coÌ„firme not to exhibit grace to helpe and not to giue faythe to seale and not to wynne the promyse of God Ro. iiii to shewe what we be before the vse of theÌ„ and not to make vs the thynge we declare to be after theÌ„ to shew we are Christes to shew we be in grace and not by theÌ„ to be receaued into grace to shewe we be saued and not yet to be saued by them to shewe we be regenerated and not to be regenerated by them thus the old doctours ment But when all good learninge and the lesson of the holye scripture were drowned by the Gotthes and Uandales in Europe Asia and Affrica and yet somewhat rescued and caughte agayne by Charles the greate Anno. viii C. men not acquaynted wyth the frases and veine of the scripture accustomed them selues to the readyng of doctours and leaft the woord of God Wherof folowed amonge other euyls that in Fraunce by certayne ItalioÌ„s this question to be very much and manye tymes reasoned vpon as touchyng the corporal preseÌ„ce of Christes body in the sacrament Agaynst the whyche ertour one Ihon Scot and one Bertram wrote a boke of the sam mater to Charles y â— great But the monkes and the priestes declyned most vnto y e opinion of the carnall corporall presence wher vpon in y â— tyme of Leo the nynth a byshoppe of Rome Anno. M.L. beynge a monke called a councell named Uercellence y â— whych tuled as chiefe president great master one LaÌ„cfranck a monk afterwarde bishop of Cant. He damned Berengarius but after that the same Berengatius had recaÌ„ted one Nicolaus Pope assembled a councell of the monkes of Italie and priestes and so compelled Berengarius to a recantacion whych ye may reade De consecrat dist ii Ego Berengarius But here we wyll pause and deliberat a while vpon this recaÌ„tacion and scanne it a lytle In this recaÌ„tacion marke it is no mencion made of traÌ„substanciacion but the bread and the wyne are called the bodye and blud of Christe and that the same are touched wyth the handes of the prieste broken torne with y e teth of y e faithful This sentence is not admitted now a dayes among our scholastical diuines Yea the glose vpon the same Canone sayth read the place Ther is more dauÌ„ger of heresy in Berengatius words theÌ„ was in Berengarius hym selfe That recantacion of Berengarius sent the Pope into all the cities of Italy Germanie Fraunce But thys relygyon could not be wel accepted nor iudged to be good of al mâ— though Hildebrand the moÌ„ke and sorceroure confyrmed it Anno. m.lxxix Wherfore they excogitated dremed out traÌ„ssubstaÌ„ciacioÌ„ the which opinioÌ„ holpe forth the monks of Benedictes order in theyr Sermons And because thys newe and wycked doctryne of transubstanciacioÌ„ could not be receaued and admitted of al meÌ„ After two hundred yeares almost Innocentius the thyrde confyrmed it in the councell of Laterane Anno. M.CC.xv. some tyme beyng a doctour of Parise And that thys wycked doctryne myght take the soner place he bound meÌ„ to auriculer confessioÌ„ wherin they persuaded men to what they pleased Immediately afterwarde began the beggyng friers the selfe souldiours of Antichrist and mete peâ—sonnes to setforth such abhominacion At the begynnynge of these monsters Honorius .iii. bishop of Rome commaunded thys newe bready god to be honoured Anno. M.CC.xxvi libr. ii Decretal Tit. de celebra MissaruÌ„ And then beganne the pyndfooles and cloisters to be made in the churches to reserue their newe god in And when the monkes had farther entred into the coÌ„sciences of the people and wheÌ„ thei had more inculcated beteÌ„ to mens heads more this new article of fayth for transubstanciacion then all the other of oure belyfe in Christe The Pope began to excogitate more yet for the honour of thys new god For when they had brought Christ from heauen to earth agayne so concluded he shuld be honored in the sacramente he thoughte it iniurie to let hym be wythout some solemne fest dai wherin people myght honour hym according to their decrees whervpon Urbanus the .iiii. instituted the feaste that is called Corpus Christi M.CC.lxii Then increased the rable and Idololatrical nombre of pryuate Masses and y e honoryng of