to discharge them out of their enemies handes for euer The Iewes notwithstanding they had so gracious a graunt of their king yet many of them would not returne home but made their aboade euen there among their enemies in Babylon and the most part of them that were returned fell to building of their owne houses and left the house of God vnbuilded so soone they had forgotten Gods mercy towardes them In the time of their trouble they cryed out If I shrinke from God I pray God shrinke from me But beinge restored home and at libertie they sayde as the Prophet heere reporteth Nondum uenit tempus c. The time is not yet come that the Lords house should be builded They saw they had many enemies on euerie side the matter it selfe was marueylous weightie and to their iudgementes almost impossible They had begunne before vnder kynge Cyrus and because the matter was then dashe and their enimies preuayled against them they were vtterly discouraged and cast into dispayre Wherefore god spake to them by the Prophet Aggaeus Is it time for your selues to dwel in your seeled houses and this house lye wast Haue you found le asure to set vp furnish your owne house can you neglect the restoring of my house My house I say in which my Lawe hath bene read and preached to you where your Fathers haue made mee sacrifices towardes which house you turned your faces whensoeuer you prayed vnto me in Babylon and were heard Therfore sayth the Lord. Ye haue sowen much bring in litle ye eate but yet haue not ynough ye looked for much loe it came to litle and when you brought it home I dyd blow it out You set your ioye vppon vaine things and the same shal deceiue you This place of the Prophet Aggaeus I haue thought good to apply to the present state of our time For as then the citie of Hierusalem was miserably rased and the Temple of god burnt downe by heathens euen so hath it fared in time lately past with the Churche of Christe here amonge vs. And as then God mollified softened the heart of the king Darius for the deliuery of his people euen so of his great mercie hath he nowe stirred vp a most noble vertuous Ladie our soueraigne Queene Elizabeth for the same purpose And as then there were many that set light by Gods benefites and thought it meete ynough for him to waite vpon their leisure euen so I pray God the same securitie be not founde in vs at this time I pray God there be none of vs that make light of Gods grace and say in our heartes Nondum venit tempus c. The time is not yet come that the Lords house should be builded 1 Wherfore first I wil proue by Gods grace that our Churche hath bene ouergrowne with errours and abuses as then the temple of Hierusalem was defaced by the Caldees 2 Secondly I will shewe what thinges they be that doo stay men from reedifying of this Temple 3 Last of all after what sorte this Churche ought to be builded and so I wyl leaue you to God Prayers Touching the first parte I shall not neede many wordes for God hath in our dayes sufficiently reuealed and we haue seene the state of the Church in time past And indeed the errors abuses haue bene so grosse that who so cānot see them with his eyes yet may feele and grope them with his fingers Yet because I knowe some are not throughly perswaded heerein but thinke that the church of Rome hath euermore bene pure and without spot and some others in their writinges call it the rule of the trueth that whatsoeuer that Church sayth whatsouer it be must needs be true as Siluester sayth it is Infallibilis regula a rule that neuer deceiueth Some set it aboue the word of god as the same Syluester A doctrina Ecclesiae Romanae Romani Pontificis sacra scriptura robur trahit authoritatē The holy scripture taketh force authority of y t doctrin of the church Bishop of Rome And as Cusanus Sequuntur Scripturae Ecclesiā non è conuerso The scriptures follow the church not on the contrary part y t church followeth y ◠scriptures Others say Impossibile haereticari c. It is not possible he should fall into heresies whiche foloweth the church of Rome some others sai y t if christ his Apostles were aliue they were not able to rule the church in better sort then it is now ruled by the Pope and his Cardinalles Thus some schoole doctors haue written I am able to aleadge mine authors Therfore I must of force stād vpō this matter a litle not because I think it needfull but y ◠al men may be satisfied First Christ our sauiour as he foreshewed the prosperous course of the gospell y t it should bee preached throughout y e world y t the gates of hel should not be able to withstand it so he his Apostles forwarned also the ruine decay of y ◠Church y t in so many places and in so plaine wordes that no man can doubt of it or deny it For Christ alleadging the prophet Daniel sayth that abomination should sitte in the holy place and that there shoulde be such confusion and disorder that if it were possible the very elect should