onely in number exceedyng but in knowledge also excellyng both by preaching and Printing doe so garnishe the Church in euery respecte that it may seeme and so peraduenture wil be thought this time of ours to stand now in little neede of such bookes and momumentes as these of former antiquitie yet notwithstandyng I am not of that mynde so to thinke For albeit increasing of learning of tonges and sciences wyth quicknes of wit in youth and other doth maruailously shut vp as is to be seene to the sufficient furnishyng of Christes Church yet so it happeneth I can not tell how the farther I looke backe into those former tymes of Tyndall Frith and others lyke more simplicitie wyth true zeale and humble modestie I see wyth lesse corruption of affections in them and yet wyth these dayes of ours I finde no fault As by reading and conferring their workes togither may eftsoones appeare In opening the Scriptures what trueth what soundnes can a man require more or what more is to be sayd then is to be founde in Tyndall In his Prologues vppon the fiue bookes of Moses vppon Ionas vppon the Gospelles and Epistles of S. Paule namely to the Romaines how perfectly doth he hit the right sence and true meaning in euery thing In his obedience how fruitfully teacheth he euery person his dutie In his expositions and vppon the parable of the wicked Mammon how pithely doth he perswade how grauely doth he exhort how louingly doth he comforte simply without ostentation vehement without contention Which two faultes as they cōmonly are wont to folow the most part of writers so how farre the same were from him and he from them his replies and aunsweres to Syr Thomas More doe well declare in doctrine sound in hart humble in life vnrebukeable in disputation modest in rebuking charitable in trueth feruent and yet no lesse prudent in dispensing with the same and bearyng with time and with weakenes of men as much as he might sauing onely where mere necessitie constrayned hym otherwise to doe for defence of trueth against wilfull blyndnes and subtile hypocrisie as in the Practise of Prelates is notorious to be seene Briefly such was his modestie zeale charitie and painefull trauaile that he neuer sought for any thing lesse then for hymselfe for nothyng more then for Christes glory and edification of other for whose cause not onely he bestowed his labours but hys life and bloud also Wherfore not vnrightly he might be then as he is yet cauled the Apostle of England as Paule cauleth Epaphroditus the Apostle of the Philippians for his singular care and affection toward them For as the Apostles in the primatiue age first planted the Church in trueth of the Gospell so the same trueth beyng agayne defaced and decayed by enemies in thys our latter tyme there was none that trauayled more earnestly in restoring of the same in this Realme of England then dyd William Tyndall With which William Tyndall no lesse may be adioyned also Iohn Frith and D. Barnes both for that they togither with him in one cause and about one tyme sustayned the first brunt in this our latter age and gaue the first onset agaynst the enemies as also for the speciall giftes of fruitfull erudition and plentifull knowledge wrought in them by God and so by them left vnto vs in their writinges Wherfore accordyng to our promise in the booke of Actes and Monumentes wee thought good herein to spend a litle diligence in collecting and setting abroad their bookes togither so many as could be founde to remaine as perpetuall Lāpes shyning in the Church of Christ to geeue lyght to all posteritie And although the Printer herein taking great paynes coulde not paraduenture come by all howbeit I trust there lacke not many yet the Lord be thanked for those which he hath gotte and here published vnto vs. And woulde God the like diligence had beene vsed of our auncient forelders in the tyme of Wickliffe Puruey Clerke Brute Thorpe Husse Hierome and such other in searching and collecting their workes and writings No doubt but many thinges had remayned in lyght which now be lefte in obliuion But by reason the Arte of Printing was not yet inuented their worthy bookes were the sooner abolyshed Such was then the wickednes of those dayes and the practise of those Prelates then so craftie that no good booke coulde appeare though it were the Scripture it selfe in Englyshe but it was restrayned and so consumed Whereby ignoraunce and blyndnes so preuayled amonge the people tyll at the last it so pleased the goodnes of our God to prouide a remedy for that mischiefe by multiplying good bookes by the Printers penne in such sort as no earthly power was able after that though they did their best to stoppe the course thereof were he neuer so myghtie and all for the fartheraunce of Christes Church Wherefore receaue gracious Reader the Bookes here collected and offered to thy hand and thanke God thou hast them and reade them whilest thou mayst while time life and memory serueth thee In reading wherof the Lord graunt thou mayst receaue no lesse fruit by them then the harty desire of the setter forth is to wishe well vnto thee And the same Lord also graunt I beseech him that this my exhortation wishe so may worke in all that not onely the good but the enemies also which be not yet wonne to the worde of trueth setting aside all partialitie and preiudice of opinion woulde with indifferent iudgementes bestow some reading and hearyng likewise of these to taste what they doe teach to vewe their reasons and to trye their spirite to marke the expositions of Tyndall the argumentes of Frith the Articles and allegations of Barnes Which if they shall finde agreable to the tyme and antiquitie of the Apostles doctrine and touchstone of Gods worde to vse them to their instruction If not then to myslike them as they finde cause after they haue first tryed them and not before And thus not to deteine thee with longer processe from the reading of better matter I referre and commende thee and thy studies gentle reader with my harty wishe and prayer to the grace of Christ Iesu and direction of hys holy spirite desiryng thee lykewyse to doe the same for mee Iohn Foxe The Martyrdome and burning of William Tyndall in Brabant by Filford Castell Lord opē the K. of Englāds eyes Here foloweth the historie and discourse of the lyfe of William Tyndall out of the booke of Actes and Monumentes Briefly extracted FOr somuch as the lyfe of W. Tyndall author of this treatise immediately folowing is sufficiently at large discoursed in the booke of Actes and Monumentes by reason whereof we shall not néede greatly to intermedle with any new repetition therof yet notwithstanding because as we haue takē in hand to collect and set forth his whole workes togither so we thought it not vnconuenient to collecte likewise some briefe notes concerning the order of his
Pope hath made a playne decree in which he commaundeth saying though y e Pope sinne neuer so greuously and draw with him to hell by his ensaÌ„ple thousaÌ„des innumerable yet let no man be so hardy to rebuke him For he is head ouerall none ouer him Distinct 〈◊〉 Si Papa And Paule saith Rom. xiij let euery soule obey the hyer powers that are ordeyned to punishe sinne The Pope will not nor let any of his And Paule chargeth 1. Cor. 5. if he that is a brother be an whorekeeper a dronkard couetous an extortioner or a rayler and so forth that we haue no felowship with him No not so much as to eate in his company But the Pope with violence compelleth vs to haue such in honour to receaue the sacrameÌ„tes of them to heare their Masses and to beleue all they say and yet they will not let vs see whether they say truth or no. And he compelleth x. parishes to pay their tithes and offeringes vnto one such to goe and ruÌ„ne at riote at their cost and to do nought therefore And a thousande such like doth the Pope contrary vnto Christes doctrine ¶ The argumentes wherewith the Pope woulde proue hymselfe the church are solued NOtwithstanding because as they be all shauen they be all shamelesse to affirme that they be the right church and can not erre though all the world seeth that not one of theÌ„ is in the right way and that they haue with vtter defiaunce forsaken both the doctrine and liuing of Christ of all his Apostles let vs see the sophistry wherwith they would perswade it One of their high reasons is this The Church say they was before y â— heretikes y â— heretikes came euer out of the church and left it And they were before all them which they now call heretikes and Lutherans and the Lutherans came out of them c. Wherefore they be the right church and the other heretikes in dede as they be called Well I will likewise dispute First the right church was vnder Moses and Aaron and so forth in whose rowmes sat the Scribes Phariseis and hye priestes in the tyme of Christ And they were before Christ And Christ and his Apostles came out of them and departed from theÌ„ and left them Wherfore the Scribes Phariseis and hye priestes were the right Church and Christ and hys Apostles and disciples heretikes and a dampnable secte And so the Iewes are yet in the right way and we in errour And of truth if their blynde reason be good theÌ„ is this argumeÌ„t so to For they be like are both one thing But in as much as the kingdome of God standeth not in wordes as Paul sayth 1. Cor. 4. but in power therefore looke vnto the marow and pith of the thinges selfe and let vayne woordes passe Vnder Abraham Isaac Iacob was the church great in fayth and small in number And as it encreased in number so it decreased in fayth vntill y â— tyme of Moses And out of those vnbeleuers God stirred vp Moses brought â—heÌ„ vnto y â— faith right agayne And Moses left a glorious Churche both in faith cleauing vnto the word of God and deliuered them vnto Iosuah Eleazer Phineas and Caleb But assone as the generation of theÌ„ that saw the miracles of God were dead they fell to Idolatrie immediatly as thou seest in the Bible And god when he had deliuered them into captiuitie for to chastice their wickednesse stirred them vp a Prophet euermore to call them vnto his testameÌ„t againe And so he did well me an hundred tymes I suppose yer Christ came for they neuer bode any space in the right fayth And against the comming of Christ the Scribes Phariseis Caiphas Anna and the Elders were crept vp into the seat of Moses AaroÌ„ and the holy Prophetes Patriarkes and suceded them linially and had the scripture of God but euen in captiuitie to make marchaundise of it and to abuse it vnto their owne glory and profite And though they kept the people from outward Idolatrie of worshipping of Images with the Heathen yet they brought them into a worse inward Idolatrie of a false fayth trust in their owne deedes and in vaine traditions of their owne fayning And had put out the significatioÌ„s of all y â— ceremonies and sacramentes of the olde testameÌ„t and taught the people to beleue in the workes selfe and had corrupt the scripture with false gloses As y â— maist see in the Gospell how Christ warneth his Disciples to beware of y t leauen of y â— Phariseis which was their false doctrine gloses And in another place he rebuked the Scribes and the Phariseis saying wo be to theÌ„ because they had taken away the key of knowledge and had shut vp the kingdome of heauen and neither would enter in themselues nor suffer theÌ„ that would How had they shut it vp verely with their traditions and false gloses which they had sowed to y â— scripture in plaine places and in the taking away y â— meaning of the ceremonies and sacrifices and teaching to beleue in the worke And our hipocrites are in like maner crept vp into the seat of Christ and of his Apostles by succession not to do the deedes of Christ and his Apostles but for lucre onely as the nature of the wily Foxe is to get him an hole made with a nother beastes labour and to make marchaundise of the people with fayned wordes as Peter warned vs before and to do according as Christ and all his Apostles prophesied how they should beguyle and leade out of the right way all theÌ„ that had no loue to follow and liue after the truth And in like maner haue they corrupt the Scripture and blynded the right way with their owne constitutions with traditions of duÌ„me ceremonies with takyng away the significations of the sacramentes to make vs beleue in the worke of the sacramentes fyrst whereby they might the better make vs beleue in works of their setting vp afterward and with false gloses which they haue patched to the Scripture in playne places to destroy the litterall sence for to set vp a false fayned sence of allegories when there is none such And thereby they haue stopt vp the gates of heaueÌ„ the true knowledge of Christ and haue made their own belâ—es the dore For thorow their bellies must thou creepe and theâ—e leaue all that fall behynde thee And such blynde reasons as oures make against vs made they agaynst Christ saying Abraham is our father we be Moses disciples how knoweth he the vnderstanding of the Scripture seing he neuer learned of any of vs onely the cursed vnlearned people that know not the scripture beleue in hym Looke whether any of the rulers or Phariseis do beleue in hym Wherefore the scripture truely vnderstode after the playneâ— places and generall articles of y t fayth which
of thys bée their bagges so filled for such thinges as these bée will they bée rulers of the church as Deacons Archdeacons Byshoppes and Archbyshops c. My Lordes I had thought to haue added Cardinalles and Legates Abbottes and Pryors to haue made the company more holy but I ourst not How thinke you of whom doth hée speake when hée fayth Byshops and Archbyshops what holynes doth hée reprooue when hée spraketh of gorgious araye of harlottes deckyng of game players disguising of goulden spurres saddelles bridles If there were an C. that did vse it more then you yet must you néedes graunt that hée speaketh of you Hée passeth mée sore in condemning of your holy ornamentes for hee caulleth you the seruauntes of Antichrist and your holy ornamentes harlottes decking and game players disguising and hée saith that you are neyther the church nor of the church but the seruauntes of Antichrist how thinke you by S. Barnarde it is tyme to condemne hym for hée speaketh agaynst holy church and all her holy ornamentes thys dare I well say that if the best Christen man within the Realme should preach these wordes of Saint Barnarde you woulde not sticke to condemne hym for an beretike but you were wonte to call hym swéete Barnarde but mée thynketh that hée is soure inough in thys thynge Wherefore dispute the matter wyth hym that you may come into the Church and not wyth mée FINIS An other declaration of the Church wherein hee aunswereth to Maister More IN my first booke I dyd declare how that certayne men dyd take vppon them to bée counted of holy Church whose maners and lyuynges dyd nothyng agrée wyth holy church But after that commeth M. More and hée layeth to my charge that I counted all the spiritualtie to bée naught because hée would make my name somewhat odious vnto them But verely hée doth mée great wrōge for it was neuer my meanyng nor yet my saying But myne intent was to declare that neyther the Pope nor his colledge of Cardinalles nor yet all the Byshoppes in the worlde gathered togither did make holy Churche because of theyr names or else for theyr long gownes or for theyr shauen crownes or else annoynted fingers nor yet for any other exterior thynges that the worlde had in admiration But yet neuerthelesse I dyd graunt and also doe now confesse many good men to haue shauen crownes and also longe gownes But yet for these thyngs they were neuer the more of the church All the popes learning hath béene that hée and his hath béene y e church the which can not erre and all things that belong vnto them were called y e goods of holy church All lawes made by them were the lawes of holy Church They myght not bée conuēted before any temporall Prince because they were men of holy church They myght not bée hanged for murther because they were annoynted and of holy church Briefely there bée innumerable such thynges inuented of them to maynetayne and to defēde theyr holynesse and to proue that they bée holy Church the which thinges I thynke M. More can not denye And if hée woulde yet there bée a great many of bookes forth comming to proue my sentēce against him And also y e practise that hath béene vsed in y e worlde will testifie the same I thinke M. More nor yet any mā lyuyng dyd euer know in hys tyme that any man was iudged or taken to bée of the church but such men as I haue spoken of And I thynke thys name church was neuer named but it was taken specially and principally for those men that had shauen crownes and other lyke tokens Let mée bée reported to those men that bée alyue Now because I saw that these thynges were nothyng the cause of holy church nor yet belonged greatly to holy church therefore I say was I moued to declare what holy church was and who were thereof and by what signes and tokens men myght know her ¶ Now to declare this I brought certaine places of scripture to prooue that this worde Eccleasia was taken in scripture for the whole congregatiō both of good and bad But I sayd I would not greatly speake of that cōgregation for that was not it that could not erre of the which was mine intent to speake And I brought for me y e saying of S. Paule Christ hath geuen hym selfe for his Church that hée might sanctifie her and clense her in the fountaine of water through the worde of lyfe to make her to hym selfe a glorious church without spot or wrincle or any such thyng But that shée might bée holy and without blame To prooue that the Churche was clensed by Christ I brought the saying of S. Augustine for mée Of Christ is the church made fayre First was shée filthy in sinnes afterwarde by pardon and by grace was shée made fayre c. Moreouer to proue y e this church was made cleane by Christ and not by names or by clothyng or by any other exteriour thyng I brought for me y e saying of S. Iohn If y e sonne of God haue deliuered you then are you truely deliuered Also S. Paule You are washed you are sāctified you are iustified in y e name of Iesus Christ in the spirite of God But vnto these things doth M. More answere that I doe not well to exclude out of this Church bad mē for y e knowne church sayth hée standeth in a gathering togither of good mē and bad to prooue that hée bringeth in certeine parables of our Sauiour Christ To this I aunswere that I neuer denyed but that there was such a cōgregatiō of good and bad but I sayd that that was not y e very true church afore God though it beare the name of the Church and in very déede hys owne parables doth declare that our maister Christe shall at length géeue sentence agaynst them that call them selues falsely of the Churche Iudas was called an Apostle and taken so of all his company but yet our maister Christ calleth him the deuil Now if M. More will haue Iudas in hys Churche I must bee content that hée shall also betraye Christe The very trueth is that bad men bée mixt here in the Churche and after outwarde signes bée taken for members of the Churche specially if they bée not excommunicate But the Churche whiche I dyd speake of was not a felowship gathered togither in a cōsent of exteriour things and ceremonies as other politicke felowships bée But it is a felowshyp specially gathered in the vnitie of fayth hauyng the holy ghost within them to sanctifie their spirites whiche doth set their trust onely in the redemptiō promised thē in Christes blessed bloud This I say is the very true church of God let the worlde say what they will and let men call them selues as it pleaseth thē For as S. Paule saith hée that hath not the spirite of God is none of his Also M. Mores
