to one person / syth that he wolde that by Antichriste shuld be meanyde the hole bodye multitude of wycked meÌ„ with all their succession and imperye / for so in the .viij. of Daniel a ramme dothe signifye the kingdome of the Perses And a gote the kingdome of the Grecyans Danie vliâ— Where as he sayth that after the ende of foure kingdomes of the which the laste is the Romayns myghtye with swerde this kynge shall ryse / trewly he towchyth that / that the tyrannye of the Pope dyd begynne after that the imperye of Rome began to decay / yee of the imperye of Rome and in the imperye it is spronge And is succedyd and entered / in the stede of the imperye / as it is evydent by all storyes / and this present experience doth also shew it vs / which also the apostle dyd prophecye before in the .ij. of the seconde pistle to the Tessalonyans saynge Onlye he the holdeth let hym now hold / â— Thess ii vntyll it be taken out of the way / and then shall that wicked be vtteryd and so furthe The name of the imperye of Rome was translated to the Germanes / when there was no imperye in dede / how be it this was an occasion by the which this man was elevatyd and set vp / above all kynges / above all Busshopes / above heven and erthe / and so fixed and stablisshed his kingdome in his awne hande and power / cownterfeytinge to stablisshe this lye a bull both false and folyssh which was of the gyfte of Constantine Danie viij ¶ TraÌ„gression sinne invadinge comiÌ„ge apoÌ„ theÌ„ / that is as Sanct HieroÌ„ did say whan iniquyte and vice do encrease / teachinge manyfestly that this is a kingdome of the furye of God / and shall come for sinne And Paule for the same cawse bringith in the sonne of perdition / saynge they have not receavid the love of the trueth / that they might have bene saved ij Tess ij â–ª And therfore God shall send them stronge delusion that they shuld beleve lyes that all they myght be damned / which beleved not the trueth but had pleasure in vnrightuousnes / the apostle doth sufficiently expresse in these wordes what maner of vnrightewesnes and offenses they are / which also Daniel in the hebrew doth call peschaim / Danie viij which worde hath a notable propertye and secret signification / for it doth signifye a brekinge of the commaundement / an offence / a departinge from the fayth / iiij Reg. i as in the .j. of the fourth boke of kinges Moab departyde from the fayth of Israel Esaie j. And in the firste of Esai I have norysshid vp and exalted children / aÌ„d they have transgressed my commaundemeÌ„t As it is also sayd in the .v. Psalme Psalm v Accordinge to te multitude of their vngodlinesse / and vices / expell them x. Thess ii And Paule in this place copiously doth saye that they will not receave the love of trueth / and also that they will not beleve the trueth / but beleve lyes Ever meaninge the vice of doctrines / opinions / and departinge from the fayth / as he sayd before / except there come a departinge first j. Timoth. iiij And in the .iiij. to Timothe The sprete speakyth evidently that in the latter tymys / some shall departe from the fayth / aÌ„d shall gyve hede to spretes of erroure / and agayne They shall turne theyr hearinge from the trueth The trueth in this place according vnto his maner he callyth the fayth of Christ which also the hebrew tounge doth / devydinge the trueth by contradiction from hypocrisy faynid godlinesse / Ephesi iiij as in the .iiij. to the Ephesians let vs folow the trueth in love and in all thinges growe in him And agayne / put on that newe man which after a goodly wyse is shapen in rightewesnes and true holynes reprovinge the rightewesnes of vanyte and glorious superstition Danie viij Daniel therfore callyth not this word / â—eschaim any maner of sinne / but those speciall and cheff sinnes which resist / aÌ„d fight agaynst the trueth and the fayth / as are the trustyng in workes / superstitiousnes / ceremonyse by the which we decay from the fayth / which alone doth truely iustifye make holye / as Paule doth warne before in the .iij. to the Collossians / aÌ„d in many other places Collos iij And sheweth that he prophesid before that they wold not receave the love of trueth that is to say / ii Thess ij they shall not love the trueth which is in fayth / Exodi xvi Psalm cvâ— but with the children of Israel they shall abhorre this light meate / and desire flessh / that is to say / they shall be tournyd to fables and mennes traditions / wherfore we can applye these iniquites to none of the olde heretikes But only to the traditions of men / and wicked iustice for the old heretikes did contend and strive in the holye scripture But this kynge shall regne with out scripture by his awne traditions aÌ„d doctrines Danie viij Therfore Daniel sayth that transgressions shall darken them And all the hole scripture / chefly Paule / dothe impute this blindnes / darknes / and ignorancye / to nothinge els but to the vngodly and wicked presumption of oure awne iustice and workes as it is evident to them which reade his epistles Ioannis iii. And Christ for that cawse callyth him silf the light that the faith in him doth lighten and iustifie all men Therfore it is clere that this kinge shuld be after christ was preachid / ageynst the lighteniÌ„g of the gospell / with the which the world was illuminate / for where he sayth that they shuld be darkened with trangressions / it is to be supposid that thy shuld be lightenyd before which can not be verefied in those kingdomes that were before Christ / for they coulde not be darkenid which were never lightened / nother coulde they decline from the ryght way which never walked in it But it is meanid of those tymes in the which Christe also did prophesye abomination to come / in a maner with the same wordes / saynge Dâ—â— / xxiiii Be cawse iniquite shall have the vpper hand / the love of many shall abate ij Cess ij And Paul sayth / that all they might be damned which beleved not the trueth / But had pleasure in vnrightewesnes ij Petre ii And Petre in the .ij. of his seconde pistle doth reprove with most sharpe wordes the returninge agayn of them to theyr vomet which shall be in the last tymes And almost he only of all the other dothe expounde and declare what iniquite it is that shall abounde / and with which men shall be darkenyd sayng There were false prophetes amonge the people even as there shal be false teachers amonge you which prevely shall bringe in
to thyne orders / and that is to preach the word of god / yf thow do not this / thow art not anoynted inwardly with the holy goste / but only vtwardly for a cloke But lord / how hath this most holy kiÌ„ge prevailed that he hath clene suppressed the gospell And why shall I not curse this cursed abominatioÌ„-The lord Iesus Christ destroye these idolles of the world / yower Popedoms and Cardinalshuppes / with all yower clokes faces / in to the depth of hell for ever Amen Now I thinke thow vnderstondist what it meaneth that this kinge is mightye in faces It foloweth And vnderstondinge rydles ¶ Soch a kinge / soch a lawe Danie viij Soch a lawe / soch people Soch people / soch maners / soch maners soche studies affectioÌ„s Sillogismus But the kinge is a very cloke / face / idolle Therfore his lawe must nedes be a starke lye faÌ„tasye / as Petre did prophesye ij Petri. ij There shal be false teachers among you / which thorow covetuousnes with fained wordes shall make marchaÌ„dise of yow ij Timoth. iij And in the fourth of the first pistell to Timothe which speake false thorow hypocrisye And how can he teach the trueth which is nothing him self but a cloke and lye / for he that is endewed with that opinioÌ„ that he will counte these fâ—ces substantiall thinges in erneste / he will not only speake lyes / but he shall not be able to sustayne nor abyde the trueth Is not this a notable / yee an abominable lye to teache ceremonyes for the faith of Christ / for the sprete / to