publike Churches Neither doe I see howe the Heathen in those daies would haue suffered these ornaments to be vnconsumed which would not suffer the Bishops themselues to liue amongst them Notwithstanding Isidorus and Polydorus iudge the contrary Betweene this Stephen and Cyprian Byshop of Carthage was a great contention about rebaptising of heretickes whereof more hereafter Christ willing shall be saide Besides these Byshops aboue specified diuers other there were also sent into banishmēt vnder the forenamed Emperours Gallus Volusianus as appeareth by Dionysius writing to Hermammon on this wise that Gallus not seeyng the euill of Decius nor foreseeing the occasion of his seductiō and ruine stumbled himselfe also at the same stone lying open before his eyes For at the first beginning when his Empire went prosperously foreward and all thinges went luckely with him afterward he draue out holy men which praied for his peace and safegarde and so with them reiected also the praiers which they made for him c. Eusebius Lib. 7. cap. 1. Otherwise of any bloudshed or any Martirs that in the time of this Emperour were put to death we doe not read After the raigne of which Emperour Gallus and of his sonne Volusianus being expired who reigned but ij yeares Emelianus which slewe them both by ciuill sedition succeeded in their place who reigned but three monethes was also slayne Next to whom Valerianus his sonne Gallienus were aduaunced to the Empire About the chaunging of these Emperours the persecution which first began at Decius afterwarde slacked in the time of Gallus was now extinguished for a time partly for the great plague raigning in all places partly by the change of the Emperors although it was not very long For Valerianus in the first entraunce of the Empire for the space of iij. or foure yeres was right courteous and gentle to the people of God well accepted to the Senate Neither was there any of all the Emperors before him no not of the which openly professed Christ that shewed himselfe so louing and familiar toward the Christians as he did in so much that as Dionysius writing to Herman doth testifie all hys whole courte was replenished with holy Saintes seruantes of Christ and godly persons so that his house might seeme to be made a Church of God But by the malice of Sathan through wicked counsell these quiet dayes endured not very long For in processe of tyme this Valerianus beyng charmed or incensed by a certayne Egiptian a chiefe ruler of the Heathen Synagoge of the Egiptians a mayster of the Charmers or inchaunters who in deede was troubled for that he could not do his Magicall feates for the Christians was so farre infatuated and bewitched that through the detestable prouocations of that deuilishe Egyptian he was wholly turned vnto abhominable Idols and to execrable impietie in sacrificing young infāts and quartering bodies and deuiding the entrals of childrē new borne and so proceeding in his fury moued the eight persecution agaynst the Christians whom the wicked Egyptian coulde not abide as being the hinderers and destroyars of hys Magicall enchauntinges about the yeare of our Lord. 259. The eight Persecution IN the which persecution the chiefe administers and executours were Emilianus President of Egipt Paternus and Galerius Maximus Proconsuls in Aphrica Bergomensis also maketh mention of Paternus Uicegerent of Rome and of Perennius Vincentius speaketh also of Nicerius and Claudius Presidentes c. What was the chiefe originall cause of this persecution partly is signified before where mention was made of the wicked Egiptian But as this was the outward and politicall cause so S Cyprian sheweth other causes more speciall and Ecclesiasticall in his iiii booke Epist. 4. whose wordes be these but we sayth he must vnderstand and confesse that thys turbulent oppression calamitie which hath wasted for the most part all our whole company and doth dayly consume riseth chiefly of our owne wickednes sinnes while we walke not in the way of the Lord nor obserue his preceptes left vnto vs for our institution The Lord obserued the will of his father in all poynts but we obserue not the will of the Lord hauing all our minde and study set vpon lucre possessions geuen to pryde full of emulation and dissention voyde of simplicitie and faythfull dealing renouncing thys world in word onely but nothing in deede euery man pleasing himselfe and displeasing all other And therefore are we thus scourged and worthely For what stripes and scourges doe wee not deserue when the confessors themselues such as haue byd the tryall of their confession and such as ought to be an example to the rest of well doyng doe keepe no discipline And therfore because some such there be proudly puft vp with this swelling and vnmannerly bragging of their confession these tormentes come such as doe not easely send vs to the crowne except by the mercy of God some being takē away by quicknes of death do preuēt the tediousnes of punishimēt These things do we suffer for our sinnes and desertes as by the Lordes censure we haue bene forewarned saying If they shall forsake my lawe and will not walke in my iudgementes If they shall prophane my institutions and will not obserue my preceptes I will visite their iniquities with the rod and their transgressions with scourges These rods and scourges sayth he we feele which neyther please God in our good deedes nor repent in our euill deedes Wherefore the sayd Cyprian adding this exhortation withall exhorted them to pray and intreate from the bottome of their hart and whole minde the mercy of God which promiseth saying but yet my mercy I will not scatter from them c. Let vs aske and wee shall obtayne and though sayth Cyprian it be with tariance yet for so much as we haue greeuously offended let vs continue knocking for to him that knocketh it shal be opened if our prayers sighinges and weepinges knocke still at the dore with continuance and if our prayers be ioyned together with brotherly agreement c. Moreouer what vices were then principally raygning among the Christians hee further specifieth in the sayd Epistle which chiefly were deuision and dissention among the brethren For when it was spoken to them in a vision by these wordes Petite impetrabitis that is Pray and ye shall obtayne afterward it was required of the congregation there present to direct their prayers for certayne persons assigned to them by name but they could not agree and cōdescend altogether of the names and persons of them which they should pray for but were dissonant in their consent and petition whiche thing sayth Cyprian did greatly displease hym that spake vnto them Pray and ye shal obtayne for that there was no vniforme equalitie of voyce and hart nor one simple and ioynt concorde among the brethren whereof it is written the Psalme 67. God which maketh to dwell in
the olde vnto the young namely men of holy Church breken his hest and few Bishoppes pursuen hem therfore The 15. Article is this that I shoulde haue taught to true men of Christ that on no maner they should worship the Image of him that was done on the crosse or the Image of the blessed mayd his mother or of other Sayntes into honor and worship of the same ordeinet in the minde of them And oft sithes the worshipper of such Image he has reprouet saying and strongly affirming that Church men sinnen and done Idolatry This conclusion haue I not sayd in these termes But this I say with protestation that God commaūdes in his law in diuers places Exod. 20. Leuit. 19. 26. Deut. 5. 7. Tobiae 1. Baruc. 6.2 ad Corin. 10. Esay 45. Iere. 2.6.8 10.22 vltimo Sapient 13. 14. 15. Mac. 5. Threnorum 4. postremo that men should not worshippē grauen Images that ben werkes of mens handes And also he bids that mē should not make to hem grauen Images in likenesse of the thinges that bene in heauen to that end to worshippen hem sethen neither God ne Christ by his manhood gaue neuer commaundement to make thes Images ne expresse counsell ne his Apostles in all his law ne to worship such that bene made But wel I wote that by mens owne relation that haue misbeleuet in hem that many mē sinnen in manmetry worshipping such dead Images Notforthy to tho men bene Images good to whom they bene but kalēdars and through the sight of hem they knowen the better and worshippen oft God and his Saints And to such mē they done harme that settē her hope and trust in hem or done any worship to hem agaynst Gods law his hest Vnde ait Gregorius in Registro libro 10. in Epistola ad Serenum Episcopum Si quis imagines facere voluerit minimè prohibe adorare omnino prohibe Sed hoc solicitè fraternitas tua admoneat vt ex visione rei gestae ardorem compunctionis percipiant vt in adoratione totius trinitatis prosternantur These conclusions poyntes and articles that I haue vnder protestation in this booke affirmed I will stand by hem and maintayne hem with the grace of almighty god to the time that the cōtrary be prouet dewly by Gods law And this protestation I make for my fayth and my beliefe as I did the beginning that whensoeuer this worshipfull or any other Christē man shewes me verayly by gods law the contrary of this I will holy forsake hem and take me to the veray trouth and better vnderstanding of wiser men redy to be amended by the law of Iesu Christ and be a true Christen man faythfull sonne of holy church And of these I beseech you all bere witnes where ye commen Subsequenter vero quia fide dignorum relatione recepimus quod idem Gulielmus Swinderby latitabat quo minus posset in propria person a citari ipsum Gulielmum vijs modis per Edictum publicum ad instar albi praetoris in Ecclesia nostra cathedrali Herfordensi parochialibus ecclesijs de Kington Croste Whitney nostrae diocesis vbi idem Gulielmus solebat commorari citari fecimus prout quemadmodum in modo citatorio continetur cuius tenor sequitur in haec verba ¶ The Citation IOhn by Gods permission Byshop of Hereford to his deare sons our Deane of Leamster to the persons of Croft Almaly and Whitney and also to the Vicars of Kingston Iardersley Wiggemore and Monmouth Clifford and of S. Iohns aultar in our cathedrall Church of Hereford and to the rest of the Deanes Parsons Vicars Chapleines parish Priestes and to other whosoeuer in any place are appoynted through our city and dioces of Hereford sendeth greeting grace and benediction We bid and commaund charging you straitly in the vertue of holy obedience that you cite or cause to be cited peremptorily and vnder the payne of excommunication William Swinderby pretending himselfe to be a Priest That he appeare before vs or our Commissaryes the 20. day of this present moneth of Iuly at North Lodebury within our dioces which the continuance of the dayes following in other places also to be assigned vnto him if it be expedient till such thinges as haue bene and shall be layde agaynst him be fully discussed to aunswere more at large to certayne positions and articles touching the Catholicke fayth and the holy mother Churches determination that haue bene exhibited and ministred vnto the sayd William And to see and heare also many thinges that haue openly in indgement before vs and a great number of faythfull Christians by him bene euen in writing confessed to be condemned as hereticall false schismaticall and erroneous And to see and heare positions and Articles denied by the sayd William to be proued by faythfull witnesses and other lawfull trials against the sayd William And to receiue for his false hereticall erroneous and schismaticall doctrine that iustice shall appoynt or els to shew causes why the premisses shoulde not bee done And if the sayd William lieth priuely or els cannot be so cited in his proper person we will that in your Churches when most people shall then come together to diuine seruice you opēly with a loud voyce and that may be vnderstanded cause the said William peremptorely to be cited vnto the premisses certifying the same William that whether he shall appeare the day and place appointed or no we notwithstanding will proceed vnto the premisses agaynst the sayd William according to the canonicall decrees by forme of law in the absence or contumacy of the sayde William notwitstanding We will moreouer if the sayd William shall appeare at the sayd day and place as is aforesayde before vs frendly heare him and honestly and fauorably as farre as we may with Gods leaue deale with him graunting free licence to come and to go for his naturall liberty without any hurt either in body or goods And see that you fully certify vs of the thinges that you or any of you shall do about the execution of this our commaundement and that by your letters patentes signed with your seale autenticall geuing also faythsully to the sayde William or to his lawfull Proctor if he require it a copye of this our present commaundement Geuen at our house of Whitburne vnder our seale the fift day of the moneth of Iuly in the yeare of our Lord. 1391. ¶ The act of the first day On Thursday the xx of Iuly in that yeare of the Lord aforesaid We in the parish church of North Lidebury afore sayd about 6 of the clocke sitting in iudgement after that it was reported vnto vs how the foresayd Williā was personally taken and lawfully cited Caused the sayd William then and there openly in iudgement to be called out to do heare and receiue such thinges wherto he was afore cited to do otherwise
of warres among the Christiās in any case to be lawful for he himself before hath opēly protested the contrary But that his purpose is to proue the Pope in all his doings teachings more to be addicted to warre thē to peace yea in such cases wher is no necessity of war And therin proueth he the Pope to be contrary to Christ the is to be Antichrist Now he proceedeth further to the second part which is of mercy In the which part he sheweth how Christ teacheth vs to be merciful because mercye as he sayth proceedeth frō charity and nourisheth it In which doctrine of mercye he breaketh not the law of righteousnes for he himself by mercy hath clensed vs from our sinnes from which we coulde not by the righteousnes of the law be clensed But whom he hath made cleane by mercye vndoubtedly it behoueth those same to be also merciful For in the v. chapiter of Mathew he sayth Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtaine mercy And againe in the 6. of Mathew If ye forgeue vnto men their sinnes your father will forgeue vnto you your sinnes And againe in the vij chapter of Mathewe Iudge not ye shal not be iudged condemne not and ye shal not be condemned with what measure ye measure with the same shal it be measured vnto you againe In the xviij chap. of Mathew Peter asked the lord saying Lord how often shal my brother sinne agaynst me and I shall forgeue him seuen times Iesus sayd vnto him I say not vnto thee seuen times but seuentie times seuen tymes Therefore is the kingdome of heauen likened vnto a certaine king which would take accōpt of his seruants And when he had begun to reckē one was brought vnto hym which ought him tenne thousand talents And because he had nothing where withal to pay his maister commaūded him to be solde and his wife and his children and all that he had and the debt to be payd The seruaunt therefore fell downe and besought him saying haue pacience with me and I wil pay thee all And the Lord had pity on that seruant and loosed him and forgaue him the debt But when the seruant was departed he found one of his fellow seruaunts which ought him an hundred pence and he layed handes on him and tooke him by the throte saying pay me that thou owest and his fellowe fell downe and besought him saying Haue pacience with me and I will pay thee all But he would not but went and cast hym into prison till he shoulde pay the debt And when his other fellowes saw the things that were done they were very sorye and came declared vnto their maister all that was done Then his maister called him and said vnto him O thou vngratious seruant I forgaue thee al that debt when thou desiredst mee Oughtest thou nor then also to haue such pity on thy felow euē as I had pity on thee And his lord was wroth and deliuered him vnto the Iaylers till he should pay all that was due vnto him So likewise shall my heauēly father do vnto you except ye forgeue from your hartes eche one to his brother their trespasses By this doctrine it is most plaine and manifest that euery Christiā ought to be mercifull vnto his brother how often soeuer he offendeth against him Because we so often as we offend do aske mercy of God Wherfore for asmuch as our offence agaynst God is farre more grieuous then any offence of our brother agaynst vs it is playne that it behooueth vs to be merciful vnto our brethren if we wil haue mercy at Gods hand But contrary to this doctrine of mercy The Romish bishop maketh confirmeth many lawes which punishe offenders euen vnto the death As it is plaine by the processe of the decrees Distin 23. quest 5. It is declared and determined that to kill men ex officio that is hauing authority and power so to do is not sinne And againe the souldiour which is obediēt vnto the higher power and so killeth a man is not guilty of murther And againe he is the minister of the Lord which smiteth the euil in that they are euill and killeth thē And many other such like thinges are throughout the whole processe of the question determined That for certayne kinds of sinnes men ought by the rigour of the law to be punished euen vnto death But the foundation of their saying they tooke out of the olde law in which for diuers transgressions were appointed diuers punishments It is very much wōderful vnto me why that wyse men being the authors makers of lawes do alwayes for the foundation of their sayings looke vpon the shadow of the lawe and not the light of the gospel of Iesus Christ for they geue not heede vnto the fygure of perfection nor yet vnto the perfection figured Is it not written in that 3. of Iohn God sent not his sōne into the world to iudge the world but to saue the world by him In Iohn the 8. chap. The scribes and phariseis bring in a woman taken in adultery and let her in the middest and sayd vnto Christ Maister euen nowe this woman was taken in adultery But in the lawe Moises hath cōmaunded vs to stone such What sayest thou therfore This they sayd to tempt him that they might accuse him But Iesus stouped downe and with his finger wrote on the ground And while they continued asking him he lift himselfe vp and sayd vnto them let him that is among you without sinne cast the first stone at her And agayne he stouped and wrote on the ground And when they heard it the went out one by one beginning at the eldest so Iesus was lefte alone and the woman standing in the midst When Iesus had lift vp himselfe agayne he said vnto her where be they which accused thee hath no man condemned thee She sayd no man Lord. And Iesus sayd vnto her Neyther do I condemne thee Goe thy way and sinne now no more It is manifest by the scriptures the Christ was promised he should be king of the Iews vnto the kings pertained the iudgements of the law but because he came not to iudge sinners according to the rigor of the law but came according to grace to saue that which was lost in calling the sinner to repentaunce it is most playne that in the comming of the law of grace he would haue the iudgement of the lawe of righteousnes to cease for otherwise he had dealt vniustly with the foresayd woman forasmuch as the witnesses of her adultery bare witnes against her Wherfore seeing the same king Christ was a iudge if it had bene his will that the righteousnes of the law shoulde be obserued he ought to haue adiudged the woman to death according as the law commaunded whiche thing forasmuch as he did not it is most euident that the iudgementes of the righteousnes of
to haue had diuers prophetical reuelations shewed to him of God Certaine of which his letters and predictions I thought here vnderneath to insert in such sort as neither in reciting all I will ouercharge the volume too much nor yet in reciting of none I wil be so brief but that the reader may haue some taste and take some profit of the Christian wrytings and doings of this blessed man Firste beginning with the letter of the Lorde Clum concerning the safeconduct of Iohn Hus. A letter of the Lorde Iohn de Clum concerning the safeconduict of Iohn Hus. TO all and singulare that shall see and heare these presentes I Iohn de Clum doe it to vnderstande howe maister Iohn Hus Bacheler of diuinitie vnder the safeconduicte and protection of the renowned prince and Lorde Sigismund of Romaines semper Augustus and king of Hungarie c. My gracious Lorde and vnder the protection defence and safegarde of the holy Empire of Rome hauing the letters patent of the said my Lorde king of Romaines c. came vnto Constance to render a full counte of hys faith in publicke audience to al that would require the same This the saide M. Iohn Hus in this Imperiall Citie of Constance vnder the safeconduict of the said my Lord king of Romaines hath bene and yet is deteined And although the Pope with the Cardinalles haue bene seriously required by solemne Ambassadours of the sayd my Lord king of Romaines c. in the kings name behalfe that the said maister Iohn Hus should be set at libertye and be restored vnto me yet notwythstanding they haue and yet do refuse hitherto to set him at liberty to the great coÌ„tempt derogation of the safeconduct of the king of the safegard and protection of the Empire or Emperial maiestie Wherefore I Iohn aforesaide in the name of the king do here publish and make it known that the apprehending and deteining of the sayde M. Iohn Hus was done wholy against the wil of the fornamed king of Romains my Lord seeing it is done in the contempt of the safeconducte of hys subiects and of the protection of the Empire because that the sayde my Lord was then absent farre from Constance and if he had ben there present woulde neuer haue permitted the same And when hee shall come it is to be doubted of no man but that hee for this great iniury and contempt of this safeconducte done to him to the Empire wil greuously be molested for the same Geuen at CoÌ„stance in the day of the natiuitie of the Lord 1414. ¶ In this instrument aboue prefixed note gentle reader 3. things First the goodnes of this gentle Lord Iohn de Clum being so feruent and zelous in the cause of Iohn Husse or rather in the cause of Christ. Secondly the safeconduct graunted vnto the sayde I. Hus vnder the faith and protection of the Emperor and of the Empire Thirdly here is to be sene the contempt and rebellion of these proud prelates in disobeying the authority of their high Magistrate who contrary to his safeconduct geuen and the mind of the Emperor did arest and imprison this good man before the comming of the sayd Emperor before that Iohn Hus was heard Let vs nowe as we haue promised adioyne some of the epistles of this godly man An Epistle of Iohn Hus vnto the people of Prage in his owne vulgare speeche GRace and peace from our Lorde Iesus Christ that you being deliuered from sinne may walke in his grace and may growe in all modesty and vertue and after this may enioy eternall life Derely beloued I beseeche you which walke after the law of God that you cast not away the care of the saluatioÌ„ of your soules wheÌ„ as you hearing the word of God are premonished wisely to vnderstand that you be not deceiued by fals apostles which do not reprehend the sinnes of men but rather doe extenuate and diminish them which flatter the priests and doe not shewe to the people their offences which magnify themselues boast their own workes and maruelously extol their owne worthines but follow not Christ in his humility in pouerty in the crosse and other manifold afflictions Of whome our merciful sauiour did premonish vs before saying false Christes and fals Prophets shal rise and shall deceiue many And when he had forewarned his welbeloued disciples he said vnto them beware and take hede of false Prophets which come to you in shepes clothing but inwardly are rauening wolues ye shal know them by their fruits And truth it is that the faithful of Christ haue much neede diligently to beware and take hede vnto themselues For as our sauiour himselfe doth say the elect also if it were possible shal be brought into error Wherefore my welbeloued be circumspect and watchful that ye be not circumuented with the crafty trains of the deuil And the more circumspect ye ought to be for that antichrist laboureth the more to trouble you The last iudgement is nere at hande death shal swallow vp many but to the electe children of God the kingdome of God draweth nere because for them he gaue his own body Feare not death loue together one an other perseuere in vnderstanding the good wil of God without ceasing Let the terrible horrible day of iudgement be alwaies before your eies that you sinne not and also the ioy of eternal life wherunto you must endeuor Furthermore let the passion of our sauioure be neuer out of youre minds that you may bear with him for him gladly whatsoeuer shal be laid vpon you For if you shal consider well in your mindes his crosse afflictions nothing shal be greuous vnto you patiently you shal geue place to tribulations cursings rebukes stripes and prisonment and shal not dout to geue your liues moreouer for his holy truth if nede require Knowe ye welbeloued that antichrist being stirred vp against you deuiseth diuers persecutions And many he hath not hurte no not the least heire of their heads as by mine owne example I can testify although hee hathe ben vehemently incensed against me Wherefore I desire you all with your praiers to make intercessioÌ„ for me to the lord to geue me intelligence sufferance patâ—ence and constancie that I neuer swarue from his diuine verity He hath brought me now to Constance In all my iourney openly and manifestly I haue not feared to vtter my name as becommeth the seruant of God In no place I kept my selfe secrete nor vsed any dissimulation But neuer did I finde in any place more pestilent and manifest ennemies then at Constance Which enemies neither should I haue had there had it not ben for certain of our owne Bohemians hypocrites deceiuers who for benefits receiued and stirred vp with couetousnes with boasting and bragging haue perswaded the people that I weÌ„t about to seduce them out of the right way But I am in good hope that through the mercy of our God and
