ye haue brought in besides the Scripture nor any that dyed for it But ye persecute and â—lea whosâ— euer with Gods woorde doth rebuke it And as for your owne miracles of which ye make your boast ye haue fayned them so grosly throughout al your Legendes of Saintes that ye be now ashamed of them and would fayne bee rid of theÌ„ if ye wist how with honestie and so would ye of a thousand thinges which ye haue fayned And the cause why heretickes fayne no miracles as ye doe is that they walke purely and entend no falsehead And why the deuill doth none for them is that they cleaue fast to Gods word whiche the deuill hateth and can do no miracles to further it But to hinder it as he doth with you Read the stories of your Popes and Cardinals see whether the deuill hath not holpe them vnto their highe dignities And looke whether your holy Byshoppes come any otherwise vnto their promotions then by seruing the deuil in setting all Christendome at variaunce in sheddyng bloud in bringyng the common wealth to tyraÌ„ny and in teaching Christen Princes to â—ule more cruelly then did euer any heathen coÌ„trary vnto the doctrine of Christ And as for the Turkes and Sarasenes that ye speake of I auÌ„swere that they were ChristeÌ„ once at the lest way for the most part And because they had no loue vnto the truth to liue their after as ye haue not God did send them false miracles to cary them out of the right waye as ye be And as for the Iewes why they hyde out is onely because they haue set vp their own righteousnesse as ye haue and therfore can not admit the righteousnesse that is in Christes bloud as ye can not and as ye haue forsworne it And when he sayth in that they haue miracles and the heretickes none it is a sure signe that they be the true Churche and the heretickes not Had ye Gods word with your miracles and the heretickes doctrine were without then it were true But now because ye haue miracles without Gods word to confirme your false imaginatioÌ„s and they whiche ye call heretickes haue Gods word coÌ„firmed with miracles fiue huÌ„dred yeares together it is a sure signe that they be the true church ye not in as much also as Christ saith that y â— deceauers shall come with miracles ye in his name therto as ye do For wheÌ„ christ saith there shal come in my name y t shal say he him selfe is Christ who is that saue your Pope that wil be Christes Vicare and yet maketh men to beleue in him selfe in his Bulles Calues skinnes and in what soeuer he listeth And who be those false annoynted that shall come with miracles to deceaue the elect if it were possible saue your Pope with his gresiamus And when he repeteth his miracles to proue that the olde holy Doctours were good men in the right belefe I aunswere agayne that the Doctours which planted Gods word watered it with miracles while they were alyue And wheÌ„ they were dead God shewed miracles at their graues to confirme the same as of Heliseus And that continued till the Scripture was full receaued and autenticke But ye can not shew nor shal any Doctour which beyng aliue preached your false doctrine confirmyng it with miracles as God doth his Scripture Then sayth hee God had in the olde TestameÌ„t good meÌ„ ful of miracles whose liuing a man might be bold to folow and whose doctrine a man might beleue by reason of theyr miracles and then iuggleth saying if God should not so now in the new TestameÌ„t haue Doctours with miracles to confirme their doctrine and liuynges but contrarywise should bryng to passe or suffer to bee brought to passe with false miracles that his church shuld take hypocrites for Saintes which exposided the Scripture falsly then should hee deceaue his Church and not haue his spirite present in his Church to teach them all truth as he promised them I aunswer God suffereth not his Church to be deceaued But he suffereth the popes Church because they haue no loue vnto the truth to lyue after the lawes of God but consent vnto all iniquitie as he suffered the Churche of Mahomet Moreouer y â— gift of miracles was not all way amoÌ„g the preachers in the old Testament For Iohn Baptist did no miracle at all The miracles were ceased longyer Christ And as for you in the Popes kingdome had neuer maÌ„ that either confirmed Gods doctrine or your owne with miracles All your Saintes be first Saints when they be dead and then do first miracles to confirme tithes and offeringes the Poetrie which ye haue fayned and not true doctrine For to confirme what preachyng doth S. Thomas of Canterbury miracles He preached neuer nor liued any other life then as our Cardinall and for his mischief dyed a mischieuous death And of our Cardinall if we be not diligent they will make a Saint also and make a greater relique of his shew then of the others And of your dead Saintes let vs take onâ— for an example Thomas de Aquino is a Saint full of miracles as Friers tell And his doctrine was that our Lady was borne in original sinne And Dunce doyng no miracle at all because I suppose no man wotteth where he lyeth improueth that with his sophistrie and affirmeth the contrary And of the contrary hath the Pope for the deuotioÌ„ of that the gray Friers gaue him ye may well thinke made an Article of the fayth And finally as for the miracles they are to make a man astonied to wonder and to draw him to heare the word earnestly rather then to write it in his hart For whosoeuer hath no other felyng of the law of God that it is good then because of miracles the saâ—…e shall beleue in Christ as did Symon Magus and Iudas and as they that came out of Egypt with Moyses and fell away at euery temptation shall haue good workes like vnto our Popes bishops and Cardinals And therfore when the Scripture is fully receaued there is no nede of miracles In so much that they which will not beleue Moses and the Prophetes when the Scripture is receaued the same wil be no true beleuers by the reason of miracles though one arose from death to lyfe to preach vnto them by the testimonie of Christ And agayne how doth S. Hierome Augustine Bede and many other old Doctours that were before the Pope was cropt vp into y e consciences of meÌ„ and had sent forth his daÌ„nable sectes to preach him vnder y t name of Christ as Christ prophesied it should be expounde this text thou art Peter and vppon this rocke I will builde my Church and this text Peter feede my sheepe and all power is geuen me in heauen and in earth and innumerable such textes cleane contrary vnto all those
new old holy doctours that haue made the Pope a God They knew of no power that man should haue in the kyngdome of Christ but to preache Christ truly They knew of no power that the Pope shoulde haue to send to Purgatory or to deliuer thence neither of any Pardon 's nor of any such confession as they preach and teach neither were many that are articles with you Articles of their faith They all preached forgeuenesse of sinnes thorough repentaunce toward the law and fayth in our Sauiour Christ as all the Scripture playnly doth and can no otherwise be taken and as all the hartes of as many as loue the law of God do fele as surely as the finger feeleth the fyre hoate An aunswere vnto Master Mores third booke IN his third boke he procedeth forth as before to proue that the opinions which the Popish teach without Scripture are of equal authoritie with the Scripture He asketh what if there had neuer bene Scripture written I aunswere God careth for his elect therfore hath prouided them of Scripture to trie all thynges and to defend them from all false Prophetes And I say moreouer that if there had ben no scripture written that God for his mercy fatherly loue and care toward his elect must haue prouided that there should neuer haue bene heresies or against all tymes when sectes should arise haue styred vp preachers to coÌ„found the he resies with miracles Take this example the Grekes haue the Scripture serue God therin much more diligently theÌ„ we Now let vs geue that there were no Scripture but that we receaued all our fayth by y e authoritie of our elders the Grekes by y e authoritie of their elders WheÌ„ I shall dispute with a Greke about the articles of the fayth which my elders taught me and his elders deny as eareconfession the holy pardons of the Pope and all his power that he hath aboue other Bishops many other thynges beside the Scripture which we hold for articles of our faith they deny If there be no other proofe of either part then to say my elders which caÌ„ not erre so affirme that he should aunswere his Elders which can not not erre so deny what reason is it that I should leaue the authoritie of my elders and goe beleue his or that he should leaue the authoritie of his elders and come and beleue myne none at all verely But the one partie must shew a miracle or els we must referre our causes vnto auteÌ„ticke scripture receaued in olde tyme confirmed wyth myracles and therewith trie the controuersie of our Elders And when he asketh whether there were no true fayth from Adam to Noe. I answere that god partly wrote their fayth in their sacrifices and partly the Patriarkes were ful of miracles as ye may see in the Bible And when More to vtter his darcknes and blynde ignoraunce sayth that they which were ouerwhelmed wyth No yes floud had a good faith and bringeth for hym Nicolaus de Lira I answere that Nicolaus de Lira delirat For it is impossible to haue a fayth to be saued by except a man consent vnto Gods law with all his hart and all his soule that it is righteous holy good and to be kept of all men and thereuppon repent that he hath broken it and sorow that his flesh moueth vnto the contrary and then come and beleue that god for his mercy will forgeue him all that he hath done agaynst the lawe wyll helpe hym to tame his flesh and suffer his weakenes in the meane season till he be waxed stronger which fayth if they that perished in Noyes floud had had they coulde not but haue mended their liuinges and had not hardened their harts thorow vnbeliefe and prouoked the wrath of God and waxed worse and worse an hundred twenty yeares which God gaue theÌ„ to repent vntill God could no loÌ„ger suffer theÌ„ but washed their filthines away with y e floud as he doth y e Popes shamefull abhominacions with like invndacions of water destroyed theÌ„ vtterly And wheÌ„ he asketh whether AbrahaÌ„ beleued no more theÌ„ is writteÌ„ of him I aske him how he will proue that there was no writing in Abrahams time that AbrahaÌ„ wrot not And againe as for Abrahams person he receaued his faith of God which to coÌ„firme vnto other myracles were shewed dayly And when he fayneth forth that they beleued onely because they knew their elders coulde not erre How could they know that without myracles or wryting confirmed wyth myracles more theÌ„ the Turke knoweth that hys elders so many hundred yeares in so great a multitude can not erre teach false doctrâ—ne to damne the beleuers And y e contrary doth M. More see in all y e Bible how after all was receaued in scripture confirmed with myracles though miracles ceased not but were shewed dayly yet y e elders erred fell to idolatry an huÌ„dred for one y t bode in the right way and led the younger in to errour wyth them so sore that God to saue the younger was faine to destroy the elders and to begin his testameÌ„t a freshe with the new generatioÌ„ He seeth also that y e most part were alway Idolaters for all the scripture and true myracles therto and beleued the false miracles of the deuill because his doctrine was more agreable vnto their carnall vnderstanding then the doctrine of Gods spirit as it now goeth wyth the Pope did not y â— Scribes Phariseis and Priestes which were the elders erre And when he asketh who taught the church to know the true scripture from false bookes I answere true miracles that confounded the false gaue authoritie vnto the true scripture And therby haue we euer since iudged all other bookes and doctrine And by that we know that your legendes be corrupt wyth lies As Erasmus hath improued many false bookes which ye haue fayned and put forth in the name of S. Hierom Augustine Ciprian Dionise and of other partly wyth autenticke stories and partly by y e stile and latine and like euident tokens And when M. More â—ayth vnto theÌ„ that beleue nought but y e scripture he will proue with y e scripture that we be bounde to beleue the church in thinges wherefore they haue no scripture Because God hath promised in the scripture that the holy ghost shall teach hys church all truth Nay that text wil not proue it For the first Church taught nought but they coÌ„firmed it with myracles which coulde not be done but of God till the scripture was autentickly receaued And the Church folowing teacheth nought that they will haue beleued as an article of the fayth but that which the scripture proueth and mainteineth As S. Augustine protesteth of his workes that men should compare them vnto the scripture therby iudge them and cast away whatsoeuer the scripture
not in me and in whom I abyde not let hym not say or thynke that he eateth my body or drinketh my bloud They abyde not in Christ which are not his members And they are not hys mēbers which make them selues the mēbers of an harlot And these are also the very wordes of Bede Here it is playne proued agayne by the authoritie of S. Austen and Bede that the wicked and vnfaythfull which are not the members of Christ doe not eate hys body nor drinke hys bloud and yet they do eate the sacrament as well as the other Wherefore you must néedes graunt that the Sacrament is not y e naturall body of Christ but a figure tokē or memoriall therof Now good Christen people count not thys new learning which is firmed by such olde Doctors and faythfull fathers Now were this inough for a Christen man that loued no contention But because there are so many sophisters in y ◠world which care not what they say so they holde not theyr peace I must néedes set some bulwarke by thys holy Doctor to helpe to defend hym for els they will shortly ouerrunne hym as they do me and make hym an hereticke too Therefore I will alleage hys master S. Ambrose Saint Ambrose sayth Non iste panis est qui vadit in corpus sed ille panis vitae aeternae qui animae nostrae substantiam fulscit That is It is not thys bread that goeth into the bodye but that bread of euerlasting life whiche vpboldeth the substance of our soule Furthermore the great clerke Prosper confirmeth the same saying Qui discordat a Christo nec carnem Christi manducat nec sanguinem bibit etiamsi tamtae rei sacramentum ad iudicium suae praesumptionis quotidie indifferenter accipiat That is He that discordeth from Christ doth neyther eate hys fleshe nor drinke hys bloud although he receaue indifferētly euery day the sacrament of so great a thing vnto the condemnation of hys presumption And these are also the very wordes of Bede vpon the xj Chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians Now you may sée that it is not S. Austens minde onely but also the saying of many moe And therefore I trust you will be good vnto hym And if ye condemne not these holy fathers then am I wrongfully punished But if you condemne thē then must poore Frith be content to beare the burthen with them ¶ The mynde and exposition of the old Doctours vppon the wordes of Christes maundey ANd where M. More sayth that if Christe had not ment after the plaine literal sece that both the hearers at that tyme and the expositours since and all Christē people beside this xv c. yeare would not haue taken onely the litterall sence beyng so straunge and maruelous that it might seme impossible decline from the letter for allegories in all such other thynges beyng as hee sayth and as in deede they be so many farre in nomber mo As touchyng y e hearers they were deceiued and vnderstode him not I meane as many as tooke his wordes fleshly as you do And they had their aunswere of Christ when they murmured that his wordes were spirite and lyfe that is as S. Austen sayth spiritually to bee vnderstand and not fleshly as is before declared And as for the expositours I thinke he hath not one of the old fathers for him but certaine new felowes as Dominie S. Thomas Decam and such other whiche haue made the Pope a God And as I haue shewed S. Austen maketh full for vs and so do all the old fathers as Occolāpadius hath well declared in his booke Quid veteres senserint de Sacramēto eucharistiae And some of their sayinges I shall alledge anone And where you say that all Christen people haue so beleued this 1500. yeares that is very false For there is no doubt but that the people thought as holy S. Austen and other faithful fathers taught them Which as I said make with vs. Notwithstādyng in déede sith our Prelates haue bene made Lordes and haue set vp their lawes and decrées contrary to the prerogatiue of all Princes lyke most sutle traytours haue made all mē beleue that they may make lawes and bynde mens consciences to obey them and that their lawes are Gods lawes blindyng y e peoples eyes with two or thrée textes wrongfully wrested to aduaunce their pride where they ought to obey Kyngs and Princes and be subiect to their lawes as Christ and his Apostles were euē vnto y e death Sith that tyme I say they haue made men beleue what they list and made articles of the faith at their pleasure One article must be y e they be the Church and can not erre And this is the grounde of all their doctrine But the truth of this article is nowe sufficiently knowen For if Quéene Katherine be kyng Henries wife then they do erre and if she be not then they haue erred to speake no more cruelly It is now become an article of our fayth y e the Pope of Rome must be y ◠head of y e Church the Vicare of Christ that by Gods law It is an article of our fayth that what soeuer hee byndeth in earth is bounde in heauen in so much that if he curse wrongfully yet ye must be feared and infinite such other which are not in our Crede but blessed bee God that hath geuen some light into our Princes hart For he hath lately put foorth a booke called the glasse of truth whiche proueth many of these articles very foolishe phantasies and that euen by their owne Doctours so I trust you shal be proued in this poynt of the Sacrament for though it be an article of our fayth it is no article of our Crede in y e xij articles wher of are sufficient for our saluatiō And therefore we may thinke that you lye without all ieoperdye of damnation Neuerthelesse seing his mastership saith that all make for him and I say cleane contrarie that all the olde fathers make against him or at the lest wise not with him It were necessary that one of vs should proue his purpose But indeede in this poynt he would loke to haue the vauntage of me For he thinketh that men will soner beleue hym which is a great man then me which am but a poore man and that therfore I had more néede to proue my part true then he to proue his Well I am content and therfore geue eare deare reader and Iudge betwéene vs. First I wil begin with Tertulian because he is of most antiquitie Tertulian speakyng of Christ sayth Nec panem reprobauit quo ipsum corpus suum representat That is to say Christ him selfe did not reproue or discommend bread whereby he doth represent hys very body For the vnderstandyng of thys place you must knowe that there was an hereticke called Marcion which dyd reproue creatures and said
similitudes and his argumentes are naught 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. Rastall sayth Purgatory is on the earth 18. Rastalles naturall reason deceaueth himselfe and his Turke Gingemyn 18. 20. Rastall cannot tell where purgatory shoulde bee 21. Rastalles ignoraunce 22. Rastall recogniseth his faulte 61 Rastall sheweth two causes why hee staÌ„deth in y t defeÌ„ce of purgatory 62 Rastals blynd argument 70 Rastall falsefieth the Scripture 71 Repentaunce is no satisfaction for sinne 14 Reconciliation to our neighbour is required of God 14 Reprouyng of hypocrites may not bee called raylyng 6â— Repentaunce what it is 74 Rochester the first patron of Purgatory 5â— Rochester and More agree not 5â— Rochester More and Rastall defenders of one heresie 6â— Rochester contrary to More and More contrary to Rochester 6â— S. SAbaoth kept on Saterday 96 Sabaoth kept on Sonday 96 Sabaoth abrogated 96 Sacramentes why they were instituted 111. 112 Sacramentes hath three thinges to be considered 91. 112 Sacrament to be the body of Christ is no Article of our fayth 108. 109 Sacrament to bee Christes naturall body is to grosse an Imagination 111 Sacrament diligently set forth by our Sauiour Christ 112 Sacrifices of the Iewes 113 Sacrament of Christes body and bloud what it signifieth 113 Sacrament is a figure of the breakyng of Christes body and shedyng of his bloud 115. 130 Sacrament may not bee worshypped 151. 155 SacrameÌ„t is the memoriall of Christes death 128 Sacrament what it is 132 Sacrament of Christes body is a thankes geeuyng 135 Sacrament how it is our body 136 ibidem Satisfaction is of two sortes 23. 57 Scripture maketh no meÌ„tioÌ„ of Purgatory 12 Scripture hath many senses 120 Scripture is to bee vnderstanded spiritually 121 Sectes of heretickes 51 Symon Fish made the supplication of Beggers 6 Siluester Pope in whose tyme corruption entred into the Churche 116 Sinne agaynst the holy ghost what it is 341 Sinnes are not remitted after this life 45 Sinne may bee committed and yet it is no sinne 73 Supplication of Beggers 6 T. TVrkes and Iewes beleeue that there is a Purgatory 33 Truth is not to bee sought at the dead 46 Tracyes last will and testament 77 Theeues and murtherers who they are 86. 87. 88 Tyndall a man of most innocent life 118 V. VOluntary or wilfull ignoraunce is not to bee excused 4 W. WIckleâ—â—e burned 118 Wicked and vnfaythfull persons doe not receaue the body of Christ 136. 141 William Tracyes will 77 Wisedome of the world is foolishnes with God 6 Wordes figuratiuely spoken 44 Worshyppyng of the Sacrament is Idolatry 151 Z. ZWinglius slayne 118 Finis Here endeth the Table of M. Frithes booke DIEV ET MON DRIOT THE WORKES of Doctour Barnes His lyfe and Martyrdome 1 A supplication to K. Henry the viij fol. 183 2 His Articles condemned by Popishe Byshops 205. 3. The disputation betweene the Byshoppes and hym 217. 4. Fayth onely iustifieth before God 226. 5. What the Church is and who bee thereof and whereby men may know her 242. 6. An other declaration of the Church wherin hee aunswereth M. More 252. 7. What the keyes of the Church bee and to whom they were geeuen 257. 8. Freewill of man after the fall of Adam of his naturall strength can doe nothyng but sinne afore God 267. 9. That it is lawfull for all maner of men to read the holy Scripture 282. 10. That mens constitutions which are not grounded in Scripture bynde not the coÌ„science of man vnder the payne of deadly synne 292. 11. That all meÌ„ are bouÌ„de to receiue the holy Communion vnder both kyndes vnder the payne of deadly synne 301. 12. That by Gods woorde it is lawfull to Priestes that hath not the gifte of chastistie to marry wiues 309. 13. That it is against the holy Scripture to honor Images to pray to Saintes 339. 14. Of the originall of the Masse 356. 15. A collection of Doctours testimonies 358. ARISE FOR IT IS DAY The death and burning of the most constant Martyrs in Christ D. Rob. Barnes Tho. Garret and W. Hierome in Smithfielde an 1541. ¶ A briefe discourse of the lyfe and doinges of Robert Barnes Doctour in Diuinitie a blessed seruaunt and Martyr of Christ summarely extracted out of the booke of Monumentes THe first bringing vp of the sayd Rob. Barnes from a childe was in the vniuersitie of Cambridge and was made a Nouice in y e house of y e Fryer Augustines there And beyng very apt vnto learning did so profite that by the helpe of his frendes he was remoued from theÌ„ce to the vniuersitie of Louayne in Brabant where he remained certayne yeares and greatly profited in the study of the tongues and there procéeded Doctour of Diuinitie And then from thence returned agayne into England and so to the vniuersitie of CaÌ„bridge where he was made Prior and Maister of the house of Augustines wherein he was first brought vp And at that tyme the knowledge of good letters was scarcely entred into the vniuersitie all thynges being full of rudenes barbarietie sauing in very fewe which were priuye and secrete whereupon Barnes hauing some féeling of better learning and had red better actours begaÌ„ in his house to reade Terence Cicero and Plautus so that what with his industry paynes and labours and with the helpe of Thomas Parnell his scholer whom he brought from Louayne with him reading Copia verborum et rorum he caused the house shortly to florishe with good letters made a great parte of y e house learned which before were drowned in barbarous rudenes as M. Cambridge M. Felde M. Colman M. Burley M. Couerdale with diuers other of the vniuersitie that soiourned there for learnings sake After these foundations layde then did he read openly Paules Epistles and put by Dâ—ns and Dorbell and yet he was a questionary himself and onely because he would haue Christ there taught and his holy word he turned their vnsauery problemes and fruitles disputations to other better matter of the holy Scripture and thereby in short space he made diuers good deuynes The same order of disputation which he kept in his house he obserued likewise in the vniuersitie abroad when he should dispute with any man in the common schooles And the first man that aunswered M. Barnes in the Scriptures was M. Stafford for his forme to be Bacheler of Diuinitie which disputation was merueilous in the sight of the great blynde Doctours and very ioyfull to the godly spirited Thus Barnes what with his reading disputation and preachyng became famous and mightie in the Scriptures preaching euer agaynst Byshops and hipocrites and yet did not sée his inward and outwarde Idolatry which he both taught and maintayned vntill that good Maister Bilney with other conuerted him vnto Christ The first SermoÌ„ that euer he preached of this trueth was y t Sonday before Christmas day at S. Edwardes Church longyng to Trinitie halle in Cambridge by y e Pease market whose theame was the Epistle
damnation to rewarde Briefly her meditations and her thoughtes are heauenly and all that shée doth is spirituall For shée can not erre shée cleaueth so fast to the worde of God that is the veritie And for this cause S. Paule calleth her the piller and grounde of truth not that shée is so sure of and in her owne strength but that shée sticketh so fast to the lyuyng God and to hys blessed worde that is the very true Church that is scattered thorow all the worlde and is neyther bounde to person by the reason of dignitie nor yet to any place by the reason of fayned holynes but shée is a frée thynge thorow all the worlde as S. Augustine doth witnesse in these wordes The holy Church are wée but I doe not say as one should say wée that bée here alonely that heare mée now but as many as be here faythfull Christened mē in this Church that is to say in thys Citye as many as bée in thys region as many as bée beyonde the sea as many as bée in all the worlde for from the rysing of the sunne till the goyng down is the name of God praysed so is the holy Church our mother c. Here haue you playnely that the holy Church is the congregation of faythfull men wheresoeuer they bée in the worlde And neyther the Pope nor yet hys Cardinalles bée more this Church or of thys Church then the poorest man in earth For this church standeth alonely in the spirituall faith of Christ Iesus and not in dignities nor honours of the worlde as Liranus doth declare in these wordes The Church doth not stand in men by reason of spirituall power or secular dignities For many Princes and many Popes and other inferiour persons haue swerned frō the fayth Wherfore that Church doth stand in those persons in whome is the true knowledge and confession of fayth and of veritie c. O my Lordes what will you say to Lyra I haue great maruayle that you burne hym not It is hye tyme to condemne hym for an heretike for hée speaketh agaynst your lawe xxiiij q. 1. Quodcunque Where as your glose declareth that God suffereth not the church of Rome for to erre And Lyra sayth playnely that many popes haue erred and also that the Church standeth not in dignitie but in confession of Christ and of hys blessed veritie But now here wyll bée obiected that I fayne such a Church as our Logitions doe intentionem secundam that is a thyng y t is no where Where shall a man finde a Church that is so pure and so cleane that hath neyther spot nor wrinckle in her and that is wythout all sinne séeyng that all men must of trueth saye forgéeue vs our trespasse And if any man say bée hée neuer so righteous that hée hath no sinne thē is hee a lyer and there is no veritie in hym To thys I aunswere that thys holy Church hath sin in her yet is shée pure and cleane Marke S. Paules wordes Christe hath geuen hymselfe for her that hée might make her glorious So that the cleannes of this holy church is the mercy of God toward her thorow Christ for whose sake he layeth nothing to her charge yea and if any other person woulde hée is ready to géeue her his cleanes and to let her by fayth clayme of right hys purenes for her owne For betwéene them all is common as betwéene man and wyfe So that if the Church looke on her owne merites and of her owne workes shée is full of sinne and must néedes say demitte mihi debita The which shée néeded not to say if shée had none But if shée referre her selfe vnto the merites of her blessed husbande Christ Iesus and to the cleanes that shée hath in hys bloud thē is shée without spotte For by the reason that shée sticketh by fayth so fast vnto her husband Christ and doth abyde in confession of her sinne requireth mercy for them therfore is there nothing layde to her charge but all thyng is forgéeuen her And therefore sayth S. Paule there is no damnation vnto them that bée in Christ Iesu And that this may bée the playner I wyll bryng you S. Augustines wordes the which was vexed of the Donatistes wyth thys same reason that is layd agaynst mée hys wordes bée these The whole Church sayth forgéeue vs our sinnes wherefore shée hath spottes and wrinckles but by knowledging of them her wrinckles bée extended and stretched out by knowledging her spottes are washed away The church abydeth in prayer that shée myght bée clēsed by knowledging of her sinnes As lōg as we liue hereso standeth it and when wée shall departe out of thys bodye all such thynges bée forgéeuen to euery mā wherfore by thys meane y ◠church of God is in the treasures of God wythout spotte and wrinckles and therefore here doe wée not lyue wythout sinne but wee shall passe from hence wythout sinne c. Here haue you clearely that the church of God is clensed and purified by Christ for knowledgyng of her sinnes and not by her owne purenes Wherefore such a church there must néedes bée though that y e carnall eye can not sée her nor fleshly reason can iudge of her Wherefore wée beléeue thys article by fayth that holy church is a communion or felow shyp of holy men and know it not by séeyng or féelyng as wée doe the felowshyp of Drapers or mercers for then were it none article of the faith And it is playne that all your exterior signes wyth all your holy ornamentes as your holy myters your holy crossestaues your holy pyllers polaxis your holy red gloues your holy ouches and your holy rynges your holy annoynted fingers your holy vestmentes your holy challices and your holy golden showes yea take also to helpe you S. Thomas of Canterburyes holy showe wyth all the holy bootes of holy Monkes and all these togither can not make one crumme of holynes in you nor helpe you one pricke forward that you may bée wythin thys church For if these thynges coulde helpe then were it no mastery to make an Asse to bée of the church of God But our holy mother the Church hath an other holynes that commeth from God the father thorough the swéete bloud of his blessed sonne Iesus Christ in whom is all her confidence and trust Vnto whom she sticketh onely by sted fast fayth by whose purenes shee is also pure in that that she doth confesse her vnclennes for shee beléeueth stedfastly that she hath an aduocate for her sinne to y e father of heauen which is Christ Iesus and hée is the satisfaction for her sinnes hée of his mercy not of her merites hath chosen her for to bée his and because she is his therfore must she bée cleane so long as she abideth in him This is well declared in S. Iohn where our master Christe is
is the foode of our soules Therfore if he minister it not truly and freely vnto vs wythout sellyng he is a theef a soule murtherer and euen so is he if he take vpon hym to feede vs haue not wherwith And for a like conclusion because we also with all that we haue be Christes therfore is the priest heyre with vs also of all that we haue receiued of God wherfore in as much as y t priest wayteth on y t word of God and is our seruaunt therin therfore of right we are his detters and owe him a sufficient liuyng of our goodes and euen thereto a wyfe of our daughters owe we vnto hym if hee require her And nowe when we haue appoynted him a sufficiente liuyng whether in tythes rentes or in yearely wages he ought to be content and to require no more nor yet to receaue any more but to be an ensample of sobernesse and of despising worldly things vnto the ensample of hys parishioners Wilte thou vowe to offer vnto the poore people that is pleasaunt in the sight of God for they be left here to do our almes vpon in Christes stead and they be the right heyres of all our aboundaunce and ouerplus Moreouer we must haue a schole to teache Gods worde in though it needed not to bee so costly and therfore it is lawfull to vow vnto the building or maintenaÌ„ce therof vnto the helping of all good workes And we ought to vow to pay custome tolle rent and all maner duties and whatsoeuer we owe for that is Gods commaundement If thou wilt vowe pilgrimage thou must put salt therto in like manner if it shall be accepted if thou vowe to go and visite the poore or to heare gods word or whatsoeuer edifieth thy soule vnto loue good worke after knowledge or whatsoeuer God commaundeth it is wel done and a sacrifice that sauoureth well ye wil happly say that ye will go to this or that place because God hath chosen one place more then another and wyll heare your petition more in one place then another As for your prayer it must be according to to gods worde Ye may not desire god to take vengeaunce on hym whome Gods worde teacheth you to pity and to pray for And as for the other glose that God will here you more in one place then in another I suppose it sal infatuatum salt vnsauery for if it were wisdome how could we excuse y t deth of Steuen Acts 7. which died for that article that God dwelleth not in temples made with handes we y t beleue in God are the temple of God sayeth Paul If a man loue God and keepe hys worde he is the temple of God hath God presently dwellyng in him as witnesseth Christ Iohn 14. saying If a man loue me he wyll keepe my worde and then my father wyll loue hym and we wyll come vnto hym and dwel with hym And in the 15. he saith if ye abyde in me and my wordes also abyde in you then aske what ye wyll and ye shall haue it If thou beleue in Christe and hast the promises whiche God hath made thee in thine hart then go on pilgrimage vnto thyne owne hart and there pray and God wil heare thee for hys mercy and truthes sake and for his sonnes Christes sake and not for a few stones sakes What careth GOD for the temple The very beastes in that they haue life in them be much better then an heape of stones couched together To speake of chastity it is a gift not geuen vnto all persones as testifieth both Christ and also his Apostle Paul wherfore all persons may not vow it Moreouer there bee causes wherefore many persons may better lyue chast at one tyme then at an other Many may lyue chast at twenty and thirtie for certayne cold diseases folowyng them which at xl when their health is come can not do so Many be occupyed with wilde phantasies in their youth that they care not for mariage which some when they be waxen sad shal be greatly desirous it is a daungerous thyng to make sinne where none is and to forsweare the benefite of God to bynde thy self vnder payne of daÌ„nation of thy soule that y u wouldest not vse remedy that god hath created if nede required An other thyng is this beware that thou get thee not a false fayned chastitie made with the vngodly persuasioÌ„s of S. Hierome of Ouide in his filthy booke of the remedy agaynst loue lâ—st when throughe such imaginatioÌ„s thou hast vtterly despised defied and abhorred all womankynde thou come into such case thoroughe the fierce wrath of God that thou canst neither lyue chast nor finde in thy hart to mary and so be compelled to fall into the abhomination of the Pope against nature and kynde Moreouer god is a wise father and knoweth all the infirmities of his children and also mercyfull and therefore hath created a remedy without sinne and geuen therto his fauour and blessyng Let vs not be wyser then GOD with our imaginatioÌ„s nor tempt him for as godly chastitie is not euery maÌ„s gift euen so he that hath it to day hath not power to continue it at his owne pleasure neither hath God promised to geue it him stil and to cure his infirmities without hys naturall remedy no more then he hath promised to slake hys hunger without meate or thyrst without drinke Wherfore either let all thynges byde free as God hath created them and neither vowe that which God permitteth thee with his fauour and blessing also or els if thou wilte nedes vowe then vow godly and vnder a condition that thou wilt continue chast so long as God geueth thee that gift and as long as neither thyne own necessitie neither charitie toward thy neighbour nor the authoritie of theÌ„ vnder whose power thou art driue thee vnto the contrary The purpose of thy vowe must bee salted also with the wisedome of God Thou mayest not vowe to be iustified thereby or to make satisfaction for thy sinnes or to wynne heaueÌ„ nor an hyer place for then diddest thou wrong vnto the bloud of Christ and thy vowe were playne Idolatry and abhominable in the sight of GOD. Thy vow must be onely vnto the furtheraunce of the commaundementes of GOD which are as I haue said nothing but the tamyng of thy members and the seruice of thy neighbour that is if thou thincke thy backe to weake for the burthen of wedlocke and that thou canst not rule thy wife children seruauntes and make prouision for them godly without ouermuch busying and vnquietyng thy selfe and drownyng thy selfe in worldly busynesse vnchristenly or that thou canst serue thy neighbour in some office better beyng chast then maryed And then thy vowe is good and lawfull And euen so must thou vowe abstinence of meates and drinkes so farre forth as it is profitable vnto thy neighbours