ordeÌ„ traditions and learninges of men Doth not the Pope with his lawes avaunce and bost him silf that he governeth fedeth the chirch of god doth he not commend as good deades those thinges which are done by fulfillinge his lawe doth he not persequute and condemne those that obey not him al thowgh they observe and kepe all the hole gospell O this weked and cursed abomination Here is the sainge of Paule fulfilled / which is an aduersarye and is exalted above all that is called god / ij Thessa ij or that is worshupped / so that he shal sit in the teÌ„ple of god and shew him silf as god Doth not he sitte in the temple of god which saith and professeth him self to be the master in the hole chirch what is the temple of god Is it stones aÌ„d wodde doth not Paule say The temple of God is holy which temple are ye j. Corint iij. ij Co. in vj. Nether in the time of paule was there any house which was called the temple of god as we now call theÌ„ What meaneth this sittinge / but raigninge teachinge / and iudginge Who sith the beginniÌ„ge of the chirche / durst presume to call him self the master of the hole chirch But only the Pope None of the holy men / none of the heretikes / durst ever let scape them soch an horrible voice of pride Paule bosted him selfe to be the master of the gentils in faith and trueth but not the master of the chirch / doth he not avaunce him selfe as he were god while that for the wordes of Christ he teacheth his awne / aÌ„d for the rightuousnes of the faith he stablissheth his awne rightuousnes May he naturally be exalted aboue god ij Thessa ij Nay truely / but above all that is called god saith the apostle / that is to say above the word of god preached / for he is called god when he is preached and beleved in how be it above this god the Pope a greate while hath bene exalted aÌ„d sitteth still / for in the faithfull hartes in the stede of preachinge aÌ„d belevinge god / he preacheth him silf and his awne constitutioÌ„s / and so is preferred as the greke worde doth signify which the Apostle reherseth both above the honour and worshupe of god / and also above god which is worshupped As thowgh he shuld say in the harte of maÌ„ he shal be preferred above god / that is to say / his word shall more be feared then the worde of god / and they shall more obeye him and more worshup him / theÌ„ very god him silfe Doth this agre with any man but with the Pope In every place the word and precept of God is despised / But every man feareth the word of the Pope Trewlye there is no god nether in heven nor erthe whose word is reccaved with soch obedience as is the Popes word which thinge experience doth so clerly shewe and derlare vnto vs / that he which lacketh halfe his witte can not denye it Forthermore who did ever say that he came in the name of Christ / but only the Pope / for he only the first of all men doth boste him silf with intollerable blasphemye / The pope is the vicare of 〈◊〉 on erthe and pride to be the vicare of Christ and the vicare of god in the erth What signifieth the vicare of god But to sitt in goddes stede what is it to sitt in goddes stede But to shew him silf as thowgh hewere god Dowtest thow yet whether the prophesye of Paul be fulfilled sith these two are so like to be the vicar / of god / and to shew him silf as thowgh he were god Therfore Christ did well prophesy / that these Apostles of Antichrist shuld come in his name / for the other heretikes all thowgh they did couÌ„terfet dissemble the trueth / yet they never pretendid to do it vnder the name of Christ / but that was only reserved to Antichrist Wherfore Christ in the xxiiij of Mathew not content to have prophesied that they shuld come in his name / did adde and expownd him silf Sainge that I am Christ / as thowgh he shuld say / They shall take myn awne name vpoÌ„ them / Math xxiiij which is Christe And say that they be Christ And that they have obtayned / for of the Pope and Christ with their chatteringe they have made one / sainge that they are so annexed coÌ„ioyned to gedder / that Christ caÌ„ not be seperate froÌ„ the Pope nether the Pope froÌ„ him O what a furyous malicious blasphemye is this A weked wretched bawde / vsurare / theffe cruell tyraÌ„ne / is mingled ioyned with the lord Christ / is made one with him Come lord Iesu Christ aÌ„d perscribe some order / or els finishe and make an end of this horrible and blasphemous abomination Yet I pray you what doth this vicare of god settinge in the stede of god Doth he fulfill teach the coÌ„mavndmentes of his prince Nay trewly / what doth he theÌ„ Only teach his awne constitutions / yet doth theÌ„ not him self How be it if he did teach the coÌ„maâ—ndmentes of god / yet shuld not he be the vicare of god / for a vicare is there as the prince and hedde is absent
of Rome with his Pope is returned to worse gentilite / then it was before / sainge / for if they after they have escaped by fayth from the filthines of the world thorow the knowledge / Math. xij of the lord and of the saviour Iesus Christ / are yet tangeled agayne therin / and overcome / then is the latter end worsse with theÌ„ / theÌ„ the beginninge / for it had bene better for them not to have knowen the waye of rightewesnes that is to say of faith then after they have knowne it / to returne from the holy commaundemeÌ„t geven vn to them which is of faith in Christ It is happened vnto them according to the true proverbe Prover xxvi The dogge is turned to his vomet agayne And the sowe after she is wasshed is / returned to her wallowinge in the myre EveÌ„ so do wese that in the Popes kingdome faith is extincte And that we now are worse gentilles / then ever we were And for this we may thanke the abominable rydles and lawes of this kinge of faces / which Peter Iudas as we se have described and painted effectuouslye / with his saces and exterior powers Now foloweth the frute and finall worke / of them Danie viij And he shall corrupte mervelous thinges ¶ This word / mervelous / in the hebrewe is called niphlaoth and in other places is traÌ„slated / great / misticall / and secrete / as in the xj of Daniel / Danie xi He shall speake greate wordes against the god of goddes / And this word / Gene. vj. corrupte / signifyeth here as it doth in the .vj. of Genesis where it is writeÌ„ that the erth was corrupte / aÌ„d that all flessh had corrupte / their waye / and that god wold corrupte / or destroy them with the erthe So that paraveÌ„ture we might saye better in this place / And he shall corrupte greate thinges And Daniel is indifferent to be taken .ij. wayes Other to vnderstond those great aÌ„d mervelous thinges / which this kinge shall invade to corrupte them Or els his workes that he doth / exercyse in corruptinge other thinges / signifiinge that his actes be mervelous and incredible / And this latter sense doth oure interpreter folowe / whom also we will folow / all though the first sense be even as true / for / no doute / they are greate and mervelous thinges which he doth corrupte / but they are onlye knowne and attayned by faith Therfore the sense shal be / He shall corrupte mervelouslye / aÌ„d shall be as a great and incredible corruptor / he doth not describe what evill good thinges / shall suffer of him / But what great abominatioÌ„ he shuld worke against good thinges / shewinge his fortune and prosperite Therfore he speaketh not of violent corruption and destruction / as tyrantes spoile and destroye kingdoms and contres thorow warres aÌ„d violeÌ„ce of armure / for soch a kinge as he is / soch a destroyer is he also / that is to say he shall do all thinges with faces and rydles / which shall not be streÌ„ghthed by armure / witte / nor learninge / but thorow a strange and outward power as the next verse doth specifye / which sayeth And he shall prosper / and shall do / aÌ„d shall corrupte stronge men / and the people that are holye / and deceate shall prosper in his haÌ„d