of thys Reame be declyned from the steppes of Sainct Austin and other blessed fathers and Sauntes whych hadde Masse and vii Sacramentes in the Churche and God was honoured night and daye in the Churche wyth deuyne seruyce I thynke there is no man so simple but he maye easelye perceyue except malyce haue blynded hys hearte As in Saint Paules Churche in London by the decrees of blessed Fathers euerye nyght at Mydnyght they hadde Mattyâ—s all the fore none Masses in the Churche wyth other deuyne seruyce and contiuuall prayer and in the Steple antimes and prayers were haâ— certayne tymes That the people of this Realme be swarued from the steppes of Austin I wyll not greatlye stycke wyth hym to graunte but how not in fallynge from anye goodnesse that he vsed for that they eyther keepe styll or the better in stede of it but in refusynge suche abuses as he fyrste beganne and synce hys tyme the Churche of Goode hays bene ouer loden by the Popes oppression withall And because he says that we swarue from Austin and other blessed Fathers and Saintes which hadde masse and vii sacramentes who those Fathers and Saintes be I woulde he â—adde named theym that it myghte be sene how truly he sais I thinke he durst not nor yet can least he be taken with a lowd lie I thinke he meanes that Austin which is called thapostle of Englande and not that other Austin which is taken for one of the iiii Doctors of the Churche There is great difference betwixt them two both in auncientye of time in learninge and godlynesse Thenglysh Austin lyued here vi C. yeare after Christe the other in Aphric CCCC and that the elder Austin and blessed fathers afore him agree better with our reformed religion than with their Popery I boldlye affirme and if hee or his partakers haue or can saye anye thinge to the contrarye they shoulde proue it better than they haue done hitherto or elles the worlde maye iudge that they more proudlye brag as Golias did Gods people than can truly proue it But as Dauid wyth his slinge and stone ouercome that mighty Giaunt so I doubt not but they shall finde many that with the simplicitye of Gods trueth shall be able to confounde their wicked subtilitye I am sure he meanes chefelye the doctrine of the sacrament of Christes bodye and bloude â–ª but in that he is already ouer matched I remember in the time of that blessed kinge Edwarde the. vi D. Kidlay late Bishop of London came in visitacion to Camebridge and because that doctrine of the Sacrament semed straunge than to manye he propounded this proposicion to the hole vniuersitye to dispute on That it could not be proued by any auncient writer Greke or latin which liued a thousande yeare sins or within D. yeare after Christ that the substance of the bread was chaunged in the sacrament to the substaunce of Christes bodye There was the eldest and stoutest champions of the bole vuiuersitye and the pertest lustye yonge princockes also that coulde be pyked out to saye what they coulde ii or iii. dayes together and one while they hadde liberty to speake what they could in defence of it and an other whyle to speak against them that w tstode it with what reasons or autorities they could deuise But the pithy solutions of that godlye learned Byshop were so stroÌ„g than that vnto the world chaunged his enemies praised him and wondert at his learnyng and liked the doctrine so well that their lusty yonker would haue turned Bishop Crammers boke into latin yea maried to as was nedefull if the good Kinge had liued a while longer If this be true in the chefest point of their religion as it is most true in deede that they haue not one auncient writer without wraistinge to seme to make for them it is much more true in the rest There is another conference of late betwix the reuereÌ„d Bishop of Sarum and D. Coole wherein that learned father laies to their charge that for the rest of their trashe whiche they reuerence as bolye reliques they haue neyther Scripture auncient writer Doctor nor generall counsell to defend their doinges The writinges of good Crammer and these learned Byshops are in print and yet vnconfuted and in strength althoughe one attemted with small praise of late to defende D. Coles parte but if they coulde haue gainstand it no manne doubtes of their good wil. They neede not to feare their recognisans fire nor fagot nor anye punnyshement accordinge as they deserue theyr bloudy lawes are laid on slepe though their hartes be bloudy still And