â—eares Holy dayes are ordâ—â—ned for 〈◊〉 and not man for the holy dayes The signification of thynges are to be sought and not to serue the visible signes Ceremonies with out some good doctrine are to be reiected Turkes are rather to be lameÌ„ted for their ignoraunce and to be wonne with good doctrine example of good lyfe then to be hated and murthered We do nothyng well eâ—â—ept we do it of loue from a pure hart Superstitious obseruations are rather the breakyng of the law then the kepyng of the same The world is to be rebuked for lacke of iudgement Iudge by these things whether the Pope haue erred or noâ— Iudge what baggage is in the Popes doctrine and of his making Note the 〈…〉 spiritualtie 〈…〉 Christ Our 〈◊〉 is the cause that hypoâ—… The practice of prelates Signification of the 〈…〉 are 〈…〉 The ministers of the 〈◊〉 are 〈…〉 to preach to y t people sâ—…ly the woâ—… of 〈◊〉 to pray in a 〈…〉 vnderstand The lawe cannot be fulfilled w t workes or they neuer so holy A great abuse in prayer The church taken for the spiritualty King William King Iohn S. Thomas of Caunterbury Holy Church hath bornt a great swinge The Pope and his rable takeÌ„ for the church The church is a congâ—â—gation of people of all sortes gathered together The church of God how it is taken in Scripture Gal. 1. Actes 23. Gal. 1. Rom. 16. 1. Cor. 16. 1. Tim. 3. 1. Tim. 5. The church is a multitude of all them that beleue in Christ wheresoeuer â—hey be gathered together A double significatioÌ„ of this worde church The cause why Tyndall traÌ„slated y t word church into this worde congregation Congregation is vnderstand by the circuÌ„staunce Ecclesia is a greke worde and signifieth a congregation Actes 19. M. More was â—…ful in Poetry Iudas Balaaâ— A good adâ—… to M. More M. More did greatly fauour Erasmâ—s M. More was a â—epe dissembler M. More 〈◊〉 captious M. More 〈…〉 1. Pet. 5. 〈…〉 〈…〉 〈…〉 〈…〉 〈…〉 Byshops ought to be bydâ—rs in one place Note Women God poureth hys holy spirite 〈◊〉 wisdome 〈…〉 aswell weâ—… meÌ„ God is vnder no 〈…〉 necessitie lawlesse The cause why young 〈◊〉 was preferred by 〈◊〉 to be a Byshop Paul was a faâ—herly instructer to 〈◊〉 â—…thy S. Paule was a worthy moâ—t â—…ther instructour A great difference betwene teaching of the people and teaching of a preacher â—â—lyng 〈◊〉 shaâ—ing â—…ny thing or any part of priestâ—… Oâ—…â—alt 〈◊〉 are 〈…〉 â—yle hath â—…o 〈◊〉 at all 〈…〉 the 〈…〉 ☞ The minister amoÌ„g the 〈…〉 were naâ—… 〈◊〉 age Why â—yn 〈…〉 this worde 〈…〉 rather 〈◊〉 Charitie hath 〈◊〉 significations Loue 〈◊〉 is 〈…〉 vnderstaÌ„d Euery loue is not charitie nor euery charitie is not loue Why Tyndall sayth fauour and â—ot grace Knowledge and not confession repentauÌ„ce and not penaunce The Papistes may not forbeare to haue their iugglyng termes Penaunce Penaunce was profitâ—… to the Papistes â—rue penaunce what it is Fayth in Christ 〈◊〉 get a true repentauÌ„ce Deut. 17. ☜ Balam The sinne agaynst the holy ghost ☜ 2. Pet. 1. The chuch before y â— gospell or the Gospell before the church Rom. 9. The word which is y â— Gospell was before the church Ioh. 15. Ioh. 17. Note wâ—ll thys Whether y â— Apostles taught any thing that they did not write So much to written as is necessary â—or 〈◊〉 saluation The scripture writteÌ„ must conâ—oâ—nde the vnwritten verities Writing hath bene from the beginning God froÌ„ y â— beginning hath 〈◊〉 ten 〈…〉 y â— hartes of his 〈◊〉 The Pope hath taken fro vs the significations of the Sacramentes Actes 7. There can no more be taught vs then to coÌ„teyned in the scriptures Purgatorye The HeatheÌ„ thought nothing more madder theÌ„ the doctrine of the resurrection The Apostles taught nothing that they were afrayde to write SacrameÌ„tes haue significations All y â— Sacramentes taught eyther in the olde testament or new haue significations ☞ The Popish Sacramentes 〈◊〉 one agaynste an other SacrameÌ„ts with out significations are not to be 〈◊〉 Whether y â— Church caÌ„â—… or not What y e very Church is what fayth saueth By fayth we are made the sonnes of God Ephe. 〈◊〉 â–ª Math. 〈…〉 The offeryng of Christes body and bloud is y e onely satisfaction for our sinnes There is no way to saluation but by Christes death and passion Collos 1. Ephes 5. Rom. 8. 1. Iohn 3. Fayth and sinne can not â—aâ—d together 1. Iohn 1. All fleshe deth sinne We sinne of frailtie weakenes We may erre yet be saued Who they be that erre from the way of â—ayth Faith is euer assailed with besperation All power readines to do good coÌ„â—eth of God not of our selues A very good example The faythfull though they slâ—â— yet they fall not Faith in y â— good neâ— of God is our staye Ioh. 15. If we consider how mercifull god is vnto vs we caÌ„not chuse but submit our selues vnto hys lawes Christian meÌ„ must be patient Mercy waiteth euer on the elect Dauid The elect of God must haue patience be long sufferers God trieth his elect by suffering them to tell into temptation We may coÌ„aâ—t sinne and yet not forget God The aÌ„postles beyng amased w t teÌ„ptations forgat all Christes myracles A great temptation layd vpoÌ„ y â— Apostles The Apostles were very doubtfull Christ hys resurrectioÌ„ The Disciples were not without fayth but yet the â—ame was very doubtfull Peters fayth fayled not ☞ Luke 22. A foolish glose made by M. More ☜ 1. Pope The Pope his sect are not the Church of Christ 2. 〈◊〉 The Pope in forbyddyng mariage to Priestes doth not coÌ„seÌ„t that the lawe of god is 〈◊〉 The Pope licenceth whordome whiche God forbiddeth 3. The Popish Clergy are persecutours An abhominable wicked deuilish decree 4. Rom. 13. 5. 1. Cor. 5. The Pope is vtterly against the doctrine of Christ Their first reason A 〈◊〉 reason One Argument confuted with an other of like nature The solution The right fayth dyd neuer 〈◊〉 continue in the greater number of 〈◊〉 Church Math. 16. Math. 23. Hypocrites are crept vp in to the seate of Christ his Apostles 〈◊〉 Pet. 2. The Pope and hys Clergye haue corrupted the Scriptures of God with their traditions Iohn 〈◊〉 The scriptures beare witnes who are the right Church Christ Iohn Baptist Luke 1. ☜ The doctrine of Iohn brought y â— hart of the Iewes into the right way Our Popish hypocrites haue nede of a Iohn Baptist to conuert theÌ„ Those which depart from the fayth of hypocrites are the true Church Their second reasoÌ„ Note here this Popish Argument The Pope and his sect say they are the church and can not erre The solution Iohn Baptist was a true expositor of the law Math. 17. The Phariseis added false gloses to y â— Scripture The Pa 〈◊〉 doctrine Purgatorye The Phariseis and papistes agree in the false interpreting of y â—
onely in number exceedyng but in knowledge also excellyng both by preaching and Printing doe so garnishe the Church in euery respecte that it may seeme and so peraduenture wil be thought this time of ours to stand now in little neede of such bookes and momumentes as these of former antiquitie yet notwithstandyng I am not of that mynde so to thinke For albeit increasing of learning of tonges and sciences wyth quicknes of wit in youth and other doth maruailously shut vp as is to be seene to the sufficient furnishyng of Christes Church yet so it happeneth I can not tell how the farther I looke backe into those former tymes of Tyndall Frith and others lyke more simplicitie wyth true zeale and humble modestie I see wyth lesse corruption of affections in them and yet wyth these dayes of ours I finde no fault As by reading and conferring their workes togither may eftsoones appeare In opening the Scriptures what trueth what soundnes can a man require more or what more is to be sayd then is to be founde in Tyndall In his Prologues vppon the fiue bookes of Moses vppon Ionas vppon the Gospelles and Epistles of S. Paule namely to the Romaines how perfectly doth he hit the right sence and true meaning in euery thing In his obedience how fruitfully teacheth he euery person his dutie In his expositions and vppon the parable of the wicked Mammon how pithely doth he perswade how grauely doth he exhort how louingly doth he comforte simply without ostentation vehement without contention Which two faultes as they cōmonly are wont to folow the most part of writers so how farre the same were from him and he from them his replies and aunsweres to Syr Thomas More doe well declare in doctrine sound in hart humble in life vnrebukeable in disputation modest in rebuking charitable in trueth feruent and yet no lesse prudent in dispensing with the same and bearyng with time and with weakenes of men as much as he might sauing onely where mere necessitie constrayned hym otherwise to doe for defence of trueth against wilfull blyndnes and subtile hypocrisie as in the Practise of Prelates is notorious to be seene Briefly such was his modestie zeale charitie and painefull trauaile that he neuer sought for any thing lesse then for hymselfe for nothyng more then for Christes glory and edification of other for whose cause not onely he bestowed his labours but hys life and bloud also Wherfore not vnrightly he might be then as he is yet cauled the Apostle of England as Paule cauleth Epaphroditus the Apostle of the Philippians for his singular care and affection toward them For as the Apostles in the primatiue age first planted the Church in trueth of the Gospell so the same trueth beyng agayne defaced and decayed by enemies in thys our latter tyme there was none that trauayled more earnestly in restoring of the same in this Realme of England then dyd William Tyndall With which William Tyndall no lesse may be adioyned also Iohn Frith and D. Barnes both for that they togither with him in one cause and about one tyme sustayned the first brunt in this our latter age and gaue the first onset agaynst the enemies as also for the speciall giftes of fruitfull erudition and plentifull knowledge wrought in them by God and so by them left vnto vs in their writinges Wherfore accordyng to our promise in the booke of Actes and Monumentes wee thought good herein to spend a litle diligence in collecting and setting abroad their bookes togither so many as could be founde to remaine as perpetuall Lāpes shyning in the Church of Christ to geeue lyght to all posteritie And although the Printer herein taking great paynes coulde not paraduenture come by all howbeit I trust there lacke not many yet the Lord be thanked for those which he hath gotte and here published vnto vs. And woulde God the like diligence had beene vsed of our auncient forelders in the tyme of Wickliffe Puruey Clerke Brute Thorpe Husse Hierome and such other in searching and collecting their workes and writings No doubt but many thinges had remayned in lyght which now be lefte in obliuion But by reason the Arte of Printing was not yet inuented their worthy bookes were the sooner abolyshed Such was then the wickednes of those dayes and the practise of those Prelates then so craftie that no good booke coulde appeare though it were the Scripture it selfe in Englyshe but it was restrayned and so consumed Whereby ignoraunce and blyndnes so preuayled amonge the people tyll at the last it so pleased the goodnes of our God to prouide a remedy for that mischiefe by multiplying good bookes by the Printers penne in such sort as no earthly power was able after that though they did their best to stoppe the course thereof were he neuer so myghtie and all for the fartheraunce of Christes Church Wherefore receaue gracious Reader the Bookes here collected and offered to thy hand and thanke God thou hast them and reade them whilest thou mayst while time life and memory serueth thee In reading wherof the Lord graunt thou mayst receaue no lesse fruit by them then the harty desire of the setter forth is to wishe well vnto thee And the same Lord also graunt I beseech him that this my exhortation wishe so may worke in all that not onely the good but the enemies also which be not yet wonne to the worde of trueth setting aside all partialitie and preiudice of opinion woulde with indifferent iudgementes bestow some reading and hearyng likewise of these to taste what they doe teach to vewe their reasons and to trye their spirite to marke the expositions of Tyndall the argumentes of Frith the Articles and allegations of Barnes Which if they shall finde agreable to the tyme and antiquitie of the Apostles doctrine and touchstone of Gods worde to vse them to their instruction If not then to myslike them as they finde cause after they haue first tryed them and not before And thus not to deteine thee with longer processe from the reading of better matter I referre and commende thee and thy studies gentle reader with my harty wishe and prayer to the grace of Christ Iesu and direction of hys holy spirite desiryng thee lykewyse to doe the same for mee Iohn Foxe The Martyrdome and burning of William Tyndall in Brabant by Filford Castell Lord opē the K. of Englāds eyes Here foloweth the historie and discourse of the lyfe of William Tyndall out of the booke of Actes and Monumentes Briefly extracted FOr somuch as the lyfe of W. Tyndall author of this treatise immediately folowing is sufficiently at large discoursed in the booke of Actes and Monumentes by reason whereof we shall not néede greatly to intermedle with any new repetition therof yet notwithstanding because as we haue takē in hand to collect and set forth his whole workes togither so we thought it not vnconuenient to collecte likewise some briefe notes concerning the order of his
of forgeuenesse of synnes through fayth in Christes bloud And now seing that fayth onely letteth a man in vnto rest and vnbelief excludeth him what is the cause of this vnbeliefe verely no sinne y t the world seeth but a Pope holinesse and a righteousnes of their own imagination as Paule sayth Roma x. They bee ignoraunt of the righteousnes wherewith God iustifieth and haue set vp a righteousnes of their owne makyng thorough which they be disobedient vnto the righteousnes of God And Christ rebuketh not the Phariseys for grosse sinnes whiche the world sawe but for those holy deedes whiche so blered the eies of the world that they were taken as Gods euen for long prayers for fastyng for tythyng so diligently that they lefte not so much as their herbes vntithed for their clennesse in washyng before meate and for washyng of cups dishes and all maner vessels for buildyng y e Prophetes sepulchers and for kepyng the holy day and for turnyng y t heathē vnto the fayth for geuyng of almes For vnto such holy dedes they ascribed righteousnes and therefore when the righteousnesse of GOD was preached vnto them they could not but persecute it the deuill was so strong in them Whiche thyng Christ well describeth Luke xj saying That after the deuill is cast out he commeth agayne and findeth hys house swept and made gay and then taketh seuen woorse then hym selfe and dwelleth therein and so is the ende of that man worse then the beginnyng That is whē they be a litle clēsed from grosse sinnes which the world seyth and then made gaye in their own sight with the righteousnes of traditions then commeth seuen that is to say the whole power of the deuill for vij with the Hebrues signifieth a multitude without number and the extremitie of a thyng and is a speach borowed I suppose out of Leuiticus where is so ofte mention made of seuen Where I would say I wil punish thee that all the world shal take an example of thee there the Iew would saye I will Circumcise thee or Baptise thee seuen tymes And so here by seuen is ment all the deuils of hel and all the might and power of the deuill For vnto what further blindnesse could all the deuils in hell bring them then to make thē beleue that they were iustified thoroughe their owne good workes For when they once beleued that they were purged frō their sinnes and made righteous thoroughe theyr owne holy workes what rowme was there left for the righteousnes that is in Christes bloudshedyng And therfore whē they be fallen into this blindnesse they can not but hate and persecute the light And the more cleare and euidently their deedes be rebuked the furiousser and maliciousser blinde are they vntill they breake out into open blasphemy and synnyng agaynste the holy ghost which is the malicious persecutyng of the cleare trouth so manifestly proued that they can not once hish agaynst it as the Phariseis persecuted Christ because hee rebuked their holy dedes And when he proued hys doctrine with the Scripture and miracles yet thoughe they could not improue hym nor reason agaynst him they taught y ◠the scripture must haue some other meanyng because his inter pretation vndermined their foundatiō and plucked vp by the rootes the sects which they had plāted and they ascribed also his miracles to the deuill And in lyke maner thoughe our hypocrites can not deny but this is the scripture yet because there can be no other sense gathered therof but that ouerthoweth their buildynges therefore they euer thinke that it hath some other meanyng then as the wordes sounde and that no man vnderstandeth it or vnderstode it since the tyme of the Apostles Or if they thinke that some that wrote vpon it since the Apostles vnderstode it they yet thinke that w◅ like maner as we vnderstand not the text it selfe so we vnderstand not the meanyng of the wordes of that Doctour For when thou layest the iustifying of holy workes and deniest the iustifying of fayth how canst thou vnderstand S. Paule Peter Iohn and the Actes of y e Apostles or any Scripture at all seyng the iustifying of fayth is almost all that they entēde to proue Finally concernyng vowes wherof thou readest in the xxx Chapter there may be many questions whereunto I aūswere shortly that we ought to put salt to all our offerynges that is we ought to minister knowledge in all our workes and to doe nothyng whereof we could not geue a reason out of Gods wordes We be now in the day light and all the secretes of God and all hys counsell and wil is opened vnto vs and he that was promised should come and blesse vs is come alredy and hath shed hys bloud for vs and hath blessed vs with al maner blessinges and hathe obtayned all grace for vs and in hym we haue all Wherfore God henceforth wil receiue no more sacrifices of beastes of vs as thou readest Hebr. 10. If thou burne vnto god the bloud or fatte of beastes to obtaine forgeuenesse of sinnes therby or that God should the better heare thy request then thou doest wrong vnto the bloud of Christ and Christ vnto thee is dead in vayne For in him God hath promised not forgeuenesse of sins onely but also what soeuer we aske to keepe vs from sinne and temptation with all And what if thou burne frankencens vnto him what if thou burne a candle what if thou burne thy chastitie or virginitie vnto him for the same purpose doest thou not lyke rebuke vnto Christs bloud Moreouer if thou offer gold siluer or any other good for the same entēt is there any difference And euen so if thou go in pilgrimage or fastest or goest wolward or sprynelest thy selfe with holy water or elles what soeuer dede it is or obseruest what soeuer ceremonie it be for lyke meanyng then it is lyke abhominatiō We must therfore bryng the salt of the knowledge of Gods word with al our sacrifices or elles we shall make no swete sauour vnto God therof Thou wilt aske me shall I vow nothyng at all yes Gods commaundemēt which thou hast vowed in thy Baptisme For what entent verelye for the loue of Christe which hath bought thee with his bloud and made the sonne heyre of God with him that thou shouldest wayte on hys will and commaundementes and purifie thy members accordyng to the same doctrine that hath purified thyne harte for if the knowledge of Gods word hath not purified thine hart so y t thou consentest vnto the law of god y t it is righteous and good sorowest y t thy members moue thee vnto the contrary so hast thou no part with Christ For if thou repent not of thy sinne so it is impossible that thou shouldest beleue that Christe had deliuered thee from the daunger therof If thou beleue not that Christ hath deliuered thee so is
man a lier as Scripture sayth For the truth of God lasteth euer to whom onely be all honour and glorie for euer Amen The ende of the Parable of the Wicked Mammon ¶ The obedience of a Christen man and how Christen rulers ought to gouerne Wherein also if thou marke diligently thou shalt finde eyes to perceaue the craftie conueyaunce of all iugglers Set forth by William Tyndall 1528. Octob. 2. William Tyndall otherwyse called Hitchins to the Reader GRace peace and increase of knowledge in our Lord Iesus Christ be with thee reader and with all that call on the name of the Lord vnfaynedly and with a pure conscience Amen Let it not make thee dispayre neither yet discourage thee O Reader that it is forbidden thee in payne of life and goods or that it is made breaking of the Kinges peace or treason vnto his highnesse to read the worde of thy soules health but much rather be bold in the Lorde and comforte thy soule for asmuch as thou art sure and hast an euident token through suche persecution that it is the true worde of God which worde is euer hated of the worlde neyther was euer without persecution as thou seest in all the stories of the Bible both of the newe Testament and also of the olde neyther can be no more then the Sunne can be without his light And forasmuch as contrariwise thou art sure that the popes doctrine is not of God which as thou seest is so agreable vnto the world and is so receiued of the world or which rather so receaueth the world and the pleasures of the worlde and seeketh nothing but the possessions of the worlde and aucthoritie in the world to beare a rule in the world persecuteth the worde of God with all wilinesse driueth the people from it and with false and sophisticall reasons maketh them afeard of it he curseth them and excommunicateth them and bringeth them in beleef that they be damned if they looke on it and that it is but doctrine to deceaue men and moueth the blinde powers of the world to slay with fire water and sworde all that cleaue vnto it For the world loueth that which is his and hateth that which is chosen out of the world to serue God in the spirite as Christ sayth to his Disciples Iohn 15. If ye were of the world the world would loue his owne but I haue chosen you out of the worlde and therefore the world hateth you An other comfort hast thou that as the weake powers of the worlde defende the doctrine of the worlde so the mighty power of God defendeth the doctrine of God Which thing thou shalt euidentlye perceiue if thou call to minde the wonderfull deedes whiche God hath euer wrought for his word in extreame necessitie since the worlde began beyond all mans reason Whiche are written as Paule sayth Roma 15. for our learning and not for our deceauing that we through patience and comfort of the scripture might haue hope The nature of Gods word is to fight agaynst hypocrites It beganne at Abell and hath euer since continued and shall I doubte not vntyll the laste daye And the hypocrites haue alway the world on their sides as thou seest in the time of Christ They had the elders that is to witte the rulers of the Iewes on theyr side They had Pilate and the Emperors power on theyr side They had Herode also on theyr side Moreouer they brought all theyr worldlye wysedome to passe and all that they coulde thinke â–ª or imagine to serue for theyr purpose Fyrst to feare the people withal they excommunicated all that beleeued in him and put them out of the temple as thou seest Iohn 9. Secondly they founde the meanes to haue him condemned by the Emperors power and made it treason to Cesar to beleeue in him Thirdly they obtayned to haue him hanged as a theefe or a murtherer which after theyr belly wisedome was a cause aboue all causes that no man should beleeue in him For the Iewes take it for a sure token of euerlasting damnation if a man be hanged For it is written in theyr lawe Deutero 21. Cursed is whosoeuer hangeth on tree Moyses also in the same place commaundeth if any man be hanged to take him downe the same day and bury him for feare of polluting or defiling the countrey that is least they shoulde bring the wrath and curse of God vpon them And therfore the wicked Iewes themselues which with so venemous hate persecuted the doctrine of Christ and did all the shame that they coulde do vnto him though they would fayne haue had Christ to hang still on the crosse and there to rotte as he shoulde haue done by the Emperors lawe yet for feare of defiling theyr Sabboth and of bringing the wrath and curse of God vpon them begged of Pilate to take him downe Ioh. 19. which was against them selues Finally when they had done all they coulde and that they thought sufficient and when christ was in the hart of the earth so many billes and pollares about him to keepe him down and when it was past mans helpe then holpe God when man coulde not bring him agayne Gods truth fetched him agayne The oth that God had sworne to AbrahaÌ„ to Dauid to other holy fathers Prophetes raysed him vp agayne to blesse and saue all that beleeue in him Thus became the wisedome of the hypocrites foolishnes Loe thys was written for thy learning and comfort How wonderfully were the children of Israell locked in Egipt In what tribulation combraunce and aduersitie were they in The land also that was promised them was farre of and full of great cities walled with high walles vp to the skye inhabited with great giantes yet Gods truth brought them out of Egipt and planted them in the land of the giantes This is also written for our learning For there is no power agaynst Gods neyther any wisedome against Gods wisedomeâ— he is stronger and wiser then all his enemies What holpe it Pharao to drowne the men childreÌ„ So little I feare not shall it at the last helpe the pope and his byshops to burne our men children whiche manfully confesse that Iesus Christ is the Lorde and that there is no other name geuen vnto men to be saued by as Peter testifieth Actes 4. Who dryed vp the red sea Who slew Golias Who did all those wonderfull deedes which thon readest in the Bible Who deliuered the Israelites euermore from thraâ—dom and bondage as soone as they repented and turned to God Fayth verely and Gods truth and the trust in the promises which he had made Read the xj to the Hebrues for thy consolation When the children of Israell were ready to dispayre for the greatnes the multitude of the Giantes Moyses comforted them euer saying RemeÌ„ber what your Lord God hath done for you in Egipt his wonderfull plagues his