It foloweth therfore that he destroyeth not Cytes and provinces / but rather those thinges which are wont to be suppressed of these faces / rydles / and deceates / and which are clene contrarye to them that is to say the trueth and word of trueth the sprete and playne symplenes / which is the faith in Christ / and kingdom of good consciences / and that Christ calleth the kingdom of God / the kingdom of heven and the kingdome of trueth For so before pilate he confesseth and knowlegeth that his kingdom is the kingdom of trueth for he sayeth every man which is of the trueth heareth my voice Ioan xviij Wherfor this kiÌ„ge which is the destroyer of the kingdome of heven / and corruptour of the simplicite which is in Christ Iesu as it is said to the CorinthiaÌ„s is no nother but very Antichriste teaching in sted of the faith / workes / for the trueth / a cloked vysare / for secreat mysteryes / outward faces / for the gospell / lawes and rydles / for pure clennes sotle craftes / and for the word of god / their awne traditions and decrees / so destroing the consciences / and corruptinge the sprtte Let vs now iudge whether the pope fulfill this parte First this is evideÌ„t that thorow Christ all synnes wer so damned and taken awaye / i. Timo. j. that also the occasioÌ„ of synne which is the lawe did not remayne / but was suppâ—essed / for thorow the faith he made all thinges / fre So that a christen shuld worke nothinge by the coÌ„pulsion of the lawe / but all thorow the sprete of libertye / as Paule sayeth in the .j. of the first epistle to Timothe The lawe is not geven to a righteous man / for what so ever is done by compulsion of the lawe is synne / for it is not done with a glad and willinge sprete / but with a contrarye will and rebellinge against the lawe / aÌ„d this truelye is synne ij Co. in iij. Therfor in the .iiij. of the second epistle to the CorinthiaÌ„s he calleth the preachers of the new testament the ministers of the sprete and not of the letter because they teach grace and not the lawe Wherfore in the hole new testameÌ„t are there no vrgent grevous preceptes But only exhortatioÌ„s to observe those thinges which were verye necessarye to oure helth Nether did Christ and his apostles at any time coÌ„pell any man And the holy goste was for that cawse called paracletus / that is to say an exhorter and coÌ„forter And here is theffecte of the hole matter / that they are the people of Christ / which willingly do heare and folowe him / not for any feare of the lawe / but only entysed and led with a gracyous libertye aÌ„d faithfull love / Not doing any thinge be cause it is commaunded / but because it is pleasant and acceptable vnto them / though it were not commaunded / for they the wold do otherwisse shuld be counted the people of the lawe / and synagoge / wherin the transgressers were killed Wherfor in the .xix of Mathew / he speketh coÌ„ditionally / Math. â—ix if thow wilt entre kepe the commaundmentes And in the .v. of Mathew he sayth not / Dat. v. I will that you be poore but he exhorteth them geÌ„tyll ye sayinge / blessed are the poore in sprete / and so forth And to be shorte in the new testament are all thinges declared which we ought to do and leve vndone / what reward is ordened for them that do and leve vndone And
of whom to seake / find and obtaine / helpe and conforte to do and leve vndone But no maÌ„ is compelled Every maÌ„ is suffered other to perissh or to be saved but accordinhe to their awne will Therfore in the .xviij. Math. xviij of Mathew he theacheth that a rebellion shuld not be kilde / but avoided and put out of cumpanye / like a gentill So he hath not delivered vs from the lawe / but from the power and violence of the lawe / which is the very true losinge / gevinge all men libertye at their awne perill to do other good or evill But for all that he hath not taken a waye from the powers and officers their righte / swerd / and authorite to punisshe the evill / for soch pertaine not to his kingdome vntyll they are made spirituall / and then frely and with a glade harte serve god And sith these thinges are so in the preceptes of god moch more they are of value in the ceremonies / which are clene vanisshed away so that we can not offend against them / let vs thanke our father which hath plucked this yoke from our neckes And desyre faith of him / which faith onlye is most sufficient vn to our iustification / but sith this kinge of faces the Pope doth nothing but commaund and compell in all his decrees / and that in the sted name of God / it is evident ynough how that he is the adversarye of Christe / and the corruptor of the new testament / yee and the Enimye of the Christen lybertye Compellinge meÌ„ against their willes to do the workes which he commaundeth them / thorow the which tyrannye he is the author of so many synnes be cause the workes are done of no glad minde / for while they thinke that they are bouÌ„d to his commaundemeÌ„tes / they have a blotte in their scrupelous consciences if they omitte any thinge / and yet be cause they do it with an evyll will truely they offend in their hartes / where as they shuld not have offended / thorow their resistinge and hatiÌ„ge will of the lawe / if he had commaunded nothinge / but only exhorted and desyred And contrary wisse to them that obey him / he is the author of false fayned rightuousnes / for while they beleve that they have done well / and repute their obedience for iustice / they are brought to this blindnes that they thinke they are good / not thorow the faith of Christ / but by these lawes and workes And thus truely doth he corrupte the faithe aÌ„d trueth / both multiplye and encreasse evyll consciences / and make fayned good coÌ„scieeÌ„es And sith he doth so thorow all the world / it is evident what a corrupter and dispoylare he is / for even so many he corrupteth / as he hath subdewed and ledde vnder his lawes and imperye And who is be in the world that is not subiect vnder him Excepte they be infantes or paraventure some simple persons / which are reserved by the inscrutable councell and provision of god O thow maÌ„ of synne O thou sonne of perdition O thow abomination O thow corrupter O thow author of evill consciences O thow false master of good consciences O thow ennimye of faith aÌ„d christen libertye / who is able for to reherse / yee or containe in his minde the infinite waves of this monstruous kinges evilles How be it the end of these mischevous evils are not yet come Yf he had ordened these his lawes / in those workes of vertues that are commaunded in the .x. preceptes / or els in soch as the philosophers and naturall reason did describe / as are iustice / strength temperaÌ„ce / Chastite / mildnes / trueth / goodnes / and soch other Paraventure they shuld only have made a Sinagoge / or els have ordened in the world a certaine civile iustice / for thorow these also faith shuld have bene corrupted / as it was amoÌ„g the Iewes / how be it now he kepeth not him silf with in these bondes / but rvnneth ryâ—ot more at large raysinge infinite tempestes of mischeffe yet are we compelled to saye he dothe no hurte for he entyseth and driveth vs to cerimonyes aÌ„d his awne fayned traditions / as to places persons / clothinge / meattes and dayes / aÌ„d bindeth vs like asses / and ignorant foles / â—ee and stockes vn to them with an indissoluble bond enduringe our hole lives / so that it maketh me sorye and ashamâ— of this pernitious abomination / and maketh me vtterly abhorre it vn to death / for Christ as I have saide takinge awaye all lawes to make vs fre aÌ„d at libertye / did most of all suppresse aÌ„d disanulle the ceremonyes which did consist in places / persones / garmeÌ„tes / meattes dayes and soch other / so that their vse shuld be to all men most fre and indifferent / nether addressinge the conscience to synne / nor yet to iustice which is obtayned thorow only faith in Christ How