thys bread then was defended wyth swerd and fyre In the meane tyme manye godly men were sore afflycted in theyr conscience yet durste not declare their griefe partly for feare partli because that sophistrie had blynded part of theyr iudgementes At length the Lord reised vp godly men yea here in EnglaÌ„d IhoÌ„ Wiâ—lefe that resisted thys new heretical doctryne M. CCC.lx.viii And now y e Lord be praised chyldren know the vngodlynes therof may se it plainly to be naught if they wil not be wylfully blynde How childyshly they bragge of the doctours now ye may see And euen the same do they wyth the wordes thys is my body and with the omnipotencie of God as ye shal hear in the next sermon ¶ The sixte Sermon vpon Ionas made by Iohn Hoper THey obiecte against the truth as coÌ„cerniÌ„g the absence of christes body in the sacrameÌ„t the words of Christ Thys is my bodye Unto the whyche we aunswere briefely The wordes should be vnderstanded accordyng to the matter purpose they be spoken for But euery man knoweth y e matter and purpose y t Christ entreateth of is to make and institute a sacrament therfore ought euery word to be taken sacramentallye which is to attribute vnto the sacramente y e name of y e thing signified represented by the sacramente Therfore thei should not force nor coÌ„straine y â— souÌ„d of the wordes vsed in the sacramente to make of y â— sacrament on ydole by false interpretacioÌ„ wher as the true seÌ„ce of y e word maketh but a necessary ceremonie and helpe to our infirme faith In the Canon lawe Decretalib .li. de verbor significat Tit. xl cap. vi NoÌ„ sermom res sed reiest sermo subiectus that is to saye the matter shuld not be coÌ„straiued to y â— word but y e word to serue the matter Et cap. viii dum proprietas verboruÌ„ attenditur sensus veritatis amittitur y t is to saie when the nature of y â— word is forced the meaniÌ„g of y e veritie is lost Farther what shuld moue theÌ„ to deny vs one trope in these wordes when they them selues vse a greate many of tropes fygures where as we vse but one and the same one to be in the open word of God and all theyrs to be without and contrary to y â— word of God Note the wordes of Christ Hoc est corpus meum That is to say This is my body what they shoulde make of thys woorde Thys thei cannot tel and hither vnto they haue dysputed of it and yet not agreed Reade I praye the Gabriel Biel. Ser. xliiii et Glossam super CanoneÌ„ Timorem docet Is they interpretate Is made The bread they
e be Ionasses trobleth the state of this realme Amonge the Citizens be a great number that trouble the shippe also as adulterous vnpunished the fraude and gyle of the marchaundise ydlenes the Mother of all myscheyfe thefte murder blasphemous othes conspiracye and treason with open slaūder and rebuke of goddes moste holye worde These thynges and suche lyke tosseth the poore shyp y e hardly she cā saile aboue the water And so dyspleaseth the Maiestye of God that he wyll neuer ceasse from sending of tempestes tyll those Ionasses be amended or caste into the sea But before I come to Ionas aunswere vpon hys examinacion because I knowe thys sayinge to be trewe obsequium amicos veritas odium parit That is flatterye obtayneth frēdship the truth displesure lest any mā shuld for my truth and liberty be offēded I wyll briefly purge my self Doutles it were pleasure to me to speke nothynge at al in case the necessitie of my vocatiō the daunger of these Ionasses and the saluacion of this ship of oure commune wealthe forced me not therunto As touching myself I am called vnto this place to cry in case I do not I know all the bloud of these Ionasses shalbe required at my hande which god forbyd It were better I shuld cal so hard as heauen and earthe might sounde agayne of my voyce The saluacion of these wicked Ionasses moueth also to speke in this matter with the trompe of gods word to wake thē out of their slepe leste they slūber rest so lōg in theyr wickednes y t they go slepyng to eternal dānaciō These therfore I call vpon for the amendemente of theyr knowledge and liefe Farther the loue I beare vnto the Kynges Maiestye and to this comune wealth