because he but onely names particularly masse and. vii Sacramentes and proues it not to bee so I will not vse many wayes in desprouing it for he is not a man of that autority learning nor credite that because he sais it is so therefore streight it must be so be beleued For I maye saye it is not so wyth as good reason as he yf sayinge wythoute proofe were sufficient For their masse I saide inoughe afore and proued of what auncienty it was I declared afore how Gregories masse boke was allowed vii C. lxxvii yeares after Christ and also how Austin by Gregories commaundement oute of suche dyuerse orders of massinge as ye see in other Countries patched their order of masse together that they vsed here in Englande Seing than by their owne Doctours confession it is manifest to be so many yeares after Christ afore their masse tooke place here or els where I may boldlye saye that neuer one holye father afore Gregory knew nor alowed anye suche kinde of massinge for than was no suche thinge made nor vsed These vnto they be aunswered are sufficient For their vii sacramentes I wil not saye muche at thys tyme because he standes not anye thynge in the proofe of theym The question is meter for the learned sorte than the people to try out such narow points The controuersy is more about the woorde and name than the thynge it selfe and vse of it Wee vse vi of theym that he calles Sacramentes as well as they thoughe not without great reason we forbeare to call theym all Sacramentes and differ muche in the doctrine the order and vsinge of theym with other ceremonies and language than they do Baptisme the lordes supper confirmation of Children mariage orderinge of ministers we vse theÌ„ al as wel as they thoughe not in the same sort that they and teache the people to haue theym in reuerence better than they Confession is left free to all that fele theym selues burdened in conscience and wante eyther counsell or comfort and the weake and ignoraunt are moued to resorte to a learned minister to receyue the comfortable promises of absolution and forgeuenes of sinne by the liuely worde of God applied to so troubled a minde as a souerain salue for al such grefes The only controuersye in number than betwix vs is for extreme vnction whether that be so
consâ—â—â— distinc ii We geue the people the â—uppe of Christes bloude as well as 〈◊〉 the Priestes as Ciprian teaches saiyngâ— how do we teach or prouoke them to sheâ—e their bloude in confessinge his name if we deny them that shalbe christes soudiers the bloud of christ or how doe we make them mete to the cuppe of In burials we do not assemble a number of Priestes to swepe purgatorye or bye forgiuenes of synnes of them whiche haue no autoritye to sell but accordinge to Saint Ieroms example we folowe At the death of Fabiola sais he the people of Ro. were gathered to the solemnite of the buriall Psalmes were songe and Alleluia soundinge oute on height did shake the gildet celinges of the Temple Here was one company of yonge menne and there another which did singe the prayses and worthy dedes of the woman And no meruaile if men reioyce of her saluation of whose conuersion Thangelles in heauen be glad thus Ierom vsed burialls likewise Gregory Nazanzene hais his funerall Sermons and Orations in the commendacion of the party departed so hais Ambrose for Theodosius and Ualentinian the Emperours for his brother Satirus c. Their Dirige grotes masses and trentalles tapers and ringinges haue no foundation on the Scripture nor good auncientye to maintaine theym Ierom sais that Alleluia was songe so loude that it made the Churche roofe to shake and our Papes wil not sing Alleluia at all neither at buriall in lent nor Aduent and saye they folowe auncientye Alleluia is as much in Englyshe as praise ye the lorde as thoughe they shoulde saye praise the lorde that hais called his seruaunt out of this miserie to himselfe in heauen But the desperat Papes saye wepe reioyse not for the dead but mistrust of their saluation thinke that they bee gone from one sorowe to another and therfore bie masses apase the Popes proctoures for money inoughe will sel that whiche God can not or will not geue freely as they thinke God is wearye as they saye of wel doing and turned ouer the matter to these the Popes Proctours But Salomon teaches that in death the bodie tournes to earth from whence it came and the soule to him that gaue it Loke how both bodye and soule is bestowed whatsoeuer gredy