passion Peter was angry and rebuked Christ and thought earnestly that he had raued and not wist what he sayde as at another time when Christ was so feruently busied in healyng the people that he had no leisure to eat they went out to hold him supposing that he had bene beside hymselfe And one that cast out diuels in Christes name they forbade because he wayted not on them so glorious were they yet And though Christ taught alway to forgeue yet Peter after long goyng to schole asked whether men should forgeue seuen tymes thinkyng that viij tymes had bene to much And at the last supper Peter would haue dyed with christ but yet within few houres after he denyed him both cowardly and shamefully And after the same maner though he had so long heard that no man might auenge him self but rather turne the other cheeke to then to smite agayne yet when Christ was in takyng Peter asked whether it were lawful to smite with the sword and taried none aunswere but layed on rashly So that though when we come first vnto knowledge of the truth and the peace is made betwene God and vs and we loue his lawes and beleue and trust in him as in our father and haue good hartes vnto him and be borne a new in the spirite yet we are but childrē and young scholers weake and feble and must haue leysure to grow in the spirite in knowledge loue and in the ded◅ therof as young children must haue tyme to grow in their bodies And God our father and scholemaster feedeth vs and teacheth vs accorcordyng vnto the capacitie of our stomackes and maketh vs to grow and waxe perfect and fineth and trieth vs as gold in the fire of temptations and tribulations As Moyses witnesseth Deutero viij saying Remember all the way by whiche the Lord thy God caried thee this xl yeares in the wildernesse to humble thee and to tempte or prouoke thee y t it might be knowen what were in thine hart He brought thee into aduersitie and made thee an hungred then fed thee with Manna which neither thou nor yet thy fathers euer knew of to teach that man lyueth not by bread onely but by all that procedeth out of the mouth of GOD. For the promises of God are lyfe vnto all that cleaue vnto them muche more then breade and bodyly sustenaunce as the iourney of the children of Israell out of Egipt into the land promised them ministreth thee notable ensamples and that aboundantly as doth all the rest of the Bible also Howbeit it is impossible for flesh to beleue and to trust in the truth of Gods promises vntil he haue learned it in much tribulation after that God hath deliuered him out therof agayne God therefore to teach Ionas and to shew him his owne hart to make him perfect and to instruct vs also by his ensample sent him out of the lande of Israell where he was a Prophet to go among the heathen people and to the greatest and mightiest Citie of the world then called Niniue to preache that within xl dayes they should all perish for their sinnes and that the Citie should be ouerthrowen Whiche message the free will of Ionas had as much power to doe as the weakest harted womā in the world ▪ hath power if◅ were commaunde◅ to leape int◅e of lyuyng snakes and adders as happely if God had cōmaunded Sara to haue sacrificed her sonne Isaa◅ as he did Abraham she would haue disputed with him yer shee had done it or though she were strong enough yet many an holy Saint could not haue founde in their hartes but would haue runne away from the presence of the commaundement of God with Ionas if they had bene so strongly tempted For Ionas thought of this maner loe I am here a Prophet vnto Gods people the Israelites Whiche though they haue Gods worde testified vnto them dayly yet despise it and worshyp God vnder the likenesse of calues and after all maner fashions saue after hys owne word and therfore are of all nations the worst and most worthy of punishment And yet God for loue of fewe that are among them and for his names sake spareth and defendeth them How then should GOD take so cruel vengeaunce on so great a multitude of them to whō hys name was neuer preached to and therfore are not the tenth part so euill as these If I shall therfore go preach so shal I laye and shame my selfe and God thereto make them the more to dispise God and set the lesse by him and to bee the more cruell vnto his people And vpon that imagination he fled from the face or presence of God that is out of the coūtrey where God was worshipped in and from the prosecutyng of Gods commaundement and thought I will get me an other way among the heathen people and be no more a prophet but liue at rest and out of all combraunce Neuerthelesse the God of all mercy which careth fo◠his elect children turneth all vnto good to them and smiteth them to heale thē againe and killeth them to make them aliue agayne and playeth with them as a father doth some tyme with his young ignoraunt children and tempteth them and proueth them to make them see their owne hartes prouided for Ionas how all thinges should be When Ionas entred into the shyp he layd him down to slepe and to take his rest that is his conscience was tossed betwene the commaundement of God which sent him to Ninine and his fleshly wisedome that dissnaded counselled him the contrary and at the last preuailed against the commaundement and caryed him an other way as a shyp caught betwene two streames as Poetes faine the mother of Meliager to be betwen diuers affections while to aduenge her brothers death shee sought to slea her owne sonne Whereupon for very paine and tediousnes he lay down to slepe for to put the commaundement which so gnewe and fret his conscience out of mynde as the nature of all wicked is when they haue sinned a good to seke all meanes with riot reuell and pastime to driue the remembraūce of sinne out of their thoughtes or as Adam did to couer their nakednes with apornes of Pope holy workes But God awoke him out of his dreame set his sinnes before his face For when y t lot had caught Ionas then bee sure that his sinnes came to remembraunce agayne and that his cōscience raged no lesse then the waues of the Sea And then he thought that he onely was a sinner and the heathen that were in the shyp none in respect of him and thought also as veryly as he was fled from God that as veryly God had cast him away for the sight of the rodde maketh the naturall child not onely to see and to knowledge his faulte but also to forget all his fathers old mercy and kindnesse And then he confessed his sinne openly
this Epistle to haue bene written by any of the Apostles but haue also refused it all together as no Catholicke or godly epistle bicause of certaine textes written therin For first he sayth in the sixt it is impossible that they whiche were once lighted and haue tasted of the heauēly gift and were become partakers of the holye ghoste and haue tasted of the good worde of GOD and of the power of the worlde to come if they fall shoulde bee renewed agayne to repentaunce or conuersion And in the tenth it sayth if we sinne willingly after we haue receiued the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sinnes but a fearefull lookyng for iudgement and violent fyre whiche shall destroy the aduersaries And in the xij it saith that Esau found no way to repentaunce or conuersion no thoughe he sought it with teares Whiche textes say they sound that if a man sinne any more after he is once Baptised he can be no more forgeuen and that is contrary to all the Scripture and therefore to be refused to be Catholicke and godly Vnto whiche I aunswere if we should denye this Epistle for those textes sakes so should we deny first Mathew which in his xij Chapter affirmeth that he which blasphemeth the holy Ghost shall neither be forgiuen here nor in the world to come And then Marke which in his thyrd Chapiter sayth that he that blasphemeth the holy Ghost shal neuer haue forgiuenesse but shal be in daunger of eternall damnation And thirdly Luke which saith there shall be no remission to him that blasphemeth the spirite of God Moreouer Iohn in his first Epistle saith there is a sinne vnto death for which a man should not pray And ij Pet. ij saith if a man be fled from the vncleanesse of the world through the knowledge of our Sauiour Iesus Christ and then be wrapt in agayne his ende is worse then the beginnyng and that it had better for him neuer to haue knowen the truth And Paule ij Ti. iij. curseth Alexander the Copper-smith desiring the lord to reward him accordyng to his deedes Whiche is a signe that either y t Epistle should not be good or that Alexander had sinned past forgiuenesse no more to be prayed for Wherfore seyng no Scripture is of priuate interpretation but must be expounded accordyng to the generall Articles of our fayth and agreable to other open and euident textes confirmed or compared to lyke sentences why should we not vnderstand these places with like reuerēce as we do the other namely when all the remnaunt of the Epistle is so godly of so great learnyng The first place in the vj. Chapiter will no more then that they whiche know the truth and yet willingly refuse the light and chuse rather to dwell in darkenes and refuse Christ make a mocke of him as y ◠Pharisies which whē they were ouercome with Scripture miracles y ◠Christ was the very Messias yet had they such lust in iniquitie that they forsoke him persecuted him slewe him and did all the shame that could be imagined to him can not bee renued 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sayth the Greeke to be conuerted that is to say such malicious vnkyndnesse which is none other then the blasphemyng of the holy Ghost deserueth that the spirite shall neuer come more at them to conuerte them whiche I beleue to be as true as any other text in all the Scripture And what is ment by that place in the tenth Chapter where he sayth if we sinne willingly after we haue receiued y t knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sinne is declared immediatly after For he maketh a comparison betwene Moses and Christ saying if he which despised Moses law dyed without mercy how much worse punishment is he worthy of that treadeth the sonne of God vnderfoote and counteth the bloud of the couenaunt by whiche bloud he was sanctified as an vnholy thyng blasphemeth the spirite of grace By which wordes it is manifest that he meaneth none other by the fore wordes then the sinne of blasphemy of the spirite For them that sinne of ignoraunce or infirmitie there is remedy but for him that knoweth the truthe and yet willingly yeldeth him selfe to sinne consenteth vnto the lyfe of sinne with soule and body had rather lye in sin then haue his poysoned nature healed by the helpe of the spirite of grace and maliciously persecuteth the truth for him I say there is no remedy the way to mercy is locked vp and the spirite is taken from him for his vnthankefulnesse sake no more to be geuen him Truthe it is if a mā can turne to God and beleue in Christ he must be forgiuen how deepe soeuer he hath sinned but that wil not be without the spirite and such blasphemers shall no more haue the spirite offred them Let euery man therefore feare God and beware that he yeld not him self to serue sinne but how oft soeuer he sinne let him be gyn agayne and fight a freshe and no doubt he shal at the last ouercome and in the meane tyme yet be vnder mercy for Christes sake because his hart worketh and would fayne be loused from vnder the bondage of sinne And there it sayth in the. xij Esau founde no way 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to bee conuerted and reconciled vnto God and restored vnto his byrth right agayn though he sought it with teares that text must haue a spirituall eye For Esau in sellyng his byrthright despised not onely that temporall promotion that he should haue bene Lord ouer all his brethren and kyng of that countrey but he also refused the grace and mercy of GOD and the spirituall blessyng of Abrahā and Isaac and all y t mercy that is promised vs in Christ which should haue bene his seede Of this ye see that this Epistle ought no more to be refused for holy godly and Catholicke then the other autentike Scriptures Now therfore to come to our purpose agayne though this Epistle as it sayth in the sixt lay not the grounde of the fayth of Christ yet it buildeth cunnyngly thereon pure gold siluer and precious stones proueth the Priesthode of Christ with Scriptures ineuitable Moreouer there is no worke in all the Scripture that so playnly declareth the meanyng and significatiōs of the sacrifices ceremonies and figures of the old Testament as this Epistle in so much that if wilful blindnes malicious malice were not the cause this Epistle onely were enoughe to wede out of the hartes of the papistes that cankred heresie of iustifiyng of workes cōcernyng our Sacraments ceremonies and all maner traditions of their owne inuention And finally in that ye see in the tenth that he had bene in bondes and prison for Christes sake in y t he so mightely driueth all to Christ to be saued thorough him and so cared for the flocke of Christ that he both wrote and
an infidell to see So likewise no doubt in the light of the cleare visiō of God we shal see things which now God will not haue knowen For pride euer accōpanieth hye knowledge but grace accompanyeth mekenes Let vs therfore giue diligence rather to do the will of GOD then to search his secretes whiche are not profitable for vs to know When we are thus reconciled to God made the frendes of GOD and heyres of eternall lyfe the spirite that GOD hath poured into vs testifieth that we may not lyue after our olde dedes of ignoraūce For how is it possible that we should repēt and abhorre them and yet haue lust to liue in them We are sure therfore that GOD hath created and made vs new in Christ put his spirite in vs that we should lyue a new lyfe whiche is the lyfe of good workes That thou mayst know what are good workes and the end and entent of good woorkes or wherfore good woorkes serue marke this that foloweth The lyfe of a Christen man is inward betwene hym and God and properly is the consent of the spirite to the will of God and to the honor of God And Gods honour is the finall end of all good workes Good workes are all thynges that are done within the lawes of God in which God is honored and for which thankes are geuen to God Fastyng is to absteine from surfeting or ouer much eatyng from dronkennes and care of the world as thou mayst read Luke xxj and the end of fastyng is to tame the body that the spirite may haue a free course to God and may quietly talke with God For ouer much eatyng and drinkyng and care of worldly busines presse downe the spirite choke her tangle her that she can not lift vp her selfe to GOD. Now he that fasteth for any other entent then to subdue the body that the spirite may wayte on God and freely exercise her selfe in the things of God the same is blind wotteth not what he doth erreth and shoteth at a wrong marke and his entent and imaginatiō is abhominable in the sight of GOD. When thou fastest from meate drinkest all day is that a Christen fast either to eate at one meale that were sufficient for foure A man at foure tymes may beare that he cā not at ones Som fast from meate and drinke and yet so tangle them selues in worldly busines that they can not once thinke on God Some abstaine from butter some from egges some frō all maner white meate some this day some that day some in the honor of this Saint some of that and euery mā for a sondry purpose Some for the toth ache some for the head ache for feuers pestilence for soden death for hangyng drounyng and to be deliuered from the paynes of hell Some are so mad that the fast one of the Thursdayes betwene the two S. Mary dayes in the worshyp of that Saint whose day is halowed betwene Christemas and Candelmas and that to be deliuered from the pestilence All those mē fast without cōscience of god without knowledge of y ◠true entent of fastyng and do no other then honor Saintes as the Gentiles and heathen worshyped their Idols are drowned in blyndnes and know not of the Testamēt that God hath made to māward in Christes bloud In God haue they neither hope nor confidence neither beleue hys promyses neyther know his will but are yet in captiuitie vnder the prince of darkenes WAtch is not onely to absteine frō sleepe but also to be circumspect and to cast all perils as a man should watch a Tower or a Castell We must remember that the snares of the deuill are infinite and innumerable and that euery momēt arise new temptations and that in all places mete vs fresh occasions Agaynst which we must prepare our selues and turne to God and cōplaine to hym and make our moue and desire hym of his mercy to be our shield our Tower our Castle and defence from all euill to put his strength in vs for without hym we can doe nought aboue all thynges we must call to minde what promises god hath made and what he hath sworne that he will do to vs for Christes sake and with strong fayth cleaue vnto them desire him of his mercy and for y ◠loue that he hath to Christ for his truthes sake to fulfil his promises If we thus cleane to God with strong fayth and beleue his wordes thē as sayth Paul j. Cor. x God is faithfull that he will not suffer vs to be tempted aboue that we are able or aboue our might y ◠is to say if we cleaue to his promises not to our owne fantasies imaginatiōs he will put might and power into vs that shal be stronger then all the temptation whiche he shall suffer to be agaynst vs. PRayer is a mournyng alōgyng a desire of the spirite to Godward for that whiche she lacketh as a sicke morneth and soroweth in his hart lōgyng for health Fayth euer prayeth For after that by fayth we are reconciled to God and haue receaued mercy and forgiuenes of God the spirit longeth and thyrsteth for strēgth to do the will of God and that God may be honoured his name halowed his pleasure will fulfilled The spirite wayteth and watcheth on the will of God and euer hath her owne fragilitie and weakenes before her eyes and when she seeth temptation and perill drawnye she turneth to God and to the testamēt that God hath made to all that beleue and trust in Christes bloud and desireth God for his mercy truth and for the loue he hath to Christ that he will fulfil his promise that he will succour helpe and giue vs strength and that he will sanctifie his name in vs fulfill his godly will in vs and that he wil not looke on our sinne and iniquitie but on his mercy on his truth and on the loue that he oweth to his sonne Christ and for his sake to keepe vs frō temptation that we be not ouercome and that he deliuer vs from euill and what soeuer moueth vs cōtrary to his godly will Moreouer of his owne experience he feeleth other mens neede and no lesse commendeth to God the infirmities of other then his owne knowing that there is no strēgth no help no succour but of God onely And as mercifull as he feeleth God in his hart to himselfe warde so mercifull is he to other and as greatly as he fealeth hys owne misery so great compassion hath he on other His neighbour is no lesse care to him then himselfe He feeleth his neighbours grief no lesse then his owne And whēsoeuer he seeth occasion he cānot but pray for his neighbour as well as for himselfe his nature is to seeke the honour of God in al men and to draw as much as in him is all men vnto God This is the lawe
How many are there of the same sort which thou cāst not make beleue that a thousand thinges are sin which God damneth for sinne all the scripture throughout As to bye as good cheepe as he can and to sell as deare as he can to rayse the market of corne and victuale for his owne vauntage without respect of his neighbor or of the poore of the common wealth and such like Moreouer how many hundred thousandes are there which when they haue sinned knowledge their sinnes yet trust in a balde ceremony or in a lowsy Fryers coate and merites or in the prayers of them that deuoure widowes houses and eateth the poore out of house and harbour in a thyng of hys owne imagination in a foolishe dreame and a false vision not in Christes bloud and in the truth that God hath sworne All these are faythlesse for they follow their owne righteousnes and are disobediēt vnto all maner righteousnes of God both vnto the righteousnes of Gods lawe wherewith he damneth all our deedes for though some of them see their sins for feare of payne yet had they rather that such deedes were no sinne and also vnto the righteousnes of the truth of God in his promises whereby he saueth all that repent and beleue them For though they beleue that Christ dyed yet beleue they not that he dyed for their sinnes and that hys death is a sufficient satisfaction for their sinnes and that God for hys sake will be a father vnto them and geue them power to resist sinne Paule sayth to the Romaynes in the x. chap. if thou confesse wyth thy mouth that Iesus is the Lord and beleue wyth thine hart that God raysed hym vp from death thou shalt be safe That is if thou beleue he raysed hym vp againe for thy saluation Many beleue that God is riche and almighty but not vnto themselues and that he he will be good vnto them and defend them and be their God Pharao for payne of the plague was compelled to confesse hys sinnes but had yet no power to submit hymselfe vnto y t will of God and to let the children of Israell goe and to loose so great profit for Gods pleasure As our Prelates confesse their sinnes saying though we be neuer so euill yet haue we the power And agayne the Scribes and the Pharises say they sate in Moyses seate do as they teach but not as they do thus confesse they that they are abhominable But to the second I aunswere if they sate on Christes sear they would preach Christes doctrine now preach they their owne traditions and therefore not to be heard If they preached Christ we ought to heare them though they were neuer so abhominable as they of themselues confesse and haue yet no power to amende neither to let loose Christes flocke to serue God in the spirit which they holde captiue compelling them to serue their false lyes The deuils felt the power of Christ and were cōpelled against their willes to confesse that he was the sonne of God but had no power to be contēt therewith neither to consent vnto the ordinaunce eternall councell of the euerlasting God as our Prelates feele the power of God agaynst them but yet haue no grace to geue roome vnto Christ because that they as the deuils nature is will themselues sitte in hys holy temple that is to witte the consciences of men ¶ Simon Magus beleued Acts. 8. with such a fayth as the deuils confessed Christ but had no right fayth as thou seest in the sayd chapter For he repented not consenting vnto the lawe of God Neither beleued the promises or longed for them but wondred onely at y ◠myracles which Philip wrought and because tha◠he himselfe in Philips presence had no power to vse his witchcrafte sorcery and arte magike wherewith he mocked deluded the wittes of y t people He would haue bought the gifte of God to haue solde it much dearer as his successours now do and not the successours of Simon Peter For were they Simon Peters successours they would preach Christ as he did but they are Simon Magus his successours of which Simō Peter well proued in y t secōd chapter of hys second epistle saying there were false Prophetes among the people meaning of the Iewes euen as there shal be false teachers or doctours among you which priuely shall bring in sectes damnable sectes is part taking as one holdeth of Fraunces another of Dominyck which thyng also Paule rebuketh 1. Corin. 1. and 3. euē denying the Lord that bought them for they will not be saued by Christ neyther suffer any man to preach hym to other And many shall follow their damnable wayes thou wilt say shall God suffer so many to goe out of the right wayes so long I aunswere many must folow their damnable wayes or els must Peter be a false Prophet by which the way of truth shal be euill spoken of as it is now at this present tyme for it is heresy to preach the truth and through couetousnes shall they wyth fayned wordes make merchaundise of you of their merchaundise and couetousnes it needeth not to make rehearsall for they that be blinde see it euidently Thus seest thou that Iames when he sayth faith without deedes is dead and as the body without the spirite is dead so is fayth without deedes and the deuils beleue that he meaneth not of the fayth trust that we haue in the truthe of Gods promises and his holy Testament made vnto vs in Christes bloud whiche fayth foloweth repentaunce and the consent of the hart vn-the lawe of God and maketh a man safe and setteth him at peace with god But speaketh of that false opinion and imagination wherewith some say I beleue that Christ was borne of a virgine and that he dyed and so forth That beleue they veryly and so strōgly that they are ready to slay who soeuer would say the contrary But they beleue not that Christ dyed for their sinnes and that his death hath peased the wrath of God and hath obtained for them all that God hath promised in the Scripture For how can they beleue that Christ dyed for their sinnes and that he is their onely and sufficiēt Sauiour seyng that they seeke other Sauiours of their owne imagination seyng that they feele not their sinnes neither repent except that some repent as I aboue sayd for feare of payne but for no loue nor consent vnto the law of god nor lōging that they haue for those good promises which he hath made them in Christes bloud If they repented and loued the lawe of God and longed for that helpe whiche God hath promised to giue to all that call on hym for Christes sake then veryly must Gods truth giue them power strength to do good workes when so euer occasion were giuen either must God be a false God But let God be true and euery
instance THat thou mayst perceyue how that y â— scripture ought to be in the mother tounge and that the reasons which our sprites make for the contrary are but sophistry and false wiles to feare thee from the light that thou mightest follow them blindfolde and be theyr captiue to honor theyr ceremonies and to offer to theyr belly First God gaue the children of Israell a law by the hande of Moses in their mother tounge and all the prophetes wrote in theyr mother tounge and all the Psalmes were in the mother tongue And there was Christ but figured and described in ceremonies in riddles in parables and in darck prophecies What is the cause that we may not haue the olde Testament with the new also which is the light of the olde and wherin is openly declared before the eyes that there was darckly prophesied I can imagine no cause verely except it be that we should not see the woorke of Antechrist iugglyng of hipocrites what shoulde be the cause that we which walke in the broad day should not see as well as they that walked in the night or that wee shoulde not see as well at noone as they did in y â— twylight Came Christ to make the world more blinde By this meanes Christ is the darknes of the world and noâ— the light as he saith him selfe Iohn 8. Moreouer Moses saith Deut. 6. Heare Israell let these wordes which I coÌ„maunde thee thys day sticke fast in thine hart whet theÌ„ on thy children talke of theÌ„ as thou sittest in thine house as thou walkest by the way when thou lyest downe when thou risest vp binde them for a token to thyne hand let them be a remembraunce betwene thine eyes write theÌ„ on the posâ—es gates of thine house This was commauÌ„ded generally vnto all men How cometh it that gods word pertaineth lesse vnto vs theÌ„ vnto the Yea howe commeth it that our Moysesses forbid vs and commaund vs the contrary threaten vs if we do will not that we once speake of Gods worde How can we whette Gods word that is to put it in practise vse exercise vpoÌ„ our children houshold wheÌ„ we are violently kepte from it and knowe it not How can we as Peter commaundeth geue a reason of our hope when we wot not what it is that God hath promised or what to hope Moyses also commaundeth in the sayd chapter If the sonne aske what the testimonies lawes and obseruaunces of the Lorde meane that the father teach him If our childreÌ„ aske what our cerimonies which are moe then the Iewes were meane no father can tell his sonne And in the xj chapter he repeteth all againe for feare of forgetting They will say happely the scripture requireth a pure minde and a quiet minde And therefore the lay man because he is altogether combred with worldly busines can not vnderstand them If that be the cause then it is a plaine case that our prelates vnderstand not the Scriptures them selues for no lay man is so tangled with worldly busines as they are The great thinges of the worlde are ministred by them neyther do the lay people any great thing but at their assignement If the Scripture were in the mother tongue they will say then would the lay people vnderstande it euery man after his owne wayes Wherfore serueth the Curate but to teach him the right way Wherfore were the holy dayes made but that the people shoulde come and learne Are yee not abhominable scholemaisters in that ye take so great wages if ye will not teach If ye would teach how could ye do it so well and with so great profite as when the lay people haue the scripture before them in theyr mother tongue for then should they see by the order of the text whether thou iugledest or not and then woulde they beleue it because it is y â— scripture of god thoughe thy liuyng be neuer so abhominable Where now because your liuing your preaching are so contrary and because they grope out in euery sermon your open and manifest lyes and smell your vnsatiable couetousnes they beleue you not when you preach truth But alas the Curates them selues for the most part wot no more what the new or olde Testament meaneth then do the Turkes neither know they of any more then that they read at masse mattens and euensong which yet they vnderstande not neyther care they but euen to mumble vp so much euery day as the Pye and Poymgay speake they wot not what to sill vp theyr bellies withall If they will not let the lay man haue the woorde of God in hys mother tounge yet let the priests haue it which for a great part of them do vnderstand no latine at all but sing and say and patter all day with the lips onely that which the hart vnderstandeth not Christ commaundeth to search the scriptures Iohn 5. Though that miracles bare recorde vnto hys doctrine yet desired he no fayth to be geuen eyther vnto hys doctrine or vnto hys miracles without recorde of the scripture When Paule preached Act. 17. the other searched the scriptures dayly whether they were as he alleaged them Why shal not I likewise see whether it be the scripture y â— thou alleagest yea why shall I not see the scripture and the circumstaunces and what goeth before and after that I may knowe whether thine interpretation be y â— right sence or whether thou iuglest and drawest the scripture violently vnto thy carnall and fleshlye purpose or whether thou be about to teache me or to disccaue me Christ sayth that there shall come false prophets in his name and say that they themselues are Christ that is they shall so preache christ that meÌ„ must beleue in theÌ„ in their holines and thinges of their imagination wtout gods word yea that agaynst Christ or Antechrist that shall come is nothyng but suche false prophetes that shall iuggle with the scripture and beguile the people with false interpretatioÌ„s as all the false prophetes scribes pharisies did in y t old TestameÌ„t How shall I know whether ye are agaynst Christ or fals prophetes or no seing ye will not let me see how ye alleage the scriptures Christ sayth By theyr deedes ye shall know them Now when we looke on your deeds we see that ye are all sworne together and haue seperated yourselues from the lay people and haue a seuerall kingdome amoÌ„g your selues and seuerall lawes of your owne making wherewith ye violently binde the lay people that neuer consented vnto the making of them A thousand thinges forbidde ye which Christ made free and dispence with them agayne for money neyther is there any exception at all but lacke of money Ye haue a secret counsell by your selues All other mens secretes counsels know ye and no man yours ye seek but honour riches promotion authoritie and to