be peruerted He sayth that when he shall come to iudge there shal scarsely be found faith in the world Paul likewise sayth that the man of sinne that is such a one as in all thinges should be contrary to Christe and is called Antichrist shoulde sitte in the temple of God and beare hymselfe as if hee were God in deede Daniel sayth The trueth shal be cast downe to the grounde And to Timothie Paul sayeth In the latter times some shall depart frō the faith and shall giue heede to spirites of error doctrins of deuils S. Peter saith Ther shal be false teachers among you And where saith Christ I beseech you consider where saith Christ this horrible desolation should be among y ◠turks or Iewes no but in the holy place Wher shal y e son of man scarsely finde faith wher shall the very elect stande in doubt what they may beleeue amōg y e heathēs or infidels No but in the church Wher saith S. Peter shalbe y e masters of lies wher saith Daniel shall the truth be troden downe where sayth S. Paul shal y e mā of sin perch settel behaue himself as if he were very god among the heathen No no good brethren but in templo Dei In the Temple of God in the very Church among thē that should beare the name of Christ But forasmuch as it cannot be doubted among christian men that Christ his Apostles appointed y e church in their time in such sort as no better could be deuised let vs cōpare the church of late time
saieth the Lord. There be certain bookes of our Lord vnto the authority whereof eche parte agreeth eche part beleeueth eche part yeeldeth there let vs seeke for the Churche thereby let vs examine and trye our matters This is the Rocke vppon whiche Christ hath builte his Churche against this Rocke the gates of Hell shall not preuayle Augustine speaketh this in a prety allusion Non me aedificabo super te sed te aedificabo super me I will not builde my selfe vppon thee but I wil builde thee vppon mee The same affirmeth Hierome Basil Cyril Hillarius and other the auncient writers It woulde bee too long to alleage any more onely I will recite vnto you Lyraes iudgement of these woordes more for that hee was one that fauoured our Aduersaries then for the weight of his authoritie Super hanc petram sayeth hee id est super Christum Vpon this rock that is vpō Christ ex quo patet quod Ecclesia non consistit in hominibus ratione potestatis c. Wherby it is manifest that the Church is not among men by reason of any Ecclesiasticall or Seculare authoritie or dignitie because many Princes and chiefest Bishoppes haue forsaken the faith therefore the Church resteth in those persons in whō are to be found true knowledge the confession of faith acknowledging of the trueth Wherefore the foundation of this building wherupon all the whole worke must rest must be Christ and his holy word for as Saint Paul saith No man can lay an other foundation then that which is layde already Iesus Christ The Emperour Domitian pretending a refourming of the Empire which afore his time Tyberius Caligula Nero and other wicked Emperours had spoyled and defaced asked a Philosopher one Apollonius Tyanaeus what order were best to be taken therein Apollonius made him aunsweare Sir if it please your Maiestie you must doe as the Musition had his Schollers doe Howe is that sayde Domitian Marye Sir quoth Apollonius there was a cunning Musition that set his Schollers to an ignoraunte and homelye minstrell to learne musicke of him but before hee sent them out hee gaue them this Lesson whatsoeuer you see your Maister doe see that you auoyde it he is vnlearned and his Lessons and manner of fingering nought therefore see you doe the contrary Euen so may I say whatsoeuer we see that they haue done that were our later fathers before vs that haue destroyed Christes Church let vs remember to doe the contrary Their foundation as you know and as they themselues confesse is ignoraunce let our foundation be Christ and knowledge of Gods word They haue pulled the Scriptures out of the peoples heades and handes that no man might see their doings Let vs exhort all men as S. Chrysostome Origen and other holy fathers did to reade the Scriptures that all the worlde may see our doings They buyld Gods worde vpon the Church let vs as Paule doth teach vs buyld the Church vppon Gods word They contrary to God contrary to his word haue made the Bishop of Rome supreame head of the Church contrary I say to the worde of God haue they made him supreme head of al the Church These are not my wordes but S. Gregorie who was himselfe a bishop of Rome saith of them Piae leges venerandae Sinodi ipsa Domini nostri Iesu mandata superbi atque pompatici cuiusdam sermonis inuentione turbantur The godly lawes the reuerend Synodes and the very commandements of our Lord Iesu are broken by the inuention of a certain proud and pompous name And thereof as Gregorie himselfe testifieth hath ensued Vniuersa pernicies An vniuersal destruction Marke