in thee and that they also may be one in vs that the vvorld may beleeue that thou hast sent me Iesus Christ knewe right well that the greater number would not enter this gate by faith and therefore he said I pray not for the world He would haue all saued and come to the knowledge of his trueth but they will not beleeue the trueth but hate and persecute the trueth And therefore he knowing the great danger that his smal slock were in and should be in amongest the wicked and their small strength also in sauing themselues from their tyrannie prayed for them that they might be one in faith and loue hauing the spirit of trueth dwelling in them Whereby they euer haue in possession that pretious pearle and hidden treasure that the worlde can neyther taste nor finde because hee that will haue and taste it must in finding it therewith renounce and giue for it all that hee hath or else hee looseth it Whiche thing onely the electe that haue the Spirite of trueth whome the worlde cannot haue doe and none else And thereby they haue yea and feele in theyr great afflictions that peace of conscience that Christ gaue vnto them saying Peace I leaue vvith you my peace I giue vnto you not as the world giueth giue I vnto you Let not your hearts be grieued neither feare From the which neither losse of friends and goods neither losse of good name and fame nor shame of the world neither threatnings nor prisonment nor scourginges and tormentes nor yet death it selfe could separate them that had once entred felt and tasted how sweete the Lord is This made Peter Andrew Iohn Iames and the other apostles to forsake all things esteeming it to be more woorth then goodes friendes or life in this world Paul being in this gate and tasting the sweetnesse thereof with a vehement spirit sayth Who shal separate vs frō the loue of God Shal tribulation or anguish or persecution either hunger either nakednes either peril either sword Who saith I am sure that neither death nor life neither angels nor rule nor povver neither thinges present nor things to come neither high nor lovv nor any other creature shalbe able to separate vs from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesu our Lord For this the holy Catholike Church suffereth and euer shall suffer all kindes of torments vntill Christ commeth againe to deliuer her as euer hitherto they haue suffered whereof some were mocked some scourged some prisoned some hamshed some drowned some sawen some hewen in pieces some burned some racked and some stened to death Which holy Catholike Church may well say according to the scriptures Thou O God makest vs to be rebuked of our neighbours to be laughed to scorne and had in derision of them that be round about vs. And For thy sake are vve killed all day long and are counted as sheepe appointed to be slaine These be the few that do finde the narrow gate these be the righteous that doe finde and enter the same these be they that Christ so louingly prayed for whose prayer without faile because of his reuerence was heard these be they that be one in faith and loue euen of one heart and one minde in one house the holy catholike church vnite and knit together with one spirit the spirit of trueth that cannot erre Moreouer euery one that is of this holy Catholike church may say with the Prophet Thy vvord O Lord is a lanthorne vnto my feet and a light vnto my paths For they stablish theyr faith by the word of God and study to forme theyr life to fashion theyr maners by the same who he knowen by three notable signes by faith by loue and by the spirit of God He that lacketh any one of these is not in the strait gate but wide gate he walketh not in the narrow way but broad way he is not of the church of Iesus Christ but of the church of Antichrist Faith is a sure confidence of things vvhich are hoped for and a certaintie of thinges vvhich are not seene This faith bringeth vs the knowledge of God and maketh vs to vnderstand our owne sinfull nature and weakenesse for Paule sath Through faith we vnderstand that the world was ordained by the word of God and that thinges which are seene are made of thinges which are not seene c. Of our owne infirmitie by sinne we haue example in him that brought his sonne vnto Iesus to be healed which with teares sayd Lord I beleue helpe thou my vnbeliefe This man vndoubtedly saw by faith great imperfections in himselfe euen his sinne as it were ouerwhelming his faith and therefore he wept and sayd Lord helpe thou my vnbeliefe Likewise the Apostles considering theyr great burden of sinne and frailenesse said vnto the Lord Increase our faith This is the first thing that faith worketh in vs it bringeth vs the knowledge of our sinne and vilenesse of the same and maketh vs to crie to God for helpe and seeke remedie for our sinne which is Iesus Christ that gaue himselfe to death vpon the crosse for our sinne as is aforesaid Thus wrought faith in the penitent publican that thought himselfe vnworthy to lift vp his eyes vnto heauen but smote himselfe vpon the brest saying God be mercifull to me a sinner Thus fayth wrought in the Centurien or petie captaine which iudged himselfe vnworthy of Christes presence saying Lord I am not worthie that thou shouldest enter vnder my roufe wherefore