gaping Cormorauntes do say to get money withall Blessed be the dead that die in the lorde sais Saint Ihon. For they rest from their labours the Papes saye the dead be accursed and goe into purgatory from sorowes here to greater there chose whether ye beleue In mariage as in other thinges beside we are but to much like vnto them that is our fault generally that we differ not more from them in al our ministery We haue all in Englysh where they haue but I N. take thee M. c. And here I would aske Maister schismaticks commenlye and not Protestantes Fascic tempor a booke made by one Munke of their owne sect reherses xxiii schismes betwyr Popes and their partakers whan they fynde the thirde part of to manye amonge the Protestantes than they may haue some face of apparens to cal vs schismatikes At the counseil of Constance were iii. Popes in iii. diuerse Countryes Italy Fraunce and Spayne all claymynge to be chiefe and some Countryes folowed one some another but all were deposed and a iiii chosen litle more thâ— a C. l. yeare sins It were to longe to rehearse al the schismes spoken of who so lust there maye reade This schisme that I named last and the other whan there was one Pope at Rome and another at Auinion in Fraunce rl yeares together are the notablest and troubled the worlde most in striuing who should haue the most folowers and partakers the other I passe ouer for shortnes sake vnto these be considered better of them how they maye defend them selues that they be not proued schismatikes if that be schismaticall seruice whan one differs from another than be all orders of Freers Munkes Chanons Nunnes yorks vse Sarum Bangor c. schismatical for they differ euery one froÌ„ other Now for pullinge downe Altars and ministring the Communion on tables a fewe woordes to trie whether we doe this without reason or example First our sauiour Christ ministred it sittinge at a table Than it is not wicked but but best to folow his doinges for he did all thinges well Saint Luk. sais that the hand of the traitour was with him at the table Saint Paul for the vse of it in his time sais ye can not be partakers of the Lordes table and the table of Deuils where it appeares plain that both Idolaters at their Sacrifices and the Christyans also in their holye mysteries vsed tables Theodor. writes that after Ambrose had excommunicated Themperour Theodosius and receyued him againe to the Churche the Emperour â—ynge flat on the grounde wepinge and tearinge the heare of hys head for sorowe and shame of his offenses he rose vppe and offred at such time sais he as the giftes were offered at the holy table Sozo writes lib. viii ca. vii howe Eutropius fled to the Churche as a Sanctuary for succour because he had offended Themperoure and whan Ihon Byshoppe of Constantinople see him lye afore the holye Communion table he preached vnto him and rebuked him of his pryde whan he was in autoritye The Canon of the great Nicene counsel sais thus In the godly table wee muste not lowlye cleaue to the bread and cuppe set afore vs but lifting vppe oure minde on height by faith we must consider the lambe of God to be set afore vs in that holy table Wherein I note that they all call it a table and not an altar where they ministred the communion This was iiii C. yeare after Christ aboue a thousaunde yeare sins why than Alters were not contynued from the beginninge as they saye and we are not the first that vsed tables but we would gladly restore these olde cusstomes againe If Ambrose lawfullye and well vsed tables at the Communion at Millan and the Byshop at Constantinople in Grece and elles where I see no reason why wee shoulde be rebuked for folowinge them except they can proue that they did it against the Scripture I knowe that the Scripture and olde writers also make mention of altares but that is because Moises in the lawe commaunded theym to offer their sacryfices vppon Aultars because the sacrifices than commenlye vsed were heauye as Oxen calues sheepe c. and tables were not able to stand and beare suche weyghtes contynuallye These sacrifices were a figure and shadowe of that onlye pure sacrifice whiche Christe shoulde offer on the crosse for vs all for as those innocent beasts were killed for other mennes fautes so Christ without sinne shoulde die for the sinnes of the worlde For this cause the crosse wheron Christ our lorde died is called an altar also because the sacrifice for the sins of the whole worlde
