dyd dothe remayne shall remayne with vs vnto the worldes ende but by whome I pray you speketh he vnto vs by whome techeth he vs any trouthe by whome elles but by the fathers doctours of the chirche by theyr mouthes this holy spyryte techeth vs euery trouthe Non eniÌ„ vos estis qui loquimini sed spiritus patris vestri qui loquitur in vobis that is to saye It is not ye that speke but the holy spyryte of your father whiche dothe speke wtin you Saynt Basyll whan he was baptised a wonderful lyght was sene aboute hym which is not to be douted but that it was a sensyble token of the holy goost And lykewyse saynt Ambrose whyles he was endytynge of that .xliij. psalme a lyght was sene aboue his heed in maner of a shelde which by lytle lytle entrediÌ„ at his mouthe in veray token of the spiryte of god And so lykewyse it was of the other Wherfore it is not to be douted but in suche holy bisshoppes and doctours of the chirche the holy goost dothe speke but moche rather iÌ„ couÌ„celles whan many of them were assembled togyder For euer as the stormes and tempestes of heresyes dyd aryse so they were at length oppressed coÌ„uynced by this holy spyryte spekynge in the mouthes of the fathers doctours of the chirche Somtyme by generall couÌ„celles and assembles of many bysshoppes togyder ¶ In the couÌ„sel of Nicene was cccix bisshoppes in whome the holy goost spake to the confutacyon of an heresye that than sore vexed the chirche After that in the couÌ„sell of constanstynoble was assembled .c.l. bisshoppes in them the holy goost spake to the destruccyon of an other heresye that than rose in the chirche In the counsell kept in Epheso in a grete cyte of Asye so named were assembled CCC bisshoppes in whome than the holy spyryte spake to the confoundynge of an other heresye that was alofte so coÌ„tynually frome tyme to tyme euer as these clowdes arose and made any grete tempestes began to lighten and shewe a fals lyght of misconstruyng of scryptures this holy spiryte was redy by these fathers to enforme the vniuersal chirche of the certayn trouthe ¶ Se than I saye what we haue to conferme those thynges that be taught vs by the chirche Fyrst the prophetes that were instructed by the father almighty god and also theyr Cabala that is to saye theyr secrete erudycyons not wrytten in the byble Secondly the apostles whiche were instructed by oure fauyour chryst Jesu and also theyr tradycyons not wrytten in the byble Thyrdly the holy fathers and doctours of the chirche that were enformed by the holy spyryte of trouthe as well in theyr exposycyons of scrypture as also by theyr general assembles and councelles had here to fore ¶ Yf there were a fourth persone in the trynyte or an other spyryte to be sent vnto vs froÌ„ almighty god we myght yet be in some doute wheder Martyn luther had met with this spiryte by the waye and coÌ„ueyed hym from vs. But sythen we be assured that there is no moo but .iij. persones in the godhede of whome this gospel maketh mencyon and that euery one of them hath done his dylygence to instructe vs of the trouthe And ferthermore that there is none other holy spyryt preter spiritum veritatis but this spyryte of trouhe and he also shall abyde with vs for euer acertayne vs of euery trouthe we may be sure that Martyn luther hath not this spyryte whaÌ„ he dothe teche vs agaynst the trouthe that hathe be taught vs by this spyryte For he cutteth away the tradycyons of the apostles and refuseth the generall councelles and contemneth the doctryne of the holy fathers and doctours of the chirche and laboureth to subuerte all the ordynaunce of the chirche namely the .vij. sacramentes and taketh awaye the fredome of mans wyll and affermeth that al thyng falleth by necessyte contrary to al the doctryne of christes chirch we may be sure therfore that he hathe some other wretched spyryte some spyryte of errour not the spiryt of trouthe saynt Paule sayth In nouissimis tê‘ibê° discedeÌ„t