among the wicked of the earth hath taken them and according to his good will being before the foundation of the worlde was layde hath chosen them to be his people This is the minde of our Prophet saying To giue knowledge c. If we should aske of the Papistes whereby we apprehend Saluation they will say to vs partly by christ and partly by the worthinesse of mans workes Such blasphemies they bray out of their helly hartes But deare reader be not deceiued by their delusions lend thy selfe some leasure to take view for thy wealth of that which here is sayd Were it that saluation could be atteyned by the workes of the law as true it is the law of-God sayth he that doth fulfill the law shall lyue by the law yet are there two absolute reasones ouerthrowing all meritte in man what or whosoeuer by the Lawe The firste is the impossibilytie that is men to perfourme the law The other is the frayltie of man which fulfylling if he could yet can not alwayes stand frée from transgressing the Law of god And at what time he falleth his righteousnes tombleth downe with himselfe in to the dyche and so frustrate is his vaine trust before reposed in his owne holines For the first he that shall by the works of the Lawe become iust before God must in hearte be pure from Sinne for as out of a filthy puddle can naturally come no swéete water so out of a wicked hart can procéede no pure action nor is God pacified from wrath by any worke which procéedeth from a sinfull and a corrupted conscience Search seeke from east to west north south among the sonnes of men behold no where shalt thou find a man whose hart is pure from sinne Nay whose harte is not altogether a lump of that Massie poison so that if God should loke strayghtly vpon him his holinesse should not be able to abyde the tryall of the lord Finally the wisedome of the fleshe is death and is at set battle in enimytie wyth God for it is not subiect to the Spirite nor the Law of God neyther in deede can be So that I conclude with Paule that they which be in the flesh and that is euery Popishe iusticiarie cannot please god Wherfore since the founteine of mans harte is corrupt and poysoned what pleasant action can proceede from his conduites But ye will say the regenerate man meriteth Yet Paule sayth to the man regenerate what hast thou that thou hast not receiued I suppose Paule was regenerate when he wrot his Epistle to the Romanes and yet he of himselfe sayth that his hart is combred wyth the Canker of sinne So that he dare not boast of meritte but rather cryeth out for woe agaynst that guylt of his Regenerate fleshe saying I sée another Lawe in my members rebelling agaynst the Lawe of my mind and leading me Captiue into the Lawe of Sinne that is in my members Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from the bodye of this death I thanke God through Iesus Christ our Lorde His desert here he confesseth to be suche that were it not God through Christ our Lorde he caried nothing with him but a body he meaneth soule and body deseruing by meritte euerlasting death And of his impossibilitie to perfourme the act of Iustification by workes he in that place a little before sheweth saying for I know that in me that is in my fleshe dwelleth no good thing for to will is present wyth me but I finde not meanes to perfourme that which is good for I doe not that good thing that I would but the euill that I would not that doe I. If in the best sort of men and most perfect Sinne hath such power how shall the Papistes the ofscourings of the Church boast of their worthinees Nay neyther we or our Fathers are able to fulfyll the law and therefore God sent his sonne in the similitude of sinful flesh and for sinne condemned sinne in the flesh that the righteousnesse of the lawe should be fulfilled in vs that is to say by christ imputed to vs which walke not after the flesh but after the spirit And that no man should bost of his workes being regenerate he more telleth vs that God the father which raised vp his son christ from death shall also quicken our mortal bodies not for any worthines in vs but because of his owne gift euē bicause his spirit dwelleth in vs Thus his diuine wisdome hath disposed the matter that both the action the cause of our true righteousnesse may not descende one steppe from the maiesty of his throne of grace Assure thy selfe therefore Christian reader that in man is no meritte vnlesse to death for Sinne which maketh al men culpable before god So it is his goodnesse to haue mercy vpon all Therfore if thou wilt atteyne to true righteousnesse it is by the lawe not of works but of fayth in Iesus Christ vnto all and vpon all that beleue For the redemption is not in man regenerate or carnall but in christ who hath reconciled vs to the father in his bloud declareth our righteousnesse to come by the forgiuenes of our sinnes so preaching cōfusion shame to vs the glory to him selfe And albeit that fayth which saueth is called a worke yet is not the worke comming from the poure of man for it is the worke of God and his onely gift by the which we obteine christ in whom we haue plentifull redemption from all our sins Now let vs speak of the second branch that is of mans impossibility to stand alwayes fulfilling the law The Scripture saith cursed is euery man that continueth not in al things which are written in the law to doe them And againe when a righteous man