that Moses did all his miracles by the same craft and not by the power of GOD. And abode therfore in vnbelefe and perished in resisting God Let vs receaue all thinges of God whether it be good or bad let vs humble our selues vnder his mighty hand and submitte our selues vnto his nurture and chastising and not withdraw our selues from his correction Read Hebr. xij for thy comfort and let vs not take the stafe by the end or seke to auenge our selues on his rodde which is the euill rulers The child as long as he seketh to auenge him selfe vpon the rodde hath an euill hart For he thinketh not that the correctiō is right or that he hath deserued it neither repenteth but reioyseth in his wickednes And so lōg shall he neuer be without a rodde yea so long shall the rodde be made sharper and sharper If he knowledge his faute and take the correction mekely and euē kisse the rodde and amende him selfe with the learnyng and nurture of his father mother then is the rodde takē away and burnt So if we resiste euill rulers sekyng to set our selues at libertie we shall no doubt bring our selues into more euill bondage wrappe our selues in much more miserie and wretchednes For if the heades ouercome then lay they more weight on their backes make their yoke sorer and tye them shorter If they ouercome their euill rulers then make they way for a more cruell natiō or for some tyraunt of their own nation whiche hath no right vnto the crown If we submitte our selues vnto the chastisyng of God and mekely knowledge our sinnes for whiche we are scourged and kisse the rodde and amende our liuyng then will GOD take the rodde away that is he will geue the rulers a better hart Or if they continue their malice and persecute you for well doyng and because ye put your trust in GOD then will God deliuer you out of their tyranny for his truthes sake It is the same God now that was in the old time deliuered the fathers and the Prophetes the Apostles and other holy Saintes And what soeuer he sware to them he hath sworne to vs. And as he deliuered them out of all temptation combraūce and aduersitie because they consented and submitted them selues vnto his will and trusted in his goodnes and truth euen so will he do vs if we do likewise When soeuer the children of Israell fel from the way which God cōmaunded them to walke in he gane them vp vnder one tyraūt or an other As soone as they came to the knowledge of thē selues and repented crying for mercy and leaning vnto the truth of his promises he sent one to deliuer them as the hystories of the Bible make mention A Christen man in respect of God is but a passiue thing a thyng that suffereth onely and doth nought as the sicke in respect of the Surgion or Phisition doth but suffer onely The Surgen launceth and cutteth out the dead flesh searcheth the woundes thrusteth in tentes sereth burneth soweth or sticheth and leyeth to corsies to draw out y ◠corruption last of all leyeth to healyng plaisters maketh it whole The Phisitiō likewise geueth purgations and drinkes to driue out the disease and then with restauratiues bringeth health Now if the sicke resiste the raser the searching yron and so forth doth he not resiste his owne health and is cause of his owne death So likewise is it of vs if we resiste euil rulers which are the rodde scourge wherewith God chastiseth vs the instrumentes wherewith God searcheth out woundes and bitter drinkes to driue out the sinne and to make it appeare and corsies to draw out by the rotes the core of the poxe of the soule that freateth inward A Christen mā therfore receaueth all thyng of the hand of God both good and bad both sweete and sowre both wealth wo. If any person do me good whether it be father mother and so forth that receaue I of God and to God geue thankes For he gaue wherewith and gaue a commaundement and moued his hart so to do Aduersitie also receaue I of the hād of God as an wholesome medicine though it be somewhat bitter Temptation and aduersitie do both kill sinne and also vtter it For though a Christen man knoweth euery thyng how to lyue yet is the flesh so weake that he cā neuer take vp his crosse him selfe to kill and mortifie the flesh He must haue an other to lay it on hys backe In many also sinne lyeth hidde within and festereth and rotteth inward is not sene so that they thinke how they are good and perfect kepe the law As the younge man Math. xix sayd he had obserued all of a child and yet lyed falsly in his hart as the text folowing well declareth When all is at peace and no man troubleth vs we thinke that we are paciēt and loue our neighbours as our selues but let our neighbour hurt vs in woorde or deede and then finde we it otherwise Then fume we and rage and set vp the bristels bend our selues to take vengeaunce If we loued with godly loue for Christes kindnes sake we should desire no vengeaunce but pitie him and desire God to forgeue and amend him knowing well that no flesh can do otherwise the sinne except that God preserue hym Thou wilt say what good doth such persecution and tyranny vnto the righteous First it maketh them feele the woorkyng of Gods spirite in them and that theyr fayth is vnfayned Secondaryly I say that no man is so great a sinner if he repent and beleue but that he is righteous in Christ and in the promises yet if thou looke on the flesh and vnto the law there is no man so perfect that is not founde a sinner Nor any man so pure that hath not somewhat to be yet purged This shall suffice at this time as concernyng obedience BEcause that God excludeth no degree from his mercy But who so euer repenteth and beleueth his promises of what soeuer degree he be of the same shal be partaker of hys grace therfore as I haue described the obedience of them that are vnder power and rule euen so will I with Gods helpe as my dutie is declare how the rulers whiche God shall vouchsafe to call vnto the knowledge of the truth ought to rule ¶ The office of a Father and how he should rule FAthers moue not your children vnto wrath but bring them vp in y ◠nurtour and information of the Lord. Ephe. vi and Collos iij. Fathers rate not your children least they be of desperate minde that is least you discourage thē For where y ◠fathers and mothers are weywarde hastie and churlishe euer brauling and chiding there are y t children anone discouraged and hartlesse and apte for nothing neither can they do any thyng aright Bryng them vp in the nurtoure and information of
how shall they heare wythout a preacher and how shall they preach except they be sent As it is writteÌ„ saith he how beautifull are the fecte that bring glade tydinges of peace and bringe tydynges of good thynges Now when sent God any messengers vnto the deuils to preach them peace or any good thyng The deuill hath no promise he is therefore excluded from Paules fayth The deuill beleueth that Christ dyed but not that he dyed for hys sinnes Neither doth any that coÌ„senteth in the hart to continue in sinne beleue that Christ dyed for him For to beleue that Christ dyed for vs is to see our horrible damnation and how we were appointed vnto eternall paines and to feele and to be sure that we are deliuered therefroÌ„ thorough Christ in that we haue power to hate our sins and to loue Gods commaundements All such repent and haue their hartes loosed out of captiuitie and bondage of sinne and are therefore iustified thorough fayth in Christ Wicked sinners haue no fayth but imaginations and opinions about Christ as our schole men haue in their principles about whiche they braule so fast one with another It is an other thyng to beleue y â— the kyng is rich that he is rich vnto me and that my part is therein and that he will not spare a peny of his riches at my neede when I beleue that the king is rich I am not moued But when I beleue that he is rich for me that he will neuer faile me at my nede then loue I and of loue am ready to worke vnto the vttermost of my power But let vs returne at the last vnto our purpose agayne WHat is the cause that laye men can not now rule as well as in times past and as the Turkes yet doe Verely because that Antichrist wyth the miste of hys iugglyng hath beguiled our eyes and hath cast a superstitious feare vpon the world of christen men hath taught theÌ„ to dread not God his worde but hymselfe and his word not Gods law and ordinaunces princes and officers which God hath set to rule the world but his owne law and ordinaunces traditions and ceremonies and disguised disciples which he hath set euery where to deceaue the world and to expell the lyght of Gods worde that his darcknes may haue roome For we see by dayly experience of certayne hundred yeares loÌ„g that he which feareth neyther God nor hys worde neyther regardeth father mother mayster or Christ hymself which rebelleth against God ordinaunces riseth agaynst the kynges and resisteth hys officers dare not once lay handes on one of the Popes annoynted no though he sley hys father before hys face or do violence vnto his brother or defile his sister wife or mother Like honour geue we vnto his traditions ceremonies What deuotion haue we when we are blessed as they call it with the chalice or when the Byshop lifteth vp his holy hand ouer vs Who dare handle the chalice touch the Alter stone or put his hand in the fount or hys finger into the holy oyle What reuerence geue we vnto holy water holy â—yre holy bread holy salt halowed belles holy waxe holy bowes holy candels and holy ashes And last of all vnto the holy caÌ„dle commit we our soules at our last departyng Yea and of the very cloute which the Byshop or his chapplen that standeth by knitteth about childrens neckes at confirmatioÌ„ what lay person durst be so bold as to to vnloose the knot Thou wilt say do not such thinges bring the holy Ghost and put away sinne and driue away spirites I say that a stedfast fayth or belefe in Christ in the promises that God hath sworne to geue vs for hys sake bringeth the holy Ghost as all the Scriptures make mention as Paul sayth Actes xix haue ye receaued the holy Ghost through fayth or beleuing Fayth is the rocke where on Christ buildeth hys congregation agaynst whiche â—ayth Christ Math. xvj hell gates shall not preuaile As soone as thou beleuest in Christ the holy Ghost commeth sinne falleth away and deuils flye when we cast holy water at the deuill or ryng the belles he fleeth as men do from young children and mocketh with vs to bring vs from the true fayth that is in Gods word vnto a superstitious and a false belefe of our owne imagination If thou haddest fayth threwest an vnhalowed stone at his head he would earnestly flee and without mockyng yea though thou threwest nothyng at all he would not yet abyde Though that at the beginnyng miracles were shewed through such ceremonies to moue the infidels to beleue the word of God As thou readest how the Apostles annoynted the sicke with oyle and healed them and Paul sent his pertelet or Iirkyn to the sicke and healed them also Yet was it not the ceremonie that did the miracle but fayth of the preacher and the truth of God which had promised to confirme and stablish his Gospell with such miracles Therfore as soone as the gift of miracles ceased ought the ceremonie to haue ceased also or els if they will needes haue a ceremonie to signifie some promise or benefite of GOD whiche I prayse not but would haue Gods word preached euery Sonday for which entent Sondayes and holy dayes were ordeined then let them tel the people what it meaneth and not set vp a haulde and a naked ceremonie without significatioÌ„ to make the people beleue therein and to quenche the fayth that ought to be geuen vnto the word of God What helpeth it also that the Priest wheÌ„ he goeth to Masse disguifeth him selfe with a great part of the passion of Christ and playeth out the rest vnder silence with signes and profers with noddyng beckyng and mowyng as it were Iacke an apes when neither he him selfe neither any man els woteth what he meaneth not at all verely but hurteth and that excedyngly For as much as it not onely destroyeth the fayth quencheth the loue that should be geuen vnto the commaundements and maketh the people vnthankefull in that it bringeth them into such superstition that they thinke that they haue done aboundantly ynough for God yea deserued aboue measure if they be present once in a day at such mummyng But also maketh the infidels to mocke vs and abhorre vs in that they see nothyng but such apes play among vs where of no man can geue a reason All this commeth to passe to fulfill the prophesie which Christ prophesied Marke xiij And Luke xxj that there shall come in his name which shall say that they them selues are Christ That do verely the Pope and our holy orders of Religion For they vnder the name of Christ preach theÌ„ selues their own word and their own traditions and teach the people to beleue in them The Pope geueth pardons of his full power of the treasure of the Church and of the merites of Saintes