the old lawe which be not obserued nowe Many thinges vnlawful in the old law which be lawful now How Christ did loose and not loose the lawe Free iustification by fayth onely Grace that is free fauour mercy goodnes of God Rom. 5. Hebrews 9. Christ entreth not into the temple made by man but to very heauen The sacrifice of Christ not many tymes offered but once for all Hebrew 10. All shadowes ought to cease among Christians Hebrewes 7. Where the priesthood is remoued there also the law is remoued * 〈…〉 God 〈…〉 not 〈◊〉 but no 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 by 〈…〉 and not by the old law The 〈◊〉 ceasing the effect also ceaseth He meaâ—â—â—â— that neceâ—â—tie of tithe which â—â—â—deth by the neceâ—â—â—â— the old â—â—â— to cease If tithes be claymed by force of the ólde law by the same law priestes are boundâ— to haue â—â— temporalties He proueth not coÌ„tâ—â—â— but the 〈◊〉 thes be 〈◊〉 by the positiue law of man Although not by the ceremoniall law of Moses Circumciâ—â— ceaseth Ergo the ceremonies doe cease Galat. 4. Chrisâ—â— libertie from the bondage of the lawe Bounde in one thing hee meaneth bound in all Either beâ—â— to all or to none * Here hee expresseth his meaning plainly The one is disalowed the other is not commaunded Priestes wrest religion to theyr owne profit Tithes not expreslye commanded a newe by Christ in the Gospell Math. 6. 1. Tim. 6. Tythes not required in the primitiue church Tithes due to be payde by the positiue lawe of men The doctrine of Christ whether it be contrary to the traditions of the pope or not Math. 5. The doctrine of Christ and of the P. compared The glose of Gratianus vpon the cap. Paratus 23. q. 1. disproued Christ in aunswering to his striker did not breake his rule of patience outwardly The precept of Christ to turne the other cheek hath a priuy comparison as if ye would say rather be you content to suffer two blows then to reuenge one This article of Brute must haue a relation euer to the doctrine of the clergie The case here againe of Christ was priuate and his doctrine is to be vnderstanded in priuate cases Warre in case allowed of W. Brute He meaneth resistance for priuate cause or for worldly goods Pacience commanded in priuate causes among Christen brethren The inconuenience of priuate resistance amoÌ„g Christen brethren Paule being striken did not breake the rule of Christen patience neither made any bodely resistance The fact either of Paul or of any other doeth not derogate to the doctrine of our Sauiour Rom. 12. Rules of Christen patience 1. Cor. 5. He meaneth such warres of ChristiaÌ„s as the pope aloweth rising rather of priuate reuenge of princes for worldly glory or affection theÌ„ for any publike necessitie Ephe 6. Corporall wars in the old Testament be figures of the spirituall warres in the new Testament against sin and the deuill What be the wars most proper to Christians All this taketh not away the lawfulnes of warres in case of publike necessitie but onely in priuate case for temporall goods * Note this word without charitie Such kynde of wars that is suche kinde as be for priuate reuenge of temporall goods How Iohn Baptist alowed war They that be lesse in the kingdom of heauen greater then Iohn Baptist expounded He meaneth at those wars against 〈◊〉 sur 〈◊〉 and procured by â—â— pope vpâ—â— blind superstition to fight for the â—oâ—y lande 〈◊〉 taâ—â—â— by prinâ—â—â— in the â—â—essary â—â—â—sence of â—â—â—selues â—â— of their â—â—â—ntrey Obiection Answere â—egibus aâ—â—dum non exemplis True miracles here of holy men be â—â— disproued but speaâ—â—ng vniuersity the â—â—ple doctrine and worde of God is the â—â—â—e rule for men to followe â— Reg. 22. Acâ—s deâ—â—â—ed by â—â—â—se prophets Iere. 23. Prophets must be tryed by doctrine Marke 13. 1. Cor. 11. False prophets Apoc. 13. Myracles are to be tryed Math. 7. The seruauntes of Christ discerned by working not of miracles but of vertues Men or women are not rashly to be iudged Saintes This propositioÌ„ of Walter Bruit concerning the war of Christians not to be lawfull is not to bee taken vniuersally but in particular case as he meaneth which is this that such wars alowed of the pope not for the necessary defence of publike peace libertie and sauegard of our countries or against publike iniuries offered but onely to go kill the infidels because they beleeue not hauing no other cause those warres of the pope hee lyketh not Doctrine of Christian mercy declared Math. 5. Math. 6. Math. 7. Math. 18. Mercy and pitie commended among Christians Mercy and compassion necessary to all Christians The pope contrary to Christ in shewing mercy 23.9.5 The foundation of the foresayde 5. quest caus 23. in the popes decrees taken onely out of the old Testament and nothing out of the newe The makers of the popes law follow not the perfect rule Iohn 1. Iohn 8. Heere is mâ—t to be vnderstand not what publike nâ— gistrates may doe in cases of â—â—gh teousnes but what ecclesiastical persons according to the office of their profession should doe in not reuenging by death as they doe by offices Whether the iudiciall law of Moises fullye now after the coÌ„ming of Christ standeth in force or not The law of Moses of all lawes most iustest * His marcell is not so much why theeues are put to deth but why the Iudiciall lawe of Moses in this point is broken in other points is straightly kept Mark his meaning * Take his meaning wisely gentle reader his mind is not so that no magistrate being not without sin may punish a transgressioâ—s but he speaketh against such churchmeÌ„ whoÌ„ professing the rule of mercy shew no mercy at all but â—â— rigor by their law ex officâ—â— * 〈◊〉 meaâ—â— of the 〈◊〉 and of â—â—lergic â—â— speketh 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 of reâ—â—â— not 〈◊〉 the â—â—cution â—â—cesiary 〈◊〉 done by â—â—â—â—trates â—â—e dreame â—â—â—â—uchoâ—â—our â—â—â—erning â—â—â—â—ge â—â—â—â—ded â— Damel The Iudaiâ—â—ll necessitie of those â—â—â—es hee â—eaneth to â—â—â—se notwithstanâ—â—g Chriâ—â—n princes â—â—â— borrow â—â—th out of 〈◊〉 â—â—â—es and out of al 〈◊〉 what 〈◊〉 thinke â—â—â—â— exâ—â—â—ent for 〈◊〉 comâ—â—â— weale His purpose is not thaâ— no euill doer should be punished in a common welth but his relation is to the 23. q. 5. asoresaid noting causes of religion which the Pope and his prelates are wont to punish with death taking many times for Tares that which in deed is pure wheate 1. Cor. 5. Hereby it appeareth that all his relation in this matter toucheth onely the cases of heresie and opinions in religion By this it appeareth againe that his respect is onely to the pope and his prelates of the church and not to ciuill magistrates The example of Peter slaying Ananias and Saphira falsly wrasted of the papists Peter not the cause of the death of Ananias and Saphyra The wedding garment what it is The death of Ananias and his wife what information
are vnprofitable seruants ye haue done but what your bound duety was to doe Luc. 17. Againe here also is to be vnderstand that where such rewardes be ascribed vnto mens deedes it is not for the worthines of the deede it selfe but for the faith of the dooer which faith maketh the worke to bee good in Gods sight for els if an infidell should do the same worke that the christian doth it were nothing but meere sinne before god In that therefore the christian mans worke is accepted be it neuer so small as to giue a cup of cold water the same is onely for his fayth sake that doth it and not for the worke which is done Whereby againe we may learne how faith onely doth iustifie a man and that three maner of wayes First it iustifieth the person in making him accepted and the child of God by regeneration before he begin to doe any good worke Secondly it iustifieth a man from sinne in procuring remission and forgiuenes of the same Thirdly it iustiâ—ieth the good deedes and workes of man not onely in bringing foorth good fruites but also in making the same workes to be good and acceptable in the sight of God which otherwise were impure and execrable in his sight The office therfore of faith and works is diners and must not be coÌ„founded Faith first goeth before and regenerateth a man to God iustifieth him in the sight of god both in couering his yll deedes and in making his good deedes acceptable to God clyming vp to heauen there wrastling with God and his iudgement for righteousnes for saluation and for euerlastins life Workes and charitie folow faith and are exercised here vpon the earth glorieth onely before man but not before God in shewing foorth obedience both to God to man Further then this our good works doe not reach nor haue any thing to doe in the iudgement of God touching saluation I speake of our good workes as S. Paule speaketh Rom. 7. as they be ours imperfect For els if our workes could be perfect according to the perfection of the lawe as Christ wrought them in the perfection of his flesh that is if we could perfect them as it is sayd Qui fecerit ea viuet in eis But now seeing the imbecilitie of our flesh cannot atteine thereto it foloweth thereof that all glory of iustifying is taken from workes and transferred onely to faith And thus much concerning the principall contents of S. Paules doctrine Wherein the Church of the auncient Romanes first was grounded planted and so continued in the same or at least did not much alter during the prymityue state of the Church Likewise the same forme of doctrine the latter Romanes also that followed shoulde haue mainteined and not haue fallen away for any mans preaching but hold him accursed yea if he were any Apostle or an Angell from heauen teaching any other doctrine besides that institution which they haue receaued Gal. 1 for so were they warned before by the Apostle S Paule to doe And yet notwithstanding all this forewarning diligent instruction of this blessed Apostle of the Gentiles what a defection of faith is fallen among the Gentiles especially among the Romanes whereof the sayde Apostle also foretold them so long before forepropheciyng That the day of the Lord shall not come except there come a defectioÌ„ before and that the man of sinne should be reuealed the proude aduersary of God c. Thei 2 meaning no doubt by this defection a departing and a falling from that faith which the holy ghost had then planted by his ministery among the Gentiles As we see it now come to passe in the Church of Rome Which Church is so gone from the faith that S. Paule taught that if he were now aliue and saw these decrees and decretals of the Bishop of Rome these heapes of ceremonies traditions these masse bokes these Portuses these Festiuals and Legendes these Processionals Dymmes and Sequences these Beades and Graduals the maner of their inuocation their Canons Censures latter Councels such swarmes of superstitious Monkes and Friers such sectes of so many dyuers religions the Testament of S. Fraunces the rule of S. Benedict of S Brigit of S. Anthony c. the intricate subtelâ—ies labyrynthes of the scholemen the infinite cases and distinctioÌ„s of the Canonistes the Sermons in Churches the assertions in schooles the glory of the Pope the pride of the clergie the cruelty of persecuting Prelates with their officials and promotors he woulde saye this were not a defection but rather a plaine destruccion and ruine of fayth neyther that this were any true Church of Christ but a newe found Religion or paganisme rather brought in vnder the shadow of Christianity wherin remaineth almost no thing els but the name onely of Christ and the outwarde forme of hys religion the true vayne and effect whereof is vtterly decayed as to them which list to examine all the parts of this new Romish religion may some appeare For saue onely that they pretend the solemne forme and wordes of the Crede and are Baptised confessing the name of the father the sonne holy ghost As touching all other points and true sincerity of the Christian faith which they outwardly professe they are vtterly degenerated from that which S. Paule the word of God first had taught them First they coÌ„fesse the father in word but his will in his word expresed they renounce his grace they acknowledg not his benefits and promisses giuen vnto vs in his sonne they receaue not the vigor of his law they feele not the terrour of his iudgements earnestly they feare not his commaundementes they obserue by the traditions and commaundements of their owne Likewise the name of Christ his sonne in worde they confesse but his office indede they deface and deminish his glory they seeke not but vnder his name they do seke their owne the power of his bloud and passion they know not or els dissemble it who neither they admit to be the head of his Church alone nor sauiour alone nor only to be our patrone aduocate but match with him our Lady and other patrons so that euery Parish almost in christendome hath his peculiar patrone besides Christ to hold by In like maner they confesse the name of the holy Ghost But God himselfe knoweth how farre they are from the comfort knowledge and tast of the holy ghost as wel may appeare by their councels by their expounding of Scripture by their superstitious ceremonies by their outward worshipping and Idolatrous inuocation to stockes and stones and dead creatures by their scrupulous obseruatioÌ„ of dayes tunes places numbers gestures And no lesse also by their doctrine which defraudeth the poore harts of simple Christians of their due consolation ioy and liberty in the holy Ghost kepeth them still in a seruile bondage and a doubtfull incertainty of their
to performe but also to do more and greater things then the law requireth Wherof riseth the works of supererogatiō contrary to the 6. and 8. principles aboue specified page 24. Also there be say they among other certaine workes of the lawe which pertayne not to all men but are consilia counsayles left for perfect men as matter for them to merite by and these they call opera perfectionis or opera indebita adding also to these newe deuises to serue God after their owne traditions besides the worde of God as Monasticall vowes wilfull pouerty difference of meates and garmentes pilgrimage to reliques and Saints worshipping of the dead superstitious ceremonies rosaries c. With such like and these they call workes of perfection which they preferre before the other commaunded in the lawe of God In so much that in comparison of these the other necessary duties commaunded and commended by the worde of God as to beare office in the common wealth to liue in the godlye state of matrimony to susteine the office of a seruant in a house is contemned and accounted as prophane in cōparison of these contrary to the 10. principle aboue mentioned pag. 24. * Of Sinne. OF Sinne likewise they teach not rightly nor after the institution of the Apostles and the auncient Church of Rome while the consider not the deepenes and largenes of sinne supposing still to be nothing els but inwarde actions with consent of will or outwarde such as are agaynst will whereas the strength of sinne extendeth not onely to these but also comprehendeth the blyndnes and ignorance of the minde lacke of knowledge and true feare of God the vntowardnes of mans minde to Godwarde the priuy rebellion of the hart against the lawe of God the vndeliting will of man to God and his worde The sense of flesh S. Paule also calleth an enimie against God and feeleth in himselfe that is in his fleshe nothing dwelling but sinne As touching also originall sinne wherin we are borne which is the destruction of original iustice and of gods Image in vs remayning in vs and bringing foorth in vs wicked cogitations affections and motions of naughtynes against the law of God and neuer ceaseth so long as man liueth this originall sinne the Popes doctrine doth not deny but yet doth much extenuate the same and holdeth that this inwarde concupiscence vicious affections not brasting out in vs with consent of will are no mortall nor damnable sinne but only fomes peccati And say moreouer that this concupiscentia in vs is no deprauation of the higher but onely of the lower partes of man beyng as a thing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 indifferent and no lesse naturall in vs then is the appetite to eate and drinke and that the same is left to remaine in the Saintes after Baptisme to be to them occasion of more meriting c. * Of Penaunce or Repentaunce OF Penaunce this latter Latterane Church of Rome of late hath made a Sacrament contrary to the fourth principle before pag. 24. which penaunce say they standeth of three partes Contrition Confession and Satisfaction canonicall Contrition as they teach may be had by strength of free will without the lawe and the holy Ghost per actus elicitos through mans owne action and endeuour Which contrition first must be sufficient and so it meriteth remission of sinne In confession they require a full rehearsall of all sinnes whereby the Priest knowing the crymes may minister satisfaction accordingly And this rehearsing of sinnes ex opero operato deserueth remission contrary y◠to 14. principle before pag. 24. Satisfactions they call opera indebita enioyned by the ghostly father And this satisfaction say they taketh away and chaungeth eternall punishment into temporall paynes which paines also it doth mittigate And againe these satisfactions may be taken away by the Popes indulgence c. This vnsauery and hethenish doctrine of penaunce farre differeth from the true teaching of holye Scripture By the which teaching repentaunce properly conteineth these three partes contrition fayth and new life Contrition is called in Scripture the sorrow of hart rysing vpō the consideration of sinne committed and of the anger of God prouoked which sorrowe dryueth a man to Christ for succour wherevpon ryseth fayth Fayth bringeth afterward amendement or newenes of life whiche wee call newe obedience working fruites worthye of repentaunce ¶ Difference betweene the law and the Gospell AS there is nothing more necessary and cōfortable for troubled consciences then to be well instructed in the difference betweene the lawe and the Gospell so is the Churche of Rome much to blame in thys behalfe because it confoundeth togyther those two beyng in nature so dyuers contrary one from another as threatninges and promises thynges temporall wyth thinges eternall sorrowfull thinges wyth glad tydinges death wyth lyfe bondage with freedome c. Teachyng the people that whatsoeuer the lawe sayth the Gospell confirmeth and whatsoeuer the Gospell sayth the same is agreeable to the lawe and so make they no difference betweene Moses and Christ saue onely that Moses they saye was the gyuer of the olde lawe Christ is the gyuer of the newe and a more perfect lawe And thus imagine they the gospell to be nothyng els but a newe lawe gyuen by Christ bynding to the promises thereof the condition of our dooynges and deseruinges no otherwise then to the olde lawe And so denyde they the whole lawe after this destinction into three partes to wytte the law of Nature the lawe of Moses and the lawe of Christ. And as for the Gospell they saye it is reueled for no other cause but to shew to the world more perfect preceptes and counsayles then were in the olde lawe to the fulfylling whereof they attribute iustification and so leaue the poore consciences of men in perpetuall doubt and induce other many folde errours bryngyng the people into a false opinion of Christ as though he were not a remedy against the law but came as an other Moses to gyue a newe lawe to the worlde Furthermore as they make no difference betweene the nature of the lawe and nature of the Gospell confoundyng Moses and Christ together so neyther doe they distinct or discerne the tyme of the lawe and the time of the Gospell a sonder For where S. Paule bryngeth in the law to be a schoolmaster limiteth him his tune vnto Christ saith that Christ is the end of the law that is wheras y◠law ceaseth there Christ beginneth where christ begineth there the law endeth they cōtrary make the law to haue no ende nor ceasing but gyue to it immortall life kingdome equall with Christ so that Christ and the lawe togither do reigne ouer the soule and conscience of man Which is vntrue For either Christ must giue place and the lawe stande Or els the law the condemnation and malediction of