quidaÌ„ a fide attendeÌ„tes spiritibus erroris et doctrinis demonioruÌ„ that is to say In the latter dayes of the chirche some shall go from the true faythe of christes chirche gyue hede to the spirytes of errour to the techynge of the deuyl And here note this worde discedeÌ„t For saynt Paule saythe in another place Erit discessio primum that is to saye Before the comynge of antichryst there shall be a notable discessyon departyng fro the faythe of the chirche And it is not vnlyke to be at this same tyme by the occasyon of this moost perylous heretyke ¶ Here Martin luther for his shrewed brayne wyll some thyng wrastell agaynst vs. He wyl say that the councelles somtyme erre that the doctours full often disagre And as they erre disagre at one tyme or in one place so maye they do in an other and therfore he sayth he is bouÌ„deÌ„ to byleue none of them all To this maye be answered that this reason strayneth not as it shall well appeere in lyke The ê“phetes somtyme left vnto themselfe dyd square from the trouthe Nam prophetie spiritus noÌ„ semper prophetarum mentes irradiat That is to say the spiryte of prophecye dothe not alway shyne bright vpon the myndes of the prophetes As in example kynge Dauyd purposynge to buylde the temple to almyghty god councelled with the prophete Nathan wheder he sholde perfourme his purpose ye or naye And the prophete Nathan bad hym goo in hande with it and do all that he intended in his herte for to do Omnia que in corde tuo sunt fac dominus tecum est That is to saye do all that thou inteÌ„dest in thy herte for oure lorde god is with the. yet he was deceyued it was not soo as he sayd Shall we nowe for this disceyte truste none other thynge that this prophete Nathan sayd besyde this god forbede Lykewyse of the apostles saynt Peter whan he sayd to christ Tu es xpÌ„s filiê° dei viui that is to say Thou art chryst the sone of the lyuely god he spake this by reuclacyon and here our sauyour praysed hyÌ„ sayd Beatus es petrus bariona that is to saye Thou art blessed Peter the sone of John wtin a lytle after he dyssuaded our sauiour from his passyon and sayd Abut a te domine that is to saye Not so good lorde And in this he sayd wrong Shal we nowe bycause he sayd wronge this seconde tyme not byleue his fyrst sayenge that were not reasonable Almighty god suffred the prophetes and the apostles also somtyme to erre to th entent that we myght knowe they were but men and whan they sayd trouthe that that they had of god whan they sayd otherwyse thaÌ„ trouth that that came of themself And so lykewyse I saye of the
iustificabuntur that is to saye Suche as onely be herers of the lawe of god shal not be iustifyed but the workers therafter And saynt James saythe Estote factores verbi et non auditores tantum fallentes vosmetipsos that is to saye be ye workers of the worde of god and not onely the herers for than ye disceyue yourself saynt Paule agayne sayth Si secundum carnem vixeritis morie mini Si spiritu facta carnis mortificaueritis viuetis that is to say yf ye lyue after the workes of your flesshe ye shall dye but yf ye mortifye in you by spyryte the workes of your flesshe ye shall lyue And fynally saynt Paule sayth resoluyng his owne sentence fides que per dilectionem operatur that is to saye Fay the whiche is wrought by loue accordynge to the whiche saynt James saythe Uides quoniam fides cooperabatur operibus illius ex operibus fides consummata est That is to saye Thou seest how that faythe helped his workes and how of the worker his faythe was made perfyt By all the whiche testimonyes ye may playnely se that not onely faythe suffyseth but also loue and workes be requyred to the iustyfyenge of our soules And thus moche for the seconde instrucyon ¶ Here foloweth the thyrde instruccyon agaynst Martyn luther TOwching the third instruccyoÌ„ it foloweth in the gospel Et vos testimoniuÌ„ ê“hibebitis quia ab initio mecuÌ„ estis That is to saye ye shall bere wytnesse