raigne ouer all and will obey no man If the father geue you ought of curtesie ye will cōpell the sonne to geue it violently whether he will or not by crafte of your owne lawes These deedes are against Christ When a whole parish of vs hyre a scholemaister to teach our children what reason is it that we shoulde be compelled to pay thys scholemaister his wages and he should haue licence to goe where he wil and to dwell in an other contrey and to leaue our children vntaught Doth not the pope so Haue we not geuen vp our tithes of curtesie vnto one for to teach vs Gods worde and commeth not the pope and compelleth vs to pay it violently to them that neuer teach Maketh he not one Parson which neuer commeth at vs yea one shall haue v. or vj. or as many as he can get and wotteth oftentimes where neuer one of them standeth Another is made Vicare to whom he geueth a dispensation to goe where he will and to set in a parishe priest which can but minister a sort of dumme ceremonies And he because he hath most labour and least profite polleth on hys part and fetteth here a masse peuy there a trentall yonder dirige money and for his beadroule with a confession peny and such like And thus are we neuer taught and are yet neuertheles compelled ye compelde to hyre many costly scholemasters These deedes are verely agaynst Christ Shall we therefore iudge you by your dedes as Christ commaundeth So are ye false Prophetes and the Disciples of Antechrist or agaynst Christ The Sermons which thou readest in the Actes of the Apostles and all that the Apostles preached were no doubt preached in the mother tongue Why then might they not be written in the mother tounge As if one of vs preach a good sermon why may it not be written Saint Hierome also translated the Bible into his mother tounge Why may not we also They will say it can not be translated into our tounge it is so rude It is not so rude as they are false lyers For the Greeke tounge agreeth more with the English then wyth the Latin And the properties of the Hebrue tounge agreeth a thousand tymes more wyth the Englishe then wyth the Latyn The maner of speaking is both one so that in a thousand places thou needest not but to trāslate it into the English worde for worde when thou must seeke a compasse in the Latin and yet shalt haue much worke to translate it welfauouredly so that it haue the same grace swetenesse sence pure vnderstanding with it in the Latin as it hath in the Hebrue A thousand partes better maye it be translated into the English thē into the Latin Yea and except my memory fayle me and that I haue forgotten what I red whē I was a childe thou shalt finde in the Englishe cronicle how that kyng Adelstone caused the holy Scripture to be translated into the tounge that then was in Englande and how the Prelates exhorted him thereunto Moreouer seyng that one of you euer preacheth contrary to an other and when two of you meete the one disputeth brauleth wyth the other as it were two scoldes And forasmuch as one holdeth this Doctor and an other that One foloweth Duns an other Saint Thomas an other Bonauenture Alexāder de hales Raymond Lyre Brygot Dorbell Holcot Gorram Trumbett Hugo de sancto victore De monte regio De noua uilla De media villa and such lyke out of nūber So that if thou haddest but of euery authour one booke thou couldest not pyle them vp in any ware house in London and euery authour is one contrary vnto an other In so great diuersitie of spirites how shall I know who lyeth and who sayeth truth Whereby shall I trye thē and iudge them Verely by Gods worde which onely is true But how shall I that do when thou wilt not let me see scripture Nay say they the scriptures is so harde that thou couldest neuer vnderstand it but by the Doctours That is I must measure the mete yarde by the cloth Here be twenty clothes of diuers lengthes of diuers bredthes How shall I be sure of the length of the mete yarde by them I suppose rather I must be first sure of the length of the mete yarde and thereby measure and iudge the clothes If I must first beleue the Doctour then is the Doctour first true and the truth of the scripture dependeth of hys truth so the truth of God springeth of the truth of man Thus Antechrist turneth the rotes of the trees vpwarde What is the cause that we damne some of Origenes workes and alowe some How know we that some is heresy and some not By the scripture I trow How know we that Saint Augustine which is the best or one of the best that euer wrote vpon the Scripture wrote many thynges amisse at the beginning as many other Doctours doe Verely by the Scriptures as he hymselfe well perceaued afterward when he looked more diligently vpon them and reuoked many thynges agayne He wrote of many thinges which he vnderstode not when he was newly conuerted yer he had throughly seene the Scriptures and folowed the opinions of Plato and the common perswasions of mans wisedom that were then famous They wyll say yet more shamefully that no man can vnderstād the Scriptures without Philautia that is to say Philosophy A man muste first bee well seene in Aristotle yer he cā vnderstand the Scripture say they Aristotles doctrine is that the worlde was wythout beginning and shall be wythout ende and that the first man neuer was and the last shall neuer be And that God doth all of necessitie neither careth what we doe neither wyll aske any accomptes of that we do Wythout thys doctrine how coulde we vnderstande the Scripture that sayth God created the world of nought and God worketh all thyng of hys free wyll and for a secret purpose that we shall all ryse agayne and that God will haue accomptes of all that we haue done in thys lyfe Aristotle sayth Geue a man a lawe and he hath power of hymselfe to doe or fulfill the lawe and becōmeth righteous wyth workyng righteously But Paule and all the scripture sayth that the lawe doth but vtter sinne onely and helpeth not Neyther hath any man power to doe the lawe tyll the spirite of God be geuen hym through fayth in Christ Is it not a madnes then to say that we coulde not vnderstand the Scripture wythout Aristotle Aristotles righteousnes and all hys vertues spring of mans free wyll And a Turke and euery Infidell and Idolater may be righteous and vertuous wyth that righteousnes those vertues Moreouer Aristotles felicitie and blessednes standeth in auoyding of all tribulatiōs and in riches health honour worship frendes and authoritie which felicitie pleaseth our spiritualty well
commeth it that they will pay none at all But to pay tribute is a signe of subiectiō verely the cause why Christ payed was because he had an houshold and for the same cause payed Peter also For he had an house a shippe and nettes as thou readest in the Gospell But let vs go to Paul agayne Wherfore ye must needes obey not for feare of vengeaunce onely but also because of conscience That is though thou be so naughty as nowe many yeares our Pope and Prelates euery where are that thou nedest not to obeye the temporall sword for feare of vengeaunce yet must thou obey because of consciēce First because of thine owne conscience For though thou be able to resiste yet shalt thou neuer haue a good cōscience as lōg as Gods word law and ordinaunce are against thee Secondarily for thy neighbours conscience For though through craft and violence thou mightest escape and obteyne libertie or priuilege to be free from all maner dueties yet oughtest thou neither to sue or to seeke for any such thing neither yet admit or accept if it were profered lest thy fredome make thy weake brother to grudge rebell in that he seeth thee go emptie and he him selfe more ladē thy part also layd on his shoulders Seest thou not if a man fauour one sonne more then an other or one seruaunt more then an other how all the rest grudge and how loue peace and vnitie is broken What Christenly loue is in the to thy neighbour ward when thou canst finde in thyne hart to go vp and down empty by him all day long and see him ouer charged yea to fal vnder his burthen and yet wilt not once set to thyne hand to helpe him What good conscience cā there be among our spiritualtie to gather so great treasure together and with hypocrisie of their false learnyng to robbe almost euery man of house and landes and yet not therewith content but with all craft and wilenes to purchase so great liberties and exemptions from all maner bearyng with their brethren seekyng in Christ nothyng but lucre I passe ouer with silence how they teach Princes in euery lande to lade new exactions and tyranny on their subiectes more and more dayly neither for what purpose they do it say I. God I trust shall shortly disclose their iugglynge and bryng their falshode to light and lay a medecine to thē to make their scabbes breake out Neuerthelesse this I say that they haue robbed all Realmes not of Gods word onely but also of all wealth and prosperitie and haue driuen peace out of all landes withdrawen them selues from all obediēce to Princes and haue separated them selues from the lay men countyng thē viler thē dogges and haue set vp that great Idole the whore of Babylō Antichrist of Rome whom they call pope and haue conspired agaynst all common wealthes haue made them a seuerall kyngdome wherin it is lawfull vnpunished to woorke all abhomination In euery Parish haue they spyes and in euery great mans house and in euery tauerne and alchouse And thorough confessions knowe they all secretes so that no man may open his mouth to rebuke what soeuer they do but that he shal be shortly made an hereticke In all Coūcels is one of them yea the most part and chief rulers of the Councels are of them But of there Councell is no man Euen for this cause pay ye tribute that is to witt for consciences sake to thy neighbour and for the cause that foloweth For they are Gods Ministers seruyng for the same purpose Because God will so haue it we must obey We doe not looke if we haue Christes spirite in vs what is good profitable glorious and honorable for vs neither on our owne will but on Gods will onely Geue to euery man therefore his dutie tribute to whom tribute belongeth custome to whom custome is due feare to whō feare belongeth honour to whom honor perteineth That thou mightest feele the workyng of the spirite of God in thee and lest the bewtie of the deed should deceaue thee and make thee thinke that the law of God whiche is spirituall were contēt and fulfilled with the outward and bodyly dede it foloweth Owe nothyng to any mā but to loue one an other For he that loueth an other fulfilleth the law For these commaundementes thou shalt not commit adultery thou shalt not kill thou shalt not steale thou shalt not beare false witnes thou shalt not desire and so forth if there be any other commaūdement are all comprehended or contained in this saying loue thy neighbour therfore is loue the fulfillyng of the law Here hast thou sufficient agaynst all the sophisters workeholy iustifiers in the world which so magnifie their dedes The law is spirituall and requireth the hart is neuer fulfilled with the dede in the sight of god With y e dede thou fulfillest the law before the world liuest thereby that is y ◠enioyest this presēt life and auoydest the wrath and vengeaunce the death and punishment which the law threatneth to them that breake it But before God thou keepest the law if thou loue onely Now what shal make vs loue Verely that shall fayth do If thou behold how much God loueth thee in Christ and from what vengeaunce he hath deliuered thee for his sake and of what kyngdome he hath made thee heyre then shalt thou see cause inough to loue thy very enemie without respect of reward either in this lyfe or in the lyfe to come but because that God will so haue it and Christ hath deserued it Yet thou shouldest feele in thyne harte that all thy deedes to come are abundantly recompensed all ready in Christ Thou wilt say haply if loue fulfill the lawe then it iustifieth I say that that wherewith a man fulfilleth the law declareth hym iustified but that which geueth him wherewith to fulfill the law iustifieth hym By iustifiyng vnderstande the forgeuenesse of sinnes and the fauour of God Now sayth the text Roma x. the ende of the law or the cause wherfore the law was made is Christ to iustifie all that beleue That is the law is geuen to vtter sinne to kill the consciences to damne our deedes to bryng to repentaunce and to driue vnto Christ in whō God hath promised his fauour and forgeuenesse of sinne vnto all that repente and consent to the law that it is good If thou beleue the promises then doth Gods truth iustifie thee that is forgeueth thee and receaueth thee to fauour for Christes sake In a suretie wherof and to certifie thine hart he sealeth thee with the spirite Ephe. i. and. iiij And. ij Cor. v. sayth Paul whiche gaue vs his spirite in earnest How the spirite is geuen vs through Christ read the viij chapter of the Epistle to the Romaines and Gallat iij. and. ij Cor. iij. Neuerthelesse the spirit and his frutes
wherewith y ◠hart is purified as fayth hope loue pacience long sufferyng and obedience could neuer be sene without outward experience For if thou were not brought sometime into combraunce whence God onely could deliuer thee thou shouldest neuer see thy fayth yea except thou foughtest sometyme agaynst desperation hell death sinne and powers of this worlde for thy faythe 's sake thou shouldest neuer know true fayth from a dreame Except thy brother now and then offended thee thou couldest not know whether thy loue were Godly For a Turke is not angre till he be hurt and offended but it thou loue him that doth thee euill then is thy loue of God likewise if thy rulers were alway kinde thou shouldest not know whether thyne obedience were pure or no but if thou canst paciently obeye euill rulers in all thyngs that is not to the dishonour of God and when thou hurtest not thy neighbours then art thou sure that Gods spirite worketh in thee and that thy fayth is no dreame nor any false imagination Therfore counceleth Paule Rom. xij recompense to no man euill And on your part haue peace with all men Dearely beloued auenge not your selues but geue rowme vnto the wrath of God For it is written vengeaunce is myne and I will reward sayth the Lord. Therfore if thy enemie hungre feede hym If he thurst geue hym drinke For in so doyng thou shalt heape coales of fire on his heed that is thou shalt kindle loue in him Be not ouercome of euil that is let not an other mans wickednesse make thee wicked also But ouercome euill with good that is with softenes kindnesse and all pacience winne him euen as God with kindnesse wonue thee THe law was geuē in thūder lightenyng fire smoke and the voyce of a trumpet and terrible sight Exod. xx So that the people quaked for feare and stode a farre of saying to Moyses Speake thou to vs and we wil heare let not the Lord speake vnto vs left we dye No eare if it be awaked and vnderstandeth the meanyng is able to abide the voice of the law except the promises of mercy be by That thunder except the rayne of mercy be ioyned with it destroyeth all and buildeth not The law is a witnesse agaynst vs and testifieth that God abhorreth the the sinnes that are in vs and vs for our sinnes sake In like maner when God gaue the people of Israell a kyng it thundred and rained that y ◠people feared so sore that they cryed to Samuell for to pray for them that they should not dye i. Reg. xij As the law is a terrible thing euen so is the kyng For he is ordeined to take vengeaunce and hath a sword in his hād and not pecockes feethers Feare him therfore and looke on hym as thou wouldest looke on a sharpe sword that hanged ouer thy head by an heare Heades and gouerners are ordeined of God and are euen the gifte of God whether they be good or bad And what soeuer is done vnto vs by them y t doth God be it good or bad If they be euill why are they euill verely for our wickednesse sake are they euill Because that whē they were good we would not receaue that goodnesse of the hand of God and be thankefull submitting our selues vnto his lawes and ordinaunces but abused the goodnesse of God vnto our sensuall beastly lustes Therefore doth God make hys scorge of them and turne them vnto wilde beastes cōtrary to the nature of their names and offices euen into Lyons Beares Foxes and vncleane Swine to auenge himselfe of our vnnaturall and blind vnkindnesse and of our rebellious disobedience In the Cvj. Psalme thou readest he destroyed the riuers and dryed vp the springes of water and turned y t fruitfull land into barennesse for the wickednesse of the inhabiters therein Whē the children of Israell had forgotten God in Egipt God moued the hartes of the Egiptians to hate them and to subdue them with craft and wilynes Psal Ciiij and Deuteronomiun iij. Moyses rehearseth saying God was angry wyth me for your sakes so that the wrath of God fell on Moyses for the wickednesse of the people And in the secōd Chap. of the second booke of kynges God was angry with the people and moued Dauid to number them when Ioab and the other Lords wondred why hee would haue them numbred and because they feared lest some euil should folow disswaded the kyng yet it holpe not God so hardened his hart in his purpose to haue an occasion to slay the wicked people Euill rulers then are a signe that God is angry and wroth with vs. Is it not a great wrath and vengeaunce that the father and mother should hate their children euen their flesh and their bloud or that an husband should be vnkinde vnto his wife or a master vnto the seruaunt that wayteth on his profite or the Lordes and Kynges should be tyrauntes vnto their subiectes and tenauntes which pay them tribute tolle custome and rente laboring and toyling to finde them in honour and to mainteine them in their estate is not this a fearefull iudgemēt of God and a cruell wrath that the very Prelates and shepheardes of our soules whiche were wont to feede Christes flocke with Christs doctrine and to walke before them in lyuyng there after and to geue their lyues for them to their ensample and edifiyng and to strengthē their weake faythes are now so sore chaunged that if they smell that one of their flocke as they now cal them and no lenger Christes do but once long or desire for the true knowledge of Christ they will slay hym burnyng him with fire most cruelly What is the cause of this and that they also teach false doctrine confirmyng it with lyes veryly it is the hād of God to auenge the wickednes of them that haue no loue nor lust vnto the truth of God when it is preached but reioyse in vnrighteousnes As thou maist see in the second Epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians Where he speaketh of the comming of Antichrist Whos 's commyng shal be sayth he by the workyng of Sathan with all miracles signes and wonders which are but lyes and in all deceanable vnrighteousnes among them that perish because they receaued not any loue to the truth to haue bene saued Therefore shall God send them strong delusion to beleue lyes Marke how God to auenge his truth sendeth to the vnthankefull false doctrine and false miracles to confirme them and to harden their harts in the false way that afterward it shall not be possible for them to admitte the truth As thou seest in Exod. vij and viij how God suffered false miracles to be shewed in y t sight of Pharao to harden his hart that he should not beleue the truth in as much as hys sorcerers turned their roddes into Serpēts and turned water into bloud and made frogges by their inchauntment so thought he
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
Deacon that is to say in English a seruaunt or a minister whose office was to helpe and assiste y e Priest and to gather vp his dutie and to gather for the poore of the parishe which were destitute of frends and could not worke common beggers to runne frō dore to dore were not thē suffered On y t Saintes dayes namely such as had suffered death for the worde sake came men together into the church and the Priest preached vnto them and exhorted them to cleaue fast vnto the worde and to be strong in the fayth and to fight against the powers of the world wyth suffering for their faythe 's sake after the ensample of the Saintes And taught thē not to beleue in the saintes and to trust in their merites and to make Gods of them but tooke the saintes for an example only and prayed God to geue them lyke fayth and trust in hys worde and lyke strength and power to suffer therefore and to geue them so sure hope of the lyfe to come as thou mayst see in the collectes of Saint Laurence and of Saint Stephen in our Lady matens And in such dayes as we now offer so gaue they euery mā his portion according to his abilitie and as God put in his hart to the maintenaunce of the priest Deacō and other common ministers and of the poore and to finde learned men to teach and so forth And all was put in the handes of the Deacon as thou mayst see in y e lyfe of Saint Laurence and in the histories And for such purposes gaue men landes afterwarde to ease the parishes and made hospitals and also places to teach their children and to bring them vp and to nourtour them in Gods worde which landes our Monkes now deuour Antichrist ANtichrist of an other maner hath sent forth his disciples those false annointed of which Christ warneth vs before that they should come shewe miracles and wonders euen to bring the very elect out of the way if it were possible He annointeth them after the maner of y ◠Iewes and shaueth them shoreth them after the maner of the Heathen Priestes whiche serue the Idoles Hesendeth them forth not with false oyle onely but with false names also For compare their names vnto their deedes and thou shalt finde them false He sendeth them forth as Paule prophesied of them ij Thess ij wyth lying signes wonders What signe is the annointing that they be full of the holy ghost Compare them to the signes of the holy ghost which Paule reckoneth and thou shalt fynde it a false signe A Bishop must be faultles the husband of one wyfe Nay sayth y t Pope the husband of no wife but the holder of as many whores as he listeth God commaundeth all degrees if they burne and can not liue chast to marry The Pope saith if thou burne take a dispensation for a Concubine and put her away when thou art olde or els as our Lawyers say si non caste tamen caute that is if ye liue not chaste see ye cary cleane and play the knaue secretly Harbarous yea to whores and baudes for a poore man shall as soone breake his necke as his fast with them but of the scraps and wyth the dogges when dinner is done Apt to teach and as Peter sayth j. Pet. ij ready alwayes to geue an answere to euery man that axeth you a reason of the hope that ye haue and that wyth meekenes Which thing is signified by the bootes which doctours of diuinitie are created in because they should be ready alwayes to goe thorough thicke and thinne to preach Gods worde by the Byshoppes two horned miter which betokeneth the absolute perfect knowledge that they ought to haue in the new Testamēt and the olde Be not these false signes For they beate onely and teach not Yea saith y t Pope if they will not be ruled cite them to appeare and pose them sharply what they hold of the Popes power of hys Pardons of his Bulles of Purgatory of ceremonies of confession and such like creatures of our most holy fathers If they misse in any point make heretickes of them and burne them If they be of mine annoynted and beare my marke disgresse them I would say disgraduate them and after the example of noble Antiochus ij Mach. vij pare the crownes and the fingers of them and tormēt them craftly and for very payne make them deny the truth But now say our Bishops because the truth is come to farre abroad and y t lay people begyn to smell our wiles it is best to oppresse them with craft secretly to tame them in prison Yea let vs finde the meanes to haue them in the kyngs prison and to make treason of such doctrine Yea we must styrre vp some warre one where or an other to bryng the people into an other imagination If they be Gentlemen abiure them secretly Curse them iiij times in the yeare Make them afrayde of euery thyng and namely to touch mine annoynted and make them to feare the sentence of the Church suspentiōs excōmunications and curses Be the right or wrōg beare them in hand that they are to be feared yet Preach me and mine authoritie how terrible a thyng my curse is and how blacke it maketh their soules On the holydayes which were ordeined to preach Gods word set vp long ceremonies long Matines long Masses and lōg Euensonges and all in Latin that they vnderstand not and roule them in darkenes that ye may lead them whether ye will And lest such thinges should be to tedious sing some say some pype some ryng the belles and lulle them and rocke them a slepe And yet Paul ij Cor. xiiij forbiddeth to speake in the church or congregatiō saue in the toung that all vnderstand For the lay man thereby is not edified or taught How shall the lay man say Amen sayth Paule to thy blessing or thankes geuyng when he woteth not what thou sayst He wotted not whether thou blesse or curse What then sayth the Pope what care I for Paul I commaunde by the vertue of obedience to read the Gospell in Latine Let them not pray but in Latine no not there Pater noster If any be sicke go also and say them a Gospell and all in Latin yea to the very corne and frutes of the field in the procession weeke preach the Gospell in Latine Make the people beleue that it shall grow the better It is verely as good to preach it to swyne as to men if thou preach it in a toung they vnderstand not How shall I prepare my selfe to Gods commaundementes How shal I be thankefull to Christ for his kindnes How shall I beleue the truth and promises which GOD hath sworne while thou tellest them vnto me in a toung which I vnderstand
groweth dayly in the operations workes therof ¶ Of Confession COnfession is diuers One foloweth true fayth insparably And is the confessing and knowledging with the mouth wherein we put our trust and confideÌ„ce As when we say our Credo confessing that we trust in God the father almighty and in his truth promises in his sonne Iesus our Lord and in his merites and deseruinges in the holy Ghost and in his power assistance and guiding This confession is necessary vnto all men that wyll be saued For Christ saith Mathew x. he that denyeth me before men hym will I deny before my father that is in heauen And of this confession sayth the holy Apostle Paule in the x. chapter The beliefe of the hart iustifieth and to knowledge wyth the mouth maketh a man safe This is a wonderfull text for our Philosophers or rather sophisters our worldly wyse enemies to the wisdome of God our deepe profounde welles wythout water our cloudes wythout moysture of rayne that is to say naturall soules without the sprite of God and feeling of godly thynges To iustifie and to make safe are both one thing And to confesse with the mouth is a good worke and the frute of a true fayth as all other workes are If thou repent and beleue the promises then Gods truth iustifieth thee that is forgeueth thee thy sinnes and sealeth thee with hys holy spirite and maketh thee heyre of euerlastyng lyfe through Christes deseruinges Now if thou haue true fayth so seest thou the exceeding and infinite loue and mercy which God hath shewed thee freely in Christ then must thou needes loue agayne and loue can not but compell thee to worke and boldly to confesse knowledge thy Lord Christ and the trust which thou hast in his word And this knowledge maketh thee safe that is declareth that thou art safe already certifieth thine hart and maketh thee feele that thy fayth is right and that Gods spirite is in thee as all other good workes doe For if when it commeth vnto the point thou hast no lust to worke nor power to confesse how couldest thou presume to thinke that Gods sprite were in thee An other confession is there which goeth before saith and accompanieth repentaunce For who so euer repenteth doth knowledge his sinnes in his hart And who soeuer doth knowledge his sinnes receaueth forgenenes as â—ayth Iohn in the first of his first Epistle If we knowledge our sinnes he is faythfull and iust to forgeue vs out sinnes and to clense vs from all vnrighteousnes that is because he hath promised he must for his truthes sake doe it This confession is necessary all our liues long as is repentaunce And as thou vnderstandest of repentaunce so vnderstand of this confession for it is likewise included in the sacrament of Baptime For we alwayes repent and alwayes knowledge or coÌ„fesse our sinnes vnto God and yet dispayre not but remember that we are washed in in Christes bloud which thing our baptime doth represeÌ„t and signifie vnto vs. Shrift in the eare is verely a worke of Sathan and that the â—alsest that euer was wrought and that most hath deuoured the fayth It began among the Greekes and was not as it is now to reckeÌ„ all a maÌ„s sinnes in the priestes eare but to aske couÌ„cell of such doubtes as men had as thou mayst see in S. Hierome and in other authors Neither went they to Priestes onely which were very fewe at that tyme no moe then preached the worde of God for this so great vantage in so many masses saying was not yet founde but went indifferently where they saw a good and a learned man And for because of a litle knauery which a DeacoÌ„ at Constantinople plaide thorough coÌ„fession with one of the chiefe wiues of the citie it was layde downe agayne But we Antichristes possession the more knauery we see growe thereby dayly the more we stablishe it A christen man is a spirituall thing and hath Gods word in his hart and gods spirite to certifie him of all thing He is not bound to come to any eare And as for the reasons which they make are but persuasions of mans wisedome First as perteining vnto the keyes maner of bynding and loosing is eough aboue rehearsed in other places Thou maist also see how the Apostles vsed them in the Actes and in Paules Epistles how at the preaching of fayth the spirite came and certified their harts that they were iustified thorough beleuing the promises When a man feeleth that his hart consenteth vnto the law of God and feeleth hymselfe meeke pacient curteous and mercifull to hys neighbour altered and fashioned like vnto Christ why shoulde he doubt but that God hath forgeuen him and chosen him and put his spirite in hym though he neuer cromme hys sinne into the priestes eare One blynde reason haue they saying How shall the Priest vnbynde loose and forgeue the sinne which he knoweth not How did the Apostles The Scripture forsake they and runne vnto their blinde reasons and draw the Scripture vnto a carnall purpose When I haue tolde thee in thyne eare all that I haue done my life long in order and with all circumstances after the shamefullest maner what caÌ„st thou doe more then preach me the promises saying if thou repent beleue Gods truth shall saue thee for Christes sake Thou seest not myne hart thou knowest not whether I repent or no neyther whether I consent to the law that it is holy righteous and good Moreouer whether I beleue the promises or no is also vnknowen to thee If thou preach the law and the promises as the Apostles did so should they that God hath chosen repent and beleue and be saued euen now as well as then How be it Antichrist must know all secretes to stablish his kingdom to worke his misteries withall They bryng also for them the storie of the x. lepers whiche is written in the. xvij Chapter of Luke Here marke their falsehoode and learne to knowe them for euer The fourtene Sonday after the feast of the Trinitie the begynnyng of the vij leâ—…n is the sayd Gospell and the viij the ix lessons with the rest of the seuenth is the exposition of Bede vpon the sayd Gospell Where saith Bede of all that Christ healed of what so euer disease it were he sent none vnto the Priestes but the lepers And by the lepers enterpreteth the folowers of false doctrine onely which the spirituall officers and the learned men of the congregation ought to examine and rebuke their learning with Gods word and to warne the congregation to beware of them Which if they were afterward healed by the grace of Christ ought to come before the coÌ„gregation and there openly confesse theyr true fayth But all other vices saith he doth God heale within in the conscience Though they this wise reade at mattens yet at hie masse if they haue any
the sygh of the hart is his sinne put away in Christes bloud For Christes bloud purgeth euer and blesseth euer For Iohn sayth in the second of his first epistle This I write vnto you that ye sinne not And though any man sinne meaning of frailtie and so repent yet haue we an aduocate with the father Iesus Christ which is righteous and he it is that obteineth grace for our sinnes and Heb. vij it is written But this man meaning Christ because he lasteth or abideth euer hath an euerlasting priesthod Therefore is he able also euer to saue thē that come to God through hym seing he euer liueth to make intercession for vs. The Byshops therefore ought to blesse vs in preaching Christ and not to deceaue vs and to bring the curse of God vpon vs wyth wagging their handes ouer vs. To preache is their dutie onely and not to offer their feete to bee kissed or testicles or stones to be groped We feele also by experience that after the Popes Byshoppes or Cardinals blessing we are no otherwise disposed in our soules then before Let this be sufficient as concerning the sacramentes and ceremonies with this protestation that if any cā say better or improue this with Gods word no man shall be better content therewith then I. For I seeke nothing but the truth and to walke in the light I submit therefore this worke and all other that I haue made or shall make if God will that I shall more make vnto the iudgements not of them that furiously burne all truth but of them which are ready with Gods worde to correct if any thing be sayde amisse to further Gods worde I will talke a worde or two after the worldly wisdome with them and make an ende of this matter If the sacramentes iustifie as they say I vnderstand by iustifiyng forgeuenes of sinnes Then do they wrong vnto the sacraments in as much as they robbe the most part of them through confession of their effect of the cause wherfore they were ordeined For no man may receaue the body of Christ no mā may marry no man may be oyled or aneiled as they call it no man may receaue orders except he be fyrst shriuen Now when the sinnes be forgeuen by shrift afore hand there is nought left for the sacramentes to doe They will aunswere that at the least way they encrease grace and not the sacramētes onely but also hearing of masse matens and euensong and receauing of holy water holy bread and of the Bishops blessing and so forth by all ceremonies By grace I vnderstand the fauour of God and also the giftes and working of his spirite in vs as loue kyndnes patience obedience mercifulnes despising of worldly thynges peace concorde and such like If after thou hast heard so many masses matens and euensonges and after thou hast receaued holy bread holy water and the Byshops blessing or a Cardinals or the Popes if thou wilt be more kinde to thy neighbour and loue him better then before if thou be more obediēt vnto thy superiors more mercifull more ready to forgeue wrong done vnto thee more despisest the world and more a thyrst after spirituall thynges if after that a Priest hath taken orders he be lesse couetous then before if a wife after so many and oft pilgrimages be more chast more obedient vnto her husband more kynde to her maydes and other seruauntes if Gentlemen knightes Lordes and kinges and Emperours after they haue sayd so often dayly seruice wyth their Chappellaynes know more of Christ then before and can better skill to rule their tenauntes subiectes and realmes christenly then before and be content with their duties then do such thinges encrease grace if not it is a lie Whether it be so or no I report me to experience If they haue any other enterpretations of iustifiyng or grace I pray them to teach it me For I would gladly learne it Now let vs goe to our purpose agayne ¶ Of miracles and worshipping of Saintes ANtichrist shal not only come with lying signes and disguised wyth falshod but also wyth lying miracles and wonders saith Paule in the said place ij Thess ij All the true miracles which are of God are shewed as I aboue rehearsed to moue vs to heare Gods word and to stablishe our fayth therin and to confirme the truth of Gods promises that we might without all doubting beleue thē For Gods worde thorough fayth bringeth the spirite into our hartes and also life as Christ sayth Iohn vi The wordes which I speake are spirite and lyfe The worde also purgeth vs and clenseth vs as Christ sayth Iohn xv ye are cleane by the meanes of the word Paul sayth i. Timo. ij One God one Mediatour that is to say aduocate intercessor or an atonemaker betwene God man the man Christ Iesus which gaue him selfe a raunson for all men Peter sayth of Christ Actes iiij Neither is their health in any other neither yet also any other name geuen vnto men wherin we must be saued So now Christ is our peace our redemption or raunsom for our sinnes our righteousnes satisfactiō and all the promises of God are yea Amen in him ij Cor. i. And we for y t great and infinite loue whiche God hath to vs in Christ loue him agayn loue also his lawes loue one an other And the deedes whiche we hence forth doe do we not to make satisfaction or to obteine heauen but to succour our neighbour to tame y t flesh that we may waxe perfect and strong men in Christ and to be thankefull to God againe for his mercy and to glorifie his name COntrarywise the miracles of Antichrist are done to pull thee from the worde of God and from beleuyng his promises and from Christ and to put thy trust in a man or a ceremonie wherin Gods word is not As soone as Gods woorde is beleued the fayth spread abroad then sease the miracles of god But the miracles of Antichrist because they are wrought by the deuil to quench the fayth grow dayly more and more neither shall cease vntill the worldes end among them that beloue not Gods worde and promises Seest thou not how God loosed sent forth all the deuils in the old world among the Heathen or Gētiles And how the deuils wrought miracles spake to them in euery image Euen so shal the deuill woorke falshode by one craft or an other vntill the worldes end amōg them that beleue not Gods word For the iudgement and damnation of hym that hath no lust to heare the truth is to heare lyes and to be stablished and grounded therein through false miracles and he that will not see is worthy to be blind and he that biddeth the spirite of God go from him is worthy to be without him Paul Peter and all true Apostles preached Christ onely And the miracles did but confirme and stablish their preachyng and those
