only contemning and despising them but also all other that knewe it would neuer after buy any of those his priuiledges And also the Pope is right certaine if he should sell one a plackard that whatsoeuer he did steale he should neuer be hurt hanged nor put to death for the same yet when he should be troubled hanged or executed for stealing which he should be sure of at one time or other then the same théefe would not only crie out of the Pope for deceyuing of him and for selling to him suche a false plackard and perhaps would saie that he had neuer played the théefe but for the Popes warrant to saue him harmelesse as manye I feare would not sin so muche but for the Popes pardons but also euery one that shoulde heare howe the Pope hadde serued hym woulde despise the Pope and buy no more of his plackardes But as these that shoulde buy suche Priuiledges of the Pope to robbe and steale at their pleasure without anye feare of punishement were worthye to bée compted for théeues so you that buy the Popes pardons to release you of your sinnes whereby you may be bolde to offende God at youre pleasure can not be compted verye true to God But nowe for that perhaps you wil giue but small regarde to my reasons arguments or persuasions for the reprouing of the Popes pardons though some of you may happly yéelde as bad reasons arguments or persuasions for the proouing of the Popes pardons I will first shewe you by Christes owne wordes who is worthy to be beléeued that we ought to craue pardon for oure sinnes onelye of God For in our prayer whiche Christe taught vs wée do say Our father which art in heauen c. Forgiue vs our trespasses c. Here you maye sée that wée are taughte by Christe to aske pardon for oure sinnes of God and not of the Pope And forasmuch as we committe our sins againste God and not againste the Pope therefore wée ought to craue Gods pardon and not the Popes pardon if we offende the Pope the Popes pardons maye doe vs pleasure but if we sinne against God the Popes pardons can doe vs no good though they may doe vs muche harme by trusting to them that can do vs no good Al the holy Patriarkes Prophets holy and vertuous kings that God both loued and blessed Christs Apostles al holy Martirs other godly men did neuer aske pardon for their sins and offences but onely of God And shal wée think that bycause they had not the Popes pardon y t therfore they wer not pardned or shal we beléeue that you are better pardned of the Pope than they were of God think you what you wil for I can neuer thinke it neither wil beléeue it If you can shewe me but one of the holy Patriarks Prophets or the Apostles or godly martyres or other auntient and holy fathers that either bought any of these Popes pardons or desired anye of the Popes pardons as wée can shewe you that euery one of them didde onely require and craue Gods pardon I will yéelde vnto you and graunte that the Popes pardons are good necessarie and requisite But bycause I am sure you cannot therefore to allowe the Popes pardons we oughte not And bycause none of all these holy menne of God whome God dearely loued nor yet Christe the sonne of God whome God aboue all other estéemed did neuer teach write nor once make mention of the Popes pardons therefore I am sure that they are neither good nor necessarie For if the Popes pardons hadde béene so full of vertue as some of you fondely beléeue wée should haue hearde something of them in one place or other of the Scriptures Nowe for that they are not warranted by Gods word nor to be foūd in any part of the Bible therefore if you are true Christians if you loue Christe if you woulde haue Christ to take you to be of his shéepe and flocke then beléeue not the Popes pardons trust not to the Popes pardons neither allow the Popes pardons bycause they are not allowed nor expressed in the Gospel and lawe of Christe For if an Aungell shoulde come from Heauen or if one should come vnto vs in the likenes of Christ teaching any other doctrine than Christe hathe alreadye taught vs we ought not to beléeue them Then wée may wel ynough discredite the Pope that is a wicked earthlye man cleane contrary to God and also contemne and refuse his paltrie pardons that are contrary to Gods worde And though some of you through ignorance and Papisticall persuasions thinke that the Scriptures doe allowe the Popes pardons you shall here what Siluester Prierias that was Maister of the Popes Pallace writeth therein who saith Pardons are not knowne vnto vs by the aucthoritie of Gods worde but by the aucthoritie of the Church of Rome and of the Pope whiche is greater than the aucthoritie of the Scriptures Here you sée that the Popes owne seruant confesses that pardons are not aucthorized or warranted by Gods worde but they are aucthorized by the Churche of Rome and by the Pope whose aucthoritie hée saith is greater than the word of God Marke this wel