I beseeche you and let it not out of your remembrance They say this is the key of the Church that one be the head of it to rule it and to gouerne and keepe in vnity all the rest But Gregorie which was himselfe a Bishoppe of Rome saith it is Vniuersa pernicies A generall corruption and plague of the Church Let vs according to Gods woorde according to the Canons knowe that as Cyprian saith Vnus est Episcopatus cuius a singulis in solidum pars tenetur There is but one Byshopricke part wherof is holden in whole of euery seueral Bishoppe And as Hierome saith Vbicunque fuerit Episcopus siue Romae siue Engubij fiue Constantinopoli siue Rhegij siue Alexandriae siue Tanais eiusdem meriti eiusdem est sacerdotij Whersoeuer there be a Bishop be it at Rome be it at Eugubium be it at Constantinople be it at Rhegium be it at Alexandria be it at Tanais they are al of one worthines they are al of one priesthood They set the Pope aboue kings princes against Gods word Let vs know that according to Gods worde euery soule must be subiect to y ◠higher powers In these things in al other the like in which they forsake y e paterne original in which they doe cōtrary to the scriptures to Christ and his Apostles contrary to the practise of the Primitiue Church and contrary to the sound iudgement of the auncient Catholike fathers grounded vpon the worde of God let vs remember whatsoeuer they do or haue done to doe the contrary For it is not possible by what meanes things haue growen to corruption that by the same meanes they shall euer bee wel restored againe After the Temple was builded or was in building and rearing Esdras the Prophete read the Lawe of GOD and sacrificed Oxen sheepe and Lambes and the people wepte in consider action that they and their fathers had so vnkindly offended God and deserued so extreamely to be punished at his hande So the good king Iosias after he had founde the booke of the Lawe and sawe howe highly both he and his fathers had offended God hee fell a weeping for the consideration of Gods greate benefites and our owne vnwoorthinesse canseth vs to mourne at the sight of our owne vnkindenesse Then they turned 〈◊〉 GOD repented themselues of their wickednesse and left suche vanities as they had walked in before So Christ our Sauiour when he began to preache the Gospell and to spreade abroade the vnspeakeable treasure of our saluation called vs first to repentance and said Poenitentiam agite appropinquauit enim regnum coelorum Repentye for the kingdō of God is at hād Zachaeus when he had receiued Christ to his table repented him of his excortion and made restitution Then Iesus sayd vnto him This day is saluatiō come vnto this house forasmuch as he is also become the sonne of Abraham So the Christian men in the beginning repented themselues and changed their whole life therfore were called Saintes as S. Paul vseth in many places to name them Vocatis Sanctis to those which are called Saints And sanctis qui sunt Corinthi To the Saintes which are at Corinth Plinie being a heathen and set by the Emperour to enquire of Christian men made report in
of al them that speak agaynst vs that touchinge the very substance of religion wee teache nothinge this day but that hath bene taught before by Christ him selfe set abroade by his Apostles continued in the Primitiue Church and maintained by the olde and ancient Doctors And in one or two wordes onely to giue a taste of the same that thereby ye may the better iudge of the rest Wee saye that in the Sacrament after the consecration remaineth the substance nature of bread and wine The same saith S. Augustine S. Chrysostome Theodoretus Gelasius others Gelasius wordes are so plaine as no man can denie them Non desinit esse substantia panis vini There leaueth not to be the substance of bread and wine Thus wrote they and were Catholiques We say that Christes last Supper must be vsed as a communion frequented with more then one So Christ ordeined it so y ◠Apostles the Primitiue Church and all the olde Doctors practised it and neuer was there any of them that euer made mētion of a priuate Masse Thus did they and yet were they Catholiques We say the holy Communion or sacrament of the breaking shedding of the body and blood of Christe ought of necessitie to bee vsed vnder both kindes Thus did all the Doctors vse it And Gelasius an old father saith that otherwise to vse it is open sacriledge And for y ◠space of 1000. yeeres after Christ there can no example be found to the contrary Thus did they and yet were Catholiques We say the publique prayers ought to be in the common tongue that the Bishop of Rome ought not to take vpon him to be the head of the vniuersal Church that the prince is of right by the authority that god hath giuen hym the hiest ruler of his Church and Realme as well of the ecclesiasticall officers as of the temporall And all these thinges bee aduouched confirmed by y e examples of the