sayde This is the God that brought vs out of the land of Aegypt wherewith God was highly displeased and plagued them sore for it The Pope sayeth whosoeuer worshippeth an Image and saith this is Christe offendeth not And also God curseth all them that doe worshippe Images The Pope calles them Heretikes that do not worship Images Mardocheus said I feared least I shoulde turne the glorie of my God to a man but the Pope doth make a lawe that wée shoulde turne the honor and worship of God to a blocke or a stone Mardocheus said that he feared to worship any man saue God but the Popes lawe is that we must worshippe a deade Image with the same reuerence wherewith we worship the holye Trinitie The Angell of God would not suffer Saint Iohn to worship him but y e Pope will haue vs fall downe worship dead stockes stones But if it be not lawfull to worship an Angell then surely it must néedes be vnlawfull to worship blockes and stones Thus you that haue eyes may sée that as falshood is contrarie to the trueth so the Popes lawe is cleane contrarie to Gods lawe therefore as Gods lawe is most holye and godly so the Popes lawe muste néedes bée most wicked and diuelish Doe you thinke that these holy Fathers that were gathered togither in this Councell and set out this detestable decrée had the holye Ghost Wel thoughe they hadde not the spirite of God yet they were inspired with the spirite of the Diuel but we must not beléeue for all this but that the Popes haue the holy ghost and spirit of God to direct their doings in all their counsels whereby they cannot 〈◊〉 as it appeareth by the decrée of this Greeke Counsel and of the other Nicene Counsell And therfore at the beginning of all their holy Counselles they haue first of all a Masse of the holy Ghost after which beyng once sayd or sung they can not erre or go wrong And that you may the better perceyue howe readye the holy Ghost is to come among these holy harlots Prelates I shoulde saye at these their holy Counselles Marke wel this that followeth On a tyme in one of their late Counselles in Rome as they were singing and roaring oute of Veni creator Spiritus that is Come holy Ghost c. by and by at their becke and calling a poore olde Owle amazed with the noise thinking belike she was y e holy ghost they called so earnestly for leapte out of the hole where she sat and came downe in the middes of them and sat amongest them Thus you may perceiue there is a gret differēce betwéen the spirite of God and the Popes holy Ghost For God the holy Ghost descēded and appéered to Christ in the likenesse of a fayre white Doue but the Popes holye Ghost did descend and appéere to the Pope to his holy Cardinals Coūsel in the shape of a foule euil fauored Owle Wherby you may learne how holy their lawes and decrées are by their holy Ghost that came down among them to inspire and instruct them for such holy Ghost such holy lawes No doubt God had their counsels in derision and discouered their hypocrisie and their diuelishe doings that the worlde might vnderstande and perceiue in what spirite they did assemble and gather togither Marke also what holy men your Popes Doctors are and how learnedly and truely they write on their God y e Popes behalfe Hosius saith God will neuer haue thée consyder whether the Pope bée a Iudas a Peter or a Paule it is sufficient onely that he sitteth in Peters Chaire that he is an Apostle that he is Christes Embassadour that he is the Angel of the Lorde of hostes from whose mouth thou art commanded to require the Law This thing only Christ would haue thée to consider but you tell vs not in what place of the Gospell wée shall finde it be he Iudas forasmuche as he is an Apostle let it not mooue thée thoughe he bée a théefe Is not here good stuffe trow you there is very hard choice of Embassadours when Christe is constrayned to choose or haue a théefe for his Embassadour If a true man shoulde goe to a théefe to enquire the law or aske Counsell doe you not thinke that he will giue hym good Counsell or tell him the lawe rightly it is more lyke that he woulde take hys pursse from hym or cutte hys throate These holye Fathers are verye harde driuen when their Doctours aforehand are constrayned to excuse their Popes if they chaunce to bée Théeues they thinking belike that Théeues shal sitte in that chaire but it is no great matter for though they bée Théeues when they come to sitte in the Chaire yet they are true men and must néeds be most holy and Godly assoone as they be sette in it such as maruellous vertue hath the Popes chaire For if the Pope hath little or no goodnesse at all of hys owne as some of them had but very little as before it appeares yet for al that he can want neyther goodnesse nor holynesse for Saint Peter hath made the Pope heire of his goodnesse This glose vpon the Popes distinction was wel remembred for if Saint Peter had not made the Popes heires of his goodnesse and left it in hys Chayre behinde him some Popes then perhaps mighte haue wanted bothe godlynesse goodnesse and honestie And so the cheiefest holynesse that the Pope hathe is oute of hys Chayre for Cardinall Cusanus saith Veritas cathedrae adhaeret The truth cleaueth fast to the Popes Chayre c. yea for if it had not bene verye faste nayled vnto it it hadde bin quite gone ere this Christ hath fastned or nayled his truth to the Popes Chaire and not to his person for he saith the Scribes and Pharisies are placed in Moyses Chayre If this be true that the Trueth is so fastened to the Chayre I feare then that some haue stolne that true Chayre awaye and haue set a chaire of falshood in the place of it for surelye all the Popes haue had such lucke that haue of a long time sitten in that Chayre at Rome that they haue told nothyng but lyes woulde not that Chaire that was so ful of knowledge and truth make any desirous to steale it and carry it awaye for if the Pope were neuer so false by and by as soone as he got himselfe into that Chaire he could not erre For then he coulde saye nothing but trueth But as soone as the Pope was gone out of that holy chaire he left al the truth behinde him in the Chaire and carried none awaye with him If the Pope were neuer so vnlearned and could not construe hys owne name by and by as soone as he did once sit in that chayre hée was the greatest Doctor in both lawes that was in the world all knowledge was then crept into the Popes bosome or breast oh if eyther the studentes of Gods law or