to mary and commauÌ„ding to absteine from meates which God hath created to be receaued wyth geuing thaÌ„kes Which two thynges who euer did saue y e Pope Rochesters God makyng sinne in the creatures which God hath created for maÌ„s vse to be receaued wyth thankes The kyngdome of heaueÌ„ is not meate and drinke sayth Paule but righteousnes peace and ioye in the holy Ghost For whosoeuer in these thynges serueth Christ pleaseth God and is alowed of men Rom. xiiij Had Rochester therfore not a coÌ„science marked wyth the hote yron of malice so that he can not consent vnto the will of God and glory of Christ he woulde not haue so alleaged the texte which is contrary to none saue themselues He alleageth an other text of Paule in the second chapter of his second epistle to the Thessalonians Erit dissessiâ— primum that is sayth Rochester before the comming of Antichrist there shall be a notable departing from the fayth And Paule sayth The Lord commeth not except there come a departing first Paules meaning is that the last day commeth not so shortly but that Antichrist shall come first and destroy the faith and sit in the temple of God and make all men worship him and beleue in hym as the Pope doth and then shal Gods worde come to light againe as it doth at thys tyme and destroy hym and vtter his iuggling and then coÌ„meth Christ vnto iudgement What say ye of this crafty coÌ„ueyar Would he spare suppose ye to alleage to wrest other doctours pestilently which feareth not for to iugle wyth y â— holy scripture of God expounding y â— vnto Antichrist which Paule speaketh of Christ No be ye sure But euen after this maner wise peruert they the whole scripture and all doctours wresting theÌ„ vnto their abhominable purpose cleane contrary to the meaning of the text to the circumstaunces that goe before and after Which deuelishe falshod lest the lay men should perceaue is the very cause why y â— they will not suffer the Scripture to be had in the Englishe tounge neither any worke to be made that should bring the people to knowledge of the truth He alleageth for the Popes authoritie Saint Ciprian Saint Augustine Ambrose Hierome and Origene of which neuer one knew of any authoritie that one Bishop should haue aboue an other And Saint Gregory alleageth he which would receaue no such authoritie aboue hys brethren when it was profered hym As the maner is to call Tully chiefe of Oratours for hys singular cloquence and Aristotle chiefe of Philosophers and Virgill chiefe of Poets for thir singular learnyng and not for any authoritie that they had ouer other so was it the maner to call Peter chiefe of the Apostles for his singular actiuitie and boldnes and not that he shoulde be Lord ouer his brethren contrary to hys owne doctrine Yet compare that chiefe Apostle vnto Paule and he is found a great way inferior This I say not that I woulde that any man shoulde make a God of Paule contrary vnto hys owne learning NotwithstaÌ„ding yet this maner of speaking is left vnto vs of our elders that when we say the Apostle sayth so we vnderstand Paule for hys excellency aboue other Apostles I would he would tel you how Hieroin Augustine Bede Origene and other doctours expound this texte vpon this rocke I wyll builde my congregation and how they enterpret the keyes also Thereto Pasce pasce pasce which Rochester leaueth without any Englishe signifieth not Polâ— shere and shaue Vpon which texte beholde the faithfull exposition of Bede Note also how craftely he would enfeoffe the Apostles of Christ with their wicked traditions and false Ceremonies which they themselues haue fayned alleaging Paule ij Thessal ij I aunswere that Paule taught by mouth such things as he wrote in his epistles And his traditions were the Gospell of Christ and honest maners liuing and such a good order as becommeth the doctrine of Christ As that a woman obey her husband haue her head couered keepe silence and goe womanly and christenly apparelled that children and seruauntes be in subiection and that the younge obey their elders that no man eate but he that laboureth and worketh and that men make an earnest thing of Gods word and of hys holy Sacramentes and to watch fast and pray and such lyke as the Scripture commaundeth Which thynges he that woulde breake were no christen man But we may well coÌ„playne and crye to God for helpe that it is not lawful for the Popes tyranny to teach y â— people what prayer is what fasting is and wherefore it serueth There were also certayne customes alway which were not commaunded in paine of hell or euerlasting daÌ„natioÌ„ as to watch all night and to kysse one an other which as soone as the people abused then they brake theÌ„ For which cause the Byshops myght breake many thynges now in lyke maner Paule also in many thynges which God had made free gaue pure and faythfull couÌ„cell without tangling of any mans coÌ„science and without all maner commaundyng vnder payne of cursing payne of excommunication payne of heresie payne of burnyng payne of deadly sinne payne of hell and payne of damnatioÌ„ As thou mayst see i. Cor. 7. Where he counceleth the vnmaried the widowes and virgines that it is good so to abyde if they haue the gift of chastitie Not to winne heaueÌ„ therby for neither Circumcision neither vncircumcision is any thyng at all but the kepyng of the commaundementes is altogether But that they might be without trouble and might also the better wayte on Gods worde and sâ—elyer serue their brethren And sayth as a faithfull seruaunt that he had none authority of the Lord to geue them any commaundement But that the Apostles gaue vs any blynd ceremonies wherof we should not know the reason that I denye and also defie as a thyng cleane contrary vnto the learnyng of Paul euery where For Paul commaundeth that no man once speake in the Church that is in the congregation but in a toung that all men vnderstand except that there be an interpreter by he coÌ„maundeth to labour for knowledge vnderstandyng and feelyng and to beware of superstition persuasions of worldly wisedome philosophy and of hypocrisie and ceremonies and of all maner disguising to walke in y â— playne and open truth Ye were once darkenes sayth he but now are ye light in the Lord walke therefore as the children of light Ephe. v. how doth Paul also wish them encrease of grace in euery Epistle How crieth he to God to augment their knowledge that they should be no more children waueryng with euery winde of doctrine but would vouchsafe to make them full men in Christ and in the vnderstandyng of the mysteries or secretes of Christ so that it should no be possible for any man to disceaue them with any entisyng reasons of worldly wisedom or to beguile them with blind
ceremonies or to lead them out of the waye with superstitiousnes of disguiled hypocrisie vnto which ful knowledge are the spirituall officers ordeined to bring them Ephes iiij So farre it is away that Christes Apostles should geue them traditions of blind ceremonies without signification or of whiche no man should know the reason as Rochester whiche loueth shadowes and darkenes lyeth on them God stoppe his blasphemous mouth Consider also how studiously Rochester alledgeth Origene both for his Pope and also to stablish his blind ceremonies with all which Origene of all heretickes is condemned to be the greatest He is an auncient Doctour sayth he yea and to whō in this point great fayth is to be geuen yea verely Aristotle and Plato and euen very Robynhode is to beleued in such a point that so greatly mainteineth our holy fathers authoritie and all his disguisinges Last of all as once a craftie theefe whē he was espied and folowed cryed vnto the people Stoppe the thefe stop the thefe And as many to begyn with all cast first in an other mans teth that which he feareth should be layd to his owne charge euen so Rochester layeth to Martin Luthers charge the slaying murtheryng of Christen men because they will not beleue in his doctrine which thing Rochester and his brethrē haue not ceased to do now certein hundred yeares with such malice that whē they be dead theyrage burnyng their bodies of which some they them selues of lickelyhode killed before secretly And because that all the worlde knoweth that Martin Luther slayeth no mā but killeth onely with the spirituall sword the word of God such cankred cōsciences as Rochester hath Neither persecuteth but suffereth persecution yet Rochester with a goodly Argument proueth that he would do it if he could And marke I pray you what an Oratour he is and how vehemently he persuadeth it Martin Luther hath burned the Popes decretals a manifest signe sayth he that he would haue burnt the Popes holines also if he had had him A like Argument which I suppose to be rather true I make Rochester and his holy brethrē haue burnt Christes Testament an euident signe verely that they woulde haue burnt Christ him selfe also if they had had him I had almost verely left out the chiefest point of all Rochester both abhominable and shamelesse yea sterke mad with pure malice and so adased in the braines with spite that he cā not ouercome the truth that he seeth not or rather careth not what he sayth in the ende of his first destruction I would say instructiō as he calleth it intēding to proue that we are iustified thorouh holy workes alleageth halfe a texte of Paule of the fift to the Galathians as his maner is to iuggle and cōuey craftely fides per dilectionem operans Which texte he thys wise Englisheth fayth which is wrought by loue and maketh a verbe passiue of a verbe deponent Rochester will haue loue to goe before and fayth to spring out of loue Thus Antichrist turneth the rotes of the tree vpward I must first loue a bitter medicine after Rochesters doctrine and then beleue that it is wholsome When by naturall reason I first hate a bitter medicine vntill I be brought in belief of the phisition that it is holesome that the bitternes shall heale me and then afterward loue it of that beliefe Doth the childe loue the father first thē beleue that he is his sonne or heire or rather because he knoweth that he is his sonne or heire and beloued therfore loueth agayne Iohn sayth in the third of his first epistle See what loue the father hath shewed vpon vs that we should be called his sonnes Because we are sonnes therefore loue we Now by fayth are we sonnes as Iohn sayth in the fyrst chapter of his Gospel He gaue them power to be the sonnes of God in that they beleued on hys name And Paule sayth in the thyrd chapter of hys Epistle to the Galathians we are all the sonnes of God by the faith which is in Iesus Christ And Iohn in the sayd chapter of hys epistle sayth Hereby perceaue we loue that he gaue hys life for vs. We coulde see no loue nor cause to loue agayne except that we beleued that he dyed for vs and that we were saued thorough his death And in the chapter folowing sayth Iohn Herein is loue not that we loued God but that he loued vs and sent his sonne to make agreement for our sinnes So God sent not hys sonne for any loue that we had to hym but of the loue that he had to vs sent he hys sonne that we myght so loue loue agayne Paule lykewise in the 8. chapter to the Romaynes after that he hath declared the infinite loue of God to vs ward in that he spared not hys owne sonne but gaue hym for vs cryeth out saying who shall separate vs from the loue of God shall persecution shall a sworde c. No sayth he I am sure that no creature shall separate vs from the loue of God that is in Christ Iesus our Lord as who should say we see so great loue in God to vs warde in Christes death that though all misfortune should fall on vs we can not but loue agayne Now how know we that God loueth vs verely by fayth So therefore though Rochester be a beast faythlesse yet ought naturall reason to haue taught hym that loue springeth out of fayth and knowledge and not fayth and knowledge out of loue But let vs see the text Paule sayth thus In Christ Iesu neither circumcision is any thyng worth nor incircumcision but fayth which worketh thorow loue or which thorow loue is strōg or mighty in working not which is wrought by loue as the iuggler sayth Faith that loueth Gods cōmaundemēts iustitieth a mā If thou beleue gods promises in christ and loue his commaūdementes then art thou safe If thou loue y e commaūdemēt then art thou sure y ◠thy fayth is vnfained that gods spirit is in thee How fayth iustifieth before God in the hart how loue springeth of fayth and compelleth vs to worke and how the workes iustifie before the worlde testifie what we are certifie vs that our fayth is vnfayned and that y e right spirit of God is in vs see in my booke of y e iustifiyng of faith and there shalt thou see all thyng aboundantly Also of the controuersie betwene Paul and Iames see there Neuer the later whē Rochester sayth if faith onely iustified then both the deuils and also sinners that lie still in sinne should be saued hys argument is not worth a strawe For neyther the deuils nor yet sinners that continue in sinne of purpose delectation haue any such fayth as Paul speaketh of For Paules fayth is to beleue Gods promises Fayth sayth he Rom. x. cōmeth by hearing and hearing commeth by the worde of God And
a state or a degree ordeined of God and an office wherein the husband serueth the wife and the wife the husband It was ordeined for a remedy and to encrease the worlde and for the man to helpe the woman and the woman the man with all loue and kyndnes and not to signifie any promise that euer I heard or redde of in y ◠scripture Therfore ought it not to be called a Sacrament It hath a promise that we sinne not in that state if a man receaue hys wise as a gift geuen to him of God the wife her husband likewise as all maner meates and drinkes haue a promise that we sinne not if we vse them measurably with thankes geuing If they call matrimony a Sacrament because the scripture vseth the similitude of matrimonie to expresse the mariage or wedlocke that is betwene vs and Christ For as a woman though she be neuer so poore yet when she is maried is as rich as her husband euen so we whē we repent and beleue the promises of God in Christ though we be neuer so poore sinners yet are as rich as Christ all his merits are ours with all that he hath If for that cause they call it a sacrament so will I musterde seede leuen a net keyes bread water and a thousand other things which Christ and the Prophetes and all the scripture vse to expresse the kingdome of heauen and Gods worde wythall They prayse wedlocke wyth their mouth and say it is an holy thyng as it is verely but had leuer be sanctified wyth an whore then to come wythin the sanctuary ¶ Of Order SUbdeacon Deacō Priest Byshop Cardinall Patriarch and Pope be names of offices and seruice or should be and not Sacraments There is no promise coupled therwith If they minister their offices truly it is a signe that Christes spirite is in them if not that the deuill is in them Are these all Sacramentes or which one of them Or what thyng in them is that holy signe or Sacrament The shauyng or the annoynting What also is the promise that is signified thereby But what word printeth in them that charact that spirituall seale O dreamers and naturall beastes without the seale of the spirite of God but sealed with the marke of the beast and with cankred consciences There is a word called in Latine Sacerdos in Greeke Hiercus in Hebrue Cohan that is a Minister an officer a sacrificer or a Priest as Aaron was a Priest and sacrificed for the people and was a mediator betwen God them And in the English should it haue had some other name then Priest But Antichrist hath deceaued vs with vnknowen and straūge termes to bring vs into confusion and superstitious blyndnes Of that maner is Christ a Priest for euer and all we Priests thorough hym and neede no more of any such Priest on earth to be a meane for vs vnto god For Christ hath brought vs all into the inner temple within the vayle or forehanging and vnto the mercy stoole of God And hath coupled vs vnto God where we offer euery man for himselfe y e desires petitions of his hart sacrifice and kil the lustes appetits of his flesh with prayer fasting all maner godly liuing An other worde is there in Greeke called Presbiter in latin Senior in englishe an elder and is nothing but an officer to teach and not to be a mediator betwene God and vs. This nedeth no annointing of man They o◠y t olde testament were annointed with oyle to signifie the annointing of Christ and of vs thorough Christ with the holy ghost This wise is no man Priest but he that is chosen saue as in time of necessitie euery parson Christeneth so may euery man teach his wife housholde and the wife her children So in time of neede if I see my brother sinne I may betwene hym and me rebuke him and damne his deede by the lawe of God And may also comfort them that are in dispayre with the promises of God and saue them if they beleue By a Priest then in the new testament vnderstand nothing but an elder to teach the younger and to bring thē vnto the full knowledge and vnderstanding of Christ and to minister the Sacramentes which Christ ordeyned which is also nothyng but to preach Christes promises And by them that geue all their studie to quench the light of truth and to holde the people in darcknes vnderstand the disciples of Sathan and messengers of Antichrist what soeuer names they haue or what soeuer they call themselues And as concerning that our spiritualtie as they will be called make themselues holyer then the lay people and take so great landes and goodes to pray for them and promise them pardons and forgeuenes of sinnes or absolution without preachyng of Christes promises is falsehode and the woorkyng of Antichrist and as I haue sayd the rauenyng of those wolues which Paul Act. xx prophesied should come after hys departyng not sparyng the flocke Their doctrine is that marchaundise wherof Peter speaketh saying through coueteousnes shall they with fayned wordes make marchaundise of you ij Pet. ij And their reasons wherewith they proue their doctrine are as sayth Paul i. Timo. vj. superfluous disputynges arguynges or braulyngs of mē with corrupt mindes and destitute of truth whiche thinke that lucre is godlynes But Christ sayth Math. vij by their frutes shalt thou know them that is by their filthy couetousnes and shamelesse ambition and dronken desire of honor contrary vnto the example doctrine of Christ and of his Apostles Christ sayd to Peter the last Chapter of Iohn Fede my sheepe and not shere thy flocke And Pet. sayth i. Pet. v. Not being Lordes ouer the Parishes but these shere and are become Lordes Paul saith ij Cor. ij Not that we be Lordes ouer your faith but these will be Lordes compel vs to beleue what soeuer they lust without any witnes of Scripture yea cleane contrary to the Scripture whē the opē text rebuketh it Paul sayth it is better to geue thē to receaue Act. xx But these do nothyng in the world but lay snares to katch and receaue what so euer cōmeth as it were the gapyng mouth of hell And. ij Cor. xij I seeke not yours but you but these seeke not you to Christ but yours to thē selues and therfore lest their dedes should be rebuked will not come at the light Neuerthelesse the truth is that we are all equally beloued in Christ and God hath sworne to all indifferently According therfore as euery man beleueth Gods promises longeth for thē and is diligent to pray vnto GOD to fulfill them so is his prayer heard and as good is the prayer of a cobler as of a Cardinall and of a bocher as of a Byshop the blessing of a baker that knoweth the truth is as good as the blessyng of our most holy father the Pope And
groweth dayly in the operations workes therof ¶ Of Confession COnfession is diuers One foloweth true fayth insparably And is the confessing and knowledging with the mouth wherein we put our trust and confideÌ„ce As when we say our Credo confessing that we trust in God the father almighty and in his truth promises in his sonne Iesus our Lord and in his merites and deseruinges in the holy Ghost and in his power assistance and guiding This confession is necessary vnto all men that wyll be saued For Christ saith Mathew x. he that denyeth me before men hym will I deny before my father that is in heauen And of this confession sayth the holy Apostle Paule in the x. chapter The beliefe of the hart iustifieth and to knowledge wyth the mouth maketh a man safe This is a wonderfull text for our Philosophers or rather sophisters our worldly wyse enemies to the wisdome of God our deepe profounde welles wythout water our cloudes wythout moysture of rayne that is to say naturall soules without the sprite of God and feeling of godly thynges To iustifie and to make safe are both one thing And to confesse with the mouth is a good worke and the frute of a true fayth as all other workes are If thou repent and beleue the promises then Gods truth iustifieth thee that is forgeueth thee thy sinnes and sealeth thee with hys holy spirite and maketh thee heyre of euerlastyng lyfe through Christes deseruinges Now if thou haue true fayth so seest thou the exceeding and infinite loue and mercy which God hath shewed thee freely in Christ then must thou needes loue agayne and loue can not but compell thee to worke and boldly to confesse knowledge thy Lord Christ and the trust which thou hast in his word And this knowledge maketh thee safe that is declareth that thou art safe already certifieth thine hart and maketh thee feele that thy fayth is right and that Gods spirite is in thee as all other good workes doe For if when it commeth vnto the point thou hast no lust to worke nor power to confesse how couldest thou presume to thinke that Gods sprite were in thee An other confession is there which goeth before saith and accompanieth repentaunce For who so euer repenteth doth knowledge his sinnes in his hart And who soeuer doth knowledge his sinnes receaueth forgenenes as â—ayth Iohn in the first of his first Epistle If we knowledge our sinnes he is faythfull and iust to forgeue vs out sinnes and to clense vs from all vnrighteousnes that is because he hath promised he must for his truthes sake doe it This confession is necessary all our liues long as is repentaunce And as thou vnderstandest of repentaunce so vnderstand of this confession for it is likewise included in the sacrament of Baptime For we alwayes repent and alwayes knowledge or coÌ„fesse our sinnes vnto God and yet dispayre not but remember that we are washed in in Christes bloud which thing our baptime doth represeÌ„t and signifie vnto vs. Shrift in the eare is verely a worke of Sathan and that the â—alsest that euer was wrought and that most hath deuoured the fayth It began among the Greekes and was not as it is now to reckeÌ„ all a maÌ„s sinnes in the priestes eare but to aske couÌ„cell of such doubtes as men had as thou mayst see in S. Hierome and in other authors Neither went they to Priestes onely which were very fewe at that tyme no moe then preached the worde of God for this so great vantage in so many masses saying was not yet founde but went indifferently where they saw a good and a learned man And for because of a litle knauery which a DeacoÌ„ at Constantinople plaide thorough coÌ„fession with one of the chiefe wiues of the citie it was layde downe agayne But we Antichristes possession the more knauery we see growe thereby dayly the more we stablishe it A christen man is a spirituall thing and hath Gods word in his hart and gods spirite to certifie him of all thing He is not bound to come to any eare And as for the reasons which they make are but persuasions of mans wisedome First as perteining vnto the keyes maner of bynding and loosing is eough aboue rehearsed in other places Thou maist also see how the Apostles vsed them in the Actes and in Paules Epistles how at the preaching of fayth the spirite came and certified their harts that they were iustified thorough beleuing the promises When a man feeleth that his hart consenteth vnto the law of God and feeleth hymselfe meeke pacient curteous and mercifull to hys neighbour altered and fashioned like vnto Christ why shoulde he doubt but that God hath forgeuen him and chosen him and put his spirite in hym though he neuer cromme hys sinne into the priestes eare One blynde reason haue they saying How shall the Priest vnbynde loose and forgeue the sinne which he knoweth not How did the Apostles The Scripture forsake they and runne vnto their blinde reasons and draw the Scripture vnto a carnall purpose When I haue tolde thee in thyne eare all that I haue done my life long in order and with all circumstances after the shamefullest maner what caÌ„st thou doe more then preach me the promises saying if thou repent beleue Gods truth shall saue thee for Christes sake Thou seest not myne hart thou knowest not whether I repent or no neyther whether I consent to the law that it is holy righteous and good Moreouer whether I beleue the promises or no is also vnknowen to thee If thou preach the law and the promises as the Apostles did so should they that God hath chosen repent and beleue and be saued euen now as well as then How be it Antichrist must know all secretes to stablish his kingdom to worke his misteries withall They bryng also for them the storie of the x. lepers whiche is written in the. xvij Chapter of Luke Here marke their falsehoode and learne to knowe them for euer The fourtene Sonday after the feast of the Trinitie the begynnyng of the vij leâ—…n is the sayd Gospell and the viij the ix lessons with the rest of the seuenth is the exposition of Bede vpon the sayd Gospell Where saith Bede of all that Christ healed of what so euer disease it were he sent none vnto the Priestes but the lepers And by the lepers enterpreteth the folowers of false doctrine onely which the spirituall officers and the learned men of the congregation ought to examine and rebuke their learning with Gods word and to warne the congregation to beware of them Which if they were afterward healed by the grace of Christ ought to come before the coÌ„gregation and there openly confesse theyr true fayth But all other vices saith he doth God heale within in the conscience Though they this wise reade at mattens yet at hie masse if they haue any
all that is corrupt must be salted And those personnes are of all other most corrupt and therfore may not be left vntouched The Popes pardons must be rebuked the abuse of the Masse of the Sacramentes and of all the ceremonyes must be rebuked and salted And selling of merites and of prayers must be salted The abuse of fastyng and of pilgrimage must be salted All idolatry false faith must be rebuked And those Fryers that teach men to beleue in S. Fraunces coate how that they shall neuer come in hell or purgatory if they be buryed therein may not be passed ouer with silence The payne griefe of salting made Monkes flee to their cloysture Nay say they we went thether of pure denotion to pray for the people Yea but for all that the more ye encrease and y e more ye multiply your prayers the worse the world is That is not our fault say they but theirs that they dispose not themselues but continue in sinne and so are vnapt to receaue the influence of our prayers O hipocrits if ye weee true salt and had good harts and loued your neighbours if dead men be neighbours to them that are aliue and woulde come out of your dennes and take payne to salt and season them ye should make a great many of them so apt that your prayers might take effect But now seyng as ye say they be so vnsauery that your prayers be to theÌ„ improfitable though their goods be to you profitable and yet ye haue no compassioÌ„ to come out and â—alt theÌ„ it is manifest that ye loue not them but theirs and that ye pray not for them but vnder the colour of praying mocke them and robbe them Finally salt which is the true vnderstandyng of the law of faith and of the intent of all workes hath in you lost her vertue neither be there any so vnsauery in the world as yeare nor any that so sore kicke agaynst true saltyng as ye and therfore are ye to be cast out and troden vnder foote and despised of all men by the righteous iudgement of God If salt haue lost his saltnesse it is good for nothing but to be troden vnder foote of men That is if the preacher whiche for his doctrine is called salt haue lost y e nature of salt that is to say his sharpnesse in rebukyng all vnrighteousnes all naturall reason naturall witte and vnderstandyng all trust and confidence in what soeuer it be saue in the bloud of Christ he is coÌ„demned of God and disalowed of all them that cleaue to the truth In what case staÌ„d they then that haue benefices preach not verely though they stand at the altar yet are they excommunicat and cast out of the liuing Church of almighty God And what if the doctrine be not true salt verely then is it to be troden vnder foote As must all werish and vnsauery ceremonies whiche haue losâ—e their significatioÌ„s and not onely teach not and are become vnprofitable do no more seruice to man But also haue obtained authoritie as God in the hart of man that maÌ„ serueth them and putteth in them the trust confidence that he should put in God hys maker thorough Iesus Christ his redemer Are the institutions of man better then Gods yea are Gods ordinauÌ„ces better now theÌ„ in the old tyme The Prophets trode vnder foote and defied the teÌ„ple of God and the sacrifices of God and all ceremonies that God had ordained with sastinges and prayinges and all that the people peruerted and committed idolatrie with We haue as straite a commaundement to salt and rebuke all vngodlinesse as had y e Prophetes Will they then haue their ceremonies honourably spokeÌ„ of then let them restore them to the right vse and put the salt of the true meanyng significations of them to theÌ„ agayne But as they be now vsed none that loueth Christ caÌ„ speake honourably of them What true Christen man can geue honour to that that taketh all honour froÌ„ Christ who can geue honour to that that slayeth the soule of his brother robbeth his hart of that trust and coÌ„â—â—deÌ„ce which he should geue to his Lord that hath bought him with his bloud â–ª Ye are the light of the world A Citie that is set on an hil caÌ„not be hid neither do men light a candle And put it vnder a bushell but on a caÌ„dlesticke and so geueth it light to all that are in the house Let your light so shine before meÌ„ that they may see your good woorkes and prayse your father that is in heauen Christ goeth forth and describeth y â— office of an Apostle and true preacher by another likenesse callyng them as before the salt of the earth EueÌ„ so here the light of the worldâ—… signifiyng therby that all y e doctrine all the wisdome and hie knowledge of the world whether it were Philosophy of naturall concâ—usions of maners and vertue or of lawes of righteousnes whether it were of the holy scripture and of God hymselfe was yet but a darcknes vntill the doctrine of hys Apostles came that is to say vntill the knowledge of Christ came how that he is the sacrifice for our sinnes our satisfaction our peace attonement and redemption our life therto and resurrection Whatsoeuer holinesse wisdome vertue perfectnesse or righteousnes is in y e world among men howsoeuer perfect holy they appeare yet is all dampnable darcknesse except the right knowledge of Christes bloud be there first to iâ—ftifie the hart before all other holinesse An other coÌ„clusion As a citie built on a hill can not be hid no more can the light of Christes Gospell Let the world rage as much as it will yet it wil shine on their sore eyes whether they be content or no. An other conclusion as men light not a candle to whelme it vnder a busshell but to put it on a candlesticke to light all that are in the house euen so the light of Christes Gospell may nor be hid nor made a seuerall thyng as though it pertayned to some certayne holy persons onely Nay it is the light of the whole world and pertaineth to all men and therfore may not be made seuerall It is a madnesse that diuerse men say the lay people may not know it except they can proue that the laye people be not of the world Moreouer it will not be hid but as the lightning that breaketh out of the cloudes shyneth ouer all euen so doth the Gospel of Christ For where it is truely receaued there it purifieth the hart and maketh the person to consent to the lawes of God and to beginne a new and a godly lyuing fashioned after Gods lawes and without all dissimulation And then it wil kendle so great loue in hym towarde his neighbour that he shall not onely haue compassioÌ„ on hym in hys bodely aduersitie but much more pitie him ouer the blyndenes of his soule and