be it the Pope not content / at the lest with those places / meates / clothinges / and dayes / which were prescribed in the lawe of moses Doth werye corrupte / and destroy / the christeÌ„ coÌ„gregation with new observations / other invented by his awne pregnant witte / or â—ls by the sotle imagination of his adherentes / which also he doth encreasse daylye and coÌ„maunde after his awne lust / that yow may perceave this the more evidently / we will vse certaine examples after the maner of an induction to rote and stablissh it in yow Christ takinge away the difference of all places will be worshupped in every place Nether is ther in his kingdoÌ„ one place holye / an other prophane with out holines But in everye place all thinges are indifferent Nether canst thou more hartely better / beleve trust / and love god in the temple qwire / altare / and chirch yerd / then in thy barne / vineard / kichen / and bed And to be shorte the martyrs of Christ have honoured him in darke dongeons and presons And sancte agnes In the sâ—ues for gat not her redemer But the Pope doth consecrat Churches gevinge greate pardon and privileges vn to the halowinge Makinge straite lawes to condemne their consciences / the other in sporte or els in ernest do violate the house that they have halowed / which shuld nothing offend if they had hurte their awne houses or any other mannes Be sides that if thou obey the Popes commaundmentes / thow arte made a religious man / and an obedient and faithfull sonne of the chirche / thow hast found a conscience of a good aÌ„d rightuous weake Now compare Christ and the Pope to gedder Christ sayeth There is no synne coÌ„mitted thorow the vsinge of any place except it be to the hurte of thy neghbour The Pope sayeth It is sinne if thow do any bodelye worke in the chirch Or els if thow counte it not
damnable sectes / even deniynge the lorde that hath bought them / and bringe on their â—wne heddes swyfte damnatioÌ„ / and many shall folowe their damnable wayes / by which the waye of trueth shal be evill spoken of / and thorow coveteousnes shall they with fained wordes make Merchandyse of you Truely here Petre towchith the master shuppes / Bisshoprekes and as they call it the administratyon and offices of the chirche / and sheweth that this mischeff shall come by their ministeringe which sitte in the stede of God / and ought to ruel the people in his word Therfore we have the priÌ„ces and heddes of the chirch the authores of these evylles Trewly this is the plage of God to send operacyons of erroure / and false prophetes for it is the scourge of mercy to send pestileÌ„ce / batell / hunger / and soch other bodely evilles But to take away the word of helth / and to sende the venoÌ„ of erroure / that is the most extreme and last token of the wrath of god Danie viii Daniel might seme to have spokeÌ„ of the Turke in whose impery / vice iniquite have darkenyd the people / ii Pet. ij except that Peter had tawght vs to vnderstonde it of the rule and lordshuppe which is exercised in the people of god / of theÌ„ which sitte in the stede of doctores bisshopes Dani. ix As also Daniel doth she we afterwarde that he speakyth of soch / as in the old people were the false Prophetes These thinges do nothinge parteyne vnto the Turke which despisinge baptime and the gospell is nother the people of god / nother yet cownted amonge theÌ„ / as they are which have Busshopes ruelinge amonge them / let this then be oure first supposition / that this kinge shall be as greatt / as other the kinge of the Perses / or of the Grecyans / or of the Romayns And that the shall regne in teachinge men in the people of Christ contrary to the lighteninge of the gospell For oure enteringe in to this vision let vs coÌ„sidere the wordes of Petre. And who seith not that these iniquites in every poynt do agre with the shepardes of the chirch of Rome ij Pet. ij To whom shuld Peter speake but to his awne Romayns / of whoÌ„ his bokes were receaved / and where his authorite was of most value Did not Moses and the Prophetes speake vn to their awne people As Saint Paule sayth in the third to the Romaynes / Roma iij. we knowe that what so ever the lawe sayth / he sayth it to them which are vnder the lawe And he sayth there shal be amonge you / whom meanith he but theÌ„ which heare him and know him Therfore these wordes touche vs / which are vnder the Babilon and captiuite of Rome / and in vs it muste be fulfillid that Daniel / Christ / Petre / Paule / Iudas / Ioan in the Apocalipses did prophesye Have we not now many yeares suffered false teachers / which suppressinge the gospell have thaught vs their awne traditions and learninges All Bisshopes / Shepardes and Devines / are here noted which all are runne in to one madnes / to exalt the Decrees of the Pope and to teach them vn to men / with what a full and notable signification doth he speake these wordes / which prevely shall bringe in damnable sectes / ij Petri. iâ— the Greke word hath a greate misterie / for it signifiyth that vnder the doctrine of godlines which they shall faine they shall beinge in vngodlines / mingelinge by their secret deceites their awne traditions with the gospell / for they shall not denie the gospell but they shall so wrest it by their inventioÌ„s glosses and additions / and bringe vp soch statutes / and constitutions / by a litle and a litle that it be not perceaved / that they shall clenelede the people out of the hygh waye of faith / in to sectes of workes with the which they shall destroy and corrupte the gospell / that at the length it shal be clene vn profitable to teache the faith So in tyme past the false Prophetes did not denie the name of the lorde / but rather did come in his name / whom Christ paintith in ye. xxiiij of Mathew on this maner Dat. xxiiii There shall ryse false Prophetes and false Christes / and shall deceave many Many shall come in my name sainge I am Christ And agayn / if they say behold here is Christ or there beleve them not What signifiyth here there but sectes of perdition What is this perdition / 〈◊〉 the destruction of the faithe aÌ„d the gospell Ephe. iiij So also Paule in the .iiij. to the Ephesians dothe call these sectes and doctryne of workes where by they laye a wayte for vs to deceave vs / as it were a deceitfull cominge to deceave / because that the wickede which go aboute to deceave come vn to the people with crafty and sotle sermones / by the worde of god other wrested into their porposse / or els darkenyd by their awne doctrines and sclawnders which are sette in the way / soch as the woman in the .ix. of the Proverbes doth figure sitting in the hige place of the citie Proverbe ix And Paule in the last to the Romayns saith Roma xvj Marke them which cawse division geve occasions of evill covnterfettinge the doctrine which ye have learned what are these divisions but those which Petre callith sectes ij Petri. ij Dat. xxiiii And Christ him silf / behold here is Christ / Roma xvj ij Petri. iâ— Math. xxiiiij Roma xvj ii Pet. ij behold there is Christ What meanith this / evill occasions / but that which Petre callith perdition / that Christ hiÌ„ silf callith deceavinge seductioÌ„ what signifieth this couÌ„tersettinge of doctrine but that which Peter callith the prevely bringiÌ„ge in of sectes And Christ callith it the comiÌ„ge in his name Marke the proper sure wordes of this prophecye coÌ„cerninge the abominatioÌ„ of these false speakers / he saiâ—h that they take not awaye the doctrine of Christe / Roma xvj nother denie the learninge of the gospell if thou that sider the outward face but that they set to it evill occasions and dissentions with the wich in processe they everrunne aÌ„d distroy the hole waye and gospell of the lord reserving it only by name title So not we se all these thinges fulfillid sith that the chirch of Rome doth abound thorow all the world with so many sectes of workes religâ—oÌ„s which desever amoÌ„ge theÌ„ silf with extreme fâ—erye madnes by the which is expelled and put oute the right way which bringith men to faith and charite What faine they in these sectes but high pure godlines Do not we also prayse these wayes and avance theÌ„ vnto heven Are we not here taught to sticke and put oure confidence in