of England compelleth me to speake seynge I se the angry hand of God all redye streached forthe to punysh vs if we awake not oute of synne Laste of all be it knowen to all menne that I speake in the condemnacion of the euyll and commendacion of the good And that all men may easlye find out and know amonge these foure sortes of people the Ionasses and troublers of thys shyppe and commune wealth of Englande I gyue you one mooste true and generall rule whyche is thys Whoso euer or of what so euer degre he be that is or sheweth hym selfe to be offended wyth thys my free and indifferente speakynge of Goddes worde he or they be they what they be maye arre the verye Ionasses and troublers of thys commune wealthe And these menne loue more darckenes thē lyght moreto trouble the shippe then to rest her But nowe to the texte wherein is cōtayned Aonas aunswere vpon hys examinacion He aunswered them I am an Ebrew and feare the lord God of heauen that made the sea and the drie land When as Ionas perseaued he coulde no longer clooke and hyde hys offence he dothe not onelye confesse hys faulte but also maketh them priuye and vttereth hys fayeth and religiō he hath in GOD vnto theym In that he confesseth hys faulte we learne that the fyrste gree and procedynge to mercye and remyssion is the knowledge of the synne whyche is a thynge moste difficile and harde to the fleshe to saye I haue offended the Lord and wil amend For either we denie oure syn with Cain or extenuate and excuse it wyth Saule Would to God our Ionasses would acknowledge theyr faures not excuse it nor extenuate it It is but a mockeri once in a yere to acknowledge and murmoure oure faultes in the priestes eare But we shoulde from the harte repent the neglectyng of our bounden duties and vnfaynedlye amende it whyche is not onely paynefull to the fleshe but also gratefull vnto God I exhorte all men therefore that knoweth theym selues gyltye as in deade there is none of vs of all partes innocente we saye wythe Dauyd we haue offended the Lorde Yet is not thys inoughe to confesse our faultes but therewythall we muste make a confession of oure fayeth but not suche a confession as mooste menne vse but suche as maye most be lyke vnto Ionasses And let theym imbrace onelye Christe and hys doctrine and worship god in sprite veritye as his word teacheth This I meane let the preistes teache accordinge to the worde of God the noble mē gouerne and rule thereby the lawers conforme theyr lawe to gods law suche lawes as be contrarie to gods lawes abrogate and abolishe The people shoulde heare the word of God geue faithe vnto it and folow it And so saye euery man of vs with Ionas I am an Ebrew that is to say I am a christian man and wyll frome henceforthe forsake my synne that disquieteth not only myne owne conscience but also the hole cōmune wealth It foloweth how the mariners toke Ionas answere Then were the mē exceadyngelye afrayde and sayed vnto hym Why dydest thou so for thei knew that he was fled from the presēce of the lord because he hadde tolde them said more ouer vnto him what shal we do vnto the y ◠the sea may ceasse frō trobling of vs for the sea wrought was troblous In these mariners we see three thinges feare rebuke of disobedience and takynge of councell howe to saue the ship This feare it is mooste like sprange of this that the mariners had hearde Ionas saye howe he was commaunded by God to preache vnto the Niniuites theyr destruction and the cities also for theyr synne The mariners knowing them selfes giltye of the same them selfes being both Idolaters infidels and of corrupt conditiō and lyuyng fered the lyke punishment Who is it that will not tremble at the angrie countenaunce of gods dyspleasure But nowe a dayes oure stonye and indurate hartes be paste al feare and turneth the threatenings of God to a laughter sayinge in theyr hartes ther is no God That these gentilyshe Mariners rebuke Ionas of dysobedience it declareth the faute to be so greate when anye man leueth his vocacion and specially the vocacion of preching that it meriteth and is worthy to be rebuked of all men But suche is nowe the proude mindes of