to minister to him Christes Gospel Wherfore if they say it is here or there in Saint Fraunces coate or Dominickes and such like that if thou wilt put on that coat thou shalt finde it there it is falfe For if it were there thou shouldest see it shyne abroad though thou creptst not into a sell or a monkes coule as thou seest y â— lightning without crepyng into the cloudes yea their light would so shine that men should not onely see y â— lyght of the Gospell but also their good workes which would as fast come out as they now runne in In so much that y â— shouldest see theÌ„ make theÌ„sel es pore to helpe other as they now make other poore to make theÌ„selues rich This lyght and salt pertayned not then to the Apostles and now to our Bishops and spiritualtie onely No it pertayneth to the temporall men also For all kynges and all rulers are bound to be salt and light not onely in example of liuing but also in teaching of doctrine vnto their subiects as wel as they be bounde to punishe euill doers Doth not the scripture testifie that kyng Dauid was chosen to be a shepeheard and to feede his people wyth Gods worde It is an euill scholemaster that cannot but beate onely But it is a good scholemaster that so teacheth that few neede to be beateÌ„ This salt and light therefore partayne to the temporaltie also and that to euery meÌ„ber of Christes Church so that euery man ought to be salt light to other Euery man then may be a common preacher thou wilt say and preach euery where by his owne auctoritie Nay verely No man may yet be a commoÌ„ preacher saue he that is called and chosen thereto by the commoÌ„ ordinaunce of the congregation as long as the preacher teacheth the true worde of God But euery priuate man ought to be in vertuous lyuing both light and salt to hys neighbour in so much that the poorest ought to striue to ouerrun the Byshop and to preach to hym in ensample of liuing Moreouer euery man ought to preach in worde deede vnto his houshould and to them that are vnder his gouernaunce c. And though no maÌ„ may preach openly saue he that hath the office committed vnto hym yet ought euery maÌ„ to endeuour himselfe to be as well learned as the preacher as nie as it is possible And euery man may priuatly enforme hys neighbour yea and the preacher and Byshop to if nede be For if the preacher preach wrong then may any man whatsoeuer he be rebuke him first priuately and then if that helpe not to complayne further And when all is proued according to the order of charitie and yet none amendment had theÌ„ ought euery man that caÌ„ to resist him and to stand by Christes doctrine to ieoparde lyfe all for it Looke on the olde ensamples they shal teach thee The Gospel hath an other fredome with her then the temporall regiment Though euery mans body and goods be vnder y â— kyng do he right or wroÌ„g yet is the auctoritie of Gods woorde free and aboue the kyng so that the worst in the realme may tell y e kyng if he do hym wrong that he doth nought and otherwise theÌ„ God hath coÌ„maunded hym and so warne hym to auoide the wrath of God which is the pacient aduenger of all vnrighteousnes May I then and ought also to resist father and mother and all temporall power wyth Gods worde when they wroÌ„gfully do or commaunde that hurteth or killeth the body and haue I no power to resiste the Byshop or preacher that wyth false doctrine slayeth the soules for which my maister and Lord Christ hath shed his bloud Be we otherwise vnder our Byshops then Christ and hys Apostles and all the other Prophetes were vnder the Byshops of the olde law Nay verely and therefore may we and also ought to do as they dyd and to aunswere as the Apostles dyd Act. v. Oportet magis obedire deo quà m hominibus We must rather obey God then men In the Gospell euery man is Christes Disciple and a person for himself to defend Christes doctrine in his owne person The fayth of the Byshop will not helpe me nor the byshoppes keeping the lawe is sufficient for me But I must beleue in Christ for the remission of all sinne for myne owne selfe and in myne owne person No more is the Bishops or preachers defending Gods woorde inough for me But I must defende it in mine owne person and ieopard lyfe and all thereon when I see neede occasion I am bouÌ„d to get worldly substauÌ„ce for my selfe for myne houshold with my iust labour and somewhat more for theÌ„ that cannot to saue my neighbours body And am I not more bouÌ„d to labour for Gods word to haue therof in store to saue my neighbours soule And when is it so much tyme to resiste with Gods word and to helpe as wheÌ„ they which are beleued to minister the true word do slea the soules with false doctrine for couetousnes sake He that is not ready to giue hys lyue for the maintenaunce of Christes doctrine agaynst hypocrites with what soeuer name or title they be disguised y â— same is not worthy of Christe nor can bee Christes Disciple by the very wordes and testimony of Christ Neuerthelesse we must vse wisedome pacieÌ„ce mekenes and a discrete processe after the due order of charitie in our defendyng the word of God least while we go about to amende our Prelates we make theÌ„ worse But when we haue proued all that charitie bindeth vs yet in vaine then we must come forth opeÌ„ly and rebuke their wickednes in the face oâ— the world and ieoparde life all theron Ye shall not thinke that I am come to destroy the law or the propheres no I am not come to destroy them but to fulfill them For truly I say vnto you till heaueÌ„ and earth perish there shal not one iote or one title of the law scape till all be fulfilled A litle before Christ calleth his Disciples the light of the world the salt of the earth that because of their doctrine wherewith they should lighten the blynd vnderstandyng of man and with true knowledge driue out y â— false opinions and sophisticall persuasions of natural reason deliuer the Scripture out of y â— captiuitie of false gloses which the hypocritishe Phariseis had pâ—â—ched therto and â—o out of the light of trueknowledge to styrre vp a new liuyng and to salt season the corrupt maners of the old blind conuersation For where false doctrine corrupt opinions and sophistical gloses raigne in the witte and vnderstandyng there is the liuing deuilish in the sight of God how soeuer it appeare in the sight of the blind world And on the other side where the doctrine is true and perfect there foloweth godly liuing of
by which was at that time nothing signified but an Elder And it was no doubt taken of the custome of the Hebrues where the officers were euer elderly men as nature requireth As it appeareth in the olde testament and also in the new The Scribes Pharises and the elders of the people sayth the text which were the officers and rulers so called by the reason of their age ¶ Why he vseth loue rather then charitie HE rebuketh me also that I traÌ„slate thys greke worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into loue and not rather into charitie so holy so knowen a terme Verely charitie is no knowen Englishe in that sence which agape requireth For when we say geue your almes in the worship of God and sweete saint charitie and when the father teacheth his sonne to say blessing father for saint charitie what meane they In good fayth they wot not Moreouer wheÌ„ we say God helpe you I haue done my charitie for this day do we not take it for aâ—…s And the man is euer childing and out of charitie and I beshrew him sauing my charitie there we take it for patience And when I say a charitable maÌ„ it is taken for mercifull And though mercifulnes be a good loue or rather spring of a good loue yet is not euery good loue mercifulnes As when a woman loueth her husband godly or a man his wife or his frende that is in none aduersitie it is not alway mercifulnesse Also we say not thys man hath a great charitie to god but a great loue Wherfore I must haue vsed this generall terme loue in spite of myne hart oftentimes And agape charitas were wordes vsed among the Hetheâ— yer Chrst came and signified therefore more then a godly loue And we may say well inough and haue heard it spoken that the Turkes be charitable one to an other among themselues some of them vnto the christen to Besides all this agape is coÌ„mon vnto all loues And when M. More saith euery loue is not charitie no more is euery Apostle Christes Apostle nor euery Angell Gods Angell nor euery hope christen hope nor euery sayth or beliefe Christes beleife and so by an huÌ„dred thousand wordes So that if I should alway vse but a worde y t were no more generall then the worde I enterprete I should enterprete nothing at all But the matter it selfe and the circumstaunces do declare what loue what hope and what fayth is spokeÌ„ of And finally I say not charitie God or charitie your neighbour but ioue God and loue your neighbour ye though we say a man ought to loue his neighbours wife his daughter a Christen man doth vnderstand that he is commauÌ„ded to defile his neighbours wife or his daughter ¶ Why fauour and not grace ANd with lyke reasons rageth he because I turne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into fauour and not into grace saying that euery fauour is not grace and that in some fauour there is but little grace I can say also in some grace there is little goodnesse And when we say he standeth well in my Ladyes grace we vnderstand no great godly sauour And in Vniuersities many vngracious graces are gotten ¶ Why knowledge and not confession repentaunce and not penaunce ANd that I vse this worde knowledge and not confession and this word repentaunce and not penaunce In which all he can not proue that I geue not the right Englishe vnto the Greeke word But it is a farre other thyng that payâ—eth them and byteth them by the brestes There he secret panges that pinch the very hartes of them wherof they dare not coÌ„playne The sekenesse that maketh them so impacieÌ„t is that they haue lost their iugglyng termes For the doctours and preachers were wont to make many dimisioÌ„s distinctions sortes of grace gratis data gratum faciens preueniens subsequens And with confession they iuggled so made the people as oft as they spake of it vnderstand shrift in the care Wherof the Scripture maketh no mentioÌ„ no it is cleâ—ne agaynst the Scripture as they vse it and preach it and vnto God an abhominatioÌ„ and a soule stinkyng sacrifice vnto the filthy Idole Priapus The losse of those iugglyng termes is the matter where of all these bottes brede that gnaw them by the belyes and make them so vnquiet And in like maner by this word penaunce they make the people vnderstand holy deedes of their enioynyng with which they must make satisfactioÌ„ vnto Godward for their sinnes When all the Scripture preacheth that Christ hath made full satisfactioÌ„ for our sinnes to Godward we must now be thaÌ„kfull to God agayne and kill the lustes of our flesh with holy workes of gods enioynyng to take paciently all that God layeth on my back And if I haue hurt my neighbour I am bounde to shrâ—…e my selfe vnto him and to make him amendes if I haue wherewith or if not theÌ„ to aske him sorgeuenesse and he is bounde to forgeue me And as for their penauÌ„ce the Scripture knoweth not of The Greke hath Metanoia and Metanoite repentaunce and repente â–ª or forthinkyng and forthinke As we say in English it forthinketh me or I forthinke and I repent or it repeÌ„teth me and I am sory that I dyd it So now the Scripture â—ayth repent or let it forthinke you and come beleue the Gospell or glad tydynges that is brought you in Christ and so shall all be forgeuen you and henceforth lyue a new lyfe And it will folow if I repent in the hart that I shall do no more so willingly and of purpose And if I beleued the Gospell what God hath done for me in Christ I should surely loue him agayne of loue prepare my selfe vnto his commaundementes These thinges to be euen so M. More knoweth well inough For he vnderstandeth the Greke and he knew them long yer I. But so blynd is couetousnesse dronkeÌ„ desire of honour Giftes blind the eyes of the seyng and peruert the wordes of the righteous Deut. xvij When couetousnes findeth vauntage in seruyng falsehead it riseth vp into an oâ—…mate malice agaynst the truth seeketh all meanes to resiste it and to queÌ„ch it As Balam the false Prophet though he wiste that God loued Israell and had blessed them and promised them great thyngs and that he would fulfill his promises yet for couetousnesse and desire of honour he fell into such malice agaynst the truth of God that he sought â—ow to resiste it and to curse the people Whiche when God would not let him do he turned him selfe an other way and gaue pestilent counsell to make the people sinne against God wherby the wrath of God â—el vpon them and many thousand perished Notwithstandyng Gods truth abode fast and was fulfiled in the rest And Balam as he was the cause that many perished so escaped he not hym selfe No more did any that
Pope hath made a playne decree in which he commaundeth saying though y e Pope sinne neuer so greuously and draw with him to hell by his ensaÌ„ple thousaÌ„des innumerable yet let no man be so hardy to rebuke him For he is head ouerall none ouer him Distinct 〈◊〉 Si Papa And Paule saith Rom. xiij let euery soule obey the hyer powers that are ordeyned to punishe sinne The Pope will not nor let any of his And Paule chargeth 1. Cor. 5. if he that is a brother be an whorekeeper a dronkard couetous an extortioner or a rayler and so forth that we haue no felowship with him No not so much as to eate in his company But the Pope with violence compelleth vs to haue such in honour to receaue the sacrameÌ„tes of them to heare their Masses and to beleue all they say and yet they will not let vs see whether they say truth or no. And he compelleth x. parishes to pay their tithes and offeringes vnto one such to goe and ruÌ„ne at riote at their cost and to do nought therefore And a thousande such like doth the Pope contrary vnto Christes doctrine ¶ The argumentes wherewith the Pope woulde proue hymselfe the church are solued NOtwithstanding because as they be all shauen they be all shamelesse to affirme that they be the right church and can not erre though all the world seeth that not one of theÌ„ is in the right way and that they haue with vtter defiaunce forsaken both the doctrine and liuing of Christ of all his Apostles let vs see the sophistry wherwith they would perswade it One of their high reasons is this The Church say they was before y â— heretikes y â— heretikes came euer out of the church and left it And they were before all them which they now call heretikes and Lutherans and the Lutherans came out of them c. Wherefore they be the right church and the other heretikes in dede as they be called Well I will likewise dispute First the right church was vnder Moses and Aaron and so forth in whose rowmes sat the Scribes Phariseis and hye priestes in the tyme of Christ And they were before Christ And Christ and his Apostles came out of them and departed from theÌ„ and left them Wherfore the Scribes Phariseis and hye priestes were the right Church and Christ and hys Apostles and disciples heretikes and a dampnable secte And so the Iewes are yet in the right way and we in errour And of truth if their blynde reason be good theÌ„ is this argumeÌ„t so to For they be like are both one thing But in as much as the kingdome of God standeth not in wordes as Paul sayth 1. Cor. 4. but in power therefore looke vnto the marow and pith of the thinges selfe and let vayne woordes passe Vnder Abraham Isaac Iacob was the church great in fayth and small in number And as it encreased in number so it decreased in fayth vntill y â— tyme of Moses And out of those vnbeleuers God stirred vp Moses brought â—heÌ„ vnto y â— faith right agayne And Moses left a glorious Churche both in faith cleauing vnto the word of God and deliuered them vnto Iosuah Eleazer Phineas and Caleb But assone as the generation of theÌ„ that saw the miracles of God were dead they fell to Idolatrie immediatly as thou seest in the Bible And god when he had deliuered them into captiuitie for to chastice their wickednesse stirred them vp a Prophet euermore to call them vnto his testameÌ„t againe And so he did well me an hundred tymes I suppose yer Christ came for they neuer bode any space in the right fayth And against the comming of Christ the Scribes Phariseis Caiphas Anna and the Elders were crept vp into the seat of Moses AaroÌ„ and the holy Prophetes Patriarkes and suceded them linially and had the scripture of God but euen in captiuitie to make marchaundise of it and to abuse it vnto their owne glory and profite And though they kept the people from outward Idolatrie of worshipping of Images with the Heathen yet they brought them into a worse inward Idolatrie of a false fayth trust in their owne deedes and in vaine traditions of their owne fayning And had put out the significatioÌ„s of all y â— ceremonies and sacramentes of the olde testameÌ„t and taught the people to beleue in the workes selfe and had corrupt the scripture with false gloses As y â— maist see in the Gospell how Christ warneth his Disciples to beware of y t leauen of y â— Phariseis which was their false doctrine gloses And in another place he rebuked the Scribes and the Phariseis saying wo be to theÌ„ because they had taken away the key of knowledge and had shut vp the kingdome of heauen and neither would enter in themselues nor suffer theÌ„ that would How had they shut it vp verely with their traditions and false gloses which they had sowed to y â— scripture in plaine places and in the taking away y â— meaning of the ceremonies and sacrifices and teaching to beleue in the worke And our hipocrites are in like maner crept vp into the seat of Christ and of his Apostles by succession not to do the deedes of Christ and his Apostles but for lucre onely as the nature of the wily Foxe is to get him an hole made with a nother beastes labour and to make marchaundise of the people with fayned wordes as Peter warned vs before and to do according as Christ and all his Apostles prophesied how they should beguyle and leade out of the right way all theÌ„ that had no loue to follow and liue after the truth And in like maner haue they corrupt the Scripture and blynded the right way with their owne constitutions with traditions of duÌ„me ceremonies with takyng away the significations of the sacramentes to make vs beleue in the worke of the sacramentes fyrst whereby they might the better make vs beleue in works of their setting vp afterward and with false gloses which they haue patched to the Scripture in playne places to destroy the litterall sence for to set vp a false fayned sence of allegories when there is none such And thereby they haue stopt vp the gates of heaueÌ„ the true knowledge of Christ and haue made their own belâ—es the dore For thorow their bellies must thou creepe and theâ—e leaue all that fall behynde thee And such blynde reasons as oures make against vs made they agaynst Christ saying Abraham is our father we be Moses disciples how knoweth he the vnderstanding of the Scripture seing he neuer learned of any of vs onely the cursed vnlearned people that know not the scripture beleue in hym Looke whether any of the rulers or Phariseis do beleue in hym Wherefore the scripture truely vnderstode after the playneâ— places and generall articles of y t fayth which
for the deedes that pertayne vnto our neighbours and vnto the common wealth we haue not regarded at all as thynges which seemed no holy workes or such as God woulde not once looke vppon And therfore we left them vnsene to vntill they were past remedy or past our power to remedy thē in as much as our slowbellies with their false blessinges had iugled away from vs that wherwith they might haue bene holpen in due season So that y ◠silly poore man though he had haply no wisdome to expresse hys mynde or y t he durst not or y ◠M. More fashioneth his tale as he doth other mens to lest out the truth sawe that neither Goodwinsandes nor any other cause alleaged was the decay of Sandwich hauen so much as that the people had no lust to mainteyne the common wealth for blynde deuotion which they haue to popeholy workes ¶ The solutions and answeres vnto M. Mores first booke IN the first chapter to beginne the booke wythal to bring you good lucke and to geue you a say or a taste what truth shall follow he fayneth a letter sent from no man The second Chapter In the second chapter besides that it is vntrue this vse to haue bene euer since the tyme of the Apostles he maketh many sophisticall reasons about worshipping of saintes reliques and Images yet declareth not w t what maner worship but iuggleth with the terme in comune as he doth with this worde church and this worde fayth when the wordes haue diuers significations for all faithes are not one maner fayth and so forth and therefore he beguileth a mans vnderstanding As if a man sayd the boyes will was good to haue geuen his father a blow and an other woulde inferre that a good will coulde be no sinne and conclude that a man might lawfully smite hys father Now is good will taken in one sence in the maior and in an other in y ◠minor to vse schollers termes therfore the conclusion doth mocke a mās wit Then disputeth he the seruaunt is honoured for the masters sake and what is done to the poore is done to Christ as the popishe shall once feele for their so robbing them And the xii Apostles shall haue their seates sitte and iudge with Christ as shal all that here preach hym truely as they dyd and Mary that powred the ointment on Christes head before hys passion hath her memoriall and therefore we ought to set candles before Images First I aske hym by what rule hys argument holdeth And secondarily I answere that the true worshipping of Saintes is their memoriall to follow them as they did Christ And that honour we geue them and so do not ye papists but folow the steppes of your father the Pope as he doth the steppes of his father the deuill And as for sticking vp of candles I aunswere that God is a spirite and in the spirit must be worshipped only Faith to his promises and loue to his lawes and longing for the life that is in his sonne are his due honour and seruice All bodyly seruice must be referred vnto our selues and not vnto the person of God immediatly All outwarde thynges which we receaue of God are geuē vs. to take our partes with thankes and to bestow the rest vppon our neyghbours For God vseth no such thynges in his owne person but created thē for to gene thē vs that we shoulde thanke hym and not to receaue them of vs to thanke vs for that were our praise and not his Fasting watching wolward goyng pilgrimage and all bodely exercise must be referred vnto y t taming of the fleshe onely For as god deliteth not in y ◠tast of meat drinke or in the sight of golde or siluer no more doth he in my fast and such like that I should referre them vnto hys person to do him a pleasure withall For God in himselfe is as good as he can be hath all the delectation that he cā haue And the refore to wish that God were better then be is or had more pleasure then he hath is of a worldly imagination And all the spirites that be in heauē are in as good case as they can be and haue all the delectation they can haue and therefore to wishe them in better case or to studie to do them more pleasure then they haue is fleshly mynded popishnes The pleasure of them that be in heauen is that we harken to god and keepe his commaundementes which when we do they haue all the pleasure that they can haue in vs. If in this life I suffer hell gladly to win my brother to folow God how much more if I were in heauen should I reioyce that he so did If in thys worlde when I haue neede of my neighbour by the reason of myne infirmities yet I seke nought of him saue his wealth onely what other thing should I seke of hym if I were in heauen where he can do me no seruice nor I vse any pleasure that he can do me THe deuill desired to haue his imaginations worshipped as God his popishe children desire the same compell men so to honour them and of their deuelishe nature describe they both God and his Saintes And therfore I say all such fleshly imaginations as to fast the wensday in the worship of S. Iohn or of S. Katerine or what Saint it be or to fast Sayntes eues or to go a pilgrimage vnto their images or to offer to them to do them pleasure thinkyng therby to obteyne their fauour and to make special adnocates of them as a man would winne the fauour of an other with presentes and giftes and thinking that if we did it not they would be angry are playne Idolatry image seruice for the saint deliteth in no such And when thou stickest vp a candle before the image thou mightest with as good reason make an holow bely in the image and powre in meate and drincke For as the Saint neither eateth nor drinketh so hath he no bodyly eyes to delyte in the light of a candle An other is this God geueth not the promises that are in Christ for bodyly seruice but of his mercy onely vn to his owne glorie Yea and of the fathers goodnesse do all naturall childrē receaue Aske a litle boy who gaue him his gay coate he aūswereth his father Aske him why and he annswereth because he is his father and loueth hym and because he is his sonne Aske hym whether his father loue hym and he sayth yea Aske him how he knoweth it and he sayth because he geueth me this or that Aske him whether he loue his father he sayth yea Aske him why he sayth for his father loueth hym and geueth him all thing Aske him why he worketh he aunswereth his father wil so haue it Aske him why his father geneth not such and such boyes coates to Nay saith he they be not