the Emperour himselfe yet notwithstanding he ought to be feared as he himselfe glorieth in a certain epistle as one that could not erre and had receiued of Christ our sauiour and of Peter authoritie to bynd and vnbind at his will and pleasure Priestes thē in those daies had wiues openly and lawfully no law forbidding to the contrary as appeareth by the deede and writings of their chapter seales donations which were geuen to temples and monasteries wherein their wyues also be cited with them for witnes and were called praesbiterissae Also for Bishops Prelates Persons of Churches gouernors of the Clergy maisters of monasteries religious houses all these were then in those times in the emperors ordination to assigne by voice or consent to whom he would Now these two things Gregorius this Pope could not abide For the which two causes onely was all his striuing and driuing from his first beginning to abolish the mariage of Priests and to translate the authoritie Imperiall to the Clergy For to this scope only tended all his labour practises and deuises as appeared before in the councell of Lateran vnder Pope Nicolas and also in the councell of Mantua vnder Alexander making their mariage heresie and the other to be simonie And that which before he went about by other now he practiseth by hymself to condemne ministers that were maried for Nicolaitans and to receiue any spirituall regiment of secular persons for simonie Directing forth his letters vpō the same to Henricus the Emperour to Dukes Princes Potestates Tetrarkes namely to Berchtoldus to Rodulphus of Sweuia to Whelpho Adalberon their wines Item to bishops Archbishops to Priests and to all the people in the which letters he denounceth them to bee no priests so many as were maried forbidding men to salute them to talke to eate to company with them to pay them tithes or to obey thē if they would not be obedient to him Amongst all other he directed special letters to Ottho bishop of Constance concerning this matter But Ottho perceinyng the vngodlye and vnreasonable pretence of Hildebrand would neyther seperate them that were maried from their wyues nor yet forbid thē to marrie which were vnmaried c. The copy of the letter of Hildebrand sent to the bishop of Constance against priests mariages GRegorius bishop seruaunt of seruants of God to the Clergie and laitie both more and lesse within the Dioces of Constancie salutation and benediction We haue directed to our brother Ottho your bishop our letters exhortatory wherin we enioined him according to the necessitie of our duetie by the authoritie Apostolicall that he should vtterly abolish out of his Church the heresie of simonie and also should cause with all diligence to bee preached the chastitie of priests But he neither moued with reuerence of S. Peters precept nor yet with the regard of his duty neglected to do these things whereunto we so fatherly haue exhorted him incurring thereby a double offence not onely of disobedience but also of rebellion in that he hath gone and done cleane contrary to our commaundement yea rather the commaundement of blessed S Peter so that he hath permitted his clergy not onely such as had wiues not to put them away but also such as had none to take vnto them Whereupon we beyng truely informed thereof and agrieued therewith haue directed to him an other letter declaring the motion of our displeasure and indignation In which letters also we haue cited him vp to our Councell at Rome there to appeare and geue account of his disobedience in the audience of the whole Synode And nowe therefore we thought it best to signifie this to you our deare children whereby in this behalfe we might the better prouide for your health saluation For if your bishop shall continue so obstinately to repugne aud resist against our commaundement he is not meete to sit ouer you c. Wherfore these shall be to commaund you all them that be obedient to God and to blessed S. Peter by our Apostolicall authoritie that if this your Bishop shall persist in his obstinacie you that be his subiects hereafter geue to him no seruice nor obediēce For the which thing doyng we here discharge you before God and your soules For if your bishop shall seeme contrary to the decreements iniunctions Apostolicall We through the Apostolicall authoritie of S. Peter discharge and absolue you frō the band of your allegeāce to him So that if you be sworne to him so long as he is a rebell against God and the Apostolike seat we lose you from the peril of your othe that you shall not need to feare therein no daunger c. Ottho bishop of Constance thus being cited whether he did appeare personally himselfe I doe not reade This I read and find that in the sayd councel holden at Rome Hildebrand with other bishops of Rome did then enacte amongst many other these three things most special First that no Priest hereafter should marrie wiues Secondly that all such as were married should be diuorst Thirdly that none hereafter should be admitted to the order of priesthood but should sweare perpetual chastitie c. This coūcell of Rome beyng ended forthwith the act of Hildebrād concerning the single life of Priests was proclaymed and published in all places and straight commaundement geuen to bishops to execute the same The Copy of his Bull sent into Italie and Germanie was this GRegory the Pope otherwise Hildebrand the seruaunt of the seruaunts of God sendeth the Apostles blessing to all them within the kingdoms of Italy and Germany that shew their true obedience to S. Peter If there be any Priests Deacons and Subdeacons that still will remayne in the sinne of fornication We forbid them the Churches entrance by the omnipotent power of God and by the aucthoritie of S. Peter till tyme they amend and repent But if they perseuere in their sinne we charge that none of you presume to heare their seruice For their blessing is turned into cursing and their prayer into sinne as the Lord doth testifie to vs by his Prophets I will turne your blessing c. The bishops of France being called vpon daily with the popes letters were compelled to obey the decree of the councel but the residue of the clergy manfully and stoutly withstanding the Popes decree and inforcement of theyr bishops would not agree but repined thereat sayd that the councell did manifestly repugne agaynst the worde of God that the Pope did take from Priestes that whiche both God and nature had geuen them and therefore that person to be an heretike and Author of a wicked doctrine which ruled and gouerned not by the spirit of God but by Sathan The decree and act set forth to tende directly against the word of God and the saying of Christ Non omnes capiunt verbum hoc all men haue not the gift and capacitie of the word
that which our aduersaries take out of their owne treasurie And because I will not refuse the order of lawe in this behalfe let it be the ende of the strife that either I may be openly shamed before the people either els the victory falling on my side we may winne you to the obedience of our soueraigne Lord the Emperour Also take you hede to this saying If any man do preach otherwise then that which is preached let him be of you accursed This curse I say doeth not proceede from any newe prophane authoritie but is thundered downe from the third heauen And of them which knowe not the righteousnes of God but goe about to stablish their owne righteousnes and therfore be not subiect to the righteousnes of God I may boldly say let such be accursed So may you well say confounded be al they that proudly rise vp against the Lorde but thy seruant oh Lord shall reioyce for as thou hast wel saide without me you can doe nothing so in iudging of the wicked thou doest not condemne the iust Who art thou that iudgest another mans seruant to his owne Lord whether he doth stand or fall The answere of the Earle Lewes to Bishop Waltram THe Earle Lewys to the Lord Waltram howsoeuer vnworthy or vnmeete he be for the name Like as a good man from the good treasure of the hart bringeth forth good fruit so doeth the euil man from the euil treasure of the heart bring forth euil fruit What arrogācie hath so possessed you to prouoke my displeasure with such iniurious contumelies for in dede those my good lords and spirituall fathers which strengthen me in the way of righteousnes you railingly call them bloudy men like vnto Sathan and the wholesome lessons which they teache you say they are but dreames of the common people amongest foolish women Hath God any nede of your iudgement that you should speake leasings for him Iniquity hath taught your mouth to folow blasphemous tonges so that wel may the Prophet say of you he would not vnderstand to do wel he hath deuised wickednesse vpon his bed Although therfore you being altogether froward haue only spoken frowarde things yet we haue determined to set a watche before your mouth like as if a shameles person shoulde stande vp before vs and the worde of GOD dothe prouoke vs saying Answere a foole according to his owne foolishnesse least hee shoulde seeme wise in his owne opinion Shall folly speake and wisedome holde his peace Shall lies be freely vttered and trueth compelled to kepe silence Shall darkenes couer the earth shall not the Lorde arise and shine yea rather the light hath lightened the darknes and darknes hath not comprehended it In consideration hereof our harts haue melted and our zealous meditation hath set vs on fire We therefore speake and crie and the little foxes which vndermine the Lords vineyards as much as in vs is we driue away fearing the threatning prophecie You haue not withstanded our aduersaries neither haue you made a bulwarke for the defence of the house of Israel that you might be able to stand in battaile in the day of the Lorde Let them heare I speake not to you which haue cares and heare not eyes see not which haue made darke the light that is in you but let them heare I say that be wel disposed and haue eares to heare withall As for you you haue no vnderstanding and if you haue you cloke it Neither haue you any thing to say or to proue by what reason we should be subiect to the Lord Henry whome you call Emperour And yet as it is giuen vs to vnderstand you goe about to perswade that of necessity we ought to be subiect to him that by the argumēt of S. Paule Let euery soule be subdued to the higher powers for there is no power but of God he therefore that doth withstande power doth resist Gods ordinance The which sentence of the Apostle we say that you do euil conceiue and therefore euil interprete for if euery power be of God as you vnderstande what is meant by that that the Lord doth speake of some by the Prophet They did raigne and were not made Princes by me and I knewe them not If euery power be of God as you take it what is to be thought of that that the Lorde doth say If thine eye offende thee pluck it out and cast it from thee For what is power but the eie Certainly Augustine in the exposition of this sentence of the Apostle let euery soule c. doth say that if the powers do commād any thing against God then haue them in contempt but yet neuertheles feare thē Is there any iniquitie with God Is Christ the minister of sinne God forbid What shal we therfore say doth the Apostle preach contrary to the truth Augustinus sayeth no one winde filleth many pipes of diuers tunes Therfore let vs hear the Apostle agreeing and expounding himselfe and destroying his enemie and auenger There is sayeth he no power but of God What followeth He therfore sayth he that doth resist the power c. God forbid doeth nothing followe But what doeth followe Those powers which be ordeined of god truely that is it we look for O craftie tongue O heart imagining mischiefe O consuming breath that shall not returne why hast thou lied to the holy ghost Thine owne conscience shall accuse thee Behold the wicked fleeth and no man doth pursue him Why woulde you suppresse the truth to the intēt to deceiue Why haue you stolne away the pith and effect of this sentence For if these wordes should be taken away from the midst of the sentence it shuld lie contrary to it selfe inconuenient and halfe dead The worde of the Lord is herein fulfilled He that diggeth a pit for his neighbour shal fall therein him selfe Verely you can neither excuse you of theft neither auoid the punishment due for the same What O vnhappy man what shall you answer to the iudge when he shall require an accompt of his seruaunts whome he putteth in trust seeing you shal be set before him in the midst and prooued a picker of your maisters treasure Wherefore did you not feare the iudgement executiō whē as the giltines of offence doth require condigne punishment The Apostle through the holy Ghost did foresee that you and such heretikes as you are should spring in the Church which should call good euil and euil good and that should put darknes in place of light and light in place of darknes which also should take occasion by the sentences of truth to bring in error When as he did set this before there is no power but of God to the intent that hee might take away the coniecture of false vnderstanding for sayeth he those powers that be are ordeined of God Geue therefore an ordinarie power and we doe not resist yea we will forthwith doe
thereby to anger whose anger yet notwithstaÌ„ding had bene easily swaged if the other woulde haue submitted himselfe and acknowledged his default But he adding stubburnnesse to his trespasse through the quantitie and greatnesse of his excesse was the author of his owne punishment which nowe by the law ciuill he sustaineth and yet shameth to craue pardone for his desert at the kings hande whose anger he feared not to sturre vp in such a troublesome time of the persecution of the Church greatly against the profite of the same augmenting increasing therby the persecution which now the Church lieth vnder Much better it had bene for him to haue tempered himself with the bridle of moderation in the high estate of his dignitie least in exceeding too farre in straining the straite poyntes of things by ouer much presumption peraduenture through his presumption being not in meane and tollerable things might fall from higher And if the detriments of the Church woulde not moue him yet the greâ—t benefits and preforments of riches and honours ought to perswade him not to be so stubburn against the king But here peradueÌ„ture his friend and our aduersary wil obiect that his bearing and submitting to the king in this behalfe were preiudiciall against the authority and sea Apostolical as though he did not or might not vnderstand that although the dignity of the Church should suffer a little detriment in that iudgement yet he might ought to haue dissimuled for the time to obtaine peace into the Church He will obiect againe alleaging the name of father that it soundeth like a poynt of arrogancie for children to procede in iudgement of coÌ„demnation against the father which thing is not conuenient But he must vnderstand againe that it was necessary that the obedience and humilitie of the children shoulde temper the pride of the father least afterwarde the hatred of the father might redounde vpon the children Wherefore of these promises your fatherhoode may vnderstand that the action of this our aduersary ought to fall downe as void and of none effect who only vpon the affection of malice hath proceeded thus against vs hauing no iust cause nor reason to ground vpon And forsomuch as the care and charge of all churches as yeâ— knowe lieth vpon vs it standeth vs vpon to prouide concerning the state of the Churche of Canterbury by our diligence and circumspection so that the sayd Church of Canterbury through the excesse of his pastor be not driuen to ruine or decay By this Epistle it may appeare to the Reader therof that Becket being absent from Englande went about to worke some trouble against certaine of the Clergy and of the laitie belike in excommunicating such as he tooke to be his euill willers Now to vnderstand further what his working was or who they were whom he did excommunicate this letter sent to William Bishop of Norwitch shall better declare the matter A letter of Becket to the B. of Norwitch HE bindeth himselfe to the penalty of the crime whosoeuer receiuing power and authoritie of God vseth and exerciseth not the same with due seueritie in punishing vice but wincking diâ—simuling doth minister boldnesse to wicked doers maintaining them in their sinne For the bloud of the wicked is required at the hand of the Priest which is negligent or dissembleth And as the Scripture sayth thornes and brambles grow in the handes of the idle dronkard Wherfore least through our too much sufferance and dissembling the transgressions of manifest euil doers should also be laid to our charge and redound to the destruction of the Church through our giltie silence We therfore following the authoritie of the Popes commaundement haue laid our sentence of curse excommunication vpon the Earle Hugo commaunding you throughout all your Diocesse publickely to denounce the sayde Earle as accursed so that according to the discipline of the Church he be sequestred from the fellowship of all faithfull people Also it is not vnknowen to your brotherhoode how long we haue borne with the transgressions of the Bishop of London Who amongest other his factes I would to God were not a great doer and fautor of this schisme and subuerter of the right and liberties of holy Church Wherefore we being supported with the authoritie of the Apostolicke sea haue also excommunicated him besides also the Bishop of Salesbury because of his disobedience and contempt and others likewise vpon diuers and sundrie causes whose names here followe subscribed Hugo Bernardes sonne Radolph of Brocke Robert of Brocke a clearke Hugode of S Cleare and Letardus a clearke of Northfolke Nigellus of Scacauil and Richard Chapleine William of Hasting and the Frier which possesseth my Church of Monchote We therfore charge and commaunde you by the authoritie Apostolicall and ours and in the vertue of obedience and in the perill of saluation and of your order that yee cause these openly to be proclaimed excommunicate throughout all your Diocesse and to command all the faithful to auoide their companie Fare ye wel in the Lord. Let not your heart be troubled nor feare for we stande sure thorough the assistance of the Apostolike sea God being oure borowe against the pretensed shiftes of the malignant sorte and against all their appellations Furthermore all such as haue bene solemnely cited of vs shall sustaine the like sentence of excommunication if God will in the Ascension day vnlesse they shall otherwise agree with me That is to witte Geffray Archdeacon of Canterburie and Robert his vicare Rice of Wilcester Richard of Lucie William Gifferd Adam of Cheringes with suche other moe which eyther at the commaundement of the king or vppon their own proper temeritie haue inuaded the goods and possessions either appertaining to vs or to our clearkes about vs. With these also we doe excommunicate all suche as be knowen eyther with aide or counsel to haue incensed or set forward the proceeding of our king against the liberties of the Churche and exiling of the innocents And such also as be knowen to Impeche or let by any maner of way the messengers sent either from the Pope or from vs for the necessities of the Churche Fare you well againe and euer Hetherto hast thou seene gentle reader diuers sundry letters of Thomas Becket whereby thou maist collect a sufficient historie of his doings demeanor though nothing els were said further of him concerning his lusty and hauty stomack aboue that beseemed either his degree or cause which he tooke in hand And here peraduenture I may seme in the story of this one man to tary tâ—o long hauing to write of so many others better then it yet for the weaker sort which haue couÌ„ted him and yet do count him for a Saint hauing in themselues little vnderstanding to iudge or discerne in the causes of men I thought to adde this letter more wherein he complaineth of his king to a forreine power doing what in him did lie to stirre for
Embassadours the king also at Canterb. by letters as it should seeme certified from hys owne ambassadors waited their comming Where the 13. day of May the king receaiued them making vnto them an othe that of and for al things wherin he stode accursed he woulde make ample restitution and satisfaction Vnto whom also all the Lords Barons of England so many as there were with the king attending the Legates coÌ„ming sware in like maner and that if the king would not accoÌ„plish in euery thing the othe which he had taken that then they wold cause him to hold and confirme yâ— same whether that he wold or not or by strength to vse the authors words Then submitted the king himselfe vnto the Court of Rome and to the pope And resigning gaue vp his dominions and realmes of Englande Ireland from him and from his heires for euermore yâ— should come of him Wyth this condition that the king and his heirs should take againe these two dominions of the Pope to forme paying yearely therfore to the Court of Rome a 1000. Markes of siluer Then tooke the King the crowne from hys heade kneeling vpon his knees in the presence of all his Lordes Barons of England to Pandulphe the popes chiefe legate saying in this wise Here I resigne vp the crowne of the realme of England to the Popes hands Innocent the third put me wholy in his mercy and ordinance Then tooke Pandolphe the crowne of king Iohn and kept it 5. daies as a possession seazon taking of these two realmes of England and Ireland Continuing also al things promised by his charter obligatorie as foloweth The copie of the letter obligatorie that K Iohn made to the Pope concerning the yelding vp of the crowne and the Realme of Englande into the Popes hands for a certaine summe of money yearely to be paide TO al christen people throughout the world dwelling Iohn by the grace of God K of England greeting To your vniuersitie known be it that forasmuch as we haue greeued offended God our mother church of Rome forasmuch as we haue neede of the mercy of our Lord Iesu Christ we may nothing so worthy offer coÌ„perent satisfactioÌ„ make to God to holy church but if it were our own body as with our realms of EnglaÌ„d of Ireland Then by the grace of the holy ghost we desire for to meke vs for the loue of him that meked him to the death vpon the crosse And through counsell of the nobles earles Baroâ—â— we offer frely graunt to God to the apostles S. Peter Paul and to our mother church of Rome to our holy father Pope InnoceÌ„t the 3. to al the popes that come after him all the realme patronages of churches of England of Ireland with all the appurtenaÌ„ces for remission of sins helpe health of our kings soules of al christeÌ„ soules So that froÌ„ this time afterward we wil receiue hold of our mother church of Rome as in ferme doing sealtie to our holy father the Pope Innocent the 3. and to all the Popes that come after him in the maner abouesayd And in the presence of the wise man Pandolphe the Popes Southdeacon wee make liege homage as it were in the popes presence we before him were that he himselfe shuld haue done al maner things abouesaid and therto we bind vs all that come after vs our heires for euermore without any gainsaying to the pope eke the ward of the church vacant And in token of this thing euer for to last we will confirme ordaine that he be our speciall renter of the foresaide realmes sauing S. Peter pence in all thing To the mother church of Rome paying by yere a 1000. markes of siluer at 2. times of the yere for al maner customes that we should do for the saide realmes that is to seine at Michelmas at Easter that is for England 700 markes and 300. markes for Ireland Sauing to vs to our heires our iustices and our other franchises And all these things that before ben said we will that it be firme stable without end to that obligation we all our successors our heirs in this maner beth bound that if we or any of our heirs through any presumption fal in any point againe these things aboue sayd and he bene warned and wiâ—l not right amend him he shall then lese the foresaid realmes for euermore and this charter of obligation and our warrant for euermore be firme and stable without gainsaying We shal from this day afterward be true to God to the mother church of Rome to thee Innocent the 3. and to all that commen after thee and the Realmes of Englande and of Ireland we shall mainteine trewlich in all maner pointes against all maner men by our power through Gods helpe Upon this obligation the king was discharged the 2. day of Iuly from that Tirannicall interdiction vnder which he continued 6. yeares and 3. monethes But before the releasement therof first he was miserably coÌ„pelled as hath bene declared to geue ouer both hys crowne scepter to that Antichrist of Rome for the space of 5. daies and his client vassall feudary and tenant to receiue it againe of him at the handes of an other Cardinall being bounde obligatorily both for himselfe for his successours to paie yerely for a knowledge therof a M. marks for England Ireland Then came they thether from all partes of the Realme so many as had their consciences wounded for obeying their liege king as blind Idiotes and there they were absolued euery one of his own bishop except yâ— spirituall fathers and Ecclesiastical souldiours for they were compelled to seake to Rome as captiues reserued to the popes owne fatherhoode In this new ruffeling the King easily graunted that abbots deanes and curates shoulde be elected freely euery where so that the lawes of the realme were truly obserued But against that were the bishops alledging their Canonical decrees and rules synodal determiniâ—g the king therein to haue nothing a do but only to geue his consent after that they had once elected But among this shauen rable some there were which consented not to this wicked errour A sort also there were of the prelates at that time which were not pleased that that lands interdiction shoulde cease til the king had paid al yâ— which their Clergy in all quarters of the realme had demaunded without reason yea what euery saucie sir Iohn for hys part demaÌ„ded euen to the very breaking of their hedges the stealing of theyr appels and their other occasional damages which grew to an incredible summe and impossible to be answered Such was the outragious cruel noyse of that mischieuous progenie Antichrist against their naturall king Notwithstanding that which is vttered afore concerning the bitter malice of the Clergye against their Prince yet