primatiue Church by the olde general Councels and by the Doctors And the contray here of shall neuer be proued nor by old father or Doctor nor by aucient councel nor by example of y ◠primatiue Church nor by any sufficient authoritie of the Scriptures I leaue the rest for it were an infinite labour to say as much as might be saide Thus they taught thus dyd they were catholikes alas are we sayinge the same onely because we say y e same become heretiques that was once true is it now become false that was once Catholique doctrine is it now at last become heresie O mercifull God was it thy wil y t thy trueth should be true but for a season vntil there should come men to decree the contrary If we be heretiques that teach the same that the olde Doctours of the Church taught what then are they that teach contrary to the Doctours Christ our Sauiour to reproue the Pharises thought it sufficient to say to them Hoc Abraham non fecit This thing Abrahā neuer did Therefore are you not the children of Abraham Euen so may we truely say to such as holde not themselues contented with this doctrine these things that you do Saint Augustine neuer did Saint Hierome neuer did none of the ancient fathers euer did the Apostles in the Catholike primatiue Church neuer did therefore yee are not the children of S. Augustine ye are not the children of S. Hierome ye are not the children of any of the olde catholique doctors ye are not the children of Christes primatiue Catholyke and vuiuersal Church It may not become me to sette order in these thinges yet if it were lawfull I woulde wysh that once agayne as time shoulde serue there might be had a quiet and a sober disputation that eche parte might be required to shew their groundes without selfe wyll and without affection not to mayntayne or breede contention for I trust it should be the way to take away al contention but onely that the trueth may bee knowen many consciences quieted and the right stone tryed by comparison of the counterfaite For at the last disputation that should haue bene you know whiche partie gaue ouer and would not meddle Some will saye the Iudges wyll not be indifferent And alas what man that doubteth his owne matter wyll euer think the Iudges indifferent Let the whole worlde let our our aduersaries them selues bee Iudges heerm affection put apart let our aduersaries themselues be Iudges What can wee offer more if this bee not sufficient what can there be sufficient Pompeius a noble Gentleman of Rome at what time he shoulde goe into the fielde against Caesar that then was his enemie and some of his counsell told him he lacked men and should neuer be able with so small a number to stande in fielde agaynst Caesar beinge well furnished Tushe quoth hee when so euer I shall but beate the ground with my foote I shall by and by rayse vp a swarme of souldiers Afterward it befell that Pompey was vanquished and glad to flee Then Marcus Cato an old gentleman and one of his army sayd to hym O sir remember your promise you lacke men now let vs see your swarme of Souldiers It is wel knowne that it hath bene spoken both in this place and in other lyke that al the Doctours and al the general councels were against vs. Nowe the armie is discomstted nowe they stande in neede of men nowe let them call for their Doctours and Councels if they come but with one sufficient Doctour or Councell they may haue the field I speake not this to boast my self of any learning but the goodnes of the cause maketh me y e holder Neither woulde I haue in this behalfe said so much as I haue sauing that the matter it selfe very necessitie inforced me so to doe Alas it were great pitie that Gods trueth shoulde be defaced w t priuy whisperings It were great pitie that whole houses shoulde be ouerthrowen mēs consciences wounded the people deceiued Gods trueth and the loue thereof pulled from your heartes his woorke blasphemed as if it came from Beelzebub w tout any good ground without any authorytie of the Scripture without any example of the Primatiue Churche without Counsell without any auncient Doctour or father But they haue another kinde of learuynge which because wee haue not therefore they say we are vnlearned For if controuersies might haue bene tryed by learnyng you shoulde neuer haue seene the Masse agayne after it was once downe If there euer come another change as I pray God wee may neuer see nor surely euer shall wee vnlesse our vnkindnesse pull downe Gods plague vppon vs but if a change come suche a one as they looke for you shall see with what argument they wyll proue their Masse We reade that Christ dyd put the Pharises to silence yet afterwarde when their tyme came they sayde We haue a lawe and by our law he must die But Gods name be praysed no persecutions no