Byshops and pastours that it wyl suffer no rebuke or Christian admonicion but wil be lauded and praised yea in euel doyng and omissiō of their vocacion as it is to be seene in that horrible and wycked decre Si papa And not onelye the Pope but also euerye man that slepeth and delitethin his sinne refuseth all maner of admonicions If Ionas toke wel at worthe the reprehension of the heathen it is more then ashame one Christian to forsake the admonicion of an other In that they aske counsell of Ionas howe to saue the shyppe they declare a syngulare humanitye towardes a straunger that althoughe by the meanes of hym they stode in daunger bothe of lyfe and goodes yet woulde they leaue no meanes they coulde to saue hym thoughe it were wythe theyr greate losse and daunger Thus we be bounde to do as occacion shal
xxxv If the gistrate dyspense either for fere of hym that shoulde suffer exequution or for anye profit or gayne and punysh it not what both he other thē prouoke theire of God agaynst hym selfe the hole realme For the Lorde sayeth he wyl not dwell in the earth tyll it be pourged wyth the bloude of hym that shed the bloud Nume xxxv Let all men therefore in the commune wealthe knowe and feare thys doctrine of Paul Ro. xiii The magistrat beareth not a sweed in vayne Let the Maiestrate take hede of two things first y t vnder the pretexte and cloke of the lawe to serue hys affeccion or gayne he punyshe not y ◠innocent In thys offended the kyngs and magistrates of the Israelites that for the maintenaunce of theyr supersticion false religion and corrupt maners kylled and put to deathe the Prophetes and the Apostles So Iesabell caused Naboth to be slayne iii. Reg. xxi The second let y e magestrate take heade he absolue not him that God condemneth and cōmaundeth to be punyshed for gayne affection good intencior els for any folyshe preposterus pety for so doing Saul loste his kyngdome .i. Samu. xv reade the place And Ahab the kynge of Israel for dimissyng of Bennaud as god said they soule shalbe for his soule .iii. Regum fourtene Euen as here is occacion to admonishe of iustice towardes euil doers so is it to speake of warre and how it may be vsed lawfulli by magestrates The magestrate offendeth when he beginneth or continueth any iniuste battel or of affeccion punisheth any innocent person So Iosyas offended althoughe he was a good man in makinge warre with the Egypcians where as honest conditions of peace was offred and was slayne for his laboure The magestrate of the other part maye offende if he in case he see his subiectes oppressed and wyll not defend thē as Abraham did his neuie Loth and other Agayne thys battell he is daylye bounde vnto to warre agaynste vice and to punyshe synne and incase he see anye rebellion to resiste the iust execusion of iustice not to feare for God wyll helpe his procedinges Deut. xiii And it maye be seen that God wyl fauoure the magestrate that fighteth against his owne brother if it be to amende vyce and to kyll synne For in manner the hole tribe of Beniamin was destroyed for the defence of adulterie Farther a maiestrate fighteth iustly when he resisteth vniust forse whether it be of foren ennemyes or of his owne rebellious subiectes Of such lawes as shulde be kepte in the tyme of warre it is written Deut. xx xxiii Luke iii. Oure warryers haue made of war a menes and waye to all robberye and spoil The captayne by hys fayth is bound to haue as many as his allowaūce chargeth him with all but lyke a thiefe he deceyueth the Kynge bothe of hys noumber of menne and robbeth hym of hys goodes and for lacke of true paymente to the halfe number that he is appoyneted vnto he weryeth the good wyll of the poore Souldiours that extreme pouertye wyth syckenes for lacke of paymente of theyr wages causeth theym to passe neyther of the Kyng neyther of the commune wealth And as these vniuste and alreadye dampned Capytaynes excepte they repente wyth receyuers paye Masters vitaylers and other destroye not onelye the lawe and Magesty of Armes but also deceiue the Kynge by pyllyng and pollynge the poore needye souldyours so decaye vndo they the hole commune