sundry coūtries As in the countrey of Sucuia about the time of this Emperour an 1240. or neare vpon the same where were many preachers mētioned in the Chronicle of Urspergēsis and also in Crantzius Lib. 8. cap. 16. 18. which preached freelye against the Pope These Preachers as Crantzius sayth ringing the Belles and calling the Barons in Hallis of Sueuia there preached that the Pope was an hereticke that his Bishops and Prelats were simoniacke and heretickes And that the inferiour Priestes and Prelates had no authority to binde and loose but were all seducers Itē that no Pope Bishop or Priest could restrayne mē from their duety of seruing and worshipping of God And therfore such cities or coūtries as were then vnder the Popes curse might notwithstanding lawfully resort to the receyuing of Sacraments as well as before Item that Friers Dominicke and Franciscane did subuert the church with their preaching And as the indulgence of the Pope his Popelings was of no regard so that remissiō which they did preach vnto them they preached it not from the Pope but as from the Lord. And thus much I thought here to recite whereby it may appeare how the resisting of the Popes vsurped power and corrupt doctrine is no newe thing in these dayes in the Church of Christ. c. And not long after these aforesayd rose vp Arnoldus De noua villa a Spanyard and a man famously learned a great writer an 1250. Whom the Pope with his spiritualty condemned among hereticks for holding and writing agaynst the corrupt errors of the popish Church His teaching was that Sathā had seduced all the world from the truth of Christ Iesus Item that the sayth which then Christen men were commonly taught was such a fayth as the deuils had meaning belike as we now'affirme that the papistes do teach onely the horicall fayth which is the fayth Historiae non fiduciae Itē that Christen people meaning belike for the most part are led by the pope vnto hel Item that all cloysters are voyd of charity and damned And that they all doe falsify the doctrine of Christ. Item that the Diuines do euill in mixting Philosophy with d iuinity Item that Masses are not to be celebrated And that they ought not to sacrifice for the dead Certaine other opinions there be which the slaundrous sects of Monks and Friers do attribute vnto him but as they are wont in al other to do rather vpon enuious taking then of any iust cause geuen And as this Arnoldus was condēned so also the same time Ioannes Semeca the glose writer of the Popes decrees and Prouost of Halberstate was excōmunicated depriued of his Prouostship for resisting Pope Clement the fourth gathering certain exactions in Germany And therfore he appealed from the Pope to a generall councel and had many great fauorers on his side till at last both the Pope and he dyed Consequently in this order and number foloweth the worthy and valiaunt champion of Christ aduersarye of Antichrist Guilielmus de S. Amore a maister of Paris and chiefe ruler then of that Uniuersity This Guilielmus in his time had no small a do writing agaynst the Fryers their hipocrisy But especially against the begging friers both condemning their whole order and also accusing thē as those that did disturbe trouble al the churches of Christ by their preaching in churches agaynst the will of the ordinaries and pastors by their hearing of confessions and executing the charges of Curates and pastors in theyr Churches All the testimonyes of Scripture that make agaynst Antichrist he applyeth them against the Clergy of Prelates and the Popes spiritualtye The same Gulielmus is thought to be the author of the booke which is attributed to the schole of Paris and intituled De periculis Ecclesiae Where he proueth by 39. arguments that Friers be false Apostles Moreouer he doth well expound this saying of Christ if thou wilt be perfect go and sell away all thou hast and come follow me declaring there pouerty to be inioyned vs of Christ non actualem sed habitualem not in such sort as standeth in outward action when no need requireth but in inward affection of hart when neede shall require As though the meaning precept of our Lord were not that we should cast away actually al the we haue but that when the confession of the name of God the glory of christ shall so require that then we be ready to leaue reliquish what things soeuer for the sake of him c. As when he requireth in vs after like phrase the hatred of father mother and of our own liues he biddeth vs not to dihonor father or mother much lesse to hate thē but that thē when case shall require we set all thinges behinde the loue of Christ. Many oth er worthy workes he compiled wherin albeit he vttered nothing but what was truth yet notwithstanding he was by Antichrist his rable condemned for an heritick exiled his bookes burnt Whose hereticall argumētes as they called them that thou mayst better iudge therof here vnder I thought good to place Agaynst false Prophets with signes to know them by in these his wordes do follow For because these seducers sayth he name thēselues to be Apostles and that they are sent of God to preach to absolue dispēse with the soules of men by meanes of their ministery Read the saying of the Apostle in his second Epistle to the Corinthians the xi chap. For such Apostles are subtle and cratty workemen disguising themselues to be like the Apostles of Christ Therfore we mean to shew some certaine infallible tokēs and probable by the whic false Apostles may be discerned from the true preachers and Apostles of Christ. The 1. signe or marke is that such as be true preachers do not enter into simple womens houses ladē with sinne and take them as it were captiue as many of the false preachers do as in the second Epistle of S. Paule to Timothy the 3. chapter is manifest saying Of those sortes are they which enter into womens houses c. Therfore those preachers which come into womens houses to the intent they may take thē captiue be not true preachers but false Apostles The 2. signe and token is that those that be true preachers do not deceiue simple men with painted and flattering wordes whereby they preferre their owne trash and traditions as all false Prophets do as in the last Chapter to the Romaines appeareth saying By their pleasaunt sugred talk and by their blessing and crossing they deceiue and beguile the hartes of innocent men and women Glo. with gay glorious words they extoll set forth their traditions wherby they deceiue simple mē Uery greatly doe they deceiue the soules of simple men which cause them to enter into theyr sect which they terme Religion And they which before led a noughty
superstition but that you may spoyle robbe the people as in Luke 20. Which deuour widowes houses by dissembling of your long prayer Glosse The which make ouer long prayers to the intent they may seeme more deuout that they may get both mony great coÌ„mendation of all such as be sicke and troubled with the burden of theyr sinnes Whose prayers be turned into sin which neither are profitable for themselues nor any other But rather shall haue for making those prayers greater damnatioÌ„ for as much as by the same they deceiue others For by this that they receiue and take both golde and siluer it appeareth that they preath not for soule healthes sake but onely for filthy lucre and gayne sake Math 10 Be ye possessours neither of gold nor siluer Glosse If they then haue these thinges they can not seeme or be thought to preach for the health of yâ— soule but for lucres sake And so sayth Hiâ—rome vpon the Prophet Malachy Because some Prophets tooke mony theyr Prophecy became diuinatioÌ„ that is to say theyr prophecy appeared not to be prophecie but diuination or inchauntment that is that such prophecy procedeth not froÌ„ God but from the deuill And this appeared in 1. q. 1. hauing this beginning NunquaÌ„ diuinatio c. Therfore these preachers which circumueÌ„t and beguile men to the inteÌ„t that they should geue them their goode either in their life time or after theyr death are not true Apostles but false Prophets The 14. signe is that false Prophets when any verity is preached which for the most part they are not acquainted with all or that touched them then begin they to chafe and barke against the same wherupoÌ„ the Apostle in the 3. chapter to the PhilippiaÌ„s saith behold the dogges Glossa Understand you that they are not dogs by nature but by their vsage conditioÌ„s barking agaynst the truth which they were neuer acquainted with And so he coÌ„pareth theÌ„ right well to dogges because dogs folow rather custome then reason So false Apostles do keepe the custome of the law do bite and barke against the truth as though they were without the gift of reason And also in the secoÌ„d epistle to Timothy the 4 chapter saying They get them instructors according to theyr owne desires Glossa Whiche may teach them what things they themselues are willing to heare because the truth seemeth nothing pleasant vnto them Therfore those preachers which barke agaynst the late reuealed truth which toucheth theÌ„ very neare therfore cause the same to be hidden kept vnder are not true Apostles but false prophets The 15. signe is that the true Apostles doe not enforce any to receiue or heare them which be vnwilling therunto but send them away rather least they should seeme to seek after some earthly and transitory thing Math 10 Who soeuer will not receiue you get you out of that Citty and shake the dust from off your feet c. Glossa That you may thereby shew that the desire of earthly thinges hath no power in you Therfore those preachers which wrastle striue as it were to that intent they would be receiued and heard are no true Apostles For as muche as the Apostle sayth Corint 11. If any man appeare among you to be ouer contentions or full strife such custome haue we none nor yet the congregation of Christ. The 16. signe is that the Apostles did not procure the indiâ—nation of those princes with whom they were esteemed and regarded against such persons as would not receiue them and heare theÌ„ according as we read in the life of Simon and Iude the Apostles The chiefe ruler being very angry commauÌ„ded a very great fire to be made that the bishops might be cast into the same all other which went about to deâ—ame the doctrine of the Apostles of Christ But the Apostles fell downe before the Emperor saying we beseech you syr let not vs be the authors or causers of this destruction or calamity Nor that we which are sent to be the preseruation of men and to reuiue those that are dead through sinne may seem to be killers of those that be aliue Therefore those preachers which seeke to stirre vp the displeasure of Princes agaynst them whose fauours now they enioy that will not receiue and heare them or rather whom they themselues hate are no true Apostles but false Prophets The 17. signe is that the Apostles of Christ haue not onely the knowledge of those things which God hath already done but also of those thinges which he will hereafter doe as in the Apoâ— 3. The beastes were full of eyes both behinde and before Glose Obtaining the knowledge of those thinges which God had done as also what he would do hereafter in the end of the world Therfore those that say they know not the perils of the church in the latter time which are prophecied afore or that they care not for them or els if they know theÌ„ not they haue not eyes be hinde and before be no true Apostles Therefore what time as they call themselues Apostles they are false prophets The 18. signe is that true Apostles do not desire the riches and goods of them to whom they preach wherby they are discerned from wolues that is to say from false Prophets Act. 20. I haue desired no mans golde nor siluer Glose By this are Wolues discerned for they desire suche thinges And agayne in the same place For those thinges which I had neede of and to those which were with me these handes haue ministred Glose This example also of labouring is a spectacle for Bishops wherby they are discerned from wolues For such as aske or beg of those to whom they preach or set any other to aske or beg in theyr names do seeme to commit simony Like Byezi of whom it is red in the third booke of kinges the fiâ—t chapt that craued certaine apparell of Naaman the Sirian to whome his maister Elizeus had restored the benefit of health Not withstanding he had gotten those garments vnwitting to his maister Whereupon Gregory Nazianzenus sayth 1. q. 1. Qui isti debetur But some man perhaps will say can not the preacher aske money or money woorth of those to whoÌ„ he preacheth Or at the least may not he beg To this may be answered If the preacher by authority preach and doth feed his flocke as a true pastor with the food of Gods word he may take money or money worth but then it is not begging or crauing but it is by authoritye as the second to Timothy the second chapter It is meete that the husband man that tilleth the ground should first and afore other receiue the commodity of his encrease Glose He putteth the vertuous preacher out of doubt not preaching for that intent to make marchaundise of the Gospell and geueth him to vnderstand that it is lawfull for him to take of them whom he feedeth as his flocke
Into what city or town so euer ye shall enter enquire out those that be of good report in the same abide you with them so long as you tary in the same City or Towne Glose Your host with whom ye lodge ought to be chosen by the good report of neighbors least your preaching be euill spokē of by reason of his infamy Neither ought such men to runne frō house to house But whome shall we call worthy or of good report Glose Him who knoweth better to do other men good thē to receiue a good turne of an other and this is he which geueth willingly for Christes cause and not in respect of any commodity Also true Apostles receiue nothing of such mē as lie waltering in their sins but rather of those that are washed and clensed from their sinnes wherupon the 2. to the Cor. the 7. chap. They haue geuen themselues first to the Lord. Glose Because they now amēding their olde errors and vicious maners haue vowed themselues vnto the lord afterward gaue of that which they had to their brethren For otherwise they ought not to haue taken any thing of them because gifts do blinde the eies But those that geue where there is no cause of reproofe in their doing haue no iust cause to geue Therfore those preachers that seek how to come by dainty fare doe receiue bribes rewardes of naughty men that haue this world at will to the entent that those preachers may couer and hide their faultes and get of others what they can by subtlety which geue indeed rather to remoue the shamelesse importunity of the crauer or els for auoyding of present shame thē for any loue they haue to God are not true Apostles but false Prophets according to that in the 2◠to the Cor. the 9. chap. The Lord doth loue a willing geuer Glose He that geueth for presēt shame or els for that he may be free from the importunacy of him that asketh doth loose both his substaunce and merite wherefore he that hath respect to these thinges doth not seek the fruit and profit of the geuer but the gift it selfe as the Apostle to the Philip. the 4. chap. sayth Seeke not the gift but the fruit or benefit of the geuer The 27. signe is that true Apostles do not endeuoure themselues to seeke enioy the fruit of other mens labors that they may be fed thereby because that the belly is such mens God according to that in the 2. to the Thessa. the 3. cap. we haue heard of some amongst you which walk vnordinately not laboring at al but liuing delicately or idlely Glose of other mens labors and deserue they to be fed The discipline of the Lord cannot away with that doing for the belly is their God which prouide to haue more thē necessary dishes of meat Therefore those preachers which so do are no true Apostles but false The 28. signe is that true Apostles do not reioyce only of the miracles or other excellēt works which the Lord doth by them but they reioyce rather of the saluatiō which they looke for from the Lord then that by doing those miracles they desire any honor According to that which is written in Luke x. saying Reioyce ye not for that the spirits be subiect vnto you but because your names are registred in heauen They therfore that boast of their own miracles or of any that belong vnto them for this cause that they are saued by the doing of them as many do say seme not to be true Apostles but false The 29. signe is that the true Apostles do neuer seeke their owne glory in this life but the glory of Christ as in Iohn 7. He that speaketh of himself doth seek his own glory But he that seeketh the glory of him which sēt him that is of whom he is sent is a true Apostle Therefore those which seeke the thinges that pertayne to the glory of thys world of the which one is To be assistent to those that beare rule and authority according to that saying of Boetius De consolatione Those that do desire to be extolled either they raigne beare rule themselues or els do desire to be nere about thē that haue such dominiō Another is they desire to haue the fame and victory of that which they haue nothing at all deserued before God Whereupon is written that saying of the Apostle in the Gal. 5. Let not vs become desirous of vaine glory Glose To be desirous of vaynglory is to haue victory without any merite or desert those I say that doe such thinges seeme not to be true Apostles but false The 30. signe is That true Apostles care not for the solemnities of men neither their salutatiōs nor feastings nor any other benefite of theirs They therfore which loue seek the company and fellowship of men their feastings and other their commodities do not seeme to be true Apostles but false The 31. signe is that true Apostles do not commonly resort to other mens tables least that they should for a meals meat become flatterers as in the 2 Thessalon 3. That we should geue you an example to follow vs. Glose He that cōmeth oftētunes to an other mans table being geuē to idlenes cannot chuse but flatter him which fedeth him but Christes religion calleth men to liberty and to no such bōdage They therfore that resort oftentimes that of theyr owne mindes to other mens tables liuing idlely are not true Apostles but false The 32. signe is that true Apostles do not hate theyr enemies and such as hate them which doctrine the Lord taught Mathew 5. saying Loue your enemies do well to them which hate you But false Prophets doe both hurt defame their neighbors according as S. Ierome 14. saith The Prophets of Ierusalem haue defiled the whole earth Glossa They are not contented onely to hurt their neighbors but also whōe they before this time haue hated they defame and speak euill of in euery place they come Therfore those preachers which hate them whome they thinke are their enemies and do defame them are not true Apostles but false preachers The 33. signe is that false Prophets when they are examined proued whether they be true Apostles or liers take that very greeuously And persecute all those that can proue thē to be so And also do stirre vp and prouoke other to persecute the same men which also ioyne thēselues together by secular power euen as certain false prophets did in the primitiue Church agaynst the Bishop of Ephesus to whom the Lord sayd in the Apoc. 2. I know that is to say I do alow thy workes and thy labour that is thy tribulation because thou canst not away with those that be euill men Glossa But that thou hast a desire to amend thē or els to expell them and hast examined those which say that they are Apostles and are but lyers and also hast