of God you wil scantly like The Popes Doctors say auouch it for truth that if the Priest say thus when he doth Baptise a childe Ego te Baptiso in nomine patris filij spiritus sancti diaboli that is I Baptise thee in the name of the Father of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost and of the Diuell yet the forme of Baptisme is very good and the child is rightly christned I remember that Christ bad his Apostles Baptise in the name of the Father of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost but that he bad them Baptise any in the name of the Diuel I neuer heard If they be rightly christned that are christned in the name of the Diuel according to the Popes law then I hope they are not falsely christned that are christned in the name of God without naming the Diuell accordyng to Gods lawe If wée shoulde allowe such Baptizing to bée good and that they were rightlye Baptized that were Baptized in the name of the Diuell you that call vs nowe Sathans broode woulde then call vs as you myght well the chyldren of the Diuell Must not this Churche of Rome bée a holy Church that hath such goldy doctrine and diuine Doctours if they bée curst that take any thing from the worde of God then they are not blest that adde the Diuell to the Baptizing of the children of God Euerye one that haue an affection to the Popes Religion woulde scantly beléeue that there is such handsome doctrine belonging to his religion This is not much vnlike other of the Romish Doctors doctrine for in the Defence of the Apologie which the learned Bishop of Sarisburie wrote against the confutation of Doctor Harding are these wordes Petrus Asotus Hosius sticke not to affirme that the same Counsell wherein our Sauiour Iesus was condemned to die had both the spirite of Prophesie and the holy Ghost and the spirite of truth And that it was no false saying when the Bishop sayd we haue a lawe and by our lawe he ought to die and that they so saying did light vpon the very truth of iudgemēt and that the same was a iust decree whereby they pronounced that Christ was worthy to die Thus the Popes Prelates take part with Annus Caiphas against Christ. If that were a good true iudgement that most shamefully wrongfully condemned the sonne of God to death then where shal we finde any false and wicked iudgement by this meanes the Popes sentences iudgements in burning the members of Christ for professing of y e Gospel cā not be false wicked or euill I feare they y t say they had the holy ghost the spirite of truth y t iudged Christ to death and that the same was a iust decrée wherby they pronounced y t Christ was worthy to die I feare I say y t they are none of them that Christ dyed for and as they y t iudged Christ most wrongfully did it not by the spirit of God Euen so Asotus Hosius and all other that say y t their iudgement was true that their decrée was iust whereby they pronounced that Christ was worthy to die spake and vttered the same by the spirit of y e diuell for if they gaue true iudgement against Christ then Christ was an offendor and deserued to die The Lorde blesse euery man from beléeuing the doctrine of such that either say or beléeue that Christ the Sonne of God that neuer offēded nor sinned was worthily or rightly condemned to die If our Bishops Preachers and Doctors shoulde preach teache or write such blasphemous doctrine you might then iustly cal vs Heretiks as we may wel cal them al other y t take their partes blasphemers the disciples of Antichrist But Caiphas sayd it is good that one man die for the people least all the people perishe Ergo sayth M. Harding Caiphas had the spirit of God To whom that learned and worthie M. Iewel late Bishop of Sarisburie replyes with these wordes But that ye may the better M. Harding espie your ouersight like as ye saye Caiphas prophesied blindly himselfe not vnderstanding what he sayd Ergo he had the holy Ghost S Paule sayth no man can say the Lorde Iesus but in the Spirit of God hereof by your Logicke you may reason thus the Diuell sayd vnto Christ I knowe that thou arte Christ the Sonne of the liuing God Ergo the Diuell had the Spirit of God c. If Caiphas had the spirit of God then he had y e holy ghost that wrote this note vpon the Popes decrée that the Iewes had committed mortall sinne if they had not nayled Christ to the Crosse. Now open your eyes and beholde whether this be good sound doctrine or not y t these Papisticall Doctors do teach They that worship God aright follow Christes Gospel wil do detest such diuellish doctrine Therefore flie from this Romish Church that taketh the Pope to be hir heade and that refuseth to be tried by the Scriptures and spéedily become members of that Churche that taketh Christ to be hir heade and is content to bée iudged by the Scriptures For they that are of Christ will heare his voyce which is the Gospell which true Church wherof Christ is the head can not be knowne but by the Scriptures Chrisostome saith now can no mā know