weale For they come to serue the cōmune wealth of lytle or no valewe at all in seruyng of the commune wealthe they enryche them selues vniustly to the vtter impouerysshynge and beggerynge both of the cōmune wealth and the heades thereof And well both Magistrate and Souldiour meriteth the same For the one trusteth he knoweth not whom other then vpon reporte the other prepareth hym selfe to the warre for defence of his contrey with horedome thefte and all abhominacyon And by false theuish meanes bryngeth more to the war then is hys owne no maruell then though God set such a thiefe ouer hym as wyl geue hym lesse thē is his dew True men were wount to go to batel and such as prepared theim selues with the feare of god to liue and die for theyr Magistrate and coūtry nowe the veryer thiefe and blasphemoure of the God of batel the better soldiour Wel God maye gyue the vyctorye to suche blasphemours for a tyme but doutles it wyll not nor cannot continue Loke vpon all the warres that Moses wrytteth of in hys fyue bokes and then shall ye knowe the same Wherefore I humbly requyre all Magistrates bothe in peace and warre to punyshe chiefely these two vices adulterye blasphemye incase they would haue either vyctorie in war or quietnes in peace As touchyng swearyng and blasphemye it is knowen vnto al men of God how the law condemneth it in the fyrste table Exodi xx Deutronomi v. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord in vayne for God wyll not leaue vnpunyshed suche as abuse hys name Of an othe I thyncke it therefore conueniēt to speake sumwhat There is two maner of othes the one of custome or of sport the other serious and graue requyred and taken before the Maiestrate or Iudge The Fyrst is deuyllyshe damnable and nought of euery part and forbidden by god to all christian mē The other that is taken for the glorye of God the defence of the trueth or helpe of a mans neyghboure as necessitye shal require is laweful and godly But in this lawful oth a man may offend two maner of wayes Fyrst if hys hert and mynde be not accordynge to hys woordes but that hys mouth speaketh one thing and the herte thyncketh an other thynge the seconde if he that sweareth sweare by anye creatures Both these be blasphemous before God And in case it be damnable in a noughty matter to sweare by creatures is it not the same trow ye daylye and folyshly of custome to sweare by a mans hande hys heade by the masse and suche lyke The more vile the thynge is we sweare by the more is the othe detestable before God Wherefore in thinges not necessarye and requyred lawfully to sweare by anye thyng is synne In wayghtye matters to sweare by ani thing except by god is no lesse offēce That may we see .iiii. maner of wayes By reason y ◠holy scripture exāples the Canon law By reasō thus to sweare is to protest promise the thing we sweare to be true before hym y ◠knoweth the thoughtes and cogitacions of the harte that knoweth onlye and solye God therefore is it blasphemye to sweare or attribute y e same to a creature as they do that sweareth by creatures Agayne euery oth hath annexed wyth it an inuocacion and execracion An execracion that he by whom we sweare maye punyshe and curse vs if we swere false An inuocacion that he by whom we swere woulde helpe vs if we sweare true But onely
for it lacketh the worde of God that is to saye the shewyng of Christs death Farther the Masse destroieth and dyshonoreth y e institucion of Christe ¶ Solucions of their argumentes THese I wyll comprehend all in thre poyntes First thei contend by the authoriti of the fathers The seconde by these woordes of Christe thys is my bodye The thyrde by the omnipotencye of God Of the fathers authoritie When they be beten by the autoritie of Gods worde they â—â—e for helpe at the fathers authoritie Let them make answer Is thys theyr opinion when the prieste hath spoken these wordes Thys is my bodye by and by the substaunce of the bread to be chauÌ„ged or the substauÌ„ce therof to vanish away I aske the question because yet thei be not fully agreed ther vpon for it commeth the corporal bodye of Christe wyth the same qualitie and