mischevouse ennimye of the chirch / this folissh hardye despisare of the fathers / this pestilent deceaver of the people And yet this is no nother but that Petre doth say / by whom the waye of trueth shal be blasphemed â—â— Petri. ij Wherfore Psalm ix For the way of their vanite is coÌ„mended / as the .ix. Psalme doth saye Bycause the weked is praysed in the desieres of his soull / and the vniust reioysinge in him silf hath blasphemed the lord How effectuously doth this chirch of the Pope ful fill this prophesye now adays / which also accomplisshith all thinges that were writeÌ„ in the prophetes / of sotle false / and lieinge prophetes / masters / shepardes / iustitiares / which have infinite other names And these shuld have the cheffe ruell and imperye towardes the ende of the worlde ii Petri. ii And thorow covetousnes shall they with fained wordes make marchandise of you This is so evidently done / by bullys / Pardones / Decrees / Prestes / and soch other / that this place neadith no glosse / what is now a dayes the office and administration of the hole clergye / But covetousnes And that with dissimulation Not only pretendinge a cloke of godlines / but also defiling by abvsion the holy and pure wordes of God / for they do all abvse these wordes / God / Christ the Sprete / the Chirch / Righteousnes / good workes and Merites For they do not applye theÌ„ to fayth / but to their awne actyoÌ„s / so that the people vnderstoÌ„dith theÌ„ fare otherwyse the the scripture meanith It is fained what so ever they preach / for they preache not faith / if they did preach faith / their sectes shuld sone decay and vanissh awaye In the meane ceasone they have deceaved the people / and brought them clene out of their mindes by their clokyd illusions / and despoile them of all their goodes and possessions And live them silf with full stuffed belies / idle / riche / mighty / full of honour / and verye gloriouse And yet the holy name of god must serve these monstres / for they must be called holy religious But let vs returne to Daniel / where we shall here moare of this abhominable kingdome / for this shall be sufficieÌ„t for a prohemye And truely he doth declare vs a mervelous and monstruous kingdome / which vtterly can be applied to none of the kingdomes that ever have bene in the world / nor shal be Bycawse that he prevailith with soch armure and strength / as hath not be hard of / goinge a boute new thiÌ„ges And trewly all that he doth are new aÌ„d mervelouse There shall stond a kinge mighty in faces ¶ Herome did traÌ„slate it / vnshamefacyd but the hebrew doth say mightye in faces A kinge shall stond / he meanyth not one parson but a hole kingdome / nother vnderstondith he a shorte ceason of that kingdome / But a great and longe succession of kinges / for Christ saith / Math. xxiiij when ye shall se abomination stonding in the holye place / that is to say / fixed / stablisshed / and streÌ„gthyde by many adherentes And Paule makith the sonne of perditioÌ„ not to goo / but to sytte in the temple of god Here is a mervelous power of this moÌ„struous kinge / which is mighty not with hornes / nother nayles / nother swerd / nor armure But with faces / fare vnlike all other kiÌ„ges Nother sayth he mighty with one face / but with many faces Wherfore this prophecye can not be applied to the Turke nother to any kingdome which is goten with strengthe and armure / for soch are figured by tethe / hornes and nailes Nother is it the kingdome of Christ / which clene with outen outward face coÌ„sistith in the sprete And figâ— the with a spirituall home / which is the word of god So that this kingdome shall nether bespirituall nother seculare / nother goten by any soch provideÌ„ce Wherwith theÌ„ â—rewly with faces / that is to say by outward clokinge / apperance / and poÌ„pe / to vse fewe wordes with superstitioÌ„s / customes ceremonies which are shewed ovtwardly In clothinge meates / persones / houses / behaveours / and soch life AmoÌ„ge all these faces apparences / superstitioÌ„ hpocrisye which is a cloke of godlines a face of religioÌ„ is most mighty acceptable / therfore it is most noysome / for the wordly faces and buetes / whether they be of maides / yonge meÌ„ / riches / freÌ„des / playes / or what so ever they are / do not so drawe / take / hold meÌ„ But these their ceremones / by cause they couÌ„terfet godly thiÌ„ges preteÌ„d ovtward tokins / of thinges everlastinge / they take deceave theÌ„ that are most wyse / holy mighty / yee somtime the verye chosen children of god There fore it is verye plaine evideÌ„t that this kinge shal be Antichrist / that is to say an adversarye to christ / his kiÌ„gdome / for Christ is a kiÌ„ge mighty in trueth / an extreme adversarye to faces clokes / as we se in the gospell And this kinge is mighty in faces / an extreme adversary of the trueth / therfore it is not with owt a greate cawse that the apostles Petre Paule / do so ofteÌ„ remeÌ„bre vs of this worde / trueth / feare vs froÌ„ the faces for so Paule did prophesye in the secoÌ„de pistle ji Timeth iii to Timothe expounding this place â—i Timoth. iij Men shall be lovers of their awne selves / it folowith haviÌ„ge a similitude of good liviÌ„ge / but have denied the power there of The firste face Now let vs coÌ„sider the kingdome of the Pope / and first the face of the persones / tel me yf thou caÌ„ what impery ever had soch and so many clene decte aÌ„d appareld felowes / first loke on the Pope him silf so proude and glorious with his iii. crownes / with his mervelouse pompe apparell / and noyse of his howsolde / then the Cardinalles with their pompe and riches / which are not fare be hind the other / for this most wretched kinde of meÌ„ makith him silf equalle with kinges After them consider / the Patriarchas / Primates Archbusshopes / suffragames / Provostes / Deanes / Canones / Vicares / Officialles / Scribes And who is able to numbre that sower sortes aÌ„d orderes of the religious And these are they in whom men boste that the state aÌ„d health of the chirch dothe consiste / here behold the most holye decrees of oure holy father the Pope and wherof they entreate / do they not all entreat of this to stablissh their awne profite and kingdome They say them self that they are so necessary that with out them the chirche caÌ„ not be rueled Neverthelesse Christ and his apostles did rule it with the trueth and that falwell Nother se I any profytte