into the world to condemne the world but that the world through him might be saued He that beleueth on him shall not be damned but he that beeleeueth not is damned alreadye Iohn iij. Paule Rom. 5. sayth Because we are iustifyed through fayth we are at peace with God through our lord Iesus Christ that is because that God which can not lye hath promised and sworne to be mercyfull vnto vs and to forgeue vs for Christes sake we beleue and are at peace in our consciences we run not hither and thither for pardon we trust not in thys fryer nor that monke neyther in any thing saue in the woord of God onely As a childe when his father threateneth him for his faâ—t hath neuer rest til he heare the worde of mercy and forgeuenes of his fathers mouth againe but assone as he heareth his father say Goe thy wayes do me no more so I forgeue thee this fault then is his hart at rest then is he at peace then runneth he to no man to make intercession for him Neyther though there come any false marchant saying what wilt thou geue me and I will obtayne pardon of thy father for thee Will he suffer him selfe to be beguiled No he will not buy of a wilie fox that which his father hath geuen him freely It foloweth God setteth out hys loue that he hath to vs. that is he maketh it appeare that men may perceiue loue if they be not more then stocke blinde In asmuch sayth Paule as while we were yet sinners Christ dyed for vs. Much more now sayth he seeing we are iustifyed by hys bloud shall we be preserued from wrath thorough him for if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of hys sonne much more seeing we are reconciled we shall be preserued by hys life As who should say If God loued vs when we knew him not much more loueth he vs now we know him If he were mercifull to vs while we hated his Lawe how much more mercifull will he be now seeing we loue it and desire strength to fulfill it And in the viij he argueth If God spared not his owne sonne but gaue him for vs all how shall he not wyth him geue vs all thinges also Christ prayed Iohn xvij not for the Apostles onely but also for as many as should beleue through theyr preaching and was heard whatsoeuer we aske in his name the Father geueth vs Iohn xvi Christ is also as mercifull as the saintes Why go we not straight way vnto him Verely because we feale not the mercy of God neyther beleue his truthe God will at the least way say they heare vs the sooner for the saintes sake Then loueth he the saintes better then Christ and his own truth Heareth he vs for the saintes sake so heareth he vs not for his mercye For merites and mercye can not stand together Finally if thou put any trust in thine owne deedes or in the deedes of any other man of any saint then minishest thou the truth mercy and goodnes of God For if God looke vnto thy workes or vnto the workes of any other man or goodnes of the saint then doth he not all thinges of pure mercy and of his goodnesse and for the truthes sake which he hath sworne in Christ Now sayth Paule Tit. 3. Not of the righteous deedes which we did but of his mercy saued he vs. Our blinde disputers will say If our good deedes iustify vs not if God looke not on our good deedes neither regard them nor loue vs the better for them what need we to do good dedes I aunswer God looketh on our good deedes and loueth them yet loueth vs not for their sakes God loueth vs first in Christ of his goodnes and mercy and poureth his spirit into vs and geueth vs power to do good dedes And because he loueth vs he loueth our good deedes yea because he loueth vs he forgeueth vs our euill dedes which we do of frailtie and not of purpose or for the nonce Our good dedes do but testifie onely that we are iustifyed and beloued For except we were beloued and had Gods spirite we could neyther do nor yet consent vnto any good deed Antichrist turneth the rootes of the trees vpwarde He maketh the goodnes of God the braunches and our goodnes the rootes We must be first good after Antichristes doctrine and moue God and compell him to be good againe for our goodnesses sake so must Gods goodnesse spring out of our goodnes Nay verely Gods goodnesse is the root of al goodnes and our goodnes if we haue any springeth out of his goodnes Prayer OF Prayer and good deedes and of the order of loue or charitie I haue aboundantly written in my booke of the iustifying of fayth Neuer the later that thou maist see what the prayers and good workes of our monkes and friers and of other ghostly people are worth I will speake a woord or two and make an end Paule sayth Gal. 3. All ye are the sonnes of God through fayth in Iesu Christ for all ye that are baptized haue put Christ on you that is ye are become Christ himself There is no Iew sayth he neither Greeke neither bond nor free neither man nor woman but ye are all one thing in Christ Iesu In Christ there is neither french nor english but the frenchman is the englishmans owne selfe and the english the frenchmans owne self In Christ there is neither father nor sonne neyther maister nor seruaunt neyther husband nor wife neither king nor subiect but the father is the sonnes selfe and the sonne the fathers owne selfe and the king is the subiects owne self and the subiect is the kinges own self and so fourth I am thou â—hy selfe and thou art I my selfe and can be no nearer of kyn We are all the sonnes of God all Christes seruauntes bought with hys bloud and euery man to other Christ his owne selfe And Col. 3 Ye haue put on the new man which is tenned in the knowledge of God after the image of him that made him that is to say Christ where is sayth he neyther Greke nor Iew circumcision nor vncircumcision barbarous or Scithian bond or free but Christ is all in all thinges I loue thée not now because thou art my father and hast done so much for me or my mother and hast borne me and geuen me sucke of thy brestes for so do Iewes and saracens but because of the greate loue that Christ hath shewed me I serue thee not because thou art my maister or my king for hope of rewarde or feare of payne but for the loue of Christ for the children of fayth are vnder no law as thou seest in the Epistles to the Romanes to the Galathians in the first to Timothe but are free The spirit of Christ hath writteÌ„ the liuely law of loue in their hartes whiche driueth theÌ„ to worke of theyr owne
that we are holy righteous full of good deedes if y â— law be preached a right our righteousnes and good dedes vanish away as smoke in the winde and we are left damnable sinners onely And as thou seest how that Christ healeth not till Peter had wouÌ„ded and as an healyng plaister helpeth not till y â— corrosie hath troubled the wounde eueÌ„ so the Gospell helpeth not but wheÌ„ the law hath wouÌ„ded y e conscience and brought the sinner into y e knowledge of his sinne This allegory proueth nothyng neither caÌ„ do For it is not the Scripture but an exaÌ„ple or a similitude borowed of the Scripture to declare a text or a conclusion of the Scripture more expresly and to roote it and graue it in the hart For a similitude or an example doth printe a thing much deper in the wittes of a man then doth a plaine speakyng and leaueth behynd him as it were a stinge to pricke him forward and to awake him with all Moreouer if I could not proue with an open text that which the Allegory doth expresse then were the Allegory a thyng to bee gested at and of no greater value then a tale of Robyn hode This allegory as touching his first part is proued by Paul in ye. iij. chap. of his Epistle to the Romanes where he sayth The law causeth wrath And in y e vij chapter to the Romanes When the law or commaundement came sinne reuiued and I become dead And in the ij Epistle to the Cor. in the third chap. the law is called the minister of death and daÌ„nation c. And as concernyng the second part Paul sayth to the Rom. in the v. chap. In that we are iustified by faith we are at peace with God And in the ij Epistle to the CorinthiaÌ„s in the. iij. The Gospell is called the ministratioÌ„ of iustifying and of the spirite And Gala. iiij The spirite coÌ„meth by preaching of the faith c. This doth the litterall sence proue the allegory beare it as the foundatioÌ„ beareth the house And because that allegories proue nothyng therfore are they to be vsed soberly and seldome onely where the text offereth thee an allegory And of this maner as I aboue haue done doth Paul borow a similitude a figure or allegory of Genesis to expresse the nature of the law and of the Gospell and by Agar her sonne declareth the propertie of the law and of her bonde children which wil be iustified by deedes and by Sara and her sonne declareth the propertie of the Gospell and of her free children which are iustified by faith and how the children of the law which beleue in their workes persecute the children of the Gospel which beleue in the mercy and truth of God and in the Testament of his sonne Iesus our Lord. And likewise do we borow likenesses or allegories of the Scripture as of Pharao and Derode and of the Scribes and Phariseis to expresse our miserable captiuitie and persecution vnder Antichrist the Pope The greatest cause of which captiuitie and the decay of the fayth this blindnes wherin we now are sprang first of allegories For Origene and the doctours of his time drew all y e Scripture vnto allegories Whose ensample they that came after folowed so loÌ„g till at the last they forgat y â— order and processe of the text supposing that y e scripture serued but to faine allegories vppoÌ„ In somuch that twenty doctours expounde one text xx wayes as children make descant vpon playne song Then came our sophisters with theâ—â— Anagogicall and Chopologicall sence with an antetheme of halfe an inch out of whiche some of them drawe a threde of ix dayes long Yea thou shalt fynde inough that will preach Christ and proue what soeuer poynte of thee fayth that thou wilt as well out of a fabell of Ouide or any other Poet as out of S. Iohns Gospell or Paules Epistles Yea they are come vnto such blyndnes that they not onely say the litterall sence profiteth not but also that it is hurtful and noysome and killeth the soule Which damnable doctrine they proue by a text of Paule ij Corinth iij. Where he sayth the letter killeth but the spirit geueth life Lo say they the litterall sence killeth and the spirituall sence geueth life We must therfore say they seeke out some choplogicall sence Here learne what sophistrie is and how blind they are that thou mayest abhorre them and spue them out of thy stomake for euer Paule by the letter meaneth Moyses law which the processe of the text folowyng declareth more bright then the sunne But it is not their guise to looke on the order of any text but as they find it in their doctours so alledge they it and so vnderstaÌ„d it Paule maketh a comparisoÌ„ betwene the law and the Gospell calleth the law the letter because it was but letters grauen in two tables of cold stoâ—e For the law doth but kill and damne the consciences as long as there is no lust in the hart to doe that which the law commaundeth Contrary wise he calleth the Gospell the administration of the spirite of righteousnes or iustifying For wheÌ„ Christ is preached and the promises whiche God hath made in Christ are beleued the spirit entereth the hart and looseth the hart and geueth lust to do the law and maketh the law a liuely thyng in the hart Now as soone as the hart lusteth to do the law then are we righteous before God our sinnes forgeuen Neuerthelesse the law of the letter graued in stone and not in the hartes was so glorious and Moyses his face shone so bryght that the children of Israell could not behold his face for brightnes It was also geuen in thunder and lightning and terrible signes so that they for feare came to Moses desired him that he would speake to them let God speake no more Lest we dye sayd they If we heare him any more as thou mayst see Exod. xx Wherupon Paule maketh his comparison saying if the ministratioÌ„ of death thorough the letters figured in stones was glorious so that the childreÌ„ of Israell could not behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenaunce why shal not the administration of the spirite be glorious And agayne if the administration of damnation be glorious much more shall the administration of righteousnes excede in glory That is if the law that killeth sinners helpeth theÌ„ not to be glorious then the Gospel which pardoneth sinners and geueth them power to be the sonnes of God to ouer come sinne is much more glorious And the text that goeth before is as cleare For the holy Apostle Paule sayth ye Corinthians are our Epistle which is vnderstand and read of all men in that ye are knowen how that ye are the Epistle of Christ ministred by vs and written not with ynke as Moyses law but with the
spirite of the lyuing God not in tables of stone as the ten commaundementes but in the fleshy tables of the hart as who shuld say we writ not a dead law with inke and in parchemenâ— nor graue that which damned you in tables of stone but preache you that which bringeth the spirite of lyfe vnto your brestes which spirite writeth and graueth the law of loue in your hartes and geueth you lust to do the will of God And furthermore sayth he our ablenes coÌ„meth of God which hath made vs able to minister the new TestameÌ„t not of the letter y t is to say not of the law but of the spirite For the letter that is to say the law killeth but the spirite geueth life that is to say the spirite of God whiche entreth your hartes wheÌ„ ye beleue the glad tydinges that are preached you in Christe quickeneth your hartes and geueth you life lust and maketh you to do of loue and of your owne accorde without compulsioÌ„ that which the law compelled you to do and daÌ„ned you because ye could not doe with loue and lust and naturally Thus seest thou that the letter signifieth not the litterall sence and the spirite the spirituall sence And Rom. ij Paul vseth this terme Littera for the law And Rom. vij where he setteth it so playne that it the great wrath of God had not blinded them they could neuer haue stombled at it God is a spirite and all his wordes are spirituall His litterall sence is spituall and all his wordes are spiritual When thou readest Math. j. she shall beare a sonne thou shalt cal his name Iesus For he shall saue his people froÌ„ their sinnes This litteral sence is spiritual and euerlasting life vnto as many as beleue it And the litterall sence of these wordes Math. v. blessed are the mercyfull for they shall haue mercy are spirituall and life Wherby they that are mercyfull may of right by the truth and promise of God challenge mercy And like is it of these wordes Math. vj. If you forgeue othermen their sinnes your heauenly father shall forgeue you yours And so is it of all the promises of God Finally all gods wordes are spiritual if thou haue eyes of God to see the right meanyng of the text whereunto y â— Scripture perteyneth the final end and cause therof All the Scripture is either the promises and TestameÌ„t of God in Christ and stories perteining thereunto to strength thy faith either the law and stories perteining therto to feare thee from euil doing There is no story nor gest seme it neuer so simple or so vyle vnto the worlde but that thou shalt finde therein spirite and life and edifieng in the litterall sense For it is gods Scripture written for thy learnyng and comforte There is no cloute or tagge there that hath not precious reliques wrapt therein of fayth hope pacience and long sufferyng and of the truth of God and also of hys righteousnes Set before thee the storie of Ruben which defiled his fathers beo Marke what a crosse God suffered to fal on the necke of his elect Iacob CoÌ„sider first the shame among the heatheÌ„ when as yet there was no moe of the whole world within the Testament of God but he and his houshold I report me to our Prelates which sweare by their honor whether it were a crosse or no. Seest thou not how our wicked bylders rage because they see their bildynges burne now they are tryed by the fire of Gods word and how they stirre vp the whole world to quench the word of God for feare of loosing their honour Then what busines had he to pacifie his children Looke what a do he had at y â— defiling of his daughter Dina. And be thou sure that the brethren there were no more furious for the defiling of their sister then the sonnes heare for defiling of their mother Marke what folowed Ruben to feare other that they shame not their fathers and mothers He was cursed and lost the kyngdome and also the Priestdome and his tribe or generatioÌ„ was euer few in number as it appeareth in the stories of the Bible The adulterie of Dauid with Barsabe is an ensample not to moue vs to euill but if while we folow the way of righteousnes any chaunce driue vs aside that we despayre not For if we saw not such infirmities in Gods elect we which are so weake and fall so oft should vtterly dispaire thinke that God had cleane forsaken vs. It is therfore a sure and an vndoubted conclusion whether we be holy or vnholy we are all sinners But the differeÌ„ce is that Gods sinners consent not to their sinne They consent vnto the law that it is both holy and righteous and mourne to haue their sinne taken away But the deuils sinners consent vnto their sinne and would haue the law and hell taken away and are enemies vnto the righteousnes of God Likewise in the whomely gest of Noe when he was dronke and lay in his tente with hys priuy members open hast thou great edifyeng in the litteral sence Thou seest what became of the curied children of wicked Ham which saw his fathers priuie members and gested therof vnto his brethren Thou seest also what blessing fell on Sem and Iaphet which went backward and couered their fathers members saw them not And thirdly thou seest what infirmitie accompanieth Goâ—s elect be they neuer so holy which yet is not imputed vnto theÌ„ For the fayth trust they haue in God swalloweth vp all their sinnes Notwithstandyng this text offereth vs an apte and an hansome allegory or similitude to describe our wicked Ham Antichrist the Pope which many huÌ„dred yeares hath done all the shame that hart caÌ„ thinke vnto the priâ—ey meÌ„ber of God which is the word of promise or y â— word of faith as Paule calleth it Rom. x. and the Gospell and TestameÌ„t of Christ wherewith we are begotten as thou seest i. Peter i. and Iames. i. And as the cursed children of Ham grew into gyauntes so mightie and great that the children of Israell semed but greshoppers in respect of them so the cursed sonnes of our Ham the Pope his Cardinals Bysshops Abbots Monkes and Friers are become mighty gyauntes aboue all power and authoritie so that the children of faith in respect of them are much lesse then greshoppers They heape mountayne vppon mountayne will to heaueÌ„ by their own strength by away of their owne making not by the way Christ Neuer the latter those gyauÌ„tes for the wickednes abhominatioÌ„s which they had wrought did God vtterly destroy part of them by the childreÌ„ of Loth and part by the children of Esau and seuen nations of them by the children of Israell So no doubt shall he destroy these for like abhominations that shortly For their kyngdome is but the kyngdome of lyes and falshead which must needes perish at
may behold so to do and to beleue that he will forgeue vs. No maÌ„ therfore nedeth to dispayre that can repent and aske forgeuenesse how euer so deepe he hath sinned And me thinketh if we looked somewhat nerer to this text we neded not to make the Pope so great a God for his pardons For Christ which is a man to be beleued sheweth vs here a more sure way yea and that a sensible way by which we may feele that we be pardoned and our sinnes forgeuen We can haue no experieÌ„ce of the popes thyngs whether they be so or no. He can with all his pardons deliuer no man of any Purgatorie that God putteth vs vnto in this world He caÌ„ not blesse or heale any man so much as of a poore agew or totheach which diseases yet by hys owne confession God putteth on vs to purge vs from sinne But where we cannot see feele or haue any experience at all that it so is there is hee mightie If I were come whom out of a land where neuer maÌ„ was before and were sure neuer maÌ„ should come I might tel as many wonders as Master More doth of Vtopia and no man could rebuke me But here Christ maketh thee sure of pardon for if thou canst forgeue thy brother God hath bound him selfe to forgeue thee What if no man haue sinned agaynst me That were hard in this lyfe neuerthelesse yet if that profession be in thyne hart that y u knowest that it is thy dutie to forgeue thy brother for thy fathers sake and art obedient to thy fathers ordinaunce and wouldest forgeue if any of thy brethreÌ„ had offended thee and did aske thee forgeuenesse Then hast thou that same spirit which God desireth to be in the. Marke what Christ sayth aboue in the begynnyng of the fift chap. Blessed be the mercyfull for they shall haue mercy Doest thou pitie thy brethen that sinne and doest thy best to amend theÌ„ that thy fathers name may be honoured TheÌ„ hast thou that whereby thou art sure of mercy as soone as thou desirest it And agayne Blessed be the peace makers for they shall be Gods children Lo if there be any variaunce among thy brethren that one haue offended the other do thy best to set theÌ„ at one and thou hast the same thing that God desireth of thee and for which he hathe bound himselfe forgeue thee Leade vs not into temptation That is let vs not slippe out of thy lease but hold vs fast geue vs not vp nor cease to gouerne vs nor take thy spirite from vs. For as an hounde can not but folow his game when he seeth it before him if he be lowse so can we not but fall into sinne when occasioÌ„ is geuen vs if thou withdraw thine hand from vs. Lead vs not into temptatioÌ„ Let no temptation fall vpon vs greater then thine helpe in vs But be thou stroÌ„ger in vs then the temptation thou sendest or lettest come vppon vs. Lead vs not into teÌ„ptations Father though we be negligent yea and vnthankfull and disobedieÌ„t to thy true Prophetes yet let not the deuill lowse vpon vs to deceaue vs with his false Prophetes and to harden vs in the way in which we gladly walke as thou diddest Pharao with the false miracles of his sorcerers as thine Apostle Paule threateneth vs. ij Thes ij A litle threde holdeth a strong man where he gladly is A litle pullyng draweth a maÌ„ whether he gladly goeth A litle wynde dryneth a great shyp with the streame A light persuasion is inough to make a lecherous maÌ„ beleue that fornication is no sinne And an angry maÌ„ that it is lawfull to adueÌ„ge him selfe and so forth by all the corrupt nature of man A litle miracle is able to consirme and harden a man in that opinion and saith which his blind reason beleueth all ready A few false miracles were sufficiâ—t to persuade the couetousnesse of Pharao and his gredynesse to hold the children of Israell in boÌ„dage for their seruice that thy true miracles shewed by Moyses for their deliuerauÌ„ce were not of thee But of the same kynd and done by the same craft as were the miracles of his sorcerers and so to harden his hart Euen so father if thou geue vs ouer for our vnkyndnesse seyng the blynd nature of man deliteth in euill and is ready to beleue lyes a litle thyng is inough to make them that loue thee all ready not to walke in thy truth and therfore neuer able to vnderstand thy sonnes doctrine Iohn vij But for to beleue y t fayninges of our most holy father all is superstitions Poperie and inuisible blessinges and to hardeÌ„ them there in As a stone cast vp into y â— ayre can neither go any higher neither yee there abyde wheÌ„ the power of the hurler ceaseth to driue it Euen so father seyng our corrupt nature can but go downeward onely and the deuill and the world driueth therto y â— same waye how can we procede further in vertue or stand there in if thy power cease in vs. Leade vs not therfore O mercyful father into temptation nor cease at any tyme to gouerne vs. Now seyng the God of al mercy which knoweth thine infirmitie commaundeth thee to pray in all temptation and aduersitie and hath promised to helpe if thou trust in him what excuse is it to say wheÌ„ thou hast sinned I could not stand of my selfe when his power was ready to helpe thee if thou haddest asked But deliuer vs from euill First as aboue let vs not fall into temptation Secondarely if we be fallen as who liueth and falleth neuer for neuer to fall were inough to make a maÌ„ as euill as Lucifer and to beleue that he stode by his owne power If therfore we be fallen euen to the bottome how so euer deepe it be put in thine arme after for it is long strong inough and plucke vs out agayne Thirdly deliuer vs froÌ„ euill plucke vs out of the flesh and the world and the power of the deuill and place vs in thy kyngdome where we be past all ieopardy and where we can not sinne any more For the kingdome and the power and the glorie is thyne for euer Amen Because that thou onely art y â— king and all other but substitutes And because all power is thyne and all other mens power but borowed of thee therfore ought all honour and obedience to be thyne of right as chief Lord and none to be geuen other men but onely for the office they hold of thee Neither ought any creature to seeke any more in this world then to be a brother till thou haue put him in office theÌ„ if brotherlynesse will not helpe whiche he ought first to proue let hym execute thy power Neither may any maÌ„ take authoritie of him selfe till God haue choseÌ„ him that is to were til he be chosen by the ordinauÌ„ce that God hath set in y â— world to rule it Finally
the merites of their fasting as though they had done more then inough for themselues and of that marchaundise haue gotten all they haue and haue brought the knowledge of Christes bloude cleane into darcknesse And last of all what shall I say of the open idolatry of innumerable fastes of saint Brandons fast Saint Patrickes fast of 4. holy Fridayes of Saint Antonies betwene Saint Maries dayes of our Lady fast either vij yeare the same day that her day falleth on in March and then beginne or one yeare with bread and water and all for what purposes ye know well inough and of such like I trowe ten thousand in the worlde And who hath rebuked them See that ye gather not treasure vppon the earth where rust and mothes corrupt and where theues breake vp and steale But gather you treasure in heauen where neither rust nor mothes corrupt and where theeues neither breake vp not steale For where your treasure is there will be your hartes also Note the goodly order of Christes preaching First he restored the true vnderstanding of the lawe then y e true intent of the workes And here consequently he rebuketh the mortall foe sworne enemy both of true doctrine and true liuing which is couetousnes the roote of all euill sayth Paule 1. Tim. 6. Couetousnes is Image seruice Col. 3. It maketh men to erre frō the faith 1. Tim. 6. It hath no part in the kingdome of Christ God Ephe. 5. Couetousnes hardened the hart of Pharad that the fayth of the miracles of God could not sinke into it Couetousnes did make Balam which knew all y e truth of God to hate it to geue the most pestilent and poysonfull coūcell against it that hart could imagine euen for to destroy it if it had bene possible Couetousnes taught the false prophetes in the olde testament to interpret the law of God falsely and to peruert the meaning and entent of all the sacrifices and ceremonies and to slea y e true preachers that rebuked thē And with their false perswasions they did leade all the kinges of Israell out of the right way and the most part of the kynges of Iuda also And Peter in the second chapter of his second Epistle prophesieth that there should be false teachers among vs that shoulde follow the way of Balā that is to say for couetousnes persecute the truth thorow couetousnes with fained wordes to make marchaundise of the people and to bring in dampnable sectes to And here ye haue an infallible rule that where couetousnes is there is no truth no though they call themselues the church and say thereto that they cānot erre Couetousnes kept Iudas stil in vnbeliefe though he saw and did also many miracles in the name of Christ and compelled him to sell hym to the Scribes and Phariseis for couetousnes is a thyng merciles Couetousnes made the Phariseis to lye on Christ to persecute hym and falsely to accuse hym And it made Pilat though he founde hym an innocent yet to slay him It caused Herode to persecute Christ yet in his cradell Couetousnes maketh hipocrites to persecute y e truth against their owne consciences and to lye to Princes that the true preachers moue sedition and make their subiects to rise against them and the sayd couetousnes maketh the Princes to beleue their wicked perswasions and to lēde their swordes to shed innocent bloud Finally couetousnes maketh many whom the truth pleaseth at the beginning to cast it vp againe and to be afterward the most cruell enemies therof after the ensample of Symon Magus Act. 8. Yea and after the ensample of Sir Thomas More K. which knew the truth and for couetousnes forsooke it agayne and conspired first with the Cardinall to deceaue y e kyng and to leade hym in darcknes And afterwarde when the light was sprong vpon them and had driuen thē cleane out of the scripture and had deliuered it out of their tyranny and had expelled the darcke stinking miste of their deuelish gloses and had wiped away the cobwebbes which those poysoned spiders had spread vpon the face of the cleare text so that the spiritualtie as they call themselues were ashamed of their part as shamelesse as they be yet for all that couetousnes blynded the eyes of that glering Foxe more more and hardened his hart agaynst y e truth with the confidence of his painted Poetry babbling eloquence and iuggeling arguments of subtill sophistry grounded on his vnwritten verities as true and as autentike as hys story of Vtopia Paule therefore biddeth Timothy to charge the rich to beleue in the liuing god and not in their vncertaine riches for it is impossible for a couetous Idolater or Image seruer that trusteth in the dead God of his riches to put hys trust in the lyuing God One misery is that they which here gather lay vp cannot tell for whom An other is rust canker mothes and a thousād misfortunes beside theues extortioners oppressors mighty tirants to y e which y e rich be euer a pray And though they prosper to y e end outwardly yet feare euer guaweth their hartes inwardly And at the houre of death they know feele that they haue gathered naught then sorrow they and are like one that dreameth of riches and in the morning when he findeth nought is heauy and sory for the remēbraunce of the pleasaunt dreame And finally when they be most loth to die and hope to liue long thē they perishe sodainly after the ensample of y e rich man which entended to make him larger barnes and store houses Happy therfore is he that layeth vp treasure in heauen and is rich in faith and good workes for the rewarde thereto promised shall God kepe sure for him no man can take it away Here is not forbidden to haue riches But to loue it to trust in it and to be carefull for it For God hath promised to care for vs and to geue vs inough to keepe that which is gotten if we will care to keepe his commaundementes Whatsoeuer office or degree thou art in in this world do the dutie of thine office diligently and trust in God let hym care If thou be an husband man eare and sow and husband thy ground and let God alone for the rest he will care to make it grow plenteously and to send seasonable weather to haue it in and will prouide thee a good market to sell ▪ c. In like maner if thou be a kyng do the office of a king and receaue the duties of the kyng and let God care to keepe thee in thy kingdome His sauour shall do more for thee thē a thousand millions of golde and so of all other He that hath but a little and is sure that God shall keepe both him it is richer then he which hath thousandes and hath none other hope thē that he and it must be kept wyth hys owne care and
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
