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
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
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
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
stonie they that dwell there as Epiphanius witnesseth doo woorship Moses for the miracles that hee did and pray vnto him as vnto God And at the Oke and grous Mambre where the Angels appeared to Abraham they that dwell in Phâ—nitia and Arabia and in the farthest coastes of Palestine they doo giue the same homage the other doo Lib. 2. cap. 4. vnto the dead as Sozomenus witnesseth Now whether you will dâ—â— as the Gentilles doo or be like Christians whether as God commaundeth or as they will you whether as the woorde and Scriptures allow off or as man hath inuented that make you choyse of This I knowe that the Saintes of God haue refused woorship offered them being aliue and I am sure they neuer asked that of you when they were dead And this one thing I note where as the Letany in which are so many Orate pro nobis a Commemoration of the Saincts that shoulde praye for vs was fyrste instituted by Mamercus Bishop of Vienna in Fraunce Sidonius in Epist ad Mamercum vpon these occasions First an Earthquake which then happened then a great Fier which at that time burned then the gréeuous assaultings of wilde Beasts which in those Countries mustered and in the same no mention made that I reade of of any praying to those that are dead your late superstitious Prelates haue put in Orate pro nobis 1 A number of the Saintes of God that must praye for vs. Lib. de Cura pro moâ—tuis Cap. 16. Therefore saythe Augustine Nonum est et supersticiosum quod pro mortuis caeperunt orare 1 It is bothe new and a supersticious thinge in that they haue vsed of late to pray for the dead And vndoubtedly if it could be prooued out of the Scripture your owne men would haue gaggeled and thrust out theyr throates more a great deale with better proofe then nowe they are able to make thereof And albeit Moses was a man for lyfe famous for Myracles wondered at Deut. 34.6 for talking with the Lord and for the family aritie God vsed with him most highlie estéemed of all Iude. 9. yet not one in Israel is found to haue prayed to him béeing dead and his Graue and his Sepulchre is vnknowen to this day AbrahaÌ„ Isaack Iacob Dauid Samuel no nor any one of the Prophets Nor Christ nor his Aposties nor the Church for many yeeres nor the godly did euer inuocate the name of Saints Ergo also we ought not Though Elyas parted the water with his Mantell though at the graue of Elyzeus a dead man was raysed from death to life yet was there neither adoration nor immcatioÌ„ made to these by the Saintes of God nor yet any Reliques of theirs as a memoriall of such thinges done by them Wherfore you doo the Lord great dishonour vs great iniury that wyll come hether as Roauers and Maisterles men to teach vs when in deede we haue no Teachers but the Lord and his Prophetes and séeke instruction at his handes not at yours I am not ignoraunt of that blockishe and doltishe reason you haue vsed concerning Marie the Virgin the mother of Christe neyther is it vnknowne to me how you and your Colleages The sacriledge committed in this Booke is not to be named haue vsurped and much abused the Lord God in your Sodomiticall brutish and Heathenish booke called the Rosarie The Lord no doubt will be reuenged vpon you and the Lord will aske it at your handes One argument I will aunswer of yours concerning the Virgin Marie who as for the looue wherewith God looued her she was blessed so you for your false Adoration and Worshippe giuen vnto her are accursed Rosarie You say first of all O holy mother of our Lord c. Pray vnto thy sonne for vs c. Your owne men are of this opinion that the wordes vsed by the Angell in Luke Luke 1.27 wheras Gabriel saluteth Marie are wordes of Adoration Prayer they are not a bare salutation as we holde I doo find that in Egipt there vvas one to name Marie in the tyme of Valens and Valentinianus vvho vvas first an arrant struÌ„pet and after that was canonized for a Saincte novv of that Marie the stories are full but for 400. yeares af-after Christ there vvas no kinde of vvorship giuen to the Virgin Marie but the Popes brought in all their filthines of late yeeres of their vvorshipping the Mother of Christ Wherefore your first Idoll worship and your second superstitious and vaine iuuocation is all onely grounded vpon this place that the Angell is thought to pray to Marie To you I first aunswere thus Reade the Septuagints and the best Translations in Greeke there shall you finde that the wordes vsed there are no such wordes as your blinde Popishe Idolatrous ignoraunt and vnskilfull Abby lowbies taught the people Your old TranflatioÌ„ is Hayle Mary full of grace c. The Gréeke importeth not so much For the woord is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is reioyce which worde is of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as much as grace fauour so that the word the Septuagints vse is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is thou that hast fouÌ„d fauor and grace in the sight of God then this is not a prayer according to your doltish custome that men must pray and say thrée or foure or more Aue Mariaes but it is a salutatioÌ„ of the Angell by which Gabriell declareth the good will of the Lord showen vnto her and his acceptation and fauor which aboue other he hath loued her withall Now also sée how you erre and are deceyued For why was Marie belooued rather then other what for her owne sake onely or for her righteousnes or because there was no blemish found with in her or because she deserued it or because she was vnspotted and without sin or because as most holy she was worthy of greater Benefits O foolish and slowe to vnderstand the Scripture and what is written It became you to search and learne truly the meaning of this place and not to cleaue to your owne opinions wherefore marke the Scripture vnderstand and see and learne and conuert 1 First God saith by the Angell that Marie is freely belooued that is of his meere mercie did he it she deserued it not 2. Secondly the Lorde was with her for God is with all his elect 3. Thirdlye she is chosen before the rest for God did thinke well of her as of one a Vessell of election rather then any other 4. Fourthly shee was in fauour and found it shee had it not of her selfe 5. Fiftely belooued in that shee conceyued and bare our Sauiour Christ and belooued for him the belooued of all not for her owne sake 6. Sixte lie belooued and blessed in that he whom shee bare was the Sauiour of the worlde not that shee saued anie Basil to Iulitta vvylleth vs to pray to God
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
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
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