that cometh by theÌ„ other to the chirch or to the word of god but rather moch hurte Vnderstond you now what is this kinge mightye with faces TheÌ„ vnderstond you also What is the abominatioÌ„ stoÌ„dinge in the holye place / Danie viij Math. xxiiiij yf so be you coÌ„pare together their clokinge hypocrisye with the trueth and godlines of the apostles And the Hebrew word that signifiyth myghty / doth properly meane a naturall strengthe / and not a violent and outwarde power by the which we defend our awne goodes or persequute other But even as we speake of the strengthe aÌ„d power of herbes signifiyng his naturall might in operation Even likewyse the naturall power of this kinge is nothinge els but a cloke / a face and a vicsar / which is multiplied and encreased by infinite meanes / of the which thinge Iudas the apostle did prophesye on this maner They have men in greate reverence be cause of avantage And Iames in the .ij. Iude. j. have not the faith of oure lord Iesus Christ in respecte of persons And againe Iudas / Iacob ij there are certayne craftely crepte in of which it was writen a fore tyme vnto soch iudgemeÌ„t / Iude. i they are vngodlye and turne the grace of oure lorde god vnto wantannes / and denie god the onlye lord And oure lord Iesus Christ Nether here will I improve forsake saint HieroÌ„s traÌ„slatioÌ„ which calleth him vnshamefaced / for there he plainly declarith the presumption of these hypocrites / for scant any man can beleve / howe sure / bold / and presumptious this face and cloke of godlinesse doth make them / for they cownt them self / above all men most worthy heven and as the prophete sayth they set their neste amonge the sterres / Psal lxxiij finally they are come to soch vnshamefacednes that they have coÌ„passion of the other multitude / and devoueringe their possessions and howsses communicate and sell vn to them their merites And some as the Pharise did to the Publicane do crake on them silf revilinge the poore people Luce xviij In this sence semede he to speake which translated the .xxj. Prouer. xxj of the proverbes on this maner A weked man doth boldly and with oute shame stablissh his countenance / which in the Hebrew is thus A weked man is mighty in his face / and a righteous man doth directe and order his way As thowgh he shuld say the weked man is sure and puâ—teth all his confidence in his outward face of godlines But the rightuous man doth ever procede and go forward to that that is be for him / as thâ—ppostle teacheth Philip. iij. And his securite is well described in the x. Psal x. Psalme where as it is saide The weeked man sayd in his herte I shall not be moved froÌ„ one generatioÌ„ in to an other I shal be with oute evill And againe Thy iudgmeÌ„tes are takeÌ„ away from his face / soch a saing hath Esaias in the .xxviij. Esaie xxviij and speakith it on the wecked that were in his tyme which had made a bargane and a greament with death and hell Let vs now consider certayne other faces which stablissh the power of this kingdome The seconde face Here present them silf Thenches of the chirch / the patrimony of Christ and spirituall goodes / for the power of this kingdome doth make temporall goodes spirituall / wordly goodes the tresures of the chirch And bodely goodes hevenly / with these is their chirch endewed / garnisshed and glorified / in so moch that the greatist parte of their clokes and faces consiste in these / shew me what emperoure ever had soch aboundance of richese Every man knowith that more then half the richesse of the world are possessed of the spiritualte / so many cytes / castelles / dukedomes / kingdoms countres are incorporate to this kinge The imperye of Rome did only take a tribute / custome of his subiectes But this king chalengith the hole goodes substans of theÌ„ which are subdewed vnder his magestye to be his private / at his pleasure / which of the coÌ„soulles that ever raigned in Rome may be coÌ„pared / to one of these Cardinalles / or archbusshopes Trewly there is no impery that hath so many punces / so many lordes / soch aboundaÌ„ce of riches / soch superfluite soch glorye / how be it they not satisfied not coÌ„teÌ„t with all this which is as we have sayd the half of the christente presume to claime the seculare riches / goinge aboute to despoyle them of their rucles / powers and offices / at their pleasure / and subdew to them selfe Countres / provinces / Cytes / Castelles aÌ„d townes / by their awne authorite / finally to rule in every place where it plesith theÌ„ / and if any men resist them / they wroppe them to gether in batelles and other trobles Other with their awne sodyars / or els they sturre priÌ„ces and officers to distord against them / will never leve them / vntyll they have had their plesures Nother yet is this kingdome of faces coÌ„tent that he hath obteyned all the riches of the hole world to be his awne but bether he hath proceded that he hath brought to passe to claime all thinges iustly / how ofteÌ„ many tymes as he liste / for the Pope sucketh the swete from the Busshopes And the Busshopes serche the Curattes purses / pretendiÌ„ge infinite titles to robbe them / as institution and induction / the first fruetes / sinage / and proxsy with soch other This can not they pay excepte they dispoyle the people / by cause their thefte shall not be openly knowen / they cloke it vnder godes lawe And say they must pay open tithes and prevey tithes / and sell them the sacramentes And by cawse their falshod shuld not come to light / they kepe them from lokinge on the scripture So the Curattes aÌ„d the religious do swalow vpe the people that they mayfill the Busshopes and their selves And this crafty thefte doth the Pope excercise by the which he hath stolen half the goodes that are in the chirche / the other parte hath he ravisshed with Pardons / Bulles / Confessionalles / Privileges / Dispensations / who is able to numbre the titles that he hath craftelye invented to delude and blind the people / that he might the more frely / dispoylle them And all these thinges do these faces worke yee and be encreased continuallye / that they may so worke from day to day These are the holy / meake / and faythfull offices of Curattes and heedes of the chirch / with the which they shine as the lightes of the world be is holden a cursed which saith not that these are good and well done / and sufferethe them not to engrosse all thinges for to encrease / garnisshe / and strength their holy chirch / trewly these passe
Therfore / where / as his vicare raigneth / there is no god / for where god is present / there neadeth no vicare / but only ministers / as thapostles called not theÌ„self the vicars of god / but onely his ministres Therfore is the sainge of Paule fulfilled Whe se the maÌ„ of synne sonne of perdition / sittinge in the teÌ„ple of god / ij Thessa ij shewinge him silf as thowgh he were god / beinge an adversary / exalted above the word of god all his worshupe What is more coÌ„trary to the trueth of the gospell theÌ„ these faces and clokes their doctrine how be it / it is worshupped / feared observed above all the worde of god / that vnder the name of him aÌ„d his learninge / but let vs retvrne vnto daniel 〈…〉 Danie viij This word hidoth which Daniel doth put in the hebrew toÌ„ge doth signifye a probleme a ryed all / a darke seÌ„teÌ„ce / which deceaveth the sense if a maÌ„ loke but on the wordes So in the first of IudicuÌ„ judicum j. I will propound vn to yov a ryedell 〈◊〉 xlviij And in the .xlviij. psalme I will opeÌ„ in a songe my darke senteÌ„ce Therfore he is called wittye in these sotle reasons aÌ„d rydels / which caÌ„ with darke wordes / deceave the hearers / so that they may heare one thinge vnderstoÌ„d a nother And it is not thus takeÌ„ that he shuld be wittye in ryedles for to vnderstoÌ„d that that other men shall speake / but that he is apte mete to deceave other by his awne wordes I will put an exaÌ„ple WheÌ„ this kiÌ„ge of faces / The Chirche in his decrees doth use this worde the chirch for him silf and his adhereÌ„res be they never so vngodly and weked goth aboute to persuade all men that what so ever they coÌ„stitute and ordene / it is done of the chirch as they have now prevailed / yee and triumphe by the obtayning of this word thikest thow that he hath not propouÌ„ded a proper rydle / syth that the chirch doth not signifye / but the holye congregation of faithfull which live and are led with the sprete of god / which are the bodye and fulfillinge of Christ / as Paule saith Colo. iâ— What lyes shall not this maÌ„ grouÌ„d and sett forth What obedience shall not he obtayne what lawe shall not he stablisshe when he hath so fare prevailed that both the hearers and he that speaketh do vnderstond the Synagoge of SathaÌ„ for the chirch of god Whâ—â— to he that wold not obeye the church of god we may perceave by this worde that this kiÌ„gdome of faces differith from the maneraÌ„d condition of all other kingdoms by cawse he contendith not with armure / but with wordes Not with plaine and simple wordes as the kingdome of Christ the