for vs y â— remissioÌ„ of our sinnes but also the forgeuenesse of that grosse and fleshly imagined Purgatory saue thou must bye it out of the Pope And with such traditions they tooke away the keye of knowledge and stopped vp the kyngdome of heauen that no man could enter in And as I sayd they taught the people to beleue in the dedes of the ceremonies which God ordeined not to iustifie but to be signes of promises by which they that beleued were iustified But the Phariseis put out the significations queÌ„ched the fayth and taught to be iustified by the woorke as ours haue serued vs. For our Sacramentes were once but signes partly of what we should beleue to styrre vs vp vnto fayth and partly what we should do to styrre vs vp to do the law of God and were not workes to iustifie Now make this reason vnto Iohn and vnto many Prophetes that went before him and did as he dyd yea and vnto Christ him self and his Apostles thou shalt finde them all heretickes and the Scribes and Phariseis good men if that reason be good Therfore this wise thou mayst aunswere No thankes vnto the heades of y â— Church that the Scripture was kept but vnto the mercy of God For as they had destroyed the right sense of it for their lucre sake euen so would they haue destroyed it also if they coulde rather then the people should haue come vnto the right vnderstaÌ„dyng of it as they slew the true interpretours and preachers of it And euen so no thankes vn to our hypocrites that the Scripture is kept but vnto the bottomlesse mercy of God For as they haue destroyed the right sense of it with their leueÌ„ and as they destroy dayly the true preachers of it and as they kepe it from the lay people that they should not see how they iuggle with it euen so would they destroy it also could they bryng it about rather theÌ„ we should come by the true vnderstandyng of it were it not that God prouided otherwise for vs. For they haue put the stories that should in many thynges helpe vs cleane out of the way as nye as they could They haue corrupt the Legend and lyues almost of all Saintes They haue fayned false bookes and put them forth some in the name of S. Hierome some in y â— name of S. Augustine in the name of S. CypriaÌ„ S. Dionise and other holy men which are proued none of theirs partly by the stile and Latine partly by autenticke stories And as the Iewes haue set vp a booke of traditions called Talmud to destroy the seÌ„se of y â— Scripture Vnto which they geue fayth and vnto the Scripture none at all be it neuer so playne but say it can not be vnderstand saue by the Talmud euen so haue ours set vp their Dunce their Thomas and a thousand like draffe to stablish their lyes thorough falsifying the Scripture say that it can not be vnderstand without them be it neuer so playne And if a man alledge an holy Doctour agaynst them they glose him out as they do the Scripture or will not heare or say the Church hath otherwise determined Now therfore when they aske vs how we know that it is the Scripture of God aske them how Iohn Baptist knew other Prophetes which God styrred vp in all such times as the scripture was in like captiuitie vnder hypocrites Did Iohn beleue that the Scribes Phariseis and hygh Priests were the true Church of God and had hys spirite and could not erre who taught the Egles to spy out their pray euen so the children of God spy out their father and Christes elect spy out theyr Lord and trace out the pathes of hys feete and folow yea though he go vpoÌ„ the playne and liquide water which will receaue no stepe yet there they find out his foote his elect know him but the world knoweth him not Iohn 1. If the world know him not thou call the world pride wrath enuy couetousnesse slouth glottony and lechery then our spiritualtie know hym not Christes shepe heare y â— voyce of Christ Iohn x. where the world of hypocrits as they know hym not euen so the wolues heare not his voyce but compell the Scripture to heare them and to speake what they lust And therfore except the Lord of Sabaoth had lest vs seede we had bene all as Sodome and Gomor sayd Esay 1. And euen so sayd Paul in hys tyme. And euen so say we in our time that the Lord of the hostes hath saued him seede hath gathered hym a flocke to whom he hath geuen cares to heare that the hypocritish Wolâ—es can not heare and eyes to see that the blynd leaders of the blynd can not see and an hart to vnderstaÌ„d that the generation of poysoned Vipers caÌ„ neither vnderstand nor know If they alleage S. Augustine which sayth I had not beleued the Bospell except the authoritie of the church had moued me I answere as they abuse that saying of the holy man euen so they alleage all the Scripture and all that they bring for them euen in a false sence S. Augustine before he was conuerted was an heathen maÌ„ and a Philosopher full of worldly wisdome vnto whom the preaching of Christ is but folishnesse sayth Paule i. Corin. i. And he disputed wyth blynde reasons of worldly wisdome agaynst the Christen Neuerthelesse the earnest liuing of the Christen according vnto theyr doctrine and the constant suffering of persecutioÌ„ and aduersitie for their doctrines sake moued hym stirred hym to beleue that it was no vayne doctrine but that it must nedes be of god in that it had such power with it For it happeneth that they which wyll not heare the worde at the beginning are afterward moued by the holy conuersation of them that beleue As Peter warneth ChristeÌ„ wines that had heathen husbandes that would not heare the truth preached to liue so godly that they might winne their heathen husbandes with holy conuersation And Paule sayth how knowest thou Christen wife whether thou shalt winne thine heathen husband with holy conuersation meÌ„t he For many are woÌ„ne with godly liuing which at the fyrst either will not heare or can not belene And that is the authoritie that S. Augustine meane But if we shal not beleue tyll the liuyng of the spiritualtie conuert vs we be like to bide long inough in vnbeliefe And wheÌ„ they aske whether we receaued the scripture of them I aunswere that they which come after receaue the scripture of them that go before And when they aske whether we beleue not that it is Gods worde by the reason that they tell vs so I aunswere that there are two manuer faythes an historicall fayth and a feelyng fayth The historicall fayth hangeth of the truth and honestie of the teller or of the common fame and
fayned of our scholemen which of late neither vnderstode greke latine or hebrue called doulia hyperdoulia and Laâ—ria But the difference declareth he not nor the properties of the wordes but with confused termes leadeth you blindfolde in hys maze As for hyperdoulia I woulde fayne weâ—e where he readeth of it in all the scripture and whether the worship done to hys Lord the Cardinalles hat were doulia hyperdoulia or idololatria And as for doulia and latria we fynde theÌ„ both referred vnto God in a thousand places Therefore that thou be not beguiled wyth falshod of sophisticall words vnderstand that the wordes which the scripture vseth in the worshipping or honouring of God are these loue god cleaue to God dread serue bow pray and call on God beleue and trust in God and such like Which wordes all we vse in the worshipping of man also how be it diuersly and the differeÌ„ce thereof doth all the scripture teach God hath created vs and made vs vnto his owne likenes and our sauiour Christ hath bought vs wyth hys bloud And therfore are we Gods possession of dutie and right and Christes seruauntes onely to waâ—…e on his will and pleasure and ought therefore to moue neither hand nor foâ—e nor any other member eyther hart or mynde otherwise then he hath appointed God is honoured in his owne person wheÌ„ we receaue al things both good bad at his hand and loue his lawe wyth all our hartes and beleue hope and long for all that he promiseth THe officers that rule the worlde in Gods stede as father mother master husband Lord and Prince are honoured when the lawe which almighty God hath committed vnto them to rule with is obeyed Thy neighbour that is out of office is honoured when thou as God hath commaunded thee louest hym as thy selfe countest hym as good as thy selfe thinkest hym as worthy of any thing as thy selfe and commest louingly to helpe hym at all hys neede as thou wouldest be holpe thy selfe because God hath made him like vnto hys owne image as well as thee and Christ hath bought hym as well as thee If I hate the lawe so I breake it in myne hart and both hate dishonour God the maker therof If I breake it outwardly then I dishonour god before the worlde and the officer that ministreth it If I hurt my neighbour then I dishonour my neighbour and him that made him and him also that bought him wyth hys bloud And eueÌ„ so if I hate my neighbour in mine hart then I hate him that commaundeth me to loue him and him that hath deserued that I should at the lest way for his sake loue him If I be not ready to helpe my neighbour at hys nede so I take his due honour from him dishonour him him that made him and him also that bought him with his bloud whose seruaunt he is If I loue such thinges as God hath lent me and committed vnto mine administration so that I can not finde in myne hart to bestow them on the vses which God hath appointed me then I dishonour God and abuse his creature in that I geue more honour vnto it theÌ„ I shuld do And then I make an idole of it in that I loue it more then God and hys commaundement and then I dishonour my neighbour from whose nede I withdraw it In like maner if the officer abusyng his power coÌ„pell the subiect to do that which God forbiddeth or to leue vndone that which God commaundeth so he dishonoureth God in withdrawyng his seruaunt from him maketh an Idole of his owne lustes in that he honoureth them aboue God he dishonoureth his brother in that he abuseth hym contrary vnto the right vse which God hath created him for and Christ hath bought him for which is to wayte on Gods coÌ„maundementes For if the officer be otherwise mynded then this the worst of these subiectes is made by the haÌ„des of him that made me and bought with the bloud of hym that bought me and therfore my brother and I but his seruaunt onely to defend him and to kepe him in the honour that God Christ hath set him that no man dishonour him he dishonoureth both God man And therto if any subiect thinke any otherwise of y t officer though he be an Emperour then that he is but a seruaunt onely to minister the office indifferently he dishonoureth the office and God that ordemed it So that all men what soeuer degree they be of are euery man in his rowme seruauntes to other as the hand serueth the foote and euery member one an other And the aungels of heauen are also our brethren and very seruauntes for Christes sake to defend vs from the power of the deuils And finally all other creatures that are neither aungels nor man are in honour lesse then man and man is Lord ouer them and they created to serue him as Scripture testifieth and he not to serue them but only his Lord God and his Sauiour Christ ¶ Of worshippyng of Sacraments ceremonies images reliques and so forth NOw let vs come to the worshippyng or honouryng of Sacramentes ceremonies images and reliques First images be not God and therefore no confidence is to be put in theÌ„ They be not made after the image of God nor are the price of Christes bloud but the woorkemanshyp of the craftes maÌ„ and the price of money and therfore inferiours to man Wherfore of all right man is Lord ouer them and the honour of theÌ„ is to do man seruice and mans dishonour it is to do them honourable seruice as vnto his better Images then and reliques ye and as Christ sayth the holy day to are seruauntes vnto man And therefore it foloweth that we can not but vnto our damnatioÌ„ put on a coate worth an huÌ„dred coates vpoÌ„ a postes backe and let the image of God the price of Christes bloud go vp downe therby naked For if we care more to cloth the dead image made by maÌ„ and the price of siluer then the liuely image of God and price of Christes bloud then we dishonoure the Image of God and hym that made him and the price of Christes bloud and hym that bought hym Wherfore the right vse office and honour of all creatures inferiours vnto man is to do maÌ„ seruice whether they be images reliques ornaments signes or Sacramentes holydayes ceremonies or sacrifices And that may be on this maner no doubt it so once was If for an example I take a peece of the crosse of Christ and make a litle crosse therof and beare it about me to looke theron with a repentyng hart at tymes wheÌ„ I am moued therto to put me in remembraunce that the body of Christ was broken and his bloud shed theron for my sinnes and beleue stedfastly that the mercyfull truth of God shall forgeue the sinnes of all that repeÌ„t
in the mayd of Kent TheÌ„ I pray you what thyng woorthy of so great prayse hath our Lady done Our Lady hath deliuered her of the holy ghost emptied her of much hygh learnyng which as a goodly Poetisse she vttered in Rimes For appose her now of Christ as Scripture testifieth of hym and thou shalt finde her cleane without rime or reason The maide was at home also in heauenly pleasures and our Lady hath deliuered her out of the ioyes of Orestes and brought her into the miseries of middell earth agayne The xvij Chapter AS for Doulia Hyperdoulia Lattia though he shew not with which of theÌ„ he worshypped the Cardinals hat is aunswered vnto him already The xviij Chapter IN the xviij where he would fayne proue that the Popes Churche can not erre he alledgeth thynges wherof he might be ashamed if he were not past shame to proue that the Byshops haue authoritie to lade vs with traditioÌ„s neither profitable for soule nor body He bringeth a false allegorie vppon the ouerplus that the Samaritane if it were layde out promised to pay when he came agayn for the Byshops traditions Nay M. More besides that allegories which euery man may fayne at his pleasure can proue nothing Christ interpreteth it him selfe that it betokeneth a kynde mynde a louyng neighbour which so loued a straunger that he neuer left caryng for him both absent as well as present vntill he were full whole and common out of all necessitie It signifieth that the Prelates if they were true Apostles and loued vs after the doctrine of Christ would sell their myters croses plate shrynes iuels and costly showes to succour the poore and not robbe them of all that was offered vnto them as they haue done to repare thinges fallen in decay and ruine in the common wealth not to begger the realmes with false Idolatry and imageseâ—uice that they haue not left them wherewith to beare the cost of the common charges And moreouer when the Scribes Phariseis taught their owne doctrine they sat not vpon Moses seate but on their owne And therfore Christ so far it is of that he would haue vs hearken vnto mans doctrine â—ayd beware of the leuen of the Scribes Phariseis Saduces which is their doctrine rebuked them for their doctrine brake it him selfe and taught his Disciples so to do and excused them and sayd of all traditioÌ„s that what soeuer his heauenly father had not planted should be plucked vp by the rootes And therto all the persecutioÌ„ that the Apostles had of the Iewes was for breakyng of traditions Our Prelates ought to be our seruauntes as the Apostles were to teach vs Christes doctrine and not Lordes ouer vs to oppresse vs with theyr owne Peter calleth it temptyng of the holy ghost Actes xv to lade the heatheÌ„ with ought aboue that which necessitie and brotherly loue required And Paul rebuketh his Corinthians for their ouer much obedience and the Galathians also and warneth all men to stand fast and not to suffer them selues to be brought into bondage And when he sayth Peter Paule commaunded vs to obey our superiours That is trouth they coÌ„maunded vs to obey the temporall sword which the Pope will not And they commauÌ„ded to obey the Byshops in the doctrine of Christ and not in their owne And we teach not to breake all thyngs rashly as M. More vntruly reporteth on vs whiche is to be sene in our bookes if men will looke vpon them Of traditions therfore vnderstand generally He that may be free is a foole to be bonde But if through wilinesse thou be brought into bondage then if the tradition hurt thy soule thy faith they are to bee broken immediatly though with the losse of thy lyfe If they greue the body onely theÌ„ are they to be borne till God take them of for breakyng the peace and vnitie Then how sore maketh he Christes burtheÌ„ If it be so sore why is M. More so cruell to helpe the Byshops to lade vs with more But surely he speaketh very vndiscretly For Christ dyd not lade vs with one sillabe more then we were euer bound to neither did he any thyng but interpret the law truly And besides that he geueth vnto all hys loue vnto the law which loue maketh all thinges easie be borne that were before impossible And when he sayth ye be the salt of the â—earth that it was spoken for the Byshops and Priestes onely it is vntrue but it was spoken generally vnto all that beleue and know the truth that they should be salt vnto the ignoraunt and the perfecter vnto the weaker ech to other euery man in his measure And moreouer if it be spokeÌ„ vnto the Prelates onely how fortuneth it y â— M. More is so â—usie to â—ault the world iâ— his hygt learnyng And last of all the salt of Prelates which is their readitions ceremonies without signification is vnsauery long a go therfore no more worth but to be cast out at the doores and to be troden vnderfoote And that he sayth in the end that a man may haue a good fayth with euill liuing I haue proued it a lye in an other place Moreouer fayth hope and loue be iij. sisters y â— neuer can depart in this world though in y â— world to come loue shall swalow vp the other twoo Neither can the one be stroÌ„ger or weaker then the other But as much as I beleue so much I loue and so much I hope ye and so much I worke The xix Chapter IN the xix hee proueth that praying to Saintes is good miracles that coÌ„firme it are of God or els the church sayth he doth erre It foloweth in dede or that the Popes Church erreth And when he sayth it is sinne to beleue to much I say we had the more neede to take heede what we beleue and to search Gods word the more diligently that we beleue neither to much nor to litle And when he sayth God is honoured by praying to Saintes because it is done for his sake I aunswere if it spraÌ„ge not out of a false fayth but of the loue we haue to God then should we loue God more And moreouer in as much as all our loue to God springeth put of faith we should beleue and trust God And then if our fayth in God were greater then our feruent deuotioÌ„ to Saintes we should praye to no Saintes at all seyng we haue promises of all thinges in our Sauiour Iesu and in the Saintes none at all The xxv Chapter IN y t xxv how iuggleth he to proue that all y â— perteyneth vnto the faith was not writteÌ„ alledging Iohn in the last that the world could not conteine the bookes if all shoulde be written And Iohn meaneth of the miracles which Iesus did and not of the necessary pointes of the fayth And how
a multitude together by them selues without persecution temptatioÌ„ of their â—ayth as the great multitude vnder the pope is which persecute and â—…t And these which the Pope calleth heretikes shew no miracles by their owne confession neither ought they â–ª 〈◊〉 as much as they bryng no new learnyng nor ought saue the Scripture which is all ready receaued coÌ„firmed with miracles Christ also promiseth vs nought in this world saue persecution for our fayth And the stories of the old Testament are also by Paulus 1. Cor. x. our examples And there though God at a time called with miracles a great multitude yet the very chosen that receaued the fayth in their harts to put their trust in God alone and which endureth in temptations were but few and euer oppressed of their false brethreÌ„ and persecuted vnto the death and driuen vnto corners And when Paule ij Thes ij sayth that Antichristes commyng shal be by the working of Sathan with all power signes and wonders of falsehead all deceaueablenesse for them that perish because they coÌ„ceiued not loue vnto the truth to be saued by and therefore shall God send them strong delusioÌ„ or guile to beleue lies the text must also pertaine vnto a multitude gathered together in christes name of which one part and no doubt the greater for lacke of loue vnto the truth that is in Christ to liue thereafter shall fall into sectes and a false fayth vnder the name of Christ and shal be indurate and stablished therein with false miracles to perish for their vnkindnesse The pope first hath no Scripture that he dare abyde by in the light neither careth but blasphemeth that his word is truer theÌ„ the Scripture He hath miracles with out Gods word as all false Prophetes had He hath lyes in all his Legendes in all preachynges and in all bookes They haue no loue vnto the truth which appeareth by their great sinnes that they haue set vp aboue all the abhominatioÌ„ of all the heathen that euer were and by their long continuaunce therin not of frailtie but of malice vnto the truth and of obstinate lust selfe will to sinne Which appeareth in two thinges the one that they haue gotten them with wiles and falsehead froÌ„ vnder all lawes of man and euen aboue Kyng and Emperour that no man should constraine their bodies bryng them vnto better order that they may sinne frely without feare of man And on the other syde they haue brought Gods word a slepe that it should not vnquyet their consciences in so much that if any maÌ„ rebuke them with that they persecute him immediatly pose hym in their false doctrine and make hym an hereticke and burne hym and quench it And Paule sayth ij Timo. iij. in the later dayes there shal be perilous tymes For there shal be men that loue them selues couetous high mynded proud raylers disobedient to father and mother vnthankfull vngodly churlish promisebreakers accusers or pickquareles vnlouyng despisers of the good traytours hedy puâ—sed vp that loue lustes more theÌ„ God hauing an appearaunce of godlynesse but denying the power therof And by power I vnderstand the pure faith in gods word whiche is the power and pith of all godlynesse and whence all that pleaseth God springeth And this text pertaineth vnto them that professe Christ And in that he sayth hauing an appearaunce of godlynesse of that foloweth in the text of this sort are they that enter into mens houses and lead women captiue laden with sinne euer askyng neuer able to atteine vnto the truth as our hearers of coÌ„fessions do it appeareth y t they be such as wil be holyer then other and teachers and leaders of the rest And looke whether there be here any sillabe that agreeth not vnto our spiritualtie in the highest degree Loue they not them selues their owne decrees and ordinaunces theyr owne lyes and dreames despise all lawes of God and man regarde no man but theÌ„ onely that be disguised as they be And as for their couetousnesse whiche all the world is not able to satisfie tell me what it is that they make not serue it in so much that if God punishe the world with an euill pocke they immediatly paynt a blocke and call it Iob to heale the disease in stede of warning the people to mend their lyuyng And as for their high mynde and pryde see whether they be not aboue Kings and Emperour all the names of God whether any man may come to beare rule in this world except he be sworne to them and come vp vnder them And as for their raylyng looke in their excoÌ„munication and see whether they spare Kyng or Emperour or the Testament of God And as for eâ—edience to father and mother Nay they be immediatly vnder God and his holy vicare the Pope he is their father on hys ceremonies they must wayte And as for vnthaÌ„kfull they be so kind that if they haue receaued a thousand pound land of a man yet for all y t they would not receaue one of his ofspryng vnto a nights harbour at his nede for their founders sake And whether they be vngodly or no I reporte me vnto the parchement And as for churlishnesse see whether they will not haue their causes venged though it should cost whole regions yea and all ChristeÌ„dome as ye shall see and as it hath cost halfe Christendome all ready And as for their promise or trucebreakyng see whether any appoyntement may endure for their dispensations be it neuer so lawfull though the Sacrament were receaued for the coÌ„firmatioÌ„ And see whether they haue not brokeÌ„ all the appointementes made betwene them and their founders And see whether they be not accusers and â—â—aytours also of all meÌ„ and that secretly of theyr very owne Kynges and of their owne nation And as for their headmeste see whether they be not proue bold and runne headloÌ„g vnto all mischief without pitie compassion or caryng what misery and destruction should fall on other men so they may haue theyr present pleasure fulfilled And see whether they loue not theyr lustes that they will not be refrained from them either by any law of God or man And as for their apperauÌ„ce of godlynesse see whether all be not Gods seruice that they fayne and see whether not almost all consciences be captiue thereto And it foloweth in the text as the sorcerers of Egipt resisted Moses so resisted they the truth They must be therfore mighty iugglers And to poynt the popishe wyth the finger he sayth men are they wyth corrupt mindes and cast awaies concernyng fayth that is they be so fleshly mynded so croked so stubbuâ—ne and so monstrous shapen that they caÌ„ receaue no fashion to stand in any buildyng that is grounded vppon fayth but wheÌ„ y u hast turned them
they can not depart they seke a thousand gloses to turne it into an other sense to make it agree vnto their beastlynesse and where it will receaue no such gloses theyr they thinke that no man vnderstandeth it Then in the end of the Chapter M. More coÌ„meth vnto his wise conclusion and proueth nothing saue sheweth his ignoraunce as in all thyng He sayth we beleue the doctrine of the Scripture without Scripture as for an example the Popes pardons because onely that the Church so teacheth though no Scripture confirmeth it Why so because sayth he the holy ghost by inspiration if I doe my endeuour and captiuate mine vnderstandyng teacheth me to beleue the Church concernyng Gods worde taught by the Churche and grauen in mens hartes with out Scripture as well as he teacheth vs to beleue wordes written in the Scripture Marke where hee is now Afore hee saith the Scripture causeth vs not to beleue the Scripture for a man may read it beleue it not And much more the preacher maketh vs not to beleue y e preacher for a man may heare him and beleue him not also As we see the Apostles could not cause all men to beleue them For though the Scripture be an outward instrument and the preacher also to moue meÌ„ to beleue yet the chief and principall cause why a man beleueth or beleueth not is within That is the spirite of God teacheth his children to beleue and the deuill blyndeth his children and kepeth them in vnbeleffe and maketh them to consent vnto lyes thinke good euill euill good As the Actes of the Apostles say in many places there beleued as many as were ordeyned vnto euerlastyng lyfe And Christ sayth Iohn viij they that be of God heare Gods word And vnto the wicked Iewes he saith ye caÌ„ not beleue because ye be not of God And in the same place sayth he ye be of your father the deuill and his will ye will do and he bode not in the truth therfore will not suffer his children to consent to the truth And Iohn in y e x. saith Christ all that came before me be theeues murtherers but my shepe heard not theyr voyces That is all that preach any saluatioÌ„ saue in Christ murther y e soules Howbeit Christes shepe could not consent to their lyes as the rest caÌ„ not but beleue lyes so that there is euer a remanaunt kepte by grace And of this I haue sene diuers examples I haue knowen as holy men as might be as the world counteth holynesse which at the houre of death had no trust in God at all but cryed cast holy water light the holy candell and so forth sore lamentyng that they must dye And I haue knowen other which were despised as men that cared not for their diuine seruice which at death haue falsen so flat vppon the bloud of Christ as is possible and haue preached vnto other mightyly as it had bene an Apostle of our Sauiour and comforted them with comfort of the lyfe to come haue dyed so gladly that they would haue receaued no worlds good to bide still in the flesh And thus is M. More fallen vpoÌ„ predestination and is compelled wish violence of Scripture to confesse that which he hateth and studieth to make appeare false to stablish freewill with all not so much of ignoraunce I feare as for lucres sake and to get honour promotioÌ„ dignitie and money by helpe of our mitred monsters Take exaÌ„ple of Balam the false Prophet which gaue counsell sought meanes through like blynd couetousnesse to make the truth and prophesie which God had shewed him false He had the knowledge of y e truth but with out loue therto and therfore for vauntage became enemy vnto the truth but what came of hym But M. More pepereth his conclusioÌ„ lest men should feele the tast saying if we endeuour our selues and captiue our vnderstandyng to beleue O how betleblynd is fleshly reason the will hath none operation at all in the workyng of fayth in my soule no more then the child hath in the begettyng of hys father For sayth Paule it is the gift of God and not of vs. My witte must coÌ„clude good or bad yer my will can loue or hate My witte must shew me a true cause or an apparent cause why yer my will haue any workyng at all And of that peperyng it well appeareth what the Popes fayth is euen a blynd imagination of their naturall witte wrought without the light of the spirite of God agreing vnto their voluptuous lustes in which their beastly wil so deliteth that hee will not let their wittes atteÌ„de vnto any other learning for vnquietyng hym selfe and styrring from his pleasure and delectation And thus we be as farre a sunder as euer we were and his mighty argumentes proue not the value of a poding pricke M. More feeleth in his hart by inspiration and with his endeueryng him self and captiuatyng his vnderstandyng to beleue it that there is a Purgatory as whot as hell Wherein if a sily soule were appointed by God to lye a thousand yeares to purge him with all the Pope for the value of a groat shall commaunde him thence ful purged in the twinkelyng of an eye by as good reason if her were goyng thence kepe him there still He feeleth by inspiration and in captiuatyng hys wittes that the Pope can worke wonders with a Caiues skinne that he can commaunde one to eate fâ—esh though he be neuer so lusty and that an other eate none on payne of daÌ„natioÌ„ though he should dye for lacke of it and that he can forgeue sinne and not the payne as much and as litle of the payne or all if he lust and yet can neither helpe hym to loue the law or to beleue or to hate the flesh seyng he preacheth not And such thinges innumerable M. More feleth true and therfore beleueth that the Pope is the true Church And I cleane coÌ„trary fele that there is no such worldly and fleshly imagined Purgatory For I feele that the soules be purged onely by the word of God doctrine of Christ as it is written Iohn xv ye be cleane through the word saith Christ to his Apostles And I feele agayne that he which is cleane through the doctrine needeth not but to washe his feete onely for his head handes are cleane all ready Iohn xiij that is he must tame his flesh kepe it vnder for his soule is cleane all ready through the doctrine I feele also that bodyly payne doth but purge the body onely in so much that the payne not onely purgeth not the soule but maketh it more foule except that there be kynde learning by to purge the soule so that the more a maÌ„ beateth his soÌ„ne the worse he is except he teach him louingly shew him kindnesse besides partly to kepe hym from
sticke vp a candle to flatter him and to make him fauourable vnto vs and regarde not the testament of Christ nor the lawes of God because we haue no power to beleue nor to loue the truth And euen so to referre virginitie vnto the person of God to please hym therwith is false sacrifice and heathenishe Idolatrie For the onely seruice of god is to beleue in Christ and to loue the lawe Wherfore thou must referre thy wedlocke thy virginitie and all thy other deedes vnto the keepyng of the lawe and seruing thy neighbour only And then wheÌ„ thou lookest wyth a louing hart on the law that saith breake not wedlocke keepe no whore and so forth and findest thy body weake and thyne office such that thou must haue conuersation with meÌ„s wiues daughters and seruauntes then it is better to haue a wife theÌ„ to be without And againe if thou see seruice to be done y t thou canst not so well do with a wyfe as without then if thou haue power to be without it is best so to be and in such like And els the one is as good as the other and no difference And to to take a wife for pleasure is as good as to absteine for displeasure And when M. More seeth no other cause why it is not best that our spiritualitie were all gelded then for losse of merite in resistyng besides that that imagination is playne Idolatrie I hold M. More beguiled if all we read of gelded men be true and the experience we see in other beastes For then the gelded lust in their flesh as much as the vngelded Which if it be true then the gelded in that he taketh such great payne in geldyng not to minishe his lustes but if lustes ouercome him yet that he haue not wherewith to hurt his neighbour deserueth more then the vngelded And then it were best that we did eate and drinke make our flesh stroÌ„g that we burned to deserue in resisting as some of your holy Saintes haue layd virgins in their beddes to kindle their courage that they might after quench their heate in cold water to deserue the merite of holy Martyrs And wheÌ„ he sayth the Priestes of the old law absteined from their wiues when they serued in the teÌ„ple Many thynges were forbidden them to kepe them in bonde and seruile feare for other purposes And yet I trow hâ— findeth it not in the text that they were forbidden their wiues And when he imagineth so because Zacharias when his course was out gat him home to his house I thinke it was better for him to go to his house then to send for his house to him he was also old and his wife to But and if they were forbidden it was but for a tyme to geue them to prayer as we might do right well and as wel as they But I read that they were for bidden to drinke wine strong drinke when they ministred of whiche ours powre in without measure M. More Christ liued chast and exhorteth vnto chastitie Tyndall We be not all of Christes complection neither exhorteth he to other chastitie then wedlocke saue at a tyme to serue our neighbours Now y t Popes chastitie is not to serue a maÌ„s neighbour but to runne to riotte and to carie away with him the liuyng of the poore and of the true preacher euen the tythes of v. or vj. Parishes and to go either dwell by a stewes or to cary a stewes with him or to corrupt other mens wiues Paphnutius a man that neuer proued Mariage is praysed in the stories for resistyng such doctrine with Gods word in a generall Councell before the Pope was a God And now M. More a man that hath proued it twise is magnified for defendyng it with sophistrie And agayn me semeth that it is a great ouer sight of M. More to thinke that Christ though he were neuer maryed would not more accept the seruice of a maried maÌ„ that would more say truth for hym then they that abhorre wedlocke in as much as the spiritualtie accept his humble seruice reward his merites with so high honour because he can better fayne for them then any of their vnchast I would say owne chast people though he be Bigamus past the grace of his necke verse And finally if M. More loke so much on y e pleasure that is in Mariage why setteth he not his eyes on the thankes geuyng for that pleasure on the pacience of other displeasures The xiiij Chapter MOre Wicleffe was the occasion of the vtter subuersion of the Realme of Boheme both in faith and good liuing and of the losse of many a thousand liues Tyndall The rule of their fayth are Christes promises and the rule of their liuyng Gods law â–ª And as for losse of liues it is truth that the Pope sâ—â—e I thinke an hundred thousand of them because of their fayth that they wold no lâ—nger serue him As he sâ—â—e in England many a thousand sâ—â—e the true â—yng and see vp a false vnto the eâ—fusion of all the noble bloud and murthe ryng vp of the comminaltie because he should be his desender M. The constitution of the Byshops is not that the Scripture shall not be in English but that no man may translate it by his owne authoritie or read it vntill they had approued it Tyndall If no translatioÌ„ shal be had vntill they geue licence or till they approue it it shal neuer be had And so it is all one in effect to say there shal be none at all in English and to say till we admitte it seyng they be so malicious that they will none admitte but fayne all the cauillations they can to proue it were not expedient So that if it be not had spite of their harts it shall neuer be had And thereto they haue done their best to haue had it enacted by Parlament that it should not be in English The xv Chapter HE iesteth out Hunnes death with his Poetrie were with he built Vtopia Many great Lordes came to Baynardes Castell but all namelesse to examine the cause as y â— credible Prelares so well learned so holy and so indifferent whiche examined Bilney and Arture be also all namelesse M. Horsey tooke his pardon because it is not good to refuse Gods pardon and the kynges Tyndall Gods pardon can no man haue except he knowledge himselfe a sinner And euen so he y t receaueth the kynges yeldeth him selfe giltie And moreouer it is not possible y t he which putteth his trust in God should for feare of the xij men or of his iudges receaue pardon for that hee neuer was faultie vnto the dishonoring of our sauiour Iesus but would haue denyed it rather vnto the death And therto if the matter were so cleare as ye iest it out then I am sure the kynges