ye haue brought in besides the Scripture nor any that dyed for it But ye persecute and â—lea whosâ— euer with Gods woorde doth rebuke it And as for your owne miracles of which ye make your boast ye haue fayned them so grosly throughout al your Legendes of Saintes that ye be now ashamed of them and would fayne bee rid of theÌ„ if ye wist how with honestie and so would ye of a thousand thinges which ye haue fayned And the cause why heretickes fayne no miracles as ye doe is that they walke purely and entend no falsehead And why the deuill doth none for them is that they cleaue fast to Gods word whiche the deuill hateth and can do no miracles to further it But to hinder it as he doth with you Read the stories of your Popes and Cardinals see whether the deuill hath not holpe them vnto their highe dignities And looke whether your holy Byshoppes come any otherwise vnto their promotions then by seruing the deuil in setting all Christendome at variaunce in sheddyng bloud in bringyng the common wealth to tyraÌ„ny and in teaching Christen Princes to â—ule more cruelly then did euer any heathen coÌ„trary vnto the doctrine of Christ And as for the Turkes and Sarasenes that ye speake of I auÌ„swere that they were ChristeÌ„ once at the lest way for the most part And because they had no loue vnto the truth to liue their after as ye haue not God did send them false miracles to cary them out of the right waye as ye be And as for the Iewes why they hyde out is onely because they haue set vp their own righteousnesse as ye haue and therfore can not admit the righteousnesse that is in Christes bloud as ye can not and as ye haue forsworne it And when he sayth in that they haue miracles and the heretickes none it is a sure signe that they be the true Churche and the heretickes not Had ye Gods word with your miracles and the heretickes doctrine were without then it were true But now because ye haue miracles without Gods word to confirme your false imaginatioÌ„s and they whiche ye call heretickes haue Gods word coÌ„firmed with miracles fiue huÌ„dred yeares together it is a sure signe that they be the true church ye not in as much also as Christ saith that y â— deceauers shall come with miracles ye in his name therto as ye do For wheÌ„ christ saith there shal come in my name y t shal say he him selfe is Christ who is that saue your Pope that wil be Christes Vicare and yet maketh men to beleue in him selfe in his Bulles Calues skinnes and in what soeuer he listeth And who be those false annoynted that shall come with miracles to deceaue the elect if it were possible saue your Pope with his gresiamus And when he repeteth his miracles to proue that the olde holy Doctours were good men in the right belefe I aunswere agayne that the Doctours which planted Gods word watered it with miracles while they were alyue And wheÌ„ they were dead God shewed miracles at their graues to confirme the same as of Heliseus And that continued till the Scripture was full receaued and autenticke But ye can not shew nor shal any Doctour which beyng aliue preached your false doctrine confirmyng it with miracles as God doth his Scripture Then sayth hee God had in the olde TestameÌ„t good meÌ„ ful of miracles whose liuing a man might be bold to folow and whose doctrine a man might beleue by reason of theyr miracles and then iuggleth saying if God should not so now in the new TestameÌ„t haue Doctours with miracles to confirme their doctrine and liuynges but contrarywise should bryng to passe or suffer to bee brought to passe with false miracles that his church shuld take hypocrites for Saintes which exposided the Scripture falsly then should hee deceaue his Church and not haue his spirite present in his Church to teach them all truth as he promised them I aunswer God suffereth not his Church to be deceaued But he suffereth the popes Church because they haue no loue vnto the truth to lyue after the lawes of God but consent vnto all iniquitie as he suffered the Churche of Mahomet Moreouer y â— gift of miracles was not all way amoÌ„g the preachers in the old Testament For Iohn Baptist did no miracle at all The miracles were ceased longyer Christ And as for you in the Popes kingdome had neuer maÌ„ that either confirmed Gods doctrine or your owne with miracles All your Saintes be first Saints when they be dead and then do first miracles to confirme tithes and offeringes the Poetrie which ye haue fayned and not true doctrine For to confirme what preachyng doth S. Thomas of Canterbury miracles He preached neuer nor liued any other life then as our Cardinall and for his mischief dyed a mischieuous death And of our Cardinall if we be not diligent they will make a Saint also and make a greater relique of his shew then of the others And of your dead Saintes let vs take onâ— for an example Thomas de Aquino is a Saint full of miracles as Friers tell And his doctrine was that our Lady was borne in original sinne And Dunce doyng no miracle at all because I suppose no man wotteth where he lyeth improueth that with his sophistrie and affirmeth the contrary And of the contrary hath the Pope for the deuotioÌ„ of that the gray Friers gaue him ye may well thinke made an Article of the fayth And finally as for the miracles they are to make a man astonied to wonder and to draw him to heare the word earnestly rather then to write it in his hart For whosoeuer hath no other felyng of the law of God that it is good then because of miracles the saâ—…e shall beleue in Christ as did Symon Magus and Iudas and as they that came out of Egypt with Moyses and fell away at euery temptation shall haue good workes like vnto our Popes bishops and Cardinals And therfore when the Scripture is fully receaued there is no nede of miracles In so much that they which will not beleue Moses and the Prophetes when the Scripture is receaued the same wil be no true beleuers by the reason of miracles though one arose from death to lyfe to preach vnto them by the testimonie of Christ And agayne how doth S. Hierome Augustine Bede and many other old Doctours that were before the Pope was cropt vp into y e consciences of meÌ„ and had sent forth his daÌ„nable sectes to preach him vnder y t name of Christ as Christ prophesied it should be expounde this text thou art Peter and vppon this rocke I will builde my Church and this text Peter feede my sheepe and all power is geuen me in heauen and in earth and innumerable such textes cleane contrary vnto all those
had as great loue to Christ as to other thinges to happen dayly vnto the shame of Christes doctrine among Priestes Fryers and Monkes partly with open whores partly with their sodometrie whereof they cast ech other in the teeth dayly in euery Abbey for the least displeasure that one doth to an other M. More might see what occasions of vnchasâ—itie be geuen vnto the Curates euery where by the reason of their office and dayly conuersation with the maryed And when he sayth neuer maÌ„ could finde that exposition till now there he sayth vntrue For S. Hierome hymselfe saith that he knew them that so expoâ—ded the text and rebuked them of Rome because they would not admit into the clergie them that had had two wiues the one before baptim and the other after saying if a man had killed xx men before his Baptime they would not haue forbidden him and why then should that which is no sinne at all be a let vnto him But the God of Rome would not heare him For Sathan beganne then to worke his misteries of wickednes And when he saith he that hath ten wiues hath one wife I say that one is taken by the vse of speaking for one onely As when I say I am content to geue thee one meaning one onely And vnto him that hath no helpe is there one helpe to looke for no helpe where one helpe is taken for one onely and many places els And when M. More sayth he that hath had two wiues one after an nother may not be Priest and that if a Priestes wife die he may not haue another or that if he were made Priest hauing no wife he might not after mary if he burnt I desire a reason of him If he say it hath bene so the vse then say I an whore is better then a wife for that hath bene y e vse of our holy father many hundred yeares But I affirme vnto M. More the contrary And I say first wyth Paule that the kingdome of God is not meate and drinke and by the same reason neither husband or wife but y t keeping of the commaundements and to loue euery man his neighbour as himselfe And therefore as meate and drinke were ordeined for mans necessitie and as a man may care drinke at all needes in all degrees so farre as it letteth him not to keepe the commaundementes and to loue his neighbour as himselfe euen so was the wife created for the mans necessitie and therefore may a man vse her at all hys neede in all degrees as farre as she letteth hym not to keepe Gods lawe which is nothing els by Paules learning then that a man loue hys neyghbour as himselfe Now I desire a reason of M. Mores doctrine what doth my second wife or my third hinder me to loue my neighbour as my selfe and to do him seruice against I come to be priest What let is your second wife to you to serue our holy father the Pope more then your first would haue bene And in like maner if my first wife die when I am a Priest why may I not loue my neighbour do hym as good seruice with the second as with y e first And againe if I be made priest hauing no wife and after burne and therfore mary why may I not loue my neighbour and serue hym wyth that wyfe as well as he that brought a wife with hym It was not for nought that Paule prophesied that some should departe from the faith attend vnto disceaueable spirites and deuelishe doctrine forbidding to mary and to eate meates which god hath created to be receaued with thankes of them that know the truth to buy dispeÌ„sations to vse lawfull meat and vnlawfull wiues And I aske M. More why he y t hath the second wife or hath had two wiues may not be a Priest or why if a Priestes first wife die he may not mary the second He will aunswere because the Priest must represent the misteries or secrete properties and vnion of Christ the onely husbande of his onely wyfe the church or congregation that beleueth in him onely That is as I haue in other places sayd the scripture describeth vs in matrimonye the mysteries and secrete benefites which God the father hath hid in Christ for all theÌ„ that be chosen and ordeyned to beleue and put their trust in him to be saued As when a man taketh a wife he geueth her himselfe his honour hys riches and all that he hath and maketh her of equall degree vnto himselfe if he be king and she before a beggers daughter yet she is not y e lesse Quene and in honour aboue al other If he be Emperour she is Empresse and honoured of men as the Emperour and partaker of all Euen so if a man repeÌ„t and come and beleue in Christ to be saued from the dampnation of the sinne of which he repenteth Christ is hys owue good immediately Christes death paine prayer passion fastyng and all his merites are for that mans sinnes a full satisfaction and a sacrifice of might and power to absolue hym 〈◊〉 pena et a culp 〈◊〉 Christes enheritaunce his loue and fauour that he hath wyth God his father are that mans by and by and the man by that mariage is pure as Christ and cleane wythout sinne and honourable glorious weibeloued and in fauour thorow y t grace of that mariage And because that the Priest must represent vs this signification is the cause why a Priest may not haue the second wyfe say they which popishe reason hath deceaued many wise as who can be but deceaued in some thing if he receaue all his doctrine by the auctoritie of his elders except he haue an occasion as we haue to runne to Moses and the Prophetes there heare see with our owne eyes and beleue no longer by the reason of oure forefathers when we see them so shamefully beguild themselues and to beguile vs in a thousand things which the Turkes see Now to our purpose if this doctrine be true then must euery Priest haue a wife or haue had a wife For he that neuer had wife can not represent vs this And againe he that hath an whore or an other mans wife hath lost this property and therfore ought to be put downe And againe the second mariage theÌ„ of no man is or can be a SacrameÌ„t by that doctrine And yet I will describe you the mariage of Christ as well by his mariage that hath had ix wyues and hath now the tenth as by his that hath now the first O will they say his wyfe was no virgine or he when they were maried Sir the signification standeth not in y t virginitie but in the actuall wedlocke We were no virgines when we came to Christ but coÌ„mon whores beleuing in a thousand Idoles And in the second mariage or tenth and ye will the man hath but one wife and
all his are hers and his other wiues be in a land where is no husbande or wife I say therfore with Paul that this is a deuilishe doctrine and hath a similitude of godlines with it but the power is away The myste of it blyndeth the eyes of the simple and beguileth them that they can not see a thousand abhominations wrought vnder that cloke And therfore I say still that the Apostles meaning was that he shoulde haue a wiâ—e if haply his age were not the greater and that by one wiâ—e he excludeth them that had two and them that were defamed with other saue their owne wiues and woulde haue theÌ„ to be such as were knowen of vertuous liuing for to do reuerence honour vnto the doctrine of Christ As it appeareth by the widowes which he excludeth before lx yeares for feare of vnchastitie and admitteth yet none of that age except she were well knowen of chast honest and godly behauiour and that to honour Gods word withall than which the Pope hath nothing more vile And wheÌ„ M. More to mock bringeth forth the text of the wydowe that she must be the wife of one man I answere for all his iesting that Paule excludeth not her that had x. husbands one after an other but her that had ij husbandes attonce And when More laugheth at it as though it had neuer bene the guise I would to god for his mercy that it were not the guise at this day and then I am sure hys wrath would not be so great as it is Paule meaneth onely that he would haue no diffamed woman chosen wydowe for dishonouring the worde of God and the congregation of Christ and therefore excludeth common women and such as were diffamed besides their husbandes and haply y t deuorced therto And that I proue by the same doctrine of Paule that the kingdome of God is no such busines but the keping of Gods commaundementes onely to loue one an other Now looke on y t thing and on the office of the widowe It was but to waite on the sicke and poore people and to washe strauÌ„gers feete Now the widowes of ten husbandes must haue be founde of the cost of the congregation if they were desticute of frends as all other poore were though in tyme passed they haue bene diffamed persons But vnder lx would Paule let none minister for feare of occasions of vnchastity and therto none but such as were well knowen of honest liuing and of good report Now in as much as the widow of ten husbands must be fouÌ„de of the common cost at her neede what vncleanes is in her by the reason of her secoÌ„d husband that she is not good inough to be a seruaunt vnto the poore people to dresse their meate washtheir clothes to make their beddes and so forth and to wash strauÌ„gers feete that came out of one congregation vnto an other about businesse â–ª and to do all maner seruice of loue vnto her poore brethren and sisters To haue had the second husband is no shame among the heathen it is no shame amoÌ„g the Christen for when the husband is dead the wife is free to mary to whom she will in the Lord and by as good reason the husband and of right who more free then the Priest And therfore they shame not our doctrine nor our coÌ„gregation nor dishonour God amoÌ„g the heathen or weake Christen Now wheÌ„ we haue a playne rule that he whiche loueth his neighbour as him selfe kepeth all the lawes of God let hym tell me for what cause of loue toward hys neighbour a widow of two lawfull husbands may not do seruice vnto the poore people Why may not a widow of fifty do seruice vnto the poore Paule whiche knytteth no snares nor leadeth vs blind nor teacheth vs without a reason geuing of his doctrine aunswereth for feare of occasions of euill lest she be tempted or tempt other And then if she be taken in misdoyng the doctrine of Christ be euill spoken of therto and the weake offended And when M. More mocketh with my reason that I would haue euerye Priest to haue a wife because few men caÌ„ liue chaste I aunswere that if he loued the honor of Christ and his neighbour as he doth his owne couetousnesse he should finde that a good Argument Paul maketh the same and much more sclenderly then I after your sophistrie For hee disputeth thus some youÌ„g widowes do dishonest y e congregation of Christ and his doctrine therfore shall no young widow at all minister in the common seruice therof But shal all be maried beare children and serue their husbaÌ„des And it is a farre lesse rebuke to the doctrine of Christ and his coÌ„gregation that a womaÌ„ should do amisse then the Bishop or Priest I am not so mad to thinke y t there could no Priest at all line chaste Neither am I so foolish to thinke that there be not as many womeÌ„ that could liue chast at fifty as Priestes as xxiiij And yet though of a thousand widowes of fifty yeare old ix hundred xc ix could liue chast Paul because he knoweth not that one wil let none at all minister in the common seruice amoÌ„g occasions of vnchastitie Christes Apostles considered all infirmities and all that might hynder the doctrine of Christ and therfore dyd their best to preueÌ„t all occasioÌ„s Wherfore as fish is no better then flesh nor flesh better then fish in the kyngdome of Christ euen so virginitie wedlocke and widowed are none better then other to be saued by in their own nature or to please God with all but with what soeuer I may best serue my brethren that is euer best accordyng vnto the tyme and fashion of the world In persecution it is good for euery man to liue chast if he can and namely for the preacher In peace when a man may liue quietly and abyde in one place a wise is a sure thyng to cut of occasioÌ„s Then he would make it seme that Priestes wiues were the occasions of heresies in Almany Nay they fell first to heresies and then tooke wiues as ye sell first to the Popes holy doctrine then tooke whores More The Church byndeth no man to chastitie Tyndall of a truth for it geueth licence to who soeuer wil to kepe whores and permitteth to abuse mens wiues and suffereth sodomitrie and doth but onely forbid matrimonie And when he sayth chastitie was all most receaued by generall custome before the lawe was made one lye And good fathers dyd but geue theyr aduise therto an other lye And it was ratified and receaued with the coÌ„sent of all Christendome the third lye They did well to chose a Poete to be their defender First it was attempted in generall CouÌ„cell and resisted by holy fathers which yet theÌ„selues were neuer maried saying that men might not knit a â—…ate for their weake brethreÌ„ agaynst the doctrine of Christ
a signe of y e loue of myne hart which reioyseth and is glad that he is come home safe and sounde And euen so is this but the memoriall of the very sacrifice of Christ once done for al. And if ye wold no otherwise meane ye shal haue my good will to call it so still or if ye can shew me a reason of some other meanyng And therfore I would that it had bene called as it in deede is and as it was commaūded to be Christes memoriall though that I doubt not but that it was called Masse of his He brue woord Misach which signifieth a a pension geuyng because that at euery Masse mē gaue euery man a portiō accordyng vnto his power vnto the in stentation of the poore Which offering yet remayneth But to a false vse and profite of them that haue too much as all other thinges are peruerted Finally it is the same thinge that it was when Christ institute it at hys last supper If it were then the very sacrificing of Christes body and had that same vertue and power with it that his very passion after wrought why was he sacrificed so cruelly on the morow and not holde excused therwyth seyng he was there verely sacrificed M. Item that there remayneth bread and wine in the sacrament Tyndall Improue it What is that that is broken and that the Priest eateth wyth hys teeth ayre onely if a childe were fed with no other foode he should wax haply as long as his father Wherof then should his body his flesh and bones grow wherof should that come with reuerence I speake it that he pisseth and so forth all by miracle will they say O what wonderfull miracles must we faine to saue Antichristes doctrine I might wyth as good reason say that the hoste is neyther rounde nor white but that as my mouth is deceaued in the tast of bread euen so mine eyes are in the syght of roundnes and so is there nothing at all Which all are but the disputations of men with corrupt myndes without spirite to iudge Neuer the later when the Priest hath once rehearsed the testament of our sauiour thereon I looke not on bread and wine but on the body of Christ broken and bloud shed for my sinnes and by that fayth am I saued from the damnation of my sinnes Neyther come I to Masse for any other purpose then to fet forgeuenes for Christes deathes sake nor for any other purpose say I Confiteor knowledge my sinnes at the beginning of Masse And if ye haue other doctrine teach vs a reason leade vs in light we will follow Christ sayth Iohn xi it is the spirit that quickeneth the flesh profiteth nothing at all the woordes which I speake saith he are spirite and lyfe That is the fleshely eatyng and drinking of Christes body and bloude profit not as his carnall presence profited not by the reason of his presence onely as ye see by Iudas and y ◠Phariseis and the souldiours that touched hym and how his bodely presence did let the disciples to vnderstand spiritually But to eate and drinke in the spirite that is to harken vnto his wordes and with a repenting hart to beleue in hys death bringeth vs all that Christ can do for vs. More Item that the masse auaileth no man but the Priest Tyndall If ye speake of the prayers his prayers helpe vs as much as ours him If ye speake of y e sacramēt it helpeth as many as be present as much as hym if moued therby they be leue in Christes death as well as he If they be absent the sacrament profiteth them as much as a sermon made in the church helpeth them that be in y ◠fieldes And how profiteth it the soules of the deade tell me vnto whome it is no signe If ye meane the carnall eating and drinking then it profiteth the Prieste onely for he eateth and drinketh vppe all alone and geueth no man parte wyth hym More Item that a man should not be howseled till he lay a dying Tynd. That is to shamelesse a lye M. Item that men and women should not spare to touch it Tynd. A perillous case Why Because the Pope hath not oyled them Neuerthelesse Christ hath annointed them wyth hys spirite and wyth hys bloud But wot ye why The Pope thinketh if they should be too busie in handeling it they woulde beleue that there were bread and for that cause to strength their faythes he hath imagined little prety thinne manchetes that shine thorow and seeme more lyke to be made of paper or fine Parchement then of wheate floure About which was no smale question in Oxforde of late dayes whether it were bread or none some affirming that the floure with long lying in water was turned to starch and had lost his nature M. Item that the sacramēt should not be worshipped Tyndall It is the Sacrament of Christes body and bloud And Christ calleth it the newe and euerlasting testament in hys bloud and commaunded that we shoulde so do in the remembraunce of hym that hys bodye was broken and his bloude shed for our sinnes And Paule commaundeth thereby to shewe or preach the Lords death They say not pray to it neither put any fayth therein For I may not beleue in the sacramēt but I must beleue the Sacrament that it is a true signe and it true that is signified therby which is the onely worshippyng of the Sacrament if ye geue it other worship ye plainly dishonour it As I may not beleue in Christes Church but beleue Christes Church that the doctrine which they preach of Christ is true If ye haue any other doctrine teach vs a reason and lead vs in light and we will follow More Item that a Christē is not bound to keepe any lawe made by man or any at all Tynd. You say vntruely a Christē man is bound to obey tyranny if it be not agaynst hys fayth nor the lawe of God vntill God deliuer him thereof But he is no Christen man that byndeth hym to any thing saue that which loue and his neighbours necessitie requireth of them And when a lawe made is no longer profitable Christen rulers ought to breake it But now a dayes whē tyraunts haue gotten the simple people vnder they compell thē to serue theyr lustes and wyly tyranny without respect of any common wealth Which wyly tyranny because the truth rebuketh it is the cause why they persecute it least the common people seing how good they should be and feeling how wicked they are shuld withdraw their neckes frō their vnrighteous yooke As ye haue ensample in Herode in the Scribes and Phariseis and in many other More Item that there is no Purgatory Tyndall Beleue in Christ and thou shalt shortly finde purgatoryes inow as ye now make other feele M. Item that all soules lye and sleepe
through yea what thyng maketh both the Turke the Iew abhorre our fayth so much as our imageseruice But the Pope was then glad to finde an occasion to picke a quarell with the Emperour to get the Empire into hys owne handes which thyng he brought to passe with the sword of Fraunce clame so highe that euersence he hath put his own authoritie in stede of Gods word in euery generall Councell and hath concluded what him liste as agaynst all gods word and agaynst all charitie he condemned that blessed dede of that Councell and Emperour M. They blaspheme our Lady and all Saintes Tyndall That is vntrue We honour our blessed Lady and all holye Saintes and folow their fayth and liuing vnto the vttermost of our power and submit our selues to be scholers of the same schole M. They may not abyde Salue regina Tyndall For therin is much blasphe mie vnto our blessed Lady because Christ is our hope and lyse onely and not she And ye in ascribyng vnto her that she is not dishonour God worshyp her not M. They say if a woman beyng alyue beleue in God and loue him as much as our Lady she may helpe with her prayers as much as our Lady Tyndall Tell why not Christ whē it was told him that his mother his brethren sought him aunswered that his mother his sisters and his brethrē were all they that did his fathers will And vnto y e womā that sayd to Christ blessed be the wombe that bare the and pappes that gaue thee sucke Christ answered Nay blessed are they that heare the word of God keepe it As Paule sayth 1. Cor. ix I haue nought to reioyce though I preach for necessitie lyeth vpon me and wo is me if I preach not If I do it vnwillingly an office is committed vnto me but and if I do it with a good will then I haue a reward So now carnall bearyng of Christ and carnall geuyng hym sucke make not our Lady great But our blessed Ladyes greatnesse is her fayth and loue wherein she exceeded other Wherfore if God gaue his mercy that an other woman were in those twoo poyntes equall with her why were she not like great and her prayers as much heard M. Item that men should not worship the holy crosse Tyndall With no false worship and superstitious fayth but as I haue said to haue it in reuerence for the memoriall of him that dyed theron M. Item Luther hateth the festes of the crosse and of Corpus Christi Tyndall Not for enuy of the crosse which sinned not in the death of Christ nor of malice toward the blessed body of Christ but for the idolatrie vsed in those festes M. Item that no man or woman is bound to kepe any vow Tyndall Lawfull vowes are to be kept vntill necessitie breake them But vnlawful vowes are to be broken immediatly M. Martine appealed vnto the next generall Councell that should bee gathered in the holy ghost to seke a long delay Tyndall Of a truth that were a lōg delay For should Martine liue till the Pope would gather a Councell in the holy ghost or for any godly purpose he were like to be for euery heere of hys head a thousand yeares old Then bringeth he in the inconstancie of Martine because he saith in his later booke how that he seeth further then in his first Paraduenture he is kynne to our Doctours whiche when with preachyng agaynste pluralities they haue got them thre or foure benefices alledge the same excuse But yet to say the truth the very Apostles of Christ learned not all truth in one day For long after the Ascention they wist not that the heathē should be receaued vnto the fayth How then could Martin brought vp in the blyndnesse of your sect aboue xl yeares spye out all your falsehead in one day M. Martine offered at Wormes before the Emperour and all the Lordes of Germany to abyde by his booke and to dispute which he might well doe sithens he had his safe conduct that he should haue no bodyly harme Tyndal O mercyful God how come ye out your owne shame ye cā not dispute except ye haue a mā in your owne daunger to do hym bodyly harme to diote him after your fashion to tormēt him and to murther him If ye might haue had him at your pleasure ye wold haue disputed with him first with sophistrie and corrupting the Scripture then with offeryng hym promotions thē with the sword So that ye would haue bene sure to haue ouercome hym with one Argument or other M. He would agree on no Iudges Tyndall What Iudges offered ye hym sane blynd Byshops and Cardinals enemyes of all truth whose promotions and dignities they feare to be plucked from them if the truth came to light or such Iudases as they had corrupt with money to maynteine their sect The Apostles might haue admitted as well the heathen Bishops of Idoles to haue bene their iudges as he them But he offered you autenticke Scripture and the hartes of the whole world Which ij iudges if ye had good consciēces and trust in God ye would not haue refused The iiij Chapter THe fourth Chapter is not the first Poetrie that he hath fayned The v. Chapter IN the end of the fift he vntruly reporteth that Martine sayth no man is bound to kepe any vowe Lawfull promises are to be kept and vnlawfull to he broken The vj. Chapter IN the beginning of the vj. he describeth Martine after the example of his own nature as in other places he describeth God after the complection of Popes Cardinals worldly tyraūts M. Martin will abyde but by the Scripture onely Tyndall And ye will come at no scripture onely And as for the old doctours ye will heare as litle saue where it pleaseth you for all your crying old holy fathers For tell me this why haue ye in England condēned the vnion of Doctours but because ye would not haue your falshead disclosed by the doctrine of them M. They say that a Christen man is discharged of all lawes spirituall and temporall saue the Gospell Tyndall Ye iuggle we say that no Christen man ought to bynde his brother violently vnto any law wherof he could not geue a reason out of Christes doctrine and out of y e law of loue And on the other side we say that a Christen man is called to suffer wrong and tyranny though no man ought to bynde hym vntill God rid vs therof so farre yet as the tyranny is not directly agaynst the law of God and fayth of Christ and no further More Martin was the cause of the destruction of the vplandish people of Germanie Tyndall That is false for then he coulde not haue escaped himselfe Martin was as much the cause of their cōfusion as Christ of the destruction of
