cal al these filthy and stinking dregs which haue infected the Church traditions obseruations and ordinances of the Apostles But you know full wel that they agrée aswell with the doctrine of Christ his Apostles as darknes with light and falshood with truth For where can they finde that Iesus Christ or his Apostles did ordain the masse together with the furniture trappings thereof which are full of foolishe toies Wher can they finde that filth wherewith they haue corrupted holie baptism as creame salt spittle coniured water lights and such like thinges Where cā they finde the baptizing of Belles holie water Processions Praier for the dead and a thousand such bables toies trifles as were too long to rehearse But chieflie an infinite number of errors contained in the masse and in al the rest of their booke of ceremonies Of which sort is that execrable idolatrie which they cōmit in worshipping a morsell of Bread the inuocation and intercession of saints the adoring and worshipping of the images and reliques of dead Saints the fire of Purgatorie the Popes pardons indulgences and such like impieties condemned by the worde of God And yet for al this like séelie soules you haue miserablie bound your selues to receiue and approue al these thinges O eternal God is it possible that you should haue bin so vndiscrete Is it possible that you should continue so blockish as to haue no remorse of conscience in you But let vs procéede you haue béene taught out of the word of God that Iesus Christ hath for the continuall vse of his Church instituted onelie two Sacraments to wit Baptisme and the holie Supper to represent vnto vs the holie mysteries of our saluatiō that is to saie our regeneration and the spirituall life which we drawe from Iesus Christ our head in as much as wée are most strictly vnited and coupled together with him and to seale vp in our heartes the promises of saluation and eternal life which are there made vnto vs by the Lorde You know moreouer that the Church of God must content it self with these two not onelie because they are sufficient to represent vnto vs all the benefites of Iesus Christ and to assure vs of his grace fauour but also because it is not lawful for mortal mā no not for the verie Angels to ordaine any sacramēts or to establish any thing in the seruice of God forasmuch as this right belōgeth to god alone Notwtstanding mark what you confesse by the fourth article of this tyrānous abiuration you ackowledge that there bee 7. sacramēts in the law of grace instituted by Iesus Christ which is most false We confesse indéed that that which they cal Cōfirmation which is nothing els but a receuing of such as are instructed catechised in the church catechisms into the church that is to say of those which hauing bin catechised and instructed in the doctrine of Christ were receiued into the felowship of the faithful with praier to recōmend thē to God is an holy thing which hath bin practised in the Primitiue Church euen in the Apostles time also we do not deny but that repentāce which is nothing else but the acknowledging of our faults the misliking of the same the amēdment of our life is a good wholsome thing ordained cōmanded of God we confesse also that that which they cal the order of Priesthoode that is to say the laying on of hands which was vsed in the Church in old time which is vsed at this daye in many reformed Churches when Pastors Elders Deacons other ecclesiastical persons are to be admitted vnto the publike charges of the church we confesse I say that this is a laudable holy ceremonie ordained practised by the Apostles As for marriage we know also that it is an holie institution of the Lord that the custome of blessing the same in the Church is Christian We graunt I say that al these things are good and holy are grounded vppon the worde of God but we deny them to be Sacramentes First of al because Iesus Christ hath not instituted them to be suche and secondlie because they haue not those thinges that are required necessarily in true Sacraments for then they must haue been ordayned by Iesus Christ to continue in the Church vntill the consummation of the worlde and for the vse of the whole Churche in generall and of euerie member thereof in particular Furthermore there shoulde haue beene visible signes to represent the inuisible graces of God and the promises of saluation and eternal life which things we sée to be in baptisme and in the holie supper onelie As for extreame vnction as they cal it we doe not denie but that the oile wherewith the Apostles did annoint the sicke was an outward signe which did represent the grace of God euen in that time of the said Apostles who had the gift of healing but this Sacrament lasted but for a time and had an ende together with the gift of healing working miracles We conclude then that there be but two Sacraments in the Church of Christ and that the other fiue were inuented by men And yet you confesse that al that was instituted by Christ Iesus that which is worse you auouch an horrible blasphemie whē you graunt that the Sacraments conferre grace for by this you attribute not onelie to the true Sacramentes but also to mens inuentions that which belongeth to the holie Ghost who alone conferreth the grace signified by them and that to the true faithfull alone And the Sacramēts as also the word are onelie instrumēts which he vseth to this end so that we receiue by them nothing appertaining to our saluation vnlesse the spirite of God worke inwardly in vs and vnlesse wée haue a true and liuely faith You haue also learned by the same word of God that the said Sacramentes must be ministred with the same puritie simplicity wherwith they were instituted by our soueraigne Doctor maister Iesus Christ Deut 4. 