for so many dayes fastinge God shall rewarde hym with suche worldly blessinges as please him to appoint In Flaunders euerye saturdaye betwixt Christmas and Candelmas they eate flesh for ioy and haue pardon for it bicause our Ladye laye so longe in child bedde saye they we here may not eat so the Pope is not so good to vs yet surely it were as good reason that we should eat fleshe with them all that while that our lady lay in child bed as that we shuld beare our candel at her churchinge at Candelmas with theym as they doe It is seldome sene that men offer candels at womens churchinges sauinge at oure ladies but reason it is that she haue some preferrement if the Pope woulde be so good maister to vs as let vs fleshe with theym Euery one euen by the Popes lawe is not bounde to faste as children olde folkes women with child pilgrimes poore prisoners labouringe or iorneynge menne and by the consent of the Phisicion and gostlye father euen in the midst of blynd Poperye all sicke persons might eat fleshe at all times And those that be bounde to fast maye bee dispensed with for a litle money That is good holinesse that is bought for so litle money Our sauioure christ seing the Pharases offended with eating meat said to them That which enters in at the mouthe defiles not the manne and whan they woulde not be so satisfied he saide let them alone they be blinde and guides of the blind So surely to such obstinate blinde Papistes as will not learne the fredome of conscience taught in the Scriptures and serue the lorde in singlenes of hart but put their hole deuocion in outward obseruation of mans traditions it maye well be saide lette theym alone they be blinde and guides of the blynde It is the weake conscience that is to be born with as Saint Paul teaches sayinge I had rather neuer eat flesh than offend my brother and not the obstinate wilfull blindnesse of the supersticious that maye learne and will not Whan he hais proued that the protestantes vpon their wilfull lustes and not for such necessary considerations as is here rehersed haue contemptuouslye broken the fasting dayes appointed by commen order he may well rebuke them but there be to manye witnes whiche haue heard manye of them sundry times oute of the solemst places and pulpites in y e realme teache the contrarye therefore none can beleue these hys liynge woordes to be true Breakinge thy faste standes not so muche in eatynge anye kinde of meat as in the quantitye of it or doynge it with contempt of the higher powers and commen order appoynted or elles in offending the weake conscience whiche hais not learned his libertye geuen by god in his holy worde Where he castes in our teeth the breakinge of lent as though that were commaunded by Goddes owne mouth and shoulde be obserued without all excuse they that lust shall see how great diuersities of fastinge Lent haue bene in olde time before and than iudge whither this their one kinde of fastinge Lent be so necssarye Socrat. lib. v. ca. xxii of his ecclesiastical history writes of the diuersites of sundry thinges in the church as kepinge of Easter baptising mariage and the Communion c. Amonge whiche he touches the diuersity of lent fast and sais that the Romanes fasted iii. whole Wekes afore Easter excepte Satturdaye and Sondaye some Grecians fast vi Wekes some begynne vii Wekes afore and fast but. xv dayes in that space and those not all together They differed also in meates for some woulde eate nothing that had life some woulde eate no liuelye thinge but fish some woulde eat both fishe and fowle other forbeare Beryes and Egges other forbeare all thyngs saue dry bread and other wold not eat that some wold not eate afore the. ix houre but than woulde fede of diuers meates Some at one houre of the daye some at another c. If all these christian men serued God and yet hadde such dyuersites of fastynge their Lente why shoulde they be counted euill menne that do no worse than they dydde or swarue but a littel from thys theyr vsed Lent fast Is this so well that nothinge is well but this And bicause they sticke so muche to the Ro. Church note that he sais the Romanes fasted but. iii. wekes why should we than fast sir or how hais Rochaunged this olde custome or maye it be chaunged If it maye not why haue they done it and if it maye why blame they them that do it Polychronic lib. v â—a ir writes that Pope Gregory the. i. ordeined fastinge of all Lent who liued vi C. yeare after Christ than it