Disciples hee aunswered The blind see the lepers are clensed the dead arise againe c. meanyng that if I do the workes which are prophesied that Christ should do when he coÌ„meth why doubt ye whether I be hee or no as who should say aske y â— scripture whether I be Christ or no not my selfe How happeneth it then that our Prelates wil not come to the light also that we may see whether their workes be wrought in GOD or no Why feare they to let the â—ay men see what they do Why make they all their examinations in darkenes Why examine they not their causes of heresie openly as the lay men do their fellous and murtherers Wherefore did Christ and his Apostles also warne vs so diligently of Antichrist and of false Prophetes that should come Because that we should slomber or sleepe carelesse or rather that we should looke in the light of the Scripture with all diligeÌ„ce to spie them when they came and not to suffer our selues to be disceaued and led out of y â— way Iohn biddeth iudge the spirites Whereby shall we iudge them but by the Scripture How shalt thou know whether the Prophet be true or false or whether hee speake Gods word of his owne head if thou wilt not see the Scriptures Why sayd Dauid in the second Psalme be learned ye that iudge the earth lest the Lord be angry with you and ye perish froÌ„ the right way A terrible warnyng verely yea and looke on the stories well thou shalt finde very few kinges sence the beginning of the world that haue not perished from the right way and that because they would not be learned The Emperour and Kynges are nothyng now a dayes but euen hangmen vnto the Pope and Byshops to kill whosoeuer they condemne without any more a do as Pylate was vnto the Scribes and Phariseis and the hye Byshops to hang Christ For as those Prelates aunswered Pylate wheÌ„ he asked what he had done if he were not an euill doer we would not haue brought him vnto thee As who should say we are to holy to do any thyng amisse y u mayst beleue vs well inough yea and his bloude on our heades sayd they kill him hardly we will beare the charge our soules for thyne we haue also a law by which he ought to dye for he calleth him selfe Gods sonne Euen so say our Prelates he ought to dye by our lawes he speaketh agaynst the Church And your grace is sworne to defend the liberties and ordinaunces of the Church and to maynteine our most holy fathers authoritie our soules for yours ye shall do a meritorious dede therin Neuertheles as Pylate escaped not the iudgement of God euen so is it to be feared lest our temporall powers shall not Wherfore be learned ye that iudge the earth lest the Lord be angry with you and ye perish from the right way Who slew the Prophetes Who slew Christ Who slew his Apostles Who the martirs and all the righteous that euer were slayne The kynges and the temporall sword at the request of the false Prophetes They deserued such murther to do and to haue their part with y e hypocrites because they would not be learned and see the truth them selues Wherfore suffered y â— Prophets because they rebuked the hypocrites which beguiled the world and namely Princes and rulers and taught them to put their trust in thynges of vanitie and not in Gods word And taught them to do such deedes of mercy as were profitable vnto no man but vnto the false Prophetes them selues onely makyng marchauÌ„dise of Gods word wherfore slew they Christ euen for rebuking the hipocrites because he said wo be to you Scribes and Phariseis hypocrites for ye shut vp the kyngdome of heaueÌ„ before men Math. xxiij that is as it is writteÌ„ Luke xj ye haue taken away the keye of knowledge The law of God whiche is the keye wherewith men bynde and the promises which are the keyes wherewith men loose haue our hypocrites also taken away They will suffer no man to know Gods word but burne it and make heresie of it yea and because the people begyn to smell their falsehode they make it treason to the kyng and breakyng of the kynges peace to haue so much as their Pater noster in English And in stede of Gods law they bynde w t their owne law And in stede of Gods promises they lose iustifye with pardons and ceremonies which they them selues haue imagined for their owne profite They preach it were better for thee to eate fleshe on good Friday then to hate thy neighbour but let any man eate flesh but on a Saterday or breake any other tradition of theirs and he shal be bounde not losed till hee haue payd the vtter most farthing either with shame most vyle or death most cruell but hate thy neighbour as much as thou wilt and thou shalt haue no rebuke of them yea robbe him murther him and theÌ„ come to them and welcome They haue a saÌ„ctuary for thee to saue thee yea and a neckuerse if thou canst but read a litle Latinly though it be neuer so soryly so that y â— be ready to receaue y â— beastes marke They care for no vnderstandyng it is inough if thou canst rowle vp a payre of Mattens or an Euensong and mumble a few ceremonies And because they be rebuked this they rage Be learned therefore ye that iudge y â— world lest God be angry with you and ye perish from the right way Wo be to you scribes and phariseis ypocrites sayth Christ Math. xriij for ye deudure widdowes houses vnder a coulor of long prayer Our hypocrites robbe not the widdowes onely but Knight Squyre Lord Duke Kyng and Emperour and euen the whole world vnder the same couloure teaching the people to trust in their prayers and not in Christ for whose sake God hath forgeuen all the synne of the whole worlde vnto as many as repeÌ„t and beleue They feare theÌ„ with purgatory and promyse to pray perpetually least the laÌ„des should euer returne home agayne vnto the right heyres What hast thou bought with robbyng thy heyres or wyth geuing the hypocrites that which thou robbest of other men Perpetuall prayer Yea perpetuall payne For they appoint thee no tyme of deliueraunce their prayers are so mighty The Pope for money can empty purgatory when he will It is verely purgatory For it purgeth and maketh cleane riddaunce yea it is hel For it deuoureth all thynges Hys fatherhode sendeth them to heauen with scala coeli that is wyth a ladder to scale the walles For by the dore Christ wil they not let them come in That dore haue they stopped vp and that because ye should buye ladders of them For some they pray dayly which gaue theÌ„ perpetuities and yet make Saintes of them receauing offeringes in theyr names and
Iohn v. that ye haue not the loue of God in you I am come in my fathers name and ye receaue me not if an other shall come in his own name him shall ye receaue This doth God auenge him selfe on the malicious hartes whiche haue no loue to his truth All the promises of God haue they either wypte cleane out or thus leauened them with open lyes to stablishe their confession with all And to kepe vs from knowledge of the truth they do all thyng in Latin They pray in Latin they Christen in Latine they blesse in Latine they geue absolution in Latin onely curse they in the English toung Wherein they take vpon them greater authoritie then euer God gaue them For in their curses as they call them with booke bell and candle they commaūde God and Christ and the aungels and all Saintes to curse them curie them God say they father sonne and holy ghost curse them virgine Mary c. O ye abommable Who gaue you authoritie to commaūde God to curse God commaundeth you to blesse and ye cōmaunde him to curse Blesse them that persecute you blesse but curse not saith S. Paul Roma xij What tyranny wil these not vse ouer men which presume and take vpon them to be Lordes ouer God and to commaunde him If God shall curse any man who shall blesse and make him better No man can amende him selfe except God poure his spirite vnto him Haue we not a commaundemēt to loue our neighbour as our selues How can I loue him and curse him also Iames sayth it is not possible that blessing cursing should come both out of one mouth Christ cōmaundeth Math. v. saying loue your enemies Blesse them that curse you Do good to them that hate you Pray for them that do you wrong and persecute you that ye may be the children of your heauenly father In the marches of Wales it is the maner if any man haue an Oxe or a Cow stollē he commeth to the Curate and desireth him to curse the stealer And he commaundeth the Parish to geue him euery man Gods curse and his Gods curse myne haue he sayth euery man in the Parish O mercyfull God what is blasphemy if this be not blasphemy shamyng of the doctrine of Christ Vnderstand therfore the power of excommunication is this If any man sinne openly and amendeth not when he is warned then ought he to be rebuked openly before all the Parish And the Priest ought to proue by the Scripture that all such haue no part with Christ For Christ serueth not but for them that loue the law of God and consent that it is good holy and righteous And repēt sorrowing mournyng for power and strength to fulfill it And all the parish ought to be warned to auoyde the company of all such and to take them as heathen people This is not done that he should perish but to saue him to make him ashamed to kill the lustes of the flesh that the spirite might come vnto the knowledge of truth And we ought to pitie hym and to haue compassion on him and with all diligence to pray vnto God for him to geue him grace to repent and to come to the right way agayne and not to vse such tyranny ouer God and man commaūdyng God to curse And if he repent we ought with all mercy to receaue him in agayn This mayst thou see Mat. xviij and. i. Cor. v. and ij Cor. ij ¶ Confirmation IF confirmation haue a promise then it iustifieth as farre as the promise extendeth If it haue no promise then is it not of GOD as the Byshops be not The Apostles and Ministers of God preach Gods word and Gods signes or Sacramentes signifie Gods word also and put vs in remēbraunce of the promises which God hath made vnto vs in Christ Contrarywise Antichristes Byshops preach not their Sacramentes speake not but as the disguised Byshops mum so are their superstitious Sacramentes domme After that the Byshops had left preachyng then fayned they this domme ceremonie of cōfirmation to haue somwhat at the lest way whereby they myght raigne ouer theyr Dioceses They reserued vnto them selues also the Christenyng of Belles and coniuring or hallowyng of Churches and Churchyardes and of Altares and superaltares and holowyng of Chalices and so forth what soeuer is of honor or profite Which cōfirmation and the other coniurations also they haue now committed to their Suffragans because they them selues haue no leysure to minister such things for their lustes and pleasures and aboundance of all thinges and for the combraunce that they haue in the kynges matters and businesse of the Realme One kepeth the priuey seale an other y ◠great seale the thyrd is confessour that is to say a priuey traytor and a secreat Iudas he is President of the Princes Counsaile he is an Ambassadour an other sort of the Kynges secret Counsaile Wo is vnto the Realmes where they are of y t counsell As profitable are they verely vnto the Realmes with their Counsell as the Wolues vnto the Shepe or the Foxes vnto the Geese They will say that the holy Ghost is geuen thorough such ceremonies If God had so promised so should it be but Paule saith Galat. iij. that the spirite is receaued thorough preaching of the fayth And Actes tenth while Peter preached the faith the holy Ghost fell on Cornelius and on hys houshold How shall we say then to that which they will lay against vs in the eight chapter of the Actes of the Apostles Where Peter and Iohn put their handes on the Samaritans and the holy Ghost came I say that by putting or with putting or as they put their handes on them the holy Ghost came Neuerthelesse the putting on of the hāds did neither helpe nor hinder For the text sayth they prayed for them that they might receaue the holy ghost God had made the Apostles a promise that he woulde wyth such miracles cōfirme their preaching and mou◠other to the fayth Mar. the last The Apostles therefore beleued and prayed God to fulfill his promise and God for his truthes sake euen so did So was it the prayer of fayth that brought the holy Ghost as thou mayst see also in the last of Iames. If any man be sicke saith Iames call the elders of the congregation and let them pray ouer hym annointing hym with oyle in the name of the Lord and the prayer of fayth shall heale the sicke Where a promise is there is fayth bolde to pray and God true to geue her her petition Putting on of the handes is an indifferent thing For the holy Ghost came by preaching of the fayth and myracles were done at the prayer of fayth as well without putting on of the hands as with as thou seest in many places Putting on of the hands was the maner of that nation as it was to rent their clothes
Christ or entende to restore the Kynges agayne vnto their duties and right and to the rowme and authoritie which they haue of God and of shadowes to make theÌ„ Kynges in deede to put the world in his order agayne then the Kynges deliuer their swordes and authoritie vnto the hypocrites to â—lay him So dronken are they with the wine of the whore ¶ The text that foloweth in Paule wil they happely lay to my charge and others How shall they preach except they be sent sayth Paul in the sayd x. to the Romaines We wil they say the Pope Cardinals and Byshoppes all authority is ours The Scripture perteineth vnto vs and is our possession And we haue a law that who soeuer presume to preach without the authoritie of the Bishops is excommunicate in the deede doyng Whence therefore hast thou thine authoritie wil they say The old Phariseis had the Scripture in captiuitie likewise and asked Christ by what authoritie doest thou these thynges as who should say We are phariseis thou art none of our order nor hast authoritie of vs. Christ asked them an other question and so will I do our hypocrites Who seÌ„t you God Nay hee that is sent of God speaketh Gods word Iohn iij. Now speake ye not Gods worde nor any thyng saue your own lawes made cleane contrary vnto Gods worde Christes Apostles preached Christ not them selues He that is of the truth preacheth the truth Now ye preach nothyng but lyes and therefore are of the deuill the father of all lyes of hym are ye sent And as for mine authoritie or who sent me I report me vnto my workes as Christ Iohn v. and. x. If Gods word beare recorde that I say truth why should any man doubt but that God the father of truth and of lyght hath sent me as the father of lyes of darknes hath sent you and that the spirite of truth and of light is with me as the spirite of lyes and of darkenes is with you By this meanes thou wilt that euery man be a preacher will they say Nay verely For GOD will that not and therfore will I it not no more then I would that euery man of London were Mayre of London or euery man of the Realme Kyng therof God is not the author of dissention and strife but of vnitie and peace and of good order I will therefore that where a congregation is gathered together in Christ one be chosen after the rule of Paul and that hee onely preach and els no maÌ„ openly but that euery man teach hys houshold after the same doctrine But if the preacher preach false then whosoeuers harte God moueth to the same it shal be law full to rebuke and improue the false teacher with the cleare and manifest Scripture and that same is no doubt a true Prophet sent of GOD. For the Scripture is gods and theirs that beleue and not the false Prophet SAcrament is then as much to say as an holy signe And the Sacramentes which Christ ordeined preach Gods word vnto vs and therfore iustifie and minister the spirite to them that beleue as Paul thorough preachyng the Gospell was a minister of righteousnes of the spirite vnto all that beleued his preachyng Domme ceremonies are no Sacramentes but superstitiousnes Christes SacrameÌ„ts preach the fayth of Christ as his Apostles did thereby iustifie Antichristes domme ceremonies preach not y â— fayth that is in Christ as his Apostles our Byshops and Cardinals do not But as Antichristes Bishops are ordeined to kill who soeuer preach the true faith of Christ so are his ceremonies ordeined to quench the faith which Christes SacrameÌ„tes preach And hereby maist thou knowe the difference betwene Christes signes or Sacramentes and Antichristes signes or ceremonyes that Christes signes speake and Antichristes be domme Hereby seest thou what is to be thought of all other ceremonies as halowed water bread salt bowes belles waxe ashes and so forth and all other disguisinges and Apesplay and of all maner coniurations as the coniuring of church and churchyardes and of alter stones such like Where no promise of God is there can be no fayth nor iustifiyng nor forgeuenes of sinnes For it is more then madnes to looke for any thing of god saue that he hath promised How farre he hath promised so farre is he boduÌ„ to them that beleue and further not To haue a fayth therefore or a trust in any thing where god hath not promised is plaine idolatry and a worshipping of thyne own imagination in stede of God Let vs see the pith of a ceremony or two to iudge the rest by In coniuring of holy water they pray that whosoeuer be sprinckled therewith may receaue health as well of body as of soule and likewise in makyng holy bread and so forth in the coniurations of other ceremonies Now we see by dayly experience that halfe their prayer is vnheard For no man receaueth health of body thereby No more of likelihode do they of soule Yea we see also by experience that no man receaueth health of soule thereby For no man by sprinckling himselfe with holy water and wyth eating holy bread is more mercifull then before or forgeueth wrong or becommeth at one with his enemy or is more patient and lesse couetous and so forth Which are the sure tokens of the soule health They preach also that the wagging of the Byshops hand ouer vs blesseth vs and putteth away our sinnes Are these workes not against Christ How can they do more shame vnto Christes bloud For if the wagging of the Byshops hand ouer me be so precious a thyng in the sight of God that I am thereby blessed how then am I full blessed wyth all spirituall blessinge in Christ as Paul saith Ephe. j Or if my sinnes be full done away in Christ how remayneth there any to be done away by such phantasies The Apostles knew no wayes to put away sin or to blesse vs but by preaching Christ Paule sayth Gal. ij If righteousnes come by the law then Christ dyed in vayne So dispute I here If blessing come by the wagging of the Byshops hand then dyed Christ in vayne and his death blesseth vs not And a little afore sayth Paule if while we seeke to be iustified by Christ we be yet found sinners so that we must be iustified by the law or ceremonies is not Christ then a minister of sinne So dispute I here If while we seeke to be blessed in Christ we are yet vnblessed and must be blessed by the wagging of the Byshoppes hand what haue we then of Christ but curse Thou wilt say When we come first to the fayth then Christ forgeueth vs and blesseth vs. But the sinnes which we afterward commit are forgeuen vs through such thinges I aunswere If any man repent truely and come to the fayth and put hys trust in Christ theÌ„ as oft as he sinneth of frayltie at