tourneth away from his righteousnes and committeth iniury he shal euen die for the same If once departure from well doing demerit death and the iust falleth seauen times and since there is no flesh that sinneth not nor any be he neuer so pefect that alwaies continueth in well doing I aske where shall we finde the meriting man or who shall dare to present him before the Lorde the reuenger of sin Or yet what is he that can deliuer himselfe from the danger of Gods Curse due to his transgressions Vaine therefore and diuelish is the confidence in such Popish doctrine and pernicious is the euill which this opinion bringeth to the soule and great is the iniurie by it committed against christ Iesus the price of thy forgiuenes The man meritor thrusteth Christ Crucifyed vnder his féet setteth himselfe vp in his stead for his owne sauiour by his workes But cast thy accompt by scripturs audite at the foot of the same thou shalt find this debt apparant to such wastfull spenders of their Lordes treasure that such as haue sought
the same right the instrumentes of destruction of what nature or condition so euer they bee are together with the author of them to be punnished and condemned Hereto he alleadgeth certaine examples of scriptures as of Achan of Corah and his companie In end he thus concludeth If to condemne the organ with the wicked spirit the author it be Iniquum So by the same reason must it be wicked that the bodies of the faithfull together with their soules be made partakers of eternall life and heauenly felicitie But farre be such thoughts from the minds of the godly c. Thus farre Musculus That old father and great learned Doctor Chrisostome vppon the same place of Genesis geueth in effect the same censure whose wordes vpon the Serpents iudgement are as they are reported also by Peter Martir that famous man thus God in this action delt like vnto a man that is a most naturall louing Father who when he séeth his deare sonne slaine doth not only couet the death of the murtherer but the sword Speare euery the instrument wherewith he perished will he likewise séeke to destroy Should I stand to speake of al lets rubbish in this nation I should frō my self to al flesh without great search see such matter aboūd as no reasonable volume could cōtaine their descriptiō Idolatrous papists Atheistes Carnalites Hipocrites Adulterers Drunkardes and sundry wicked vices else in many places many times are lesse loked vpon with iustice censure then such as many wayes els are profitable mēbers in the church of god This is a perilous shrub it would be stubbed vp by the rootes The Lord graunt better regard lest the maiestie on hye take the matter into his owne hand from such as be ouer negligent Gods in earth The Preachers of God must cry out in Sion and tell Ierusalem and Iuda of her faults from the hiest to the lowest to one and other for agaynst this that euill In paine of damnation must the preacher cry out that the desert may be tracked and the hils the valleyes the ragged the croked the old and rotten for age may be altered or quite remoued that in England his prophets may so exhibit to the lord at his comming a prepared people and well instructed whose soules by his spirit being gouerned their bodies by his force shall walke in all holines in his sight as the dayes of their lyfe Then will the Lord yet more delight in our Church state and people he will take pleasure to walke into the garden of our harts there to receiue the redolent smell of the swete fruites spreading themselues far abroad all a long the beds of fayth he will blesse her with beautie and builde hir with precious stones of great price he wil teach this nation himselfe by his worde and will giue thée the more abounding spirit to walke in his statutes he wil be for thée agaynst thy forren foes domesticall enemies a tower of strēgth to assist thée and bruse thē in myerie streates before thy eyes he will destroy the smyth and all his instrumentes the Pope and his pelfe all diuelishe deuises agaynst thée of what force so euer To his faythfull ministers and Teachers will he graunt his ayde and power to be for them a well fenced cytie wyth walles of Brase agaynst all Popishe practises bent to their destruction Finally to some all from thy vertuous Quéene to the faythfull Plowman sowing his séede will he poure forth his grace and spirit his christ and heauen to be thine for euer Vers 11.12 Through the tender mercy of our God whereby the day spring from an high hath visited vs To giue light to them that sit in darkenesse and in the shadow of death and to guide our feet into the way of peace This knowledge of Saluation where by man is brought to the forgiuenesse of sinnes in christ commeth not to vs by purchase of gold and siluer or any other mans merit but by the inward mercy of our God sayth Zachary euen as a naturall mother séeing her child wounded in her armes or taken violently from her to be slaine all the partes of her body and soule are therewith moued with singuler compassion so hast thou O God saith he beholding our most miserable blindnes bandage vnder sinne taken most mercifull pitie in the bowels of thy Fatherly mercies hast sēt to vs this branch thy Christ day spring as the beautie of thy flesh to visit our darkenesse with the light of his trueth and by his lyfe to deliuer vs from the gloming darke death of ignorance sinne to set our conscience