your letters or by any other indulgences to what persoÌ„ or persoÌ„s soeuer of what estate dignity or place soeuer vnder any maner or forme of words grauÌ„ted hereafter by the sea Apostolicke by the which indulgences the effect of the said prouision may be by any maner of waies hindered or deferred yet of our certayne knowledge we will that they shall want theyr strength in the prouision made or to be made for the sayd Frederick in the Church of Lincoln And if any vpon the premisses or any of them shall alleadge agaynst the foresayd Fredericke or his procurator That you will cause them to be cited on our behalfe so that they being cited peremtorily shal within the space of two monethes of your citation personally appere before vs there according to the law to make aunswere to the sayd Fredericke vpon the premisses Any priuiledges or indulgeÌ„ces what soeuer geuen and graunted either generally to the king dome of England or peculiarly to any other person of what state degree and place soeuer graunted by the foresaid sea vnder what soeuer maner forme of words for them not to be called vp beyond the sea or out of their owne City or Dioces by letters Apostolicall vnder whatsoeuer forme of wordes obtayned to the contrary in any wise notwithstanding All which priuiledges and indulgences we will in no case shall stand in any force or effect to the sayd partes Moreouer the day and forme of the citation we will that ye faythfully do intimate vnto vs by your letters containing the tenor therof And if both of you can not be present at the execution hereof yet we will notwithstaÌ„ding that one of you do execute the same without fayle Dated the 7. Kal. Febr. the 10. yeare of our Popedome As theâ—e is no maÌ„ which hath any eies to see but may â—asely vnderstand in reading this letter of the Pope how vnreasonable his request is how impudently he commauÌ„deth how proudly he threatneth how wickedly he oppresseth and racketh the Church of God in placing boyes and straungers in the ministery cure of soules also in making them his prouisors to rauen vp the Church goodes So is it no great maruell if this godly Bishoppe Robert Grosted was offended therwith who in my mind deserueth herein a double commendation not onely that he so wisely did discerne error from sincerity and truth but also that he was so hardy and constant to stand to the defence therof agaynst the Pope according as in this his answere to the Pope agayne may appeare as foloweth The aunswere of Robert Grosted SAlutem Pleaseth it your wisedome to vnderstand that I am not disobedient to any the Apostolicke precepts but both deuoutly reuerently with the natural affectioÌ„ of a sonne obey the same And also am an vtter enemy to al those that resist such Apostolick precepts as a childe zelous of his fathers honor And truly I am no lesse then bound therunto by the precept and coÌ„mauÌ„dement of God For the Apostolick preceptes are none other nor can be then consonant and vniforme to the doctrine of the Apostles and of our Sauiour Christ being the maister and Lorde of all the Apostles whose type and person specially in the consonant and vniforme hierarchie of the Church the Lord Pope semeth to beare the same our Lorde and Sauiour Iesus Christe saying whosoeuer is not with me the same iâ— agaynst me Therefore agaynst him neither is nor can be the most diuine sanctitye of the sea Apostolicall The tenour then of â—our foresayd Apostolicall letter is not consonant to true sanctity but vtterly dissonaÌ„t and disagreeing to the same First for that vpon the clause of this your letter many such other letters like which clause alwayes ye so much do vrge Non obstante induced and brought in vpon no necessity of any naturall law to be obserued doth swarme and floweth with all inconstancy boldnes pertinacy impudency lying deceiuing and is also a sea of mistrust in geuing credit to no man Which as it swarmeth with these so in like maner with innumerable other vices which hang and depend vpon the same mouing and disturbing the purity of Christian religion and lyfe agreable to the same as also the publique tranquility of men Moreouer next after the sinne of Lucifer which shal be in the latter time to wit of Antichrist the childe of perdition whome the Lord shall destroy with the breath of his mouth there is not nor can be any kinde of sinne so repugnant and contrary to the doctrine of the Apostles â—nd holy scripture to our sauiour Christ himselfe more hatefull detestable and abhominable then to destroy and kill mens soules by defrauding them of the mistery of the pastorall office which by the ministery of the postorall cure ought to saue and quicken the same Which sinne by most euident places of the Scripture such men are discerned knowne to commit which being in the authority of the Pastorall dignity do serue their owne carnall desires and necessaries with the benefit of the milke and wooll of the sheep and flocke of Christ and do not minister the same Pastorall office and charge to the benefite and saluation of those theyr sheep The same therefore by the testimony of the Scripture is not the administration of the Pastorall ministery but the killing and destruction of the sheep And that these two kinde of vices be most vile and wicked although after a differryng sorte and farre exceeding all other kinde of wickednesse hereby it is manifest For that the same are directly contrary to two vertues most chiefely good although differring in themselues and vnlike together For that is called most wicked which is contrary to a thing most best So much then as lyeth in the offenders the one of their offences is directly agaynst the deity which of himselfe is alwayes essentially and supernaturally good The other is agaynst the deification and the Image of God in man which is not alwayes but by the participation of Gods lightsome grace essentially and naturally God And forasmuch as in thinges being good the cause of good is better then the effect like as againe in euill things the cause of euill is worse then the effect of euil proceeding therof hereby it is manifest That the inducers of such wicked destroyers of Gods Image and deification in the sheep of Christ that is the church of God are worse theÌ„ those chief destroiers to wit Lucifer Antichrist And as in these degrees of wickednes how much more excellent such be who hauing a great charge committed to them of God to edifâ—ication and not to destruction are more bound to keep away and exclude such wicked destroyers from the church of God So much is it also of that that this holy seat Apostolicall to whom the Lord Iesus Christ hath geuen all maner of power to edification as the Apostle sayth and not to destruction can commaund or will to goe about
beginning of Hillary terme the king kept a Parliament at Carliel where great coÌ„plaints were brought in by the nobles and auncientes of the Realme concerning the manifolde and intollerable oppressions of churches and Monasteries and exactions of mony by the Popes Legate William Testa otherwise termed Mala Testa lately brought into the realme of England The comming of which William Testa was vpoÌ„ this occasion as followeth Pope Clement who as ye heard before had translated his Court from Rome into Fraunce where he had bene Archbishop before because hee coÌ„teÌ„ned to come remaine at his owne sea the Princes of Rome thought him therfore vnworthy to enioy Peters patrimony And so by that meanes falling in barenes pouertye liued onely of such mony of Bishops as came to him to be confirmed and with such other shiftes and gifts So that by this meanes partly of Bishops other religious men persons partly vnder the name of curtesy and beneuolence partly vnder yâ— pretence of borowing he had within the first yeare 9500. markes of siluer all his other charges and expenses which he largely that yere bestowed clearely borne Besides this he sent moreouer the foresayd Legate William Testa into England with his Bulles in the which he reserued the first fruites of the first yeare of all Churches being vacant at any time or by any man within the realme of England Scotland Wales and IrelaÌ„d and also the fruites of Abbayes and Priories within the sayd â—â—ealmes c. Whereupon the king with his nobles seing the inconuenience and harme thereof ensuing to the whole realme In the foresayd ParliameÌ„t holden at Carliell withstood the sayd Legate charging and commaunding him by the assent of the Earles BaroÌ„s that henceforth he should absteine from al such exactions And as coÌ„cerning his Lord the Pope he would direct certayne hys messeÌ„gers vnto him purposely for the same matter appointed by the which Ambassadours the king wrote vnto the foresayd Pope declaring monishing the Pope as right and reason was that he should not exact the first fruits of Churches and Abbayes by his predecessors noble men of the land founded for the honor maintenance of Gods seruice for almes hospitalitye which otherwise in so doing should all be ouerthrown And so by this meanes the Pope at that time changed his purpose as concerning Abbayes But after that the fruit of English churches was graunted to the king for 2. yeares In which space he obteined the fruits of the foresayd Churches c. During the which Parliament afore specified as men were talking many things of the popes oppressioÌ„s which he began in the English Church in the full of the Parliament sodenly fell downe as sent from heauen among theÌ„ a certaine paper with this superscription An Epistle of Cossiodorus to the Church of England concerning the abuses of the Romish Church TO the noble church of England seruing in clay and bricke as the Iewes did in times past vnder the tyrannye of the Egiptians Peter the sonne of Cassadore a Catholicke souldiour and deuout champion of Christ sendeth greeting and wishing to cast of the yoke of bondage and to receiue the reward of libertie To whom shall I compare thee or to whom shall I liken thee O daughter Ierusalem to whome shall I match thee O daughter of Syon Great is thy perturbatÃon like vnto the sea Thou sittest alone without comfort all the day long thou art confounded consumed with heauinesse Thou art geuen vp into the handes of him from whence thou canst not rise without helpe of one to lift thee vp for the Scribes and Pharisies sitting vpon the chayre of Moyses the enemies of the Romaines are as thy heades and rulers enlarging their garded philecteries and seeking to be enriched with the marow of thy bones laying heauye burdens and not able to be borne vpon thy shoulders and of thy ministers and they set thee vnder tribute which of old time hast bene free beyond all honesty or measure But maruell not thereat for thy mother which is the Lady of people like a widow hauing maried and coupled her selfe to her subiect hath appoynted him to be thy father that is to say the Byshoppe of Rome who sheweth no poynt of any fatherly loue towardes thee He magnifieth and extendeth to the vttermost his authority ouer thee And by experience he declareth himselfe to be the husband of thy mother He remembreth oft with himselfe the Propheticall saying of the Prophet and well digested the same in the inwarde part of his brest Take to thee a great booke and write therein quickely with the penne of a man take the spoyle robbe quickely But is this it which the Apostle sayth that he was appoynted for where he writeth thus Euery Byshop taken from among men is appointed for men in those thinges that belong to the Lord not to spoyle not to lay on them yearely taxes not to kill men but to offer gifts and sacrifices for sinnes and to sorrow with them that be ignoraunt and doe erre And so we read of Peter the Fisher whose successour he boasteth himselfe to be that after the resurrection of Christ he returned with other Apostles to the office of fishing who when he could take nothing of the left side of the shippe at the bidding of Christ turned to the right side and drew to the land a nette full of fishes Wherefore the profitable ministerye of the Church is to be exercised on the right side by the which the Deuill is ouercome and plenty of soules be lucrified and wonne to Christ. But certaynely the Labourer on the left side of the shippe is farre otherwise for in it the fayth stumbleth heauinesse beareth rule when that thing that is desired by seeking is not found For who is so foolish to thinkee that he canne both at one tyme serue God and man and to satisfy his owne will or to stick to the reuelations of flesh and bloud and to offer worthy giftes to Christ And doubtles that shepheard that watcheth not for the edifying of the flocke prepareth an other way to the roaring Lyon and seeking whom he may deuour And now beholde I say O daughter the needes of him that is called thy father such as haue not bene heard of before he driueth away the good shepheardes from the sheepefolde and placeth in theyr stead Byshoppes to rule but not to profite his Nephewes Cosins and Parentes some that know no letters and other some dumme and deafe which vnderstand not the playne voyce of the sheepe nor curing their woundes that be hurt of the Wolues but lyke hirelinges plucking of the flieses a pase and reaping that which other men haue sowen whose handes-moreouer be alwaies ready in their baskets and powches but their backes are turned from their burdens By which things it is manifest that the Priesthood is cleane chaunged at these dayes the seruice of God decayd almes diminished
him maketh him a false Christ Antichrist For who may be more agens Christ than he that in his wordes maketh himselfe Christes vicar in earth And in hys werkes vndoth the ordinaunce of Christ and maketh men byleueÌ„ that it is needful to the heale of mens soules to byleuen that he is Christes vicar in earth And what euer he byndeth in earth is ybounden in heauen vnder this colour he vndoth Christes law and maketh men alwayes to kepen his law and hestes And thus men may yseene that he is agenst Christ and therefore he is Antichrist that maketh men worshupen him as a God on earth as the the proud K. Nabugodonosor did somtime that was K. of Babylon And therfore we lewed men that knowne not God but thee Iesu Christ beleuen in thee that art our God and our king and our Christ and thy lawes And forsaken Antichrist and Nabugodonosor that is false God and a false Christ and hys lawes that ben contrary to thy preaching And Lord strength thou vs agenst our enemies For they ben about to maken vs forsaken thee and thy lawe other elles to putten vs to death O Lord onlich in thee is our trust to helpe vs in this mischiefe for thy great goodnes that is withouten end Lord thou he taughtest not thy disciples to assoylen men of her sinne and setten them a penaunce for their sinne in fasting ne in prayeng ne other almous dede ne thy selfe ne thy disciples vseden no such power here on earth For Lord thou forgeue men their sinnes and bede him sinne no more And thy disciples fulleden men 〈◊〉 name in forgeuenesse of her sinnes Nor they toke no such power vpon them as our priestes dare now And Lord thou ne affoâ—tedest no man both of his sinne and of his peyne that was dew for his sinne ne thou grauntedst no man such power here on earth And Lord me thinketh that gif there were a purgatorye and any earthliche man had power to deliueren sinfull men from the peynes of Purgatory he shoulde and he were in charitie sauen euerich man that were in waye of saluation from thilke peynes sith they make them greater then anye bodeliche peynes of thys world Also gif the Bishop of Rome had such a power he himselfe should neuer comen in purgatory ne in hell And sith we see well that he ne hath no power to kepen himselfe ne other men nother out of these bodilych peynes of the world and he may goe to hell for his sinne as an other man may I ne by leue not that he hath so great power to assoylen men of their sinne as he taketh vpon hym abouen all other men And I trowe that in this he higheth hymself aboue God As touching the selling of Byshopricks personages I trow it be a poynt of falsehed For agenst Gods ordinaunce he robbeth poore men of a porcion of theyr sustenaunce and selleth it other geueth it to finde proud men in idâ—enes that done the lewd puplelitell profite but much harme as we told before Thus ben thy commaundementes of treweth of meekenes and of poore nesse vndone by him that clepeth himselfe thy vicar here vppon earth A Lord thou gaue vs a commaundement of chastice that is aforsaking of fleshlich lustes For thou broughtest vs to a liuing of soule that is ygouerned by the word For Lord thou ordeinedist woman more frele than man to ben ygouerned by mans rule his help to please thee kepe thine hests Ne thou ne ordeinedist that a man should desire the company of a woman and maken her his wife to lyuen with her in hys lustis as a swyne doth or a hors And his wife ne like him not to his lustes Lord thou ne gaue not a man leaue to departen hym from his wyfe and taken hym an other But Lord thy mariage is a common accord betwene man woman to lyuen together to theyr liues ende and in thy seruice eyther the better for others helpe and thilke that thus ben ycome together bene ioyned by thee and thilke that God ioyneth may no man depart But Lord thou sayest that gif a man see a woman to coueten her than he doth with the woman lecherye in his hart And so Lord gif a man desire his wife in couetise of such lustes and not to flye from whoredome his weddins is lechery ne thou ne ioynest them not together Thus was Raguels doughter ywedded to seuen husbandes that the deuill instrangled But Toby tooke her to lyue with her in clennes and brynging vp of her children in thy worship and on him the deuill ne had no power For the wedding was I maked in God for God and through God A Lord the people is farre ygo from this maner of wedding For now men weddeÌ„ theyr wyues for fairenes other for riches or some such other fleshlich lustes And Lord so it preueth by theÌ„ for the most part For a man shall not finde two wedded in a lande where the husband loues the wife and the wife is buxum to the man as they shoulden after thy law of maryage But other the maÌ„ loues not his wife or the wife is not buxum to her man And thus Lord is the rule of prefe that neuer fayleth no preue whether it be done by thee or no. And Lord all this mischiefe is common among thy people for that they knowe not thy worde but theyr shepheardes and hyred men sedden them with their * sweuens and leasinges And Lord where they shoulden gon before vs in the field they seggen theyr order is so holy for thy mariage And Lord he that calleth himselfe thy vicar vpon earth will not suffren priestes to taken them wiues for that is agaynst hys law But Lord he will dispensen with them to kepen horen for a certayne somme of mony And Lord all horedome is forfended in thy law And Lord thou neuer forfendest priestes their wiues ner thy Apostles neyther And well I wote in our land priestes hadden wiues vntill Anselmus dayes in the yeare of our Lord God a leueÌ„ hundred and twenty and nyne as Huntingdon writes And Lord this makes people for the most part beleuen that lechery is no sinne Therefore we lewd men prayen thee that thou wolt send vs shepheardes of thine owne that wolen feeden thy flocke in thy lesewe and gon before theÌ„selfe and so written thy law in our harts that from the least to the most all they mayen knowne thee And Lord geue our king and his Lordes hart to defenden thy true shepheardes and thy sheepe from out of the wolues mouthes and grace to know thee that art the true Christ the sonne of thy heauenly father from the Antichrist that is the sonne of pride And Lorde geue vs thy poore sheepe patience and strength to suffer for thy law the cruelnes of the mischieuous Wolues And Lord as thou hast promised shorten these dayes
wryteth thus When we were amongst you wee declared this vnto you that he that would not worke should not eate Wherefore the law of nature doth licence al such as haue the gouernance of kingdoms to correct the abuse of the temporalities which wold be the chief cause of the destruction of their kingdoms whether the tēporall Lords or any other had endowed the Church with those temporalities or not It is lawful for them in some case to take away the temporalities as it were by way of phisicke to withstand sinne notwithstanding any excommunication or other Ecclesiasticall censure For so much as they are not endowed but only with cōditiō therunto anexed Heereby it appeareth that the condition annexed to the endowing or enriching of any church is that God shuld be honoured the which condition if it once fail the contrary taking place the title of the gift is lost and consequently the Lord which gaue the almes ought to correct the offence Excommunication ought not to let the fulfilling of iustice Secondly according to the Canon lawe 16. quest 7. This sentence is noted where it is thus spoken as touching the children neuewes and the most honest of the kindred of him which hath builded or endowed any church That it is lawful for them to be thus circumspect that if they perceiue the priest doe defraude any part of that which is bestowed they should either gently admonish or warne him or els complaine on him to the bishop that he may be corrected But if the bishop him selfe attempt to do the like let them complaine of him to his Metropolitane and if the Metropolitane do the like let them not defer the time to report it in the eares of the king For so saith the canon Let them not deferre to report it in the eares of the king To what ende I pray you but that he shuld do correction neither is it to bee douted but that correction doeth more appertaine vnto he king in this poynt for their goods wherof he is chiefe Lord by a substraction proportional according to the fault or offence Item it is thus proued It is lawful for the seculer Lords by their power to do correction vpon the clergy by some kind of fearfull discipline appertaining to their seculer power Ergo by like reason it is lawful for them by their power to do such correction by all kind of fearful discipline pertaining vnto their seculer power For so much then as the taking of their temporalities is in kinde of fearful discipline pertaining vnto the seculer power It foloweth that it is lawfull for them therby to doe such correction And consequently it followeth that the truthe is thus to be prooued The consequent is euident and the antecedent is proued by Isidore 23 quest 5. Principes Where it is thus wrytten There shuld be no seculer powers within the church but onely for thys purpose that whatsoeuer thing the priests or ministers cannot bring to passe by preaching or teachings the seculer powers may command the same by the terror and feare of discipline For oftētimes the heauēly kingdom is profited and holpen by the earthly kingdom that they which are in the church and do any thing contrary vnto faith and discipline by the rigour of the princes may be troden downe And that the power of the rulers may lay that discipline vpon the neckes of the proude and stifnecked which the vtility and profit of the church can not exercise or vse Item all things that by power ought to worke or bring to any perfect ende by the reasonable measuring of the meane thereto it may lawfully vse by power the substraction or taking away of the excesse and the addition of the want of the meanes according as shall be conuenient or meete for the measure to be made For so much then as the seculer Lordes ought by their power to prouide for the necessary sustentation of the Christian clergie by the reasonable measuring of their temporalties whych they are bounden to bestow vpon the Christian cleargie it followeth that they may lawfully by their power vse the taking away or putting vnto of those temporallities according as shall be conuenient for the performance of that reasonable matter Item it is lawfull for the clergie by their power to take away the sacramentes of the Church from the laitie customably offending forsomuch as it doeth pertaine to the office of the Christian ministers by their power to minister the same vnto the lay people Wherefore for so much as it doeth pertaine vnto the office of the laitie according vnto their power to minister and geue temporallities to the clergie of Christ as the Apostle sayeth 1. Cor 9. It followeth that it is also lawfull for them by their power to take away the temporallities from the clergie when they do customably sinne and offend Item by like power may he which geueth a stipende or exhibition withdraw and take away the same from the vnworthy labourers as hee hath power to geue the same vnto the worthy labourers for so much then as temporallities of the clergie are the stipendes of the laitie it followeth that the lay people may by as good authority take away the same again from the clergy which will not worthely labour as they might by their power bestowe the same vpon those which would worthely labour according to the saying of the Gospel Mat. 21 The kingdome shal be taken away from you and geuen vnto a people which shall bring foorth the frutes thereof Item it is also lawfull for the secular Lordes by their power to chastice and punish the lay people when they do offend by taking away of their temporalties according to the exigēt of their offence forsomuch as the lay people are subiect vnder their dominion Wherefore the clergy being also subiect vnder the dominion of the seculer Lordes as appeareth Rom. 13. and many other places it is euident that it is lawfull by their power to punish the cleargie by taking away of their temporalities if their offence do so deserue Item the true and easie direction of the cleargie vnto the life of Christ and the Apostles and most profitable vnto the laity that the cleargie shuld not liue contrary vnto Christes institution semeth to be the taking away of their alms and those things which they had bestowed vppon them And it is thus proued that medicine is most apt to be laide vnto the sore whereby the infirmitie might soonest be holpen and were most agreeable vnto the pacient Such is the taking away of the temporallities Ergo this article is true The minor is thus proued for so much as by the aboūdance of temporallities the worme or serpent of pride is spronge vp where vppon vnsaciable desire and lust is inflamed and thereby proceedeth all kinde of gluttonie and lecherie It is euident in this poynt for so much as the Temporallities being once taken away euery one of those sinnes is either vtterly taken away or