bycause ye be conuersaunt with me fro the begynnyng To whome shall they bere wytnesse but vnto the vniuersall chirche of chryst Theyr wytnesse thaÌ„ must be allowed of euery true christen man ¶ Of these wordes of the other aboue rehersed it shal appeere that more testimony must be admytted for sufficyent authoryte than only yt. that is wrytten in the byble Whiche one thynge yf we may establysshe it wyl cast downe a grete nobre of Martyn luthers artycles But for this we must coÌ„sydre that these .iij. persones of whome this gospel hathe made mencyon though al theyr workes be vndiuyded vndeseuered one from an other but ioyntly go togyders yet scripture assygneth thre seuerall tymes vnto these .iij. ê‘sones in the which they haue instructeth man of the trouth necessary to be byleued First almighty god the fader istructed our elders by his ê“phetes as saint Paule sayth MultiphariaÌ„ multisque modis olim deê° loqueÌ„s patribê° iÌ„ ê“phetis that is to saye Almighty god the fyrst ê‘sone iÌ„ the godhed many diuers wayes instructed our fathers by his ê“phetes saynt Paule meaneth here by our fathers the Jewes of whom we spuÌ„ally desceÌ„ded for AbrahaÌ„ that was theyr carnal fader is oures also spuÌ„al Now almighty god the father taught them by his ê“phetes whose ê“phecyes all be it they be wrytten in scrypture yet was there many moo thinges which they spook vnwrytten that was of as gret authoryte as that that was wrytten which the mayster of Jewes calleth cabala which is deriuyed fro man to man by mouthe onely not by wrytyng After this the second ê‘son the sone of god our sauiour christ Jesu was send by his father into this world to instructe man bothe by hymselfe by his apostles the which were coÌ„uersauÌ„t with hym as the gospel here sayth fro the begining These blessyd apostles left vnto vs also many thinges by mouthe which is not written in the byble This thyng may appeere by saynt paule whiche cam after them was not pÌ„sent whaÌ„ christ saye these wordes vnto them iÌ„ .ij. epistole ad thessaloniceÌ„ses state tenete traditioÌ„es qÌ„s didicistis siue ê‘ sermoneÌ„ siue ê‘ eplam nrÌ„am that is to say be ye ê¯stauÌ„t kepe those iÌ„struccioÌ„s erudicyoÌ„s that ye haue lerned of vs. ather by mouth or els by wryting yf saynt paule that was latter thaÌ„ the other apostles to whom these wordes were sayd of christ wyl haue his tradicyoÌ„s obserued kept aswel those that he tolde them by mouth as those that he wrote with his peÌ„ne why shal not lyke wyse the tradicioÌ„s of al the other apostles be of lyke strengthe to make fayth to bere wytnesse of the trouthe Here ye may se by expÌ„sse scrypture of saynt paule that we be bounde to byleue many mo thynges thaÌ„ be wrytten put iÌ„ the byble We shall coÌ„ferme this by Origene which is an auÌ„cyent doctor to whome in this poynt grete faythe is to be gyueÌ„ He in the boke of noÌ„bres omelia .v. sayth Sêª iÌ„ ecclÌ„iasticis obseruationibê° sunt noÌ„nulla que omnibê° facere necesse est nec tnÌ„ ratio eoruÌ„ oiÌ„bê° patet NaÌ„ ê™ verbi gratia genua flectimus orantes et ê™ ex omnibê° celi plagis ad solaÌ„ orientis partem conuersi fundimê° orationem noÌ„ facile puto cuiquam ratione compertuÌ„ Sed eucharistie seu percipiende seu quo ritu geritur explicande vel eoruÌ„ que geruÌ„tur in baptismo verboruÌ„ gestoruÌ„que et ordinum atque interrogationuÌ„ et responsionuÌ„ quis facile explicet ratione Et tamen hec omnia operta licet et velata portamê° super humeros quuÌ„ implemus ea et exequimur vt a magno pontifice christo et a filiis eius tradita et coÌ„mendata suscepimus That is to saye But in the obseruancyes of the chirche be many thynges whiche is necessary for vs to do and yet the reason why that we so do is not open to al men As in example whan that we make our prayers knelynge and whan amonges all the other plages of heuen we chose the eest parte towarde the whiche we make our prayer I thynke not that the reason of this is lyghtly knowen to