I thought not my selfe vvorthy to come vnto thee but say thou the word and my seruant shal be whole c. Such a lowe estimation did faith worke in Peter when he said Lord goe from me for I am a sinfull man And least anie man should contend herein y t this faith which thus bringeth vs knowledge of God of our owne sinful nature weaknesse should be a fayned faith a dead faith or a deuils faith heare y e praise therof by him y t cannot flatter nor lie y e truth who saith of the same I say vnto you haue not found so great a faith no not in Israel Note Christ calleth this a great faith Verily it so great that it bringeth vs our iustification and peace with God which is the second thing that faith worketh in vs. That faith bringeth vs the righteousnesse of Christ our iustification is already plainely prooued by the scriptures and writings of Paule who goeth further and saith Because therfore that we are iustified by faith wee are at peace with God And to declare the very gate dore and way wherby we enter into this peace and fauour of God hee addeth saying Through our Lord Iesus Christ by whom also it chanced vnto vs to be brought in through faith vnto this grace wherein we stand and reioyce in the hope of the glory of the children of God
congregate togither Of this we read that the people spake to Moyses saying Why haue you brought the Church of the Lord vnto this wildernesse that both wee and our cattell should die in it And Church betokeneth the elect people of God onely whereof the wise man sayth The children of wisedome are the Church of the righteous and their exercise is obedience and loue Holy Paul speaking of this Church saith Ye husbandes loue your wiues euen as Christ also loued the Church and gaue himselfe for it to sanctifie it and clensed it in the fountaine of water thorow the word to make it vnto himself a glorious congregation without spot or wrinckle or any such thing but that it should be holy and without blame Also there is a congregation of the wicked called by the name of Churche which for that they outwardly professe the same religion pretend to haue the same gospel and to vse the same sacramentes with the Church be called in Scripture Church whome God permitteth sometimes to rule ouer the people for their sinnes For the vngodlinesse of the people doth God make an hypocrite to raigne ouer them Wherefore they that crie so much the Churche the Church and affirme stiffely that the Church cannot erre and doe not declare what Church they doe meane doe but cast a mist before the simple vnlearned peoples eyes to blind them withall to the end themselues might the cleaner conuey their iugling castes Let them therefore in Gods holy name shew vnto vs plainly in simple wordes what Church they doe speake of whether of the Churche of Christ or else of the Churche of Antichrist So doing men will be out of doubt the sooner trueth will come to light and brawling will cease for verie Christians loue not contention The Church of Antichrist which is worthily called the Church malignant or the congregation of the wicked and may be called the man of sinne childe of perdition hypocrite c. cannot but erre what fayre shewe soeuer they make The Church of Iesus Christ which is his onely doue and spowse sticking vnto the word of trueth vnseparable and gouerned by his holy spirite cannot erre damnably although she be trode downe vnder feete of the world and seeme to be out of countenance These two be contrarie the one to the other betweene whome there is as much difference as is betweene sower and sweete darkenesse and light euill and good Notwithstanding the world not able to perceaue the difference nor make distinction betweene them but blinded with euil custome and the multitude taketh them for the other because here in this life they be mingled togither as the good fishes are mixt with the bad the goates with the sherpe and the chaffe with the corne so that they be not openly known vnto men at the first sight No maruaile for Sathan himselfe is changed into the Angel of light and his ministers fashion themselues as though they were the ministers of righteousnesse Also woolues clothe themselues in Sheepes clothing Yet is Sathan a deuill still and hys ministers are deceiptfull workers and a woolfe a deuourer of sheepe which at length bewrateth himselfe by his taile and bloudshedding Whereas the bloud of Iesus Christ is knowne by the spirite of trueth and by paciently suffering for his word Which spirit word be the sure anchors guids and rule of the same and not Rome nor Peter though Sathan pretendeth neuer so antient a title If Christ had appoynted his Churche to anie place or creature for the establishing of matters of Religion should Paul that elect vessell of God which was rapt vp into the third heauen and into paradise and heart secret wordes which no man can vtter haue bene ignorant thereof Paul knewe well that Christ had left his Church vnto his holy spirite and word his word to be an infallible rule both of their life and doctrine and his spirite to be a readie interpreter of the same Therefore when hee should depart from them he said Nowe brethren I commend you to God and vnto the word of his grace which is able to build further and to giue you an inheritance