darkenesse because nothing is hid which shal not be disclosed and nothing couered that shal not be knowen And therfore the thing that was sayd in the darkenesse let vs say in the light and the thyng that we haue heard in the eare let vs preache vppon the house toppes I therefore as I haue before sayd so say that if the high bishop of Rome calling himselfe the seruant of God and the chiefe Vicare of Christ in this world do make and iustify many lawes contrary to the gospell of Iesu Christ then is he the chiefe of many whych comming in the name of Christ haue said I am Christ who haue seduced many Which is the first part of the first conclusion and is manifest For Christ is called of Hebrues the very same that we call annoynted And amongest them there was a double sort of legall annoynting by the lawe the one of kings and the other of Priestes And aswell were the kynges as the priestes called in the lawe Christes The kings as in the Psalme The kings of the earth stoode vp together and the Princes assembled them selues in one agaynst the Lorde and against hys Christ or annoynted And in the bookes of the kings very often are the kinges called Christes And our Sauiour was Christ or annoynted king because hee was a king for euermore vpon the throne of Dauid as the Scriptures doe very oftentimes witnesse The Priestes also were called annoynted as where it is wrytten Doe not yee touch my Christes that is mine annoynted ones and be not ye spitefull against my Prophetes And so was our Sauiour Christ a Priest for euer according to the order of Melchisedech Seyng then that the Byshops of Rome do say that they are the high Priestes they say also therein that they are kynges because they say that they haue the spirituall sword perteinyng to their Priesthode and the corporall sword which agreeth for a kynges state So is it playne that really in very deede they say that they are Christs albeit that expresly they be not called Christes Now that they come in the name of Christ it is manifest because they say that they are his principal Vicares in this world ordeined of Christ specially for the gouernement of the Christian Churche Therefore seyng they say that really and in very deede they are Christes and the chief frendes of Christ If they make and iustifie many lawes contrary to the Gospell of Iesu Christ then is it playne that they themselues in earth are the principal Antichristes because there is no worse plague and pestilence then a familiar enemy And if in secret they be agaynst Christ and yet in open appearaunce they say that they are his frendes they are somuch the more meete to seduce and deceiue the ChristiaÌ„ people because that a manifest enemy shall haue much a doe to deceaue a man because men trust him not but a priuey enemy pretendyng outward frendshyp may easly seduce yea those that be wise But that this matter may the more fully be knoweÌ„ let vs see what is the law doctrine of Christ that ought to be obserued of all faithfull people which beyng knowen it shal be an easy thing to see if the bishop of Rome doe make or maintaine any lawes contrary to the law of the gospell of Iesu Christ. I say then that the lawe of Christ is charitie whych is the perfect loue of God and of Christ. This thing is plaine and manifest For Christ being demaunded of a certayne doctour of the law What is the greatest commaundement in the lawe answered Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soule and with all thy minde This is the principall greatest commandement And as for the second it is like vnto this Thou shalt loue thy neighbor as thine owne selfe In these two commaundements doth the whole law and Prophets depend And in an other place Christ sayeth All maner of things therefore that you would that men should do to you the same also do ye vnto them For thys is the lawe and the Prophets And in Iohn the 13. chap. sayth Christ. And now doe I say vnto you I geue you a new commandement that you shuld loue eche other as I loued you in like maner that you also shuld loue one another In this shal all men know that you are my disciples if you shall haue loue one towardes an other And Iohn 15. chapter This is my commaundemeÌ„t that you loue together as I haue loued you Greater loue then this hath no body that a man shuld geue his life for his frendes The Apostle Peter sayth in his first Epistle 4. chapter Aboue all things hauing continually charity one towards an other for charitye couereth the multitude of sinnes Be yee harborers and intertaine ye one an other without grudging euery one as hee hath receaued grace so let him bestowe it vpon an other man as the good stewards of the manifold graces of God If any maÌ„ speak let him speake as the word of God If any man doe ought for an other let it be don with singlenes and vnfained verity ministred of God to vs ward that in all thyngs God may be honoured through Iesus Christ our Lord. Iames in his Epistle the 2. chapter If ye performe the royal lawe accordingly to the Scriptures thou shalt loue thy neighbour ye do wel But if ye be parcial in receiuing and preferring mens personages ye worke wickednes being blamed of the law as transgressors And againe so speake ye and so do ye as ye should nowe begin to be iudged by the law of libertie What shall it auaile my brethren if a man say he haue faith and haue no workes Neuer shall that faith be able to saue him For if a brother or sister be naked and haue neede of daily foode and some of you say to them goe ye in peace be ye made warme and satisfied and if ye shall not geue those things that are necessary for the body what shall it auaile Euen so faith if it haue not workes is dead in it selfe Iohn in his first epistle the 3. chap. This is the tidings whych you haue heard from the beginning that you shuld loue one another And againe we know that we are traâ—slated from death to life if we loue the brethren He that loueth not abideth in death And again herein do we know the loue of God because that he hath laide downe hys life for vs we ought to lay down our liues for the brethren He that shall haue the substaunce of thys world and shall see his brother haue neede and shall shut up hys bowelles from him howe abideth the loue of God in hym My little children let vs not loue in worde nor tounge but in deede and truth And againe 4. chap. Most dearly beloued let vs loue together For loue is of God he that loueth
the law are finished in the coÌ„ming of the king being kyng of the lawe of grace euen as the sacrifices of the priesthoode of Aaron are finished in the comming of the priest according to the order of Melchisedech who hath offred himselfe vp for our sinnes Because as it is before sayd neyther the righteousnes of the law nor sacrifices for sinne brought any man to perfection Wherfore it was necessary that the same by reason of their imperfection And seeing amongst all the lawes of the world the law of Moses was most iustest forasmuch as the author thereof was God who is the most iust iudge and by that law alwaies looke what maner of iniury one had done vnto an other contrary to the coÌ„mandement of the law the like iniury he should receaue for his transgression according to the vpright iudgemeÌ„t of the law As death for death a blow for a blow burning for burning wound for wound eye for eye tooth for tooth and most iust punishmentes were ordayned according to the quantitie of the sinnes But if this lawe of righteousnes be cleane taken away in the comming of the lawe of grace how then shall the lawe of the Gentiles remayne among Christians which was neuer so iust Is not this true that in them whiche are conuerted vnto the sayth there is no distinction betweene the Iewe and the Grecian For both are vnder sinne are iustified by grace in the sayth of Christ being called vnto sayth and vnto the perfection of the Gospell If therefore the geÌ„tiles coÌ„uerted are not bouÌ„d to play the Iewes to follow the lawe of the Iewes why should the Iewes conuerted follow the lawes of the GeÌ„tiles which are not so good Wherfore it is to bee wondred at why theues are among christians for theft put to death where after the lawe of Moyses they were not put to death ChrystiaÌ„s suffer adulterers to liue Sodomits and they which curse father and mother many other horrible sinners And they which accordinge to the most iust lawe of God were condemned to death are not put to death So wee neyther keepe the law of righteousnes geuen of God nor the law of mercy taught by Christ. Wherefore the lawe makers and Iudges do not geue heede vnto the aforesayd senteÌ„ce of Christ vnto the Scribes and Phariscis who sayd He which amoÌ„gst you is with out sinne let him cast the first stone at her What is he that dareth be so bolde as to say he is without sinne Yea and without a grieuous sinne when as the transgression of the commaundement of God is a greeuous sinne And who can say that hee neuer transgressed this commaundement of God Thou shalt loue thy neighbor as thy selfe Or the other coÌ„mauÌ„dement which is of greater force Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with al thy hart c. Wherfore thou whatsoeuer thou art that iudgest thy brother vnto death thinkest thou that thou shalt escape the iudgemeÌ„t of God which peradueÌ„ture hast offended more greuously theÌ„ hath he whom thou iudgest How â—eeâ—â— thou a mote in thy brothers eye seest not a beame in thine owne eye Knowest than not that with what measure thou measurest the same shall be measured to you agayne Doth not the scripture say Unto me belongeth vengeance and I will render agayne sayth yâ— Lord How can any man say that these men can with charitie keepe these iudgementes of death Who is it that offendeth God and desireth of God iust iudgement for his offence He desireth nor iudgement but mercy If he desire mercy for him selfe why desireth he vengeance for his brother offending Howe therefore loueth he his brother as himselfe Or how doest thou shewe mercy vnto thy brother as thou art bound by the commaundement of Christ which seekest the greatest vengeance vpon him that thou canst inferr vnto him For death is the most terrible thing of all and a more grieuous vengeance then death can no man inferre Wherefore they which wil keep charitie ought to obserue the commaundements of Christ touching mercy and they which liue in the law of charitie ought to leaue the lawe of vengeance and iudgementes Ought we to beleue that Christ in his comming by grace abrogated the most iust law whiche he himselfe gaue vnto the Children of Israell by Moses his seruaunt and established the lawes of the Gentiles being not so iust to be obserued of his faythfull Doth not Daniell expounding the dreame of Nabuchodonozer the king coÌ„cerning the image whose head was of gold the brest and armes of siluer the belly thies of brasse the legges of iron one part of the feete was of iron and the other part of clay Nabuchodonozer saw that a stone was cut out of a mountaine wtout hands and strake the Image in his feete of iron and of clay brake them to peeces Then was the iron the clay the brasse the siluer and gold broken altogether and became like the chaffe of the sommer flower which is caryed away by the winde and there was no place found for them and the stone that smote the image became a great mountayne and filled the whole earth He applieth therfore 4. kingdomes vnto the 4. partes of the Image namely the kingdome of the Babilonians vnto the head of the gold The kingdome of the Medes and Persians vnto the brest and armes of siluer The kingdom of the Grecians vnto the belly and thighes or brasse But the fourth kingdome whiche is of the Romaynes he applyeth vnto the feet and legges of iron And Daniell addeth In the dayes of their kingdomes shall God rayse vp a kingdome which shall neuer be destroyed And hys kingdome shall not be deliuered vnto an other but it shal breake and destroy those kingdomes and it shal stand for euer according as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountayne without handes and brake in peeces the clay and iron brasse siluer and golde Seeing therfore it is certain that this stone signifieth Christ whose kingdome is for euer it is also a thing most assured that he ought to raygne euery where and to breake in peeces the other kingdoms of the world Wherfore it terrestrial kinges and the terrestriall kingdom of the Iewes and their laws and iudgementes haue ceased by Christ the king calling the Iewes vnto the perfection of his gospel namely vnto Fayth and Charitie It is not to be doubted but that the kingdome of the Gentiles which is more imperfect their lawes ought to ceasse among the Gentiles departing froÌ„ their Gentillitie vnto the perfection of the Gospell of Iesus Christ. For there is no distinction betwene the Iewes and Gentiles being conuerted vnto the faith of Christ but all of them abiding in that eternall kingdome ought to be vnder one lawe of Charitie and of vertue Therefore they ought to haue mercy and to leaue the iudgments of death and the desire of vengeance Wherfore they which do make lawes marke not the
Church and not Peter By which head they say that al the members are sustayned and made liuely The thyrd errour which the authors of the canons cōceiueth in the sayd text of Christ which was sayd to Peter Unto thee will I geue the keyes c. is this They say that in this sentence which was sayd to Peter of the authoritie to binde and loose was ment that as Christ gaue vnto Peter aboue all the rest of the Apostles a speciall and as it I were an excellent power aboue all the Apostles euen so say they he gaue vnto the Bishops of Rome whome they call Peters chiefe successors the same speciall power and authoritie exceeding the power of all other Byshoppes of the world The first part of this similitude and comparison doth appeare manifestly by the premisses to be erroneous wherin is playnly shewed that the other Apostles had equall power with Peter to binde and lose Wherfore cōsequently it followeth the 2. part of the similitude grounded vpon the same text to be also erroneous But and if the first part of the sayd similitude were truth as it is not yet the second part must needes be an errour wherein is sayd that the Bishops of Rome are Peters chiefest successors For althogh there be but one Catholicke christian Church of al the faithful sort conuerted yet the first part therof and first conuerted was of the Iewes the second of the Greeks the third part was of the Romaynes or Latines Whereof the first part was most perfectly conuerted vnto the fayth for that they faithfully obserued the perfectiō of charitie as appeareth in the Actes of the Apostses by the multitude of the beleuers The were of one hart and one soule neyther called they any thing that they possessed theyr owne but all was common amongst them Hereupon Paule to the Romaynes Salutation to euery beleuer first to the Iew to the Greeks after the Iewes The Greekes were the second and after the Iewes best conuerted and after them the Romaynes taking their information of the Greekes as appeareth by the Chronicles although in deed some Romaynes were conuerted vnto the fayth by Peter and Paule And as Christ sayd thrise vnto Peter feed my sheepe so Peter ruled these three Churches as witnesseth the Chronicles But first he reformed the Church of the Iewes in Ierusalem and Iudea as appeareth by the testimony of the Actes of the Apostles For Acts 1. It is manifest how Peter stonding vp amongst his brethren spake vnto them concerning the election of an Apostle in the place of Iudas the traytor alledging places vnto thē out of the scripture that an other should take vppon him his Apostleship And so by lot was Mathias constituted in the 12. place of Iudas acts 2. After that the holy Ghost was come vpon the Apostles and that they spake with the tongues of al men the heares were astonied at the miracle And some mocked them saying these men are full of newe wine But Peter stood vp spake vnto thē saying that it was fulfilled in thē that was prophecied by Ioell the prophet and he preached Christ vnto the people whome they of ignoraunce had put to death To them was Sauioure promised by the testimony of the Prophets And whē they heard the wordes of Peter they were pricked at the heart saying vnto him and the rest of the Apostles What shal we then do And Peter sayd vnto them repent and let euerye one of you be baptised in the name of Iesus Christ for the remission of your sinnes and ye shall receaue the holy ghost And there were ioined vnto them the same day about three M. soules And Actes 3.4.5 it appeareth that Peter aboue the rest did those thinges which belonged to the ministery of the Apostleship as well in preaching as in answering Wherupon some Chronicles say that Peter gouerned the church of the Iewes at Ierusalem 4. yeares before he gouerned Antioche And by the testimony of Paule to the Gal. as before is sayd The Gospell of the vncircumsion is cōmitted to Paule euen as the circumcision to Peter And he that wrought with Peter in the Apostleship of circumcisiō wrought with Paule amongst the Gentils Wherby it apreth that the Churche of the Iewes was commtted to the gouernment of Peter And in the proces of the Actes of the Apostles it appeareth that Peter beleeued that the fayth of Christ was not to be preached vnto those Gentiles which alwayes liued in vncleannes of Idolatry But whē Peter was at Ioppe Cornelius a Gētile sent vnto him that he wold come shew him the way of life But Peter a little before of the comming of the messengers of Cornelius being in his chāber after he had prayed fel in a trance and saw heauen open and a certayne vessel descending euen as a great sheete letten downe by foure corners from heauen to earth In the which were all maner of foure footed beastes serpentes of the earth and foules of the ayre And a voyce spake vnto hym saying arise Peter kill and eate and Peter sayd not so Lorde because I haue neuer eaten any common or vncleane thing This was done thrise And Peter descended not knowing what the vision did signifie and found the messengers of Cornelius As concerning the authoritie iudicial of the clergie many things are written thereof in the Canons of decrees greatly to be marueiled at and farre from the truth of the Scripture The authors of the Canons say that Chryst gaue vnto the priests power iudicial ouer sinners that confessed their sinnes vnto them And this they ground vpon the text of Christ I will geue vnto thee the keyes of the kingdome of heauen and what soeuer thou loosest c. And these keyes of the kingdome of heauen they cal the knowledge to discerne and the power to iudge which they say onely belongeth to the priestes except in case of necessitie then they say a lay man may absolue a man frō sinne And as touching absolution they say there are three thinges to be required on the sinners part first harty cōtritiō wherby the sinners ought to bewaile their offēding of god thorough sinnes the second is auricular confession whereby the sinner ought to shew vnto the Priest his sinnes the circumstances of them The third is satisfaction thorough penaunce enioyned vnto hym by the Priest for his sinnes cōmitted And of his part that geueth absolution there are two thinges say they to be required that is to say knowledge to discern one sinne from an other wherby he ought to make a difference of sinnes appoynt a conuenient penaunce according to the quantitie of the sinnes The secōd is authoritie to iudge wherby he ought to ioyne penaunce to the offender And further they say that he that is confessed ought with al humilitie to submit himself to this authoritie and wholy and voluntarily to doe those penaunces which are commaunded
him by the priest except the sayde penaunce be released by a superiour power for all priestes as they say haue not equall authoritie to absolue sinnes The chiefe priest whome they call Peters successour hath power fully and wholy to absolue But the inferior priests haue power some more some lesse The more as they are neare him in dignitie The lesse as they are farther from the degree of his dignitie All this is declared by proces in the decrees butnot by the expresse doctrine of Christ or any of his Apostles For although Christ absolued men from their sinnes I do not find that he did it after the maner of a iudge but of a sauior For Christ sayth God sent not his sonne into the world to iudge sinners but that the worlde should be saued by him Iohn chap. 3. Wherupon he spake vnto him whom he healed of the palsie Beholde thou art made whole go thy wayes and sinne no more And to the woman taken in adultery Christ sayd woman where be thy accusers hath no man condemned thee who sayd No man Lord. To whom then Iesus thus said No more wil I condemne thee go and now sinne no more By which words and deedes of Christ and many other places of the scripture it appereth he was not as a Judge at his first coÌ„ming to punish sinners according to the quaÌ„titie of their offences but that day shal come hereafter where in he shall iudge all men according to their workes as in Mat. 25. where he sayth When the sonne of man shal come in his maiesty and all his aungels with him then shall he sit vpon the seat of his maiesty and all nations shal be gathered together before him and he shall seperate them one from an other as a shepheard seperateth the sheepe from the Goates c. Neither shall he iudge alone but his Saintes also with him For he sayth you that haue followed me in this generation when the sonne of man shall sit in the seat of his maiestie shal sit also vpon 12. seats and iudge the 12. tribes of Israell If then sith Christ came not as a Iudge why doe the Priestes say that they supplye the roome of Christ on earth to iudge sinners according to the quantitie of theyr offences And yet not onely this but it is more to be maruailed at how the Byshop of Rome dareth to take vpon him to be a Iudge before the day of iudgement and to preuent the time iudging some to be saintes in heauen to be honoured of men and some agayn to be tormented in hel eternally with the deuils Would God these men wold wey the saying of S. Paule Corin. 4. Iudge ye not before the time vntill the comming of the Lorde who shall make light the darcke and secret places and disclose the secretes of hartes and then euery one shall haue his prayse Let the Byshop of Rome take heede lest that in Ezechiell be spoken by him because thy hart is eleuate and laydst vnto thy selfe I am God I haue sitten in the seat of God in the hart of the sea when thou art but man and not God It is manifest that the remission of sinnes principallye belongeth to God who through grace washeth awaye our sinnes For it is sayd the lamb of God taketh away the sinnes of the world And vnto Christians it belongeth as the Ministers of God For in the 20. of Iohn Christ sayth Receaue vnto you the holy Ghost whose sinnes you shall remit they are remitted vnto them and whose sinnes you shal retain they are reteined Seing therfore that all Christians that are baptised in the name of the Father and of the sonne of the holy Ghost receaue the holy ghost it appeareth that they haue power geueÌ„ vnto them of Christ to remit sinnes ministerially Hath not euery Christian authoritie to baptiseâ— and in the baptisme all the sinnes of the baptised are remitted Ergo they that doe baptise do remit sinnes And thus ministerially all suche haue power to remitte sinnes Therfore to say that one man hath more authoritie to remit sinnes then al other Christians haue is to much to extol him to place him euen in Gods seat I pray you how are the sinnes remitted him that is baptised of the Prieste yea although he were of the pope himselfe baptised more then if he were baptised of an other Christian Surely I thinke no more For seing that before Baptisme he remayneth a sinner and of the kingdome of the deuill by sinne after baptisme he entreth into the kingdome of heauen It appeareth that he that doeth baptise openeth the gate of the kingdome of heauen to him that is baptised the whiche he cannot do wtout the keyes of the kingdome of heauen Therfore euery one that both baptise hath the keyes of the kingdome of heauen as well the inâ—eriour Priest as the Pope But these keyes are not the knowledge to discerne power to iudge because these doe nothing anayle in baptisme Ergo there are other keyes of the kingdome of heauen theÌ„ these Wherfore it seemeth that the authors of the Canons erred in mistaking the keyes wherupon they ground the authoritie iudiciall of the Clergy Now a little errour in the beginning graunted groweth to great incoÌ„uenience in the end Wherfore in my iudgement it seemeth that the keyes of the kingdome of heauen are sayth and hope For by fayth in Iesus Christ and hope in him for the remission of sinnes we enter the kingdome of heaueÌ„ This faith is a spiritual water springing from Iesus Christ the fountayne of wisedome wherein the soule of the sinner is washed from sinne With this water were the faithfull Patriarches baptised before the lawe and the faythfull people of the Hebrewes and the faythful Christians after the law Wherfore I greatly maruell of that saying in the decrees which is ascribed vnto Augustine that litle children that are not baptised shal be tormented with eternall fire although they were born of faithfull parents that wished them with all their hartes to haue bene baptised as though the sacrament of Baptisme in water were simply necessary to saluation when neuerthelesse many Christians are saued without this kinde of Baptisme as Martirs If that kinde of Sacrament be not necessary to one of elder yeres how theÌ„ is it necessary to an infant born of the faythfull Are not all baptised with the holy Ghost and with fire But yet not with materiall fire no more is the lotion of water corporally necessary to washe awaye sinnes but onely spirituall water that is to say the water of fayth Are not the quicke baptised for them that are dead as witnsseth Paule 2. Corin. 15. If the dead arise not at all why are the liuing then baptised for them If the liuing be baptised for the dead Why then is not the infant saued by the baptisme of his parentes seeing the infant it selfe is impotent at the time