the Church but by the scriptures S. Augustine saith Whether they haue the Church or no let them shewe by the Canonicall Bookes of the holy scriptures we must know the Church euen lykewise as we know Christ which is the head of the Churche in the holy Canonicall Scriptures Againe he saith the holy Scriptures shewes the Churche without any doubtfulnesse Againe the question or doubt is where the Churche shoulde be what then shall we doe whether shall we seeke the Churche in our owne wordes or in the wordes of hir heade which is our Lorde Iesus Christ In my iudgement wee ought rather to seeke the Churche in his wordes for that he is the trueth and best knoweth his owne body And agayne he sayeth Let vs not heare these wordes this say I This sayest thou but these wordes let vs heare Thus sayth the Lorde there let vs seeke the Churche there let vs discusse our cause And Saint Ambrose sayeth the Church shineth or is knowne not by hir owne light but by the light of Christ which is the word of God These learned holy and auntient fathers wordes are sufficient to proue vnto vs that y e Church of Christ is known and is chiefely to be discerned by the word of God But what if these auncient and learned Doctors had not written thus shoulde wée then haue taken that for the Churche of God which the Popes doctrine doeth allowe then we shoulde haue a trimme and holy Church as by the premysses doth appeare And nowe bicause nothing can describe which is the true Church better than Christ
Irenaeus affyrmeth who saith thus Columna firmamentū Ecclesiae est Euangelium spiritus vitae The piller and buttresse of the Churche is the Gospell and the spirite of life Saint Augustine saith Nolo humanis documentis c. I will not saieth he that the holy Churche bee shewed by mens documentes but by the worde of God Chrisostome saith Nullo modo cognoscitur quae sit vera ecclesia Christe nisi tantummodo per scripturas By no way it is to be known whyche is the true Church of Christ but onely by the Scriptures Thus you may sée plainly by these ancient holy lerned writers whatsoeuer the Pope his late Parasites write and bragge of the Church of Rome that the true Church Christ only is to be known tryed by the holy Scriptures Perhappes you wil say that many places of the Scriptures are so darke and so doubtfull that they wil neuer be vnderstanded vnlesse they be opened and expounded by some learned Doctor or Writer I wil not deny but that it is good and necessary to haue the Scriptures opened and declared by godly vertuous and learned men yet not of necessitie to be bounde thereto and so to beléeue their writings so farre as they shall agrée with the Scriptures but that must not be by the Pope and his Doctors for they as you haue heard before so interprete the Scriptures that they lose their meaning and sense both of God Christ the Prophets and the Apostles and so are made the Popes doctrine onely to serue his wicked and ambitious authoritie and desire And also you shall here perceiue that the holy and auncient Fathers and Doctors are of this opinion that the Scriptures are able to expounde themselues and néede none other interpretor and that there is no case in religion so doubtful or darke but y t it may wel be either proued or reproued by collection and conferēce of the Scripturs Saint Hierome saith Moris est scripturarum obscuris manifesta nectere It is the order of the Scriptures after hard things to ioyne other things that be plaine Saint Augustine also saith Solet circumstantia scripturarum illuminare sententiam The circumstance of the scriptures is wont to giue light and to open the meaning Tertullian giueth the like rule Oportet secundum plura intelligi pauciora The fewer places must be expounded by the moe Thus these learned Fathers and Doctors iudgement is that the Scriptures expounde their owne meaning and one place openeth an other But nowe marke what one of the Popes Chaplaines wryteth concerning the exposition of the Scriptures and whether he agrée with the Diuel or with these saide holy Doctors or not Hosius one of the pillers of the Popes Church saith If a man haue the exposition of the Church of Rome touching anye place of the Scriptures althoughe he neither know nor vnderstand whether and howe it agreeth with the wordes of the Scriptures yet he hath the very word of God You may perceiue by this fellowes writing of what Church he is and that he is of an other Church than Saint Hierom Saint Augustine Tertullian or Chrisostom were for he saith If the Church of Rome expound the Scriptures though it be contrary to the Scriptures or do not agree with the wordes of the Scriptures yet it is the very word of God Thus haue the Popes Doctors deluded the people that the Scriptures were no Scriptures vnlesse it agréede with the expositions and so they made the very word◠of God whyche is our light to Saluation to be very darkenesse and our leader to damnation Marke also what that Caterpiller Cardinall Cusanus writes for the authoritie of their Romishe Churche aboue the Scriptures I tell thee saith he that there is nothing taken for Christes commaundement vnlesse it be so allowed of the Churche meaning the Churche of Rome when the Churche hath chaunged hir iudgement Gods iudgemente is likewise changed Oh abhominable and detestable imps of Sathan though the whorish Church of Rome may change in hir iudgementes yet God in his holy worde is infallible and vnchangeable in hys iudgements What hel-houndes are these that woulde make vs beléeue that as the Popes iudgements doe change so Gods iudgementes doe change and that nothing is taken for Gods commaundement vnlesse the Pope and the Romish Church allowe it but contrary say I that the commaundements