12. Pro. 30. Apo. 22. and that it is an intollerable boldnes to adde any thing therto and detestable sacrilege to take any thing therfrō how litle soeuer it be forasmuch as this were to séek to be more wise than he who is the eternal wisedome of the father And yet neuerthelesse you approue by the first article all those ceremonies which these men haue annexed to the administration of the Sacraments which they haue wickedly and vngodlily profaned and polluted Also you allow al those things which they vse in the administration thereof which they themselues haue inuented and ordained how foolishe superstitious and wicked soeuer they be as you know that the more part of thē do rather resēble iuglers trickes and toies or the superstitious prophane fashiōs of the heathen then the simplicity grauity of Christiās Moreouer you approue by the same article two horrible sacrileges which amongest others they cōmit
his matters so about that hee can take from you all feeling of your offence and all perceiuing and vnderstanding of the iudgement and vengeance of God he wil suggest vnto you by the flesh and the world diuers excuses wherewith you may cloake and lessen the same making you beléeue if possibly he can that it is not so horrible as men say it is or els he will giue you his accustomed cuppe of slumbering besméered with some hope to returne to God againe when the tyranny is ouerpast but he will beware that he do not tel you that all that which he doth tendeth to draw you awaie by little little from the obedience of God your father that he maie hale you to eternall destruction but on the contrarie he wil perswade you if he can that hereby you prouide for your good and comfort Notwithstanding you know that he is a lier and disceiuer for when he went about to blind the eies of our first parēts he told them your eies shal be opened and when he sought to make them deuils like to himselfe he said vnto them you shal be Gods and intending to make them subiect to the first and second death he promised them immortalitie and life saying you shall not die Beware then how you giue eare to his deceitfull and wicked counsels to the inticements and inchauntments of this inchaunter who is an enimie to your saluation but rather hearken to the voice of that Soueraigne Phisition who will not onelie make you feele and knowe your griefe the daunger wherein you are and the meanes whereby you maie prouide for your curing but will also heale you him selfe if your selues be not a stop and hinderance to it First of all then my brethren I moste earnestlie beseech and beseech you againe in the name of this great God and father of mercy that you will earnestlie consider how many waies your fault deserueth condemnation before God You know that the most vile vice and that which both most of all deserue to bee punished by all lawes both diuine and humaine is this to wit if a childe do so degenerate that he withdraw himself from submitting himselfe to a good father and mother yea denyeth them to be his parents and doth become a seruaunt and slaue to a straunger that is euen their verie deadly enimie and in whose house he shall be constrayned to heare a thousand speeches tending to their dishonor and reproche or if a subiect bee so vnthankefull vnfaithfull disloyall and trecherous to his natural Prince at whose handes he had receiued manie benefites and great honour as to reuolt from his obedience and to band himselfe with his mortall enimie which maketh open war against him And yet you haue dealt thus For the Lorde had sometimes graunted you such fauour as to drawe you out of Sathans family whose slaues you were by nature that he might adopt you in his sonne Iesus Christ that hée might make you sit at his own table and traine you vp as his owne children and make you inheritours of his kingdome but you are departed out of his house and hauing denyed him to bee your father you haue quite forsaken him that you might become slaues to Sathan in whose Synagoge your eares shall bée polluted with infinite and horrible blasphemies against the Maiestie of God You had a good mother which is the Church of Iesus Christ which had conceiued you in her wombe by the incorruptible séede of the word of God which had brought you forth not without great panges and thrals of afflictions and persecutions had giuen you sucke with her two breasts which are the olde and new testament and which had brought you vp and noursed you with great care bearing your infirmities and couering and wiping awaie your filth and in lieu of all this you haue forsaken her denying her to be your mother and haue euen as it were throwne your selues into the armes of a straunge