shal he regard the desires of women Which place S. Hierome exê‘oundeth Ideo Antichristus simulat cactitatem vt plurimos decipiat Therefore dooth Antichrist faine or pretend chastity that he may deceiue many Thus farre they disagree from the originall of Gods worde But they vse commonly to saye the Churche was then in her minoritie and infancie afterwarde she was better informed So when Christ and the Apostles and the Doctours please them they shall rule the matters they shall be holy Doctours and holy Fathers if not they shall not bee paternes to folow but children infants They vse them as marchants vse their counters for that counter which now standeth for a pound anon after shal be remoued and made a simple halfpenny Yet notwithstanding they cry Fathers Doctours Church and yet indeede do al things contrary to the Church of Christe contrary to the Doctours and fathers of the Church Two principall thinges there be that seeme to beare vp the whole brunt of the religion that hath bene in the world of late time the one is the Masse and thinges thereunto belonginge the other is the authoritie of the Pope These two I wyll breefely compare to the first originall onely running ouer certaine special branches of them both in as few wordes as I can deuise And as touching the Masse if there be any man here that hath any good opinion of it and is also learned and able to iudge let him thinke with himselfe what Doctour or father in the Primitiue Churche euer vsed or taught vs to vse a priuate Masse what Doctour or Father euer hearde of 10. 20. or 30. Masses in one Church said at one time what Father or doctor euer taught the Priest to communicate for other Chrisostome noteth it is an errour to say y â— SacrameÌ„ts receiued of one may do good to others that receiue them not What Father or Doctor euer taught that hoc facite was hoc sacrificate What Doctour or Father euer taught vs that the bread is transubstaÌ„tiate into Christes bodie I assure you that worde was neuer hearde of vntill nowe within litle more then 300. yeeres vnder Innocentius the thirde What Father or Doctor taught vs that there remaine accidentiasine subiecto that Christes body is in a C. thousand places at once that the Priest should holde the bread ouer his head and turne his backe to the people that the Sacrament shoulde bee hanged vp in a canopie for the people to adore What father euer taught vs that their communion bread shoulde be rounde because the earth is rounde That the Priest shoulde kisse the Altar because Iudas kissed Christ that he should wash his fingers because Pilate washed his handes That hee shoulde knocke his breast iu token of the theeues repentance vpon the Crosse Those thinges haue bene written by Durande Bonaâ—enture and Innocentius and others like of late time but the Fathers in the Primitiue Church neuer heard of them Yet some men of late time haue beaten into your heades y â— these many other like thinges haue come by succession euen froÌ„ the primatiue Churche and from the Apostles But so the coniurers and Sorcerers saye that their books of coniuration and sorcerie came from Moses from Enoch and from Abel Plutarche writeth that Theseus Romulus Hercules and other like Princely gentlemen indeede were Bastardes and were be gotten of fathers of very lowe degree but after they came into honour and estimation the people because they knew not whose soÌ„nes they were thought they had come from heauen and therfore they called them the sonnes of the gods Euen so these thinges that I haue here reported nowithstandynge in deede they are base borne yet because they haue stollen into the Churche and haue bene had in honour some men haue taughte you they haue come euen from heauen and therefore they haue fathered them vpon Christe and his Apostles But in the meane season they haue not dealte iustlye with you but haue done wronge both to Christ and to his Apostles Hierome writinge vpon Aggeus sayeth Quae absque authoritate testimoniis Scripturarum quasi traditione Apostolica sponte reperiunt at qué confingunt percutit gladius Dei The Sworde of God stricketh those thinges which men fynde out and deuise of them selues without the authoritie testimonies of the scriptures and deliuer foorthe as if they came by the tradition of the Apostles Againe what Catholique Father taught vs that the Pope is the head of the Church aboue kings aboue Councils aboue the word of god greater and of more authoritie then the Apostles that he cannot erre that the whole world is his diocesse that he may not be iudged what soeuer hee doe although he drawe a thousande soules downe into hell that he is neyther man nor God but a mixture medled together of God and man Al these thinges our later Fathers haue written of the Pope and yet I leaue a hundred things vntouched Thus farre haue they gone from their originall and paterne But what greater disorver can there bee in the Church of God then when Antichrist shall come and sit in the place of God There is an olde fable of Antichrist that when he commeth he would turne trees vpside downe and do