any man Of the obseruaÌ„cyes also and rytes that we vse aboute the sacrament of the alter to be consecrate or elles of the sacrament of baptyme to be minystred whoo can expresse the reason of al those wordes gestures orders questyoÌ„s answers that there be accustomed And yet neuerthelesse al these we bere couerd hyd vpon our sholders whaÌ„ that we do perfourme and execute them accordynge to the tradicyoÌ„s erudycyons whiche we haue receyued coÌ„mended vntyll vs by the grete bysshop christ by his children the holy apostles Of the whiche wordes of Oxigene it clerly dothe appeere that many suche tradycyoÌ„s were left vnto the christen people by christ his apostles the whiche we must folowe notwithstaÌ„dyng they be not wrytten in scripture To the whiche purpose I myght also brynge the testimonyes of Damascene Demose Augustine Hierome other moo ¶ Thyrdly the thyrd persone in the trynyte that is to saye the holy spiryt of trouth was sent fro the other twayne to abyde with vs for euer and to be as a coÌ„forter contynuell in christes chirche whan the stormes teÌ„pestes of heresyes do aryse agaynst al floghteryng doutfulnes to teche vs the veray certayne trouthe where vnto we shold rest After that the apostles were departed from vs the holy spyryte
behold the thick black clowdes aloft that shal darken al the face of the heueÌ„ shadow froÌ„ you the clere light of the sonne shewe a false glysteryng light that yssueth out of the clowde from the spiryte of that tempest ye shal here terryble coÌ„minacyon of theyr thonderyng Be ye thaÌ„ coÌ„stant in your faythe byleue as dothe your mother holy chirche lyfely put your trust in the spiryte of trouthe whiche shall be your comforter vnto the worldes ende ¶ Ferthermore whan thou herest christen man that Martyn luther hath a fast mynde in god the letteth for no mans authoryte to speke the trouthe reputeth all them that folowe not his doctryne to be deuyded from the chirch catolyke in so moche that he hathe excomunycate the pope O woÌ„derful presumpcion O madnes intollerable knowe this for certayne that all the other heretykes thus dyd they dyd repute themselfe theyr adhereÌ„tes only to be of the chirche catholyke and rekeneth all other that folowe not theyr opinyons to be deuyded from the chirche So dyd the Nonacyanes in Rome exclude the catholyke preestes bysshoppes from theyr chriches So dyd the Arrianes in grece lykewyse So dyd the Donatystes in Affrycke Neuerthelesse the chirche of christ is but one vna sancta catholica et apostolica this chirche is one hauynge one heed the pope whiche is the vicare of christ of whome it is called vna And though there be in this chriche many synners yet for the holy sacramentes that reneweth repareth synners dayly for the holy spyryte that coÌ„tynually remayneth in it it is called sancta that is to say holy And for bycause it is not lymyt to any certayn nacyon but it is comen to all nacyons therfore it is called catholica the is to saye vniuersall And fynally bycause it is deryuyed from the apostles specyally froÌ„ the prynce of the apostles saynt Peter therfore it is called apostolica that is to saye apostolyke This onely chirche is the spouse of christ all other sembles that be not of this chirche be synagoges of sathanas coÌ„cylyables of the deuyll And therfore christen man be not astonyed thoughe they do excomunicate and deuyde the true christianes from theyr synagoges For our sauyour hath gyueÌ„ vs warnynge here of before sayenge as it foloweth in the gospell absque synagogis facient vos that is to saye they shal excomunicate you and deuyde you from theyr synagoges Thyrdly christen man whan thou herest that Martyn luther hathe so grete a zeale to god thynketh in his conscyence that he is bouÌ„den to do this that he doth weneth that in so doyng he pleaseth god dothe a specyall seruyce vnto god all the soules that by his false doctryne he sleeth and murdereth he recommytteth them vnto almyghty god