not vnto repentaunce nor to fayth nor to loue a mans neighbour M. More declareth the meanyng of no sentence hee describeth the proper signification of no word nor the difference of the significatioÌ„s of any terme but runneth foorth confusedly in vnknowen wordes and generall termes And where one word hath many significations he maketh a man some tyme beleue that many thynges are but one thyng and some tyme he leadeth from one signification vnto an other mocketh a mans wittes As he iuggleth with this terme Church makyng vs in the begynnyng vnderstand all that beleue and in the conclusion the Priestes onely He telleth not the office of the law he describeth not his penauÌ„ce nor the vertue therof or vse he declareth no Sacrament nor what they meane nor the vse nor wherin the frute of coÌ„fession standeth nor whence the power of the absolution commeth nor wherin it resteth nor what iustifying meaneth nor the order nor sheweth any diuersitie of faythes as though all faiths were one fayth and one thyng Marke therfore the way toward iustifying or forgeuenesse of sinne is the law God causeth the law to be preached vnto vs writeth it in our harts and maketh vs by good reasons feele that the law is good and ought to bee kept and that they which keepe it not are worthy to be damned And on the other side I fele that there is no power in me to kepe the law wherupon it would shortly folow that I should dispaire if I were not shortly hoâ—pe But God which hath begon to cure me and hath layde that corosy vnto my sores goeth forth in his cure and setteth hys sonne Iesus before me and all his passions and death and sayth to me this is my deare sonne and he hath prayed for thee hath suffred all this for thee and for his sake I will forgeue thee all that thou hast done agaynst this good lawe and I will heale thy flesh teach thee to kepe this law if y â— wilt learne And I will beare with thee take all a worth that thou doest till thou caust do better And in the meane season not withstandyng thy weakenesse I will yet loue thee no lesse then I do the aungels in heauen so thou wilt be diligent to learne And I will assiste thee and keepe thee and defend thee and be thy shielde and care for thee And the hart here beginneth to mollifie and waxe soft to receaue health and beleueth the mercy of God and in beleuyng is saued froÌ„ the feare of euerlastyng death and made sure of euerlastyng life and then beyng ouercome with this kindnesse begynneth to loue agayne and to submitte her selfe vnto the law of God to learne them and to walke in them Note now the order first God geueth me light to see the goodnesse and righteousnesse of the law myne own sinne and vnrighteousnesse Out of whiche knowledge spryngeth repentaunce Now repentaunce teacheth me not that the law is good and I euill but a light that the spirite of God hath geuen me out of whiche light repentaunce springeth Then the same spirite woorketh in myne hart trust and confidence to beleue the mercy of God and his truth that he will do as hee hath promised Whiche beleffe saueth me And immediatly out of that trust spryngeth loue toward the law of God agayne And what soeuer a man worketh of any other loue theÌ„ this it pleaseth not God nor is that loue godly Now loue doth not receaue this mercy but fayth onely out of whiche fayth loue springeth by which loue I power out agayn vpon my neighbour that goodnesse which I haue receaued of God by fayth Hereof ye see that I caÌ„ not be iustified without repentauÌ„ce and yet repentaunce iustifieth me not And hereof ye see that I can not haue a fayth to be iustified and saued except loue spryng therof immediatly and yet loue iustifieth me not before God For my naturall loue to God agayne doth not make me first see feele the kyndnesse of God in Christ but fayth thorough preachyng For we loue not God first to coÌ„pell him to loue agayn but he loued vs first gaue his sonne for vs that we might see loue and loue agayne sayth S. Iohn in his first Epistle Which loue of God to vs ward we receaue by Christ thorough fayth sayth Paule And this example haue I set out for them in diuers places but their blynd Popish eyes haue no power to see it couetousnesse hath so blynded them And when we say faith onely iustifieth vs that is to say receaueth the mercy wherewith God iustifieth vs and forgeueth vs we meane not fayth whiche hath no repentaunce and fayth whiche hath no loue vnto the lawes of God agayne and vnto good workes as wicked hypocrites falsly belye vs. For how theÌ„ should we suffer as we do all misery to cal the blind and ignorauÌ„t vnto repentaunce good workes which now do but consent vnto all euill and study mischief all day long for all their preachyng their iustifying of good woorkes Let M. More improue this with his sophistrie and set foorth his owne doctrine that we may see the reason of it and walke in light Hereof ye see what fayth it is that iustifieth vs. The fayth in Christes bloud of a repentyng hart toward the law doth iustifie vs onely and not all maner faythes Ye must vnderstaÌ„d therfore that ye may see to come out of Mores blynd maze how that there be many faythes and that all faythes be not one faith though they be al called with on generall name There is a story faith without feelyng in the hart wher with I may beleue the whole story of the Bible yet not set myne hart earnestly thereto takyng it for the fode of my soule to learne to beleue and trust God to loue him dread him and feare him by the doctrine and examples ther of but to seme learned to know the story to dispute and make marchaundise after as we haue exaÌ„ples ynough And the fayth wherewith a man doth miracles is an other gift then the faith of a repeÌ„tyng hart to be saued through Christes bloud and the one no kynne to the other though M. More would haue them so appeare Neither is the deuils fayth the Popes fayth wherwith they beleue that there is a God that Christ is all the story of the Bible and may yet stond with all wickednesse and full coÌ„sent to euil kynne vnto the fayth of them that hate euill and repent of their misdeedes and knowledge their sinnes and be fled with full hope and trust of mercy vnto the bloud of Christ And when he sayth if fayth certifie our hartes that we bee in the fauonr of God and our sinnes forgeuen become good yer we do good workes as the tree must be first good yer it bring forth good fruite by Christes doctrine theÌ„ we make
but one chauntry For if they shoulde do all that they haue promised from y â— first founder vnto this day v. hundred Monkes were not inough in many cloysters Thinkest thou that men were euer so mad to make the fashions that are now amoÌ„g them to geue the Selâ—rar such a summe and the Priour or suppriour and the other officers so much for their partes as they haue yearely and to exempt the Abbot from his brethren and to send him out of the Abbay into such parkes places of pleasures and geue him a thousand fiftene hundred two thousand or three thousand pounde yearely to sport himselfe with all Nay but when thorow hypocrisie they had gotten land inough theÌ„ they turned vnto the Pope and tooke dispeÌ„sations both for their rules which were to hard for such aboundaunce for the willes of their founders and serued a great sort of founders vnder one per dominum and deuided among few that which was inough for a great multitude It was the Pope that deuised all these fashions to corrupt the Prelates wyth aboundaunce of worldly pleasures of which he wist that the worste would be most greedy and for which he wist also that he should finde Iudasses inow that would forsake Christ and betray y e truth and be sworne false vnto him and his Godhed He maketh of many chauntryes one of an Abbay a Cathedrall church and out of the Abbayes plucked he the Byshopprikes And as Byshops pay for their bulles euen so do an infinite number of Abbottes in Christendome in all landes some which Abbottes be Byshoppes within theÌ„selues immediatly vnder the Pope And other Abbots and Priours send after the same example dayly vnto Rome to purchase liceÌ„ce to weare a nutre and a crosse gay ornaments to be as glorious as the best c. And where before God no man is a Priest but he that is appointed to preach christes Gospell vnto the people and the people ought not to geue ought vnto the spiritualtie but for the maintenauÌ„ce of the preaching of Gods worde the Pope taketh vi or vij yea ten xx and as many benefices as he listeth geueth them vnto one that preacheth not at all as he doth all other dignityes of the spiritualtie He that will purchase and pay and be sworne shall haue what he will How they proue all their generall counselles WHen the Byshops and Abbottes and other great Prelates had forsaken Christ and hys lyuing and were fallen downe before the beast the vicar of Sathan to receaue their kyngdome of hym then the Pope called together diuerse counseles of such holy Apostles and there concluded and made of euery opinion that semed profitable an article of the fayth If thou aske where the scripture is to proue it They answere we be the church and can not erre and therefore say they what we conclude though there be no scripture to proue it it is as true as the Scripture and of equall authoritie with the Scripture must be beleued as wel as the scripture vnder payne of daÌ„nation For say they our truth dependeth not of the truth of the scripture that is we be not true in our doing because the scripture testifieth vnto vs that we do truely but contrary the truth of the scripture say they dependeth of vs that is the scripture is true because that we admitte it and tell thee that it is true For how couldest thou know that it were the scripture except we tolde thee so and therefore we neede no witnesse of the scripture for that we do it is inough that we so say of our owne head for we can not erre Which reason is like as though young MoÌ„kes newly professed should come by the rules of their order ordinaunces of their olde founders and would go about to kepe them and the old cankerd Monkes should cal them backe vnto the corrupt and false maner that now is vsed saying ye erre Do onely as we teach you for your profession is to obey your elders Accordyng vnto the rules of our order and ordinaunces of our founder shall they say We can teach you no other shall the old Monkes say nor can lye vnto you ye ought therfore to beleue vs and to do as we bid you The youÌ„g Monkes shall aunswere we see that ye lye cleane contrary vnto all that is written in our rules and ordinaunces The old Monkes shall say ye can not vnderstand them except we expounde them vnto you neither yet know that they be your rules except that ye beleue that we caÌ„ not lye vnto you For how can ye know that these be your rules and ordinaunces but as we your elders tell you so Now when we tell you that these be your rules and ordinaunces how can ye be sure vndoubtedly that it is so except ye beleue vndoubtedly that we can not lye Wherfore if ye will be sure that they be your rules and ordinaunces then ye must first beleue that we can not lye Leaue such imaginations and disputations therfore and laye your rules and ordinaunces out of your handes and looke no more on them for they make you erre And come and do as we tell you and captiuate your wittes and beleue that we can not lye vnto you and that ye can not vnderstand your rules aâ—d ordinaunces Euen so if thou say it is contrary vnto the Scripture they aunswere that thou vnderstandest it not that thou must captiue thy witte and beleue that though it seme neuer so coÌ„trary yet it is not contrary no if they determine that Christ is not riseÌ„ again and though the Scripture testifie that he is risen agayne yet say they they be not contrary if they be wisely vnderstand Thou must beleue say they that there is some other meanyng in the Scripture and that no man vnderstandeth it but that we say whether with out Scripture or agaynst it that must thou beleue that it is true And thus because that the Scripture would not agree with them they thrust it out of the way first and shut vp the kyngdome of heauen which is Christes Gospell with false expositioÌ„s and with such sophistrie and with false principles of naturall wisedome And the Abbottes toke the Scripture from their Monkes lest some should euer barke agaynst the Abbottes lyning set vp such long seruice and singyng to wery them with all that they should haue no laysure to read in the Scripture but with their lippes and made them good cheare to fill their belyes to stoppe their mouthes And the Byshops in lyke maner to occupy theyr Priestes with all that they should not study y e Scripture for barkyng against them set vp long seruice wondrous intricate so that in a dosen yeares thou couldest scarce learne to turne a right vnto it loÌ„g Matens long EueÌ„songs long Masses long Diriges with vauÌ„tage yet to mitigate the tediousnesse quia leuis est labor
neuer so perfect done with all loue then satisfie the law for the presente time and do our dutie vnto our neighbours and tame our owne flesh but not to make satisfaction to God for sinne that is once past The sinne that is once committed must God forgeue freely of a fatherly loue for Christes sake When God visiteth vs with sicknes pouertie or whatsoeuer aduersitie it be he doth it not of a tyrannous minde to satisfy his lust in our suffering of euyll to make satisfaction for the sinne that is past of which we repent and be sory But of a fatherly loue to make vs know our selues and feele his mercy and to tame our flesh and to keepe vs from sinning againe As no naturall father punisheth his child because he delighteth in tormenting of him to take satisfactioÌ„ for the sinne that is past but first teacheth kindly and suffreth and forgeueth once or twise and then at the last when he seeth the body so wanton that the childe can not continue in the right way for the rage of wild lustes he beateth to subdue the fleshe onely and to tame it that the doctrine of y â— father may haue her due course in the hart of the childe and shoulde not be choked with lustes Euen so is it of God if any of his children that haue professed his law and theÌ„ faith of our Sauiour bee negligent to tame hys flesh with prayer fasting and good dedes after the doctrine of Christ he wil surely scourge him to bring him into the right way agayne and to keepe him that the doctrine of his soules health perish not in him But he taketh not his mercy from vs nor thinketh on the sinne that is past after that we repent and be full conuerted but ablolueth vs both a poena culpa for Christes sake and is as mighty as mercyfull to do it for Christes sake as the Pope for money besides that he hath promised mercyfully so to do ¶ The knowledge of our baptisme is the key and the light of the Scripture ANd againe as he which knoweth his letters well and can spell perfectly can not but read if he be diligent and as hee whiche hath cleare eyes without impediment or let and walketh therto in the light and open day can not but see if he attende and take heede euen so who so euer hath the profession of baptisme written in his hart can not but vnderstand the scripture if he exercise him selfe therein and compare one place to an other and marke the maner of speach and aske here and there the meaning of a sentence of them that be better exercised For as the doctrine which we should be taught before we were baptized and for lack of age is deferred vnto the yeares of discretion is the key that bindeth and looseth locketh and vnlocketh the conscience of all sinners euen so that lesson where it is vnderstaÌ„d is onely the key that openeth all y e scripture and euen the whole scripture in it selfe gathered together in a narrow compasse and brought into a compendiousnes And til thou be taught that lesson that thine hart feele the sweetnesse of it the Scripture is locked and shut vp from thee and so darke that thou couldest not vnderstande it though Peter Paule or Christ himselfe did expound it vnto thee no more then a blinde man can see though thou set a candle before him or shewedst him the Sunne or poyntedst with thy finger vnto that thou wouldest haue him looke vppon Now we be all baptized But alas not one from the hyest to the lowest euer taught the profession or meaning thereof And therfore we remayne all blinde generally as well our great Rabines for all their hye learning which they seeme to haue as the lay people yea and so much the more blind are our great clerkes that where the lay people for a great number of them are caught naught at al they be all wrong taught and the doctrine of their baptisme is all corrupt vnto them with the lâ—uen of false gloses ere they come to read the scripture So that the light which they bring with them to vnderstand the scripture withall is vtter darknesse as contrary vnto the scripture as the deuill vnto Christ By reason wherof the Scripture is locked vp and become so darke vnto them that they grope for the dore and can finde no way in and is become a maze vnto them in which they wander as in a nust or as we say led by Robin Goodfellow that they can not come to the right way no though they turne their cappes and the brightnes thereof hath blinded their eyes with malice so that though they beleue not the Scripture to be false yet they persecute the right vnderstanding therof and can not beleeue it true in the playne sense which it speaketh to them in It is becomme a tuâ—nagaine lane vnto them which they can not goe thorough nor make iij. lines agree together And finally the sentences of the Scripture are nothing but very riddles vnto theÌ„ â—s the which they cast as the blind man doth at the Crow and expound by gesse an hundred Doctoures an hundred wayes and one man in xx sermons alleadging one texte after xx fashions hauing no sure doctrine to cleaue vnto and all for lacke of the righte knowledge of the profession of oure Baptisme ¶ He that hath the profession of his Baptisme written in his hart can be no hereticke AN other conclusion is this As he which euer creepeth a long by the grounde and neuer clymeth can not fall from an hygh Euen so no man that hath the profession of his Baptisme written in his hart can stomble in the Scripture and fall vnto heresies or become a maker of diuision and settes and a defender of wilde and vayne opinions For the whole and onely cause of heresies and sectes is pride Now the law of God truly interpreted robbeth all them in whose hartes it is written and maketh them as bare as Iob of all thyngs wherof a man can be moued to pride And on the other side they haue vtterly forsaken them selues with all their hyghe learnyng and wisedome and are become the seruauntes of Christ onely whiche hath bought theÌ„ with his bloud haue promised in their hartes vnfaynedly to folow hym and to take him onely for the author of their religioÌ„ his doctrine onely for their wisedome learning and to mainteine it in word and deede and to keepe it pure and to builde no straunge doctrine therupon and to be at the hyghest neuer but felow with their brethren and in that felowshyp to waxe euer lawer and lower and euery day more seruaunt then other vnto his weaker brethren after the example and Image of Christ and after his commaundemeÌ„t and ordinaunce and not in fayned wordes of the Pope This hee sayd because of them that say that the Scripture maketh men
iudge and if Christes worde condemne the couÌ„sell who shal approoue it who shall prayse it who shall defende it The temporall sworde nor the multitude of Byshops nor interdiction excommunication nor cursing can then helpe Wherefore let euery true ChristeÌ„ man looke on this matter indifferently it is no trifling wyth God nor with his holy worde for God will remayne for euer his holy word must bée fulfilled and if we wil not fulfill it bée shal cast vs down to the déepe pit of hell and make of stones meÌ„ in our stede that shall kéepe his worde It is no light thyng for it lyeth on the saluation and damnation both of body and soule froÌ„ the which we can not bée deliuered with these glorious wordes Concilium ConciliuÌ„ Patres Patres Episcopi Episcopi for all these may bée the ministers of the deuill yea though they were aungels Therfore ones agayne I doe monish and exhorte in the glorious name of the lyuing God and in y e swéet bloud of Christ Iesus all true ChristeÌ„ men to take héede what they doe agaynste Christes holy word whiche is their eternal God their mercyfull redemerand shall bée also their mighty and glorious iudge Now let vs examine the wordes of the Councell First of all the Councell graunteth that in the begynning of the church all Christen men were houseled vnder both kyndes nowe would I knowe of the Councell of whom the Church had receiued this maner of Christ or his holy Apostles as doubtles shée dyd then what authoritye had the Councell to chaunge the institution of Christ and of his holy Apostles and also the vse and practise of holy Church was not the first Churche of God Did shée not kéepe Christes institution did shée not fulfill Christes word Did not y e holy Apostles learne here so And now shall the Councell of Constance first condemne Christ and his blessed word then the learnyng of Christes holy Apostles and also the long vse and practise of Christes blessed Church without any Scripture without authoritie or without any speciall reuelation froÌ„ God but alonely for auoydyng of certeine perils Yea and not content alonely to coÌ„demne these thinges but vnder the paine of heresie to coÌ„demne them This is to sore a coÌ„demnation of Christes open woorde and of that thyng whiche they graunt that the Church dyd vse at the begynnyng Furthermore the Councell sayth that holy fathers and the Church dyd bryng in this custome to housell laye men vnder one kinde Are you not ashamed of these woordes Doth not your conscience prike you thus openly to lye yea of Christ and of his holy Church Christes worde is openly agaynste you and you graunt that the vse of the church was also otherwise And as for holy fathers here may you sée what they say to it but you are the children of the kyngdome of lyes and doubtlesse if you bryng not foorth the holy fathers that make for you you shall not alonely bée taken for abhominable and â—…en lyers but also for shameful and detestable sclaunderers both of holy Church and also of holy fathers But it is no wonder for Antichrist must declare him selfe openly to bée agaynst Christ yet is hée neuer without an excuse and a shaddow of holynes where by hée may blynd the poore people But what excuse had hée here in the Councell to coÌ„demne Christes worde That they might auoyde certaine sclauÌ„ders and perrils béecause that there is no body without bloud Bée not these lawfull causes to condemne Christes open word yea and that vnder the payne of heresie Is not this a new maner of law to make that hée that will not obeye a statute made agaynst Gods word which hée is bouÌ„de to obey vnder payne of euerlastyng damnation alonely for auoydyng perrils to bée condemned for an hereticke Briefely by this reason may they condemne all holy Scripture by laying icoperdies perrils thereto they may condemne all the creatures of God for there may bée perill in vsing of them all But what néede many wordes to prooue this Councell to bée of the deuill for if that bée not of the deuill that is contrary to Christ and hath no excuse for it but alonely to auoyde perrils I caÌ„ not tell what is of the deuill I am sure Antichrist shall neuer bée without some carnall excuse for if hée will deny Christ to bée both God man hée shall haue stronger carnall reasons for him then the Councell hath for this but this matter must not bée iudged by carnal reasons It is Gods worde that is aboue all creatures wherefore let vs goe to the Scriptures as a sure ancore to ouercome Antichrist with all his carnall reasons First our maister Christ when hée dyd institute this blessed Sacrament did vse these woordes take it and eate it this is my body c. Likewise takyng the challice hée gaue thankes gaue it vnto them saying drinke all of this this is my bloud of the newe testament the which shall bée shed for many into remission of sinnes These bée playne wordes drinke of it all hée that sayth all excepteth no man Furthermore hée knewe that there might bée ieoperdies in the receiuyng of it yet hée sayth drinke of it all for it is my bloud that shall bée shed for the remission of sinnes Now was it not shed for lay mens sinnes why shal they not then drinke of it The maister and the Lord sayth drinke therof and shall the miserable seruaunt withstand his commaundemeÌ„t yea commaunde the playne contrary and say drinke not therof But now commeth my Lord of Rochester which perceiueth that the Councel is connict in that that it consenteth that the whole Church in the begynnyng did receiue this Sacrament vnder both kyndes and yet forbiddeth that same thyng and sayth to mainteine this errour that Christe spake these wordes drinke of it all alonely to his Apostles for there were no other men there but the Apostles and therfore they must alonely drinke therof I aunswere My Lord if this thing were alonely lawfull vnto the Apostles how will you discharge the primatiue Churche in the whiche were those men that Christ ministred this Sacrament vnto yea the selfe men did minister it vnder both kyndes to the whole congregation accordyng to this commaundement drinke of it all Dout not but they vnderstoode Christes will as well as you in this commaundement But in the way of communication let vs grauÌ„t you that to the Apostles this was onely sayd how will you theÌ„ discharge your owne Priestes from deadly sinne the which receiue it vnder both kindes and yet bée they neither Apostles nor successours of theÌ„ but after your own learnyng the Bishops alonely bée their successours the Priestes doe represent lxxij Disciples Shal they in this thyng represeÌ„t the Apostles and in absoluyng from sinne but the Disciples But let vs sée farther in your for fetched reason tel vs how
and by what authoritie your highe pollitike rule saued that you dare géeue either of these kindes to the laye men seyng they were both alonely geuen to the Apostles for eueÌ„ by that authoritie that you haue power to take away the one kynd by that selfe same haue you power to take away the other for they were both geuen at once and indifferently to the receiuers so that as many as receiued the one receiued also the other and to them that hée sayd take and eate this this is my body to them hée sayd drinke all of this c. Now if you may thus take away y e partes of y e sacramentes at your pleasure y e coÌ„sequent shall bée y â— incontinuance all the sacramentes shal be destroyed and Christes word set at naught Wherefore my Lord this blasphemous euation will not helpe you but such shamfull solutions must they vse that will be agaynst the open worde of God Amend your conscience my Lorde for if you doe not remeÌ„ber the terrible wordes of y â— Prophet hée shall shake his sword bend his bowe make it al ready therein hath hée prepared the shot of death his arrowes for to burne This is no smal threatning nor lightly to auoide But let vs sée what the scriptures say that which I gaue vnto you I receaued of y e Lord. Marke S. Paules wordes how hée receaued this thyng of the Lorde c. The Lord Iesus the same night in y e which hée was betraied tooke bread and thanked and brake it and sayde Take ye and eate this is my body which is broken for you this doe yée in the remembraunce of mée After y e same manner hée tooke the cup said this cup is the New testament in my bloud this doe as oft as you drinke in the rememberaunce of mée for as often as you shall eate this bread and drinke this câ—p you shall shew the Lordes death tyll hée come Marke diligently how S. Paule declareth how the Lord Iesus Christ dyd institute this blessed and comfortable sacrameÌ„t in both kindes and in both kindes dyd mynister it hymselfe and not that all onely but also enacted this coÌ„mauÌ„dement to all Christen people which must receiue it This doe as often c. Yea and this commauÌ„dement is geueÌ„ after the Sacrament is ministred in both kinds Teaching vs that in both kindes the Lord hath instituted this Sacrament to bée receiued and also that they y â— so receaue it not breake this commaundement of the Lorde This doe as often c. This commaundement S. Paule did not lightly let slyp but hée knew that it was the ordinaunce and y e commaundement of the Lord and also knew y e one iot or tytle of his wordes should not nor ought nor can not bée let slip without perrell of the soules of them y â— so littell makes of his word And therfore hée durst not nor would not and yet hée had as great auctoritie as the counsell of constance let slip or tanspose the institution and commaundement of the Lord but wholy and fully with all diligence hée wrote those wordes vnto all the whole congregation of the Corinthians not to the ministers or priestes all onely but to the whole congregation that is as well to the mynisters of the word as to lay men and also the contrary for hée sayth when you come togither that you may perceaue y â— hée speakes indifferently hée there reproueth theÌ„ that tarryed not for poore men And also these wordes bée playne who so euer shall eate of this bread and drink of this cup worthely c. Now vnto this whole congregatioÌ„ I doubt not but by y e spirit of the Lord which sawe béefore this damnable errour to bée instituted of antichrist and his very all onely mynisters hée sayd drinke you yea and to reproue and manifestly to declare this open errour hée adeth this worde Cuppe signifying and teaching that Christes ordinaunce is not to receaue the bloud in the body onely but to receaue the bloud after his institution by it selfe out of the cup lest they should bée found correctours and blasphemers of the holy institution and commaundement of the Lord Of whom S. Paule receaued this coÌ„maundemeÌ„t and of no couÌ„sels Now what ChristeÌ„ man can doubt but our M. Christ to whom all thing is bare and open both things present also to come knew that there was bloud in his owne body Also Saynt Paule his scholer which learned this lesson of hym was not ignorant that there was bloud in his body And yet firste our maister Christ géeueth his bloud alone by it selfe out of the cup and his diligent scholer knowyng the doctrine of his maister dyd the same regardyng his maisters doctrine and preferring it before his carnall reasoÌ„ which knew that there was bloud in euery body but his maisters doctrine taught him that his maister kept not his bloud in his body but for vs lost and damned persons for our innume rable detestable and aboue all capacitie to declare damnable and abhominable sinnes brake his body shed his bloude thereout plentously and therewith made sacrifice and satisfactioÌ„ for all our sinnes as Saint Iohn sayth The bloud of Iesus Christ clen seth vs from all sinne also we are sanctified by the offeryng of the body of Iesus Christ once for all Now that all Christen men which bée sanctified by the offeryng of this body and by sheadyng the bloud out of this body shoulde alwayes haue both those partes in remeÌ„braunce hée according as the bloud was deuided froÌ„ the body for all sinners indiffereÌ„tly that will come vnto Christe and accordyng to his maisters institution commauÌ„dement ministred this Sacrament and also ordeined it to bée ministred to all men The body by it selfe the bloud by it selfe That they might alway not remember alonely that our Sauiour Christ offered his body for vs but also shed out of that same body his most precious bloud and therfore sayth S. Paule as his maister Christ taught him As often as you shall eate this bread and drinke this cup you shall shew the Lordes death till hée come Now my Lordes come to your counselles Christ and S. Paule defendeth thys thyng partinaciter as you call it that is stifly and strongly wyll they abide by it and will not reuoke it Wherfore after the decrée of your Counsell they bée condemned for heretickes I can no more say but God helpe them for there is no remedy with them but they must néedes to the fier for they will not bée abiured in no wise It is a piteous case that two so good men as these bée will bée thus openly agaynst the decrée of the holy counsell yea and against so many and so noble fathers and so great clarkes the which knew this matter as ye say as well as they and it is not to bée thought that the holy Ghost would leaue so