quantitie he was borne lyued and died in so that ther hangs in the ayre in the priestes handes y â— accideÌ„tes and qualities of bread wythoute anye substaunce and so thus to be honored there of the people In what apostles writinges fynd they this doctrine Or in what mans writinges that folowed the Apostles wythin c.cc.ccc cccc ccccc.cccccc yea ccccccc yeares If they can shew thys in anye autenticall wryter in any worke that hath not bene doubted of I wyll beleue as they doo But that it maye be knowen vnto you that the fathers wer not of theyr opinioÌ„ I wyll propounde vnto you certayne coniectures Fyrst we read not wher ther was euer any contencioÌ„ about the words of consecracioÌ„ wher they began and wher they ended neyther any thynge of the ministers intencion to be of suche vertue they speake of The second the Elders neueâ— answered the Arrian that denyed the equalitie betwen goâ— the father and God the sonne wyth thys Christ is God and equall wyth the father for we so honor hym in the sacrameÌ„t If the Catholicke church had so iudged of Christes bodelye presence in the sacramente as the newe vpstart church doth and hath done of late yeares there coulde not haue bene a stronger argumente agaynst Arrius and hys heresye The thyrd Niether dyd the Marcionistes euer make such a reason though Christ semed to haue the qualities and condicions of a naturall man yet he had not them in deede For in the Sacrament of hys boâ—â—e there semeth to be the very â—ualities and condicions of â—eade and wyne yet is there â—eyther breade nor wyne in â—eede If thys opinion of the acâ—idents qualities and sensual iudgement of the breade had bene aproued and takeÌ„ in those hates for Christianitie Christiane religyon howe woulde thys illusion and wytchcrafte haue defended I pray you the Marcionist opynion doutles nothynge more But Tertullian agaynste the Marcionistes doth reason another wise and saith Christ of y â— bread that he toke made hys body sayinge thys is my body that is to say a fygure of my bodye They fourth They vsed chalices of wood and glasse De coÌ„secrat dist i. vasa in quibus the wooden chalices could soke in the wine consecrated the glassen chalices might sone haue bene broken if anye of them both had conteyned the precious bloude of Christ they wold not so temerously haue vsed it The fyfte The sacrament was geuen to the chyldren in theyr hands to beare it home wyth them Eccle. hist. Lib. vii cap. xxxiiii The syxte No scripture of god neither doctour of y â— Catholicke faith taught euer Christ to be honored here in earth wyth candels and bowynges of knees The seuenth In celebratynge the supper they sayd lyft vp your hartes meanyng not to haue y e minde affyxed in the sygnes and elementes of the sacraments but in heauen Wherof it maye be easly gathered that they neuer thought of a corporal presence here in the earth The eyght Origene vpon the booke of Leuit. declateth that y â— remanentes and reliques of the sacramentes were not kepte to be honored but they were burned who wold handle his god so cruellye I praye you as to burne hym lyke an heretycke Also ther is a decre in y â— Canone lawe Tribus gradibus the whyche commaundeth the ministers tâ— receaue al the reliques of the sacrament and it is the rule of Clement .iii. that lyued Anno. M. C.lxxxx In y e meane tyme I speake no worde of that foloweth I should saye wicked question mete for Iuggelours inchauÌ„tours and wytches and not for Christiane men much lesse for Deuines and teachers of gods people in what moment of time the bread is turned in to the body and the wyne into the blud when the priest speaketh these words Thys is my body if they grauÌ„t at lest these to be the woordes of consecracion Gabriel Biel. lect xlviii â–ª sayth that the body is not presente whyles thys oracion is a speakynge Thys is my body Sed tota oracio est referenda ad vltimum iustaÌ„s ipsius orationis that is to say the hole oracion must be referred vnto y e last instaÌ„ce of it And w t this opinioÌ„ agreeth y e glose vpoÌ„ y e canone law De consecracione distinct .ii. Sum omne sayth that the consecracion is made onelye in the laste