graces both curtesie and wisedome wold haue charged the iudges to haue examined the euideÌ„ce layd agaynst him diligeÌ„tly so to haue quit hym with more honesty then to geue him pardon of that he neuer trespassed in and to haue rid the spiritualitie out of hate and all suspition Then sayth he Hunne was sore suspect of heresie and conuict And after he sayth Hunne was an hereticke in deede and in perill so to be proued And then how was he conuict I heard say that he was first conuict wheÌ„ he was dead and then they did wroÌ„g to burne him till they had spoken with him to were whether he would abiure or no. M. The Byshop of London was wise vertuous and cunnyng Tyndall For all those three yet he would haue made the old Deane Colet of Paules an hereticke for translatyng the Pater nâ—ster in English had not the Byshop of Canterbury holpe the Deane The xvj Chapter THe messenger asketh hym if there be an old lawfull translatioÌ„ before Wicleffes how happeneth it that it is in so few mens handes seyng so many desire it He aunswereth the Printer dare not Print it and then hang on a doubtâ—ul triall whether it were translated sence or before for if it were traÌ„slated sence it must be first approued What may not M. More say by authoritie of his Poetrie there is a lawfull traÌ„slation y t no maÌ„ knoweth which is as much as no lawfull traÌ„slatioÌ„ Why might not y e bishops shew which were that lawfull traÌ„slation let it be Printed Nay if that might haue bene obteined of theÌ„ with large money it had be Printed ye may be sure loÌ„g yer this But Sir aunswere me here vnto how happeneth that ye defenders translate not one your selues to cease the murmour of the people put to your own gloses to preuent heretikes ye would no doubt haue done it long sence if ye could haue made your gloses agree w t the text in euery place And what can you say to this how that besides they haue done their best to disanull all traÌ„slating by Parlament they haue disputed before the kynges grace that is it perilous and not mete and so concluded that it shall not be vnder a preteÌ„ce of deferring it of certein yeares where M. More was their speciall Orator to fayne lyes for their purpose M. Nothyng discourageth the Clergie so much as that they of the worste sorte most calleth after it Tyndall It might well be Phariseis full of holynesse long not after it but Publicans that hunger after mercy might sore desire it Howbeit it is in very deede a suspect thyng a great signe of an heretike to require it Then he iuggleth with allegories Syr Moses deliuered them all that he had receaued of God that in the mother toung in which all that had the hart therto studied and not the Priests onely as thou mayst see in the Scripture And the Apostles kept nothyng behind as Paul testified Actes xx how he had shewed them all the counsell of God had kept nought backe Shuld the lay people lesse hearken vnto the expositions of the Prelates in doubtfull places if the text were in their handes when they preached M. The Iewes geue great reuerence vnto the Bible and we sit on it Tyndall The Pope putteth it vnder his feete and treadeth on it in tokeÌ„ that he is Lord ouer it that it should serue him and he not it M. God hath ordeined the ordinaries for chief Phisitions Tyndall They be Lawyers ordeined of the Pope and can no more skill of the Scripture then they that neuer saw it ye and haue professed a contrary doctrine They be right hangmen to murther who soeuer desireth for that doctrine that God hath geueÌ„ to be the ordinary of our fayth and liuyng And when he maketh so great difficultie and hardnesse in Paules Epistles I say it is impossible to vnderstand eyther Peter or Paul or ought at all in y e scripture for him that denieth y t iustifiyng of faith in Christes bloud And agayn it is impossible to vnderstaÌ„d in y e scripture more then a Turke for whosoeuer hath not the lawe of God written in his hart to fulfill it Of which pointe and of true faith to I feare me that you are voyde and empty with all your spiritualtie whose defender ye haue taken vppon you to bee for to mocke out the truth for lucre and vauÌ„tage An aunswere to M. Mores fourth booke CHristes church hath the true doctrine already and the selfe same that S. Paule woulde not geue an Angell audience vnto the contrary Tyndall But the Popes Church will not heare that doctrine More Confirmed with such a multitude of miracles and so much bloud of martyrs and commoÌ„ consent of all Christendome Tyndall Who shewed a miracle to confirme his preaching of eare confession and Pardons with like pedlery or who shed his bloud for them I can shew you many thousandes that ye haue slayne for preaching the contrary And agayne Grecia the one halfe of Christendome coÌ„senteth not vnto theÌ„ which Greekes if such thinges had come from the Apostles should haue had them er ye M. The spiritualtie be not so tender eared but that they may heare their sinnes rebuked Tyndall They consent not vnto the way of truth but sinne of malice and of professioÌ„ And therfore as they haue no power to repent euen so can they not but persecute both him that rebuketh them and his doctrine to after the ensamples of the Phariseis and all tyrauntes that begunne before namely if the preacher touch any ground wher by they should be reformed or by what meanes they maintaine their mischief The second Chapter MOre A Fryers liuing that hath maryed a Nunne maketh it easie to know that his doctrine is not good Tyndall The profession of either other is plaine Idolatry and deceauing of a maÌ„s soule and robbing him of his good and taken vpon them ignorauÌ„tly therto Wherfore when they be come vnto the knowledge of the truth they ought no longer therein to abyde but the Popes forbyddyng Matrimony and to eate of meates created of God for mans vse which is deuillishe doctrine by Paules prophesie hys geuing licence to hold whores his continuall occupiyng of Princes in shedding of Christen bloud his robbing of y e poore thoroughout Christendome of all that was geuen to maintaine them his setting vp in Rome a stues not of womeÌ„ onely but of the male kynde also agaynst nature and a thousand abhominations to grosse for a Turke are tokens good inough that he is y e right Antichrist and his doctrine sprong of the deuill More In penaunce Martin saith there needeth no contricion nor satisfaction Tyndall Call it repentaunce and theÌ„ it is contricion of it selfe And as for mendes making with worldly
through yea what thyng maketh both the Turke the Iew abhorre our fayth so much as our imageseruice But the Pope was then glad to finde an occasion to picke a quarell with the Emperour to get the Empire into hys owne handes which thyng he brought to passe with the sword of Fraunce clame so highe that euersence he hath put his own authoritie in stede of Gods word in euery generall Councell and hath concluded what him liste as agaynst all gods word and agaynst all charitie he condemned that blessed dede of that Councell and Emperour M. They blaspheme our Lady and all Saintes Tyndall That is vntrue We honour our blessed Lady and all holye Saintes and folow their fayth and liuing vnto the vttermost of our power and submit our selues to be scholers of the same schole M. They may not abyde Salue regina Tyndall For therin is much blasphe mie vnto our blessed Lady because Christ is our hope and lyse onely and not she And ye in ascribyng vnto her that she is not dishonour God worshyp her not M. They say if a woman beyng alyue beleue in God and loue him as much as our Lady she may helpe with her prayers as much as our Lady Tyndall Tell why not Christ whē it was told him that his mother his brethren sought him aunswered that his mother his sisters and his brethrē were all they that did his fathers will And vnto y e womā that sayd to Christ blessed be the wombe that bare the and pappes that gaue thee sucke Christ answered Nay blessed are they that heare the word of God keepe it As Paule sayth 1. Cor. ix I haue nought to reioyce though I preach for necessitie lyeth vpon me and wo is me if I preach not If I do it vnwillingly an office is committed vnto me but and if I do it with a good will then I haue a reward So now carnall bearyng of Christ and carnall geuyng hym sucke make not our Lady great But our blessed Ladyes greatnesse is her fayth and loue wherein she exceeded other Wherfore if God gaue his mercy that an other woman were in those twoo poyntes equall with her why were she not like great and her prayers as much heard M. Item that men should not worship the holy crosse Tyndall With no false worship and superstitious fayth but as I haue said to haue it in reuerence for the memoriall of him that dyed theron M. Item Luther hateth the festes of the crosse and of Corpus Christi Tyndall Not for enuy of the crosse which sinned not in the death of Christ nor of malice toward the blessed body of Christ but for the idolatrie vsed in those festes M. Item that no man or woman is bound to kepe any vow Tyndall Lawfull vowes are to be kept vntill necessitie breake them But vnlawful vowes are to be broken immediatly M. Martine appealed vnto the next generall Councell that should bee gathered in the holy ghost to seke a long delay Tyndall Of a truth that were a lōg delay For should Martine liue till the Pope would gather a Councell in the holy ghost or for any godly purpose he were like to be for euery heere of hys head a thousand yeares old Then bringeth he in the inconstancie of Martine because he saith in his later booke how that he seeth further then in his first Paraduenture he is kynne to our Doctours whiche when with preachyng agaynste pluralities they haue got them thre or foure benefices alledge the same excuse But yet to say the truth the very Apostles of Christ learned not all truth in one day For long after the Ascention they wist not that the heathē should be receaued vnto the fayth How then could Martin brought vp in the blyndnesse of your sect aboue xl yeares spye out all your falsehead in one day M. Martine offered at Wormes before the Emperour and all the Lordes of Germany to abyde by his booke and to dispute which he might well doe sithens he had his safe conduct that he should haue no bodyly harme Tyndal O mercyful God how come ye out your owne shame ye cā not dispute except ye haue a mā in your owne daunger to do hym bodyly harme to diote him after your fashion to tormēt him and to murther him If ye might haue had him at your pleasure ye wold haue disputed with him first with sophistrie and corrupting the Scripture then with offeryng hym promotions thē with the sword So that ye would haue bene sure to haue ouercome hym with one Argument or other M. He would agree on no Iudges Tyndall What Iudges offered ye hym sane blynd Byshops and Cardinals enemyes of all truth whose promotions and dignities they feare to be plucked from them if the truth came to light or such Iudases as they had corrupt with money to maynteine their sect The Apostles might haue admitted as well the heathen Bishops of Idoles to haue bene their iudges as he them But he offered you autenticke Scripture and the hartes of the whole world Which ij iudges if ye had good consciēces and trust in God ye would not haue refused The iiij Chapter THe fourth Chapter is not the first Poetrie that he hath fayned The v. Chapter IN the end of the fift he vntruly reporteth that Martine sayth no man is bound to kepe any vowe Lawfull promises are to be kept and vnlawfull to he broken The vj. Chapter IN the beginning of the vj. he describeth Martine after the example of his own nature as in other places he describeth God after the complection of Popes Cardinals worldly tyraūts M. Martin will abyde but by the Scripture onely Tyndall And ye will come at no scripture onely And as for the old doctours ye will heare as litle saue where it pleaseth you for all your crying old holy fathers For tell me this why haue ye in England condēned the vnion of Doctours but because ye would not haue your falshead disclosed by the doctrine of them M. They say that a Christen man is discharged of all lawes spirituall and temporall saue the Gospell Tyndall Ye iuggle we say that no Christen man ought to bynde his brother violently vnto any law wherof he could not geue a reason out of Christes doctrine and out of y e law of loue And on the other side we say that a Christen man is called to suffer wrong and tyranny though no man ought to bynde hym vntill God rid vs therof so farre yet as the tyranny is not directly agaynst the law of God and fayth of Christ and no further More Martin was the cause of the destruction of the vplandish people of Germanie Tyndall That is false for then he coulde not haue escaped himselfe Martin was as much the cause of their cōfusion as Christ of the destruction of
all thyng for vauntage leadeth in the darkenesse of death M. Tyndall doth knowe how that S. Augustine and S. Hierome do proue with holy Scripture that confessioÌ„ is of necessitie vnto saluation Tyndall That is false if ye meane eareconfession Why alledge ye not the places where But ye know by S. Hierome and other stories and by the conuersation with Erasmus how it came vp and that the vse was once farre other then now M. I meruell that Tyndal denieth Purgatory except he entend to go to hell Tyndall He entendeth to purge here vnto the vttermost of his power hopeth that death will end and finish hys purgation And if there be any other purgyng he will commit it to God take it as he findeth it when he coÌ„meth at it and in the meane tyme take no thought therefore but for this that is present wherewith all Saintes were purged and were taught so to be And Tyndall marueleth what secret pilles they take to purge them selues whiche not onely will not purge here with the crosse of Christ but also bye out theyr Purgatory therof the pope for a groat or vj. pence The xviij Chapter M. The Clergie doth nothyng vnto the heretikes but as the holy Doctours dyd Tyndall Yes ye put them in your prisons and diote them and handle them after your fashion as temporall tyrauÌ„tes and dispute with them secretly and will not come at light And ye slea theÌ„ for rebukyng you with Gods worde and so did not the old holy Doctours If a man slea his father ye care not But if any man touche one of you though he haue neuer so great an occasion geuen him ye curse him and if he will not submitte him selfe vnto your punishmeÌ„t ye leaue him vnto the temporall power whome ye haue hyred with y e spoyle of his goodes to be your hangman so that he must lose his life for geuyng one of you but a blowe on the cheke M. Saint Paule gaue two heretickes vnto the deuill whiche tormented theyr fleshe whiche was no small punishement and haply he slew them Tyndall O expounder of the Scripture like Hugo Charensis which exposideth haereticum hominem deuita take the hereticke out of his lyfe We read of no payne that he had whom the Corinthians excommunicated and gaue to Sathan to slea his fleshe saue that hee was ashamed of hym selfe and repented when he saw his offence so earnestly taken and so abhorred But ye because ye haue no power to deliuer them to Sathan to blynde theyr myndes ye deliuer theÌ„ to the fire to destroy their flesh that no more is seene of them after then the ashes ¶ FINIS ¶ The practise of papisticall Prelates made by Wylliam Tyndall ¶ In the yeare of our Lorde 1530. ¶ William Tyndall to the Christian Reader WHen the olde Scribes and Phariseis had darckned the Scripture wyth their traditions and false interpretacions and wicked perswasions of fleshly wisdome and shut vp the kingdome of heauen which is Gods word that the people coulde not enter in vnto the knowledge of the true way as Christ complayneth in the Gospell Math. x. iij. Then they sat in the hartes of men with their false doctrine in the stead of God and hys word slew the soules of the people to deuoure their bodyes and to robbe them of their worldly substaunce But when Christ and Iohn the Baptiste had restored the Scripture agayne vnto the true vnderstanding and had vttered their falsehead and improued their tradicions and confounded their false interpretations with the cleare and euident textes and with power of the holy Ghost had brought all their iuggling and hypocrisie to light theÌ„ they gat them vnto the elders of the people perswaded them saying this man is surely of the deuill and hys myracles be of the deuill no doubt And these good workes which he doth in healing the people yea and his preaching against our couetousnes are but a cloke to bring hym vnto hys purpose that when he hath gotteÌ„ him disciples ynow he may rise against the Emperour and make hymselfe kyng And then shall the Romaynes come take our land from vs and cary away our people and put other naâ—ions in our realme and so shall we lose all that we haue and the most part of our liues therto Take heede therefore betimes while there is remedy yer he go so far that ye be not able to resiste hym The elders of the people which were rich and welthy though before they in a maner fauoured Christ or at y â— least way were indifferent nor greatly caryng whether God or the deuil raigned so that they might bide in their authoritie feared immediatly as Herode did of the losse of his kingdome when the wise men asked where the new borne king of Iewed was and conspired with the Scribes and Phariseis against Christ and tooke him and braught him vnto Pilate saying We haue â—ounde this fellow peruerting the people and forbidding to pay tribute vnto Cesar and saying that he is king and mouyng the people from Galile vnto this place The Pilate though he likewise was before indifferent put now in feare of the losse of his office thorow such perswasions slew innocent Christ And in very deede as the Scribes Phariseis were all their liues before blynde guides vnto the destruction of their soules euen so were they at their last ende blinde Prophetes vnto the destruction of their bodyes For after that they had slayne Christ and diuers of his Apostles and persecuted those poore wretches that beleued on hym God to aduenge the poore innocent bloude that bare witnes vnto the truth poured hys wrath among them that they theÌ„selues rose against the Emperour And the Romaynes came according as they blyndly prophesied and slew the most part of them and caryed y e rest captiue into all nacions and put other nacions in the Realme But whose fault was that insurrection against the Emperour and mischiefe that followed Christes and his Apostles whom they falsely accused before hand Nay Christ taught that they shoulde geue Cesar that pertayned vnto Cesar and God that which belonged to God EueÌ„ that they should geue Cesar lawfull their bodely seruice God the hart and that they should loue Gods law repent of their euill come and receaue mercy and let the wrath of god be taken from of them And the Apostles taught that all soules should obey the hyer powers or temporall rulers but their obstinate malice that so hardened their harâ—s that they coulde not repent and their raylyng vppon the open and manifest with which they coulde not improue and resisting the holy Ghost and sleying of the preachers of righteousnes brought the wrath of God vpoÌ„ theÌ„ and was cause of their vtter destruction Euen so our Scribes and Pharises now that their hypocrisie is disclosed and there falshead so brought