strumpet or rather of that great whore of Babilon which in stéed of giuing you good and wholesome nourishment giueth you to drinke the poison of her vncleannes and abhominable whoredomes that your soules maie thereby be infected and destroied and she ceaseth not to make deadlie war against your chast mother the spouse of Iesus Christ and to murther all her children Furthermore you had a good king and Soueraigne Lord euen Iesus Christ the eternal sonne of God who loued you so dearelie that he gaue himselfe vp to death for your sakes which were his enimies who had deliuered you from the tirannie and slauerie of the deuill who had redéemed you not with gold or siluer or anie other corruptible thing but by his own pretious bloud which he shedde for you and not onelie so but had ouer and besides graunted you so great honor as to make you his fellowes that hee might make you partakers of his graces of his glorie and of his celestial kingdome and yet for all this as soone as hee summoned you to the combate of the crosse that he might make you go the selfe same way which he had gone before you to the ende that after the victorie hée might giue you the crowne of glorie and immortalitie you turned your backes and forsooke him yea you renounced him if not al at least the greater part of you by the most execrable abiuration which that infernall Dragon did euer spue out of his stinking mouth against the Maiestie of God and that which more is you haue inrolled your selues vnder the captaine of all impietie which is Antichrist of Rome the sworne enimie of the sonne of God and of your saluation Sée what an heape of backslidinges disloyalties and most vile vnthankefulnes here is But now I do wel perceiue that those which will not giue glorie to God nor giue eare to his worde but take counsell of Sathan to confirme themselues in their errour will not bee vnprouided of replies and will not bee ashamed some such there bee to séeke to couer or lessē their fault alleadging that olde saying of time seruers and of certaine backsliders which knowe ful wel yea in their hearts condemne the abuses impieties superstitions and Idolatries of Poperie and are constrained to confesse the truth to wit that that is the verye true religion which we professe through the grace of God Notwithstanding because they are afraid to beare the blows they will not march on vnder the banner of Iesus Christ but to the end they maye applye themselues to the worlde they follow the banner of Antichrist Moreouer if a man come to admonish them and to tell them their duetie they replye that albeit they serue the deuill with their bodies yet they cease not to be Christians and children of God forasmuch as they reserue him the chiefe which is the Spirite wherewith they serue and honour him and though they haue forsaken the church of Iesus Christ and are fallen from their profession of the Gospell and haue renounced religion
your affaires of your goods of your commodities or whether it be in regard of your own persons and of your kinsmen or be it in regard of your other circumstances be you ful wel assured that is Sathans doing whose drift it is to plunge you déeper in the dunge and filth and more and more to inwrap and intangle you in his nets that you may not escape him But giue no place to the subtilties and false perswasions of this enimie resist him and hee will flye from you saith the Apostle He will set before you a thousand difficulties and impossibilities therby to astonish you and to keepe you backe if possiblie he can that you maye not be resolued to enter into the waye of true conuersion and if you enter the same he will lay a thousand disturbances and stumbling blockes in your waye to stop and stay you and to make you retire he will set before your eies the might the meanes and the multitude of your enimies and the small meanes you haue so that you cannot in long time escape out of this babilonish captiuitie hée will set before you the crosse the afflictions the sufferings the persecutions the pouertie the contempt the perils and daungers whereunto those which follow Iesus Christ are dayly subiect On the other side he will promise you all rest all assurance all good thinges the honors pleasures delightes and commodities of this life if you will worship him and continue in his seruice But you must make him the very same answere and giue him the repulse after the selfe same sort as Iesus Christ did that is by the word of God Mat. 4. come behinde me Sathan for it is written c. You must then here take the Spirituall armoure of a Christian knight which the Spirite of God setteth downe vnto you by Sainct Paule Eph. 6. that is amongst the rest feruent and continuall prayers to the Lorde the buckler of faith and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God to beate backe the firie darts of this wicked one you must oppose against all that which hee shall purpose vnto you through the inticements of the flesh and the worlde that which you sometimes learned in the Schoole of Christ If then he laye stumbling blockes crosse your way to kéepe you from returning to God beware you stumble not at them but strengthē your selues in the power of the Spirit of God and leape