of the Pope and of their Churche are nothing vnlesse Christ doth allow them And marke wel for as thys Cusanus hath written euen so the Pope hathe chaunged the law of God cleane contrarye to his own or rather the Diuels commaundement For whereas God himselfe sayde Thou shalt haue none other Gods but me Now that is not Gods cōmandemēt vnles it be allowed by the Church of Rome and bicause the iudgemēt of the church of Rome is changed therfore Gods iudgement therein is changed So that this law must now be takē thus thou shalt honor Pope for a God on earth and thou shalt call him Lorde God the Pope And whereas God saith Thou shalt not make to thy self any grauē Image of any likenesse that is in heauē c. Now the Church of Rome hath changed hir iudgement therein therfore Gods iudgement is changed wherfore that commandment must be turnd thus Thou shalt worship Images as thou wouldst the sonne of God he that worshippeth an Image and saith it is Christe offendeth not nay he offendeth that worshippeth not an Image he that worshippeth not an Image is an heretike thou shalte worship an Image with y e same reuerēce wherwith thou dost worship y e holy Trinitie And wheras God said Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vaine c. Now the church of Rome hath changed hir Iudgement so that God hath chāged his iudgemēt therin also Therfore now you must say thus if thou haue married a wife thou shalt sweare take thine othe to forsake hir to put hir away from thée but thou shalt not sweare to forsake whoores or harlots or to refuse whoredome And whereas God saith thou shalt keepe holy the Sabboth day c. now that is none of Gods cōmaundement for the Church of Rome hath changed hir iudgement therfore Gods iudgemēt is likewise changed wherfore that lawe must now be turned thus Thou shalt not kéepe holy the Sabboth day but whereas Gods worde should then be redde and preached thou shalt in stéede therof commit idolatrie worship Images and pray vnto them and knéele to Masses and honor a péece of bread and take it for the bodie of Christ. God also saith Honor thy father mother yea but now for that the Church of Rome hath chaunged hir iudgement God hath also in this commandement changed his iudgement therfore that law must now be thus Thou shalt disobey thy father and mother King Prince Country and obey the Pope and the Church of Rome
is consecrate is the body and bloud of Christ. Marke further of the goodly doctrine of your Romish doctors in this point Clemens that they will call the Apostles fellow sayth Let no Mise dung be founde among the fragments or peeces of the Lords portion meaning the Sacrament if Clemens said so then he did not it to be the body of Christ. For the glorious body of Christ is not nor will bée where such filth is The Glose also saith that the bodye of Christ may be vomitted vp againe O horrible wordes not méet to be named or once thought though y e priests Christs body of their owne making may be vomitted vp yet we are sure that the body of Christ which is in heauen will suffer no such absurditie And as this their doctrine is absurd wicked concerning their transubstantiation of the bread into y e body of Christ so is the doings superstitious ceremonies of the Priest in saying of the Masse and celebrating as they call it of their said body of Christ as fond and ridiculous as may appeare by their duckings turnings crossing lycking and feyned sléeping with many other such toyes with the childish and ridiculous garments and attire that he then weares drest more like a player than a Priest But Doctor Durand sets out the Priest then as though hée were in his complete harneys Who sayeth as followeth His Amys is his heade peece his Albe is his coate of male his Girdle is his bowe his Subcingle is his quiuer his stoale is his Speere his manyple is his Club his Chyseble is his target and in the ende he sayth these be the peeces wherwith the Bishoppe or Priest must bee harneyssed that will fight agaynst Spirituall wickednesse Muste not thys bée bothe a holye and strong harneys the Diuell dare not come néere hym that hath all thys on his backe If the Diuell wyll bée afrayde it must néedes make him flye awaye for feare I remember that Saint Paul telles vs of a harneys for vs to weare to resiste our spirituall enemye and the fyrie Dartes of the Diuell but among all hys harneys hée names not one iotte of the Priestes harneys that hée weares at Masse Whose wordes are these For this cause sayeth he take vnto you the armour of GOD that ye maye bee able to resiste in the euyll daye and stand perfect in all thinges Stande therefore your loynes gyrte aboute with veritie hauyng on the breast plate of righteousnesse and shodde with shooes prepared vnto the Gospell of peace aboue all take to you the shielde of faythe wherewyth yee maye quenche all the fyrie Dartes of the wycked And take the Helmette of saluation and the sworde of the Spirite whiche is the word of GOD. And praye alwaye wyth all manner of prayer and supplication and that in the Spirite c. Loe here is not one worde of Doctor Durands harneys therfore if it be so good a harneys as he makes it to be I muche muse that S. Paule did leaue it out and spake not of it belike either S Paule knew not of it or he had forgot it or else did mislike it but bicause we are assured that the armour that S. Paule speakes of is an olde auncient harneys and is an armour of proofe and this Doctor Durands harneys is but some couÌ„terfeit new made harneys therfore y e Popes Priestes were best to throwe awaye Doctor Durands harneys and to take S. Paules sure armour of prooffe Marke I beséeche you to what streites the Popes Doctors are driuen for the prouing of this their