth Howe then shall you escape the iudgements of God the fierce wrath of the highest the furie of his countenaunce the displeasure of our God that both vnwillingly doe come to heare and so like men of Bedlam and as if you were possessed by some foul fiende rage and byte when you vnderstand the trueth Then if not for Gods cause yet for your owne safetie regarde and marke this reason taken out of the former scriptures alledged That thing which bringeth death with it and destruction and confusion for euer is neither to be done or allowed or committed by any godly man nor by you The contempt of Gods worde your irreuerend behauiour in this sacred place bringeth death with it and destruction and confusion for euer if you repent not Ergo This vnseemely dealing in you which bringeth with it all these inconueniences should be done or allowed or committed neither by any godly man nor by you Consider then weigh and regard where and before whom you stand Here is the Lord that seeth you here be his Angels that behold you 1. Cor. 11.12 For whose sakes also you should do the things that are comely And vndoubtedly a greater comfort should there be none to the godly man or to any one vnder heauen then to féede vpon the trée of life then to drinke of this spirituall drinke Deut. 32.2 Mark 4.14 Psal 119.104 Ier. 23.29 Esai 55.1 the word of God This Why It is the rayne that bedeweth It is the seede that groweth It is the rule that leadeth It is the axe that heweth It is the fountaine that springeth It is the well that draweth the water of life to all that come that heare that beléeue that will be saued Then receiue to your comfort comprehend vnto life attaine vnto saluation heare and refuse not that the Lorde may blesse you For there is a verie comfortable reason and a strong conclusion gathered out of this place thus That which bringeth life and is commaunded by God is to be doone of all to be allowed and to be obeyed without exception The worde of the Lorde doth bring in life and is that which is commaunded by God vnto all Ergo The word of the Lord and the Gospell of trueth which is preached is to be heard of al and of you without exception His worde 2. Sam. 22.31 Psal 12.7 it is pure it is immaculate it is tried in the fire it will followe all them that hope and trust in him His wordes they are chaste and milde speaches they are seuered from the earth Psal 18.33 and purged more then seuen times His wordes his wayes They are not polluted wayes but they are leaders vnto life and the Lord is a protectour of all those that trust in him As for you I sée it as for you I doe well perceiue it as for you you doe declare it That you are none of those that haue his statutes before you His lawe is not regarded by you the bright morning starre hath not shined on you You you walke according to the wayes of them of Gomorrah You you trust in Pharaoh and in his mightie power you repose all on the Popes shoulders not on GOD You you are comforted in Herode his pleasaunt Oration and swéete style hath bewitched you You you are protected vnder the shadow of the great beast in the reuelation to whom the most of the Kinges of the earth doe â—â—ll downe and giue worship you you are angrie with Caine you you are hardened as was Sehon you you are the sonnes of the fathers that haue cast stones at the Prophetes you you are bouldened with Zedechias you you are still and you will be Sacrificers stil to the Quéene of HeaueÌ„ you you are peruerted as were false Prophets you you are proude and stately as were the Scribes you you couer sinne with sin as the Iewes dyd you you