amongest all them that are sanctified These wordes are without guile and sophisticall craft they are simple and playne and Gods Scriptures We must therefore beleue them They send vs vnto the port of safegard and touchstone that cannot deceiue vs we must needes therefore stick vnto theÌ„ otherwise we cannot know the trueth be saued Wherein first let vs consider why Paul did send vs vnto God the holy Ghost For he saith Nowe brethren I commend you to God Hee commendeth vs not vnto Iohn Peter Andrew or any other of the Apostles much lesse vnto Rome the Pope or Antichristian Bishops but vnto God the holy Ghost Why Because hee knew well that Christ himselfe had so appointed before For when Christ should depart from the church he promised to send them the same holy Ghost saying The comforter which is the holy Ghost whome my father will send in my name hee shall teache you all thinges and bring all thinges vnto your remembrance whatsoeuer I haue said vnto you He comforted them also vvith the same spirite Commaunded them to tarrie in the citie of Hierusalem vntill he had performed the same his promise which indeede he saythfully kept and fulfilled for they were all filled with the holy Ghost euen the spirite of trueth whiche could not but teach them all trueth whatsoeuer he had said vnto them that was all one and the same trueth Secondly let vs note that Paul commended the Church vnto the word of grace what is this word of grace Forsooth the same trueth which the holy Ghost taught is the word of grace euen that word which God the father commanded to be heard at the mâ—uth of his son Iesus Christ saying This is my welbeloued sonne in whome I am well pleased heare him And whosoeuer will not harken vnto the wordes which hee shall speake in my name I will require it of him I will be reuenged of him saith God Of this witnesseth Peter also laying The time will come Paul saith Behold nowe is the time that euerie soule which vvill not heare him shalbe destroyed from amongest the people It standeth vs then in hand to searche diligently and knowe that thing that God requireth so straightly of vs which is to heare his sonne Iesus Christ The neglecting whereof is no lesse then damnation But what shall we heare verily his holy Gospel confirmed for vs by his holy spirite for the same purpose which Gospell is the worde of grace vndefiled conuerting soules giuing wisedome vnto babes making glad harts giuing light vnto the eies a lantorn vnto the feet and a light vnto the pathes proued by the fire tryed more pure then siluer vii times purged more to be desired
false thorow hypocrisie and haue their conscience marked with an hote iron forbidding to marrie and commaunding to abstaine from meates vvhich God hath created to be receaued vvith giuing of thankes of them which beleeue and knevve the trueth Now ioyne these two prophecies together and note diligently the cause maner increase and force of Antichrists kingdome and then it shall be the better perceaued The cause why God permitteth the wicked to deceiue the people was for that they did not receaue the law of the trueth but loathed Gods word when they had it They writ it not in their heartes neither brought forth the fruits of the spirite but of the flesh To speake all in one worde They had as we haue much godly teaching and brought foorth much vngodly liuing Of verie duetie godly liuing must followe godly teaching otherwise Gods plague and vengeance followeth his word where and when soeuer it be taught But amongest all the plagues of God this is the greatest that he taketh away his word from the people and suffereth them to be fed with lies and Canterburie tales or fables After which sorte and maner the wicked haue come and entered into the Christian generation yea and haue sit in the holy place and seate of Moyses pretending to teache the holy word of God They haue set I say in the seate of Moyses not by teaching the law and the prophets but by name and place whereby the people not able to discerne the true session from presumptuous vsurpation haue bene deceiued with false myracles lying powers and wonders By the which feates they haue increased and growne into the greater number For when by the helpe of the deuill with their coniurations charmes and diuers other false fleightes they wrought myracles and wonders in diuers and sundrie places Then the people regarding not the simple word of God forsooke their faith and ranne a gadding from place to place to gaze vpon signes and wonders Manie beleeued lies because many taught lies Lying powers were on their side few durst speake the trueth and the simple lacked good instruction some therefore departed from the faith The sorce of Antichristes kingdome is well noted of Paul in that hee saith his comming shalbe with all lying power in that they shall forbid mariages command to abstaine frō meats and c. y t is to say After that the multitude hath bin well pampered and fed with their lies blinded with their coniurations and stablished with false miracles then shall they be able to make lawes in the defence of their deuilishe doctrines and openly to withstand and resist the trueth and Gospel as Iannes and Iambres Pharaoes coniurers withstoode Moyses Men they are sayth Paul of