things that do to thy brother whom thou hast offended and vnto God offer the repeÌ„taunce of thine hart and the satisfaction of Christes bloud M. Tyndall saith that the confessour vttereth the confessions of them that be rich But yet we see that both rich and poore keepe whores openly without paying peny Tyndall If they be very rich they be suffered because they may be good defenders of the spiritualty and if they be very poore because they haue no money to pay or els they fine with one or other secretly More Vppon that lye Tyndall buildeth the destruction of the sacrament of penaunce Tyndall Sacrament is a signe signifiyng what I should do or beleue or both As Baptim is the signe of repeÌ„taunce signifiyng that I must repent of euill and beleue to be saued therfroÌ„ by the bloud of Christ Now Syr in your penaunce describe vs which is y e signe and the outward sacrament and what is the thing that â–ª I must do or beleue and then we will ensearch whether it may be a sacrament or no. More Tyndall saith that confession is the worst inuention that euer was Tyndall As ye fashion it meane I and of that filthy priapishe confession which ye spew in the eare wherewyth ye exclude y e forgeuenes that is in Christes bloud for all that repent and beleue therein and make the people beleue that their sinnes be neuer forgeuen vntill they be shriuen vnto the Priest and theÌ„ for no other cause saue that they haue there tolde them and for the holy deedes to come which the confessour hath enioyned them more proâ—itable ofttimes for himselfe then any man els More Neuer man had grace to spie that before Tyndall Tyndall Yes very many For many nacions neuer receaued it And the Greekes when they had proued it and saw the baudery that folowed of it put it downe agayne For which cause and to know all secretes and to leade the consciences captiue the Pope falsely maintaineth it M. What fruit would then come of penaunce Tyndall â–ª Of your iugglyng terme penaunce I can not affirme But of repentaunce would come this fruit that no man that had it should sinne wyllingly but euery man should continually fight against his fleshe More He teacheth that the sacrament hath no vertue at all but by faith onely Tynd. The fayth of a repeÌ„ting soule in Christes bloude doth iustifie onely And the sacrameÌ„t standeth in as good stead as a liuely preacher And as the preacher iustifieth me not but my faith in the doctrine euen so the signe iustifieth not but the faith in the promise which the sacrament signifieth preacheth And to preach is all the vertue of the sacrament And where the sacramentes preach not there they haue no vertue at all And sir we teach not as ye do to beleue in the sacrament or in holy church but to beleue the sacrament and holy church More He teacheth that fayth suffiseth vnto saluation without good workes Tyndall The Scripture sayth that assoone as a man repenteth of euill beleueth in Christes bloud he obtayneth mercy immediatly because he should loue God and of that loue do good woorkes and that he tarieth not in sinne stil till he haue done good workes and then is first forgeuen for hys workes sake as the Pope beareth his in hand excluding the vertue of Christes bloud For a man must be first reconciled vnto God by Christ and in Gods fauour yer his workes can be good and pleasaunt in the sight of god But we say not as some damnably lye on vs that we should do euill to be iustified by faith as thou maist see Rom. iij. how they sayde of the Apostles for like preaching M. He calleth it sacrilege to please god with good workes Tyndall To referre the worke vnto the person of God to buy out thy sin therewith is to make an Idole of god or a creature But if thou referâ—e thy worke vnto thy neighbours profite or taming of thine owne fleshe then thou pleasest God therwith More Item that a man can do no good woorke Tyndall It is false But he sayth a man can do no good woorke till he beleue that his sinnes be forgeuen hym in Christ and till he loue Gods lawe and haue obtayned grace to woorke with And then sayth he that we caÌ„ not do our workes so perfectly by the reason of our corrupte fleshe but that there is some imperâ—ectnes therein as in the workes of them that be not their craftes master Which is yet not reckoned because they do their good willes and be scholers goe to schole to learne to do better M. Item that the good and righteous man sinneth alway in doing well Tyndall In all his woorkes there lacketh somewhat and is a faulte vntil he do theÌ„ with as great loue vnto his neighbour as Christ did for him and as long as there is more resistaunce in his flesh then was in Christes or lesse hope in God and then no lenger M. Item that no sinne damneth a man saue vnbeleffe Tyndall What soeuer a man hath done if he repent and beleue in Christ it is forgeuen him And so it foloweth that no sinne daÌ„neth saue there where there is no belefe M. Item that we haue no frewill to do ought therewith though the grace of God be ioined therto and that God doth all in vs both good and bad and we doe but suffer as waxe doth of the workemaÌ„ Tyndall First where hee affirmeth that we say our will is not free to doe good and to helpe to compel the members when God hath geuen vs grace to loue his lawes is false But we say that we haue no frewill to captiuate our wittes and vnderstandyng for to beleue the pope in what soeuer he saith without reason geuing when we find in the Scripture contrary testimonie and see in hym so great falsehead and deedes so abhominable and thereto all the signes by which the Scripture teacheth vs to know Antichrist And we affirme that we haue no frewill to preuent God his grace before grace prepare our selues thereto neither caÌ„ we consent vnto God before grace be come For vntil god haue preueÌ„ted vs powred y e spirit of his grace into our soules to loue his lawes and hath graueÌ„ theÌ„ in our harts by the outward ministration of his true preacher and inward workyng of his spirite or by inspiratioÌ„ onely we know noâ— God as he is to be knowen nor feele y e good nesse or any swetnesse in his law How then can we consent thereto â–ª Sayth not the text that we can do no good while we be euill and they which seke glorie and to clyme in honour aboue their brethren can not beleue the truth and that whores theues murtherers extortioners such like haue no parte
not vnto repentaunce nor to fayth nor to loue a mans neighbour M. More declareth the meanyng of no sentence hee describeth the proper signification of no word nor the difference of the significatioÌ„s of any terme but runneth foorth confusedly in vnknowen wordes and generall termes And where one word hath many significations he maketh a man some tyme beleue that many thynges are but one thyng and some tyme he leadeth from one signification vnto an other mocketh a mans wittes As he iuggleth with this terme Church makyng vs in the begynnyng vnderstand all that beleue and in the conclusion the Priestes onely He telleth not the office of the law he describeth not his penauÌ„ce nor the vertue therof or vse he declareth no Sacrament nor what they meane nor the vse nor wherin the frute of coÌ„fession standeth nor whence the power of the absolution commeth nor wherin it resteth nor what iustifying meaneth nor the order nor sheweth any diuersitie of faythes as though all faiths were one fayth and one thyng Marke therfore the way toward iustifying or forgeuenesse of sinne is the law God causeth the law to be preached vnto vs writeth it in our harts and maketh vs by good reasons feele that the law is good and ought to bee kept and that they which keepe it not are worthy to be damned And on the other side I fele that there is no power in me to kepe the law wherupon it would shortly folow that I should dispaire if I were not shortly hoâ—pe But God which hath begon to cure me and hath layde that corosy vnto my sores goeth forth in his cure and setteth hys sonne Iesus before me and all his passions and death and sayth to me this is my deare sonne and he hath prayed for thee hath suffred all this for thee and for his sake I will forgeue thee all that thou hast done agaynst this good lawe and I will heale thy flesh teach thee to kepe this law if y â— wilt learne And I will beare with thee take all a worth that thou doest till thou caust do better And in the meane season not withstandyng thy weakenesse I will yet loue thee no lesse then I do the aungels in heauen so thou wilt be diligent to learne And I will assiste thee and keepe thee and defend thee and be thy shielde and care for thee And the hart here beginneth to mollifie and waxe soft to receaue health and beleueth the mercy of God and in beleuyng is saued froÌ„ the feare of euerlastyng death and made sure of euerlastyng life and then beyng ouercome with this kindnesse begynneth to loue agayne and to submitte her selfe vnto the law of God to learne them and to walke in them Note now the order first God geueth me light to see the goodnesse and righteousnesse of the law myne own sinne and vnrighteousnesse Out of whiche knowledge spryngeth repentaunce Now repentaunce teacheth me not that the law is good and I euill but a light that the spirite of God hath geuen me out of whiche light repentaunce springeth Then the same spirite woorketh in myne hart trust and confidence to beleue the mercy of God and his truth that he will do as hee hath promised Whiche beleffe saueth me And immediatly out of that trust spryngeth loue toward the law of God agayne And what soeuer a man worketh of any other loue theÌ„ this it pleaseth not God nor is that loue godly Now loue doth not receaue this mercy but fayth onely out of whiche fayth loue springeth by which loue I power out agayn vpon my neighbour that goodnesse which I haue receaued of God by fayth Hereof ye see that I caÌ„ not be iustified without repentauÌ„ce and yet repentaunce iustifieth me not And hereof ye see that I can not haue a fayth to be iustified and saued except loue spryng therof immediatly and yet loue iustifieth me not before God For my naturall loue to God agayne doth not make me first see feele the kyndnesse of God in Christ but fayth thorough preachyng For we loue not God first to coÌ„pell him to loue agayn but he loued vs first gaue his sonne for vs that we might see loue and loue agayne sayth S. Iohn in his first Epistle Which loue of God to vs ward we receaue by Christ thorough fayth sayth Paule And this example haue I set out for them in diuers places but their blynd Popish eyes haue no power to see it couetousnesse hath so blynded them And when we say faith onely iustifieth vs that is to say receaueth the mercy wherewith God iustifieth vs and forgeueth vs we meane not fayth whiche hath no repentaunce and fayth whiche hath no loue vnto the lawes of God agayne and vnto good workes as wicked hypocrites falsly belye vs. For how theÌ„ should we suffer as we do all misery to cal the blind and ignorauÌ„t vnto repentaunce good workes which now do but consent vnto all euill and study mischief all day long for all their preachyng their iustifying of good woorkes Let M. More improue this with his sophistrie and set foorth his owne doctrine that we may see the reason of it and walke in light Hereof ye see what fayth it is that iustifieth vs. The fayth in Christes bloud of a repentyng hart toward the law doth iustifie vs onely and not all maner faythes Ye must vnderstaÌ„d therfore that ye may see to come out of Mores blynd maze how that there be many faythes and that all faythes be not one faith though they be al called with on generall name There is a story faith without feelyng in the hart wher with I may beleue the whole story of the Bible yet not set myne hart earnestly thereto takyng it for the fode of my soule to learne to beleue and trust God to loue him dread him and feare him by the doctrine and examples ther of but to seme learned to know the story to dispute and make marchaundise after as we haue exaÌ„ples ynough And the fayth wherewith a man doth miracles is an other gift then the faith of a repeÌ„tyng hart to be saued through Christes bloud and the one no kynne to the other though M. More would haue them so appeare Neither is the deuils fayth the Popes fayth wherwith they beleue that there is a God that Christ is all the story of the Bible and may yet stond with all wickednesse and full coÌ„sent to euil kynne vnto the fayth of them that hate euill and repent of their misdeedes and knowledge their sinnes and be fled with full hope and trust of mercy vnto the bloud of Christ And when he sayth if fayth certifie our hartes that we bee in the fauonr of God and our sinnes forgeuen become good yer we do good workes as the tree must be first good yer it bring forth good fruite by Christes doctrine theÌ„ we make
them but my merite is the fayth of Iesus Christ onely by whiche fayth such workes are good accordyng to the wordes of our Lord Mat. xxv I was hongry and thou gauest me to eate and it foloweth that ye haue done to the least of my brethrē ye haue done to me c. and euer we should cōsider the true sentēce that a good worke maketh not a good man but a good man maketh a good woorke for fayth maketh the man both good and righteous for a righteous man lyueth by fayth Rom. i. and what soeuer spryngeth not out of fayth is sinne Rom. xiiij And all my tēporall goodes that I haue not geuen or deliuered or not geuen by writing of mine own hand bearing the date of this present writyng I do leaue and geue to Margarete my wife and to Richard my sonne which I make mine executours witnes this myne owne hand the x. day of October in the xxij yeare of the raigne of kyng Henry the eight Tyndall NOw let vs examine the partes of this Testament sentence by sentēce First to commit our selues to God aboue all is the first of all preceptes the first stone in the foundatiō of our faith that we beleue put our trust in one God one all true one almighty all good all mercifull cleauing fast to his truth might mercy and goodnes surely certified fully persuaded that he is our God yea ours to vs all true without all falshead guile can not fayle in his promises And to vs almighty that his will can not be let to fulfill all y e truth that he hath promised vs. And to vs all good and all mercyfull what soeuer we haue done and how soeuer greuously we haue trespassed so that we come to hym the way that he hath appointed which way is Iesus Christ onely as we shal see folowingly This first clause then is the first commaūdement or at the least the first sentēce in the first commaundement and the first Article of our Crede And that this trust and confidēce in the mercy of God is thorough Iesus Christ is the secōd article of our Crede confirmed and testified throughout all scripture That Christ bringeth vs into this grace Paule proueth Rom. v. saying Iustified by fayth we are at peace with God through Iesus Christ our Lord by whom we haue an entryng in vnto this grace in which we stand And Ephes iij. By whom sayth Paule we haue a bold entring in thorough the fayth that is in him and in the second of the sayd Epistle By him we haue an entring in vnto the father and a litle before in the same Chapter he is our peace And Iohn in the first Chapter Behold the Lambe of God whiche taketh away the sinne of the world which sinne was the bush that stopped the entryng in and kept vs out the sword wherewith was kept the entryng vnto the tree of lyfe from Adam and all his ofspryng And in the second of the first of Peter which bare our sinnes in his body and by whose stripes we are made whole By whom we haue redemptiō through his bloud euen the forgeuenes of our sinnes Collos i. Ephes i. And Rom. iiij He was deliuered for our sinnes and rose agayne for our iustifyeng And concernyng the resurrection it is an article of our fayth and proued there sufficiently and that it shal be by the power of Christ is also the open Scripture Iohn vj. This is the will of my father which sent me that I lose nothing of all that he hath geuen me but that I rayse it vp agayne in the last day and agayn I am the resurrectiō Iohn xi That this liuely faith is sufficient to iustification without addyng to of any more helpe is this wise proued The promiser is God of whom Paul sayth Rom. viij If God be on our side what matter maketh it who be agaynst vs he is thereto all good all mercyfull all true and all mighty wherfore sufficiēt to be beleued by his othe more ouer Christ in whom the promise is made hath receaued all power in heauen and in earth Math. the last He hath also a perpetuall Priesthode and therfore able perpetually to saue Heb. vij And that there is but one mediatour Christ as Paul i. Tim. ij And by that word vnderstand an attonemaker a peace maker and brynger into grace and fauour hauyng full power so to do And that Christ is so is proued at the full It is written Iohn iij. The father loueth the sonne and hath geuē all into his hand And he that beleueth the sonne hath euerlastyng lyfe and he that beleueth not the sonne shall not see lyfe but the wrath of God bydeth vpon hym All things are geuē me of my father Luke x. And all who soeuer call on the name of the Lord shal be saued Actes ij Of his fulnes haue we al receaued Ioh. i. There is no other name geuen to mā in which we must be saued Actes iiij And agayne vnto his name beare all the Prophets record that by his name shall all that beleue in him receaue remission Actes x. In hym dwelleth all the fulnes of God bodely Collos ij All what soeuer my father hath are myne Iohn xvj What soeuer ye aske in my name that will I do for you Iohn xiiij One Lord one fayth one Baptisme one God and father of all which is aboue all through all and in you all Ephes iiij There is but one whose seruaunt I am to do his will But one that shall pay me my wages there is but one to whom I am boūde Ergo but one that hath power ouer me to dāne or saue me I will adde to this Paules Argument Balat iij. GOD sware vnto Abraham cccc yeare before the law was geuen that we should be saued by Christ Ergo the law geuen cccc yeares after can not disanull that couenaunt So dispute I Christ whē he had suffered his passiō and was risen agayne and entred into his glory was sufficient for his Apostles without any other meane or helpe Ergo the holynes of no Saint since hath diminished ought of that his power but that he is as full sufficient now for the promise is as deepely made to vs as to them Moreouer the treasure of his mercy was layde vp in Christ for all that should beleue yer the world was made Ergo nothyng that hath happened sence hath chaunged the purpose of the inunuariable God Moreuer to exclude the blynd imagination falsely called fayth of them that geue them selues to vice without resistence affirmyng that they haue no power to do otherwise but that God hath so made them and therfore must saue them they not entendyng or purposing to mende their liuyng but sinning with whole consent and full lust he declareth what fayth he meaneth ij maner of wayes First by that he saith who soeuer beleueth and is Baptised shal be
Christes Church 345. b Officer not the priuate person must aduenge 191. a Offryng dayes and priuey tithes 136. a ffrings what they meant 204. a. of ripe fruites 424. b. at first masses of Priestes 336. b. maintaine Po Opish miracles 159. b ffenders open openly to be rebuked 345. a Old translation 318. b Old commaundement what 403. b Old ceremonies preachers to the people 273. a Old Pharisaicall practise now practised by Papistes 340. a Old â—estament wherupon built 9. b Old man must be put of 80. b Old Adam byndâ—tl â–ª our consciences 47. a Opinions Popish waueryng how bred 329. a. and 170. b Opinions iij. touchyng the Sacrament of the last Supper 445. a Oppresâ—ion of sure doctrine 289. a Opportunitie 455. a. and b Orders 322. a. in teachyng 103. b. of iustifiyng 330. b. of Scholemen ouerthwart 103. b. of S. Paules doctrine 43. b Orders how euery man may preach and how not 198. a. Papall compared with orders Apostolical 354. b compared with Christes doctrine 353. b Ordinaries hangmen to the faithfull 319. a Ordinaunce of rulers 186. a Ornamentes 273. b Originall of good workes whence 10. b Oth of a witnes may be taken 309. b. vnlawfull may be broken 137. a agaynst charitie to be broken 315. b Otho kyng of Saxons 252. a Ouercommers of the world who 421. a Ouerthrow of our forefathers was freewill 16. a Oules and Papistes alike in abhorryng light 1. b Outward Popery is the worshyp of the vnfaythfull 422. b Outward signes required of Christ by the Iewes 457. b Outward deede fulfilleth not the law 117. a Outward oyle not auaylable 409. a P. PAce an Ambassadour 372. a Paâ—…e taking how delightsome to God 229. a Paphnutius his opinion concernyng mariage 317. b Papisticall schole doctrine corrupteth youth 103. b Papisticall Doctours repugnaunt 102. b. their argumentes 88. a. their gloses conâ—uted 474. b. their workes 79. a Papistes caÌ„ do miracles 300. b. teach with the mouth onely 267. b still purge their patientes 166. a. of the carnall opinion of the Iewes 459. b. cannot abide Scripture 287. b. 319. a. wrest the Scriptures 466. b. perâ—ert the Scripture ibid. suppressors of Scriptures 1. b. walke in shadowes 125. a Papistes great iugglers 201. a. persecutours 448. b. furious agaynst their aduersaries 447. a. persecutyng tyrauntes 319. b. blousheders 363. b. children of this world 268. b throw downe Kynges and Emperours â—27 a. heare not Christes voyce 126. b. fruites of their earthly Gods 126. b. why they will not haue Scriptures in English 128. a. preach woorkes for their owne profite 334. b. trust in workes as they should in Christ 246. a Papistes and Phariseis make sinne of no sinne 29. b Papistes will louse nothyng 305. a. forecasters of perils 370. a. make no accompt of periury 376. a. abolish the true doctrine of Sacramentes 422. a. enemyes to all good learning 278. a. know all other meÌ„s counsell 102. a Papistes haue a way of their owne to heauen 170. a. their malicious pratyng 475. b. haue robbeâ— many realmes of the Gospel and all goodnes 116. b. Churchtheiues 20. a. winne what others loose 165. b Papistes abuse the Sacramentes 13 b. agaynst the Popes lawes 341. a. hate Scriptures as oules do light 1. b. their contrary preachyng 102. b locke vp the Scripture that they onely may expounde the same 23. b. their grounde for vnwritten verities 473. b. cannot expounde their ceremonies 131. b. sworne to theyr wicked liuyng 305. a Papistes and peripatetiques theyr doctrine 88. b Parable how to vnderstaÌ„d it 78. b. of the Samaritane expounded 285. b Parcialitie in Erasmus 2. a Parcialitie in a preacher for feare of persecutioÌ„ odious 196. b. in iudges is wicked 122. b Pardons 173. a Pardons surer then the Popes pardon 223. a Parentes to vs in Gods stede 107. a how they trye their childrens loue 12. a Parish Priest 102. b Parliament 314. b. at Bury 363. b Paschall lambe 282. a. 273. b. figured the Lordes Supper 468. a. how spiritually fulfilled in Gods kyngdome 440. a Paschall lambe and Christes death compared together 440. a Patience in sufferyng 454. a. bryngeth libertie 119. a Paule 103. a. a persecutour 39. b. 275. a. a carefull preacher 402. a. describeth the Pope 290. a. aunswereth the Papistes concernyng iustification 44. knew not Masse 287. a. preached Christ and not him self 391. b. how he rebuketh hypocrites 44. a. condemneth all hypocrisie ibid. no preacher of worldly wisedome 170. b. gaue faythfull counsâ—… without vexyng mens consciences 129. a. teacheth mariage of Priests 312. b. calleth the Sacrament bread after the consecration 472. a. a fatherly instructor to Timothy 252. rebuked Peter to his face 344. b. his Epistles are the Gospell 127. a his traditions were the doctrine of the Gospell 286. b. the order of hys doctrine 43. b Paule and Peter equals 359. a. aboue Peter in Apostleshyp 126. a. his Apostleship how proued 126. a Paul excommunicated but Papistes burne 339. b. lacked Ministers 109. a. retayned not Onesâ—…us froÌ„ his master 109. a Pax. 276. a Peace makyng 193. b Peace of conscience 194. b Pelagius his heresie 407. b Penaunce 426. b. profitable to Papistes 254. a. abused by shauelyngs 397. b Penaunce put for repentauÌ„ce 146. a People of two sortes deceiued 379. b People why called to the teÌ„ple 282. a People beleue in the worke without the promise 153. a Persecution for the truth obtayneth lyfe 190 b Persecution of Papistes 195. a. at Rysellâ—s in Flaunders At Saint Luke 454. b Persecutors of the spirituall 308. a. of the word threatned 100. b Perfect Christians in no daunger 48. a Perfect kepyng of the law 40. a Perfection 216. b. ioyned with repentaunce and strong fayth 386. b Performance of mans pretense not of hym selfe but of God 17. a. of an euill oth double sinne 209. a Persuasions of Papistes 448. a. of hypocrites 341. b Partakers of Gods promise professe the law 185. a Pestilence of Princes what 123. a Peter his patrimonie 124. b. was neuer scholer in the Arches 135. b Peter rebuked openly of Paule 344. b Peter and Iohn their puttyng on of handes 152. b Peter shewed Gods power 344. a. called chief of the Apostles why 343. b. in what respect so called ibidem preached but so doth not the Pope 357. a. practised his keyes 123. b. sent to preach in Samaria 344. a. preached playne Scripture 170. b. his seat and his keyes are his doctrine 359. a. his seate Christes Gospell ibid. his submission to his brethren 344. a. prophesieth of the popes spiritualtie Epist 2. cap. 2. 55. a. his fayth strong 261. a. his possessions 352. a Pety pillage 136. a Phariseis applyed all to their deedes 205. condemned of Christ 17. a Phariseis nearer the true Churche then Papistes 201 b Phariseis rebuked 17. a. agree with Papistes in doctrine 17. b. clense their soules with theyr owne workes 30. a. their actes all outward 202. b. their freewill 16. b Pharao confessed his
in lawe whom he did so valiauntly fight withall and confounde that he connerted Rastall to his part Then he was â—â—ryed to Lambith before the Bishop of Caunterburie and afterward to Croydon where was present StepheÌ„ Gardiner Bishop of Winchester who had béene his tutor in Cambridge as aforesayd and séemed to owe vnto him greate loue and fauour but in the stéede thereof he found in the ende his great malice and tyrannye and last of all he was called before the Bishoppes in a Common assemblye at London where he so costantly defended him selfe that he had preuailed if he might haue bene heard as indéed he was not The order of his iudgment with the maner of his examinatioÌ„ and Articles which were obiected agaynst him are comprised and set forth by himselfe in a letter written to his frendes which letter also is imprinted and set forth in this booke After sentence geuen against him by the Byshop of London he was delyuered to the Maior Shirifes of the sayd Citie Syr Stephen pecocke a simple man being then Maior and forth with he was committed to new gate where he was put into y e Dungeon vnder the sayd Gate and laden with Boltes and Irons as many as he could beare and his necke with a Coler of Iron made fast to a post so that he could neyther stand vpright nor stoupe downe yet was he there continually occupied in writing of diuerse thinges namely with a candell both day and night for there came none other light into that place And in this case he remayned iij. or iiij dayes and then was from thence caried into Smithféelde y e iiij day of Iuly 1533. where with great pacience and constancy he suffered that most hâ—lly and cruell death of burning And when the fyer was set on the faggottes he embraced the same in his Armes and with all pacience commytted his spirite vnto almighty God But this one thing is yet to bee remembred that he being bounde to the stake with an other good Martyr which was a very simple young man named Andrew Hewet there was present one Doctour Cooke that was person of the Church called Allhalowes in hony lane scituate in the myddes of Chepesyde And the sayd Cooke made an open exclamation and admonished the people that they should in no wise pray for them no more then they would doe for a dogg At which wordes Frith smyling desired the Lord to forgeue him But the vngodly and vncharitable wordes of the sayd Doctour did not a litle offende the people And thus for the testimony of the true doctrine of Christ which the sayd Frith sealed with his bloud the day and yeare afore sayd he dyed in the xxiiij yeare of his age as some saye but his parentes reported in the xxx yeare of his age IOHN FRITH VNTO the Christen Reader GRace and peace bee with thee ChristeÌ„ reader I am sure there are many that will much meruell couÌ„t it a great presumptioÌ„ that I beyng so young and of so small learnyng dare attempt to dispute this matter against these thre personages of the which nuÌ„ber two that is to say my Lord of Rochester and Sir Thomas More are auncient men both of great witte and dignitie Notwithstanding I will desire theÌ„ paciently to heare myne aunswere not aduertisyng who speaketh the wordes but rather what is sayd And as coÌ„cernyng myne youth let them remember what Paule monisheth i. Timot. iiij willyng that Timotheus should instruct the coÌ„gregration and that no maÌ„ should despise his youth for as the spirite of God is bound to no place cueÌ„ so is he not addict to any age or person but inspireth when hee will and where he will makyng the young to see visioÌ„s and espye the truth and the elders to dreame dreames and to wander in phantasies Actes 2. Ioel. 2. And as touchyng my learnyng I must nedes acknowledge as the truth is very small neuerthelesse that litle as I am bound haue I determined by Gods grace to bestow to the edifying of Christes congregation which I pray god to encrease in the knowledge of his word I would not that any man should admit my wordes or learnyng except they will stande with the Scripture and be approued therby Lay them to the touchstone and trye them with Gods word If they be found false and counterfaite then damne them and I shall also reuoke them with all myne hart But if the Scripture allow them that you can not deny but it so is then resist not y e doctrine of God but knowledge your ignoraunce and seduction and returne gladly into the right way For if you caÌ„ not improue it by Gods word and yet of an hate and malicious mynde that you beare to the truth labour to resist it condemne it that it should not spread I ensure you your sinne is irremissible and euen agaynst the holy ghost and the bloud of them that perish for fault of instruction shal be required on your handes Peraduenture some of you will say your fathers old progenitours â–ª with many holy men and Doctours haue so beleued that therfore you will abyde by the old I aunswere The wayes iudgementes of God are meruelous who knoweth whether God haue suffred his elect to erre and be seduced for a season to the entent that the vnfaithfull which would not beleue the truth but had pleasure in iniquity might stoÌ„ble at their errour into their vtter confusion and ruine Although a man be neuer so faythfull and holy yet is there much imperfectioÌ„ in him as long as he is included in this mortall body how be it it is not imputed vnto him but through y e fayth in Christes bloud who lye pacified and forgeuen And therfore it is not sure that we folow their exteour workes or other imaginatioÌ„s but let vs euer coÌ„ferre them vnto the pure word of God and as the Scripture testifieth so let vs receaue them My Lord of Rochester doth testifie him selfe writyng vpon the xviij Article that there are many pointes both of the Gospels and other Scriptures which are now discussed more diligeÌ„tly and more clearely vnderstand then they haue bene in tymes past And addeth furthermore that there are diuerse places in Scripture yet some deale darke which he doubteth not but that they shal be more open and light vnto our posteritie for why shal we dispaire of that saith he sith that the Scripture is for that entent left with vs that it may be vnderstaÌ„d of vs exactly and to the vttermost point Of this may you euidently perceaue that the old fathers and holy Doctours haue not sene all the truth But somewhat is also left through the high prouision of God to be discussed of their successours And therfore is it not mete that we straight wayes cleaue vnto their wordes with out any further ensearchyng the scriptures but we must examine all thyngs by the
although they haue not yet the rest but must suffer before in Purgatory that euasion will not this text suffer for the text sayth that they rest and are in peace as Esayas also sayth in the. lvij that the righteous and euery faythfull man is righteous in the sight of God as we haue often proued before when he departeth resteth in peace as in a bed And Sapiē iij. it is sayd that the righteous soules are in peace so is it not possible that there should be such a paynefull Purgatory Thus haue we confuted Rastell both his argumentes and also solutions for all that he writeth is false agaynst Scripture Furthermore we haue brought in to proue that there cā be no such Purgatory l. argumētes all grounded on Scripture And if néede were a mā might make a thousand of which our Clergy should not be able to auoyde one Here I thinke some mē will wonder that I haue the Scripture so full on my side because that there are certaine mē as my Lord of Rochester Syr Thomas More which by Scripture go about to proue Purgatory this is sure that Scripture is not contrary vnto it selfe Therfore it is necessary that we examine the textes which they bring in for their purpose in markyng the processe both what goeth before and what cōmeth after And then shal we easely perceaue the truth how these ij men haue bene piteously deceaued First I will aunswere vnto M. More which hath in a maner nothyng but that he tooke out of my Lord of Rochester although he handle it more suttelly And what soeuer is not aunswered in this parte shal be touched and fully conuinced in the third whiche shall be a seuerall booke agaynst my Lord of Rochester ¶ Thus endeth the first Booke The second booke which is an aunwere vnto Syr Thomas More MAister More begynneth with the sely soules of Purgatory and maketh them to wayle and lamēt that they heare the world waxe so faynte in the fayth of Christ that any mā should neede now to proue Purgatory to Christē mē or that any mā could be found which would in so great a thyng so fully and fastly beleued for an vndoubted article this xv hundred yeare begyn now to staggar and stand in doubt c. Verely me thinketh it a foule faute so sore to stomble euen at the first It were a great blot for him if he should be compelled by good authoritie to cut of iiij hundred of his foresayd nūber Now if we can not onely proue that he must cut of that iiij hundred yeare but also bryng witnesse that it was neither at that time beleued for an article of y t fayth nor yet for an vndoubted truth thē I thinke ye would suppose this man somewhat out of the way And that will I proue by Gods grace S. Austen was foure hundred yere after Christ And yet in his time was it not fully and fastly beleued for an article of the fayth no nor yet fully and fastly beleued to bee true For hee him selfe writeth in his Enchiridion on this maner speakyng of Purgatory After he expounded the place of Paul 1. Cor. 3. and had taken this word fire not for Purgatory but for temptation and tribulation he added these wordes in the. 69. chapter It is not incredible that such a thyng shuld also chaūce after this life whether it be so or not it may be questioned c. Of these woordes may we well perceaue that he counted it not for an article of y t fayth neither yet for an vndoubted truth for if it had bene an article of y e faith or an vndoubted truth then would hee not haue sayd Potest etiā queri that is to say it may be questioned doubted or moued for those holy fathers vsed not to make questions doubtes in articles of the fayth among thē selues neither yet in such things as were vndoubted true they vsed not to dispute whether Christe dyed for our sinnes rose agayne for our iustificatiō but onely beleued it Beside that the occasion why hée wrote the booke entitled Enchiridion was this There was one Laurētius a Christē man which instantly required of S. Austen that he would write him a forme of his belefe whiche hée might continually beare in hand and whereunto he should sticke Vpō this wrote him S. Austen this litle booke where in he commaundeth hym not fully and fastly to beleue these are M. Mores wordes that there was a Purgatory but sayth that it may be questioned doubted or moued whether there be such a place or not Of this haue we playne euidence that it was none article of y t fayth in S. Austens tyme which was foure hūdred yeare after Christ neither yet vndoubted truth And so may all men sée that M. More is sore deceaued and set on the sand euen at the first brunte and in the begynnyng of his viage His second reason that he hath to proue Purgatory is this The very miscreauntes Idolaters Turkes Saracenes and Paynimes haue euer for the most part thought and beleued that after the bodyes are deceased the soules of such as were neither deadly dampned wretches for euer nor on the other side so good but that their offences done in this world haue deserued more punishment then they had suffered and sustained there were purged and punished by payne after the death ere euer they were admitted vnto their wealth and rest And so must there nedes be a Purgatory I aūswere if it were lawfull to require wisedome in a man so wise as M. More is counted here would I wish him a litle more wit for I thinke there is no wiseman that will graunt this to be a good argumēt y t Turkes Saracenes Paynimes Iewes beleue it to be true Ergo we must beleue that it is true for I will shewe you a like argument The Turkes Saracenes Paynimes Iewes beleue that we haue not y t right Christ but that we are all damned which beleue in Christ Is it therfore true shal we turne our fayth because they beleue that we be deceaued I thinke there is no man so foolish as to graūt him this But if M. More will haue his reasō hold he must argue on this maner The miscreauntes and infidels before named beleue that there is a Purgatory their belefe is true therfore we must beleue that there is a Purgatory Now foloweth this argument somewhat more formally Here might I put him to the profe of his Minor which is that their belefe in beleuyng Purgatory is true which thyng he shall neuer be able to proue But I haue such confidence of the truth on my side that I will take vpon me to proue the negatiue Cut̄ that their belefe is not true as cōcernyng Purgatory For these miscreauntes which beleue Purgatory beleue that there is a Purgatory for vs that be