to proue the Popes abhominable pardons the vile wretch and the Diuels Doctor doth not sticke to committe moste horrible blasphemie making the Pope aboue God and the Churche of Rome aboue the lawe of God Saint Iohn saith In the beginning was the worde and the worde was with God and the worde was God c. So that hereby it appeareth that God and his worde is all one Then thys Siluester Prierias affyrmeth That the aucthoritie of the Pope is greater than the aucthoritie of God For if the aucthoritie of the Pope be greater than the aucthoritie of Gods worde and God his worde be all one then it must néedes be so and so by this meanes this vile blasphemer maketh the Pope and the Churche of Rome to bée greater than God and hys worde I hope that you that are the déepest drowned in Papistrie wyll detest and abhorre the Popes pardons that muste bée allowed or aucthorized by one that is greater than God and his word O flie from this purple whoore of Babilon the Antichrist that thus extolleth hir selfe aboue God and hys worde leaste you bée partakers of Gods terrible vengeance that God hath prepared for hir Fisher once Byshoppe of Rochester sayeth That hee knoweth not from whence pardons firste beganne whiche hangeth only vppon Purgatorie then what shall we néede pardons Marke also how the Popes pardons do bewray themselues what they are for some of the Popes pardons are for a twentie thousande yeres and if you set all the yeares of the Popes pardons togither they come to such a number as they that bought them paid for them yea and all other y t should haue profite by them shal haue little néed of them For the whole worlde will not laste by coniecture nor by conference
or Emperour bring water to washe the Popes handes and while the Pope washeth let al the Byshops and laye men kneele downe Againe While the Pope is yet sitting at the table the noblest man within the Court be he Emperour bee hee King shal be brought to the Popes Credence to giue him water Againe The first dish the noblest Prince shall carrye whether he be Emperour or King Againe When the Pope is at breakefast the King shall beare the first Cup And againe Let the Popes Cuppes be borne by the Noble menne or Orators being present and let the Clearke of the Ceremonies begin wyth the worthiest estate yea thoughe he be King or Emperour Thus by the Booke of the Popes Ceremonies it plainely appeares that the Emperour shall holde the Popes stirrop let the Emperour leade the Popes Horse the Emperour must beare the Popes chayre on his shoulder the Emperour shall beare vp the Popes traine let the Emperoure bring the Bason and the Ewer to the Pope the Emperor shal giue the Pope water to wash his handes the Emperour shall cary the Popes fyrst dyshe the Emperour shal carrye the Popes first Cup. May not he be called the Seruaunt of GODS seruantes for so the Pope nameth hymselfe that hath the Emperour to his man and to wayght on hym thus at an inch The Pope neuer learned of Christe to be thus simplye serued if the Pope in this case be a Seruant I maruell then who shall be a Maister Christe was as good a man as the Pope and as well borne as he and yet I neuer read or heard that he rode was carryed or serued in this order Christ was a King aboue all Kinges and yet he was humble and méeke and was vnder all Kinges but the Pope is no King and yet he is proude out of all measure and makes himselfe Prince péerelesse and aboue all Emperours and Kinges Well though he learne not to be humble and lowly of Christ yet he learnes to be stout and proude of the Deuill I maruell by what prorogatiue he hath gotten all this dignitie Christ whose Uicar he sayth he is and Peter whose Successor he claymeth to be tooke neuer such an Emperial state vpon them alas they were poore Subiects yea and so poore that they had no monie to pay tribute to the Emperour but that they were fayne to haue out of a Fishes mawe But marke though CHRISTâ— was tributarie to the Emperour yet the Pope is frée from it Nay he makes Kinges to pay tribute to hym and thus he is quite contrarye to our méeke Christ. Yet marke the lowlinesse and humilitie of the Pope that calles himselfe the Seruaunt of Gods Seruaunts In the late Counsell holden at Lateran in Rome one Symon Begnius the Bishop of Modrusia sayde thus to Pope Leo Beholde the Lyon is come of the tribe of Iuda the roote of Dauid c O most blessed Leo wee haue looked for thee to bee our Sauiour In the late Chapter at Trident Cornelius the Bishop of Bitonto saide thus The Pope is the light that is come into the worlde but men haue loued Darkenesse more than the Light Euery man that hath done euil hateth the Light and commeth not to the Light Pope Adrian saith That no man shall iudge the Pope For it is written The Scholer is not aboue his Maister The Pope suffred the Embassadors of Cicilia to lye prostrate on the grounde and thus to cry vnto him as if it had bin