letter And in an other Canone Ante benedictioneÌ„ thus he sayth licet verba successiue proferantur noâ—â— tamen successiue consecratio fit sed in vno instaÌ„ti corruÌ„pitur panis scilicet in vltimo fustanti prelationis verborum That is to saye althoughe the woordes be spoken one after an other yet is not the consecracion made by a lytle lytle but in one instante or punet of tyme the bread is altered to sai in the last moment of the woordes spoken After thys their wicked and Idololatrical doctryne thys lillable â—m in thys oracion Hoc est corpus meum â–ª to say thys is my body hath al the strengthe vertue to chaunge and deifye the bread But I praye you what syllable is it that chaungeth and deifieth the wine for euen wyth them these woordes seme to haue more dyffycultie then the other But let these illustons and eraftes go and let vs cleaue to the truthe of Gods woorde and we shalbe oute of al daunger A Question THus they saye now yf this opinioÌ„ be neither of the Apostles neyther froÌ„ the auncieÌ„t doctours how chaunceth it to be so vniuersally takeÌ„ and for so infallyble and indoubted truth yea such a truth as incase men forsake al truth and yet not contrary thys truth is accompted a man moste christiane true Answer NOthing is more expedient to answer directlye vnto the question then to coÌ„syder the time of our fathers They thought it best to name the sacramentes by y â— name of the thyng was represented by the sacramentes Yet in manye places of theyr wryryngs they so interpretate theÌ„ selues that no man excepte he wyl be wylfully blynd can say but they vnderstode the sacrament to sygnifie and not to be the thing signified to
The second the faciliti and promptnes of these Niniuites to beleue and amend their religion and cōuersaciō doth condemne the vngodlye obstinacye and frowardnes of such as detract and prolong their amendemēt and saye they wyl belyue when the kynge commeth to age Thus the deuil geueth thē one occasion or other to defer their belefe If the kings magesty and hys Nobles shoulde hate the trueth they woulde saye howe can we beleue the doctryne y t our learned and wyse Magystrates detesteth If the kynges maiestye and hys nobles loue and fauoure the best part thei excuse thēselues vpō the tender younge age of the kynge as thoughe hys Magesties yonge age or olde age coulde make any religion of God true or false when in deede all ages and powers be or oughte to be subiecte vnto the religion and law made allredye and geuen to be obserued of and by all menne of what sort condiciō or state so euer they be of Thys thynge came to the Kynge of Niniue who arose frome his seate doyng of his apparell clothed hym selfe in sacke cloth It is not wythoute a synguler councell of the holye goste that thys kynge is mencionated of so copiously Nether that hys behauoure and doynges after hys conuercion is so diligentlye manyfested Fyrste the Texte setteth forth the manner of hys conuersion and sayeth he returned vnto God vpon the fame and rumoure of Ionas preachynge Wherefore we learne how much the truth is wurthye to be estemed seyng that a kynge vpon the brute thereof made by hys people embrased and resisted not as now we se many tymes done by the greatest part of the world Euē so did Iosias as soone as he beynge yet but a chylde hearde of the true boke of God embraced it .iiii. Reg. xxii So dyd Dauid and Iosaphat heare graunt to the admonicions of y e Prophetes All kynges therefore and magistrates shuld harken vnto the truthe and learne it them selues oute of the lawe Deut. xvii But thys studye and knowledge of gods lawe in Princes and kynges the Byshops Priestes and other do let bearyng them in hande that it appertayneth nothinge to theyr office to study and labour in the worde of God but the iudgement and study therof to be committed vnto them and so by y ◠same meanes they perswade cause prynces many times to persecute the truth and veritie by ignoraunce as the kynges of Israel dyd that burned the wrytynges of the Prophetes But most gracious kyng and ye my lordes of hys most honorable coūcel Ye haue not only heard the rumour fame of Gods word but wyth