such like wonders But the markes whereby Antichrist shall be knowne indeede are otherwise set downe in the holy Scriptures In his comming abhomination shall stand in the holy place and trueth shall be throwne downe in the earth I knowe many men are offended to heare the Pope pointed out for Antichrist and thinke it an vncharitable kinde of doctrine therefore I refraine to vse any such names and only wyl reporte to you of other by what tokens Antichrist when he commeth may bee knowne Gregorie as it were in the spirit of prophesie writing against Iohn bishop of Constantinople saith Rex superbiae propè est quod dici nefas est Sa cerdotum est praeparatus exercitus The king of pride is at hand which is vnlawful to be said an army of priests is prepared By these tokens saith Gregorie you may know him hee shalbe the prince of pride and he shal haue an army of priestes to wayte vpon him In another place he saith Quisquis se vniuersalem sacerdotem vocat vel vocari desiderat in elatione sua Antichristum praecurrit Whosoeuer calleth himself the vniuersal priest or desireth so to be called in the pride of his hart is the forerunner of Antichrist These words were written by Gregorie more then 900. yeeres since If there were euer any that might be knowne by these tokens which was or is the prince of pride is called or desireth to be called y e Vniuersal priest or B. or hath an army of priests I leaue y t to your iudgemeÌ„t whether the same be he whom Gregorie describeth or some other I pray God to lighten the eyes of al the world that all the world may spie him and the man
to GOD. And therefore God blessed his doinges as wee see this daye For it is the cause of GOD and not of man The zeale of the Lord of hostes hath done this I wil bring this to passe saith the Lord not for your sakes but that my name may bee glorified among the nations For God chooseth y e weake thinkes and the foolish thinges of the world As for the Aduersaries be they neuer so strong he that dwelleth in the heauens laugheth them to scorne These through feare and dispaire keepe backe from building the temple Some there be that confesse that manye things are out of frame and ought to be looked on but they say it is no time to fall a buylding We must looke for a generall Councel And God graunt we may once see that daye that a general Councel may be called wherein Christ may sit president and all these matters that are nowe in question maye haue indifferent hearing and maye bee decided by the woorde of God But alas they that make a face and shewe of general Councels them selues stoppe and staye that there may be no generall Councell When Luther made his first appeale from the Pope that then was to a generall councell they made him answeare that it was against the decree of Pope Iulius and Pope Pius that anye appeale shoulde bee made from the Pope to any councel When the Emperour had compelled them to a Councel and the Princes of Germanie common weales had sent learned men thither the Bishops that were there assembled woulde not heare any of them preache or dispute or declare their minde For onely bishops may sit speake in their councel and suche as are sworne to mainteine the Pope Aeneas Syluius otherwise called Pope Pius the second saith if a Bishop speake against the Pope yea although hee speake the truth yet neuertheles hee sinneth against the othe that he hath made vnto the pope And last of all when the Councell hath done all that it can the whole conclusion of the matter hangeth vpon y e determination of the Pope Now iudge you what sentence there is like to be where as hee shalbe iudge in his owne cause Thus when they crye out and speake of Councels they seeke delay they mocke with God and man and indeed meane to haue no councel Saint Paul after hee was called of God and touched in his heart and couscience with Gods trueth appealed not to a generall Councel but saith Non acquieni carni sanguini I communicated not with fleshe and blood The kingdome of heauen suffereth violence and the violent take it by force There is no Councel aboue God A Councel may testifie the trueth to be truth but it cannot make falshood to be truth Augustine aunsweared most indifferently writing to Maximinus a Bishop of y e Arrsans y t alleaged a general councel holden at Ariminum Nec ego Nicenum nec tu debes Arimincuse tan quaÌ„ praeiudicaturus proferre coÌ„cilium c. Neither may I lay to thee the councel of Nice nor maiest thou lay to me the couÌ„cel of Ariminum either of vs thinking therby to find preiudice against the other But let vs laye matter to matter cause to cause and reason to reason by the authority of the Scriptures whiche are indifferent witnesses for both WheÌ„ Agisilaus minded to make his passage with his army through his neighbors lande he desired licence of the prince of that countrie the prince saide he coulde make him no ready aunswere but that he would take aduise of his