corrupt mindes and lewd as concerning faith Peter witnesseth with Paul saying They shall purely bring in damnable sects euen denieng the Lord that hath bought them bring vpon themselfes swift damnation many shal follow their damnable waies by whome the way of trueth shall be euill spoken of No maruaile for hypocrisie and outward shew of holynesse hath seemed so gay in the simple folkes eyes yea and yet doth to some so that as the trueth saith if it were possible the verie elect should be deceiued Iude also beareth record to the trueth with Paule and Peter shewing that they be deceaued with dreames defile the fleshe despise rulers and speake euill of them that be in authoritie murmurers complainers walking after their owne lustes whose mouthes speake proud thinges These saith he are makers of sectes fleshly hauing no spirite Conferre these same now together with the popish antichristian church of Rome and beholde if you can see the kingdome of Antichrist anie where so manifest and plaine Hath anie power in all the world since Christes ascention into heauen lift vp it selfe so high into the temple of God and aduanced it selfe as God like vnto this vsurped premacie and tyrannie of Rome Who hath more oppressed Gods booke resisted the Gospel and slandered the way of trueth then the pope and his rable Who hath wrought with suche deceaueable signes and myracles who hath fed vs with more lyes then that false prophet of Rome Read a leafe or two of Legenda aurea or the booke called Festinale and you shal finde good stuffe I warrant you Which bookes were woont to be read and taught vs moste principally concerning matters of religion Yea almost wee had no other in English I speake that I haue knowne heard and seene Within these xxiii yeares they were alledged in Sermons and read in the churche openly and had in more price amongest vs and better receaued then the holy Scriptures be of some Also they were then better studied and more willingly taught of curates in some places then Gods booke is now of manie of them Forget not I pray you to call to memorie how we were deceiued with images pilgrimages reliques false myracles iuglinges charmes witchcraftes coniurations iubilies stations holy water fire ashes palmes palme crosses saint Iohns Gospel images of waxe Walsinghame broches saint Iames shelles saint Priarke his staffe maister Iohn Shornes bat saint Cornelius horne pardons pardon beades beades Ladies Psalters dyrges treutals Requiem Masses c. Who denied the Lord that had bought then more manifestly then they that taught these romish dreames Whosoeuer denieth the death of Iesus Christ to be a whole perfect oblation sufficient for all sinne denyeth the Lord that hath bought them But they that taught or beleeued the aforesaid dragges and such like to be expedient for the obtaining of Gods fauour remission of sins denieth Christ and his death to be sufficient Wherefore so long as men sought remission of sinnes and Gods fauour in such phantasticall deuises of men it cannot be denyed but in so doing they denied the Lord that bought them To say trueth men little remembred the oblation of Christ by deathe vppon the crosse For not manie yeares agone euen when Masses satisfactory florished to affirme Christes oblation by death vpon the crosse once offered for all to be sufficient for remission of sinnes to all them that beleeue was so farre out of memorie that it was counted abhominable heresie because Masse and it could not stand together In time of anguishe trouble or sickenesse was Christes death sought to for quietnesse of conscience No our Lady of Wilsdon our Lady of Walsingham maister Iohn Shorne and confession to some holy fryer some holy relique Masse of Recordare or masse of the v. wounds For vnto these masses bishop Clement and Bishop Boniface had giuen great vertue through pardons and candels if the deuill transforming himselfe vnto Raphael the arch-angel be a true messenger Also if death approched then was Masse of Scala coeli Trentals Aniuersarijs and masse of Requiem with our Lady Masse ready to be sold for mony and song to send the soule to the Deuill with
Heere you see manifestly faith entereth into the strait gate which is Christ This faith is not idle for it maketh vs to stand that is to say to perseuere and walke in the narrow way by loue which is the third thing that faith worketh in vs and therfore it followeth Not that onely but also we reioyce in tribulations knowing that tribulation bringeth patience patience bringeth experience experience bringeth hope and hope maketh not ashamed because the loue of God is shedde abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost which is giuen vnto vs. No thanke then vnto our faith no thanke vnto our loue but all thanke and praise and glory be giuen vnto God whose holy spirit worketh fayth loue hope patience and altogether in vs. Fayth that worketh by loue is much worth before God which loue is the second note of the holy Catholike church fayth fetcheth this loue of the great loue of God which first so loued vs that hee gaue his onely begotten sonne Iesus Christ to the end that all that beleeue in him should not perish but haue life euerlasting Of this loue speaketh Paule saying Walke in loue euen as