your owne eares haue heard youre selfe the truth and ye do credit and beleue the same therefore in al thynges expresse and declare it in facte And most gracious kynge take ye hede that the vertues ye learn and be brought vp in in youth ye practyse exercise them in age And incase your Magesty wil so do beware of one thing y ◠poison of flaterie The whyche youre Magestye may vse as a good medycine and not a poisō if ye take hede of it Yt wyl be poison yf your grace thynk your selfe to be at al times as flaterers wyl bear youre hyghnes in hand to be It shall be a medicine yf your Magestye studye to be the same in dede that flaterie commendeth Youre Magestye may see an Example hereof in kynge Iehoas that in hys youthe fauoured and sette forthe the truthe but in hys elder dayes he fell from it by the meanes of flatteroures that deceaued hym But youre Magestye shall do best to folowe thys Godly Kynge of the Niniuites and embrace contynually the word of the lyuynge God And thus shal youre grace be the better able to doo incase youre highnes woulde haue before you euerye Sundaye one sermon whych shoulde brynge muche knowledge grace into youre hyghnes courte Nowe foloweth the fruite of thys Godly kynges penitence Fyrste he ryseth from his seate and putteth on sackclothe Of thys we learne that infayth and true repentaunce is no diuersitie betwene the king and a meane subiect And thus shall it be at y e later iudgemēt The rych the poore the kyng the subiect y ◠bishop y e prieste al shal apere naked before the trone of Christe and be holpe nothyng there by anye tytle or name of glory Here the honor and ryches haue theyr estimacion and glorye Let all men therfore looke to amend theyr fayth and lyuyng here in thys worlde As for this external doing on of sackeclothe it was the maner at that tyme so to doo and declared theyr repentaūce and amendemente And so I woulde it were nowe He that offendeth in apparel he wolde remoue the pryde thereof and goo soberlye he that in meate would vse more sobryetie Yet noman shuld thyncke any holines to be in the external vestiment nor yet any hurt or dānacion in the meate but the abuse of both displeaseth God As for the vestimentes of the priest in y e ministerie I wolde wyshe the Magistrate to remoue thē for they either shew or not shewe vertue If they shewe not they vse theym in vayne If they do declare and shew vertue eyther the vertue is wyth them in deede or absent If he that weareth them haue the vertue why sheweth it he to the world If he haue not the vertue then is he an hypocrite whom God hateth ¶ The other frute of penaūce of the kynge wyth hys counsell beyng conuerted to God THere was as the texte sayeth a proclamacion made throughe al the Citye of Niniue by the cōmaundement of the kyng and hys councell In thys proclamacyon fyrste muste be marked who be the authours of thys proclamacion Then what is cōtayned in the proclamacion The persons be the kyng and the Nobles of hys realme In these persons fyrst note that it is the Kynges offyces and the Peeres of the realme to pourge theyr cōmune wealth from false relygyon by Publycke and open proclamacions So dyd Nabuchadnezer Darius and Cirus kynges of moste notable fame therefore Christe calleth the Princes the Nurces of the church And so I doubte not most Gracious kynge but youre hyghnes wyll accordynge to your tytle style pourge thys Churche of Englande to the puritie and synceritie of gods woorde Farther we learne howe that the Prynces and councellours of a realme shoulde helpe foorth the Godlye purposes and statutes made for the glorye of God wythin a Realme So was this kinges Godlye purpose holpe by hys councel so Dauid so Iosias In that the kynge and hys nobles do confyrme the doynges of hys people we learne that Godlye magistrates shuld not let but further and confyrme al godly purposes and vertuous study of theyr people when they study amendement of false relygion so did Iosaphat Ezechias and Iosias ¶ The sūme of the proclamacion IT containeth the true and ryghte forme of repentaūce that pleaseth God whyche is contayned in foure partes Fyrst in outwarde sygnes of heuynes Then