Christen for they beleue that we are fallē from all truth and vtterly dāned But they thinke that there is a Purgatory for them selues wherin they shal be purged punished vntill they haue made full satisfactiō for their sinnes committed but that is false for neither Turkes Saracenes Paynimes nor Iewes whiche beleue not in Christ haue or euer shall enter into any Purgatory but they are all dāned wretches because they beleue not in Iesu Christ Iohn 3. Now sith they be deceaued for they haue no Purgatory but are all damned as many as beleue not Alas what blindnes is that to argue that we must folow them which are both blynd and out of the right way After this disputeth he by naturall reason that there must be a Purgatory his disputation continueth a leafe and an halfe out of the which Rastell tooke all his booke And so are all his apparent reasons disclosed before agaynst Rastell Then begynneth he with the Scripture on this maner IT semeth very probable and likely that the good kyng Ezechias for no other cause wept at the warning of his death geuen him by the Prophet but onely for the feare of Purgatory The story is written 4. Kinges 2. And Esay 38. Exechias was sicke vnto the death And Esay the Prophete and sonne of Amos came vnto him saying this sayth the Lord dispose thy house for thou shalt dye and not liue He turned his face vnto the wall and prayed the Lord saying I beseche thée Lord remember I pray thée how I haue walked before thée in truth and in a perfite hart haue done that thyng which is pleasaunt acceptable before thée Then Ezechias wept with great cryeng these are the wordes of the text We cā not perceaue by the text that he was a great sinner but rather the contrary for he sayth that hee had walked before the Lorde in truth and in a perfite hart hath done that thyng which is pleasaunt and acceptable before the Lord. And therfore it is nothyng lyke that hee should feare Purgatory neither yet hell Thou wilt peraduēture aske me if he wept not for feare of Purgatory why did he then wepe I will also aske you a question and then will I shew you my minde Christ dyd not onely wepe but feared so sore that he sweat like droppes of bloud runnyng downe vppon the earth whiche was more then to wepe Now if I should aske you why Christ feared sweate so sore what would you aūswere me that it was for feare of the paynes of Purgatory forsooth he that would so aunswere should be laughed to scorne of all the world as he were well worthy Wherfore was it then Verely euen for feare of death as it playnly appeareth after for he prayed vnto his Father saying my father if it be possible let this death passe fro me Math. xxvj So fearefull a thyng is death euen vnto the most purest flesh And euen the same cause will I assigne in Ezechias that he wept for feare of death and not for Purgatory Now procedeth he further promiseth to proue it by playne euident textes as it is very needefull for the text that hee alledged before is somewhat to farre wrested and yet will it not serue him Haue ye not sayth he the wordes of Scripture written in the booke of the kynges Dominus deducit ad in feros reducit Our Lord bryngeth folke down into hell and bringeth them thence agayne But they that bee in that where damned soules be they be neuer deliuered thence againe Wherfore it appeareth well that they whō God deliuereth and bryngeth thence agayne be in that part of hell that is Purgatory This texte is written in the first booke of the kynges and in the second chapter and they are the wordes of Anna which sayth The Lord doth kill quickē againe he ledeth downe into hell bryngeth agayne Here he thinketh to haue good hold But surely his hold will fayle hym for in this one text hee sheweth him selfe twise ignoraunt First because he knoweth not that the Hebrue word Sheol doth not signifie hell but a graue or a pitte that is digged As it is written Gene. 42. Si quid aduersitatis acciderit ei in terra ad quam pergitis deducetis canos meos cum dolore ad inferos that is if any euill chaūce vnto my sonne Beniamin in the lād whether you go you shall bryng down myne hoore heares with sorow vnto my graue not vnto hell nor yet vnto Purgatory for he thought neither to go to hell nor Purgatory for his sonne but thought that he should dye for sorrow if his sonne had any mischaunce Besides that he is cleane ignoraūt of the cōmon maner of all Prophetes which for y e most part in all Psalmes Hymnes and other songes of prayse as this is make the first ende of the verse to expounde the last and the last to expounde the first He that obserueth this rule shall vnderstand very much in the Scripture although hee be ignoraunt in the Hebrue So doth this place full well expounde it selfe without any imagination of Purgatory Conferre the first part of y e verse vnto the last and you shall easely perceaue it The first part of the halfe verse is this The Lord doth kill and that expoūdeth the other halfe of this verse where she sayth hee leadeth downe to hell so that in this place to kill and to leade downe to hell is all one thing And likewise in the second part of the halfe verse to quicken agayne and bryng agayne is all one thyng Now if any man be superstitious that hée dare not vnderstand this thyng as figurately spoken then may he verifie it vpon them that God raysed from naturall death as he did Lazarus Iohn xj And all beit no man can deny but that this sence is good and that the text may so be vnderstād yet in my minde we shal go more nye vnto the very and pure truth if we expounde it thus The Lord doth kill and quickē agayne he leadeth downe to hell and bringeth agayne that is hee bryngeth men into extreme affliction and miserie whiche is signified by death and hell and after turneth not hys face vnto them and maketh them to folow hym And to this well agréeth the. 78. Psalme that speaketh of the children of Israel which figure his elect Church and congregation Theyr yeares passed ouer in perpetuall trouble whē he destroyed or killed them then they sought hym they turned and besought him busely He meaneth not here that he had first killed them by temporal death and after their death made them to séeke hym but that he had wrapped them in extreme afflictions and perpetuall troubles and that he sore scourged them whē they brake his cōmaundements yet after turned his mercyfull face vnto hym Finally if you will haue the pure vnderstādyng of this place Note
him The wordes of Mathew are these I tell you that of euery idle woord that men speake shall they yéeld a reckoning in the day of iudgement but that leaueth he out full craftely Now let vs reason of thys text By the reckoning is vnderstood a punishment for the sinne as maister More sayth himself and thys reckoning shall be vppon the day of dome ergo then this punishment for sinne can not be before the day of dome but either vpon or els after the day of dome For God will not first punish them and then after reckon with them to punyshe them a new And so is purgatory quite excluded For all they that euer imagined any purgatory do put it before the iudgement for when Christ commeth to iudgement then ceaseth purgatory as they all consent neyther is there any prayer or suffrage which at that time can do any helpe at all And so hath master More by thys text geuen him selfe a proper fall Here may you sée how strong hys reasons are and what wil happen to him that taketh in hand to defend the falshode agaynst the truth of Goddes woord for hys reasons make more agaynst him then wysh him You may well know that if hys matter had ben any thing lykely he would haue coloured it of an other fashion But sith such a patrone so greatly commended for his conueyance wisedome handleth this matter so flenderly you may well mistrust hys cause Thys is the last reason grounded of Scripture wherwith he hath laboured to proue purgatory And after thys reason he reckeneth vp the doctours and sayth for his pleasure that al make for him but as touching the doctoures I will make a sufficient aunswer in the third part which is agaynst my Lorde of Rochester Thus he leaueth the Scripture which he hath full vnmanerly handled and now endeuoureth himselfe to proue his purpose by some probable reasons And first he bringeth in hys old argument that the church can not erre to the which reason I néede not to aunswer for William Tyndall hath declared aboundantly in a treatise which by Goddes grace you shall shortly haue what the church is and also that it both may erre doth erre if the pope and his adherents be the church as M. More imagineth AFter thys he confirmeth hys fantasie with phantasticall apparitions saying that there haue in euery country and in euery age apparitions bene had and well knowne testified by which men haue had sufficient reuelation and proofe of purgatorye Howe many haue by Gods most gracious fauour appeared to theyr freendes after theyr death and shewed themselues holpen and deliuered thence by pilgrimages almesdeedes prayer c. If they say that these be lyes then they be much worse then their master Luther himselfe for he consenteth in his sermons that many such apparitions bee true and they be true then must there needes be a purgatory Here playeth master More the suttle sophister and would deceiue men wyth a fallace which lyeth in thys woorde true so that when he sayeth that such apparitions be true thys sentence may be taken two maner of wayes One that it is true that such phantasticall apparitions do appeare to diuers and that I thinke no man be so folish but he will graunt him And yet in déede are they no soules but very deuils that so appeare to delude men that they should fall frō the the fayth of Christ and make a God of their owne workes trustyng to be saued thereby But to suppose this true that they are the soules of Purgatory which so appeare is very fonde false and agaynst all Scripture for Esay sayth shall we go from the quicke vnto the dead that is shall we enquire of the dead and beleue them in such pointes as cōcerne our wealth Nay sayth he but vnto the law witnes that is vnto God and his word And so are we monished by Esay in the. 8. that we beleue no such phantasies we are commaūded by the law of God that we enquire not of the dead not for the truth for God abhorreth it Deut. xviij Besides that the parable of the rich man and Lazarus doth vtterly condemne all such apparitions that they are no soules which appeare but very deuils For when the rich man desired that Lazarus might go warne his brethrē that they should not come into that place of payne Abrahā aunswered that they had Moses and the Prophetes addyng also that if they beleued not them then would they not beleue although one should rise agayne and tell it them And so may I conclude that it were in vayne to send them any such apparitions of soules that in very déede there are no soules sent of God but that they are verely deuils whiche come to delude the people to withdraw them from Christ Furthermore all men graunt that the appearyng of Samuell was but an illusion of the deuill thou shalt finde the story i. Reg. xxviij It is not long sith such a question was moued in Oxford the thing was this there was a poore man of the coūtrey whiche was sore troubled with such apparitions for there came a thyng to him which desired him to go certaine pilgrymages and to do certaine other ceremonies whereby it sayd that it should be deliuered from innumerable torments which it now suffered The poore man beleued that this thyng sayd truth and dyd as it commaunded Notwithstandyng it came so often vnto him that what with labour and what with feare the mā was almost besides him selfe and then was hee sent to Oxford to aske counsell what was best to bee done The question was moued to one Doctour Nicolas and hee affirmed by by that it was no soule but the very deuill and that he should no more folow the fendes appetite Then was it moued to D. Kyngton and he affirmed the same Finally they enquyred of D. Roper what his minde was therin he sayd that he would looke on his booke and when he had looked his pleasure he gaue this aunswere Let him alone a while quoth he and I warraunt you that this felow shall either hang him selfe or drowne hym selfe or come to some other mischief Thus determined these men whiche are a great deale to superstitious to dissent from any of the old Doctours yea or els from their owne Scholemen And yet would M. More make vs beleue that they were very soules that by such ceremonies they might be deliuered Now commeth M. More to solute those two reasons that were brought agaynst Purgatory in the Supplication of Beggers which was y t whole occasion of his booke And marke how slender his solutiōs are The first reason is this If there were any Purgatory out of which the Pope might deliuer one soule by hys pardon then may he by the same authoritie deliuer many and if he may deliuer many then may he deliuer them all The second reason is this
Now let vs consider your foresayd causes ponder whether your booke haue or may do any such good as you say pretended whether it haue conuerted those sortes of people or els be any thyng lykely to do such a fact And first let vs sée what it profiteth y t first sort which are infidels not beleuyng in Christ nor his scripture Our sauiour Christ sayth he that beleueth is not damned Iohn Baptist confirmeth the same saying he that beleueth in y e sonne hath euerlastyng lyfe but he that beleueth not in the sonne shal not sée life but the wrath of God abydeth vpon hym Here it is euidēt not by my exposition but by the consent of all Christen men that those infidels are damned for what entent then should Rastell teach them that there is a Purgatory without Christ ther is no way but dānation as scripture all faythfull men testifie Then would I know by what way he wold persuade that there were a Purgatory which should be away a meane to saluation and not to damnatiō for thē which beleue not in Christ This I am sure of and I thinke Rastell be leueth it also that the infideles shall neuer come in it though there were one This you may sée that his first cause is very vayne and that if they dyd beleue it they were in déede deceyued Now let vs procéede vnto the second sort of people which beleue in Christ and his scripture and yet misconstrue it expoundyng it after theyr own willes And let vs sée what frute they take of this booke what it profiteth them we shall finde that it lesse serueth these men then the first for if this men beleue in Christ and in hys Scripture then is it not possible that they should receaue or admitte that thyng which is agaynst the Scripture both by the exposition of them selues of all the world For this is both agaynst Scripture and all faithfull mē that there should be any way to health if we exclude Christ and hys Scripture And sith Purgatory is counted away to health he that would go about to proue it secludyng Christ and Scripture is agaynst Scripture and all faythfull men Besides that if they be so obstinate that they will not receaue the verye Scripture but expounde it after their own willes wrest it after the same then wil they much lesse receaue your booke which is so playne agaynst scripture therfore if you would thinke that they could bee tamed by your booke which notwithstandyng so wresteth Scripture then may I very wel lyken you to hym that hath a wilde horse to tame which when he perceiueth that hee can not hold hym with a scoktishe snafle will yet labour to breake him with a rootē twine threde So that I can espye no maner of profite that cā come of your booke if you can alledge no better causes then you yet shew but that it had bene a great deale better vnwritten And brother Rastel where you say that I auaunce boast my selfe much more then becommeth me and that I detract and slaūder my neighbours that I prouoke all men that read my booke rather to vyce then to vertue with such other thynges as ye lay to my charge I trust I shall declare my inconuenience and geue you a sufficient aunswere ¶ An aunswere to Rastels first chapter which reproueth me for boastyng my selfe IN the first chapter of this booke Rastell laboureth to proue that I am sore ouer séene in laudyng boastyng my selfe that I lyke my selfe so well that he is sure that other men do lyke me the lesse and that he feareth that God will therfore lyke me fauour me rather the worse then the better Here he iuggeleth wyth me and would make me beleue that he tossed me mine own ball agayne but when I beholde it I perceaue it to be none of mine for he hath cut out all that shoulde make for me so that he hath geuen it cleane an other shape then euer I entended that it should haue as it appeareth by hys writing which rehearseth my words in this maner I am sure there are many that maruell that I being so yong dare attempt to dispute thys matter agaynst these thrée persons But my wordes are these I am sure that there are many that will much maruell that I being so yong and of so smal learning dare dispute this matter c. Here Rastell leaueth out the wordes and of so small learning for if he had put that in he had bewrayed himselfe For I thincke no man so mad as to say that he which sayeth himselfe to be both yong and of small learning shoulde prayse and boaste hym selfe Also immediatly after the wordes of hys first allegation I say on thys maner And as touching my lerning I must needes acknowledge as the truth is that it is very small which I thinke is but a base boasting and anone after I say I would not that any man should admit my wordes or learning except they will stand wyth the scripture and be approued therby Lay them to the touchstone and trye them with Gods word if they be found false and contrary then damne them and I also shall reuoke them with all mine hart c. Finally I exhorted them to read my booke not aduertising who speaketh the wordes but rather what is spoken by which wordes you might well see that I entended not to boast my selfe and all this haue I written and be left it out euē in the first page as he calleth it wherin he reporteth that I boast my selfe Notwithstanding one thing doth sore vexe him that I should recite the Epistle of S. Paule wherby he saith I would haue men beleue that I had the spirite of God and thinke that though I be young that I sée visions and espye the truth and that myne elders haue dreamed dreames and wandered in phantasies Thys he recounteth to be a great boast and that thys one place shoulde winne him the fielde whereunto I aunswer that indéede my wordes do not proue that thing which you séeme so surely to gather of them but my wordes do argue on this maner that no man ought to condemne a thing before he read it and then to geue sentence and because you séeme ignoraunt in the matter I shall declare it vnto you and how it standeth It is a coulour of Rhetorike and is called Auantopodosis that is to saye An aunswere to an obiection that a man might haue here made on thys maner thou grauntest thy self yong and of so small learnyng doost thou then thinke that we shall once read or regard thy booke specially sith it is written against auncient mē both of great wit dignity To these two pointes I aunswer preuenting theyr obiection that they should not despise it because of my youth for as the spirite of God is bound to
are infinite other thynges wherein hee contrarieth Christ in so much that if it be diligētly examined I thinke there is no word that Christ spake but the other hath taught or made a law agaynst it Howbeit for to auoyde tediousnes we shall leaue them vnto your owne iudgement for they are soone searched out espyed Iudge Christē reader all these things with a simple eye be not parcially addict to the one nor to the other But Iudge them by the Scripture And knowledge that to be the truth which Gods word doth alow auoydyng all other doctrine for it springeth of Sathan be not ashamed to confesse poore Christ and to take him for thy head before these rauenous Wolues for then shall he cōfesse thée agayn before his father the aungelles in heauen Then shalt thou bee inheritour with Iesu Christe And the faythfull sonne of thy father whiche is in heauen to whom be all glory eternally Amen ¶ Here endeth the Antithesis betwene Christe and the Pope A booke made by Iohn Frith prisoner in the Tower of London aunsweryng vnto M. Mores letter which he wrote against the first litle treatise that Iohn Frith made concernyng the Sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ vnto which booke are added in the ende the articles of hys examination before the Bishops of London Winchester and Lyncolne in Paules Churche at London for which Iohn Frith was condemned and after burned in Smithfield without Newgate the fourth day of Iuly Anno. 1533. ¶ The Preface of this booke GRace and increase of knowledge from God the father through our Lorde Iesus Christ be with the Christen reader and with all them that loue the Lord vnfaynedly Amen I chaunced beyng in these parties to be in company with a Christen brother which for his commēdable conuersation and sober behauiour might better be a Byshop then many that weare miters if the rule of S. Paule were regarded in their election This brother after much communication desired to know my mynde as touchyng the Sacrament of the body and bloud of our sauiour Christ Which thing I opened vnto hym accordyng to the gift that God had geuen me First I proued vnto hym that it was no article of our fayth necessary to be beleued vnder payne of damnation Then I declared that Christ had a naturall body euen as myne is sauyng sinne and that it could no more bee in two places at once thē myne cā Thirdly I shewed him that it was not necessarie that the wordes should so be vnderstand as they sound But that it might be a phrase of Scripture as there are innumerable After that I shewed him certaine phrases and maner of speakynges And that it was well vsed in our English toung and finally I recited after what maner they might receiue it according to Christes institutiō not fearyng the froward alteration that the Priests vse contrary to the first forme and institution When I had sufficiently published my mynde hee desired me to entitle the sūme of my wordes and write them for hym because they seemed ouerlong to be well reteined in memorie And albeit I was loth to take the matter in hand yet to fulfill his instant intercession I tooke vpon me to touche this terrible tragedie and wrote a treatise whiche beside my paynfull imprisonmēt is like to purchase me most cruell death which I am ready and glad to receiue with the spirite and inward man although the fleshe be frayle when soeuer it shall please God to lay it vpon me Notwithstādyng to say the truth I wrote it not to the intēt that it should haue ben published For then I would haue touched the matter more earnestly and haue written as well of the spirituall eating drinking which is of necessitie as I dyd of the carnall which is not so necessarie For the treatise that I made was not expedient for all men albeit it were sufficient for them whom I tooke in hand to instruct For they knew the spirituall and necessarie eatyng and drinkyng of his body bloud which is not receiued with the teth and bellye but with the eares and faith and onely neded instructiō in the outward eating whiche thing I therfore onely declared But now it is cōmon abroad and in many mēs mouthes in so much that M. More whiche of late hath busied hym selfe to medle in all such matters of what zeale I will not define hath sore labored to confute it but some mē thinke that he is ashamed of his part and for that cause doth so diligently suppresse the woorke whiche he printed For I my selfe saw the worke in Print in my Lord of Winchesters house vpon S. Stephens day last past But neither I neither all the frēdes I could make might attaine any copie but onely one written copie whiche as it seemed was drawen out in great hast notwithstandyng I can not well iudge what the cause should bee that his boke is kept so secret But this I am right sure of that he neuer touched the foundation that my treatise was builded vpon And therefore sith my foundation standeth so sure and inuincible for els I thinke verely he would sore haue laboured to haue vndermined it I will thereupon builde a litle more and also declare that his ordinaūce is to slender to breake it downe although it were set vppon a woorse foundation ¶ The foundation of that litle treatise was that it is no article of our fayth necessary to be beleued vnder payne of damnation that the Sacrament should be the naturall body of Christ which thyng is proued on this maner FIrste we must all acknowledge that it is no article of our fayth which can saue vs nor which we are bound to beleue vnder the paine of eternal damnation For if I should beleue that hys very naturall body both flesh and bloud were naturally in the bread and wine that should not saue me seyng many beleue that and receiue it to their damnation for it is not his presence in the bread that can saue me but his presence in my hart through faith in his bloud which hath washed out my sinnes and pacified y t fathers wrath toward me And agayne if I doe not beleue his bodely presence in the bread and wyne that shall not damne me but the absence out of my hart thorough vnbelefe Now if they would here obiect that though it be truth that the absēce out of the bread could not damne vs yet are we bounde to beleue it because of gods word which who beleueth not as much as in him lyeth maketh God a lyer And therfore of an obstinate mynde not to beleue hys word may be an occasion of damnation To this we may answere that we beleue Gods worde and knowledge that it is true but in this we dissent whether it be true in the sence that we take it in or in the sence that ye take it in And we say agayne that though
ye haue as it appeareth vnto you the euident wordes of Christ and therefore consiste in the barke of the letter yet are we compelled by conferring of the scriptures together within the letter to searche out the mynde of our Sauiour which spake the wordes And we say thirdly that we do it not of an obstinate mynde For he that defendeth a cause obstinately whether it be true or false is euer to be reprehended But we do it to satisfie our coÌ„scieÌ„ces which are coÌ„pelled by other places of Scripture reasons and Doctours so to iudge of it And euen so ought you to iudge of your partie and to defende your sentence not of obstinacie but by y e reason of Scriptures which cause you so to take it And so ought nether partie to dispise other for eche séeketh the glory of God and the true vnderstaÌ„ding of the Scripture This was the foundation of my first treatise that he hath left vnshakeÌ„ which is a great argumeÌ„t y â— it is very true For els hys pregnant wit could not haue passed it so cleane ouer but would haue assayled it with some sophisticall cauillation which by hys painted poetrie he might so haue coulered that at the lest he might make y e ignoraunt some appearance of truth as he hath done agaynst the residue of my first treatise which neuerthelesse is true and shall so be proued And first that it is none article of our fayth necessary to be beleued vnder payne of damnation may thus bee further confirmed The same fayth shall saue vs whiche saued the olde fathers before Christes incarnation But they were not bounde vnder payne of damnation to beleeue this pointe therefore it shall followe that we are not bounde therto vnder the payne of damnation The firste part of myne argument is proued by S. Agustine ad DurdamuÌ„ And I dare boldly say almost in an C. places For I thinke there be no propositioÌ„ which he doth more ofteÌ„ inculcate theÌ„ this y â— the same fayth saued vs which saued our fathers The second part is manifest that it néedeth no probation For how coulde they beleue y e thyng which was neuer saide nor done and without the word they could haue no fayth vppon the truth of these two parties must the conclusion nedes folow Notwithstanding they all dyd eate Christes bodye and dranke hys bloud spiritually although they â—ad hym not present to their téeth And by y e spirituall eating which is the fayth in his body and bloud were saued as well as we are For as soone as our forefather Adam had transgressed Gods precept and was fallen vnder condemnation our most mercyfull father of hys gracious fauour gaue hym the promise of health and comfort whereby as many as beleued it were saued from the thrauldome of their transgression the worde promise was this I shal put enmitie betwene thée and the woman betwene thy séede and her séede that séede shall treade thée on the head and thou shalt treade it on the hele In thys promise they had knowledge that Christe should become the séede or sonne of a woman and that he shoulde destroye the deuill with all his power and deliuer his faythfull from their sinnes And where he sayde that the deuyll should treade it on the hele they vnderstoode right well that the deuyll should finde the meanes by his wyles and wicked ministers to put Christ to death And they knew that God was true and would fulfill hys promise vnto them and hartely longed after this séede and so did both eate his body and drinke his bloud knowledging wyth infinite thankes that Christ should for their sinnes take y â— perfect nature of maÌ„hode vppon him and also suffer the death This promise was geuen to Adam and saued as many as did beleue and were thaÌ„k full to God for hys kyndnes and after it was established vnto our father Abraham by the word of God which sayde In thy séede shall all nacions of the earth be blessed And with hym God made a couenant that he would be his God and do him good And Abraham agayne promised to kéepe his preceptes and walke in his wayes Then God gaue him the sacrament of circumcision and called that his couenaunt which thing notwithstanding was not the very couenaunt in déede although it were so called But was onely a signe token â—acrament or memoryall of the couenaunt that was betwene God and hym which might expounde our matter if men had eyes to sée After that God promised him a sonne wheÌ„ his wife was past childe bearing and he also very olde Neuerthelesse he doubted not of Gods worde But surely beleued that he which promised it was able to performe it And that was recounted vnto hym for righteousnes This Abraham did both eate his body and drinke hys bloud through fayth beleuing verely that Christ should take our nature spring out of his séede as touching his fleshe and also that he shoulde suffer death to redéeme vs. And as Christe testifieth he hartely desired to sée the day of Christ And he sawe it and reioysed he sawe it in fayth and had the day of Christ that is to say all those thinges that shoulde chaunce hym playnely reuelated vnto him albeit he were dead many huÌ„dred yeares before it were actually fulfilled and reuelated vnto y e world And by that fayth was he saued and yet neuer did eate his fleshe with his téeth nor neuer beleued that bread shoulde be his bodye and wyne hys bloud And therfore sith he was also saued without that fayth and y e same fayth shall saue vs which saued hym I thinke that we shall also be saued if we eate him spiritually as he dyd although wee neuer beleue that the bread is his body Furthermore that mercifull Moses whiche brought the children of Israell out of Egypt into the wildernes obtayned of God by prayers both Manna from heaueÌ„ to féede his people and also water out of the stone to refreshe and comfort theÌ„ This Manna and water were euen the same thyng vnto them that the bread and wyne is to vs. For Saint Austen sayeth Quicunque in manna Christum intellexerunt eundem quem nos cibum spiritualem manducauerunt Quicunque autem de maÌ„na solam saturitatemquè sinerunt manducabant mortui sunt Sic etiam eundeÌ„ potuÌ„ petra enim erat christus That is to say as many as in that manna vnderstoode Christ did eate that same spirituall meate that we doe but as many as fought onely to fill their bellies of that manna the fathers of the vnfaythfull did eate and are dead And likewise y â— same drinke for the stone was Christ Here may you gather of S. Austen that the Manna was vnto them as y e bread is to vs and likewise that the water was to them as the wyne is to vs whiche anone shall appeare more playnly S. Austen sayth further