yet neuerthelesse be stronge in thy faythe and se that in this poynt our sauiour hath also warned the chirche sayenge Sed venit hora qnÌ„ omÌ„is q i interficit vos arbitretÌ„ obsequiuÌ„ se prestare deo That is to saye the tyme cometh whan euery man that shall murder you shall wene that he dothe acceptable seruyce vnto god But yf thus the other heretykes dyd not before thaÌ„ thynke that Martyn luther is somwhat Dyd not thus the Arrianes dyd not they furyously rage agaynst the catholyke bisshoppes and preestes whiche dyd resyste them and not only by theyr pestilent errours they infected the soules of men but also caused grete murders of bodyes Dyd not thus the Donatystes of whome saynt Austyn saythe ad Bonifacium QuicuÌ„que dura illoruÌ„ verba coÌ„tempseraÌ„t durioribê° verberibê° qd iubebaÌ„t facere cogebaÌ„tur innocentiuÌ„ qui eos offenderant derant dontus aut deponebaÌ„tur ad soluâ—â— aut ignibus cremabantur that is to saye Whose euer set at nought theyr hard wordes they were coÌ„strayned with harder strokes to folowe theyr pleasures the houses of the good christianes eyther were throwe downe to the grounde or elles were brent with fyre And after foloweth ê™ plurimi cedibus eorum extincti sunt that is to say many was slayne by theyr murders Dyd not thus the discyples of wycclyffe all be it that for fere of the temporall lawes they durst slee no man yet put they vp a byll of artycles vnto the teÌ„porall lordes in the parliament season mouyng them to slee theyr aduersaryes that resysted agaynst them And what suppose ye Martyn luther his adhereÌ„tes wold do yf he had the popes holynes his fauourers whome he calleth so often in derisyon papistas papastors papanos papenses in his daunger I fere me that he wold vse no more curtesy with them than he hath done with theyr bookes that is to say with the decretalles which he hath brent And so lykewyse I fere me that he wold bren them or any other christen man that he thought might let his opinyons to go forwarde And yet in so doyng he wold thynke that he dyd grete seruyce vnto god Thus ye may se that these heretykes all be it they had grete redynes in scriptures were fell wytted men depely resoned and had also pretens of vertuous lyfe had a grete zeele thynkyng in theyr coÌ„scyence that they were bounden to do asmoche as they dyd yet were they disceyued by the holy couÌ„celles fathers of the chirche conuynced of theyr erronious opinyons And why maye not lykewyse Martyn luther be deceyued as all they were before hym and specyally sythen he wanteth the spyryte of trouth the whiche all they wanted For yf they had had the spyryte of trouthe they sholde not haue erred in myscoÌ„ceyuynge the scryptures I saye not but that they were redy in scryptures coude brynge the scryptures meruaylously to theyr purpose and frame them cursedly to theyr opynyons but for lacke of the spyryte of trouthe they mysconstrued these scryptures and as saynt peter sayth Deprauabant or as saynt Paule saythe Inuertebant they tourned the wronge syde of the scryptures outwarde folowynge theyr owne brayne and phantasye led by the spyryte of erroure and ignoraunce as it foloweth Hec omnia facient vobis quia non nouerunt patrem neque me that is to saye All this they shall do vnto you bycause they knowe not my father nor me yf they had hadde the spyryte of trouthe this spyryte sholde haue ledde them to the true knowlege of the father and of the sone that is to say to the true knowlege of the prophetes by almighty god the father spake and to the true knowledge also of the apostles by whome the sone our sauyour chryst Jesu spake but bycause they had not this spyrite of trouth whiche was sente from the father frome the sone therfore they were ignoraunt of them bothe and by that ignorauÌ„ce they fell to these in conuenyentes And so lykewyse hath now done Martyn luther ¶ Now than here I make an ende I haue remembred vnto you accordynge to my promesse foure instruccyons