to light that it can no lōger be hid get thē vnto the elders of the people the Lordes gentlemen and temporall officers and to all that loue this worlde as they do and vnto whosoeuer is great wyth the kyng and vnto the kyngs grace himselfe and after the same ensample and wyth the same perswasions cast them into like feare of losing of their worldly dominions and rore vnto them saying ye be negligent and care nothing ot all but haue a good sport that the heretickes rayle on vs. But geue thē space a while till they be growen vnto a multitude and then ye shall see them preach as fast against you and moue the people agaynst you and do their beste to thruste you downe also and shall cry hauocke and make all common O generation of serpentes how well declare ye that ye be the right sonnes of the father of all lyes For they which ye call heretickes preach nothing saue that which our Sauiour Iesus Christ preached and his Apostles adding nought therto nor plucking ought therfro as the Scripture commaundeth and teach all men repentaunce to God and his holy lawe and fayth vnto our Sauiour Iesus Christ and the promises of mercy made in hym and obedience vnto all that God commaundeth to obey Neyther teach we so much as to resiste your most cruell tyranny with bodely violence saue wyth Gods worde onely entending nothing but to driue you out of the temple of Christ the harts consciences and soules of mē wherein with your falshead ye sit and to restore agayne Iesus our Sauiour vnto his possession and inheritaunce bought with his bloude whence ye haue driuen him out with your manifolde wyles and subtiltie Take heede therefore wicked Prelates blynde leaders of the blynde indurat and obstinate hypocrites take heede For if the Phariseis for their resisting the holy Ghost that is to say persecuting the open and manifest truth and sleying the preachers therof escaped not the wrath vengeaunce of god how shall ye scape which are farre worse thē the Phariseis For though the Phariseis had shut vp the Scripture and set vp theyr owne professions yet they kept theyr owne professions for the most part But ye will be the chiefest in Christes flocke and yet wyll not keepe one iot of the right way of his doctrine Ye haue therto set vp wonderfull professions to be more holy therby thē ye thinke that Christes doctrine is able to make you and yet keepe as little thereof except it be with dispensations in so much that if a man aske you what your maruelous fashioned playing coates and your other popatrye meane and what your disfigured heades all your Apishplay meane ye know not and yet are they but signes of thinges which ye haue professed Thyrdly ye will be Papistes and holde of the Pope and yet looke in the Popes lawe and ye keepe thereof almost nought at all but whatsoeuer soundeth to make for your bellyes and to maintaine your honour whether in the Scripture or in your owne traditions or in the Popes lawe that ye compell the laye people to obserue violently threatening them with your excommunications and cursses that they shal be damned both body and soule if they keepe them not And if that helpe you not then ye murther them mercilesly with the sworde of the temporall powers whom ye haue made so blinde that they be ready to sley whom ye cōmaūde and will not yet heare his cause examined nor geue him roome to aunswere for himselse And ye elders of the people feare ye God also For as the elders of the Iewes which were partakers with the Scribes and Phariseis in resisting the holy Ghost and in persecuting the open truth and sleying the witnesses therof and in prouoking the wrath of God had their parte with them also in the day of wrath and sharpe vengeaunce which shortly after fell vppon them as the nature of the sinne against the holy Ghost is haue her damnation not onely in the worlde to come but also in this life according vnto all the ensamples of the Bible and autenticke stories since the worlde beganne euen likewise ye if ye will wincke in so open cleare light and let your selues be led blyndfold and haue your part with the hypocrites in lyke sinne and mischief be sure ye shall haue your part with them in lyke wrath and vengeance that is like shortly to fall vpon them And concernyng that the hypocrites put you in feare of the rising of your commons agaynst you I aunswere if ye feare your cōmōs so testifie ye agaynst your selues that ye are tyrauntes For if your consciences accused you not of euill doyng what neede ye to feare your commons What commons was euer so euil that they rose against their heads for well doyng Moreouer ye witnesse agaynst your selues also that ye haue no trust in God For he hath promised the temporall officers assistence if they minister their offices truly and to care for the keepyng of thē as much as they care for to kepe his lawes The hypocrites happly byd you take an example of the Vplanoish people of Almany which they lye that Martin Luther styrred vp For first what one sentence in all the writyng of Martin Luther finde they that teacheth a mā to resist his superiour Moreouer if Martin Luther and the preachers had styrred vp the common people of Germany how happened it that Martin Luther other like preachers had not perished likewise with them whiche are yet all alyue at this houre Ye will aske me who styrred thē vp them I aske you Who styrred vp the commōs of the Iewes to resiste the Emperour after that the Scribes and Phariseis with the Elders of the people had slayne Christ his Apostles Verely the wrath of God And euen so here the wrath of God styrred them vp partly to destroy the enemyes and persecutours of the truth and partly to take vengeaunce on those carnall beastes whiche abused the Gospell of Christ to make a cloke of it to defend their fleshly libertie and not to obey it and to saue their soules therby If Kynges Lordes and great men therfore feare the losse of this worlde Let them feare God also For in fearyng God shall they prolong their dayes vpon the earth and not with sightyng agaynst God The earth is Gods onely his fauour and mercy doth prolong the dayes of kynges in their estate not their owne power and might And let all men be they neuer so great hearkē vnto this and let this be an aunswere vnto them Wicked kyng Achab sayd vnto the Prophet Elias Art thou he that troublest Israell And Elias aūswered it is not I that trouble Israell but thou and thy fathers houshold in that ye haue forsaken the commaundementes of the Lord and folow Idoles Euen so the preachers of the truth which rebuke sinne are not the troublers of
thou feâ—e theÌ„ and that thine hart mourne for them and that with al thy power thou helpe to amende them and cease not to crye to God for theÌ„ neither day nor night and that thou let nothing be founde in thee that any man may rebuke but whatsoeuer thou teachest them that â—e thou and that thou be not a Wolfe in a Lambes skinne as our holy â—ather y e Pope is which commeth vnto vs in a name of hypocrisie and in the â—…e of curssed Cham or Ham calling hymselfe Seruus seruorum the seruaunt of all seruauntes and is yet founde tyrannus tyraâ—norum of all tyrauntes y e most cruell This is to receaue young children in Christes name and to receaue young children in Christes name is to beare rule in the kingdome of Christ Thus ye see that Christes kingdome is all together spirituall and the bearing of rule in it is cleane coÌ„trary vnto the bearing of rule temporally Wherfore none that beareth rule in it may haue any temporall iurisdiction or minister any temporall office that requireth violence to compell withall ¶ Peter was not greater then the other Apostles by any authoritie geuen him of Christ THey saye that Peter was chiefe of the Apostles verely as Appeâ—â—â—s was called chief of Painters for his excellent cunninge aboue other euen so Peter may be called chiefe of the Apostles for his actiuitie and boldnes aboue the other but that Peter had any auctoritie or rule ouer his brethren and felow Apostles is false and contrary to y e scripture Christ forbad it the last euen before his passion and in diuers tunes before and taught alway the contrary as I haue rehearsed Thou wilt say thou caust not see how there should be any good order in that kyngdome where none were better then other and where the superior had not a lawe and authoritie to compell the inferior with violeÌ„ce The worlde truely can see no other way to rule then with violence For there no man absteineth from euil but for feare because the loue of righteousnes is not written in their hartes And therefore the Popes kingdome is of the world For there one sorte are your grace your holines your fatherhode An other my Lord Byshop my Lord Abbot my Lord Pryor An other master Doctour Father Bachelar mayster Parson maister Vicar and at the last commeth in simple syr Iohn And euery man raigneth ouer other wyth might and haue euery ruler his prison his iayler his chaynes his tormentes euen so much as the Fryers obâ—eruauntes obserue that rule and compell euery man other with violeÌ„ce aboue the cruelnesse of the heathen tyrauntes so that what commeth once in may neuer out for feare of telling taâ—es out of schole They rule ouer the bodye with violence and compell 〈◊〉 whether the harte will or not to obserue thinges of their owne making But in the kingdome of God it is contrary For the spirite that bringeth them thether maketh them wilâ—ing and geueth them lust vnto the law of God loue coÌ„pelleth them to worke and loue maketh euerty maÌ„s good all that he can do coÌ„mune vnto his neighbours nede And as euery maÌ„ is stroÌ„g in that kyngdome so loue compelleth him to take the weake by the hand and to helpe hym and to take him that can not go vppon his shoulders and beare him And so to do seruice vnto the weaker is to beare rule in that kingdome And because Peter did excede the other Apostles in ferueÌ„t seruice toward his brethren therefore is â—e called noâ— in the Scripture but in the vse of speakyng the chiefest of the Apostles not that he had any dominion ouer them Of which truth thou mayst see also the practise in the Actes of the Apostles after the resurrection For when Peter had bene and preached in the house of Cornelius an heathen maÌ„ the other that were Circumcised chode him because he had bene in an vncircumcised mans house had eaten with him for it was forbidden in the law neither wist they yet that the heathen should be called And Peter was fayne to geue accountes vnto them which is no token of superioritie and to shew them how he was warned of the holy ghost so to do Actes xj And Actes xv when a CouÌ„cell was gathered of the Apostles and disciples about the Circumcision of the heatheÌ„ Peter brought forth not his commauÌ„dement and the authoritie of his Vicarshyp but the miracle that the holy ghost had shewed for the heathen how at y â— preachyng of the Gospell the holy ghost had lighted vppon them and purified â—heir hartes through fayth and therefore proued that they ought not to be Circumcised And Paule and Barnabas brought soorth the miracles also that God had shewed by them among the heathen through preachyng of saith And then Iames brought soorth a prophecie of the olde Testament for the sayd part And therewith the aduersaries gaue ouer their hold and they coÌ„cluded with one assent by the authoritie of the scripture and of the holy ghost that the heathen should not be Circumcised not by the commaundement of Peter vnder payne of cursing excommunicatioÌ„ 〈◊〉 interditing and like bugges to make fooles and children afrayed withall And Actes viij Peter was sent of the other Apostles vnto the Samaritanes whiche is an euident token that he had no iurisdiction ouer them for then they could not haue sent him But rather as the truth is that the congregation had authoritie ouer him ouer all other priuate persones to admitte them for ministers and send them forth to preach whether so euer the spirite of God moued them and as they saw occasion And in the Epistle vnto the Galathians thou seest also how Paule corrected Peter when he walked not the straight way after the truth of the Gospel So now thou seest that in the kingdome of Christ and in his Churche or congregation and in his couÌ„sels the ruler is the Scripture approued through the miracles of the holy ghost and men be seruauntes onely and Christ is the head and we all brethren And wheÌ„ we call men our heades that we do not be cause they be shorne or shauen or because of their names Parson Vicare Byshop Pope But onely because of the word whiche they preach If they erre froÌ„ the word theÌ„ may whosoeuer God moueth his hart play Paule and correct hym If he will not obey the Scripture then haue his brethren authoritie by the Scripture to put hym downe and send hym out of Christes Church among the heretickes whiche preferre their false doctrine aboue the true word of Christ ¶ How the Gospell punisheth trespassers and how by the Gospell we ought to go to law with our aduersaries THough that they of Christes coÌ„gregation be all willyng yet because that the most paâ—t is alway weake because also that the occasions of the world be euer many and great in so much that