of death and not able to require baptisme Christ sayth he that beleueth and is baptised shal be saued He sayth not he that is not baptised but he that beleueth not shall be damned Wherefore in the 12. chap. of Iohn Christ sayth I am the resurrection and lyfe he that beleeueth in me yea although he were dead shall lyne The faith therfore is necessary which the infāt hath in his faithfull parents although he be not washed with corporall water How then is the infant damned and tormēted with eternall fire Were not they that were before the comming of Christ and dead before his death by a thousande yeres saued also by his death and passion All that beleued in him were baptised in his bloud and so were saued and redemed from sinne and the bondage of the deuill and made partakers of the kingdome of heauen How then in the time of grace shall the infāt be damned that is borne of faythfull parents that do not despise but rather desire to haue theyr children baptised I dare not consent to so hard a sentēce of the decrees but rather beleue that he is saued by vertue of the passion of Christ in fayth of his faythfull parentes and the hope which they haue in Christ. Which fayth and hope are the keies of the heauenly kingdome God were not iust and mercifull if he would condemne a man that beleueth not in him except he shewed vnto him the fayth which hee ought to beleeue And therefore Christ sayth If I had not come and spokē vnto them sinne could not haue bene layd vnto theyr charge but nowe they haue no excuse of sinne Therfore seing the fayth of Christ is not manifest vnto the infāt departing before baptisme neither hath he denyed it how thē shal he be damned for the same But if God speaketh inwardly by way of illumination of the intelligēce of the infant as he speaketh vnto Aungels who then knoweth saue God alone whether the infant receiueth or not receiueth the fayth of Christ What is he therfore that so rashly dare take vpō him to iudge the infants begottē of faythfull parents dying with out baptisme to be tormēted with eternal fire Now let vs cōsider the 3. thinges which the canons of decrees affirme to be requisite for the remission of the sinnes of those that sinne after baptisme that is to say contrition of hart auricular confession and satisfaction of the deed through penance enioyned by the priest for the sinnes cōmitted I cannot finde in any place in the Gospel where Christ commaūded that this kind of confession should be done vnto that priest nor I cannot find that Christ assigned any penance vnto sinners for theyr sinnes but that he willed thē to sinne no more If a sinner confesse that he hath offended God through sinne soroweth hartely for his offēces minding no more hereafter to sinne then is he truely repentaunt for his sinne then is he conuerted vnto the Lord. If he shall then hūbly and with good hope crane mercy at God remission of his sinnes what is he that can let God to absolue that sinner from his sinne And as God absolueth a sinner from hys sinne so hath Christ absolued many although they confessed not theyr sinnes vnto the priests and although they receiued not due penance for their sinnes And if Christ could after that maner once absolue sinners how is he become now not able to absolue Except some man wil say that he is aboue Christ and that his power is minished by the ordinances of his own lawes How were sinners absolued of god in the time of the Apostles and alwayes heretofore vnto y◠time that these Canons were made I speake not these thinges as though confession to priestes were wicked but that it is not of necessity requisite vnto saluation I beleeue verily that the confession of sinnes vnto good priestes and likewise to other faythful Christiās is good as witnesseth S. Iames the Apostle Cōfesse ye your selues one to another pray ye one for another that ye may be saued for the continuall prayer of the iust auayleth much Helias was a man that suffered many things like vnto you and he praid that it should not rayne vpon the earth it rayned not in 3. yeares 6. monethes And agayne he prayed and it rayned from heauen and the earth yelded forth her fruit This kinde of confession is good profitable and expedient for if God peraduenture heareth not a mans own prayer he is helped with the intercession of others Yet neuerthelesse the prayers of the priests seemeth to much to be extolled in the decrees where it treateth of penitēce and that saying is ascribed vnto Pope Leo. Cap. multiplex misericordia Dei c. And it followeth So is it ordeyned by the prouidence of Gods diuine wil that the mercy of God cannot be obteined but by the praier of the priests c. The praier of a good priest doth much auayle a sinner confessing his faults vnto him The counsel of a discreet priest is very profitable for a sinner to geue the sinner counsell to beware herafter to sinne and to instruct him how he shal punish his body by fasting by watching and such like actes of repentance that herafter he may be better preserued from sinne After this maner I esteme confessiō to priests very expedient and profitable to a sinner But to cōfesse sinnes vnto the priest as vnto a iudge to receiue of him corporall penāce for a satisfaction vnto God for his sinnes committed I see not how this can be founded vpō the truth of the scripture For before the comming of Christ no man was sufficient or able to make satisfactiō vnto God for his sins although he suffred neuer so much penance for his sinnes And therefore it was needefull that he that was without sinne should be punished for sinnes as witnesseth Isayas chap. 53. where he sayth he took our griefes vpon him and our sorrowes he bare And again He was woūded for our iniquities and vexed for our wickednes And agayn The Lord put vpon him our iniquity And agayne for the wickednes of my people haue I strikē him It therfore Christ through his passion hath made satisfaction for our sinnes whereas we our selues were vnable to do it then through him haue we grace remission of sinnes How can we say now that we are sufficient to make satisfaction vnto God by any penance enioyned vnto vs by mans authority seing that our sinnes are more greuous after Baptisme thē they were before the comming of Christ. Therefore as in Baptisme the payne of Christ in his passion was a full satisfaction for our sinnes euen so after Baptisme if we confesse that we haue offended be harty sorry for our sinnes and minde not to sinne agayne ofterwardes Hereupon Iohn writeth in his first epistle ca. 1. If we say we haue no sinne we deceiue our selues the truth is not
that looke for him to their saluation For the lawe hauing a shadowe of good thinges to come can neuer by the Image it selfe of thinges which euery yeare without ceasing they offer by such sacrifices make those perfect that come therunto for otherwise that offering should haue ceased Because that such worshippers being once cleansed from theyr sinnes should haue no more conscience of sinne But in these commemoratioÌ„ is made euery yere of sinne for it is impossible that by the bloud of Goates and Calues sinnes should be purged and taken away Therfore comming into the world he sayd Sacrifice and oblation thou wouldst not haue but a body hast thou geuen me peace offeringes for sinne haue not pleased thee Then sayd I behold I come In the volume of the booke it is written of me that I should doe thy will O God Saying as aboue because thou wouldest haue no sacrifices nor burnt offeringes for sinne neyther doest thou take pleasure in those things that are offered according to the law Then sayd I behold I come that I may doe thy will O God He taketh away the first to stablishe that which followeth In which will we are sanctified by the oblation of the body of Iesus Christ once for all And euery priest is ready dayly ministring and oftentimes affering like sacrifices which can neuer take away sinnes But this Iesus offering one sacrifice for sinne sitteth for euermore on the right hand of God expecting the time tyll his enemies be made his footstoole For by his owne onely oblation hath he consummated for euermore those that are sanctified All these places haue I recited which Paule writeth for the better vnderstanding and declaration of those thinges I meane to speak By all which it appeareth manifestly how the Priesthood of Christ differeth from the legall priesthood of Aaron and by the same also appeareth how the same differeth from all other priesthood Christian that immitateth Christ. For the properties of the priesthood of Christ aboue recited are founde in no other Priest but in Christ alone Of the third priesthood that is the Christian priesthood Christ by expresse wordes speaketh but litle to make any difference betwene the priests and the rest of the people neither yet doth vse this name of Sacerdos or praesbiter in the Gospell But some he calleth disciples some apostels whom he sent to baptise to preach in his name to do miracles He calleth them the salt of the earth in which the name of wisedome is ment and he calleth them the light of the world by which good liuing is signified For he sayth So let your light so shine before meÌ„ that they may see your good workes and glorify your father which is in heauen And Paule speaking of the Priestes to Timothe and Titus seemeth not to mee to make any diuersity betwixt the Priestes and the other people but in that he woulde haue them to surmount other in knowledge and perfection of life But the fourth priesthood is the Romaine priesthood brought in by the Church of Rome which Churche maketh a distinction betwene the clergy and the lay people after that the clergy is deuided into sundry degrees as appeareth in the decretals This distinction of the clergy from the laitye with the consure of clerkes began in the time of * Anacletus as it doth appeare in the Chronicles The degrees of the clergy were afterward inuedted distincted by their offices and there was no ascentioÌ„ to the degree of the priesthood but by inferior orders and degrees But in the primitiue churche it was not so for immediately after tht conuersion of some of theÌ„ to the fayth baptisme receiued they were priests bishops made as appeareth by Ananias whom Marcus made of a taylor or shomaker to be a bishop And of many others it was in like case done according to the traditions of the church of Rome Priests are ordeined to offer sacrifices to make supplication and prayers and to blesse sanctify The oblation of the priesthood onely to Priestes as they say is congruent whose duties are vpon the aultar to offer for the sinnes of the people the Lords body which is coÌ„secrated of bread Of which saying I haue great maruell considering S. Paule his wordes to the Hebrues before recited If Christ offering for our sinnes one oblation for euermore sitteth on the right hand of God and wyth that one oblation hath coÌ„suÌ„mated for euermore those that are sanctified If Christ euermore sitteth on the right hand of God to make intercession for vs what neede he to leaue here any sacrifice for our sinnes of the Priestes to be dayly offered I do not finde in the scriptures of God nor of his Apostles that the body of Christ ought to be made a sacrifice for sinne but onely as a Sacrament and commemoration of the sacrifice passed whiche Christ offered vpon the aultar of the crosse for our sinnes For it is an absurditye to say that Christ is now euery day really offered as a sacrifice vpon the aultar by the Priestes for then the Priestes should really crucify him vpoÌ„ the aultar which is a thing of no Christian to be beleeued But euen as in his supper his body his bloud he deliuered to his Disciples in memorial of his body that should be crucified on the morrow for our sinnes So after his asceÌ„tion did his Apostles vse the same when they brake bread in euery house for a SacrameÌ„t and not for a sacrifice of the body and bloud of our Lord Iesus Christ. And by this meanes were they put in remembraunce of the great loue of Christ who so entirelye loued vs that willinglye he suffered the death for vs for the remission of our sinnes And thus did they offer theÌ„selues to God by loue being ready to suffer death for the confession of his name and for the sauing health of theyr brethren fulfilling the new commaundement of Christ which sayd vnto them A new coÌ„mauÌ„dement do I geue vnto you that you loue one another as I haue loued you But wheÌ„ loue began to waxe cold or rather to be frosen for cold thorow the anguish anxiety of persecution for the name of Christ then Priests did vse the flesh and bloud of Christ in â—â—tad of a sacrifice And because many of them feared death some of them fled into solitarye places not daring to geue themselues a sacrifice by death vnto God through the confession of his name sauing health of theyr brethreÌ„ Some other worshipped Idols fearing death as did also the chiefe Bishop of Rome and many other mo in diuers places of the world And thus it came to passe as that which was ordeined and instituted for a memoriall of the one onely sacrifice was altered for want of loue into the realitye of the sacrifice it selfe ¶ After these thinges thus discussed he inferreth consequently vpon the same an other briefe tractation of women
this despight and reproofe Christ suffered most meekely in his owne person for to geue example of all meekenesse and pacience to all his faythfull folowers Certayne this world is now so full of proud beggers which are named Priestes but the very office of working of Priesthood which Christ approueth true and accepteth is farre from the multitude of Priests that now reigne in this world For from the highest Priest to the lowest all as who say study that is they imagine and trauell busilye how they may please this world and theyr flesh This sentence and many such other dependeth vpon them if it be well considered other God the father of heauen hath deceiued all mankinde by the liuing specially and teaching of Iesu Christ and by the liuing and teaching of his Apostles and Prophetes or els all the Popes that haue bene since I had any knowledge or discretion with all the Colledge of Cardinals Archbishops and Bishops Monks Canons and Friers with all the contagious flock of the communalty of Priesthood which haue all my life time and mikle lenger reigned and yet reigne increase damnably from sinne into sinne haue bene and yet bee proud obstinate heretickes couetous simoners and defouled adulterers in the ministering of the Sacramentes and specially in the ministring of the Sacrament of the aultar For as their workes sheweth whereto Christ biddeth vs take heed the highest Priestes and Prelates of this Priesthood chalenge and occupy vnlefull tēporall Lordships And for temporall fauour and meed they sell geue benefices to vnworthy and vnable persons yea these simoners sell sinne suffering men and women in euery degree and estate to lye and continue from yeare to yere in diuers vices slaūderously And thus by euil example of high priests in the church lower Priestes vnder them are not onely suffered but they are mayntayned to sell full deare to the people for temporall meed all the Sacraments And thus all this foresayd Priesthoode is blowne so high and borne vp in pride and vaine glory of their estate and dignity so blinded with worldly couetousnes That they disdayne to follow Christ in very meekenesse and wilfull pouerty liuing holylye and preaching Gods word truely freely and continually taking theyr liuelihood at the free will of the people of their pure almes where and when they suffice not for theyr true and busy preaching to get their sustenaunce with their handes To this true sentence grounded on Christes owne liuing and teaching of his Apostles these foresaid worldly fleshly Priests wil not consent effectually But as theyr workes and also their wordes shew boldly and vnshamefastly these forenamed Priestes and Prelates couet and enforce them mightely and busily that all holy scripture were expounded and drawne accordingly to their maners and to theyr vngrounded vsages and findinges For they will not since they hold it but folly and madnesse conforme their maners to the pure and simple liuing of Christ and his Apostles nor they will not followe freely their learning Wherefore all the Emperours and Kinges and all other Lordes and Ladyes and all the common people in euery degree and state which haue before time knowne or might haue knowne and also all they that now yet know or might know this foresayde witnes of Priesthood and would not nor yet will enforce them after theyr cunning and power to withstand charitably the foresayd enemies and traytors of Christ and of his churche all these striue with Antichrist agaynst Iesu. And they shall heare the indignation of God almighty without end if in conuenient time they amend them not and repent them verelye doing therefore due mourning and sorow after their cunning power For through presumtuousnesse and negligence of Priestes Prelates not of the Churche of Christ but occupying theyr prelacye vnduely in the Church and also flattering and false couetousnes of other diuers named Priestes Lousengers and lounderers are wrōgfully made and named Heremites and haue leaue to defraud poore and needy creatures of their liuelode and to liue by theyr false winning and begging in slouth and in other diuers vices And also of these Prelates these coker noses are suffered to liue in pride and hipocrisy and to defoule themselues both bodelye and ghostly Also by the suffering and counsell of these foresayde Prelates and of other Priestes are made both vayne brotherhoodes and sisterhoodes full of pride and enuye which are full contrary to the brotherhood of Christ since they are cause of mickle dissetion and they multiply and susteyne it vncharitably for in lustye eating and drinking vnmeasurably and out of time they exercise themselues Also this vaine confederacy of brotherhoodes is permitted to be of one clothing and to hold together And in all these vngrounded and vnlefull doinges priests are parteners and great medlers and counsellers And ouer this viciousnesse Heremites and Pardoners Ankers and straūge beggers are licensed and admitted of Prelates and Priestes for to beguile the people with flatteringes and leasinges slaunderously agaynst all good reason and true beleue and so to encrease diuers vyces in themselues and also among all them that accept them or consent to them And thus the viciousnesse of these foresayd named Priestes Prelates haue bene long time and yet is and shal be cause of wars both within the Realme and without And in the same wise these vnable Priestes haue bene and yet are and shal be chiefe cause of pestilence of men and morein of beastes and of barrennesse of the earth and of all other mischiefes to the tyme that Lordes and cōmons able them through grace for to know and to keepe the cōmaundements of God inforcing them than faythfully and charitably by one assent for to redresse and make one this foresayde Priesthood to the wilfull poore meeke and innocent liuing and teaching specially of Christ and his Apostles Therefore all they that know or might know the viciousnes that raigneth now cursedly in these Priests and in theyr learning if they suffice not to vnderstand this contagious viciousnesse let them pray to the Lord hartily for the health of his Church absteining them prudently from these indurate enemyes of Christ and of his people and from all their Sacraments since to them all that know them or may know they are but fleshly deedes and false as S. Cyprian witnesseth in the first question of decrees and in the first cause Ca. Si quis inquit For as this Saynt and great Doctour witnesseth there that not onely vicious Priestes but also all they that fauour them or consent to them in their viciousnesse shall together perish with them if they amend them not duely as all they perished that cōsented to Dathan and Abiron For nothing were more confusion to these foresayd vicious Priestes than to eschew them prudently in all theyr vnlefull Sacramentes while they cōtinue in their sinnefull liuing slaunderously as they haue lōg time done and yet do And no