transubstantiation and changing of the bread into the body of Christe and yet it will not be nay they are vanquished with their owne argumentes For they saye that the body of Christ in the sacrament hath neither forme nor proportion nor limitation of place nor distinction of partes and is neithâ—r highe nor lowe long nor short thicke nor thyn and yet for all this saying many of you beléeue firmely that it is the very body of Christ truely if it be so it is the strangest body that euer I hard of if they make Christ body such a body but for maners sake he were as good haue neuer a bodye This your Christes body is such a body by their saying that none can sée it féele it heare it nor perceiue it and so within a whyle they will make I hope that not none will beléeue it and when none beléeues it then farewell the Masse the flowre of your follio I haue heard diuerse of you say y t they would desire no better iudge than S. Augustine well I am content S. Augustine shall be iudge but when you haue heard hym speake I feare you will not like his iudgement But if S. Augustine or any other shoulde say that the body of Christ may be without shape proportion qualitie quantitie or be without place I would saye then that neither he nor they were worthy to be counted to be learned or at the least wel learned Nowe let vs heare what S. Augustine saith in this case These are his wordes Spatia locorum tolle corporibus nusquam erunt quia nusquam erunt nec erunt c. Take away sayth he from bodyes limitation of place and the bodyes will be no where and bicause they be no where they wil be nothing Take awaye from bodyes the qualities of bodyes there will be no place for them to be in And therefore the same bodyes must needes be no bodyes at al. And now bycause that which you call the bodie of Christ hath neither quantitie qualitie nor place neither proportion of a body Therefore by Saint Augustines iudgement it is no body And if it be no bodye then it muste be bread or else it must néedes be nothing but I truste you wil not say that it is nothing y t the Priest doth consecrate or that it is nothing that he doth holde ouer his head Therefore you were beste to take and vse it as Christe by his Gospell hath appointed and as he himselfe did vse it and so you shall haue it thoughe not Christes very bodye yet a worthye something that is a holye Sacrament a pretious pledge a singular seale a soueraigne signe and a most comfortable remembraunce of our redemption and saluation by the passion and death of our Sauiour Iesus Christe the sonne of God Marke I beséech you how wide they wander that walke in a wrong way Was there euer any thinke you did so grossely so fondly so vnlearnedly and so vntruely applye the sacred Scriptures as Maister Harding one of the Captaines of your crue hath done for the prouing of this your Transubstantiation or changing of the bread into the body of Christe I thinke but a fewe For he saith That the sonne of man came not to destroy but to saue That is He tooke breade and wine and turned them into his bodie and bloude aduauncing these creatures of breade and
to the worde of God and that the Churche of Rome is the Sinagoge of Sathan and that all you that loue honoure and reuerence the Pope and fauour folowe estéeme and embrace his Papisticall abhominable doctrine are English enimies and that such enimies as you excéede all other Englishe enimies For as I haue before probably declared you are enimies to God to his Gospell to our Sauiour to our Soueraigne to our Superiours to hir louing Subiectes to your selues yea and to your owne Soules And can you thinke to reap any commoditie by being enimie to all these if you thinke so the Diuell doth bewitch you it is he that doth blind you and he only will destroie you Therefore if you be wise be no longer English enimies to please the Diuell but become English friends to please God And if all this will not suffice to make you abhorre the Pope and detest this diuelish doctrine then I beséeche you for I wil leaue no way to wyn you let these sewe examples chosen out of many of the pacient suffering ioyfully dying and myraculous ending of the professors of the Gospell and of this our religion persuade and allure you And though this first and rare example was long since yet the blessed Martir was persecuted and tormented for the professing of Christ and his Gospell as our late persecuted brethren were and as they were all of one Religion so the same one God did strengthen them and myraculously wrought in them Therefore I beséeche you marke them diligently and consider them aduisedly A worthy man whose name was Romanus through whō many were persuaded that they should not doe sacrifice to Idols nor worship them was brought before the Emperour being bound as a shéepe to the slaughter to whom the Emperour said with wrathfull countenaunce art thou the author of this sedition art thou the cause why so many shall loose their liues by the gods I sweare thou shalt smart for it And first in thy fleshe thou shalt suffer the paines c. To whom Romanus answered thy sentence O Emperour I ioyfully embrace I refuse not to be sacrificed for my brethren and that by as cruell meanes as thou maiest inuent bicause it lay not in Idolaters and worshippers of Diuels to enter into the holy house of God and to pollute the place of true prayer Then Asclepiades inflamed with this stoute answere commaunded him to be trussed vp and his bowels drawne out But that was not performed but he was scourged with whippes with knaps of leade at the endes And in his scourging he sung Psalmes and required them not to spare him And he spake vehemently by the spirite of God but it was not regarded And the Tormentors by the Captaines