many excellent and holy fathers and great Doctours of Diuinitie and so many noble Princes and wise men of the worlde and bée with these two poore men which bée of no reputation in this worlde Wherefore my Lordes procéede against them after the holy decrées that bée inuented agaynst heretickes sticke not for their names for it is neither Christ nor Paule that cā hurt you you haue also condemned theyr learning and preuailed against them why should you not condemne them as well you bée Lords and you haue the strength and the wisdome of the worlde with you and as a certayne Doctour of the law sayde they haue no man to holde with them but a sorte of beggers and despised persons of the worlde wherfore spare them not bée bolde Implete numerum patrum vestrorum All tyrantes bée not yet dead But now when you haue condemned them yet haue you as muche to doe as euer you had for your owne lawe is openly agaynst you in these wordes Wée vnderstand that certayne men receauing alonely the portion of the blessed body doe abstaine from the chalice of the holy bloud the which doubtles séeing I can not tell by what superstition they are learned to abstayne let them eyther receaue the whole Sacrament or els let them bée forbidden from the whole Sacrament for the diuision of one and of y e same mistery can not bée done wythout great sacrilege c. How thynke you by these wordes bée they not playne that all men shall eyther receaue both kyndes or none Here haue you an other hereticke for hée iudgeth and sayth that it is a sacrilege which is openly agaynst your Counsell to receaue it in one kynde But paraduenture you wyll say this law was written to priestes I aunswere to whomsoeuer it was writtē it maketh no matter for these wordes bée plaine the diuision of one misterye can not bée done without great sacrilege These words bée not spoken of the persons that shall receaue it but of the deuiding of the sacrament whosoeuer shall receaue it it is sacrilege to deuide this thynge aunswere you to that Marke also that your owne lawe cauleth it superstition to receaue but one kynde and no doubt they that did receaue it so were blynded by this damnable reason of yours that there is no body without bloude and yet hée calleth it superstition But let vs sée what your glose saith on this texte it is not superfluously sayth hée receaued vnder both kindes for the kynde of bread is referred vnto the fleshe and the kynde of wyne vnto the bloude The wyne is the Sacrament of bloude in the which is the seate of the soule therfore it is receiued vnder both kindes to signifie that Christ did receiue both body and soule and that the partaking thereof doth profite both bodye and soule Wherefore if it were receiued alonely vnder one kynde it shoulde signifie that it did profite allonely but one part c. How thinke you doth this glose vnderstand it of preistes onely haue lay men no soules May not this Sacrament profite them both bodye and soule Marke also that hée sayth it is not superfluously nor without a cause receiued vnder both kyndes Also an other lawe When the host is brokē and the bloude shed out of the chalys into the mouthes of faythfull men what other thyng is there signified but the immolation of our Lords body on the crosse and the shedding of hys bloud out of his side c. Here is it plaine that the bloud is géeuen out of the chalys and not out of the body and into faythfull mens mouthes and not alonely into priests mouthes Also an other lawe If that the bloud of Christ bée shed for remission of sinnes as oftē as it is shedde then ought I lawfully for to receaue it I which doe alwayes sinne must alwayes receaue a medecyne c. Here your owne lawe sayth that the receiuing of the bloude is a medycinall way to bée receiued of thē that sinne you will not denie but that lay men sinne Wherefore shoulde they not then receiue a medicyne for their sinne you may perceiue that thys is not alonely spoken of Priestes but of sinners c. Furthermore S. Ciprian sayth How doe wée teach or how can wee prouoke men to shed their bloude for the cōfession of Christes name if wée doe denye them the bloude of Christ when they shall goe to battayle Or how dare wée able them vnto the victordum of martyrdome if wée doe not firste by right admitte them to drincke the cuppe of our Lorde in the congregation c. Here is Cyprian openly against you which will that as many shall receiue y e bloud of Christ as doe confesse the name of Christ yea and that out of the cuppe and not out of the body Also S. Ambrose sayth to the Emperour Theodosius how shalt thou lift vp thy handes out of y t which doth yet droppe vnrighteous bloud how shalt thou with those handes receaue the body of God with what boldnes wilt thou receaue into thy mouth the Cup of the precious bloud séeing that through the wodnes of thy wordes so great bloud is shed wrongfully c. Marke that the manner was in Saint Ambrose tyme that lay men should receiue y t blessed bloud of Christ yea and that out of the cup seuerally and not out of the body onely wherefore my Lords see to your conscience how you can discharge your self before the dreadfull trone of Christ Iesus for making this detestable dānable statute agaynst y t heauēly word of God ▪ and agaynst the vse of holy Church ▪ contrary to the exposition of all holy doctours It were to great a thing for you so presumptuously to breake the statute of your mortall prince howe much more of your immortall God which will not bée auoyded with a carnall reason nor with condemnation of heresye nor yet with saying there bée ieoperdies perils and sclaūders for these proud crakes can not there excuse you nor yet helpe you For I doubt not but the great Turke hath as good reasons for hym as these bée also as proude crakes as you haue though peraduenture hée vseth them not so hipocritely agaynst God omnipotent as you doe but yet it will not helpe hym Wherefore now most excellent and gracious Prince I doe with all méekenes with all due subiection admonysh exhorte your most noble grace yea and y e father of heauen doth openly commannd you vnder the payne of his displeasure and as you will auoyde the daunger of eternall damnation and also by the vertue of Christes blessed bloud and as you will receiue remission from all your sinnes thorow the merites of his gloryous bloud that you doe defēd with all your might Christes blessed worde and his swéete bloud and his holy ordinaunce and suffer them not so lightly to bee oppressed and troden vnder
virginitie agaynst his will nor hée would not make virginitie a thyng of necessitie Wherefore it must néedes folow First that the Pope byndyng men to virginitie doth lay a snare for them both nothyng els except they haue the gift of chastitie but bryng men in daunger of damnation Secōdarily hée maketh a thyng of necessitie that y e holy ghost in blessed s Paul durst not nor would not doe Thyrdly that thyng that S. Paule reckened onely to conduce and helpe to quietnes in this present lyfe that same thyng maketh the Pope a Sauiour and a helper to heauē the which is a great blasphemy to Christes holy bloud and also a peruerse vsing of Gods blessed creatures Now let euery Christen mā iudge if this bée charitably done of the pope yea whether hée hath authoritie this to doe or not Let no man I beseche hym iudge in this matter after parcia litie but euen as hée will aunswere béefore God After this blessed S. Paule goeth farther as cōcernyng them that haue a purpose a promise between God and them to kéepe their charitie hys woordes bée these Hée that purposeth surely in hys hart hauyng no néede but hath power ouer his owne wil hath so decréed in his hart y t hée will kéepe hys virginitie doth well Here note first that S. Paule compelleth no man to vow but hée letteth euery man stand to his owne will Farthermore blessed S. Paul willeth what soeuer hée bée that decréeth in his hart to kéepe virginity that bée must first consider whether it lyeth in his power to kéepe his decrée or not If it bée in his power then sayth S. Paule doth hée better to kéepe his virginitie thē to marry But if it lye not in his power to bée chast doth body soule then willeth S. Paule that hée marry Note here that S. Paul notwithstandyng mans decrée and purpose which hée made to kéepe virginity willeth that hée doe marry if hée cā not kéepe his decrée purpose How cōtrary is this to the popes doctrine whiche rather suffereth his Priestes to liue in all vnclennes by y t reason of their foolish promise made vnto hym then hée would suffer them to marry wyues after S. Paules holy doctrine Yea the Pope is not ashamed more cruelly to punishe a poore woman for marying then hée doth if shée were a whore For a Nunne if shée marry sayth hée shall neuer bée admitted to receyue the blessed Sacrament of Christ But if shée bée an whore then sayth hée may shée after penaunce bée admitted to the Sacramēt What is abhorryng of Mariage if this bée none For to compare it yea and to make it worse thē whoredome what if shée haue vowed chastitie hath shée not also vowed to flye fornication Now is shée bounde vnto virginitie but by mans law But for to auoyde fornicatiō and whoredome is Gods commaundement Wherfore sée how hygh that the Pope will set hym selfe aboue God and his holy ordinaunce Furthermore S. Paule sayth that the will of God is that we should abstayne from fornicatiō and that euery one of vs should know to kéepe his vessell in sanctifiing and honour Marke S. Paules saying First that it is the will of God that we should abhorre fornication Who will now resiste the will of God not regarde the thyng that God will haue done I trust no Christen man Furthermore the will of God is y t euery man should kéepe his vessell in honour Now if Priestes bée men and haue not the gift of chastetie then are they bounde to regard this commaundement For hée sayth euery man Marke also that blessed S. Paule calleth the vessell of maryed men honorable and sanctified Wherfore thē shuld it bée vnlawful for a priest to vse a sanctified an holy vessell To possesse other mens vessels in vnclennes is agaynst God and man But it is lawfull for any man here by this text to possesse a vessell of hys owne the which God hath sanctified and honored How can man now for any occasion curse that thyng that God hath sanctified or make it vncleane that God hath purified S. Paule hauing y t spirite of God did prophecie that there should come men in the latter dayes which should forbid men to marry and these men should speake lyes in holy hipocrisie Nowe marke the texte Men shall forbyd maryage and that in the latter dayes The trueth is that no mā hath forbidden any certayne state of men to marry but the Pope onely Wherefore this texte must néedes touch his kingdome séeing that hée is also in the latter dayes There were certayne heretickes called Taciani which did condemne fully and wholy all maner of maryage And though Saynt Paule speaketh against them yet in very déede the Popes doctrine is not excepted séeing it is contayned in these latter dayes For though there were twenty heresies more thē Taciani yet must the texte bée applied agaynst them all that doth cōdēne or els despise mariage in the whole or in the parte For the text is against them all that doth forbid maryage and specially in the latter dayes But hée that doth forbid his priests to marry doth forbid for so much mariage therefore the texte maketh agaynst the Pope Note also that these men that shall forbid mariage shall haue an holy colour of hypocrisie Now hath the Pope forbidden hys Priestes to marry vnder the colour of holynes béecause as hée sayth that his Priestes must bée pure and cleane As who shoulde say that maryage were vncleane and vnpure for priestes to vse What can bée holy hypocrisie if this bée not hypocrisie Here is the holy and pure institution of God condemned as a thyng vncleane for his holy Priestes to vse Moreouer the Taciani did not forbid mariage vnder the colour of holynes but they said it was fully wholy an vnlawfull thynge The which doctrine had no maner of colour But the Pope sayth that mariage is good and laudable in it selfe but his priests bée to pure and to holy for to vse that simple thyng For it is not a thynge sayth hée that doth become y t state of perfecte mē but it belōgeth to weake vnperfect men Now iudge good reader which of these heresies eyther Taciani or Papacy doth pretende y t greatest colour of holynes And yet I am sure y t the holy Ghost in S. Paul did speake both against the greatest also smallest hypocrisie For hée alloweth no maner of fayned holynes There were other certayne heretikes called Marciani These did receiue no man to bée a Christen man excepte hée woulde refuse mariage Marke what diuersitie is betwéene these heretickes and the Popes learning The Pope receiueth no priests except they forsweare maryage The Marcianites they receiue no man to bée a Christen man excepte hée forsweare maryage So that there is no diuersitie betwéete the heretikes and the Pope but that these heretikes doth excepte a greater number then y
this is if men would bée content and satisfied with reason ¶ Ex damaso Papa ad Hieronimum ex Platina Nauclero BVt let vs goe farther and sée how many Popes haue béene priestes children that this matter may bée opened by them and that Popes them selues may be witnes of this doctrine Fyrst is there Siluerius pope the which had a byshop to his father called Ormisda This Siluerius lyued about the yeare of our Lord. 524. Pope Felix the third of that name was y t sonne of Felix priest of Rome This man lyued about the yeare of our Lord. 474. Pope Deus dedit was the sonne of Stephane the subdeacon which lyued about the yeare of our Lord. 623. Pope Theodorus was the sonne of Theodore byshop of Hierusalem This man lyued about the yeare of our Lord. 634. Hadrian y t secoÌ„d was the sonne of Thalare the byshop This man lyued about the yeare of our Lord. 873. Pope Iohn the xv of that name was y t sonne of priest Leo This man lyued aboute the yeare of our Lorde 984. Pope Agapitus the fyrst of that name had a priest to his father called Gordianus hée lyued about the year of our Lord. 534. Pope Siluerius had a father called Siluerius a byshop of Rome This man liued about the yeare of our lord 544. Pope Boniface the fyrst of y t name was sonne to Iucundus priest Pope Osius was y t sonne of Stephan the subdeacon Pope Gelasius the fyrst had a byshop to his father called Valenus anno Domini 484. Iohn the. x. pope of y t name was sonne to pope Surgius about the yere of our Lord. 924. All these a great many more as the Popes lawe testifieth were the children of subdeacons deacons and Priestes and haue borne rule in the Church of Rome Wherefore I meruayle very fore that men doe recken it so new learning that priests should haue wiues séeing that it standeth with Gods holy word with the saying of the olde doctours with the determination of counsels with y t Emperours lawe and also with y t Popes olde decrées Moreouer Christes holy Apostels and many other holy men since their dayes haue liued in the holy estate of matrymony Finally there hath been many holy men and also holy women borne in the wedlocke of Priestes By what reasoÌ„ now can or wil meÌ„ damne all these thynges that bée of so great auctoritie If men wyll heare neyther God nor maÌ„ nor yet no good reason what néede men then so much to speake of learning séeing that they wyll heare nothyng but that they alonely iudge good Truely this is a great high minde of meÌ„ thus wrongfully to condemne other men for heretikes hauyng so good learnyng for them and yet they themselues are grounded onely of their owne sensuall mynde hauyng no learnyng nor reason for them But I wyll put this matter to Gods iudgement And let not men doubt if they béeléeue there is a God but that God wyll bée a reuenger of such wrongfull violence as men doe vse in thys case both agaynst hym and agaynst all his blessed company of Saintes But yet for to doe men pleasure and that they myght bée perswaded if it were possible I will declare vnto them how y t wée doe finde old monuments testifiyng clearely that priests were in peaceable possessioÌ„ of matrimony their childreÌ„ gotteÌ„ in that same matrimony were admitted to spiritual benefices In the tyme of Pope Alexander y t thirde there was a controuersie for the patronage of a benefice betwéene the pryor of PlimptoÌ„ in Deuenshyre and one Iohn de Valletorda Now were there deputed iudges Rychard Archbyshop of Caunterbury Roger Byshop of Wynchester béefore whome the pryor of Plympton prooued his patronage by the reason that hée was in possession and had géeuen it vnto diuers persons Fyrst hée sayth there was a Priest of PlymptoÌ„ called Alpheghe which had by y t gyft of the pryor of Plympton the benefice of Sutton which is now called Plymmouth This Alpheghe had a sonne cauled Sadda which had also the benefice after hys father And after Sadda was there an other priest cauled Alnodus which had the benefice likewyse This Alnodus had a sonne called Robert Dunprust which after the discease of his father Alnode had also the same benefice And after thys Robert Dunpruâ—t William Bacon hys sonne enioyed the benefice lykewyse Here men may see that it is neyther so new learnyng nor yet so long agoe since priestes had lawful wyues Moreouer I reade in our owne Chronicles that in the tyme of kyng Henry the iij. which raygned y t yeare of our Lord 1101. priestes myght lawfully marry wiues in so much y t Anseline than Archbyshop of Caunterbury in a Seane that hée helde at London did make a decrée y t priestes should forsake their wiues the which was both agaynst Gods lawe and mans For the texte of our Mayster Christ is cleare Quos deus coniunxit Homo non seperet Marke these two wordes Deus and Homo And howe much the one passeth the other Farthermore the Pope hymselfe hath not greatly regarded Priestes chastitie if hée myght get any money for dispensations in the which thyng hée coulde not haue dispeÌ„sed if it had béene of Gods lawe And if it bée but but mans lawe what charitie is in the Pope to compell men so sore to kéepe it séeyng that it is so great dauÌ„ger vnto priestes and that so many soules béene lost thorough it Yea what tyranny is in hym thus cruelly to kill men for breakyng alonely of hys commaundement the which is not in their power to kéepe To our purpose the Pope hath often tymes dispensed both wyth Priestes and religious men for their vowe hath géeuen them licence to marry It is not vnknowen to many men that there was an Abbot of Reading whom men for his perfecte lyuinge called Abbot Sancte This man béeyng in daunger of a certayne disease by the reason hée had no wyfe sente vnto the pope desiring hym to dispense wyth hym for hys vowe and y t pope dispensed wyth hym and gaue hym licence to marry a wyfe but vnder a condition that it shoulde bée secretly done and not In facie ecclesie By this men may sée that the Pope himself holdeth not so much of priests chastitie for then hée woulde not regarde more money then it And if the pope may dispence wyth thys Abbot for auoyding of a disease corporall how much more ought hée now to dispense with priestes séeing there bée so many soules in daunger Yea and also the order of priesthoode is sore defamed and sclaundered by the reasoÌ„ that priestes hath no wyues Moreouer wée doe reade that pope Celestine the third did dispense with a Nunne whose name was cauled Constatia Kyng Rogers daughter of Cecyll and gaue her licence to marry with Henry y t Emperour the sixt of that
other tyll after the dayes of Saint Gregory Pope Siricius made a statute that priestes should haue no wyues but it tooke none effect After hym came Pelagius the seconde and hée commaunded that those priestes that had maryed wiues should abstayne from their wyues Next after hym came S. Gregory and hée thought that statute of Pelagius to sore that men should abstaine from their wyues which had neither vowed chastitie nor yet had vsed theÌ„selues to continencie And therefore hée decréed that the Byshops should consecrate no Subdeacon except hée woulde first vowe chastitie Thys is openly in the popes lawe Here béegan the thyng somthyng to springe and to take effecte but yet it was not fully establyshed For afterwarde S. Gregory hymselfe repented hym as S. Hulderike beareth witnesse by y t reason of the great murther thath hée sawe come thereof Wherefore it remayned so styll a great whyle vnto the commyng of Leo the ix and hée sayth that priestes may kéepe theyr wyues but they may not company wyth them for the Apostles sayth hée dyd forsake the company of their wyues alonely they prouided them meate and clothe After hym commeth Innocentius the second the which not regarding Gods ordinaunce ioyneth priestes that maryeth and priestes that kéepeth whores all vnder one damnation But all these yet coulde not bryng thys matter to passe as they woulde For in many places for all this all priestes had wyues tyll the tyme of Gregory the seueÌ„th which was cauled Hildebrande a man of euill lyuyng as the chronicles testifieth and also a great nygromancer and very familyar with the deuill And as chronicles sayth a man that had poysoned 4. or 5. popes before that hée myght come the sooner to it Thys man I say in the yeare of our Lord. 1074. began to attempte thys matter very sharpely in Germany where priests were then quietly suffered to haue wyues Thys man sent his commauÌ„dement vnto Otto byshop of ConstaÌ„tinople commaundyng to forbydde priestes that had not yet maryed for to marry And those y t had maried to bée separated from their wyues But byshop Otto perceiuyng thys thyng for to bée deuillishe woulde not exercise hys commaundement Wherfore Pope Gregory cursed him and assoiled all men from his obedience and cited hym vnto Rome where hée had gathered a counsell in the which hée had made a decrée that no Prieste shoulde afterwarde marry And they that had maryed béefore shoulde forsake their wyues Moreouer it was there decréed that no man should receaue holy orders afterwarde except hée first sweare to lyue sole These decrées were prouulgated ouer all Italy But the priestes and Byshops of Fraunce resisted this decrée and sayde that this counsel was contrary to Gods worde and tooke from Priestes that God and nature had graunted them And therefore y t Pope sayde they was an hereticke and an auctour ofdamnable doctrine and that this decree came not of God but of the deuil and alleaged for them the saying of our mayster Christ Noâ— omnes capiunt verbum hoc And also S. Paule De virginitate precâ—ptum non habeo They saide also that the pope woulde compell them to lyke lyke Angels and how hée dyd opeÌ„ a wyndow vnto fornicatioÌ„ vncleannes Wherfore they made hym aunswere that they had rather to forsake their benefices then their wyues And if hée woulde despise maryed priestes then shoulde hée goe prouide him Angels to serue his cures But the pope was nothing moued at all with their scriptures or reasons but still wrote to y t byshops straite letters coÌ„maundyng them and threatning them vnder the payne of cursing and priuating them of their byshopprickes y t they should bring this thing to passe So that at y t last the most parte of the Byshoppes consented to him for feare and laboured all y t they coulde to perswade the priestes to forsake their wiues and to vowe chastitie But it was long ere the priests were perswaded yea some of them woulde neuer agrée thereunto as long as they liued This Pope wrote also to the Archbyshop of Mentz coÌ„maunding him as primate of all Germany to compell maried priests to forsake their wiues and to cause all other to vowe chastitie This byshop called a conuocatioÌ„ in the which hée declared the Popes pleasure But y t priestes resisted meruaylous earnestly alleaging for them Scriptures reasons and counsels So farre they procéeded togither that there had lyke to haue béene a greate tumulte Then the byshop beynge a wyse man consideryng how stiffe earnest the priestes â—…ere desired theÌ„ to take halfe a yeares deliberation exhorting them to agrée vnto that thing wyth a good will vnto the which hée must els compell them by the Popes auctoritie After the halfe yeare was come out the byshops called a conuocation at the Vniuersitie of Erforde and there required an aunswere of the priestes but they were stiffer theÌ„ before and sayde how they had rather dye then forsake their wyues coÌ„trary to Gods law On the other side the archbishop was earnest in setting forth the popes commaundement Then the priestes required to take their counsel and so when they were departed out of the conuocation they agreed séeyng that neither scriptures reasons counsels nor yet intercessioÌ„ could â—helpe as they sayd that they would go in agayne and kyll the Byshop that all other Byshops after hym should bée well aduised ere they set foorth that thyng any more But the Byshop had some frendes amoÌ„gst them the which reuelated this thyng vnto hym and hée streight wayes sent certaine of his frendes vnto y t priests requiryng them to come in agayne peaceably and hée would promise theÌ„ so to entreate the pope that hée should bée conteÌ„t to let it passe and that they should kéepe their cures still as they had done before Notwithstandyng the Archbyshop could not chauÌ„ge the popes mynde in any wise For the yeare after the pope sent downe hys Legate Curiensen Episcopum and ioyned the Byshop of Mentz with hym commaundyng them to gather a conuocation in Mentz and there to propounde his decrée agayne But yet y t priestes would in no wise agrée vnto them but layde all Scriptures and reasoÌ„s for them that they could And when all these thynges would not helpe then they fell to entreatie and intercession But the popes Legates were so stiffe that there was no remedy but tyranny and violence to bée vsed But as soone as the priestes sawe that they gathered them togither made a tumulte that the popes Legates scaped very hardely with their lyues out of the conuocation house so was the conuocation broken And the Archbyshop of Mentz would neuer medle more in it but committed the matter to the popes discretion So that the pope was fayne to tary a conuenient tyme till hée had gotten certaine Byshops and certaine priestes of his partie The determinate tyme doth not y t stories declare