councel Wel then said Agesilaus take you aduisement in the meane season I wil passe through So when our aduersaries delay off soiourne til they may take their deliberation in a councel let them deliberate while they wil but in the meane season let vs passe on in the busines of God and take the occasion offered vs to buylde by a house to the Lord. Some other say it is not yet time y e Bishops be they that should redresse the church Would to God they would For they should be Lux muÌ„di The light of the world they should be shepheards Watchmen they should be builders of Gods church But what if the light become darknes What if the shepheardes become wolues What if the Watchmen lye asleepe what if the builders become ouerthrowers Ieremie saith the Pastours haue ouerthrowen the Uineyard and is it likely that they wil reare it vp again Christ said vnto y e bishops you haue made my house a denne of theeues is it likely that they wil bring it againe to the former state and make it a place of prayer But O merciful God what a building is that like to bee where ignorance is the foundation where ignoraunce is deuotion and the greatest corner stone of the buylding I pray God lighten their hearts w t his holy spirite and make them to bee that they professe themselues to be the light of the world and true labourers in Gods Uineyarde faithful buylders of his house In the meane season let vs remember that in the olde Lawe whensoeuer the Byshoppe grewe out of order God raysed vp sometimes Prophetes sometimes Princes to refourme the churche to redresse things that were amisse and to reedifie the decayes For the Prince is keeper of the Lawe of GOD and that of both Tables as wel of the first that pertayneth to Religion as of the seconde that pertayneth to good order For he is the Head of the people not onelye of the commons and Laâ—â—y but also of the Ministers and Cleargye By that authoritye Moses beynge a Magistrate rebuked Aaron the Bishop for making the golden calfe Ioas beeing a king redressed the riot of the Priestes Salomon being King firste builded the temple of God put down the high Bishop Abiathar and set vp Sadoc Afterwarde the same Temple being polluted was restored not by the Bishoppes but by the Kings Ezechias Iosias Abias Iehosaephat at this time after the captiuitie of Babylon it was restored not by the Bishoppes but by Zorobabel the Prince of Iuda And after the comming of Christ when the Emperours became christened Constantine a Godly Emperour threatned the Bishops if they would not be ruled he would take vppon him to see them punished as hauing in deed authority and power ouer Bishoppes And Iustinianus in his law threatneth the Bishops that if they woulde not make their prayers in a loude voyce that y â— people might say Amen he would punish them with his sworde as hath been sayd before But what needeth more examples When the Arke of God was restored home Dauid being King played the chiefest part Dauid being King made Psalmes and ditties Dauid being King daunced before the Arke and being king set the Bishops Priestes in order And for this cause they are kings euen to serue y â— Lord. And therefore they doe not wel that deuide common weales in two and deuise two heads the one for the
the Sacraments Mary burie their dead in a strange tongue that the People may vnderstand nothing which make a famine of hearing the word of God which stop vp the springes of the water of lyfe which take awaye the Keyes of the Kingdome of Heauen and neither enter in them selues nor suffer them that woulde enter which say ignoraunce is the mother of deuotion the Church is then in best order the people most deuoute when they are hood winckt blinded see nothing These are not fit instrumēts wherwith we may ouercome the aduersaries This is not y e sworde of the spirit these are not the spiritual weapons which cast downe holdes and euery high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God What man that would keepe out his enemy will pul downe his holdes what captaine that meaneth to giue a forcible assault vpon the enemy will discourage his fighting souldiers but our souldiers are out of courage our Castles are falling therefore that which we feare wyll fall vpon vs The oxe that treadeth out the corne is musseled He that goeth a warrefare receiueth not his wages the crye hereof goeth vp into the eares of the Lord of Hostes He wil not abide so great contempt of his worde and preachers his owne name is therby dishonoured Our sauiour saith He that dispiseth you dispiseth mee And S. Paul He y t despiseth these thinges despiseth not man but god And think we that hee wyll suffer his holy name to be despised Nay hys wrath is alreadie kindled He hath already begū his iudgements therfore many places are left desolate There is none that can warne them of their sinne none that can moue them to repentance none that can preach vnto them forgeuenes through Christ none