commaundement stroke out his téeth that he might pronounce hys wordes the worse and all his face was pittifully defaced Thē this méeke Martyr said I thanke thée O Captaine y t thou hast opened to me many mouths wherby I may preach my Lord and sauiour Christ looke how many woundes I haue so many mouthes I haue lauding and praysing God The Captaine astonyed with his constancie threatned him with fire saying blasphemously thy crucifyed Christ is but a yesterday God the gods of the Gentyles are of most antiquitie Then Romanus made a great Oration of the eternitie of Christ c. And then he said giue me a childe O Captaine but seuen yéeres of age c and thou shalt heare what he wil say And then a pretie boy was called out of the multitude and set before him Tel me my boy quoth the Martyr whether thou thinke it reason that we worship one Christ and in Christ one father or else that we worship infinite gods vnto whom the babe answeared That certainly whatsoeuer it be y e men affirme to be God must néeds be one which with one is one the same And in as much as this one is Christ of necessitie Christ must be the true God for that there be many gods we childrē can not beléeue The Captaine hereat cleane amazed said thou yong villen traitor where and of whō loarnedst thou this lesson of my mother quoth the childe with whose mylke I sucked in this lesson that I must beléeue in Christ. The mother of the child was called she gladly appeared The Captaine commaunded the child to be scourged euery one wept that sawe this pittilesse déede but the ioyfull mother stoode by with drie chéekes yea she rebuked hir swéete babe bicause it craued a draught of cold water She charged him to thurst after y e cup that the infants of Bethlē once dranke of forgetting their mothers milke paps c. Whiles she gaue this counsel the butcherly Tortor pluckt the skin from the childes head heare al. The mother cried suffer my childe now thou shalt passe to him that will ordeine for thy naked heade a crowne of eternall glory And the babe receiued the stripes torments with smiling countenance The Captaine perceiuing y e child inuincible and himself vanquished cōmitteth y e séely soule the blessed babe to the stinking prison without any drink or any other cherishing and commaunded the tormentes of Romanus to be renued and increased Thus was Romanus brought forth againe to new stripes and punishments to be renued receiued vpō his olde sores in so much the bare bones appeared the flesh al torne away wherin no pittie was shewed Then the tyrant sayd is it painefull for thée saide he to tarrie so long aliue a flaming fire doubt thée not shall bée prepared for thée by and by wherein thou and that boy thy fellow of rebellion shal be consumed into ashes Then Romanus and the childe were led to the place of execution And as they laide handes on Romanus he looked backe saying I appeale from this thy tyrannie Iudge vniust to the righteous throne of Christ that vpright iudge Not bicause I feare thy cruell torments mercilesse handling but that thy iudgements may be knowne to be cruell and bloudie Now when they were come to the place y e tormentor required y e child of his mother for she helde it in hir armes and she onely kissing it deliuered the child to the tormentor and said fare well my swéete childe and as the executioner applyed the sworde to the childes necke she did sing in this maner All laude and praise with heart and voyce O Lorde we yeelde to thee To whom the death of all thy Saintes we know most deare to be The Innocents head being cut off the mother wrapped it vp in hir garment laid it to hir brest On the other side a mightie fire was made where into Romanus was cast who said that he should not burne Wherwith a great shoure arose quenched the fire Then the Captaine commaunded that his tongue should be cutte out and it was plucked out by the hard rootes Neuerthelesse he spake saying he that speaketh Christ shall neuer want a tongue Thinke not that the
prison as is before sayde Thys notable and rare example is sufficient I thinke to proue that the Gospel our religion is most true and that only in it y e Lord is pleased for shewing his heauie wrath and vengeance on this Priest that did reuolte shrinke frō and deny the same and also in that the holy ghoste did so miraculously speake in this worthy Philbert continuing so firmely and stoutely in the same Gospell which s◠wonderfully and truely prophesied and foretolde of the sodain ende and desperate deathe of the sayde wicked reuolting Priest This is so manifest and so apparaunte that it wil enforce you to embrace the Gospell and to flye from Papistry if you be not determined and purposely bēt to withstand God and the truth Also one Berry the vicker of Aylsham and a Commissarie was a cruell tyraunte he killed two wyth striking of them and he was a cruell persecutor of the professors of the Gospell but GOD rewarded hym therfore or else the Diuell that sette hym on worke for as he was going homewarde from the Churche he fell downe sodaynelye to the grounde with a heauye grone and neuer styrred after neyther shewed hée anye token of repentaunce Likewise at that time one Dunning Chauncellour of Lincolne and a mercilesse Tirant against the professors of the gospel died in Lincolneshire of as sodain a warning as this Berry dyed One William Mawlden that was of this our religiō and professed the Gospell in the latter ende of Quéene Maries raigne and dwelling at Grenwich with one mayster Hugh Aparry lacking a booke to reade on looked about and foūd a Primer in English whereon he read being in a Winters Euening Whiles he was reading there did sit one Iohn Apowel that hadde bin a seruingman aboute thirtye yeares of