lackes much of their autoritye and auncientye that they crake so muche of We reade that our Sauiour Christ eate fleshe at his last supper on mauÌ„dy thursday whiche day of all in lent is one of the holyest if Christ than fasted Lent I speake not this because I woulde haue menne to breake the commen appointed order of fastinge without lawefull cause but that I woulde euery man should know the libertye of consciens that Christe hais geuen and taught vs in his word Let euerye manne obey the ordinaunce of the rulers whiche commaunde not anye thinge contrarye to God and let them knowe also the fredom of conscience that they be not boundmen to the creatures which God of loue hais made to serue and not to rule vs. Surelye these people were christened and holye members of the church of christ and yet so shamelesly he crakes so muche of the whole church to maintein their doings Spiridion Byshoppe of a towne in Cyprus whan his fryende came to him on the fasting daye after dinner bade his daughter Irene dresse a piece of bacon because he hadde no other meate in the house naye sais the manne I am a christen man I eat no fleshe on the fastinge daye why sais Spiridion because thou art a christen manne thou shoulde eate O worthy lesson teaching both the mariage of Byshops and also libertye of meates Thirdlye where he belies vs saiynge that we call praier supersticion reade the bookes of prayers whiche the protestauntes haue made the order that they teach to pray in marke their praiers openly in their sermons with what seruent zeale it is done and iudge than how falsly he misreportes them But if he meane the praiers of munks Freers Bunnes c. we will not greatlye sticke to graunte them to be so in dede and good reasons we haue out of their owne â—oâ—tours why to say so Saint ThoÌ„ in his scdaÌ„ scde quest xcii writes that it is supersticion whan a manne is to holye As whan he is so Pope holy that he beleues thinges not to be beleued feares thinges not to be feared worships thinges not to be worshipped or does thinges as holy which be not holy in dede Conferre these sayinges with munkish prayers and suche like and see whether we saye
true Thinges necessary to be beleued are writen onelye in the scriptures so be thinges to be worshipt to be feared as godly or counted holy are taught there onlye Than he that beleues more than the holy Byble teaches or worshyppes feares other Gods than the onely liuing God or does any thing for the seruice of God or countes holye that which is not taught there generallye he is supersticious and the vse of the thynge it selfe is supersticion The Englyshe worde is the harder because we vse the Latin worde supersticion and makes it Englishe But the Greke woorde makes the nature of it and the things afore rehersed playner by much There be ii Greke wordes signifyinge this supersticion Ethelothresceia and deisidaemonia the further word signifies as the interpretacion of it declares all suche relygyous woorshyppinge of God as manne dcuises on hys owne heade and is not taught in the holye Scrypture So sais the glosse Colloss ii whan mannes tradicion is taken for religion than it is supersticion As eyther to worshyppe anye other God than the onelye true liuinge God or to worshyppe the onelye Godde other wayes than he hais appointed vs in his word as with Ladye Psaltars trentals pilgrimages c. And because the chefe part of godly worshippe standes in prayinge to God and callynge on him in our necessities with a stedstast beliefe of hys holye worde and promise He that cals on anye creature but Godde alone for helpe or beleues other doctrine necessary to saluation than Gods boke alone he is well called supersticious The latter word signifies that godly feare in their opinion whiche is due to Godde alone whiche who so euer gyues to anye other creature besyde the true God he is supersticious also As they that to knowe thynges to come wyll counsell wyth spirits or in their sicknes or trouble seke helpe at their hands hang vpon the sterres for lucky or unlucky dates or feare any creature more then the lord creator Al the popes creatures therfore be supersticious puttinge their holines and religion in their â—owles cloisters order inueÌ„ted of men and fearing more to breake the rule of Austin Dominie Benet than of anye Appostle Euangelyste or Chryste hymselfe They also be superstycious that put holinesse in meates dayes times places beades holy water palme crosse pardons