quiet in the Iustification by his bloud to embolden vs to approch thy presence as Children to their best beloued Father without terror of death for Sinne or feare of any worldly want For through the comfort of this bright shining sunne of righteousnesse and virident braunche of Jesse his roote the anoynted Christ we shall ouercome whatsoeuer shall set it selfe against vs. To our instruction further comforts let vs as before so in these two verses obserue some such pith as lieth within the vertue of these happy words By this maner of speach the Prophet would haue vs to consider déeply the chiefe and aboundant loue of the ineffable God whose studye and care as it were is onely bent to doe vs the best good though we in no part demerit the same Thrée speciall thinges I obserue to thée gentle reeder in these last verses whereof the first followeth The first is that by the only mercy of God without the merit of man Christ our Sauiour is giuen to vs as himselfe testifieth in the third of Iohn saying So dearely God loued the world that hee gaue his onely begotten Sonne c. Without our merit gaue the heauenly Father his sauing Christ for when we were his ennemies he saued vs Vpon the which most mercifull acte he perswadeth vs that now much more sence we belong to him will he deliuer vs frō wrath The second note is that albeit God in his great mercy hath so copiously enritched vs with the hidden treasure of ful remission from al our sinnes yet hath he therwith nothing impared his iustice but hath by the merit of another himselfe Christ Iesus our Lord which the Prophet here calleth the day spring from an high fully answered the same In whose person mercy iustice haue met together mercy peace haue kyssed each other for in that Christ Iesus tooke vpon him our nature sanctifiing the same by his conception and ioined it to his god head He tooke that person of sinne vppon him which could be subiecte to the crosse and aptly receiued the curse due thereto for our iniquitie and accept to the ful the fury of his fathers iust conceiued wrath In which body he did fully beare the same vpon the
for that horrible gilt to as many as aproched his presēce or to whō he could send forth his heroical voice crying Repent for the kingdome of god is at hand In these .2 verses we haue as before to consider the sugred sence comfortable doctrine which in them is contained And first as touching the spéech of Zacharie to his little babe note the mercy of God to Zacharie himselfe for albeit hée returned incredible spéech to the Angel saying How shal J know this for J am old my wife is of great age Yet god caused the Angel to procede in his message correcting his incredulitie said I am Gabriel that stand in the presence of god am sent to speake to thée to shew thée these good tidings and behold thou shalt be dumbe not be able to speak vntil the day that these things be done bicause thou beleuedst not my words which shal be fulfilled in their season A notable example of gods mercy iustice met togither in the person of this holy priest For whē he refused to giue credit to the preaching Gabriel Gods iustice ouertoke his sinne proclaymed his gilt by the Censure of his iudgement in the preachers mouth which presently tooke effect in him For he comming forth of the sāctuarie was séene not able to speak but made signes vnto the people so remained till the same mercifull God by his holy spirit opened his mouth to vouch his praise by this Prophetical Hymne Whereout wée rightly gather his inestimable mercy measured by his loue which could not be cut short of his purpose by the malice of Zacharies sin or wold depriue this holy man of so great a benefite though his soring sinne deserued it And is this done for him alone No for vs also that beleue in Christ Iesus to vs is god the one same that here he was to Zacharie And therfore is Zacharies sinnes Dauids iniquities Jonas gilt Aaron his fal Ieremies heate Peters denial Magdalens vice Zebedes sonnes with their ambition set down to the church in the holy scriptures that we might haue hope consolation so often as we imitate into their maners take suruey of gods iustice pondered with his mercy vnto these others the godly fathers For he accepting not the persons of flesh but in all places whosoeuer calleth vppon his name shal be saued from their sinnes of what condition soeuer they be To all the elect of God it is said Jf your sinnes were as red as Scarlet J will make them as white as Wooll No one of those are excluded from this comfort Come to me all you that trauell and bee heauie laden and J will refresh you Assured of this also shall all the elect of God be that in whom there remayneth the canker of sinne as it doth in all corrupted flesh in them the mercifull iustice of God shall by his striking Angell be found to correct their sinne For he scourgeth euery sonne that hée receiueth Hée sometimes chasteneth with the scourge of naturall death his beloued that their iniquitie should not cast them with the reprobate into eternal fire And in whom can be foūd his quickning spirit to mortifie their killing flesh in them his prouing hand is euer exercised to purge their sinne and force more fruite But here note with me the hate which god doth beare to the discredit of his word vttered by the teachers of his truth He spareth not to plague the same in his holy ones yea be they neuer so necessary members