to Christ Holy father that takest away the sinnes of the worlde haue mercie vpon vs Thou that takest awaye the sinnes of the worlde giue vs peace Pope Sextus saith Who so accuseth the Pope can neuer be forgiuen and his reason is this Hee that sinneth againste the holy Ghost shall neuer bee forgiuen neither in this worlde nor in the worlde to come I neuer hearde so playnely what was the sinne of the holy Ghoste before If this be true that to accuse the Pope is the sinne of the holy Ghost then it is no maruel though the Papists that beléeue this dare not accuse the Pope but thinke that he is moste holy whatsoeuer he doth for feare they shall neyther bée forgiuen in this worlde nor in the worlde to come Surely they are founde and grounded Papistes that beléeue the Pope to be the Lyon of the Tribe of Iuda that he is the roote of Dauid that the Pope is the light that is come into the worlde that he is the sauiour of mankinde that he is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the worlde that whosoeuer accuseth him of his wickednesse doth sinne againste the holy Ghost Oh horrible haynous and intollerable blasphemie that whych is to be applyed to our sauiour Christe the sonne of God and to none other thys vile and most sinful wretche the Pope applyeth to hymselfe I truste there is none of you be ye neuer so wilfull obstinate and bent to the Popes lawe but as soone as you heare this the Popes great blasphemie and how he takes that vnto himselfe that is onely due to Christ but spéedily except you are determined to be children of the Diuell wil flye from this Antichrist and his doctrine and embrace Gods moste holye worde for if he be not Antichriste then there was neuer any nor neuer wil be I graunt there are now many Antichrists for al they that are against Christ are Anticâ—ristes All Idolatrous Emperoures Rulers and Kings were Antichristes that worshipped Ball the God Bell Astaroth and other Idols and Nabugodonezar that made his golden Image to be worshipped and the great Turke the great Chame of Tartaria and the greate Souldan yet these haue not made neither doe make men worship them selues for Gods but other And though many Emperours and tyrants haue made men to honor them for Gods to kisse their féete and to call them Gods yet the same were Ethnicks and heathen princes and knewe neither God nor his worde but this man of sinne the Pope that professes Christianitie that knows God and his word that grauntes the olde Testament and the newe and that knowes and professes that Christ dyed for the sinnes of the people and beléeues all the Artycles of our Créede and that is Christned thus wittingly and willingly to take vpon him to be called the Lyon of Iuda the roote of Dauid the light that is come into the worlde the Lambe of God that takes away the sins of the worlde whereas he knowes right perfectly that it is neyther nor can be spoken of him nor of any other but onely of Christ neyther is due nor can be applyed to any other but onely to Christ that immaculate Lambe the Sonne of God must néedes of force be the chief and head Antichrist of all other Antichristes neyther was there euer such an Antichrist before him neither can there be any such Antichrist after him And whereas he woulde make you beléeue that they that accuse the Pope of any crime
Pope knewe that it was a good way to bring him in credite For if kings rulers and Lords of the earth which may be deceiued do chose as nie as they can their most dearest and trustiest friendes to bée their presedents and deputies then I am sure that Christ the sonne of God and the King of all Kings that can not be deceiued if he had ment to haue had a general vickar on the earth woulde haue made one of his dearest and trustiest friendes his vickar and not his mortal enimie And therfore the Pope may saye what he wil but al wise men do sée that Christ neither takes him for his vickar nor yet for his Curate Can he or his chaplaines be the children of God that prefers ignorance before knowledge I think not some of them haue affirmed that ignorance is the mother of deuotion O Lord how contrarie are these mē both to God and to his son Christ nay ignorāce of Gods word is rather the mother of mischiefe the father of falsehoode the sister of sinne the son of sedition the daughter of disobediency the coosin of conspiracie and the Captaine of crueltie Ful wel the Diuel knew that ignoraunce was the next way to bring the Pope to promotion and the people to destruction for their ignorance made them thinke that none but the Pope or his Prelats did know the truth And their blindnesse did make them beléeue that none did sée perfectly but he and his pretious Prelates So that for wante of knowledge of Gods word which of purpose they kept frō them they beléeued that al they spake was true and that it was the very right way that they did lead them So that the peoples ignoraunce