ouer them remembring that graue sentence of Iesus Christ whereunto but a fewe haue regarde Blessed is he saith he that is not offended at me that is which shall not be letted or hindered by any occasion whatsoeuer to come vnto me You know full wel what we must conclude on the contrarie that is that he is vnhappye and more then vnhappy the which shall bee offended through him for in very deede it were better for vs neuer to haue bene borne in this world then to be separated from Iesus Christ As for that which Sathan can set before you touching the might meanes and multitude of your enimies thereby to make you astonished and touching the féeblenes and infirmitie of the poore Church and the small meanes it hath according to the world to helpe it selfe that hereby he may discourage you remember that which is spoken so often in the Scripture 2. Tim. ◠that the Lorde hée is a God of power and of hostes remember that which Eliseus saith to his seruaunt Those that are with vs are mo then those that are with them Rom. 8. Strengthen your selues with that which Saincte Paule saith If God bee with vs who can be against vs. His meaning is not that if god be on our side there shal not any lōger be any enimies to make war against vs but his meaning is that if we haue God on our side we may despise al the strength not only of mē but also of Satā of hell And indéed what cā al the powers forces of al the kings potentates of the earth do if they be coupled together and what are they able to do against the power of the most mighty Surely they are nothing but a vapour of smoake that vanisheth away and as waxe that melteth at the fire Ps 58. as saith the prophet How is it then wil some say that the lord deferreth the deliuerance of his church so long Because the time is not yet come wtout all doubt he will deliuer it howsoeuer it be long first and he will breake the head of his aduersaries in péeces euē as an earthen vessell Psal ◠yea euen by his yron rodde For seeing hée beginneth his iudgement at his own house it is a most euident token that hee wil ende it with those that are rebellious against his Gospel and that their end shal be most miserable 1. Pet. 4. For they shal drinke the dregs of the Lords cuppe when he shall visit thē 1. Pet. 4. not in his gentlenes benignity as he dealeth with those that are his owne but in his anger and in his wrath notwithstanding this shal come to passe at the time which hée hath appointed ordayned Wherfore it behoueth vs to watch and in our patiēce to possesse our soules and the Lorde shall shewe vs wonderful things Luke 21. But and if you bee terrified through the horrour of the crosse of afflictions persecutions which are proposed vnto all those which wil be true disciples of the son of God and desire to be made partakers of his celestial kingdome call to minde that which you haue learned out of the worde of God to wit that the afflictions of the faithful are blessed with God forasmuch as he hath sanctified them in the person of his sonne also that they are honorable forasmuch as by thē they are made partakers of the sufferings of Iesus Christ and are made like to his image 2. Pet. 4. Rom. 8. bearing wearing his liuerie as knightes of his order also that they are tokens testimonies of the fauour fatherly will of God who chasteneth those whom he loueth scourgeth euerie childe whō he receiueth to himself Pro. 3. Heb. 12. Apoc. 3. also that they be but light and of small continuance being compared with that weight of most excellēt glory which they worke in vs For if we suffer with Iesus Christ we shal raigne and be glorified with him 2. Cor. 4. saith the Apostle And blessed are they which suffer persecution for righteousnes sake for theirs is the kingdome of God saith Christ Iesus 2. Tim. 1. Mat. 5. Also the afflictions are not onlie profitable for the faithfull but also necessarie forasmuche as by them the Lorde correcteth that naturall corruption peruersenesse which doth incessantly driue vs to rebel against his holy commādements they tame our flesh and bridle it for feare least it waxe wanton goe astray it teacheth vs how to know our selues to forsake the world
to waxe out of loue with it that we may so much the more desire to attain to eternal life by this meanes we are prouoked to pray earnestly to cal vpō God to put our trust in him our faith our patience are exercised proued fined to be briefe afflictions are a meane whereby the Lorde procureth and furthereth our saluatiō so manie waies that those which flie from thē which abhorre thē shewe thēselues not only vnaduised but also altogether blind sworne enemies to their own good and saluation Furthermore Rom. 8. like as afflictiōs as also all thinges els whether prosperity or aduersity fal out to the good saluatiō of those which loue feare the Lorde so likewise on the contrary we may say that al things turne to a curse to those which are out of Gods fauour Wherefore this rest this ease these good thinges these honors and these temporall commodities which the world promiseth you to hinder you from turning to God ought not to preuaile with you And surely if you suffer your selues to be made drunkē with such deceiuable allurements it wil goe ill with you