sinne For when as the Church doth containe all men which are called Christiās which also do agree come together in one beliefe of faith and participation of the Sacraments I do feare least some men will thinke that I do affirme all mē to be without sinne which is so far frō my meaning that I do verely thinke the cōtrary to be most true For I suppose that there is no man in the Church being clothed in this mortall flesh without sinne Neither do these things vary or dissent among themselues For the Church hath this gift that albeit euery part and mēber therof may sin yet the whole body can not sinne For there bee alwayes good men in the Church the which albeit that they be subiect vnto humaine fragilitie notwithstāding they haue so perfect a gift of sincere and pure vertue that subduing all carnall desires and affectiōs they keep themselues a pleasant and acceptable sacrifice vnto God Neither do I consent or agree vnto the opiniō of diuers which affirme that the Virgin Mary onely perseuered in faith at the Lordes passion Whereupon diuers haue not bene ashamed to say that the faith might be so debilitate and weakened that it should returne to one only old woman Whose opinion or rather madnes Saint Paule seemeth opēly to reiect writing thus vnto the Romaines do ye not know saith he what the Scripture writeth of Helias how incessantly he called vpon God against the childrē of Israell saieng O Lord they haue slayne thy Prophets and digged downe thine aultars and I alone am left and they seeke after my soule But what answere receiued he of God I haue left vnto my self yet vij M. men which haue not bowed their knees vnto Baal What other thing doth this answere of God declare then that it is a foolish opiniō of them which thinke the Church of God to be brought vnto so small number We ought to beleeue the words of Christ which are altogether repugnāt vnto those mē who affirme the the Virgine onely did perseuere in faith For Iesus sayd vnto his Father O holy father saue thē in thy name whome thou hast geuen me that they may be one as we are one Whē I was with them I kept them in thy name I haue kept them that thou gauest vnto me and none of them perished but onely the sonne of perdition And I do not desire that thou shouldest take them out of the world but that thou shouldest preserue them from euill Beholde Christ praieth that his disciples shoulde not fall but should be preserued from euill and he so praieng without doubt is heard for he saith in another place I know the thou hearest me But how is he heard if all those for whome he praieth swarned at the time of his passion As for example By what meanes did Christ hanging vpō the Crosse commende his dearely beloued mother vnto Iohn if so be he were either then swarued or should by and by after haue swarued from the faith Moreouer did not the Centurion by and by cry out and say truly this is the sonne of God The Iewes also which at that time were farre distant from Ierusalem might both be called faithfull and also saued by their faith seeing that as the Apostle sayth men are bound vnto the Gospell after it is once knowne and reuealed vnto them But let vs leaue these men and speake of that which is more likely and let vs iudge that there hath bin and is a great number of good mē in the Church and by thē as by the more worthy part let vs name the Church holy and immaculate the whyche doth comprehend as well the euill as the good For the Church is compared vnto a net which is cast into the sea and gathereth together all kinde of fishes And agayne it is compared vnto a King which made a marriage for his sonne and sent forth his seruantes to call those which were bidden vnto the wedding and they gathered together good euill as many as they could finde Wherfore their opinion is erroneus which affirme that only good men be comprehēded in the Church the which if it were true it would confound all things neither could we vnderstand or know where the Church were But for so much as the Scripture saith no man knoweth whether he be worthy of loue or hatred their opiniō is more to be alowed truer which include all the faithfull in the Church of whom although a great part be geuen to voluptuousnes and auarice yet some notwithstāding are cleane frō deadly sinne The which part as it is the most worthy it geueth the name vnto the church to be called most holy which is so often done that we are commaunded to sing in our Creede vnam sanctam Catholicam Apostolicam Ecclesiam that is to say one holy Catholicke Apostolicke Church the which Article the Synode of Constantinople added vnto the rest Wherefore if the Church be holy it is also without sinne But to returne to our former purpose this word Sanctum which signifieth holy as Macrobius alledging Trebatius affirmeth is sometimes taken for religious and sometimes for cleane and vncorrupt And after the same maner we call the Church holy as the Apostle Peter calleth it immaculate as we read in the famous Epistle of Clement To this end also tendeth that whiche is spoken by S. Paule that Christ is the head of the Churche For if the Churche should wholy sinne she should not agree with her head Christ who is in no pointe defiled This also Christ himselfe would signifie vnto vs in Mathew when he cōmendeth the house which wās builded vpō the strōg rocke against the whiche neither the windes neither the stormes could preuaile In the house of God sayth the Apostle which is the Church builded vpō the strong rocke which rocke as the sayd Apostle declareth is Christ. Who then is so vnshamefast that hee will affirme the Churche which is founded vpō Christ to be subiect to sinne will not rather cry out with the Prophet and say Domine dilexi decorem domus tuae That is to say O Lord I haue loued the beawtie of thy house Hereupon wrote Iohn Chrisostome this golden sentence The Church neuer ceaseth to be assaulted neuer ceaseth to be layne in wayte for but in the name of Christ it hath alwayes the vpper hād ouercame And albeit that other do lye in wait for it or that the floudes do beate agaynst it yet the foūdatiō which is layd vpon the rocke is not shaken S. Hillary also sayth that it is the propertie of the Churche to vanquish when it is hurt to vnderstād when it is reproued to be in safetie whē it is forsaken to obtaine victory when as it seemeth almost ouercome Thus by many reasons testimonies it is proued that the Church doth not erre which is not spoken or affirmed of the Bishops of Rome so that this reason doth
most blessed last supper we shall intreate that he which hath instituted this most blessed Sacrament of vnitie peace will vouchsafe to worke this effect in vs to make vs that we may be one in the saide Lord Iesu our head and that he will subuert all the subtilties of the deuill which through his enuious craftines hath made the Sacrament of peace and vnitie an occasion of warre and discorde that whilest Christians do contend touching the maner of communicating they bee not depriued of the fruite of the communion Whereupon S. Augustin in his Sermon vpon infants in the decrees De cons. distinct 2. Quia passus saith thus So the Lord Iesu Christ certified vs and willed that we shoulde appertaine vnto him and consecrated the mistery of our peace and vnitie vpon the table He that receiueth the mistery of vnity and doth not keepe the bond of peace doth not receiue a mistery for himselfe but a testimonie against himselfe This we thought good aboue all things to be premised that the generall custome of the Church which your fathers and you also in times past haue obserued hath a long time had and still vseth that they which do not consecrate communicate only vnder the kind of bread Which custome beeing lawfully brought in by the Churche and holy fathers and now a long time obserued it is not lawfull to reiect or to change at your will and pleasure without the authority of the Church Therefore to change the custome of the Churche and to take in hand to communicate vnto the people vnder both kindes without the authority of holy Church is altogether vnlawfull For holy Church vpon reasonable occasions may graunt libertie to communicate vnto the people vnder both kindes And euery communion which beeing attempted without the authority and licence of the Church should be vnlawfull when it is done with the authority of holy Church shall be lawfull if other things let it not because as the Apostle saith he that eateth and drinketh vnworthely eateth and drinketh his owne damnation Whereupon Sainct Isidore in the second distinct vpon the consecration writeth thus They which liue wickedly and cease not dayly to communicate in the Church thinking thereby to be cleansed let them learne that it doth nothing at all profite them to the cleansing of their sins And S. Augustine in the same distinctiō saith holy things may hurt the euil for vnto the good they are saluation but vnto the euill damnation There are besides this many other authorities The Apostle Iudas was amongst thē which did first communicate but for somuch as he receiued vnworthely hauing that sinne of treason in his hart it did profit him nothing but the deuill by and by exercised more the power and authority ouer him This is declared by a great reason which of you is it that if you shoulde receiue your Lorde into your house woulde not with all diligence and care study to make cleane and adorne his house that he may receiue the Lord honestly much more he that shall receiue his Lorde and Sauiour into the house of his soule ought diligently to make cleane and decke his soule to cleanse it by the Sacrament of penance with sorrow and contrition of hart humbly purely and truely confessing his sinnes and receiuing due satisfaction and penance to adorne and decke the same with the purple or rich aray of deuotion that the hart being so purged and adorned with feruent desire he may come to that most holy Sacrament whereby God reconcileth all the world vnto him Wherfore the most sacred Synode admonisheth exhorteth and commandeth that all Priests shoulde diligently exhort admonish the people and that they should vse all their care indeuor that no man come to that most blessed sacramēt except he be duely prepared with great reuerence deuotion least that which is receiued for the saluation of the soule redounde to the condemnation through the vnworthy receiuing thereof Moreouer Doctours do say that the custome of communicating vnto the people only vnder the kinde of bread was reasonably introduced by the Church holy fathers for reasonable causes specially for the auoiding of ij perils of errour and vnreuerēce Of errour as to think that the one part of Christes body were in the bread the other parte in the cup which were a great errour Of vnreuerence for so much as many things may happen as wel on the part of the minister as on the part of the receiuer As it is said that it happened whē as a certaine Priest carieng the Sacrament of the cup vnto a sicke man whē he should haue ministred he found nothing in the cup beeing all spilt by the way with many other such like chaunces We haue heard moreouer that it hath often hapned that the Sacrament consecrate in the cup hath not bin sufficiēt for the number of communicants whereby a new consecration must bee made which is not agreeable to the doctrine of the holy fathers and also that oftentimes they do minister wine vncōsecrate for consecrate wine which is a great perill By this meanes then it shall be brought to passe that if you will effectually receiue the vnity peace of the Church in all other things besides the vse of the Communion vnder both kindes cōforming your selues to the faith order of the vniuersall Church you that haue that vse and custome shall cōmunicate stil by the authority of the Church vnder both kindes and this Article shall be discussed fully in the sacred Councell where you shall see what as touchyng this Article is to be holden as an vniuersall veritie and is to be done for the profite and saluation of the Christian people all things being thus throughly handled then if you perseuere in your desire that your Ambassadors do require it the sacred Councell will grant licence in the Lorde vnto your ministers to cōmunicate vnto the people vnder both kindes that is to say to such as be of lawfull yeares discretiō and shall reuerently deuoutly require the same this alwaies obserued that the ministers shall say vnto those which shall communicate that they ought firmely to beleeue not the flesh only to be conteined vnder the forme of bread and the bloud only vnder the wine but vnder each kinde to be whole and perfect Christ. Thus hetherto we haue declared the decree of the Councell As touching the other doubts questiōs which were afterward moued by the maisters Prelates of Boheme the Ambassadours of the Councell answered thus First they sayd that it was not the meaning of the sacred Councell to suffer the Communion vnder both kindes by toleration or as the libell of diuorsemēt was permitted to the Iewes for so much as the Councell intending euen to open the bowels of motherly charity and pity vnto the Bohemians and Morauians doth not meane to suffer it with such kinde of sufferance which
the yeare abouesaid 1375. Although touching the precise points of yeares and times it is not for vs greatly to be exquisite therein but yet where diligence and studious meditation may helpe to knowledge I would not wish negligence to be a pretence to ignorāce And thus much for the times of Antiochus and his felowes Now what cruelty this Antiochus exercised against the people of God it is manifest in the history of the Machabees where we reade that this Antiochus in the eight yeare of his reigne in his second comming to Hierusalem first gaue forth in commaundement that all the Iewes should relinquish the law of Moses and worship the Idole of Iupiter Olimpius which he set vp in the temple of Hierusalem The bookes of Moses and of the Prophetes he burned He set garrisons of souldiours to warde the Idole In the Citie of Hierusalem he caused the feastes and reuels of Bacchus to be kept full of all filthe and wickednes Olde men women and virgines such as woulde not leaue the lawe of Moses with cruell tormentes he murthered The mothers that would not circumcise theyr children he slue The children that were circumcised hee hanged vp by the neckes The temple he spoiled wasted The aultar of God and candlesticke of gold with the other ornaments and furniture of the temple partly he cast out partly be caried away Contrary to the lawe of God he caused them to offer and to eate Swines fleshe Great murther and slaughter he made of the people causing thē either to leaue their lawe or to lose their liues Among whome besides many other with cruell tormentes he put to death a godly mother with her vij sonnes sending hys cruell proclamations through all the land that whosoeuer kept the obseruauncies of the Sabboth and other rites of the lawe and refused to cōdescend to his abhominations should be executed By reason whereof the Citie of Hierusalem was left voide and desolate of all good mē but there was a great nūber that were contented to follow obey his Idolatrous proceedings and to flatter with the king became enemies vnto ther brethren Briefly no kind of calamity nor face of miserie could be shewed in any place which was not there sene Of the tiranny of this Antiochus it is historied at large in the book of Machabees And Daniell prophesieng before of the same declareth that the people of the Iewes deserued no lesse for their sins and transgressions By consent of all writers this Antiochus beareth a figure of the great Antichrist which was to folow in the latter end of the world and is already come worketh what he can agaynst vs Although as S. Iohn sayth there haue bene and be many Antichristes as parts and members of the body of Antichrist which are forerūners yet to speake of the head principall Antichrist great enemy of Christs Church he is to come in the latter end of the world at what tyme shall be such tribulation as neuer was sene before Whereby is ment no doubt the Turke prefigured by this Antiochus By this Antichrist I do also meane all such which followyng the same doctrine of the Turkes thinke to be saued by their workes and demerites not by their fayth onely in the sonne of God of what title and professiō els soeuer they be especially if they vse the like force violence for the same as he doth c. Of the tyranny of this Antiochus aforesayd and of the tribulations of the Church in the latter tymes both of the Iewes Church and also of the Christian Church to come let vs beare consider the words of Daniell in xj chap. also in his vij chap. Prophecying of y◠same as foloweth He shall returne and freat agaynst the holy couenaunt so shall he do he shall euen returne and haue intelligence with them that forsake the holy couenaunt And armes shall stand on his part and they shall pollute the Sanctuary of strength and shall take away the dayly sacrifice and they shall set vp the abhominable desolation And such as wickedly breake the couenaunt shall flatter with him deceitfully but the people that doe know their God shall preuayle and prosper And they that vnderstand among the people shall instruct many yet they shall fall by sword and by flame by captiuitie and by spoyle many dayes Now when they shall fall they shal be holpen with a little helpe but many shall cleane vnto them faynedly And some of them of vnderstandyng shall fall to be tryed and to be purged and to make them white till the tyme be out for there is a tyme appointed And the kyng shall doe what him lyst he shall exalte himselfe and magnifie himselfe agaynst all that is God and shall speake marueilous thynges agaynst the God of Gods and shall prospere till the wrath be accomplished for the determination is made Neither shall he regard the God of his Fathers nor the desires of womē nor care for any God for he shall magnifie himselfe aboue all But in his place shall he honour the God Mauzzim and the God whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold and with siluer and with precious stones and pleasaunt thynges Thus shall he doe in the holdes of Mauzzim with a straunge God whom he shall acknowledge he shall increase his glory and shall cause them to rule ouer many and shall diuide the land for gayne And at the end of tyme shall the kyng of the South push at him and the kyng of the North shall come agaynst hym lyke a whirle wynde with charets and with horsemen and with many shyppes and he shall enter into the countreys and shall ouerflow and passe thorough He shall enter also into the pleasaunt land and many countreys shal be ouerthrowen but these shall escape out of his hand euen Edom and Moab and the chief of the children of Ammon He shall stretch for his handes also vppon the countreys and the land of Egypt shall not escape But he shal haue power ouer the treasures of gold and of siluer ouer al the precious thynges of Egypt and of the Libians and of the blacke Mores where he shall passe But the tydynges out of the East and the North shall trouble him therfore he shall go forth with great wrath to destroy and roote out many And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace betweene the Seas in the glorious holy mountaine yet he shall come to his end and none shall help him To this place of Daniell aboue prefixed might also be added the Prophesie of the said Daniell written in the vij chapter and much tending to the like effect where he intreating of his vision of foure beastes whiche signifie the foure Monarchies and speaking now of the fourth Monarchie hath these words After this I saw in the visions by night and behold the fourth beast was grimme and horrible and maruelous strong It had great yron
of all the Churches plāted once by y◠Apostles are now degenerated into Turks onely a small hādful of Christiās reserued yet in these West partes of Europe of the which small residue what shall also become shortly except Christ himselfe do helpe Christ onely himself doth know How great this defection hath bene spokē of by S. Paule thou mayest soe gentle Reader in the table aboue described pag. 741. Notwithstanding this text of the holy Apostle as I afore said may be verified also with no lesse reason vpō the Byshop of Rome thē vpon the Turke both for that he is a man of sinne that is his seate Citie is a great mainteiner of wickednesse also for that he is an aduersary that is contrary in all his doynges and proceedyngs to Christ. Thirdly for that he sitteth in the temple of God and so did not Mahumet Fourthly because he is an exalter of himselfe sitteth more like a God then a man in Rome wherof see more in the booke set forth in English called the CONTESTATIONS of the Popes Fiftly for that he seduceth and hath seduced by his apostasie the most part of all Christendome from the doctrine and free promises of God into a wrong and straūge way of saluation which is not to be iustified freely before God onely by our fayth in Christ his welbeloued sonne vnto the whiche fayth the promise of God freely and graciously hath annexed all our saluation onely to no other thyng but hath taught vs to worke our saluation by an infinite number of other thynges In so much that he bindeth the necessitie of our saluation also to this that we must beleue if we will be saued and receaue him to be the Uicare of Christ in earth c. But to returne agayne vnto the Turkes among all the prophecies both of the old Testamēt of the new there is none that paynteth out the Antichristian kyngdome of the Turkes better then doth the reuelation of S. Iohn whose wordes let vs weigh and cōsider Who in the Apocalipse 9. where he speaketh of openyng the seuenth last seale which signifieth the last age of the world and there writyng of the vij trompets of the vij Angels at the soundyng of the vi Aungell saith Loose the iiij Aungels which are bound in the great riuer Euphrates And the foure Aungels were losed which were ready both day and houre and moneth and yeare to slay the third part of men And the number of horsemen were 20. thousand tymes ten thousand and I heard the number of them And thus I sawe in a vision horses and them that sate on them hauing fiery habbergions and of Iacinth stone and of brimstone and the heads of the horses were as the heads of Lyons and out of their mouthes went foorth fire and smoake and brimstone of these three plagues was the third part of men killed that is of the fire smoake and brimstone which proceeded out of their mouthes c. By the seauenth seale is meant the seauenth and last age of the world which last age of the world is from Christ to the iudgement and resurrection of the dead By the seauen Angels with their seauen Trumpets is signified the seauen plagues that come in this seauenth and last age of the world By the sixt trumpet of the sixt Angell is meant the sixte plague comming last and next before the plague of the great iudgement day which sixt plague is heere described to come by the East Kings that is by the Turkes as foloweth to be seene By losing the Angels which had rule of the great riuer Euphrates is signified the letting out of the East Kings that is the Turkes out of Scithia Tartaria Persia and Arabia by whome the third part of Christendome shall be destroyed as we see it this day hath come to passe It followeth in the prophesie Their power shall be in their mouthes and in their tayles For their tayles be like Serpents hauing heads and with them they hurt c. Meaning that these Turkes with the words of their mouthes shall threaten great destruction of fire and sword to them that will not yeald vnto them and in the end when the Christians shall yeald vnto them trusting to their promises they like Serpents shall deceaue thē in the end kill them as appeareth by the story of the Turkes aboue past pag. 752. 753. 757. The like prophesy also after the like words and sence is to be seene and read in the 16. chap. of the Apoc. where S. Iohn entreating of seauen cuppes filled with the wrath of the liuing God geuē to the hands of 7. Angels by one of the foure beasts that is in the time of one of the four Monarchies which was the Monarchy of Rome speaketh likewise of the sixt Angell which poured his viole of Gods wrath vpon the great riuer Euphrates the waters thereof dryed vp that the way of the kings of the East should be prepared c. By the sixt Angell with the sixte viole is meant as before the last plague saue one that shall come vpon the Christians By y◠Kings of the East are meant the Saracens and 12. Ottoman Turks By drieng vp the riuer of Euphrates is signified the way of these Turkes to be prepared by the Lords appointment to come out of the East to the West parts of the world to molest and afflict the Christians It foloweth more in the text And I saw three vnclene spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the Dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false Prophet for they are the spirits of deuils doing wonders to go vnto the Kings of the whole earth to assemble and gather them together to the battayle against the daye of the great God omnipotent c. And it foloweth shortly after And he assembled them together into a place which is called in Hebrue Armagedon that is a trap or trayne of destruction And immediatly it followeth in the same place And the seauenth Angell poured out his viole in the ayre and a mighty voice came from heauen out of the Throane saieng factum est It is done or finished c. Whereby it is to be vnderstoode that toward the last consummation of the world great force shall be seene and a mighty army of the enemies shall be collected and gathered against the people and Saints of the highest and then commeth the consummation with factum est c. Wherefore it is not for naught that the holy Spirite of God in the same place a little before the sixt Angell doe poure out his viole doth exhort all the faithfull sayeng Behold I come like a theefe in the night Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments least he walke naked and men see his fylthynes c. Nicol. de Lyra and Paulus Bishop of Burdens and Mathias Dorinke writing vpon