age borne towardes Wales to whome the sayde Hugh Appary gaue meate and drinke til he could get him a seruice as the sayd William Mawlden red on the booke the sayde Iohn Apowel mockt him after euerye word with contrarie gaudes and flouting wordes vnreuerently insomuche that the sayde Mawlden coulde no longer abyde hym for griefe of heart but turned vnto him and saide Iohn take héede what thou doest thou dost not mocke me but thou mockest God for in mocking of his worde thou mockest him And this is the worde of God though I bée simple that reade it therfore beware what thou dost then Mawlden fel to reading againe and still the other procéeded in hys mocking And when Mawlden had redde certayne Englishe prayers in the ende he redde Lorde haue mercie vppon vs Christe haue mercie vppon vs c. And as Mawlden was recyting these wordes the other with a starte sayde Lorde haue mercie vppon me wyth that Mawlden turned and sayd what aylest thou Iohn he said I was afrayde wherof was thou afrayde saide Mawlden nothing nowe sayde the other and so he woulde not tell him after this when Mawlden and he went to bed Mawlden askt him whereof he was afrayde then he sayd when you read Lord haue mercie vppon vs Christe haue mercie vpon vs me thought the haire of my heade stoode vpright with a greate feare that came vpon me Then sayd Mawlden Iohn thou mayst sée the euil spirite coulde not abyde that Christe shoulde haue mercye vppon vs wel Iohn said Mawldē repent and amende thy life for God will not be mocked if we mocke and iest at his worde he wil punishe vs c. But after that as he lay almoste a day and a night his tong neuer ceased but he cryed out of the Diuel of hel saying O Diuell of Hel now the Diuel of Hel I would see the Diuel of Hell thou shalt see the Diuel of Hel there he was and there he goeth c. This I trowe maye be a worthye warnyng for all mockers scorners and deryders of Gods most holy word Marke the ende of Morgan Bishoppe of Sainte Dauids a Papisticall persecuter that sat vppon the condemnation of Bishop Farrare beyng after burned for the Gospell not long after the sayd Morgan was stricken with Gods hand after such a straunge sorte that his meate woulde not goe downe but rise picke vp againe sometime at his mouth sometime blowne out at his nose most horrible to beholde and so he continued till his death What a stroke of Gods hand was brought vpō Bishop Thorneton Suffragane of Douer a cruell Papisticall persecutor of the Saints of God for professing his word who after he had exercised his cruell tirannie vpon many godly men at Canterburie at length comming vppon a Saterday from the Chapter house at Canterburie to Borne there vpon a Sunday following looking vpon his men playing at boules fel suddenly into a palsie and so was had to bed and then was willed to remember God yea so I do sayd he and my Lorde Cardinall to An other Suffragane of Douer who not long after he was made Bishop or Suffragane of Douer brake his neck falling down a paire of stayers in the Cardinals Chamber at Grenewich as he hadde receyued the Cardinalles blessing You may sée here that God dothe not alwaies blesse where the Pope his Cardinalles and his Bishops blesse as here it is manifest But rather cursses vnlesse sudden death and breakyng of neckes be blessing Doctor Ieffrey a greate Papisticall persecuter beyng Chauncellor of Sarisburie stricken by the mightie hand of God died suddenly who was determined the next day followyng but that he was preuented by sudden death by Gods prouidence to haue called before hym foure score and tenne or mo to examine them by inquisition vpon religion Marke here also the ende of a Papiste that was a louer of the Masse and diligent and hastie in setting of it vp in Quéene Maries time one Burton the Baylife of Crowland in Lincolneshire sone after King Edwarde was dead he came into the Churche on a Sonday in the morning at which time the Curate was beginning the Englishe seruice for there was no lawe as yet to the contrarie when he came to the Curate in a great rage and sayde like a pure charitable Catholike and full of deuotion sirra wyll you not say Masse buckle your selfe to Masse you knaue or else swearing by a great othe I shall sheath my dagger in your shoulder The poore Curate for feare not so constant in the Gospell as Curates should be settled himself to Masse Not long after this the Bailife roade from home accompanied with one of his neighbours and as they came riding togither vpon the fenne banke homeward againe a Crowe sitting in a Willow trée tooke hir flighte ouer his head and spake to him in hir language aswell as she coulde and called him by his name as Crowes are wont to doe and withall let fall vpon his face so that hir excrementes ranne from the toppe of his nose downe to his bearde The poysoned smell and sauour whereof so noyed his stomacke that he neuer ceased vomiting vntill he came