touching hys Godhed and dwelleth in the same temple of God as God and in some place of heauen for the conditioÌ„ of his very body Here is it euident by S. Austens wordes that as touching his godhed he is in all places and as touching his manhode he is onlye in heauen yea and not that onely but that he being in heauen as touching the measure nature condicion and qualitye of his naturall body is only in one certaine place in heauen and not in many places at once Thus much is proued out of S. Austen Thys truth is not onely proued by S. Austens authoritie but also by y e noble clerke Fulgentius which writeth on this maner Vnus idemque homo localis ex homine qui est Deus immensus ex patre vnus idemque secundum bumanam substaÌ„tiam absens coelo cum esset in terra derelinquens terram cum ascendisset in coelum Secundum dâ—â—inam vero immensamque substantiam nec coeluÌ„ dimittens cum de coelo descendit nec terram deserens cum ad coelum ascendit Quod ipsius Domini certissimo sermone potest cognosci qui vt localem ostenderet suam humanitatem dicit Discipulis suis Ascendo ad patrem meum patrem vestrum Deum meum Deum vestrum De Lazaro quoque cum dixisset Lazarus mortuus est adiunxit dicens gaudeo propter vos vt credatis quoniaÌ„ non eraÌ„ ibi immensitatem vero suae diâ—initatis ostendens Discipulis dicit Ecce ego vobiscum sum vsque ad consummationem sâ—culi Quomodo autem ascendit in coelum nisi quia localis verus est homo aut quomodo adest fidelibus suis nisi quia ideÌ„ immensus verus Deus est That is to say The same one man is locall that is to say conteined in one place as touchyng his manhode which is also God vnmeasurable from the father the same one man as touchyng the substaunce of his manhode was absent from heauen when hee was in earth and forsakyng the earth when he ascended into heauen but as touchyng his godly vnmeasurable substaunce neither forsoke heauen wheÌ„ he descended from heaueÌ„ nor forsoke the earth when he asceÌ„ded vnto heauen Which may be knowen by the most sure word of the Lord which to shew his humanitie to be locall that is to say contained in one place onely dyd say vnto his Disciples I asceÌ„d vnto my father and your father my God and your God of Lazarus also when hee sayd Lazarus is dead hee said further I am glad for your sakes that you may beleue for that I was not there And agayne shewyng the vnmeasurablenesse of his Godhead he sayd vnto his Disciples behold I am with you vnto the worldes ende how dyd he ascende into heauen but because he is locall and a very man Or how is he present vnto his faythfull but because he is vnmeasurable very God Here may you conclude by the authority of this Doctour also that Christes body is onely in one place at once For he saith that Christ as touchyng his manhood is locall that is to say conteined in one place onely And that hee proueth by the Scripture euen of Christes owne woordes Now if this be true as my conscience doth testifie how so euer other men shall Iudge then must it néedes folow that his naturall body can not be in the Sacrament And the authoritie I am sure no man can auoyde it is so playne Now as for his natural reasoÌ„s be not worthy the reasonyng For first that the body of Christ vnglorified could no more be in ij places at once then his owne can because he is a naturall body as he is I will not examine no coÌ„parison betwen there ij bodyes but if Christ wold tell me that he would eche of both their bodyes to be in fiftene places at once I would beleue hym and would neuer aske hym whether he would first glorifie them or not But I am sure glorified or vnglorified if he sayd it hee is able to do it For the matter is not impossible to God Truth it is that if Christ so sayd in so saying so meÌ„t there is no doubt but he were able so to do But that he in déede so grossely ment ye shall neuer proue And in déede if he had so meant that hys owne body naturall should haue continued in the Sacrament which is the meate of the soule through fayth and not of the body by eatyng it and may as well be eaten through faith although it remayne in heauen as if it were here present to our mouthes if I say he had so ment theÌ„ wold he neuer haue geueÌ„ vs such Scriptures as he dyd For I say that this grosse imagination may not staÌ„d with the processe of the Scripture whiche is receiued as it shall appeare by certaine textes 1. First where our Sauiour sayth y e flesh profiteth nothyng The waight of those woordes doth compell vs to vnderstaÌ„d our matter spiritually for by this short sentence we are no lesse plucked backe froÌ„ the carnall eatyng theÌ„ was Nichodemus that he should not once dreame of the carnall regeneratioÌ„ when Christ sayd vnto hym that what soeuer was of y t flesh was flesh For this is a playne conclusion that when Christ sayd the flesh profiteth nothyng hee ment it euen of hys own flesh that it could not profite as they vnderstode hym to be eateÌ„ with the téeth Albeit it doth much profite to bee slayne for our redemption and eaten thorough fayth Whiche thyng we may do although his natural flesh be not in y e sacrament For I may as well beleue in hym though he be in heauen as if he were in earth and in the Sacrament before myne eyes And that Christ spake these woordes of his owne body it is playne by S. Austens wordes writyng vppon the same place And therefore he sayth that they must be vnderstand spiritually and addeth if thou vnderstand them spiritually they are spirite and lyfe And though thou vnderstaÌ„d theÌ„ carnally yet neuertheles they are spirite and lyfe But vnto thée they are not spirite and lyfe which vnderstandest not spiritually those things that I haue spoken Also Athanasius sayth Spiritus est qui viuificat caro noÌ„ prodest quicque verba quae ego locutus sum spiritus sunt vita Nam hoc loco vtrumquè de seipso dicit carnem spiritum spirituÌ„ ab eo quod est secundum carnem distinxit vt non solum visibile sed etiam inuisibile quod in ipso erat credentes discant quod ea quae dicit noÌ„ sunt carnalia sed spiritualia Quod enim comedeÌ„tibus suffecisset corpus vt totius mundi alimonia fiat Sed ea propter meminit ascensus filij hominis in coelum vt illos a corporali cogitatione auelleret posthac discant carnem dictam cibum coelestem superne venieÌ„tem
euē it that I sayd before that it was not possible to stand with the processe of the Scripture which we haue receaued And now hys mastership hath graunted it hym selfe which you may be sure he would not haue done if hee coulde otherwyse auoyde it And here you may see how sore I haue ouerséene my selfe God forbid that any man should be the more prone ready to beleue this yong man in this greate matter because he sayth in the beginning that he will bring all men to a concord a quietnes of conscience for he bringeth men to the worst kinde of quietnes that may be deuised when he telleth vs as he doth that euery man in this matter may without perell beleue which way he list Euery man may in euery matter without any counsell sone set hym self at rest if he list to take that way and to beleue as he list him selfe care not how But and if that way had bene sure S. Paule would neuer haue shewed that many were in perill of sicknes and death to For lacke of discerning reuerently the body of our Lord in that sacrament when they came to receiue hym When Christ should depart this world and go to his Father he gaue his desciples a commaundement that they should loue ech other saying by this shall all men knowe that ye are my disciples if you loue ech other as I haue loued you This rule of charitie wolde I not haue broken which notwithstanding is often in Ieopardie among faythfull folke for this sacrament of vnitie This thing considered I thought necessarie to aduertise both parties to saue this rule of charitie and proued in y e first chapter of my treatise that it was no article of the fayth necessary to be beleued vnder payne of damnatiō and therfore that they were to blame that would be contencious for the matter For sith it is no article of the fayth that may lawfully dissent without all Ieoperdye néede not to breake the rule of charitye but rather to receiue the other like pore brethren As by example Some thinke that the mariage betwéene our most redoubted prince Quéene Katerine is lawfull may stand with y ◠lawes of God some thinke that it is vnlawfull and ought to be disanulled now if we should for this matter breake the rule of charitie and euery man hate his neighbour that would not thinke as he doth then were we greatly to blame and in Ieoperdie of condemnation This I say I proued in y e first chapter against which More maketh no busines and improueth it not whereby you may soone gather that it is very true For els sith his mastership so laboureth in these other pointes he would not haue left y ◠vntouched you may be sure This is the concorde that I woulde bring them vnto And as touching quietnes of conscience I haue knowne manye that haue sore bene combred with it And among all A certaine master of arte which died in Oxford confessed vpon his death bed that he had wept lying in his bed an hundreth nyghtes within one yeares space because he coulde not beleue it Now if he had knowne it had bene no necessarye article what comfort quietnes should it haue bene vnto hym Furthermore euery man can not so quiet him selfe as M. More Imagineth For there are many that thinke them selues no small fooles which when they haue receiued some foolish superstition eyther by their owne Imagination or by beleuing their gossepes gospel and olde wiues tales by and by thinke the contrary to be deadly sinne and vtterly forbidden by Christes Gospell As by example I know an house of Religion wherein is a person that thinketh it deadly sinne to go ouer a strawe if it lye a crosse And if their be on the pauement any paynted picture or any Image grauen on a dead mans graue he will not tread vpon it although he should goe a forelong about What is this but vayne superstition wherewith the conscience is combred and corrupted May not this be wéeded out with the word of God shewing hym that it is none article of the fayth so to thinke then to tell hym that it is not forbidden by the scripture and that it is no sinne Now albeit his conscience be so cankerd that the rust will not be rubbed out yet with Gods grace some other whom he hath enfecte with the same may come agayne to Gods word and be cured full well which shoulde neuer haue bene able to quiet thēselues And likewise there are some which beleue as your superstitious hartes haue informed them and these can not quiet thēselues because they beleue y e you haue fet your doctrine out of scripture But when it is proued to them and they them selues perceiue that scripture sayth not so then can they not be content to thinke the contrary and iudge it no sinne at all And as touching S. Paule suerely ye take hym wrong for I will shew you what processe he taketh and how he is to be vnderstode but because it is not possible to finishe it in fewe words I shall deferre it vnto y e bokes ende and then I shall declare hym at large And what a facion is this to say that we may beleue if we list that there is the very body of our Lord in dede and then to tell vs for a truth that such a fayth is impossible to be true For God him selfe can neuer bring it about to make his body be there Yf a man take the bare wordes of Christ and of simplicitie be deceiued and thinke that his very body be in y e sacrament present to their téeth that eate it I dare not say that he sinneth therein but will referre the matter vnto Gods iudgement and yet without doubt I dare say he is deceaued As by example If a man deceaued by the literall sense would think that men should preach to fishes as Saint Fraunces did because Christ bad his disciples goe preach to all creatures yet would not I thinke y t he sinned therein but will referre hym vnto Gods Iudgment But yet I wene euery woman that hath any wit will say that he was deceiued I am very sure that the olde holy doctours which beleued Christes body and bloud to be there and so taught other to beleue as by there bookes playnly doth apere if they had thought eyther that it could not be there or that it was not ther in dede they would not for all the good in this world haue written as they haue done For would those holy men wene you haue taught that men be bound to beleue that the very body and bloud of Christ is there if thē selues thought they were not bound there to woulde they make men honoure and worship that thing as the very body bloud of Christ which them selues thought were not it this geare is to childish to
speake This the old Doctours and faythfull fathers so taught or thought as ye fayne of them is very false For S. Austen as I haue shewed maketh wholly for vs. Besides that there is none of the old fathers but they call it a Sacrament a misterie and misticall meate whiche is not eaten with tooth or bely but with eares fayth And touchyng the honour and worshyp done vnto it I say it is playne Idolatry And I say that he falsely reporteth on the old holy doctours For they neuer taught men to worship it neither cā he alledge one place in any of them all which would haue men to worshyp the Sacrament Peraduenture he may alledge me certaine new fellowes for his purpose as Dunce Dorbell Durand such draffe which by their doctrine haue drenched the world with damnable Idolatrie But I speake of the old holy fathers Doctors as S. Austē Ambrose Hierom Cyprian Cirille Chrisostome Fulgentius and such other these I say do not teach mē to worshyp it and by that I dare abide Of this point I am so sure that I will vse it for a contrary argument that his naturall body is not there present For if the holy fathers before named had taken this text after the letter and not onely spiritually then in there woorkes they would haue taught men to worshyp it but they neuer taught men to worshyp this Sacrament therfore it foloweth they tooke not the text after the letter but onely spiritually Now do I prouoke you to séeke a proofe of your purpose Neuerthelesse I will not deny but y ◠these holy Doctors in diuers places do call it his body as Christ and Paule do so do we likewise and say also that his very body is there eaten But yet we meane that it is eaten with fayth that is to say by beleuing y t his body was brokē for vs and haue his body more in memory at this maundy then the meate that we there eate And therfore it hath the name of his body because the name it selfe should put vs in remembraunce of his body and that his body is there chiefly eaten euen more through fayth then the meate with the mouth And so are they also to be vnderstand Yet one great pleasure he doth vs in that he putteth vs all at libertie that we may without perill of damnatiō beleue as we did before that is to witte that in the blessed Sacrament the whole substance of the bread and the wine is transmuted chaunged into the very body and bloud of Christ For if we may without perill of damnation beleue thus as him selfe graunteth that we may then graunteth hee that we may also without perill of damnation beleue that him selfe lieth where hee sayth the truth of that beleefe is impossible The beleuing of thys poynt is of it self not damnable as it is not damnable to thinke that Christ is a very stone or a vine because the litterall sense so sayth or if you beleue that you ought to preach to fishes and goe Christen them an other while as ye do belles And I insure you if there were no worse mischiefe that ensued of thys beléefe then it is in it selfe I would neuer haue spoken agaynst it But now there followeth vppon it damnable idolatry For through the beléefe that thys body is there mē fall downe and worship it And thinking to please God do damnably sinne agaynst hym Thys I say is the cause that I so earnestly write agaynst it to auoyde the idolatry that is committed through it Part of the Germanes do thinke that his naturall body is present in the Sacrament and take the woordes fleshly as Martine taught them But none of them worshyp it for y ◠Martine forbyddeth both in hys wordes and workes and so blessed be god they auoyde that ieoperdy which thyng if you will also graunt and publish but this one proposition that it ought not to bee worshypped I promise you I will neuer write agaynst it For then is the ieoperdy taken away and then I am cōtent that your mastershyp thinke I lye But in the meane seasō I must thinke that ye fill the world with damnable Idolatry And thus haue you also aūswere vnto y e conclusion which you alledge out of the kynges graces booke For I say in your way is no hurt as lōg as you do but onely beleue the bare wordes of the text as S. Fraunces dyd whē he preached to fishes But if through the occasion of those wordes ye fall into the worshypping of it then I say that in your way is vndoubted damnation And so is there great ieoperdy in your way none at all in ours For though he were there in déede yet doe not we sinne if we worshyp it not for we are not commaunded to worshyp the Sacrament But if he be not there then do you commit damnable Idolatry ¶ The consecration of the Sacrament NOwe as for an other quietnes of euery mās conscience this young man biddeth euery mā be bold whether the blessed Sacrament be consecrate or vnconsecrate for though he most especially speaketh of the wyne yet he speaketh it of both byddeth vs not care but take it for all that vnblessed as it is because the Priest hee sayth can not deceiue vs nor take from vs the profit of Christes institution whether hee alter the woordes or leaue them all vnsayd Is not this a wonderful doctrine of this young man We wotte well all that the Priest can not hurt vs by his ouersight or malice if there be no fault vpon our owne partie for that perfection that lacketh on the Priestes part the great mercy of God as we trust of his owne goodnes supplyeth And therfore as holy Chrisostome sayth no man can take harme but of him selfe But now if we see the thyng disordered our owne selfe by the Priest and Christes institution broken if we then wittyngly receiue it vnblessed vnconsecrated care not whether Christes institutiō be kept and obserued or no but rekon that it is as good without it as with it then make we our selues partakers of the fault and leese the profit of the Sacramēt and receiue it with damnation not for the Priestes fault but for our owne I had thought that no Turke wold haue wrested a mans woordes so vnfaythfully for hee leaueth out all the pith of my matter for my wordes are these I will shew you a meanes how ye shall euer receiue it accordyng to Christes institution although the Priest would withdraw it from you First ye néede to haue no respect vnto the Priests wordes which ministreth it For if ye remember for what intēt Christ dyd institute this Sacrament and know that it was to put vs in remembraunce of hys body breakyng bloud shedding that we might geue hym thankes for it and bee as sure of it through fayth accordyng to his promises as we are sure
lege Lord. Ye I doe beléeue that if the kynges grace at this same day should desire of y e spirituality but halfe of this summe I dare say they wold neuer graūt him with their good will nor there shoulde not bée found one Diuine in England of the holy Popes Churche that could and would proue by good Diuinitie that the kyng might take it and the spiritualitie were bounde to geue it Alas what shall I say beléeue me I doe want wordes to y e settyng out of this matter where is natural affectiō where is naturall loue where is fidelitie where is truth of hart that men ought to haue and to beare toward their naturall Prince toward their natiue countrey toward their fathers and mothers toward their wiues and childrē yea toward their liues God of his infinite goodnesse hath geuen vs a noble Prince to the maintaynyng and defence of all these thynges and toward hym we haue litle or none affection But vnto this idole of Rome are we ready to geue both body and goodes and the more we geue the better we are content Was not this a merueilous poueryshyng to this Realme to sende out so many thousandes and to receiue nothyng agayne but deceitfull Bulles and shéepes skynnes and a litle péece of leade yea and worst of all to make men beléeue that their saluation dyd hange on it I dare say boldly that if we poore men which bée now condēned for heretickes and also for traytours against our kyng had not béen the Realme of England had not stād in so good a condition as it is for men had béene bounde still in their conscience for to obey this wretched idole Who durst haue kept y e innumerable summe of money within the realme y e yearely was sucked out by this adder if our godly learnyng had not instructed their conscience Let all the Liberaries bée sought in Englād and there shall not be one booke writtē in iiij C. yeares and admitted by the Church of Rome and by our spiritualtie founde that doth teach this obedience and fidelitie toward Princes and deliuereth our Realme from the bondage of this wicked Sathan the pope or els that is able to satisfie and to quiete any mans conscience within this Realme and yet I dare say hée is not in Englād that cā reproue our learnyng by the doctrine of our master Christ or els of his holy Apostles Yea mē haue studyed and deuised how they might bryng our mighty Prince and his noble Realme vnder y e féete of this deuill There could bée nothyng handled so secretly within this Realme but if it were either pleasaunt or profitable to the Pope to know then were all the Byshops in England sworne to reuelate that matter to him This may bee wel proued by their shamefull trayterous oth that they contrary to Gods law mans law and order of nature haue made to this false man the Pope The wordes of their othe written in their owne law be these I Byshop N. frō this houre forth shal be faithfull to S. Peter to the holy Church of Rome and to my Lord the Pope to his successours lawfully entryng into the Popedome I shall not consent in counsell nor in déede that hée shoulde lose either lyfe or lymme or that hée should bée taken in any euill trap His councell that shall bée shewed vnto me either by hym selfe or els by his letters or by his Legates I shall open to no man to hys hurt or damage I shall helpe to defend mayntaine the Papacie of the Church of Rome the rules of the holy fathers sauyng myne order agaynst all men liuyng I shall come to the Councell when soeuer I bée called onles I bée lawfully let The Popes Legate I shall honorablye entreate both goyng and commyng in his necessities I shall helpe him I shall visite yearely either by myne owne proper person or els by some sure messenger the sea of Rome onles I bée dispensed with So helpe me God and this holy Euangelist There hath béene wonderous packing vsed and hath cost many a thousand mens liues ere that the spiritualitie brought it to passe that all they should bée sworne to the Pope owe none obedience to any man but to him onely This matter hath béene wonderous craftely conueyed for at the beginnyng the Bishops were not sworne so straitely vnto the Pope as now For I doe read in the tyme of Gregory the thyrd which was in the yeare of our Lord. vij C. lix how their othe was no more but to sweare for to kéepe the fayth of holy Church and to abide in the vnity of the same and not to consent for any mans pleasure to the contrary to promise also to séeke the profites of the Church of Rome And if any Byshops did lyue agaynst the olde statutes of holy fathers with him they should haue no conuersation but rather forbidde it if they coulde or els trewly to shewe the Pope of it This othe cōtinued a great many of yeares tyll that a mortall hatred sprang betwene the Emperour and the Pope for confirming of Byshops than as many Byshops as were confirmed of the Pope did sweare the othe that I haue first written For this othe that Gregory maketh mention of was not sufficient because that by it the Byshops were not bounde to betray their Princes nor to reuelate their counselles to the Pope The which thing y e pope must néedes know or els hee coulde not bring to passe his purpose that is to say he coulde not bée Lord ouer the worlde and cause Emperours and kynges to fetch their confirmation of him and to knéele downe and kisse his féete The which when hée had broght to passe hée procéeded farther adding more thinges in the Byshops othe to the maintayning of his worldly honour and dignitie as it shall afterward appeare But first wée wyll examine this othe how it standeth with Gods worde and with the true obedience to our prince I pray you tell me out of what Scripture or els out of what example of our mayster Christ his holy Apostles you haue takē this doctrine to learne to swere to Saint Peter or els to the Church of Rome or els to the Pope What néede you to sweare to Saint Peter ye cā neither doe hym good by your fidelitie nor yet hurt by your falshode Othes be taken that hée that the othe is made vnto might bée sure of the true helpe and succour of hym that sweareth agaynst all men that could hurte hym Now Saint Peter hath none enymies and though hée had yet is not hée afearde of them neyther can you helpe hym nor deliuer hym if hée had néede But the verytie is that good S. Peter must here stand in the fore frunt to make men afrayde with and to make men beléeue that you are his frendes but God knoweth that you neyther fauour his person lrarnyng nor lyuyng For if S. Peters person
word testifyeth against vs that wee are all sinners yea and els Christ dyed in vayne Salomon sayth 3. Reg. 8. That there is no man that sinneth not agaynst God And Paule proueth by the authoritie of the Scripture vnto the Romaines that we are all sinners without exception And the scripture witnesseth that we are damnable sinners and that our nature is to sinne Which corrupt and poysoned nature though it be begō to be healed yet it is neuer through whole vntil the houre of death For the which cause with all our best fruites there growe weedes among Neither can there be any deed so perfect that could not be amended When a blind bungler wondreth at his glorious woorkes a cunning workeman y t hath a cleare iudgement perceaueth that it is vnpossible to make a woorke that coulde not bee made better Now the law requireth workes of vs in the highest degree of perfection and ceaseth not to accuse vs vntill our workes flow naturally as glorious in perfection as the woorkes of Christ And Christ teacheth vs to pray in our Pater noster Forgeeue vs our trespasses as we forgeue our trespassers Whereby ye may easelye vnderstande that we sinne dayly one against another and all agaynst God Christ taught also to pray that our Father should not let vs slip into temptation signifying that our nature cannot but sinne if occasions be geuen except that God of his especiall grace keepe vs backe Which readinesse to sinne is damnable sinne in the lawe of God Dauid prayed Psal 68. Let not the tempest drowne me let me not fall into the bottome and let not the pitte shut her mouth vpon me as who shoulde say First keepe me O God from sinning then if I shall chaunce to fall as no flesh can escape one time or other then call me shortly backe agayne and let me not sincke to deepe therein and though I yet fall neuer so deepe yet Lord let not the way of mercy be stopped signifying that it is vnpossible to stand of our selues and much lesse to rise againe Which impotencie and feblenes is damnable in the law of God except that wee saw it and repented and were fled to Christ for mercy Chap. 2. MY little children I write these thinges vnto you that ye sinne not And though any man sinne yet we haue an aduocate with the Father euen Iesus Christ which is righteous I write vnto you on the one syde that God is light and therfore that no man which willingly walketh in the vnfruitfull workes of darknesse hath any felowship with that light or part in the bloud of his Sonne And this I write and testifie vnto you my deare children that ye sinne not that is that ye consent not vnto sinne nor should sinne of lust and purpose maliciously but contrariwise that ye feare God resiste sinne with all your might and power according as ye haue promised For whosoeuer sinneth of purpose after the knowledge of truth the same sinneth against the holy Ghost remedilesse Heb. 6. 10. And on the other side I testifie vnto you that we be alway sinners though not of purpose and malice after the nature of damned deuils but of infirmitie and frailtie of our flesh which flesh not onely let teth vs that our woorkes can not be perfect but also now then through manifold occasions and temptations caryeth vs cleane out of the right way spight of our hartes How be it I say if when the rage is past we turne vnto the right way agayne and confesse our sinnes vnto our Father with a repenting hart he hath promised vs mercie and is true to fulfill it So that if we sinne not deuilishly against the holy Ghost refusing the doctrine which we can not improue that it should not be true but after the frail tie of man there is no cause to dispair For we haue an aduocate and an intercessour with the Father euen Iesus Christ that is righteous The name of our aduocate is Iesus that is to say a sauiour Cal his name Iesus sayd the Angell to Ioseph for he shall saue his people from their sinnes Math. 1. And this aduocate our Iesus to saue vs from our sinnes continueth euer as it is written Heb. 7. and hath Sempiternum Sacerdotium an euerlasting office to make an attonment for sinne by the reason wherof sayth the text he is able euer to saue them that come to God through him with repentance and fayth and liueth euer to speake for vs. And besides that our Iesus is God and almightie He tooke our nature vpon him and felt al our infirmities and sicknesses and in feeling learned to haue compassion on vs and for compassion cryed mightely in prayers to God the Father for vs was heard And the voyce of the same bloud that once cryed not for vengeaunce as Abels but for mercy onely was heard cryeth now and euer and is euer heard as oft as we call vnto remembrance with repenting fayth how that it was shed for our sinnes He is also called Christus that is to say king annoynted with all might and power ouer sinne death and hell and ouer all sinnes so that none that flyeth vnto him shall euer come into iudgement of damnation He is annoynted with all fulnesse of grace and hath all the treasure and riches of the spirite of God in his hande with which he blesseth all men according to the promise made to Abraham and is thereto mercifull to geue vnto al that cal on him And how much be loueth vs I report me vnto the ensamples of his deedes And he is righteous both towarde God in that he neuer sinned and therfore hath obtayned all his fauour and grace and also toward vs in that he is true to fulfill all the mercye that he hath promised vs euen vnto the vttermost iotte And he is the satisfaction for our sinnes and not for oures only but also for all the worldes That I call satisfaction the Greeke calleth Ilasmos and the Hebrue Copar And it is first taken for the swaging of wounds sores and swellings and the taking away of payne and sinarte of them And thence is borowed for the pacifying and swaging of wrath and anger and for an amendes making a contenting satisfaction a raunsome making at one as it is to see aboundantly in the Bible So that Christ is a full contenting satisfaction and raūsome for our sinnes And not for oures onely which are Apostles and Disciples of Christ while he was yet here or for ours which are Iewes or Israclites and the seed of Abraham or for ours that nowe beleue at this present tyme but for all mens sinnes both for their sinnes which went before and beleued the promises to come for ours which haue sene them fulfilled and also for all them whiche shall afterward beleue vnto the worldes ende of what soeuer nation or degree they be For Paule commaundeth 1. Timo.
2. To pray for all mē and all degrees saying that to bee acceptable vnto our Sauiour God whiche will haue all men saued and come to the knowledge of the truth that is some of al natiōs and all degrees not the Iewes onely For sayth hee there is one God and one mediatour betwene God and man the man Christ Iesus whiche gaue him selfe a redemption and full satisfaction for all men Let this therefore be an vndoubted Article of thy fayth not of an hystorie fayth as thou beleuest a gest of Alexander or of the old Romains but of a liuely fayth and belefe to put thy trust and confidēce in and to by and sell theron as we say and to haue thy sinnes takē away and thy soule saued thereby if thou hold it fast and to continue euer in sinne and to haue thy soule damned if thou let it slip that our Iesus our Saniour that saueth his people from their sinnes our Christ that is our kyng ouer all sinne death and hell annoynted with fulnesse of all grace and with the spirite of God to distribute vnto all men hath accordyng vnto the Epistle to the Hebrues all the scripture in the dayes of his mortall flesh with fastyng praying sufferyng and crying to God mightily for vs with shedyng his bloud made full satisfaction both a poena a culpa with our holy fathers leaue for all the sinnes of the world both of theirs that went before of theirs that come after in the faith whether it be Original sinne or actual not onely the sinnes cōmitted with consent to euill in tyme of ignoraunce before the knowledge of the truth but also the sinnes done of frailtie after we haue forsaken euill and cōsented to the lawes of God in our harts promising to folow Christ and walke in the light of his doctrine Hee saueth his people from their sinnes Math. 1. and that he onely So that there is no other name to be saued by Actes 4. And vnto hym beare all the Prophets recorde that all that beleue in hym shall receaue remission of their sinnes in his name Actes 10. And by him onely we haue an entring in vnto the father and vnto all grace Ephe. 2. 3. and Rom. 5. And as many as come before hym are theues murtherers Iohn 10. That is whosoeuer preacheth any other forginenesse of sinne then through fayth in hys name the same slayeth the soule This to be true not onely of originall but of actual and aswel of that we commit after our profession as before mayst thou euidently see by the ensamples of the Scripture Christ forgaue the woman taken in adulterie Iohn 8 and an other whom be healed Iohn 5 And he forgaue Publicanes and open sinners and put none to do penaunce as they call it for to make satisfactiō for the sinne which he forgaue through repentaunce fayth but enioyned them the lyfe of penaunce the profession of their Baptisme to tame the flesh in kepyng the commaundementes and that they should sinne no more And those sinners were for the most part Iewes and had their Originall sinne forgiuen them before through fayth in the Testament of God Christ forgaue his Apostles their actuall sinnes after their professiō which they committed in denyeng hym put none to do penaunce for satisfactiō Peter Actes 2. absolueth the Iewes thorough repentaunce and fayth from their actuall sinnes whiche they dyd in consentyng vnto Christes death and enioyned them no penaūce to make satisfaction Paul also had his actuall sinnes forgiuen hym frely thorough repentaunce and fayth without mention of satisfactiō Actes 9. So that accordyng vnto this present texte of Iohu If it chaūce vs to sinne of frailtie let vs not dispayre for we haue an aduocate and intercessour a true attorney with the father Iesus Christ righteous toward God and man and is the reconcilyng and satisfaction for our sinnes For Christes workes are perfect so that he hath obtained vs all mercy and hath set vs in the full state of grace and fauour of God and hath shade vs as welbeloued as the aungels of heauen though we be yet weake As the yoūg childrē though they can do no good at all are yet as tenderly beloued as the old And God for Christes sake hath promised that whatsoeuer euil we shal do yet if we turne and repent he will neuer more thinke on our sinnes Thou wilt say God forgiueth the displeasure but we must suffer payne to satisfie the righteousnes of God A then God hath a righteousnes whiche may not forgeue paine al y t the poore sinner shuld go skotfre without ought at all God was vnrighteous to forgiue the theefe his payne and all thorough repentaunce faith vnto whom for lack of laysure was no penasice enioyned And my faith is that whatsoeuer exāple of mercy God hath shewed one that same he hath promised all ye will he peraduenture forgiue me but I must make amendes If I owe you xx l. ye will forgiue me that is ye will no more be angry with me but I shal pay you the. xx poundes O Popishe forgiuenesse with whom it goeth after the common prouerbe no peny no pardon His fatherhode giueth pardō frely but we must pay money aboundantly Paules doctrine is Rom. 9. if a man worke it ought not to be sayd that his hyre was giuē hym of grace or fauour but of dutie But to hym that worketh not but beleueth in hym that iustifieth the vngodly his faith he sayth not his workes although he commaundeth vs diligently to worke and despiseth none that God commaūdeth his faith saith hee is rekened hym for hys righteousnes Confirmyng his saying with the testimonie of the prophet Dauid in the 32. Psalme saying Blessed is the man vnto whō God imputeth or rekeneth not his sinne that is to say which man although he be a sinner yet God layeth not it to his charge for his faithes sake And in the. xi hee sayth If it come of grace then it cōmeth not of works For then were grace no grace sayth he For it was a very straunge speakyng in Paules cares to call that grace that came of deseruyng of workes Or that deseruyng of workes whiche came by grace for he rekened workes grace to be contrary in such maner of speach But our holy father hath coupled thē together of pure liberalitie I dare say not for couetousnes For as his holynesse if hee haue a cause agaynst any man immediatly bretheth out an excommunication vppon hym and will haue satisfaction for the vttermost farthing and somwhat aboue to teach thē to beware agaynst an other tyme yet he will blesse agayne from the terrible sentence of his heauy curse euen so of that blessed complection hee describeth the nature of the mercy of God that God will remitte his anger to vs vppon the appointment of our satisfaction When the Scripture sayth Christ is our