and helpes to his Church Rather should all Ierusalem be destitute of their preaching Prophet and their sacrifising priest Zacharie then god would spare to chastise the doubtfull hearing of his absolute word Where note he more requireth an obedient eare to his truth then al painful toyl in wilworship or sacrifices by him selfe els commaunded What shal then the obstinate rebellious Papistes the heritiques of our age doe that flatly contemne the same Truely this is the Censure of God against them I haue called saith the Lord ye haue refused I haue stretched out mine hand and none would regard but ye haue despised al my counsell and would none of my correction I will also laugh at your destruction and mocke when your feare commeth like soddaine desolation and your destruction shall come like a whyrle wind when affliction and anguish shall come vpon you Then shal they cal vpon me but I wil not answere they shal séek me early but they shall not find me because they hated knowledge did not chuse the feare of the lord They would none of my counsell but despised al my correction Therfore shal they eate of the fruite of their owne way and be filled with their owne deuises for ease slaieth the foolish and the prosperitie of fooles destroyeth them But he that obeyeth me shal dwel safely and be quiet from feare of euil Secondly we may perceiue the riches of gods mercy who doth not only forgiue Zacharies sinne but enritcheth him with a most speciall gift of prophecie that no man should dispayre to do well because erst he hath bene euill or that any should denie all them apt to the function of God which tofore haue bene inobedient or rebellious to his word No measure not the man by that he was but accept him to that he now is made by the grace of God powred into him And be not thou seuere where God is soueraigne Condemne not the person for those euils which the lords mercy hath not only pardoned but also hath doth endowe with fresh more bountifull giftes then erst hée had or possible some others which malice such men can make apparant to dwel in them selues Idolatrie no dout is an huge sinne but is not infidelitie the mother thereof And incredulitie a beame of that building yet from infidelitie God calleth to his Christ Yea such as haue bene nursed vp in Idolatrie to his seruice And the incredulous to the preaching of faith In whom we sée this simple conuersion let vs acknowledge it for gods worke and do not séeke to apall the place credite of such but rather assist yea to the face of the Apostle and gouernours in the church them euery of them to whom the Lord hath made himselfe knowne hath spoken to their hartes so that they by his grace with Paul haue séene the Lord in their passage embasing themselues before him haue confessed him to be the lord boldly do vouch him tofore kings men Know wel this that at what time the wicked part from their ill their sinnes the lord putteth quite out of his remēbrance Now as of Zacharies person hitherto we haue bestowed the vew of gods mercy towards him So let vs consider now his propheticall wordes to
his throne of grace as deare children adopted in Christ to their best beloued father They loue to labour in godly workes as by his word they are commaunded They séeke to liue by faith in Christ as by the Scriptures they are taught They ioy to suffer and beare his crosse and aspiring by lowlinesse of mind they pray his aide and helpe there in with comfort continuing vnder the same They appoynt no time for their release but paciently abide his lotted leysure They looke not on the present troubles but weigh their sinnes his decréed purpose and place as opposite to their aspect the ioye that is set before them They runne with patience the race for them appointed and despising the present shame they still endure the crosse alwayes looking to Iesus christ the authour finisher of their life They blesse those that curse them they loue their enemies and do good to all but their chiefe delight is to ioyne with the houshold of faith They challenge to themselues by nature confusion for sinne and shame for their infirmities and to God the father in Christ our Lord by the instinct of his holy spirit they attribute all honour and glory and forgetting their workes past assay to go forwards to the price set before them expressing thēselues by their good workes to be the Lords building who hath made them an holy habitation and a royall priesthode In hym they offer vp themselues for a spirituall sacrifice dayly yéelding forth the fruites of holy lippes to his priest and willing obedience to his holy will. They by the spirite desire not to followe but defie and kill the lustes of the flesh They fight against Sathan and his impes continually They beare an vnfained hate to alsuperstitious vanities They contemne and despise the beggerly ordinances of the wicked world disdayning to become bondslaues to sinne any more They reioyce in their deliuerance walke in the way of the lord with a sincere hart single mind Though slide they may eftsones by frayltie yet neuer flatte fall they by falshode from the Lord their god Lo these are they of whom our Zacharie speaketh and the Angell poynteth Joseph vnto whē he affirmeth Iesus to saue his people from their sinnes And all if these haue so many fraylties be of such weaknes that they cannot as they would or do as they should perfectly walke before the Lord