and he will therto consider our mekenes and what soeuer chaunceth neuer taketh away hys mercy till we cast of the yoke of our profession first and runne away with vtter defiaunce that we will neuer come more at schole Then our stubburne and hard hartes mollifie waxe soft and in the confidēce and hope that we haue in Christ and his kindnes we go to God boldly as vnto our father and receaue life that is to say loue vnto God and vnto the law also That whiche we haue seene and heard we declare vnto you that ye may haue felowshyppe with vs and that our felowshyppe may be with the father and with his sonne Iesus Christ And these thynges we write vnto you that your ioye may be full To bryng vnto the felowshyp of God and Christ and of them that beleue in Christ is the finall intent of all the Scripture why it was giuen of God vnto man and the onely thyng which all true preachers seke wherby ye shall euer know and discerne the true word of God from all false and counterfayted doctrine of vayne traditions the true preacher from the wylie hypocrite We preache vnto you sayth Iohn y t euerlastyng lyfe which we haue heard and in hearyng receaued through fayth and are sure of it to draw you to vs out of the felowshyp that ye haue with the damned deuils in sinnefull lustes and ignoraunce of God for we seeke you and not yours as sayth Paul ij Cor. xij We loue you as our selues in God therfore wold haue you felowes and equall with vs build you vpon the foundation layd of the Apostles and Prophetes which is Christ ▪ Iesus and make you of the houshold of God for euer that ye and we felowes and brethren and coupled together in one spirit in one fayth and in one hope might haue our felowship thereby with God and become his sonnes heyres with Iesus Christ beyng his brethren and coheyres and to make your ioy ful through that glad tydinges as the aungell sayd vnto the shepheardes Luke ij Behold I shew you great ioye that shal be vnto all the people how that there is a Sauiour borne vnto you this day whiche is Christ the Lord. And these tydinges we bryng you with the worde of God onely which we receaued of his spirit and out of the mouth of his sonne as true messengers We preach not our selues but Christ our Lord and vs your seruauntes for hys sake we do not loue our selues to seke yours vnto vs that after we had with wiles robbed you of all ye haue we should exalte our selues ouer you separate our selues frō you and make our selues a seuerall kyngdome free and frāke raygnyng ouer you as heathen tyrauntes holdyng you in bondage to serue our lucre and lustes tanglyng your conscience with doctrine of man whiche draweth from God and Christ and fearing you with the bugge of excommunication agaynste Gods word Or if that serued not shakyng a sword at you And this is the tydinges whiche we haue heard of hym and declare vnto you that God is lyght and in hym is no darknes at all If we say that we haue felowshyp with hym and yet walke in darkenes we lye and do not the truth But and if we walke in light as he is in light then haue we felowshyp together and the bloud of Christ his sonne clenseth vs from all sinne As the deuill is darknes and lyes so is God light and truth onely and there is no darknes of falshead consentyng to wickednes in hym And the brightnes of his light is his word and doctrine as the. C. and. xix Psalme sayth Thy worde is a lanterne vnto my feete a light to my pathes And Christe is the light that lightneth all men And the Apostles are called the light of the world because of the doctrine And all that knowe truth are light Ye were once darkenes sayth Paule Ephes v. but now light in the Lord walke therfore as the children of lyght And good workes are called the frutes of light And all that lyue in ignoraūce are called darknes as he sayth afterward he that hateth his brother walketh in darknes For if the light of the glorious Gospell of Christe dyd shyne in his hart he could not hate his brother By walking vnderstande consenting doing and working If then we walke in darcknes that is consent and worke wickednes and say we haue felowship with God we ly For to haue felowship with him is to knowe and consent and professe his doctrine in our hartes Now if the commaundementes of GOD bee written in our hartes our members can not but practise thē shew the fruite So whether light or darknes be in the hart it will appeare in y t walking For though our members be neuer so dead vnto vertue yet if our soules knowledge the truth consent vnto righteousnes we haue the sprite of life in vs. And Paule sayth Rom. viij If the spirite of him y t raysed vp Iesus from death be in you thē wil he y t raised vp Iesus frō death quicken your mortall bodies by the reasō of the spirit that dwelleth in you So that it is not possible for him that knoweth the truth consenteth thereto to continue in sinne And then finally if we haue the light in our harts and walke therein then we haue fellowship with God and are his sonnes and heires and are purged from all sinne through Christes bloud If we say we haue no sinne we deceaue our selues and trueth is not in vs. If we think there is no sinne in vs we are beguiled and blinde and the light of Gods word is not in vs and eyther folow sinne as beastes without consciēce at all Or if we see the grosse sinnes as murther theft and adultery yet we haue hanged a vayle of false gloses vpon Moses face and see not the brightnes of the law how that it requireth of vs as pure an hart to God and as great loue vnto our neighbours as was in our sauiour Iesus ceaseth not before to condemne vs as sinners If we knowledge our sinnes he is faythfull and iust to forgeeue vs our sinnes and to clense vs from all vnrigh teousnes If we confesse our sinnes not in the preistes eare though that tradition restored vnto the right vse were not dānable but in our hartes to God with true repentaunce and fast beleife then is he faythfull to forgeue and to purge vs because of his mercifull truth and promise For he promised Abraham that in his seede all the worlde should be blessed from the curse of sinne And hath aboundantly renued his euerlasting mercy vnto vs in the new testament promising that our sinnes shall be forgeuen vs in Christes bloud if we repent and trust thereto If we say we haue not sinned we make him a lyer and hys woord is not in vs. For his
worke And that Christ hath done this seruice in his flesh deny all the members of Antichrist And hereby thou shalt know them All doctrine that buildeth thee vpon Christ to put thy trust and confidence in his bloud is of God and true doctrine And all doctrine that withdraweth thyne hope and trust froÌ„ Christ is of the deuill and the doctrine of Antichrist Examine y â— Pope by this rule and thou shalt finde that all hee doth is to the destructioÌ„ of this article He wresteth all the Scriptures setteth them cleane agaynst the woll to destroy this article He ministreth the very Sacramentes of Christ vnto the destruction of this article and so doth he all other ceremonies and his absolution penaunce purgatorie dispensations pardoÌ„s vowes with all disguisings The Pope preacheth that Christ is come to do away sinnes yet not in the flesh but in water salt oyle caÌ„dles bowes asshes friers coates and monkes cowles and in the vowes of theÌ„ that forâ—were matrunonie to keepe whores and swere beggerie to possesse all the treasure riches wealth pleasures of the world and haue vowed obedience to disobey with authoritie all the lawes both of God and man For in these hypocritish and false sacrifices teacheth he vs to trust for the forgiuenes of sinnes not in Christes flesh Ye are of God litle childreÌ„ and haue ouercome them For greater is he that is in you then he that is in the world He that dwelleth in you and worketh in you through fayth is greater then he whiche dwelleth and worketh in them through vnbelefe And in hys strength ye abyde by your profession and coÌ„fesse your Lord Iesus how that he is come in the flesh and hath purged the sinne of all that beleue in his flesh And through that fayth ye ouercome them in the very tormentes of death So that neither their iugglinges neither their pleasures neither their thretnynges or their tormentes or the very death wherewith they slay your bodies can preuayle agaynst you They be of the world and therfore they speake of the world and the world atteÌ„deth vnto them We bee of God and hee that knoweth God heareth vs. And he that is not of God heareth vs not And hereby we know the spirit of truth and the spirite of errour There be and euer shal be two generations in the world one of the deuill which naturally hearken vnto the false Apostles of the deuill because they speake so agreable vnto their naturall complection And an other of God which hearken vnto the true Apostles of God consent vnto their doctrine And this is a sure rule to indge spirites with all that we indge them to haue the spirite of truth which hearkeÌ„ vnto y t true doctrine of Christes Apostles them to haue the spirite of errour which hearken vnto worldly and deuilish doctrine abhorryng the preathing of the Apostles And looke hether the Popes doctrine bee worldly or no if pride and couetousnes be worldly yea and secherie to For what other is all his doctrine then of benefices promotions dignities byshoprikes cardinallshyps vicarages parsonages prebendes chaunge of bishoprikes and resignyng of benefices of vnions pluralities totquots and that which coÌ„meth once into their handes may not out agayn yea and of whores and concubines and of captiuyng of consciences for couetousnes all that hearken to that doctrine abhorre the doctrine of the Apostles and persecute it and them that preach it Dearely beloued let vs loue one an other for loue is of God And all that loue are borne of God and knowe God And he that loueth not knoweth not God for God is loue Iohn singeth his old song agayne and teacheth an infallible and sure token which we may see and feele at our fingers endes and therby be out of all doubt that our fayth is vnfayned and that we knowe God and be borne of God and that we hearkeÌ„ vnto the doctrine of the Apostles purely and godly not of any curiositie to seke glorie and honour therein vnto our selues to make a cloke therof to couer our couetousnes and filthy lustes Whiche token is if we loue one an other For the loue of a mans neighbour vnfaynedly spryngeth out of the vnfayned knowledge of God in Christes bloud By which knowledge we be borne of God loue God and our neighbours for his sake And so he that loueth hys neighbour vnfaynedly is sure of him selfe that he knoweth God and is of God vnfaynedly And contrarywise he that loueth not knoweth not God For God in Christes bloud is such a loue that if a man saw it it were impossible that he should not breake out into the loue of God agayne of his neighbour for his sake Herein appeared the loue of God vnto vs warde because God seÌ„t his onely sonne into the world that we should liue through hym Herein is loue not that we loued God but that he loued vs and sent hys sonne a satisfaction for our synnes If a man had once felt within in his conscience the fierce wrath of God towarde sinners and the terrible most cruell damnation that the law threatneth and then beheld with the eyes of a strong fayth the mercy fauour and grace the takyng away of the damnation of the law and restoryng agayne of life frely offred vs in Christs bloud he should perceaue loue and so much the more that it was shewed vs when we were sinners and enemies to God Roma 5. and that without all deseruyngs without our endeuouryng enforcyng and preparyng our selues and without all good motions qualities properties of our frewill But when our hartes were as dead vnto all good workyng as the meÌ„bers of him whose soule is departed whiche thyng to proue and to stoppe the blasphemous mouthes of all our aduersaries I will of innumerable textes rehearse one in the beginnyng of the second chapter to the Ephes where Paule sayth thus Ye were dead in trespasse sinne in which ye walked accordyng to the course of the world and after the gouernour that ruleth in the ayre the spirite that worketh in the children of vnbelefe amoÌ„g which we also had our conuersation in tyme past in the lustes of our flesh and fulfilled the lustes of the fleshe and of the mynde so that the fleshe and the mynde were agreed both to sinne and the mynde consented as well as the flesh and were by nature the children of wrath as well as other But God beyng rich in mercy through the great loue wherwith he loued vs euen wheÌ„ we were dead in sinne hath quickened vs with Christ for by grace are ye saued and with hym hath raysed vs vp and with him hath made vs sit in heauenly thynges through Iesus Christ for to shew in tyme to come the exceding riches of his grace in kyndnes to vs ward in Iesus Christ For by grace are ye saued through fayth that not of your selues for
was and how such ceremonies came vp and whence they had their begynnyng and what the frute thereof is and what is therin to be sought And though this were inough so that I might here wel cease yet because the vnquiet scrupulous and superstitious nature of man wholy giuen to Idolatrie hath styrred vp such traditions about this one Sacrament most specially I cannot but speake therof somewhat more and declare what my conscience thinketh in this matter Ye shall vnderstand therfore that there is great dissention and three opinions about the woordes of Christ where he sayth in pronouncyng the testament ouer the bread This is my body And in pronouncyng it ouer the wyne This is my bloud One part say that these woordes This is my body This is my bloud compell vs to beleue vnder payne of damnation that the bread and wyne are chaunged into the very body and bloud of Christ really As the water at Cana Galilee was turned into very wyne The second part sayth we be not bound to beleue that bread and wyne are chaunged but onely that his body and bloud are there presently The thyrd say we be bound by these woordes onely to beleue that Christes body was broken and hys bloudshed for the remissiō of our sinnes and that there is no other satisfaction for sinne then the death and passion of Christ The first say these woordes This is my body This is my bloud compell vs to beleue that thynges there shewed are the very body and bloud of Christ really But bread and wyne say they cannot be Christes naturall body ther fore the bread and wyne are chaunged turned altered and transubstantiated into the very body bloud of Christ And they of this opinion haue busied them selues in seekyng subtilties and similitudes to proue how the very body and bloud might be there vnder the similitude of bread and wine onely the very bread and wyne beyng thus trāsubstantiated And these men haue ben so occupyed in slaying all that wil not captiue their wits to beleue them that they neuer taught nor vnderstode that the Sacrament is an absolution to all that therby beleue in the body bloud of Christ The second part graunt with the first that the wordes compel vs to beleue that the things shewed in the Sacrament are the very body and bloud of Christ But where the first say bread and wine cannot be the very body and bloud of Christ There they vary and dissent from them affirming that bread and wine may and also is Christes body really and very bloud of Christ and say that it is as true to say that bread is Christes body and that wyne is hys bloud as it is true to say Christ beyng a very mā is also very God And they say as the Godhead and manhode in Christ are in such maner coupled togegether that mā is very God and God very man Euen so the very body and the bread are so coupled that it is as true to say that bread is the body of Christ and the bloud so annexed there with the wyne that it is euen as true to say that the wyne is Christes bloud The first though they haue slayne so many in and for the defence of their opinion yet they are ready to receiue the second sort to fellowshyp not greatly striuyng with them or abhorryng the presence of bread and wyne with the very body and bloud so that they yee by that meanes may keepe hym there still and hope to sell hym as deare as before and also some to bye hym and not to minish the price The thyrd sort affirme that the wordes meane no more but onely that we beleue by the thyngs that are there shewed that Christes body was brokē and his bloud shed for our sinnes if we will forsake our sinnes turne to God to kepe his law And they say that these sayinges This is my body and This is my bloud shewyng bread wyne are true as Christ meant them and as the people of that countrey to whō Christ spake were accustomed to vnderstand such wordes and as the Scripture vseth in a thousand places to speake As when one of vs sayth I haue dronke a cup of good wyne that saying is true as the mā meant that he dranke wyne onely and not the cup whiche wordes happely in some other nations eares would sound that he dranke the cuppe And as when we say of a child This is such a mans very face the wordes are true as the maner of our land is to vnderstand them that the face of the one is very like the other And as whē we say he gaue me his fayth and hys truth in my hand the wordes are true as we vnderstand them that he stroke handes with me or gaue earnest in signe or token that he would byde by his promise For the fayth of a mā doth alway rest in his soule and cannot be giuen out though we giues signes and tokens of them Euen so say they we haue a thousād examples in the Scripture where signes are named with names of thynges signified by them As Iacob called the place where hee saw the Lord face to face Phenyell that is Gods face when he saw the Lord face to face Now it is true to say of that field that it is Gods face though it be not his very face The same field was so called to signifie that Iacob there saw God face to face The chief hold and principall ancre that the two first haue is these words This is my body This is my bloud Vnto these the third aunswereth as is aboue sayd other textes they alledge for them selues whiche not onely do not strength their cause but rather make it worse As in y e sixt of Iohn which they draw and wrest to the carnall and flesh ly eating of Christes body in y e mouth when it onely meaneth of this eatyng by fayth For when Christ sayd except ye eate the flesh of the sonne of mā and drinke hys bloud ye haue no lyfe in you This cannot be vnderstanded of the Sacrament For Abraham had life and all the old holy fathers Christes mother Elizabeth Zacharias Iohn Baptist Symeon Anna and all the Apostles had lyfe already by fayth in Christ Of which not one had eatē hys flesh and dronke his bloud with theyr bodily mouthes But truth it is that the righteous liueth by his fayth Ergo to beleue and trust in Christes bloud is the eatyng that there was meant as the texte well proueth if they say we graunt that life commeth by faith but we all that beleue must be Baptised to keepe the law and to keepe the couenaunt in mynde Euen so all that lyueth by fayth must receiue the Sacrament I aunswere The Sacrament is a confirmation to weake consciences and in no wise to be despised howbeit many haue lyued by fayth in the wildernes whiche in 20. 30.