more diligeÌ„tly pray maketh nothing for the Pope For if wée should bée bouÌ„de as y t pope saith not to marry by the reason that we ought to pray then might no lay man marry a wife For laye men are as much bounde by the Gospell to prayer as priestes bee There is no tyme that the Gospell coÌ„maundeth a priest to pray in nor yet no prayer that is commaunded to priestes by y t gospell but lay men are bonnd to the same Wherefore if the pope will conclude that priestes shall haue no wiues because they are bound to pray By the same reason will I prooue y t no christeÌ„ man may haue a wife Nor it will not help to say that priestes are more bound to pray then lay men therefore they haue no wyues For whether that they be bounde lesse or more that maketh no matter to y t argumeÌ„t For both the parties are bounde to prayer Therefore after the popes doctrine neyther of them both may marry But whether the one be more bounde then the other it maketh no matter to mée for they are both bounde therfore they must both abstayne I woulde desyre all Papistes to let this reason of myne stande still vnassoyled An other reason their is of Pope Leo the. ix that bringefh this text of S. Paule Haue not we power to leade aboute with vs a wyfe as the brother of our Lord and Cephas Out of this texte disputeth the pope thus S. Paule sayth not we haue power amplectendi muliereÌ„ to embrace a woman But circunducendi that is to leade her with vs that shée may bée sustayned as the Pope sayth of her husband But there may bée no company of maryage betwéene them Euery ChristeÌ„ man may sée what a skleÌ„der argument this is of the pope S. Paule sayth not amplecteÌ„di sed cercuÌ„ducendi Ergo non licet sacerdotious habere vxores This can no man denye but S. Paules mening is there how that priests may lawfully haue wiues as the example of Peter doth there prooue Wherefore I thinke no man so madde to iudge that the Apostels dyd myrry wyues alonely to lead theÌ„ about with them as the Pope sayth and to put other men to costes and charges For this office they might haue had of all other women and neded not to marry for leading about of women with them Wherefore it must néedes follow séeing S. Paules meaning is that priestes may lawfully haue wiues that they may also lawfully vse the office of matrimony For his owne doctrine is that the man hath no power ouer his owne body but his wife Wherefore it must followe that the pope maketh an euell supposition when hée supposeth that the Apostles hadde wiues and did onely but cary them about to geue them meate and drinke and not to company with them Also marke of this argument how the pope graunteth that the apostles had wyues Wherefore he must now prooue that the Apostles forsooke the company of their wiues as hée sayth But I am content to take this argument at the popes hand This the pope graunteth that the Apostles ledde their wyues aboute wyth them Wherfore it must néedes follow eueÌ„ after the Pope that our priestes may also leade wiues aboute with them If ye graunt me this I am content I will not binde priestes amplectendi vxores I will put it to his wiues discretion and his as they two caÌ„ agrée so am I coÌ„tent alonely to let them haue the libertie that the Pope graunteth the holy Apostles to haue had And I doubt not but there wyll folow tokens not onely of circumducendi but of amplectendi Truely I haue great maruayle y t men bée not ashamed thus to trifle with holy Scripture yea and that in matters that bée so waighty wherby they sée dayly so great offence and sclaunder to spring in the holy church of God An other Scripture the pope hath which is this They that are in the fleshe can not please God On thys text disputeth the Pope thus They that are defiled are in the fleshe But priestes that marry wyues are defiled therefore they bée in y t fleshe and can not please God If men had eyther feare of God in thier hartes or els reuereÌ„ce to Gods holy institutions and ordinaunces they would not thus speake nor iudge of pure cleane matrimony I trust there is no ChristeÌ„ man but bee will grauÌ„t mée that matrimony is of gods ordayning and settinge Wherefore it must néedes bée pure aâ—d cleane For our God is no God of vncleanenes or of filthines let the pope iudge hym as hée wyll Nowe to the Popes argument The Pope sayth in hys minor how Priestes that marry bée vncleane I denye that and say stedfastly that the pope blasphemeth both God and his holy giftes And wheÌ„ hée can prooue his minor true then will I graunt it vnlawfull for Priestes to marry But I wyll take the Popes argument and prooue that no man shall haue wiues and so shall the worlde soone bée at an ende The popes maior is this They that bée in the flesh can not please God But maryed meÌ„ as the Pope thinketh lyue after y e flesh therefore no maryed man can bée saued Let the pope of Rome and all hys adherentes aunswere to my argument and I will soone aunswere to theirs For this I am sure of that y e scriptures which he bringeth maketh not agaynst matrimony nor yet more against priests then agaynst lay men Wherfore let hym conclude what hée can out of them against priestes and I will conclude the same agaynst laye men These bée all the Scriptures that I can finde in the Popes law against this matter Wherefore now will I goe to their reasons Their principall reason is this Maryed men may bée choseÌ„ to bee priests but after their priesthoode say they may they not marry These meÌ„ must first consider what doctrine they defend y t is to say how they inteÌ„de to defeÌ„d y e popes doctrine and y t doctrine which they call the doctrine of the church for there is none other doctrine agaynst vs but that Nowe doth this doctrine clearely deterne agaynst them and say how no maÌ„ that hath a wife may bée choseÌ„ to bée Priest or a DeacoÌ„ neither they caÌ„ bring mée one exaÌ„ple that euer the Pope did graunt that a maryed man myght bée a priest excepte hée got money for dispensing So that the Pope by his dispensation hath alwayes testified that it was against his law for a maryed man to bée a Priest Wherfore these meÌ„ if they will defende the lawes of the Church must bée bound to prooue that maryed men may after the lawes of the Church as they call them bée chosen or elles their aunswere is naught For it is no reason that they should faine this solution of their owne braynes and say that it may bée so But they must prooue me that
had commaunded his aūgels to beare thée vp in their armes Wherefore sayth the deuill it shall bée a great honour to God and also a great declaration to thy power if thou descende frō the height of the temple otherwise then any other man can doe And if thou goest downe by the steyers God shal no more bée glorified in thy fact then in other mens nor thou shalt not bée taken for the man that thou art and wouldest bée Moreouer thou néedest not doubt but God will helpe thée For the scripture speaketh of thée whiche can not bée false Notwithstandyng all this our M. Christ calleth it temptyng of God when men will séeke vnto hym for other remedyes then hée hath appoynted And therfore our M. Christ doth clearely declare that the same Scripture which the deuill bryngeth for him maketh not for his purpose For though that God doth promise to helpe Christ all his yet will hée bée glorified in his creatures will that we shal vse them with thankes to the entent purpose y t hée hath ordeined them for And then if there bée any thing lacking vnto our health saluation hée will that we shal both pray trust in hym With what boldenes cā I desyre of God to helpe mée and am not concent to receiue his creatures that hée hath instituted to helpe mée Whereby shall God helpe mée If I dispise his ordinaūces and creatures that hée hath alreadye ordeyned to my helping Is it reason that God at my instaunce shal make a new ordinaūce and new remedies for my diseases Why am I not content if I will bée helped at Gods hand with those remedyes that bée all ready instituted It was but a small thynge and a vyle thyng in a maner for Christ to descēd by the steyers from the heyghte of the temple séeyng that the deuill required hym by Gods honour also by his owne to shew some speciall power If I weare diseased and sycke and would not vse the counsell of Phisicions nor of other medecines y t God hath instituted but wil fast and pray and watch and doe almes déedes thynke you that men would recken mée wise And if I did thus dye were not I a despiser of God and of his good ordinaunces God hath apoynted Phisicions and geuen vertue to hearbes and other creatures to help my disease Whèrefore I am bounde with méekenes and with thankes to receyue them and to pray to God y t hée will fortifye and strengthē the natures of these creatures and that they may haue vertue and effecacy in me This is a Christen man bound to do For if this reason of these men shall haue strength thē will we vse no māner of creatures or remedies y t God hath ordeined but agaynst hunger and thirst heate and could agues and pestilences pouertie and necessitie swoordes and gonnes agaynst all maner of diseases against all manner of misfortunes will we vse nothing but all onely pray or fast or els geue almes as we shall thinke best So that we will teach God what thing is best to the helpyng of all imperfections I thanke you good Maysters for your good doctrine I praye God rewarde you Fynally I haue great meruayle why that prayer and fastynge shall all onely get Priestes to the gift of chastitie and not all other men And if other mē may haue the gift of chastitie through their prayer why bée not all men moued to lyue chaste séeing y t chastitie in very déede is a higher state then matrimony is Why bée priestes more bounde to pray for the gift of chastetie then other Christen men bée Nowe marke this doctrine If a lymme of the deuyl would come now and preach vniuersally to all men the ercellencye of chastitie and to shew what a greate quiet lyuing it is and what a plesaūt state it is before God And contrarywise of mariage would say that it weare a sorowfull state full of troubles full of cares full of heanines and as the Pope sayth a fleshely and a carnall state and that séemeth to haue in it self any vnclenenes and by these reasōs and perswasyons with many moe that hée might bring would exhort all manner of mē in England to lyue sole and vnmaried And would also teach them to pray and to fast for the gift of chastity and not to doute but that God of his liberalitie would géeue it thē I would fayne know of learned men ▪ if this man were gods frend and the kings How much hée is gods I will not dispute But I am sure there could not bée a greater traytour to the kinges grace thē hée is For if hée might bring to passe that hée intendeth by his doctrine Fyrst he should destroy y t kyngs succession Secondarily hée should within this seuen yeres make y t king a Lorde of a fewe subiectes or none and fynally of none indéede And all this would they doe by fasting and praying But what thing so euer they tell vs of their fasting and praying I am sure that they fall to getting of childrē as sone as other men doe and all is with fasting and praying Alas what thing can not the deuill misuse But let no mā take mée as though I condemned fasting and praying For surely I would that they should bée vsed and that diligently But I would haue them vsed in tyme and place convenient and for the intent and purpose that God hath ordayned them But yet I would not that other remedies and gyftes of God should bée thought vnlawfull also bée despised for them Now most gracious Prince here haue I shewed vnto your grace fyrst myne obedience willyng that euery man should both so learne and so doe Secōdarylye I haue shewed my learning in certaine articles for y t which there is a variēce in the world at this day protesting vnto your grace that I haue sayde nothing but I trust bée true and agreeable with Gods holy worde and with the learning of the Doctours ▪ Notwithstanding if there bée any man within your realme that can prooue by good learning the cōtrary so that your grace shall alowe it to agrée with Gods word and to bée suffycient béefore Gods dreadfull iudgment I shall bée content to submyt my selfe to your graces determination and to doe that thing that béecōmeth a Christen man a true subiecte to doe Thus our Lord Iesu Christ y e purchasour of all grace and goodnes euer preserue your grace in al vertue and honour Amen That it is against the holy Scripture to honour Images and to pray to Saintes IF men had the verye true faith in Christe Iesus that béelongeth to Christē mē to haue this article were open of it selfe without any farther probation for if men did béeléeue first that Christ were God and omnipotent and mighty to géeue all thinges Secondarily that hée were mercifull gracious louing towarde vs and so louing that wée coulde desire nothing of hym
that those calues were Goddes but they did honour them in the honour of God and that was well declared in their sacrifice whiche was none other but such as God had commaunded in the law Ergo after your rule they might law fully honour these calues referryng it to God They had also a great collour for them for all the old fathers did alwayes offer to god calues as Abrahā w t many other which oblatiō was accepted of God Wherfore they might well thinke that God would bée honoured in the images of Calues Now what thing can you lay to them whereby you will prooue that they honoured their stocks and their stones and their Calues but those same thinges shall also bée layde vnto you and vnto yours to prooue that you doe likewise honour your stocks and your stones First you runne frō place to place to séeke them which is a tokē that you doe honour the stocke or stone for there haue you nothynge of the Sainte more then in an other place sauing onely the stocke stone Now when you haue founde thē then pray you béefore them and that with knéelinges and knocking 's and shaking of your heades and lookyng deuoutly and pitiously then kisse you their féete or their shoowes for they bée seldome barefooted least they shuld haue the murre or the coaffe by the reason they bée not vsed to coulde as you may sée by their smooked scolions faces handes and féete with all the place where they stande and wipe your napkyns and rubbe your beads on them and licke them with your tounges and lay your eyes on them Then set you lightes béefore them then offer you to them though in y t M. Doctour your person is nothyng giltie great oblations so that they shine in golde and siluer and precious stones yea and not thus content but also promise to visite that stocke once a yeare if God and that good Sainte sende you life and health c. I pray you is not this honourynge of the stocke and stone what did Cicero with all the Romaines to their stockes and stones what did Roboam to his Calues if this bée not honouring define mée what honouring is what more exteriour honour can you deuise then this is and yet you doe say y t you honour no stockes nor stones But worldly shame and inuincible Scriptures haue brought you to make this damnable euasion béecause you sée men now waxe wyse in the Lorde by the which they sée clearely your false dissimulation and hypocrisie But if you were the true honourers of God as you bée secret hypocrites you would not make this damnable euaston to stablish vphold and maintaine your Idolatry nor yet suffer so much as laye in you any thynge to bée done that hath any collour or shadow of holynes that might bée an occasion of Idolatry But béecause you bée hypocrites and vnsaciable belly Gods you care not so you may deceaue the simple people lead them with blynd shadowes therby to fill your offeryng boxes and chéestes to maintaine your vnsaciable carnall appetites how the honour of God bée saued or how your poore brethrēs conscience bée deceaued Thinke you that this is inough to say that no mā is so mad nor so foolishe as to honour the stockes and stones And yet to suffer and dayly béefore your eyes to sée so great exteriour honour geuen vnto them That no toung can expresse nor hart can deuise more yea if you will béeleue your subtile Duns they geue vnto them as I shall well prooue by his diffinition honour whiche is called Latria the which Latria after your owne learnyng ought to bée geuen to God onely This sayth Duns Latria is called an exteriour honouryng or a bodely seruice c. Now if that bée trewe it followeth that they geue that honour to stockes and stones that onely pertayneth to God which doe any exterior honour whether it bée offering of candels or kissyng of their showes or any other thing to them Make you the conclusion for I néede not to say that they doe Idolatrye Farthermore this word Latria wher with you deceaue the symple people is a Gréeke word and after S. Augustine it signsfyeth no more but seruice the which you cā not denye but that you geue to your stockes and stones Cōclude now this proposytyon after M. subtill doctour Dunces diffinition I pray you for I haue no leasure Thinketh your doctourhed that the children of Israell w t their hie Priest Aaron could not haue made this Pope holy excuse that they were not so mad nor so foolyshe as to honour the golden Calfe but rather to refer that honour to y e lyuing God They had a good colour for them For they knewe none other God nor saint but hym and yet this excuse was not lawful nor could not bée alowed whē Moses came with the word of God Marke also what hée was that made this Calfe not a foole nor ignorāt person among the people or one of none auctoritie But the most wisest eloquenst and chiefe amonge them yea hée was that tyme the very hed of the Church or congregation Also note y e intent which was to kéepe the people togither in good order Hée also made a Calfe with the which thing all their fathers had pleased God in doing sacrifyce with them so that they might well thinke y ◠it might bée acceptable to God to bée honoured in the image of a Calfe before any other Image But all these colours bée naked béefore the worde of God Brieflye would you alowe that the people should geue that same honour to mée y e they doe géeue to your stokes and stones And vnder y ◠same colour that it should bée in y e name honour of God you can not say but I am as good as your best stocks stones and if they bée the Images of sayntes and represent sayntes after your fayning I am the Image of God and represent hym so long as I beléeue in hym according to the holy scriptures And if a conning and an artificyall grauer made them God made mée And I haue ij thinges aboue them which all your caruers and you with all your distinctions can not géeue to your stockes nor stones That is I am a liuinge creature and your stockes bée deade I am created to lyue with the euerlasting God and your stockes bée made to the fyer I am sure you nor no man wil alowe it But there is one merueilous wōder That if the best and most holy of all your new gods yea one that doth myracles euery day were taken out of your hands set againe in y e Caruers his makers house hée should bée no better thē a stock or a stone nor could doe no myracles yea if hée were prayed neuer so much no not so much as if y e house were a fyer to saue either y e house or hym selfe Also it is not lawful so longe as hée there
and a carnall stocke full of passions and of affections Vnto a mortall Prince you make mediatours béecause hee knew not your hart and béecause hée is more affectionat to one man theÌ„ to an other and beecause hee iudgeth after the sight of hys eye and after y e percialnes and affection of his hart But so doth not God but alonely of mere mercy and grace But to your similitude you can not haue no Dukes to speake for you excepte you géeue them rewardes excepte they haue carnall affection to you therfore by your similitude you must likewyse doe to Saintes But S. Ambrose answereth clearly to this damnable reason of yours saying Men are wonte to vse thys miserable excusation that by these thinges may wee come to God as we may come to the kyng by Erles I aunswere wee doe come vnto the kyng by the meanes of Dukes and Erles because that the kyng is a man and knoweth not to whom hee may committe the common wealth but vnto God from whom nothing can bee hidde hee knoweth all mens merites wee neede no spokesman nor no mediatour but alonely a deuoute mynde c. Here are you clearely aunswered of S. Ambrose to youre carnall reason Item an other reason out of your lawe that Images bee vnto vnlearned men that same thyng that letters and writinges bée vnto them that bee learned that they may thereby learne what they ought to folow If your Images bee no more to vnlearned men then writinges be to learned men therefore they may no more doe to them then learned men doe to their letters woulde you suffer learned men to come and kneele and offer to my booke and sette vp candels before it and to make vowes to come yearely thereunto and to desire petitioÌ„s béefore my booke of those Saintes y t bée written therein Sée how your owne example maketh agaynst you and all thing that I can bringe Wherefore if there bée any grace in you or if there bée any shame in you of the worlde for Christes sake leaue of this false â–ª learnyng and colouring of Idolatrie For you doe not onely deceaue your simple brethren but you doe also blaspheme the immortall God of heauen which doubtles will auenge shortly this rebuke on you if you doe not amende whose violeÌ„ce and might you are not able to withstand Wherefore I exhorte you in y e blessed name of Christ Iesus that you repent in tyme and take vpon you to learne the veritie which is how God is onely to bée honoured and onely to bée sacrificed vnto hée is onely to bée prayed vnto of hym onely must our petitions bee asked it is hée onely y t géeueth wealth prosperitie hée only must deliuer and comforte vs in all aduersities hée onely must helpe vs out of all distresse vnto whom as Saint Paule sayth be alonely glory and honour for euer Amen Now most excellent and noble Prince I haue here after the poore gifte that God hath géeuen mee set out vnto your grace certain articles which though they séeme at the firste sight to bee newe yet haue I prooued them openly with the euerlastynge worde of God and that not wroonge nor wrested after my lyghte brayne but after the exposition of clarkely doctours yea and that of the oldest of the best Wherfore most excellent Prince most humbly most méekely I beséeche your grace that I may finde so great indifferencie at your graces hand as that the Byshoppes shall not condemne this booke after the maner of their olde tyranny excepte they can with open Scriptures and with holy Doctours refell it as I haue prooued it But I would it should please your grace to call them beefore you and to commaunde as many as will condemne this booke euery one of them seuerally without others counsell to write their cause why they will condemne it and the scriptures whereby they will condemne it and to bryng them all to your grace and your grace may iudge betwéene both parties I doe not doute but they wil bring your grace maruailous probations and such as were neuer hearde And if thrée of them agrée in one tale if they bée deuided let mée dye for it and that your grace shall well sée The father of heauen and hys most mercifull sonne Iesus Christ kéepe your grace in honour to his pleasure and glory Amen Of the originall of the Masse and of euery part therof translated into English out of his booke De Doctorum Sententijs ¶ De consecratione Dist. 1. Cap. Iacobus ex 6. Synodo IAmes the brother of the Lorde as cconernyng the fleshe vnto whom was firste coÌ„mitted the Church of Ierusalem Basilius the Byshop of Caesaria gaue vnto vs the celebration of the Masse Sayth the glose that is to say the manner how to celebrate y t Masse For the woordes by the which the body is made were deliuered froÌ„ the Lord him selfe But afterward others also added some one péece some an other for comlynes and solemnitie And thus much sayth hée God Christian reader what can these men wholy addicted to lyes otherwise doe but beguile deceaue For this is their onely endeuour whiche although it may bée manifest vnto thée by many of their déedes not withstanding by this one â–ª of y t which they so greatly boast it is so manifest that none caÌ„ dony it To attribute the originall of the Masse vnto Iames the Apostle and to Basilius y e bishop is an errour not to bée suffered for asmuch as it is most false as by that which foloweth shall appeare Let them declare if they can what Iames made thereof and what Bastill added thereto Let them bryng foorth one of the Apostles that euer sayd Masse they shal haue y t victory Ieames died about the yeare of our Lord 62. And of Masse as they vnderstand it there was no mention made in the Churche by the space of 200. yeares Moreouer then this Basill tyed about the yeare after Christ 380. How then could hée agrée with Iames aboute the Masse But what Masse had the Church from after the death of Iames vnto Basiles tyme by what authoritie did Basill deliuer to vs y e masse Moreouer these meÌ„ doe adde their auctoritie out of the vj. Synode that their lye might bée the more notorious Bring foorth the vj. Synode in the whiche these thinges bée written I pray you what was handled in the vj. Synode The maner of celebrating Masse Or agaynst whom was y e vj. Synode gathered togither agaynst those y t would not say Masse Nothyng lesse but agaynst such as wickedly taught that there was one operation in Christ Read the actes of the Synode and you shall finde it to bée so But let vs grauÌ„t in the meane â—eason that this was handled in y t Synode what doth it prooue We do not contende what matters were intreated of in the Synode but whether Ieames and Basill deliuered vnto vs
contrary The mayde of Kent The mayde of Ipswich 〈◊〉 the mayde of KeÌ„t were both false dissembling haâ—â—â—tes The mayd of Kent Such as were possessed with deuils fled froÌ„ Christ A false delusion to bryng vs to Idolatry S. Bartholomew Our Lady dyd the mayde of Kent small pleasure Orestes Traditâ—… Allegory â–ª A true exposition of the parable of the â—aâ—…tan All that God hath not planted shal be plucked vp by the rootes Byshops should be seruaunted and not Lordes Actes 15. The Pope will not obey princes though God haue commaunded hym so to do TraditioÌ„s Christes burthen is easie and gentle Math. 5. ☞ The salt of our Prelates iâ— vnâ—…ery Fayth loue charitie arâ— iij. sisters We must beleue neither to much nor yet litle We are promised all thinges for our Sauiour Christes sake â–ª not for the Saintes Iohn 21. The virginitie of our Lady Antichrist is knowen Paules traditions were the doctrine of the Gospel Christes Supper not Masse The consecration Water mixed with the wyne 1. Cor. 14. Iustification of workes Saboth The Saboth day holy dayes are made for be not â—…e for theÌ„ Why women Baptise Why the Prelates vnderstand not the Scripture A good tale if it were long enough Ye can not spede well if ye trye the doctrine of our Prelates by the Scripture All beleue in God that haue the lawe written in their hartâ— The Churche must shewe a reason of theyr doctrine Popes may not be beleued without Scripture Corusailes ought to conclude eccordyng to the Scriptures Luke 16. Luke 10. Math. 18. Math. 〈◊〉 The cause why the Apostles wrote the Gospels Iohn 20. 1. Iohn 2. The Pope and hys Cardinals erred in K. Henry the â—ights case M. Mores conclusion â–ª ☜ The furest way to oppresse true doctrine is to say the preachers fall The Pope is 〈◊〉 â—…st 〈◊〉 Pet. 2. Rom. 3. A swarme of sectes set vp by the Pope The Pope by setting vp of false workes denieth the truth of gods word The Pope selleth sinne and paine all that 〈◊〉 be solde Math. 24 â–ª The popish church are 〈◊〉 but no sufferes 1. Cor. 10. The church of Chriâ—… euer persecuted 2. Thess 〈◊〉 The church of Antichrist is the false church â–ª and euer y e greater number The Pope is a deuelishe blasphemer of God The Pope is aboue kyng and Emperor The Pope persecuteth the word of God S. Paule describeth the Pope his in their coâ—ters Gods worde is y t power and pith of all goodnes Confession Loue is of theÌ„selues Couetous Hye mynded Proude Raylers Disobedient Vnthankefull Vngodly â–ª Churlishe Promise breaketh Accusâ—rs Headyâ— Leuyng lustes Appearaunce of godlynesse The Pope and his are mighty iugglers ☞ In the Churche shall there be for euer both good and euill This word Church is taken ij maner wayes The spirituall Churche of God are called LutheraÌ„s and heretickes The fleshly Churche serue God with workes of their owne Friers ☜ The blasing of hypocrites Calil is a sacrifice that no mâ— may haue any parte therof The small flocke of Christ commeth to the word and promises of God Actes 9. Actes 2. Christ onely is the perfect coÌ„forteâ— of the Christian ☞ The Christian maÌ„ in all thinges seketh â—he honour of Christ The Christian selâ—eth his saluatioÌ„ onely in Christ A pretye 〈◊〉 nâ—â—thesis betwen the Popes Churche Christes litle flocke ☜ The Popish church auÌ„swereth The litle flocke The Popes church The maner oâ— y t Popes cleargie Little flock gâ—â—th euer to wracke The Pope 〈…〉 be â—â—â—d by scripture by scripture must be iudged 〈◊〉 ☞ Iohn 5. None can minister the Sacramentes superâ—…ly but the Popes generation 1. Cor. 2. The naturall carnall man sauoreth not the thinge that be of God Rom. 5. God is fatherly to his elect members Rom. 7. Iâ— we sinne of frailtie God is mercifull ready to forgeue The new life doth tame the fleshe and serue her neighbour â–ª God seketh vs and we not hym More a lying papist Sir Thomas Hitton The Pope hath no martyrs 1. Iohn 3. There is a church that sinneth not The churh is double Gal. 5. The carnall church sinneth Two maner faithes Iohn 15. The â—aith of them that be called â–ª but not elect The Pope hideth the scripture The heretikes be fallen out of the mist Why many â—all Councels ☜ Saintes Luke 1â—… Luke 7. Christ dyâ— such seruice as all the Saintes could not do 1. Cor. 3. We may not trust to Saintes Prayer to Saintes is a great superstition Before Christ we vsed not to pray to Saintes M. More destroyeth the resurrection Math. 2â— 1. Cor. 15. 1. Thes 4. The more trust we haue in Saintes the lesse we haue in Christ Phisitions We must first call vppon God then sende for the phisition The fleshly mynded caÌ„not iudge the thinges that be of God 1. Cor. 3. More driueth from God Heb. 4. Iohn 1â— Ephes 2. We may be bolde to â—â—sort to god for he â—…leth vs so to do M. More is against the Popes profite Purgatory â–ª 〈◊〉 purgatory visible and a purgatory inâ—â—sible Canonisâ—… How you may know who be Saintes in heauen King Henry of Windsore A straunge doctrine to pray to him for helpe that is dead damned The Israelites were â—o in number theÌ„ the Iewes The Iewes committed Idolatry God euer reserueth a litle flocke More feareth not to worship an vncoÌ„secrated hosâ—e 1. Cor. 1. We must first know the true way then agree in the same Christ rebuked the false trust the Iewes had in their wil works The myracles done by the prophetes and Apostles was to coÌ„firme their doctrine Christ made the woman whole and not hys coate Miracles were done for the confirmation of doctrine A filthy chapter Latriâ— Moses Moses â–ª bones The brasen Serpent God is a spirite and wil be worshipped spiritually The Idolatrouâ— persoÌ„ worshippeth the Image for y t Saint Processionâ— though they be abused may not be put downe Wilde Irishe Welch meÌ„ Many thinges are altered for the abuses sake Ezechâ—as The true preaching of Gods worde remoueth theft and an other wickednes ☞ A good maÌ„ may erre yet not be dampned Thâ— myracles of Saintes confirme mans imaginations There were no doctours neither Apostles that did myracles to establishe the worshipping of â—amages Witches where true doctrine is set forth â–ª there needeth no myracle ☜ Let y â— Papistes for lacke of scriptures come torch and do miracles Gods worâ— to y â— touchstone to triâ— myracles The â—ectes in y â— popists church are almost innumerable Mahomets doctrine hath preuailed these viij hundred yeares The cause of false miracles Where the Scripture is there nedeth no miracles The preachers of the worde of God nede no miracles False docctrine was neuer persecuted The Papistes are ashamed of their LegeÌ„d of lyes The deuill hath holpeÌ„ Popes to their dignities The cause why the Turkes Iewes caâ— not come to to the truth Popish doctrine nedeth miracles but Christes