sayth Whatsoeuer the Church teacheth mening y e Pope and the Church of Rome That same is the expresse word of God and whatsoeuer is taught against the meaning consent of the Churche is the expresse worde of the Diuel So that if this be true that he sayeth then the Romish religion which the Papists teach is Gods word and the Gospell which we teache is the worde of the Diuel What a blasphemous wretch is this to cal gods word the worde of the Diuel Hosius and other that saye so and take it so at the dreadfull terrible day of iudgement when neither proude Pope presumptuous Prelates blasphemous Byshops nor péeuish Priests nor Papists shal beare any such sway as they do now and haue done shal then know whether that which we now Preach and teach is the word of the Diuel or not I beséech God that al suche may repente before for then to repent it wil be too late Siluester Prierias sayth Whosoeuer leneth not to the doctrin of the Church of the Bishop of Rome as vnto the infallible rule of God of which doctrine the holye Scripture taketh force and authoritie he is an Heretike Let Prierias and a thousand of the Popes Doctors besids saye so for as long as Christ sayeth not so we care not if Prierias saye true then Christe and his Apostles were Heretikes and manye other for in Christs time there was no Pope of Rome for as loÌ„g as Christ himself was aliue he néeded no vicar And was y e scripturs then w tout authoritie and of no force bycause the church of Rome was vnplanted and bycause there was no Pope it was happy there came a Pope after or else the Scriptures had bin of no force nor had any aucthoritie it was maruell that Christ bad them then Search the Scriptures Did Christ send his Apostles abroad to preache a Gospell that had no aucthoritie and that was of no force it appeares that it had some force for Christe saide that They that beleeued the Gospell which they Preach and were baptized shoulde be saued and they that beleeued not shoulde bee damned Oh what a diuelish preposterous doctrine is this Papistrie y t teacheth that the holy Scripture and word of God taketh his force and aucthoritie of the Churche of Rome whereas their doctrine and all other muste take their force and aucthoritie froÌ„ it For Christ saith Euery plant that my heauenly father hath not planted shal be rooted vp And bycause Papistrie is contrary to Gods word and so not plaÌ„ted by God therefore it shall be pluckte vp by the rootes Therefore though the Churche of Rome and the Pope shoulde bothe perish as many Churches haue done and as the Romish Churche muste néedes perishe yet God hathe and wyll still gyue aucthoritie and strength to his worde This your Papisticall doctrine is suche a false and rydiculous religion that in euerye point it ouerthrowes it selfe Marke againe an other of the Popes pen-men howe blasphemously he writes for the exalting of the aucthoritie of the Romishe Churche Iohannes Maria Verractus saieth We do humbly confesse that the aucthoritiie of the Church meaning the Churche of Rome is aboue the authoritie of the Gospell if it be true that he writes thoughe he be not ashamed to write a moste abhominable lye yet I am sory to write true of him whiche is that I am moste certayne that the spirite of the Diuell hadde greater power in hym when he wrote it than the spirite of God Saint Paule is of a contrary opinion to this Ioannes Maria Verractus for he saith That the gospel of Christe is the power of God to saluation to all that beleeue and both for hys credite and for his authoritie and auncientie is to be beléeued as well as thys Papisticall writer Nowe if the Churche of Rome haue greater power than to be the power of God to saluation then I knowe not what power it shoulde be vnlesse it be the power of the Diuell to Damnation And if that be his authoritie aboue the gospel that he doth meane let him kéepe that authoritie to himselfe and much good doe it him but there is no wise man wil yéelde or submitte hym selfe to that power I thinke This fellowe belike takes his own word for a warrant for he brings neither Scripture nor auncient Doctor to confirme his sayings Well séeing hée bringeth no other aucthoritie to affyrme his saying but himselfe I will be an other that wil maintaine his assertion that the aucthoritie of the Romaine Church and of the Byshoppe of Rome is aboue the aucthoritie of the Gospell And nowe you shal knowe wherein it is greater which hée woulde not vtter for belike he was somthing ashamed of the matter forsooth it is greater for to set the Pope aboue Emperoures and Kings to make him Lord of Lordes and King of Kings to make him tread on the Emperors necke to make him claime to haue al power in heauen in earth to make al the whole earth to be his Uicarage or Dioces to set Kings and Princes togither by the eares to make true subiects rise and rebell against their Prince and King to make him take vppon him to be called the Lamb of God that takes away the sinnes of the worlde to make hym a tyraunâ—e and to burne the Scriptures to murder burn and kil the seruaunts of God that professe the Gospell to make hym commaunde the Angelles to come oute of Heauen at hys pleasure if they wyll doe so much for him and to carrye mens soules to Paradise howe wickedly soeuer they dye to make him an earthly God to make him be called our Lord God the Pope to make him do in a maner whatsoeuer God can do and to make him and Chryste to haue one Consistorie or seate of Iudgement In these béefore declared the Churche of Rome hath greater aucthoritie than Gods worde for Gods worde hathe no suche force nor authoritie This is your godly Churche of Rome In all these thinges and manye moe suche she hath aucthority aboue Gods word but in godlinesse in trueth and in all thinges that appertayne to our saluation the Scriptures and the word of God hathe force and aucthoritie aboue your Church of Rome But perhappes you wil not beléeue me though I haue sufficiently proued it by the Scriptures vnlesse I shewe you some authorities out of ancient Doctors If you looke that the Doctors ought to confirme the Scriptures then you are wide for the Scriptures must confirme and allow the Doctors But to satisfy you withall I wyl alleadge the Doctors who you shall sée wyl agrée with me that the Scriptures must allowe the Churche and that the right Church is knowne by the Scriptures and whosoeuer refuseth to bée tryed by the Scriptures is not of the right Church nor of the church of God The Churche of God is knowne only by Gods word as the auncient learned Father