beleued in Christ to bee incarnated and to suffer death what els meant the poore woman of Lanane by eating then to beleue whē she aunswered Christ saying Ye say soth my Lorde But yet doe the little whelpes eate of the crummes that fall from their maisters table This dyd she aunswere in an allegory accordyng to Christes first aunswere vnto her she meanyng by y t eatyng of the crummes the belief of his woordes and Gospell to be scattered among the Gentils as Christ aunsweryng cōfirmed her meanyng saying O woman great is thy fayth He sayd not thou art a great eater and deuourer of bread Here it is playne that to eate in the Scripture is taken to beleue as Christ him selfe expoundeth it so oft and so plentuously And I am here compelled to inculke iterate it with so many wordes to satisfie if it were possible this carnall fleshvowerer and fleshly Iew. Now to examine and to discusse this matter more depely playnly I shall compare the old passeouer with the new and supper of the Lord. And to shew you how the figures correspond their verities I will begyn my comparison at Baptisme comparyng it with the Lordes Supper which be the two Sacramentes left vs now vnder the grace of the Gospell And afterward to set foorth both these Sacramentes playnly I wil compare Circumcision with Baptisme the passe lambe with Christes Supper We by Baptisme as we testified vn to the congregation our entryng into the body of Christ take here Christes body as doth Paule for his congregation to dye to be buried and to ryse with him to mortifie our flesh and to be reuiued in spirite to cast of the old man and to do vpon vs the new euen so by the thankes giuyng for so did the old Greke doctours cal this Supper at Gods bourde or at the Lordes Supper for so doth Paule call it we testifie the vnitie and communion of our hartes glued vnto the whole body of Christ in loue yea and that such loue as Christ at this his last Supper expressed what tyme he sayd his body should be broken and his bloud shed for the remission of our sinnes And to be short As Baptisme is the badge of our fayth so is the Lordes Supper the token of our loue to God our neighbours where vppon standeth the law and the Prophetes For the end of the precept is loue out of a pure hart and good conscience and fayth vnfayned So that by baptisme we be initiated cōsigned vnto the worship of one God in one fayth And by the same faith and loue at the Lordes Supper we shew our selues to cōtinue in our possession to bee incorporated and to be the very members of Christes body Both these Sacramentes were figured in Moyses law Baptisme was figured by Circumcision the Lordes Supper by the eatyng of the passelambe Where lyke as by Circumcisiō the people of Israell were rekened to be Gods people seueral from the Gētiles so be we now by Baptisme rekened to bee consigned vnto Christes Church seuerall frō Iewes paynyms c. And as their passeouer that is to say their solēne feast yearely in eatyng their passelambe was an outward token of their perseueraunce in their religion and in remembraunce of their passage out of Egypt into the lande of Chanaan so is now the eatyng of the Lordes Supper whiche Christ and Paule called our passeouer a token of our perseueraunce in our Christen profession at Baptisme and also thankes giuyng with that ioyfull remēbraunce of our redemption frō sinne death and hell by Christes death Of the figure of this Supper our new passeouer thus it is written After ye be entred into that land whiche the Lord God shall giue you accordyng to his promise ye shall kepe this ceremonie And when your children aske you what Religion is this ye shall aunswere them It is the sacrifice of the passyng ouer of the Lord when the Lord passed foorth by the houses of the children of Israell in Egypt smityng the Egyptiās and deliuering our houses This eatyng therfore of the passe lambe was the figure of the Lordes Supper ▪ whiche figure when the houre was come y ◠he would it to ceasse and giue place vnto the veritie as the shadow to vanish away at the presence of the body He sayd thus with a feruent desire do I long to eate this passeouer with you ere I suffer Agayne let vs compare the figure with the truth the old passeouer with the new and diligētly consider the propertie of speakyng in and of either of thē Let vs expende the succession imitation and tyme how the new succeding the old mediatour Christ betwen both sitting at the Supper celebrating both with his presence did put out the old and bryng in the new For there is in either of them such like composition of wordes such affinitie and proportiō of spech such similitude and propertie in them both the new so correspōdyng in all thynges to the old that the old declareth the new what is it wherfore it was instituted and what is the very vse therof And to begyn at Circumcision the figure of Baptisme ye shall vn derstand that in such rites and Sacramētes there are two thinges to be considered that is to wit The thyng and the signe and of thyng The thynge is it wherfore the signe is instituted to signifie it as in Circumcision the thyng is the couenaunt to be of the people of God and the signe is the cuttyng of the foreskinne of the preuy mēber In the passeouer the thing was the remēbraunce with thankes giuyng for the deliueraunce out of the hard seruitude of Egypt but the signe was the lambe rosted with such ceremonies as were there prescribed them So in baptisme The thyng is the promise to be of the Church of Christ the signe is the dippyng into the water with the holy wordes In our Lordes Supper the very thing is Christ promised and crucified and of faith with thankes giuing vnto the father for his sonne giuen to suffer for vs. But the signe is the dealyng and distributing or reaching forth of the bread and wyne with the holy wordes of our Lord spoken at his supper after he had thus dealt the bread wyne vnto his Disciples And here is it diligently to be noted That in all such rites ceremonies or Sacramentes of God thus instituted these two thinges that is to witte the thyng signified and the signe that signifieth be concurraunt and inseparable It is the common vse and propertie of spech in the Scripture to call the signe the thyng As is Circumcision called the couenaunt Euery manchild must be circumcised that my couenaunt might be in your flesh for a perpetuall bande And yet was it onely but the outward signe seale of the couenaūt that the sede of Abraham should be his especial chosen people that he would
make aunswere to thus Supper of the Lorde bringyng â—o â—or them their vnwritteÌ„ wordes dedes dreames for we haue compelled More with shame to flitte froÌ„ the Scripture strewed with their vame straunge termes which Paul damneth and geueth Timothe warning of I shall by gods grace so set the almighty word of God against them that all Christen shall see falshead and deceite in this SacrameÌ„t and so disclose theyr deuilish doctrine and fleighty iugglyng that all that can read Englishe shall see the trouth of Gods word openly beare downe their vnwritten lyes For it is verely the thyng that I desire euen to be written agaynst in this matter for I haue the solutions of all theyr obiections ready And know right well that the more they styrre this Sacrament the broder shall theyr lyes be spread the more shal theyr falsehead appeare and the more gloriously shall the trouth triumph as it is to see this day by long contention in this same and other lyke Articles which the Papistes haue so long abused and how More hys lyes vtter the truth euery day more and more For had he not come beggyng for the Clergy from Purgatory with his supplication of soules and Rastel and Rochester had they not so wysely played theyr partes Purgatory peraduenture had serued them yet another yeare neither had it so soone haue bene quenched nor the poore soule and Proctour there bene with his bloudy Byshop ChristeÌ„â—atte so farre coniured into hys owne Vtopia with a sachell about hys necke to gather for the proude Priestes in Synagoga Papistica When Christ was ascended into heauen and had sent his Apostles the spirite of truth to leade them into all truth perteinyng vnto our saluation euen â—nto hym that sayd I am the truth of whiche truth hee instructed them after his resurrection Luke xxiiij and they had preached the same truth nowe at IerusaleÌ„ Actes ij at which preachyng there were that receiued their wordes and were Baptised about iij. M. hys Apostles remembryng how their maistâ—â— Christ at his last Supper did institute and leaue them this holy Sacrament of his body and bloud to be celeâ—â—ated and done in his remembraunce among such as had receiued his Gospell were Baptised had professed hys fayth and would perseuer in his Religion dyd now in this first congregation celebrate the Lordes Supper breakyng the bread and eatyng it as Christ dyd teach them which Supper Luke and Paule called afterward the breakyng of the bread As Actes ij saying That they which gladly had now received Peters acte were baptised were perseuering in the doctrine of the Apostles and in the communioÌ„ and in the breakyng of the bread and in prayer whiche Sacrament was now a token of the perseueraunce in theyr Christen Religion now professed Of this breakyng of bread Luke writyng of Paule commyng vnto Troades sayth also that their vpon a Sabboth day when the Disciples were come together vnto the breakyng of the bread Paule made a Germon duryng to mydnight c. And that this was no common nor prophane vse but an heauenly Sacrament and a reuerent rite and vsage the circumstaunces of the action declare both in Luke and Paule shewyngit to be the very institutioÌ„ that Christ ordeyned at his Supper Paule thus recitynge this breakyng of the breake saying The bread whiche we breade is it not the felowshyp of the body of Christ y t is to say doth it not signifie vs to be the body of Christ that is hys congregation and people as doth the wordes folowyng declare Paule addyng the cause saying For we beyng many are all together siguified by the one loafe to be one body for that we be partakers of the same bread Also before he calleth in the same Supper the cup of thankes geuyng the felowshyp of the bloud of Christ that is to say the congregation redemed with Christes bloud The holy Sacrament therefore would God it were restored vnto the pure vse as y e Apostles vsed in it their tyme. Would God the secular princes which should be the very pastours and head rulers of their congregations coÌ„mitted vnto their cure would first coÌ„maunde or suffer the true preachers of Gods woorde to preache the Gospell purely and playnly with discrete libertie and constitute ouer eche particulare Parish such Curates as caÌ„ and would preach the word and that once or twise in the Weeke appoyntyng vnto theyr flocke certeyne dayes after their discretion and zeale to Godward to come together to celebrate the Lordes Supper At the which assemble the Curate would propone and declare them first this texte of Paule i. Corinthians xj So oft as ye shall eate this bread and drinke of this cuppe see that ye be ioyous prayse and giue thankes preachyng the death of the Lord c. whiche declared and euery one exhorted to prayer he would preach them purely Christ to haue dyed and bene offered vpon the altare of the Crosse for theyr redemption whiche onely oblation to be sufficieÌ„t sacrifice to peace the fathers wrath and to purge all the sinnes of the world Then to excite them with humble diligence euery man vnto the knowledge of hym selfe hys sinnes and to beleue and trust to the forgyuenesse in Christes bloud and for this so incomparable benefite of our redemption whiche were sold bondemen to sinne to geue thankes vnto God the father for so mercyfull a deliueraunce through the death of Iesu Christ euery one some singyng and some saying deuoutly one or other Psalme or prayer of thankes gyuyng in the mother toung Then the bread and wyne set before them in the face of the Churche vpon the table of the Lord purely and honesty layed let hym declare to the people the significations of those sensible signes what the action and deede moueth teacheth and exhorteth them vnto and that the bread and wyne be no prophane common signes but holy Sacramentes reuerently to be considered and receiued with a depe fayth and remembraunce of Christes death and of the shedyng of his bloud for our sinnes those sensible thynges to represente vs the very body and bloude of Christ so that while euery man beholdeth with his corporall eye those sensible Sacraments the inward eye of his fayth may see beleue stedfastly Christ offred and dying vppon the Crosse for his sinnes how his body was broken and his bloud shed for vs and hath giuen hym selfe whole for vs hym selfe to be all ours and what soeuer he dyd to serue vs as to bee made for vs of hys father our righteousnes our wisedome holynesse redemption satisfaction c. Then let this preacher exhort them louyngly to draw neare vnto this table of the Lord and that not onely bodely but also their hartes purged by fayth garnished with loue and innoceney euery man to forgyue eche other vnfaynedly and to expresse or at least wise to endeuour them to folow that loue whiche Christ dyd set before our
towardes God 22. b. of ignoraunce 277. a Fulnes of all goodnes Christ 424. a Fulfillyng the law what 240. b. obtayned by fayth 44. b Foundations of man feeble 92. a Foundation of loue 416. a. of the old Testament 9. b. of Abbeyes and Purgatory 309. a Fury of the Popish Clergy 93. a G. GAine ioyned with payne easeth the same 361. a Gainefull Gospell loued of shaue lynges 406. b Geldyng of Priestes 317. b Generation of two sortes 415. b Generation of Serpentes 340. b George Ioy writeth to the kyng for licence to traÌ„slate the Bible 454. b Gildas 28. a. a preacher and a Prophet 101. a Gift what it is 42. a Giftes of grace our brothers aswell as ours 384. b Giltles nede no pardon 318. b Glory 200. b Glorious names of the Popes Clergy their estimation 140. b Gloses 200. a. Pharisaicall 264. b God described 431. a. what he is 104 a spirite 294 b. inuisible 417. a. what he requireth 26. a. onely to be beleued 22. b. geueth all thyngs 24. b. alwayes most gracious 119. b. defendeth his doctrine hym selfe 97. a. teacheth vs if man wil not 103. b. seeketh vs. 294. a. pardoneth vs of his mercy 74. b. draweth vs to Christ 458. a. heareth prayer at all tymes 20. b. receiueth the humble 85. b. worketh by grace in vs before repentauÌ„ce come 321. b. biddeth vs be bold with hym 297. b. rewardeth all obedience 110. a. mercyfull to the ignoraunt 377. a. forgeueth our frailty 293. b. reserueth a litle flocke 298. a. what worke he requireth 457. a. maketh vs blessed in Christ 90. b God is light 392. a. the chief Phisitian 297. a. can not lye 170. b. in whom dwellyng 417. b. how rightly serued 86. a. how truly worshypped 180. a. whoÌ„ he receiueth 101. a God who he will plague 35. b. poureth vengeaunce vpon the vnrepeÌ„taunt 28. a. aduengeth his doctrine 106. b. aduengeth disobedience 107 b. and 110. a. plagueth hys enemies and helpeth his seruauÌ„tes 7. b. will not be tempted 171. a God forbyddeth Images 8. b. lyke him selfe euery where 282. a God who he reiecteth 25. a. taketh away the wicked 111. a. warneth before he strike 105. a. destroyeth one wicked by an other 110. b. punisher of secret sinnes the kyng of open 122. b God worketh backward 98. a. no lyer 462. a God worketh vppon all creatures as he will 80. b. respecteth not persoÌ„s 122. a. a iust iudge ouer kyng all degrees 142. a. onely taketh vengeaunce on the kyng 111. a. how he is at one with vs. 72. b. burdened with his promises 4. b God sometymes weakeneth his elect and why 101. a. scourgeth whom he loueth 8. a and 186. a. trieth hys childrens fayth 98. a. is fatherly to his elect 293. b. kepeth a litle flocke 268. a God first loued vs. 88. b. and 333. b. fighteth for vs. 98. b. receiueth vs for Christes sake 42. a. worketh in vs by faith 415. b. loueth vs not for our works sake 162. b. to vs as we shuld be to our neighbour 73. b. stroÌ„ger theÌ„ all his enemyes 98. a. defeÌ„der of all estates 341. b. pardoÌ„neth all simple for Christes sake 346. a God in the name of Iesus must be called vpon in all aduersities 425. b. reioyceth in an