Yet shall they not feare for his Christ is theirs with him they haue in him iustificatiō sanctification redemption and perfect wisedome By whose vertues and merites they are euer presented before God as a iust and holy people peculiar to the lord To these can come no condemnation or any accusation shal be admitted against thē nor any gilt procure sentence to their losse For it is the Lord that doth iustifie them Finally no power shall or can conuenting conuince them For they haue in their hartes the word which is Gods power to saluation And God him selfe standeth on their side for their defence So that it is more possible for light to become darknes good euill and euill good which neuer shall come to passe then that the Lordes people should not be deliuered from death or yet want the knowledge of their saluation Which knowledge teacheth them to féele in hart and find by truth that the same sauing health consisteth not in their remuneration but commeth of god for his Christs sake by full remission of and from all their sinnes The Lord graunt vs to labour so in his vineyarde which professe his name that we may be not called only but appeare in déede his chosen people Then shall we be sure of our deliuerance in Christ our Sauiour And thus much for these wordes his people in this present verse mentioned The third last branch of this verse is to consider by what meanes his people are brought to féel perceiue that their saluatiō doth consist in the remission geuen of god Namely by this that the same is made knowne to their consciences by the ministerie of the word preached vnto them For all if the price of Christes bloud bée they most soueraigne salue for mās sinne as by the which it is wholy washed away Yet onlesse the Church of God haue sence and perfect féeling hereof in her inward partes and depenesse of hart the same shall nothing profite her For the which cause Christ promiseth being once lift vp as the serpent in the wildernesse was to draw all men to looke and come to him by the instrument of fayth and to his heauenly father in that his most comfortable prayer a little before his death for the comfort of his elect he witnesseth that life eternall consisteth in the knowledge of God the father and Christ his Sonne Also reprouing the Iewes for their rebellion he chargeth their ignorance to bée the cause therof as also shewing his Disciples of their persecuted state perils to death affirmeth ignorance to be the forcing meane hereto This shal they do saith he because they neither know the father nor yet me Paule the Apostle testifieth this to be the meane to apprehend saluation euen to come to the knowledge of the truth Thereto he ioyneth it to the branch preceding saying God will haue all men to be saued and to come to the knowledge of the truth Lo a thing most incident to saluation is to haue knowledge of the truth To conclude who are they which are taught of god but his people And what are they taught of him but the truth of his word Which he writeth with his finger in their hartes as the scripture saith that they may be a knowing people and not ignorant as the Papistes teach but falsely the same to be the mother of deuotion But Christ sayth that ignorance is the mother of error which leadeth to damnation Behold now the scope of this Baptists office was to prepare the Iewish harts by the knowledge of their sinnes and repentance for the same to preuent Gods Iustice by fruitefull acceptation of the Gospell by Christ presently preached to haue him for there God and by him saluation and full deliuerance from their sinnes For the which cause the Angell also before to Zacharie adorned him with noble titles and not to him only doe they belong but to all the true preachers of God with him wherefore they are here of thée deare Reader the better to bée weighed as wordes that doe import the glory of his heauenly Embassage to thine earthly hart Hée is first sayd to bée full of the holy Ghost a thing most necessarie to bée in the true preacher of the word as without the same he can neither preach much lesse profite the people of the Lord. The Apostles from christ therfore receiued the fulnes of his spirit by portion to their aptnes power to execute their
office he breathed on them and gaue them his holy spirite that thereby they might not only abound in gifts but also should without terror speake his wil and preach his name to all nations So in like maner Paule witnesseth that both the gift of prophecying Prophets Doctors and teachers is by the spirite of god Of which grace he hath promised continuance to the end of the world saying J wil be with you to the end of the world And therfore Iohn warneth thée reader not to beleue euery spirite so he calleth the doctrine by the preacher brought but coÌ„maundeth thée to trie whether they be of god He sheweth thee absolutely that in the preachers of thy age Gods spirit also speaketh saying Hereby shall ye knowe the Spirite of god Euerye spirite that confesseth that Jesus Christe is come in the Fleshe is of GOD. There were false Prophets among the Jewes which kept the people backe from the faith in Christ There were certaine heritiques which denied Christ to be come in the flesh as the scriptures teach him And these so vexed the Church and molested the consciences of the godly bretherne and began to make such shipwracke of the faith of many that the Apostle was