that can instruct them in the comfort of euerlasting life Because they worke such thinges against the Lord the hearts of many are astonied Though they heare they vnderstande not They scorne and ieste at the worde of saluation it is vnto them a sauour of death vnto death they are earthlye minded whose God is their bellie and whose glorie is to their shame For this cause you liue still in your sinnes in adulterie in couetousues and in pride without any feeling of conscience without any feare of God Your daughters your heires to whom you shall leaue your landes are stollen awaye from you Robberies and theft are so common as if it were not onely lawful but also commendable as if sinne were no sinne and he I fire but a fable Thus wee prouoke God to anger Manye walke of whom wee cannot thinke but with weeping they are the enemies of the crosse of Christ the name of God is blasphemed through them Many are so ignoraunt they knowe not what the Scriptures are they knowe not that there are any Scriptures They call them hereticall and newe doctrine Many will beleeue neyther side whatsoeuer they alleadge Bring they trueth bring they falshoode teache they Christ teach they Antichrist they will beleeue neither they haue so hardened their heartes Be the Preacher rough or gentle learned or vnlearned let him vse authority of the scriptures of the doctours of the councels of Decrees or Decretalles of Gods Lawe of mans law nothing wil moue them nothing wil please them because the ministery of God and there by God himselfe is despised These woordes happily seeme sharpe and ouer vehement but the hardnesse of our hearts against GOD and the lacke of zeale of his house inforce me to them We are almost fallen into the lowest pitte we are left without zeale as senselesse men and as if we had cleane forgotten our selues as the Heathen which know not God Therefore vnlesse we repent the kingdome of God shall be taken away from vs. He will send vppon this land a famine of the woorde Hierusalem shall be ouerthrown and made an heape of stones the man of sinne and they which haue not the loue of the trueth shall preuayle with many and withdraw them from obedience to the Prince this noble realme shall be subiect to foreine nations all this will the zeale of the Lorde of hostes bring to passe I could haue spent this time in opening some other matter but nothing in my iudgement is more worthy your good consideration and speedy redresse I would be loth rashly or rudely to abuse the reuerence of this place but vnles these things be cared for vnlesse we shew foorth greater zeale then hitherto if the yeeres to come eate vp and take awaye from the Ministery as the late yeeres haue done there wil not be left within a while any to speake the word of God out of this place The Pulpits shall haue none to vse them the people shal grow wyld and voyd of vnderstanding When Xerxes behelde the greate company of his Souldiers suddenly he brake into teares and wept bitterly One sayde to him O Syr you haue cause to reioyce you haue a goodlye companie they are able to fight for you agaynst any nation But what shall become of them saith Xerxes after a hundred yeeres not one of all these shall be left aliue If the view of the smal number of Preachers might be taken how fewe they are and howe thinne they come vp we haue greater cause then Xerxes to lament if we haue any zeale to the house of GOD. For of the Preachers which nowe are within fewe yeeres none will remayne aliue And Xerxes souldiers lefte issue behinde them which might afterwardes serue their Countrey But there is like to bee small increase for the supplie of Learned men The Lorde shall lacke men to bring in his haruest the little ones shall call for bread and there shall be none to giue it them They that shall come after vs shall see this to bee true There is no house so spoyled as the House of the LORD There is no Seruaunt so little rewarded as the Seruaunt of Christ and the disposer of the mysteries of God Oh that your Grace did beholde the miserable disorder of Gods Church or that you might foresee the calamities which will follow It is a part of your kingdome such a parte as is the principall proppe and stay of the rest I wil say to your Maiesty as Cyrillus sometimes saide to to the godly Emperor Theodosius Valētiniā Abea quae erga Deum est pietate reipublicae vestrae status pendet The good estate welfare of your common wealth hangeth vpon true godlinesse You are our Gouernour you are the Nource of Gods Church We must open this griefe before you God knoweth if it may be redressed it hath growen so long and is runne so farre But if it may be redressed there is no other besides your Highnesse that can redresse it I hope I speake truly that which I speake without flatterie that God hath endued your Grace with such measure of learning knowledge as no other Christian Prince He hath giuen you peace happinesse the loue and