acceptable receiuer asmuch as in a liberall geuer 244. b Gods will is we shoulde doe good workes 75. a Gods childreÌ„ cannot sinne 423. b. his loue howe to be vnderstode in vs. 89. a. his promise reacheth to all Abrahams posterity 437. b. his promises are all comfort 100. a. his fauour at what tyme from vs. 34. b. his two Testamentes 9. b Gods spirite 392. a. where it is 41. a his word may not be altered 23. a. his gentle correctioÌ„ 287. b. his children vnder chastising 100. a. hys forgiuenes 395. a. his goodnes to mankynd 234. a. his glory set forth by true miracles 475. a. his kyndnes moueth vs to loue hym 67. b. his mercy styrreth vp fayth in vs. 45. a. his generall couenaunt with vs. 33. b. his word pith of all goodnes 290 â—a not the cause of euill 105. b. ought to iudge 14. a. how to vnderstand the same 142. a. must season all thynges 121. b. must be heard and done 75. a Gods spirite hath spoken the Scriptures 80. a. his truth worketh woÌ„ders 97. b. fighteth for vs. 98. a Gods grace must be exercised in vs. 68. a. his Sacramentes preach his promises 162. a. his promise saueth vs. 52. a. his mercy saueth vs. 45. a. his mercy toward the penitent 22. a Gods promises iustifie 51. b. his promises in Christ belong onely to the penitent 31. a. his will sought out onely of a true Christian 102. a Gods worde sighteth agaynst hypocrites 97. b. persecuted 97. a. hys Churche called heretickes 291. a. his true church who are 268. a. his true seruice 217. a Gods workes supernatural 21. b. his omnipotency not to curiously to be dealt withall 462. b. his presence in all places alike 287. a. his wonderfull care for his 164. a Goods 212. b Good woorkes where 78. a. where true fayth is 45. b. and 55. b Good woorkes how farre forth they please God 54. a. significations of true fayth 44. b. fruites of fayth 45. b Good men may erre and not be damned 300. a Goodnes must be shewed to euill persons 71. a Gospel 36. b. 387. a. what it signifieth 127. a. comforteth 77. b. promised by the Prophetes 378. a. a true touchstone 3. a. the ministration of of righteousnes 62. a. why writteÌ„ of the Apostles 288. b Gospell and the Popes doctrine differ 475. b. slaundered by Papistes 320. b Gothes 351. b Gouernement of Gods Ministers 344. a Goyng to law 212. b Grace what 157. b. how to be vnderstode 42. a Grace truth come through Christ 199. b. receiued onely by fayth 45. b. continueth by keepyng the law 185. b Grammarians vnderstand not Latin 268. b Grecians 303. a. refuse the Popes tyranny 347. b Gregory 325. b Gregory the fifth ibidem Greuous sinne not rebuked 426. b Grosse worshyppyng of God 424. b H. HAm and the Pope like 170. a Handy craftes commaunded by God 244. a Hatred 204. a. and 404. a Hart must ioyne with prayer 239. a. worshyppeth God 284. a Hart of man Gods true temple 87. b Hart containeth the word of the law and Christes promises 31. b Headynes â—90 b Heathen repent at Ionas preachyng 30. b. moued by miracles to know God 27. a Hearyng the word causeth repeÌ„tance 321. b Hearyng Gods worde prouoked by true miracles 284. a Heauen commeth by Christ 112. b Heires of God by sayth 257. b Helizeus 281. b Helpe commeth al from aboue 433. a Helpe towarde our neighbour must be in a readynes 78. b Hell foloweth euill workes as good workes folow fayth 70. a Henry the second 190. a Henry the fourth set vp 28. b Henry the fifth 28. b. a great conquerour 366. a Henry the vi 28. b. and 366. b Heresie
authoritie For he that admitteth prayers and sacrifice to be done for the dead yea also affirmeth that they are holy and whole some for such sinnes as are dāned by the law of God which are in déede very mortall doth not he agaynst the word of God yea and also agaynst the cōmon consent of all mē But this booke doth so which admitteth prayer and sacrifice to bée done for the dead that were slayne in the battayle for theyr offence yea and also damned by the law Deut. 7. Now conclude your selues what ye thinke of this booke Thus much hath M. More brought to proue his purpose out of the old Testament and I thinke ye sée it sufficiently aunswered And now he entendeth to proue hys Purgatory by good and substaunciall authoritie in the new Testament also FIrst let vs consider sayth Master More the wordes of the blessed Apostle and Euangelist S. Iohn where he sayth Est peccatum ad mortem non dico vt pro eo roget quis There is sayth hee some sinne that is vnto the death I byd not that any man should pray for that this sinne as the interpreters agree is vnderstād of desperation and impenitēce as though Saint Iohn would say that who departe out of this world impenitent or in despayre any prayer after made can neuer stand hym in stede Then it appeareth clearely that S. Iohn meaneth that there are other whiche dye not in such case for whom hee would men should pray because that prayer to such soules may be profitable But that profite can no man take beyng in heauen where it needeth not nor beyng in hell where it boteth not wherefore it appeareth that such prayer helpeth onely for Purgatory which thou must therfore nedes graunt except thou deny S. Iohn The text is written 1. Iohn 5. which sayth there is a sinne vnto the death I byd not that any man shall pray for that In this place doth M. More vnderstād by this word death temporall death and then he taketh his pleasure But we will desire hym to looke two lynes aboue and not to snatch one péece of the text on this fashion I will rehearse you the whole text and then ye shal heare myne aunswere The text is this if any man perceaue that his brother doth sinne a sinne not vnto y t death let him aske and he shall geue hym lyfe to them that sinne not vnto death For there is some sinne that is vnto death I bid not that any mā should pray for that Now marke myne aunswere Death and life be contrary and both wordes are in this text therfore if you vnderstand this woord death for temporall death then must you also vnderstand by this word life temporall lyfe And so should our prayer restore men agayne vnto temporall lyfe But I ensure you M. More taketh this word death so confusedly that no mā can tel what he meaneth For in one place he taketh it for temporall death saying who so depart out of this world impenitent c. And in an other place he is compelled to take it for euerlastyng death Therfore will I shewe you the very vnderstandyng of y t text And better interpreters desire I none then Christ him selfe which sayd vnto the Phariseis euery blasphemy shall be forgeuen but y t blasphemy against the holy ghost which S. Iohn calleth a sinne vnto the death shall neuer be forgeuen but is giltie vnto euerlastyng damnation Marke iij. what sinne or blasphemie is this verely y t declareth S. Marke saying They sayd that he had an vncleane spirite y t was y t sinne vnto death euerlastyng that was the sinne that should neuer be forgeuen He proueth so euidently vnto thē that his miracles were done with y t spirite of God that they could not deny it And yet of an hard and obstinate hart euen knowyng the contrary they sayd that he had a deuill within hym These Phariseis dyed not forth with but lyued peraduenture many yeares after Notwithstāding if all the Apostles had prayed for these Phariseis whiles they were yet lyuing for all that their sinne should neuer haue bene forgeuen them And truth is that after they dyed in impenitencie and desperation which was the frute of that sinne but not the sinne it selfe Now sée ye the meanyng of this text and what the sinne vnto death or agaynst the holy ghost is If any man perceaue his brother to sinne a sinne not vnto death that is not against the holy ghost let him aske and he shall geue him life that is let him pray vnto God for his brother and his sinne shal be forgeuen him But if he sée his brother sinne a sinne vnto death that is agaynst the holy ghost let him neuer pray for him for it boteth not And so is not the text vnderstand of prayer after this lyfe as M. More imagineth but euen of prayer for our brother which is lyuing with vs. Notwithstanding this sinne is not lightly knowne excepte the person knowledge it hym selfe or els the spirite of God opē it vnto vs. Therfore may we pray for all men except we haue euident knowledge that they haue so offended as is before rehearsed And this is his text taken from him wherwith he laboureth to proue Purgatory What say they to the wordes of S. Iohn Apoc. 5. I haue heard sayth he euery creature that is in heauen and vppon the earth and vnder the earth and that be in the Sea and all thynges that be in them all these haue I heard say benediction and honour and glory and power for euer be to him that is sitting in the throne and vnto the lambe By the creatures in heauen hee meaneth aungels By the creatures vpon the earth he meaneth men By the creatures vnder the earth he meaneth the soules in Purgatory And by the creatures in the Sea hee meaneth men that sayle on the Sea By this text I vnderstand not onely aungels and men but also heauen and earth and all that is in them euē all beastes fishes wormes and other creatures thinke that all these creatures do prayse the Lord. And where he taketh the creatures vnder y t earth for the soules in Purgatory I take it for all maner of creatures vnder y t earth both wormes vermine and all other And where he draweth the text and maketh the creatures in the sea to signifie men that are sayling on the Sea I say that the creatures in the Sea do signifie fishes and such other thyngs and that S. Iohn by this textment euen playnly that all maner of thynges geue prayse vnto God and the lambe yea and I dare be bold to adde that euen the very deuils damned soules are compelled to prayse hym For their iust punishment commendeth his puysaunt power righteousnes Neither néedest thou to wōder or thinke this any new thyng for Dauid in the 148. byddeth Serpentes beastes and byrdes to prayse
Austen sayd before the Apostle sayth not we signifie burning but sayth we are buried And likewise here Christ sayd not this signifieth my body but this is my body calling the sacrament signe token and memoriall of so great a thing euen with y e name of the very thing it selfe thus doth S. Ambrose choke our sophisters Neuerthelesse I will alleage one place more out of S. Ambrose where he saith Dicit sacerdos fac nobis inquit hanc oblationeÌ„ scriptaÌ„ rationabileÌ„ quod est figura corporis Domini nostri Iesu Christi That is y e Priest sayth make vs this oblation acceptable c. For it is a figure of the body of our Lord Iesu Christ Here he cauleth it plainly a figure of Christes body which thing you can not auoyde Therfore geue prayse vnto God let his truth sprede which is so plainely testified by these holy fathers Now let vs see what S. Hierome sayth S. Hierome writyng vpon Ecclesiaste sayth on thys maner Caro Domini verus cibus est sanguis eius verus potus est hoc solum habemus in praesenti saeculo bonuÌ„ si vescamur carne eius cruoreque potemur non solum in mysterio sed â—tiam in scripturarum lectione verus enim cibus potus qui ex verbo dei sumitur scientia scripturarum est That is to say The flesh of the Lord is very meate hys bloud is very drinke This is onely the pleasure or profite that we haue in thys worlde that we may eate hys fleshe and drinke hys bloud not onely in a mysterye but also in the readyng of Scriptures For the very meate and drink which is taken out of Gods worde is the knowledge of Scriptures Here may ye sée Saint Hieromes minde in few wordes For first he sayth that we eate hys fleshe and drinke hys bloud in a mysterye which is the sacrament of hys remembraunce and memoriall of hys passion And after he addeth that we eate hys flesh and drinke hys bloud in the reading and knowledge of Scriptures and calleth that very meate and very drinke And yet I am sure ye are not so grosse as to thinke that the letters which you read are turned into naturall fleshe and bloud And likewise it is not necessary that the bread shoulde be turned into hys body no more then y e letters in scripture are turned into hys fleshe And neuerthelesse through â—ayth we may as well eate hys body in receauing of the sacrament as eate hys fleshe in reading of the letters of the Scripture Besides that S. Hierome calleth the vnderstanding of the Scripture very meate and very drinke which you must néedes vnderstand in a mystery and spirituall sense for it is neither materiall meate nor drinke that is receaued with the mouth and téeth but it is spirituall meate and drinke and is so called for a similitude propertie because that as meate and drink comfort the body and outward man so doth the readyng and knowledge of Scripture comfort the soule and inward man And likewise it is of Christes body which is called very meate and very drinke which you must néedes vnderstand in a mysterye or spirituall sense as S. Hierome called it for hys body is no materiall meate nor drinke that is receaued with the mouth or téeth but it is spirituall meate and drinke and so called for a similitude and propertie because that as meate and drinke comforteth the body so doth the fayth in hys body breaking and bloudsheding refreshe the soule vnto lyfe euerlastyng We vse it customably in our dayly speach to say when a childe setteth all hys mynde and delight on sport playe It is meate and drinke to thys childe to playe And also we say by a maÌ„ that loueth well hawking and hunting it is meate and drinke to this man to hawke hunt Where no man doubteth but it is a figuratiue speach And therefore I wonder that they are so blinde in thys one poynt of Christes body and can not also take the wordes figuratiuely as these olde Doctors dyd Agayne S. Hierome sayth Postq mysticum pascha fuerat impletum agni carnes cum Apostolis comederat assumit panem qui comfortat cor hominis ad verum paschae transgreditur sacramentum vt quomodo in praefiguratione eius Melchisedech summi Dei sacerdos vinum panem offerens fecerat ipse quoquè viritatem corporis sanguinis repraesentaret That is to say After the mystical Easter Lambe fulfilled and that Christ had eaten the Lambes fleshe with the Apostles he tooke bread which comforteth the hart of man and passeth to the true sacrament of the Easter LaÌ„be that as Melchisedech brought forth bread and wyne figuryng hym so might he likewyse represent the truth of hys body and bloud Here doth S. Hierome speake after the maner that Tertullian dyd before that Christ with bread and wyne dyd represent the truth of hys body For except he had had a true body he coulde not leaue a figure of it nor represent it vnto vs. For a vayne thyng or phaÌ„tasie can haue no figure nor can not be represented as by example how should a man make a figure of hys dreame or represent it vnto our memorye But Christ hath left vs a figure and representation of hys bodye in bread and wyne therefore it followeth that he had a true bodye And that this was S. Hieromes mynde it doth manifestly appeare by y e words of Beda which doth more copiously set out thys saying of Hierome For he writeth on thys maner Finitis paschae veteris solennijs quae in commemorationem antique de Aegypto liberationis agebantur transit ad nouum quod in suae redemptionis memoriam Ecclesia frequentare desiderat vt videlicet pro carne agni vel sanguine suae carnis sanguinisque sacramentum in panis ac vini figura substituens ipsum se esse monstraret cui inrauit Dominus non poenitebit eum Tu es sacerdos in aeternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech Frangit auteÌ„ipse panem quem porrigit vt ostendat corporis sui fractionem noÌ„ sine sua sponte futuram c. Et paulò post Similiter calicem postquam coenauit dedit eis Quia ergo panis carnem confirmat vinum vero sanguinem operatur in carne hic ad corpus Christi mystice illud refertur ad sanguinem That is to say After the solemnitie of the olde Easter Lambe was finished which was obserued in the remembraunce of the olde deliueraunce out of Egypt he goeth vnto the new which the Church gladly obserueth in the remembraunce of hys redemption that he in the stead of the fleshe and bloud of the Lambe might institute and ordayne the Sacrament of hys fleshe and bloud in the figure of bread and wyne and so declare hym selfe to be the same vnto whom the Lord sware and will not repent thou art a perpetuall Priest after