impery of this worlde is vsed and ministered / for the impery of this world in mannes lawes determe of temporall thinges with evideÌ„te wordes / which of every maÌ„ sone are vnderstond And the kingdome of Christ is rueled by the sure and playne worde of the gospell But this kingdom doth vndermine meÌ„ deceave theÌ„ with darke duble wordes which sounde one thinge and meane an other Nether doth he teach that a maÌ„ may perceave other wordly thiÌ„ges or spirituall / but he faineth to teach spirituall / in very dede they are wordly teÌ„porall And in this crafte they are so wittye / sotle / and apte thorow sathanes helpe that they seduce and being in to errour as Christ prophesied the very chosen nether caÌ„ they be iudged but of them which are spirituall Danie viij Therfore Daniel calleth him sotle and wittye / and his lawes ryedles / by cause he shuld deceave all men / which sharply and wyth greate diligence do not marke and take hede of them Make a proffe thy silf Yf thow be taught to abstaine from / me ates / â—â—thinges / places / persons / and certaine â—ther thinges / and to vse soch or soch garmentes / behaveoure / meate / place persons Beinge in this opinion / that by those meanes and labours / thow shalt do good workes obtaine righteousnes / And after wheÌ„ thow comest to thy self and haste the true vnderstondinge doste perceave that thow hast labored but in temporall thinges which make no more for righteousnes / then other occupations and labours of laye men / woldest thou not say that thou haddest bene properly begyled And haddest thow not in very dede bene deceaved thorow faire wordes And I pray the are not all that the Pope commaundeth even soch phantases Doth he not in his decrees and statutes entreate / and de terme of places / meates / vesture / or persons Where in consisteth no more iustes then if thow shuld go plowe a felde / or weve / or spinne But who playeth the husbond maÌ„ thinkinge to be iustified if he do his worke / or to sinne if he do it not / all though it be a profitable and necessary worke And thow arte commaunded to laboure in that worke which is nother necessary to the liffe nor yet profitable for any thinge hopinge to find righteousnes in it / and to sinne if thow traÌ„sgres for what doth it profite other thy liffe or substance to were a blacke or a russer cotâ— to cate milke or flesshe / to be shaveÌ„ or â—nshaven / to live in this place or in that Aâ— yeâ— in this trifelinge and vnprofitable thingeâ— thow arte commauÌ„ded to be iustified aÌ„d halowed / or els to sinne and offend Are not here problemes / ryedles propounded craftely to the And truely all the world / is replenesshed with this false deceitfull doctrine These be the consciences marked with hotte yerons / i. Timo. iiij for as all that they do be very clokes and faces / even so all that they teach be sotle reasons and fained ryedles / so that both in the thinges and in the wordes / are nothinge els but clokes and faces / and yet they make a fearfull and scrupelous conscience with oute any cause or authorite Observe and note with what sober and meke wordes the sprete doth handell these cruell and odious monstres / for he calleth the abominable pompe and hypocrisye nothinge but faces / which thow canst sufficiently and worthely defame with no word And he nameth this pestilent deceavinge of antichristes dottrine And this mischevous foxy wylinesse to delude men / nothinge but rydles Danie viij This clerly doth Daniel in the .vij. prophesye / where he writeth that after the terrible best that had ten hornes which by the consent of all men is the imperye of Rome he considered aÌ„d sawe an other litle horne spriÌ„s ginge out of the middes of them that is the impery of the Pope which as we saide is spronâ—â—e in the middes of the imperye of Rome â–ª â—â—d behold there were eyes like mennes 〈◊〉 this horne / and
images For he depresseth and putteth doune / kinges / princes / and bisshoppes / and every power in the world / for his pure pleasure / more exalted / yee and made more wordly then the world it silf And of this thinge we have spoken sufficiently a fore expoundinge the mind of Peter and Iudas which prophesyed that he shuld despise and speake evill of gloryes and powers / Snatchinge and subdueing vnto him silf the goodes and possessions / of all men For if he wold be constrayned and holden by scripture / declininge some deall from his awne mind opinion Not violatinge and corruptinge scripture by his deceatfull interpretatioÌ„ / he might some what be with draweÌ„ from the presuÌ„ption and hyghe pride of his harte / And so myght be called agayne to the administration of the gospell / and to the tuition as his duetye is of the poore How be it the scripture must nedes be fulfilled that he shuld have rule of all / and shuld be exalted in his awne opinion above all the thinges of the world It was not for nought that Daniel sayd / that he shal be exalted in his awne harte / for he is not so elevated before god / or in the will of god But in his awne harte / in his awne opinion / thorow his awne folissh hardenes / by deceates / faces / rydles / and other stronge illusions Nother yet is this weked abomination coÌ„teÌ„ted to rule the hyghest of all and greatest in the erthe as he is called the hyghest greatest Bisshope but he hath begone also to extend his handes and power in to purgatorye And hath also presumed to commaund angels / and to sitte and raigne in every mannes conscience So that there shuld be nothinge / but that the great presumption of his hart shuld be bold to invade it This incredible abomination playnly passeth all mennes capacite It foloweth Danie viij And in this luckye prosperite he shall corrupte very many ¶ He calleth this prosperite / the aboundaÌ„ce of all thinges For after that the worde / the faith and the scripture are troden vnder his feate And all mennnes possessioÌ„s subdued vnto him / truely he must nedes abouÌ„d with all thinges For who hath soch aboundaÌ„ce of ryches / soch pleasures / soch honours as the pope and his secte or adhereÌ„tes Are not all the cheffe and best thinges in the world theyrs And do they not possesse theÌ„ most quietly Do they not vse them most at their pleasure in to all pompe / wantonnes / pride and what shall I say If the hole world be compared to the popes imperye / it shuld seame but vile / and truly shuld not appere to be the world For what shuld he do els syth he is nother subiect to the word nother yet regardeth the scripture but commaund and expound all thinges / after his awne pleasure and opinion Who they are / that this prosperite doth corrupte destroy / I had lever committe it to other mennes iudgement / then to diffine it my silf For the Cardinalles / bisshoppes / monkes / and hole multitude of prestes / what are they els / but the people of the pope which are destroyed / with idelnes / riches / bankettes / waÌ„tonnes / lust / and vncarefulnes Corruptinge this bodely liff / withe out end / with out the word / with out scripture / with out labour / and with out eny care These truely doth this noble king of faces norissh and encreasse in his orders / makinge them by his deceates and lyes / of spirituall and faithfull seven times carnall and wordly / which walke vnder the cloke of godlines and religion It foloweth And he shall resist the prince of princes Danie viij ¶ This is the suÌ„me of the hole / that he shal resist Christ / and suppresse his worde / exaltinge his awne worde in the stede of Christes / as thapostle doth say / he shall sit in the temple of god shewing him silf as though he were god And agayne / which is an adversarye and is exalted above all that is called god or the is worshupped To this place pertayneth it that the pope did condempne the trueth of the word of god openly at constantie In Ioan husse / perseveringe vn to this present daye in the same stubbornnes / of contrarying and coÌ„dempninge the word