driuen from the Doctrine to frame their hartes in Christ to arme by instruction the church of GOD against Cerinthus Ebyon and other heritiques that woulde not acknowledge Christ wholy as the Scriptures proued him to bée The like proofe of Gods spirit is left to thée to the ends of the world to trie the Preachers which come vnto thée whether they haue in them or doe by Gods spirite speake vnto thée He that preacheth Iesus Christ as hée is set downe in the written Scriptures is of god Hée that denieth him in any part their vouched to be in Christ is of Antichrist Whosoeuer hath not this spirite and is a preacher cannot but by the spirite of Sathan vtter as by his receiued spirite all lying fables as Zedkia the false prophet did to Achab. And both Paul and Peter manifestly shew vnto vs that many such false Prophets shall rise vp in the last dayes which shal also denie christ in déede albeit they confesse him with naked words Paule giueth thée notes infallible that euer shall lead thée to a right iudgement of these spirits of error doctoâ—s of diuels First they shall speake lies by hypocrisie fayning truth but trie them by the rule giuen of christ search the scriptures which order the Citizens of Berrea are said to obserue when the Apostles taught them 2. They shal forbid to marrie and who doth forbid I pray thée take vew that ministers may not Marrie not the scripture but rather the flat contrarie Who doth forbid that holy ordinaÌ„ce of god in Paradise to auoyd sinne but the Pope the minister of sinne he doth forbid it to all his sacrificing priestes at all times yet whoredome he permitteth to theÌ„ vnder purchased warrant to al time To al other christians he forbiddeth mariage at certaine times as Aduent Lent Jmber daies c. and Siricius one of the Popes condemneth mariage to be a fruit of the flesh as in the which state a man can not please god Meats which god hath created to be receiued with thanks geuing is made holy by his word praier doth this beast of the Dragon Satanas in paine of daÌ„nation forbid to al at his appoynted times And the breakers of his lawe though blessed of God are of him cursed with booke bell and candle out of his heauen as Pasquine calleth it earth and this naturall life as Lollords heriticks not worthy the benefite of temporall quiet These saith Paule in the place before quoted are the doctrines of Diuels Behold the popish doctrine from whence it commeth and of what spirite it is Flie from it as from hel it selfe Peter warning our times of the like false spirite sayth But there were false Prophets also among the people euen as there shal be false teathers among you which priuely shall bring in damnable heresies eueÌ„ denying the Lord that hath bought them bring vpon them selues swift damnation And many shall followe their damnable wayes by whom the way of truth shal be euill spoken of And through couetousnes shall they with fayned words make marchandise of you whose iudgement long agone is not farre of and their damnation sléepeth not Lay this Scripture before thy hart and indifferently measure thereby the Popish Church and doctrine and thou shalt sée as it were the Apostle to paynt the sinfull Sinagoge of Rome vnto thy prospect With what humblenes of Angels créepe they craftely into the conscieÌ„ces of men what opinions bréed they flat condemned by the word How open they their mouthes to slaunder the gospel of our Christ and cal it heresie though not as it lieth in leaues but as it is truly preached by gods holy prophets in this our dayes And what loue they haue to the word it selfe do thou iudge when hauing the gouernment they burned the Bibles rased the scriptures from of the walles in churches els to that they could burned the graueÌ„ letters in the sacred flesh of christes martirs What marchaundise of mens soules is there in poperie wheÌ„ their God their pope their reliques saints merits their Paul and Peter their heaueÌ„ helly purgatorie thier Masses pardoÌ„s their whole power pelf is set at price al for monei What sinne in man so horrible that shuld not there haue pardon for money What wicked fact pretended shall not there for money not only be pardoned but warranted Amongst the sinnes against the 2. Table is there a greater then Treason I say treason to god his religion his prince and vicar by his great mercy set ouer vs in this natioÌ„ And is not the Pope the head practiser of the same Doth not he loose that in earth by his Bul which god hath most surely tied fast in heauen by his word the sworne and natural due obedience to her Maiestie Doth not he promise absolution where God pronounceth curse and damnation To whatsoeuer person which resisteth his power And is this for any other cause theÌ„ to bring your purses to his coffers your soules to swift damnation Looke vpon the Gnat by that most precious Iewell the reuerend Bishop late of Sarum brought forth to the vew of all mens sight in his learned answere to halting Harding and thou shalt not maruaile though he wold haue vs his again that Camels in great number and yet scarsely could might yearely conuey his huge sommes of money out of this nation Reioyce O England for thy deliuerance embrace the word by Gods spirite put in the mouthes of thy learned Bishops and others their godly brethern in most pleniiful wise So shal thy hart yéeld faithful loue true obedience to our godly Quéen thou shalt reape her aid for