for he which maketh you such faire promises hath no power to performe them so that you shal be frustrate of your vaine hope shall become twise miserable But put case you should enioy al these things peaceably you should yet be more accursed for they shal be giuen you in the wrath of God the vse thereof shal be accursed to you so long as you continue separate frō Iesus Christ and his Church Furthermore what profit shuld you reap by this to haue the full and whole fruition of all beautifull precious excellent thinges that are in the worlde if you loose your owne soules and what wil you giue in recompence thereof saith Iesus Christ Mat. 26. What is there in this world which we ought to count so deare so precious as the eternal saluation of our soules The sonne of God made so great account of it that to purchase the same for vs he shedde his most precious bloode suffered a most cruell a most horrible death not only in his body but also in his soule forasmuch as he was put euen as in the presse of Gods wrath and suffered the heauie burden of his iust iudgement for vs so that he was in a manner oppressed with it so that hée saide My God my God why hast thou forsaken me We must thē néeds say that our saluation is a thing of great price seing it cost the sonne of God so deare Will you then shew your selues so vnthankful towardes him as to contemne treade vnder foote so precious so inestimable a treasure Wil you be so cruel and so vncurteous to your selues as to depriue your selues therof for euer to inioy transitorie cōmodities and to escape certaine light and smal discommodities which are not woorth the naming What man is he so mad that wil stick to forgoe thrée or foure pence to gaine a treasure of one thousande crownes Or who is he that is so daintie as that hee cannot suffer a little pricke of a pinnes point the paine wherof is gone in the turning of a hand that he maie be blessed enioye perpetuall pleasures during his whole life In like sort what man is hée that is so foolish as to hazarde the losse of all his goodes vpon hope to get one poore peny or rather a thing of nothing what man is he that is so madde and voyde of reasō who to enioy a quarter of an hours pleasure would binde him selfe to goe vp at the end thereof vpon a scaffolde and there to haue his head cut off or els to be tormented vpon a whéele And what are al torments yea euen the most cruel tormentes that a man can endure in this world being compared with the eternall torments as hath bin said For the honor of God therfore my brethren bethink your selues Come out of the cursed Babylō return to your fathers house who is ready to receiue you as his children to kil the fat calf to the end to feast you to make you good chéere yea to apparel you with the precious ornamēts of his son Iesus Christ after that he hath forgiuen you al your offences Take héed that you driue not off from day to day abusing his patiēce for feare least his wrath waxe hoater hoater against you least he shut the gate of his grace against you when after you haue stopped your eares against his aduertisemēts you shal come to séek him in vain folow him now seing he calleth you to him hardē not your hart against the swéet voice of this most merciful father You haue dishonored him by your falling away honor him now and giue him glory through your conuersion you haue cowardly forsaken the banner of Iesus Christ gather fresh strength and courage now so that it may appeare that you gaue backe to thend you might leap better and that you might fight more valiantly then euer heretofore you haue denyed and renounced him before men and haue abiured the truth of the gospel make now a quite contrarie abiuration and denyall renounce Antichrist in the face of the whole world abiure all his impieties and abhominations cast vp al his filth and infections out of your stomach you haue offended dishonoured and grieued the poore Church of Iesus Christ edifie it now and repaire the honour thereof you haue made sad the holy Ghost and all good men and haue made glad Sathan and Antichrist together with their ministers do now the quite contrarie make glad all those to whom you haue ministred matter of sorrow and let all those be confounded and ashamed which reioyce at your fall and which triumph ouer it you are gone astray and are againe entred into the way of destruction whence the Lord had drawne you returne now againe to the right way which you haue forsaken Mat. 12. for feare least that wicked spirit which was gone out of your heart returne againe that he may enter in againe with seauen other spirites worse then himselfe least after they haue gotten possession of you they make your last estate worse then your first that is most cursed and most miserable Now the father of all mercie vouchsafe in mercie to behold you the high shepheard and bishop of your soules vouchsafe himselfe to looke out his wandering shéepe and to bring it againe to his flocke The spirit of strength and of wisedome vouchsafe to strengthen and prudently to direct you in all your actions that all this may redounde to his honour and glorie to your good and saluation and to the edification of his church for the loue of his sonne Iesus Christ Amen