of Christ / for he can not withstoÌ„d / the person of Christ / but he shall withstond that is to saye diffine thinges conttarie to Christ / And this is his ende For. when he hade suppressed the word / and corrupted the faithe / despoilinge the scripture / aÌ„d the doctrine of the apostles / Exaltinge him silf above the angels and commaunding them there was nothinge remayninge / but that he made grosse / and well stuffing his belye / shuld also ryse against his lord and god and hyer he wold presume if there wer eny thinge hyer But sith there is nothinge hyer theÌ„ god / It is necessary that this abomination here sticke and remayne still / that he may receave his end / as it foloweth â—anie viij And he shal be consumed with out hand ¶ So saith also thapostle / ij Thess whom the lord Iesus shall consume with the sprete of his mouth / and shal destroye with the apperance of his comminge Therfore the laye people shall not destroy the pope and his kingdome / al though the wretches be fore a ferd of it for they are vnworthy this mild stroke and punisshment but they art reserved vnto the cominge of Christ whose extreme and cruell ennimyes they be and longe have continewed for so shuld he perissh which exalteth himsilf and ryseth agaynst all thinges / Noth wtth mannes hand / but with the contrarye sprete / so that one sprete may destroy an other / and that the trueth may revelate the deceate / which revelation is a verye destruction For the revelation of a lye doth vtterlye destroy it / Let vs therfore pray that god aÌ„d the father of oure lord Iesu Christ at the length may come againe and visitte vs in his glorious power and mageste / And that he maye shew the ioyfull daye / and comming in glory of his sonne whom he hath promised / so that this weked maÌ„ of synne / aÌ„d sonne of perditioÌ„ may be destroyed / that the operations of errours thorow SathaÌ„ may be finisshed / by the which alas every minette many thousand soules are corrupte aÌ„d cast hedliÌ„ge in to hell / onley thorow the presumptuous powers of this abomination / and tyrannye of the sete of Rome Let all men saye Amen AMEN ¶ Here endeth the Revelation of Antichriste / which although it be som deale ferse against the pope aÌ„d his adherentes yet good christeÌ„ brother read it cheritably move not thy pacience Overcome theÌ„ rather with thy good aÌ„d vertuous lyviÌ„ge theÌ„ with force extert or power So shall thou be the true sone of
shepe Math. xxiij lxxiiij Christ sayeth / Desyre you not to be called master for you have but one master which is Christ / And all you are brothers The Pope will be called most holy / hys Cardinalles / most reuerend / his Busshopes reverend / his Abbottes and Priors most aÌ„d other glorious titles have tâ—â—y / that passe / master farre And excepte thou call them by those names and titles thou shalt runne fare in to their indignation Let Christ say what he will lxxv Christ commaunded his disciples that they shuld callenâ—â—han father on the erth / Mathe. xxiij shewinge them that they hade but one father which is in heven The Pope must be called most holye father / if you geve him not that name he wil excommunicate you out of his sinagoge / reson not with him / you may shew him the scripture / but it avayleth not / for he will wrest it aÌ„d wringe it in to a thousande facions / And will never leve it vntill he have brought it vnto his awne purposse lxxvi Christes faithfull servaÌ„t Stephane / Actuum vij sayde that god almightye dwelleth not in temples that are made with mannes handes / accordinge vnto the prophetes sayeinge / Heven is my sete aÌ„d the erth is my footestolle Esai lxvi ij Reg. vii What house will you bild for me sayeth the lorde which is the place of my reste Did not my haÌ„des make all these thinges The Pope his adhereÌ„tes saye that he dwelleth in this place aÌ„d that place / the fryers say we have hiÌ„ / you must bye him of vs the monkes saye / he is with vs / be good to oure monasterye / and you shall besure to have him Aâ—â—â—o runne the selye soules from Herode to Pilate But they finde not christe / for he dwelleth in no place but in the harte of a faithfull man / which is the verye temple of god j. Corin. iij Actuum xvij lxxvij Christes Apostle Paule sayeth We ought not to thinke that God is like gold / silver / karved stones / or any soch thinge as man imageneth The Pope and his adherentes saye that he is like a stocke and a stone / and cawseth men to make images of him / Exodi xx though God commaunded contrarye saynge Thou shalt make no graven image / nother eny maner of similitude af those thinges which are in heven above or on the erth beneth Nother of tho thinges which are in the water / â—â— vnder the erth / nother shalt thou honour or worshupe them Ioan. v. Good christen be ware of these idolles as sainct Iohan councelleth the / truly I thinke it be one of the greatest cawses of this excecation which God hath sente in to the world for synne Ioan. j lxxviij Christ sayed vnto peter / thou are Simon the sonne of Iona / thou shalt be called Cephas which if it be enterpreted signifyeth a stone as sancte Iohanne sayeth in his gospell The Pope sayeth tha◠〈…〉 the hedde / of that gade◠〈…〉 of all the Busshopes / here 〈…〉 contrarye to gospell which ex◠〈…〉 â—phas to be a stone what impu◠〈…〉 I thinke he wold saye also that an 〈…〉 â—re a man yf he thought 〈◊〉 â—â—â—e eny 〈…〉 â—ge thorow it There are infinite other thinges 〈◊〉 he coÌ„traryeth Christ in so moch that if it be diligently / examined I thinke there is no word that Christ spake / but that other he hath taughte or made a lawe againste it How be it for to avoyde rediousnes / we shall leve theÌ„ vnto your awne iudgement / for they are sone serched out and espyed Iudge Christen reader all these thinges with a simple eye / be not parcyallye addicre to the one nor to the other / But Iudge them by the scripture And knowlege that to be the truthe which goddes worde doth alowe / avoydinge all other doctrine for it springeth of Sathan / be not ashamed to confesse poore Christ and to take him for thy hed before these ravenous wolfes / for then shall he confesse the agein before his father the Angelles in hevin Math. x. Then shalt thou be enheritoure with iesu christ / And the faithfull 〈…〉 is in heveÌ„ / to whoÌ„ 〈…〉 â—ye Amen 〈…〉 â—orâ— in the lande of Hes◠〈…〉 .xij. day of Iulye / An 〈…〉 â—o â–ª 〈◊〉 â—CC xxix 〈◊〉 Hans 〈…〉 luft ¶ The â—autes 〈…〉 The .iiij. leffe / syde .i. lin◠〈…〉 Read rightewesnes Lef iiij sy i. line xxviij sor◠〈…〉 Lef v. sy i. line i. perefct R◠〈…〉 Leff v. sy i. line xxiiâ— suâ—â—e◠〈…〉 Leff v. sy i. lin◠〈…〉 Leff v. sy ij l◠〈…〉 Leff v. sy ij line xx◠〈◊〉 â—â—ng rea◠〈…〉 Leff v. sy ij line xxx fulfill / read f◠〈…〉 Leff vi sy i. line vj. ge read he 〈…〉 Leff vij sy i. line xxiij writhen / read 〈…〉 Leff viij sy i. line xiiij subornesse / reâ—â—bornesse Leff viij sy i. line xxvij sewed / read shâ— Leff viij sy i. line .xxviij. false / read flase Leff viij sy ii line .xxx. le / read the Leff xxiiii sy ii line .ij. clamie / read claime Leff xxv sy ij line .xv. halspeny / read halfâ—â—â— peny Leff xxxij sy ij line .xij. kingdoÌ„e / read kiâ—dome Leff xxxv sy.i line xxv futhe read frute Leff xxxviij sy i. line / xxxi derlare / rea dâ—clare Leff xli sy ij line .xv. away te / read awaytâ— Leff xlii sy ii line .xxxi. disanunlleth / reâ—â— disanulleth Leff xlvi sy ij line.xx countersed / read â—â—terfeted Leff xlvi sy ij line .xxij. hey / read they 〈…〉 saying / read sayin 〈…〉 〈…〉 â—v thye / read they 〈…〉 xix face / read face 〈…〉 c. â— accordin he / read acc◠〈…〉 â—d / read mony◠〈…〉 〈…〉 â—q lin◠〈…〉 read strength 〈…〉 sy ij liâ—e â—â— dothe / read bothe 〈…〉 ij sy ij line v. excommunicat / read â—icatte 〈…〉 xiiij sy ij line xvij comprsâ—on / read â—sion 〈…〉 xxix sy ij line i. to be laboreth / read laâ—h to be 〈…〉 lxxxvi sy i. line xij inennes / read menâ—s â—eff lxxxvij sy i. line xiij noth / read not / â—th / read with