S. Agathes letters for burninge houses thorne bushes for lightnings c. Lerne therfore to put difference betwix religion and supersticion and than ye shall easely knowe how we disalow no prayer but the supersticious The Scribes and Pharises prayed at euery corner of the stretes and fasted oft yet our Sauioure Christ rebuked them not condemninge prayer but their misusinge of it So we will euery manne to praye in euery time and place yet supersticion we abhorre in all sortes of menne prayer time and place What wicked blindenes is this than to thinke that bearing prayers written in rolles aboute wyth theym as S. Iohns Gospell the length of our lord the measure of our Lady or other like thei shal die no sodain death â—ot he hanged or yf he be hanged he shall not die There is to manye suche though ye laugh and beleue it not and not hard to shewe them with a wet finger Prayer than is of ii sorts either in begging that that we want or geuing thankes for that which we haue receyued and it is the earnest liftinge vp of a mans minde to God or a familiar and reuerent talke and complainte to oure heauenly father of oure miseries with a â—rauinge of his mercies and trusting tâ— obtayne of his mercye that whiche shall be necessarye or els an humble thankes geuinge for hys liberall benefytes so plenteouslye bestowed on vs vndeserued These stande in depe sighes and groninges wyth a ful consideration of our miserable state and Goddes maiestye in the heart and not in ynke or paper not in hangyng written scrolles about the necke but lamentinge vnfeynedlye oure sinnes from the hart accusinge aud condemninge our selues and beggynge pardon for them not in speakynge a number of woordes wyth the lippes vnconsideratlye be they neuer so holy but with bitter teares weiyng froÌ„ the heart euery syllable that he thinkes or speakes Thus prayed Anna to haue a son i. kin i. so sorowfullye pouringe out her grefes afore God in her mynde that the Priest seinge her lyppes moue and hearynge not her wordes thought she had bene dronken Thus earnestlye called Moyses on Godde in his sorowfull meditacion That the Lorde sayde to him why cries thou so to me and yet we reade not that he spake anye worde at all The other is lyplabour in speakynge much or saying a great number of their owne deuised prayers or elles a charminge thinkinge that in certayne wordes speaking they could make thinges come to passe as they lust These with suche other as popery is ful of we say be supersticious Lastlye be burdens vs with breaking al lawes of the church ciuil canon and the Realme in that we say mariage of Priestes is lawfull This is that which may not be borne this is thought so hanâ—us that Christen men should not suffer it If he were learned he could neuer haue heaped so many lyes together Al writers confesse that the greke churche in the east part of the worlde which is the greater part of christendome neuer forbade their Priestes mariage nor doe at this daye For the west and Latin Churche nowe will I trie a little whether anye suche haue bene borne by lawe or no. Hildebrand commenlye called Gregorye vii who for his deedes might be turned and cald a hell brand was the first that euer brought aboute but with muche a doe that Priestes should not marye and the maried shuld lose eyther their wiues or liuinges but the Priestes of Spane withstode him by their Byshop Some afore attemted it but neuer one coulde compasse it This Pope lyued aboute the conquest v. C. yeare sins and syns the begynnynge of the worlde vnto hys tyme it was not brought to passe There is a great difference in continuaunce of time than that mariage was alowed and a small that they were forbidden In Moyses law it was not forbidden two thousand yeare afore Christ Peter Thapostle and Philip Theuangelist were maried and had daughters Gregory Bishop of Naâ—anâ—um was Byshoppe there as hys father was afore him Polychrates Byshop of Ephesus says that vii of his cosins and auncetours had bene Byshoppes afore him Whan Phileas Bishop of Chinnâ— was ledde to martirdome the greatest reason they had to perswade him to recant was that he woulde haue pitye on his wife Eustathius and his scholers are blamed bicause they despised maried priestes These amonge the Grecians I trust proue that the Church hais had maried Priestes of olde time The. l. Canon of The Appostles says If anye Byshoppe Priest Diacon or any of the Clergye forbeare mariage fleshe and wyne not for that his mynde