Christ loued vs and gaue himselfe for vs an offering and sacrifice of a sweete sauour to God This loue Paule learned of his master our sauiour Iesus Christ commanding and saying A newe commandement I do giue vnto you that ye loue together as I haue loued you Iesus Christ so loued vs that he gaue himselfe for vs for he was obedient vnto God the father for vs vnto death yea vnto death vpon the crosse This loue so warmeth the heart with hope and assurance of euerlasting life for we are saued by hope that it putteth away all seruile feare I say not all feare for there remaineth and abideth in the heart an holy reuerend feare or dread of displeasing God or lothnesse to loose God and his holy spirit which if a man taste is rather a reuerend ioy and a glad loue than feare therefore is it truely said Perfect loue casteth out feare that is to say Iesus Christ by his holy spirit possessing the heart of man through fayth pntteth cleane away the feare of shame losse of goodes or friends the feare of torments enemies and prisonment yea the feare of sinne death the deuill and hell So that the office of true faith setteth not onely before our eyes the vilenesse of sinne that caused Christ to die but it also bringeth vs Iesus Christ the attonement maker betweene God and vs for our sinne whereof commeth loue In the which loue is manifest the third note of the holy Catholike church for now we feare God no more as a terrible iudge but thorow his holy spirit we loue him as a most gentle louing father whereof speaketh Paule saying thus Ye haue not receiued the spirit of bondage to feare any more but you haue receiued the spirit of adoption whereby we crie Abba Father Abba is as much in English as Dad or Deare father it is the Syrian speech left vntranslated both by the Latine men also English men to the intent I suppose that it should also be English for this I know that the first word that an English Christian childe beginneth to speake is Abba commonly long before he can speake any thing else which Christian babe in his innocencie is a witnesse with Paule that God is a deare father vnto Christians through his holy spirit by his sonne Iesus Christ Thus you may easily perceiue by those scriptures that faith loue and the spirit of God doe go together and be together in euery true Christian as sure notes and seales of his saluation Faith entring the gate of saluation sticketh to the word of God and taketh it onely to be the rule of life and doctrine Loue cleaueth vnto Christ and maketh faith knowen as the fruits do the tree and putteth away feare The spirit of God quieteth the conscience and bringeth with a reuerend dread ioy and gladnesse ineffable If you know this you be a very true member of the holy Catholike church and in the strait gate and narrow way vnto eternall life If you know not this I say no more but God haue mercy vppon you For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction and many there be which go in thereat Heere me thinketh I do heare an idle braine say that these signes and notes be of mine owne inuention which do rather confoūd dim the church than make it knowen Vnto whom I doe answere If it be dim and hid it is hid vnto them that perish but vnto the children of light it is manifest enough Also these notes be not mine but rather Gods books there I do finde them Of the first Christ saith Euery tree is knowen by his fruites Which words be made plaine by these sayings of Paule To beleeue with the heart iustifieth to knowledge vvith the mouth maketh a man safe Faith then is not dead in the heart if it be dead it is not faith faith is knowen by the mouth as the tree is knowen by the fruits for of the treasure of the heart the mouth speaketh A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that vvhich is good Of the second Iohn saith God is loue and hee that dvvelleth in loue dvvelleth in God and God in him He then cannot be hid in whome God dwelleth And Hee that loueth his brother abideth in the light and there is no occasion of euill in him The light therefore must needs be seene Heere is to be noted that as faith without godly works is a dead faith and therefore no faith so loue without the same good weeks also is not loue but naturall affection For vvho so hath these vvorlds goods seeth his brother hath need and shutteth vp his compassion from him hovve dvvelleth the loue of God in him Thus is loue manifestly knowen by the good worke Our fauiour Iesu Christ appointing this to be the notable signe of the church faith vnto them By this shall all men knovv that ye are my disciples if ye haue loue one to another Of the third note which is the spirit of God Paule writing to the Romanes hath these wordes If any man haue not the spirit of Christ the same is none of his And a little after he speaking of himselfe and other of the church of Christ saith The same spirit certifieth our spirit that we are the children of God If the spirit of God certifieth a mans conscience that he is the childe of God then hee may be sure that hee is of the church of Christ Heereby you perceiue that these notes are appoynted by Gods booke not of mine inuention to be vnfallible signes of the holy Catholike church and of euery member of the same which be all of one faith