was the occasion of the Popes credite his credite the cause of his gaine his gaine the cause of his power his power th◠cause of his pride his pride the cause he made Emperours and Kings his seruauntes or rather slaues and thus the ignoraunce of Gods worde brought the Pope to promotion the Princes to subiection and the people to destruction And if you mark wel you may perceyue that the Popes suppressing and the keeping of Gods worde from the people is a manifest argument that he is neither Christs vickar nor his deputie nor that he loues Christe For Christe sayde to Peter louest thou mee to whome Peter sayde yea Lorde thou knowest that I loue thee then Christ saide to him againe Feede my sheepe c. So that Peters loue to Christ appeared by féeding of Christes shéepe whiche was not by féeding their bodies with meate and drinke but by féeding their soules through preching to them the Gospel Now if they loue Christe that féede his shéepe then they must néedes hate Christ that starue his shéepe neuer preching to them at all And such a one is the Pope for he neuer preacheth therfore he neuer féedes Christs shéepe Nay besides that he doth not only trouble molest hurt burne and kill suche as do or would féede Christes shéepe but also hideth kéepeth backe and burnes the Bybles and Testaments leaste the people shoulde loke on them and féede themselues So that here it is manifeste that the Pope loues not Christ bycause he féedes not Christes shéepe And he that loues not Christe muste néedes hate Christe and therefore the Pope being Christes enimie can not be the vickar of Christ. And here also is a great contrarietie betwéene Peter the Pope though he claime to be Peters successor for Peter loued Christ for that he fed Christs shéepe but y e Pope hateth Christ bycause he sterueth his shéepe yea and also kils his shéepe So that the Pope doth not succede Peter in any thing vnlesse it be in denying of Christ. Here it plainely appeareth that the Pope maye wel be the Uicar of the Diuel for Christes Uickar sure he can not be I am moste certaine that it was Christes wil that hys word should not be kept from any though it be the Popes will it should be rightly knowen of any For would Christ haue vs kepe that we neuer heard of and would he haue vs searche we know not what no Christe was neuer so vnreasonable For Christ sayth vnto vs all If you loue me keepe my commaundements that is whatsoeuer he hath willed by his word But how can we knowe what is his commandements y t we should kéep if none declare thē vnto vs neither read thē our selues nor yet haue thē red vnto vs Therfore if our louing of Christ depēd on y e kéeping of his cōmandements thē how cā we loue him séeing we can not knowe his commaundements So that y e Popes kéeping or hurding of Gods word from the people is the cause they can not kéepe Gods commaundementes And their not kéeping of Gods commaundements is the cause they doe not loue him and their not louing of him is the cause that he hates them and his hating of them will be the cause of their dampnation And thus the Pope is the first worker of the ignorant peoples damnation Christ saith also Search the Scriptures for they are they that witnesse of me but how can they search the Scripturs that haue not the Scriptures to search neyther know how to come by them now if the Scriptures witnesse what is Christes wil and pleasure and if their searching and looking therein wil shew them how to performe his wil and please him and the pleasing of him would be the cause of their saluation Then the Popes hiding and kéeping the Scripturs from them is the cause they cānot heare read or search the Scripturs and not hearing reading or searching of the Scriptures is the cause they cannot know the wil of Christe and the not knowing the wil of Christe is the cause they can not please him and their not pleasing of him is the cause they please the Diuel and the pleasing of y e Diuel is y e cause of their dānation And thus once again y e Pope is the chief cause of the ignorant peoples dānation Christe saith also Blessed are they that heare the word of God and keepe it so that they that heare the worde of God and kéepe it not are vnhappy Nowe if all they that heare the worde of God are not happy then all they that heare not the worde of God muste néedes be vnhappy for there are none happy but they that kéepe or folow the word of God but howe can they kéepe the word of God that neither heare it nor reade it Nowe if the hearing of Gods worde is the cause that they kéepe it and their kéeping or following of it is the cause they are happye or blessed then the Popes restrayning of Gods word frō the people is the cause they doe not heare it and their not hearing it is the cause they cannot kéepe or followe it and their not kéeping or following of it is the cause they are vnhappy and theyr vnhappinesse is the cause of their damnatiō