xxiiij Policrates Ephes Epis Siluerius Papa Felix iij. Deus dedit Theodorus i Hadrianus ij IohaÌ„nes xv Agapitus i. Siluerius Bonifacius i. Osius Gelasius i. Iohannes x. Dist â—…i â–ª ca. Osius Croni â–ª Faâ—i Abbot SaÌ„â—te of Readyng Priestes hath maryed after their priesthode Nâ—… generatione xl Cransius Canutus was seuen yeares a Monke ¶ Iuniacensis and yet the Pope dispenseth with hym to marry a wife Mariage of Priestes is neither agaynst Gods lawe nor mans lawe Nicholaus 1 Compelled chastitie is against the institution of the Gospell To compel Priestes to vowe chastitie that hath not y t gifte is halfe brother vnto heresie A lamentable and horrible sight O Lord God that our Byshoppes woulde nowe bee so charitable A frute of chastitie A horrible tale An other trabbe of y t same tree I will not speake of the litle prety â—oyes that folow Priestes in long doublets â–ª and short hosen The chastitie of the court of Rome froÌ„ the whiche God defend vs all M. spare me a little to speake but one word more An hystory sprong out of the chastitie of Priests This man intended to declare to this holy father what honestye was mayntayned by Priestes chastitie A prety practise to finde out a naughty concious Byshop Dist 〈◊〉 ca. Ante trienium The world will lye I haue meruayle why men are ashamed to come lay this thing to my charge now that I am here D. Barnes lyued sole vnmaryed Dist 82. ca. Plurimos Dist 31. ca. Ante trieâ—ium Dist 31. ca. Omnino Dist 28. ca. Docerni 〈◊〉 Nauclerus Alberâ—â—s Hirsucidâ—â—sis Here beganneth priests chaâ—… get the oâ—… hand For this was a captaine for the noâ—ce Peâ—…am 〈◊〉 gem Quos deus coÌ„â—uÌ„xâ—… homo noÌ„ seperet Et nemo dimittat vxoreÌ„ excepta fornicationis causâ— Who caÌ„ require a better auÌ„swere then these Byshops make their wordes beâ— Gods wordes Math. 9. 1. Cor. 〈◊〉 This hath alwayes beene the Popes maner of teachyng other doctrine had hee neuer A tumulte for priestes wyues The deuill sleepeth not nor geueth not gladly place to Christ What shall men doe agaynst violence and tyranny Dist xxxiiâ—… cap. Tenere Solutions to their reasons The popes arguments for y t maintenaunce of their constrained chastitie Adam Eua. The Leuitirall cleannes lyeth to much in the Popes head 1. Tim. 4. Alwayes Somtime Why hath â—ot our Priestes sometyme wyues as the olde Priestes had Dist 31. câ— â–ª Nam sicut Abstinete ad tempus vt vacet is orationi The popes doctine is repugnaunt to the doctrine of S. Paule The Pope is a tearer â—nd wrester of Scriptures The Pope maketh a hotchpot of mariage Lay men are bounde to prayer as well as Priestes Dist. xxxi ca. Omnino 1. Cor. 9. Nunquid noÌ„ habemus potestateÌ„ muliereâ—… sorâ—reâ—… circunduceÌ„di c. 1. Cor. 9. 1. Cor. 7. How many factes could I recite here of amplecteÌ„di if children that bee gotten might beare witnes Dist lxxxiâ—… c. Proposuâ—sti Qui in carne sunt Deo placerâ— non possunt The Pope accompteth whoredom to bee more cleane then holy matrimony The Pope blasphemeth God Men that haue wiues may bee Priestes but after their priesthode they may not marry Dist xâ— viij c. Nullum c. Assumi ca. Preterea c. Prâ—usquam Remember the tyranny of Gregory the vij which compelled priestes to forsake their wiues Mariage is all one before priesthode and after Dist xxviâ—… cap. Nullâ—… The Pope mainteineth his constreined chastity agaynst the institution of Christ Priestes may get chastitie by praying fastyng A Notary of London sayd to me openly that hee had written a thousand dispensations for Priestes children in his dayes How many then haue all Notaries writteÌ„ Priestes shall fast and pray But what if all that will not helpe God is bound to as much as he hath promised Math. 4. Psal 90. The deuill tempteth God God chaungeth not his order for our pleasure God hath ordeined euery thyng to a purpose and thereunto must they bee vsed Priestes haue a priuilege beefore other men The flesh would gladly haue a quyet lyuyng pleasaunt Had the world continued they would haue made vs poore men beleeue that they had gotten children w t fastyng praying Christ ascended into heauen by his owne power Exod. 20. Deut. 5. Wee are forbidden of God to make Images Wee must neither honour Images nor worshippe them Duns 3. Distin 9. Esay 44. Vayne ImaginatioÌ„s of men 3. Kyng 12. Howe wee haue beene by ignoraunce led to worship stockes and stones Stockes stones the Papistes honour as Gods Practise of Papistes to cause Images to worke myracles The hipocrisie of the Papistes hath greatly preuailed in the practysyng and aduauncing of Idolatry Baruch 6. A notable declaration of Baruch the Prophet against Idols and Idolatry There is no diâ—fereÌ„ce betweene an Idoll on Image The description of an Idoll or Image Deut. 13. Idolles or Images worke no myracles Hipocrites fayne them to bee the workers of myracles A notable myracle done by false gods in Turkie A stinking myracle Libro 5. ad Iacob To relieue thy poore neighbour that is Gods Image is to honour God There is no true Image but onely the Image of man which few doe honour Of the liuely Images of man many haue the Byshops burned But of theyr worme eaten images not one Clemens in codeÌ„ libro De â—erâ— roli ca. vlti Super Dani Saintes sayth Papistes are to bee worshypped for they pray for vs Roma 8. God hath geuen vs one mediatour which is Iesus Christ and not appoynted any Saint to bee our mediatour The mediatour betweene God man is named Iesus but there is no Saint so named Esay 7. How God by Christ is euer with vs. 1. Iohn 2. Saintes caÌ„ obteine nothyng for vs. Roma 8. 1. Cor. 1. Christ is all in all for vs and therefore wee neede not y t helpe oâ— Saints Iohn 14. Saintes can not bryng vs to the father of heauen but it must bee Christ onely Iohn 14. Iohn 16. If wee aske in Christes name wee shal obteine but so shall wee not in any other name Luke 18. Iaco. 1. Saintes receaued Gods goodnes for theÌ„ selues and not for vs. Psal 119. Psal 120. A fond prayer made to our Lady August dâ— vera relig cap. vlti The right honoring of Saintes Apoc. 19. and. 22. Mat. 15. tom 6. ho. de profect â—…nge An authoritie declaration that Christ heareth vs for our selues and not the Apostles for vs. Chri. Toâ— 6. ho. de profectâ— euangeliorum We neede no patrons for God heareth Exod. 20. Psal 5. Psal 4. The Christen maÌ„ putteth his trust in God that hee will heare him If we mistrust not Christe there is no cause why we should runne a gadding to this Saint for any thyng that is necessary for vs. Saints are holy but yet are they no Godes Christ is our onely intercessor The Papistes carnall reasoÌ„s God onely is omnipotent and almighty The Papistes geeue
desperation and partly that he fall not into hate of his father and of his commaundement thereto and thinke that his father is a tyraunt and his law but tyranny M. More seleth with his good endeuour inspiration together that a man may haue the best fayth coupled with the worst lyfe and with consentyng to sinne And I feele that it is impossible to beleue truly except a maÌ„ repent and that it is impossible to trust in y â— mercy y â— is in Christ or to fele it but y â— a man must immediatly loue God his commaundementes and therfore disagree disconsent vnto the fleshe and be at bate therewith and fight agaynst it And I feele that euery soule that loueth y â— law and hateth his fleshe and beleueth in Christes bloud hath his sinnes which he committed and payne which he deserued in haryng the law and consentyng vnto his flesh forgeuen him by that fayth And I feele that the frailtie of the flesh agaynst whiche a beleuyng soule lighteth to subdue it is also forgeuen and not rekened or imputed for sinne all the tyme of our curyng as a kynde father and mother reken not or impute the imposuÌ„bilitie of their youÌ„g children to consent vnto their law and as when the children be of age and consent theÌ„ they reken not nor impute the impossibilitie of the flesh to folow it immediatly but take al a worth and loue them no lesse but rather more tenderly then their old and perfect children that do their commaundemeÌ„tes so long as they go to schole learne such thynges as their fathers mothers set theÌ„ to And I beleue that euery soule that repeÌ„teth beleueth and loueth the law is thorough that fayth a member of Christes Churche and pure without spot or wrincle as Paule affirmeth Ephe. v. And it is an Article of my beleffe that Christes elect Church is holy and pure without sinne and euery meÌ„ber of the same thorow faith in Christ and that they be in the full fauour of God And I feele that the vncleanesse of the soule is but the consent vnto sin and vnto the fleshe And therefore I feele that euery soule that beleueth and consenteth vnto the lawe and here in this life hateth his flesh and the lustes therof and doth his best to driue sinne out of his flesh and for hate of the sinne gladly departeth from his flesh when he is dead and the lustes of the fleshe slaine with death needeth not as it were bodely tormenting to be purged of that wherof he is quit already And therfore if ought remaine it is out to be taught and not to be beaten And I feele that euery soule that beareth fruit in Christ shal be purged of the father to beare more fruit day by day as it is written Ioh. xv not in the Popes Purgatory where no man feeleth it but here in this life such fruit as is vnto his neighbours profite so that he which hath his hope in Christ purgeth himselfe here as Christ is pure 1. Ioh. 3. and that euer yet the bloud of Iesus onely doth purge vs of all our â—…s for the imperfectnes of our woorkes And I feele that the forgeuenes of sinnes is to remitte mercifully the payne that I haue deserued And I do beleue that the payne that I here suffer in my fleshe is to keepe the body vnder and to serue my neighbour and not to make satsfaction vnto god for the sore sinses And therfore when the Pope describeth God after his couetous complexion and when M. More feleth by inspiration and captiuating his wittes vnto the Pope that God forgeueth the euerlasting payne and will yet punish me a thousand yeares in the Popes purgatory that leauen sauoreth not in my mouth I vnderstand my fathers wordes as they sound and after the most mercifull maner and not after the Popes leauen and M. Mores captining his wittes to beleue that euery Poetes fable is a true story There is no father here that punisheth his sonne to purge hym when he is purged already and hath vtterly forsaken sinne and euâ—â—l and hath submitted himselfe vnto his fathers doctrine For to punishe a man that hath forsaken sinne of his owne accorde is not to purge him but to satisfie the lust of a tyrant Neyther ought it to be called Purgatory but a Iayle oftormenting and a satisfactory And when the Pope sayth it is done to satisfie the righteousnes as a iudge I say we that beleue haue no iudge of him but a father neither shal we come into iudgemeÌ„t as Christ hath promised vs but are receaued vnder grace mercy and forgeuenes Shew the Pope a litle money and God is so mercifull that there is no Purgatory And why is not the fire out as well if I offer for me the bloud of Christ If Christ hath deserued all for me who gaue the Pope might to keepe part of his deseruinges from me and to buy sell Christes merites to make marchaundise ouer vs wyth fayned wordes And thus as M. More feleth that y â— Pope is holy church I feele that he is Antichrist And as my feeling can be no proofe to him no more caÌ„ his wyth all his captiuating his wittes to beleue phantasies be vnto me wherefore if he haue no other probation to proue that the Pope is holy church then that his hart so agreeth vnto hys learning he ought of no right to coÌ„pell with sword vnto his sect How be it there are euer two maner people that will cleaue vnto God a fleshly and a spirituall The spirituall which be of God shall heare Gods woorde and the children of the truth shall consent vnto the truth And contrary the fleshly and children of falshead and of the deuill whose harts be full of lyes shall naturally consent vnto lyes as young children though they haue eate themselues as good as dead with fruit yet will not nor caÌ„ beleue him that telleth them that such fruit is nought but him that prayseth them wyll they heare and eate themselues starcke dead because their harts be full of lyes and they iudge all thinges as they appeare vnto the eyes And the fleshly mynded assoone as he beleueth of God as much as the deuill doth he hath inough and goeth to and serueth God with bodely seruice as he before serued his Idoles and after his owne imaginacion and not in the spirite in louing his lawes and beleuing his promises or longing for them no if he myght euer liue in the fleshe he would neuer desire them And God must do for him againe not what he hath promised but what he lusteth And his brother y â— serueth God in y e spirit according to Gods word hym will the carnall beast persecute So that he which will godly liue must suffer persecution vnto the worldes end according vnto the doctrine of Christ and of his Apostles and according vnto the
ensamples that are gone before And finally I haue better reasons for my feeling that the Pope is Antichrist then M. More hath for his endeuoring himselfe and captiuing his wits that h◠is the true Church For the church that was the true messenger of God hath euer shewed a signe and a badge therof eyther a present myracle or autentickescripture in so much that Moses when he was sent asked how shall they beleue me God gaue him a signe as euer before and since Neither was there any other cause of the writing of the new last euerlasting testamēt then that when miracles ceased we might haue wherwith to detende our selues against false doctrine and heresies Which we coulde not do if we were bound to beleue that were no where written And agayne if the Pope coulde not erre in his doctrine he coulde not sinne of purpose and profession abhominably and opēly aboue the Turkes and all the heathen that euer were and defend it so maliciously as he hath viij hundred yeares long and will not be reformed and maketh them his Saintes and his defenders y ◠sinne as he doth He persecuteth as the carnall church euer did Whē the scripture is away he proueth his doctrine with the scripture and assoone as the scripture commeth to light he runneth away vnto his sophistrie and vnto his sworde We see also by stories how your confession penaunce pardons are come vppe and whence your purgatory is sprong And your falshead in the sacraments we see by opē scripture And all your workes we rebuke with the scripture and therwith proue that the false beleife that ye couple to them may not stand with the true faith that is in our Sauiour Iesus The second chapter IN the end of y e secōd chapter he bringeth in Euticus that fell out at a window Act. 20. whō saith he S. Paules merites did recouer Verely Paule durst not say so but that Christes merites did it Peter sayth Act. 3. Ye men of Israell why gase ye and stare vppon vs as though we by our power and godlines had made this man go Nay the name of Iesus and faith that is in him hath geuen him strength made him sounde And euen here it was the name of Iesus thorow Paules fayth that did that miracle and not Paules merits though he were neuer so holy The third Chap. IN the iij. chapter he sayth that Bilneyes iudges which he yet nameth not for feare of sclaundering thē were indifferent Nay they that take rewardes be not indifferent For rewardes and giftes blinde the eyes of the seeing and peruert the woordes of the righteous Deut. 17. Now al they that be shoren take great rewardes to defende Pilgrimages Purgatory and praying vnto Saintes euen the third part I trow of all Christendome For all they haue they haue receaued in the name of purgatory and of Saintes on that foundation be all their bishopprickes Abbeyes colledges and Cathedrall churches built If they be indifferent Iudges they must be made seruaunts and do seruice as their dutie is And whē they haue done a quarters seruice then geue them wages as right is vnto euery mā that laboureth in Christes haruest a sufficient liuyng and no more and that in the name of his labour and not of Saintes and so forth And then they shall be more indifferent Iudges when there cōmeth no vauntage to iudge more on one side then an other The fourth Chap. IN the ende of the fourth he saith the man tooke an othe secretly and was dismissed with secret penaunce O ypocrites why dare ye not do it openly The fift Chapter IN the fift the messenger asketh hym whether he were present And hee denyeth and sayth euer hee heard saye Alas Sir why take you bribes to defende that you know not why suffer you not them that were present and to whom the matter perteineth to lye for themselues Then he iesteth out the matter with Wilken and Simken as he doth Hunne and euery thing because men shoulde not consider their falshead earnestly Wherein behold his suttle cōueiaunce He asketh What if Simken would haue sworne that he saw men make those printes Whereunto M. More aunswereth vnder the name of quod he that he would sware that besides the losse of the wager he had lost his honesty and hys soule thereto Beholde this mans grauitie how coulde you that do whē the case is possible You should haue put him to his proues and bid him bring recorde Then sayth he the church receaueth no mā conuict of heresie vnto mercy but of mercy receaueth him to open shame Of such mercy God geue them plenty that are so mercyfull Then he sheweth how mercyful they were to receaue the man to penaūce that abode still in periury and deadly sinne O shamelesse hypocrites how can ye receaue into the congregation of Christ an open obstinate sinner that repētet◠not when ye are commaūded of Christ to cast all such out And agayn O Scribes and Phariseis by what example of Christ and of his doctrine can ye put a man that repenteth vnto opē shame and to that thyng whereby euer after he is had in derision among his brethren of whom he ought to be loued not mocked Ye might enioyne honest thynges to tame his flesh as prayer and fasting and not that which should be to him shame euer after and such as ye your selues would not do The vij Chapter IN the vij chapter he maketh much to do about swearyng and that for a suttle purpose Notwithstandyng the truth is that no iudge ought to make a man sweare agaynst hys will for many inconuenients If a man receaue an office he that putteth hym in the rowme ought to charge him to do it truly and may and happly ought to take an oth of him If a man offer him selfe to beare witnesse the iudge may of some haply ought to take an othe of them but to compell a man to beare witnesse ought he not And Moreouer if a iudge put a man to an othe that he shall aunswere vnto all that he shal be demaūded of he ought to refuse How beit if he haue sworne and thē the wicked iudge aske him of thinges hurtfull vnto his neighbour agaynst the loue that is in Christ then he must repent that he hath sworne but not sinne agayne to fulfill his othe For it is agaynst Gods commaundement that a man should hurt his neighbour that hath not deserued it The viij Chapter VNto Church priest charity grace confession and penaūce is aunswered him in the beginning of the booke And when he sayth Tyndall was confederate with Luther that is not truth The ix Chapter THē his ix chapter is there nothing more foolish For if he would haue any wise man to beleue that my translation would destroy the Masse any otherwise then the Latine or Greeke text he should
scriptures The sacramentes are signes to fayth The Pope will by his reasoÌ„ make Christ and all his Apostles heretiques The Pope and his 〈◊〉 would if they could destroy the scripture as well as they destroy the preachers thereof Talmud Duncâ— Question answere A good answere to be made to the Papistes Iohn 1◠☜ Ioh. 1â— Esa 1. Rom. 9. Augustine The true meaning of the wordes of S. Augustine 〈◊〉 Cor. 1. 〈◊〉 Pet. 3. 〈◊〉 Cor. 7. There are two maner of faithes An historicall fayth A feeling fayth Iohn 6. Rom. 8. The true sure feeling fayth Ioh. 4. The feling fayth doth farre excell the historicall fayth Cursed is he that trusteth in maÌ„ Lechery The abhomination of y â— Romish Church Mariage forbidden whoredom moued Couetousnesse Vnions 〈◊〉 quottes ☜ The Pâ—… 〈…〉 with the 〈…〉 so the 〈…〉 〈…〉 Iewes The Turkes and Iewes beleue that they caÌ„ not erre because they beleue as their Elders dyd God reserued a litle flocke Rom. 9. ☞ Who they be that are of â—oâ—â— true Church The fleshly persecute the spirituall Aâ—… The childreÌ„ of this world are the Papistes Questions AuÌ„sweres AuÌ„sweres to be made to captions Papistes Iohn 4. Teachers of GraÌ„mer vnderstode not the Latine toung The fayth 〈◊〉 Christ loue of our neighbors to all that is required of a Christian man The vse of signes ceâ—…nyes Worshipâ—… and 〈…〉 are â—â—th one The true wordes that expresse the God What it is to honour God The true honour of God What it is to honour rulers What it is to honour 〈◊〉 maÌ„s neighbour What it is to dishonour God and dishonour our neighbour To deny to helpe my neighbour is to dishonour hym To do that God forbiddeth is to dishonour God I true officer in the sight of God All creatures are oâ—…ed to â—…ue 〈◊〉 Images Images are seruauÌ„tes to man and not maÌ„ to images ☜ The vse of creatures inferiours to man The worshipping of the crosse How a maÌ„ may vse Images well The worshyppyng of images Images reliques at the first were well vsed but now shame fully abused False worshypping 〈◊〉 The abuse of Images My body must serue the Prince o my neighbour but my soule must serue God onely S. Iohns Gospell This is y e true crossing that we should vse A great noÌ„ber of superstitious baggages Riches bestowed on images or reliques Obiection Solution To worshyp Images is Idolatry True Pilgrimage is to walke from place to place the better to serue God to helpe my neighbour ☜ God dwelleth not in Temples made with mennes handes Psal 49. Iohn 16. Iohn 4. Sacramentes Circumcision All the ceremonies of the olde lawe were preachers to the people The â—tâ—es by sayth were iustified not by the deedes of the lawe Paschall lambe First frutes Sacrifices Ornamentes Worked must serue vs and not we the workes Luke 18. The Iewes became seruauntes captiues to theyr workes The blinde reason of hipocrites ☞ O blinde â—â—ll the imagination Holy day Exod. 31. The Saboth day must serue vs and not we the Saboth day How the Saboth day should be occupyed Luke 13. The brasen Serpent The teÌ„ple Prayer without fayth is nâ— prayer Psal 46. God despiseâ— the sacrifices of y â— vnfaithfull â—ewes Fastyng Superstious falling doth God abhorre Esa â—8 True fasting what it is Temple Actes 7. Actes 17. Paâ—…e a truell persecutor Many Iewes were conuerted to yeâ—aith of Christ All that came of Israell are not â—sraelites Math. 22. The Iewes cam◠〈◊〉 to vnâ—… of Christ of loue bu◠〈◊〉 inforced theâ— unto by the scriptures The Turkâ—â— are a â—…re greater number then the Papistes Ceremonies set vp in the newe testament What holy water signifieth The Pax. Confirmation CoÌ„firmation how it came first vnto the church The maner of confirming of children This is a right confirmation The abuse of confirmation The fruts of ignoraunce ConfirmatioÌ„ is made now a confirmyng in all superstition ignoraunce and popery The Papisticall tyranny How the ceremonies about the ministration of the Lordes Supper came first into the Church â—mice The flappe on the amice The albe The flappes on the albe The fanon The stole The corpâ—rescloth The altar Candels Math. 5. Salt ☜ All ceremonyes at the begynnyng had significations Austine The state of y e Iewes more easie then the Christians vnder traditions Out of the ceremontes sprang the ignoraunce oâ— the scripture The multitude of ceremonies put away preachyng Ceremonies are the chirt cause of ignoraunce The doctrine of Dunce aduaunced The blynd Papistes are enemies to all good learnyng and knowledge Igaoraunt Priestes ☜ IgnorauÌ„ce made vs seruauntes to ceremonies The sole Papistes are preserred by ceremonies Is long as we had the significatioÌ„ of the ceremonies so long they were sufferable but yâ—â—…canâ—…tion beyng gone the ceremony is mere superstuioÌ„ When the people by ignoraunce waxed superstitious then y â— clergie holpe them forward with falsifiyng the scripture Christes death purchased grace for maÌ„s soule Teinterden steple The building of â—…beies clopsters religious houses haue bene 〈◊〉 great decay to the good state of this realing Worshipping Subtile suggling 〈◊〉 wordes True worshipping of Saintes True worshipping of God Bodely exercise They that are in heaueÌ„ do chiefly desire that we harken to God do hys wyll All popishe imaginations are I dolatry Candle we receaue all thinges of God out father for Iesus Christes â—ake hys sonne and our onely Sauiour We must dot all thyuges of loue Sacrifices Rom. 14. A sure â—…ken of a selfe fayth and â—…seruice A dissereÌ„ce betwene Christes naturall body and a paynted Image Miracles Miracles were done by y â— sainâ—… to confirme theyr doctrine Helisens Dead bones may not be worshypped Pilgrimages More reasoneth vntowardly God is like good in euery place Temple The people were specially called to y e Temple to behold the monumeÌ„ts there wherby they might the better learne the mighty power of God Paschall Lambe 1. 〈…〉 Holy straunge gestures is like anapes play 1. Cor. 11. Pitie The true be holdyng of the signe of the crosse The Church is a place of prayer God heareth our prayer in all places Actes 17. Actes 7. 3. Reg. 8. Ierusalem and the teÌ„ple is destroyed The piller of fire God is present in all places alike All places are to be preferred where we may worship God most quietly M. More teacheth false doctrine Math. 24. Miracles were not done for y e place but for the people Siloe Ioh. 4. 9. Miracles done to draw y e people to heare the worde of God All places must serue man a not man bound to serue any place God is worshipped in our hartes not in any other place The father â—…th most for the youÌ„gest Ephes 4. God caÌ„not be serued with bodely seruice Our fayth may be grounded vpon men Aâ— true miracles prououe vs to fayth and trust in God The may be of Ipswich True miracles are done to prouoke vs to the hearing of Gods worde and the false do y e