¶ AN HOLSOME Antidotus or counterpoysen agaynst the pestylent heresye and secte of the Anabaptistes newly translated out of latiÌ„ into Englysh by Iohn Veron Senonoys PriÌ„cipiis obsta sero medicina para tur CuÌ„ mala per loÌ„gas inualuere moras Vidiego quod fuerat primo sana bile vulnus Dilatum longae damna tuâ—â—sse mora â–ª TO THE MOST REDOVBTED prynce Edwarde by the grace of god Duke of Somerâ—et Lorde Protector of all the Kynges maiestes realmes subiectes and dominions and gouernor of his most totall persoÌ„ health prosperite eÌ„crease of honor heauenly knowleg frome god y â— father through out lorde and sauiour Iesu Christ So bett THE blesed aposttle saynte Paule in y â— xx chapiter of the actys callynge together all the senyours or prestes at a place and towne called Myletum dyd speake vnto theÌ„ after this maner Take ye hede to your selfs to aâ— the flock ouer the which the holly gost hath put you ouer seers to feade the congregation of god which he purchasyd with his owne blood for I know this wel that after my departynge shall enter in greuous wolfes a monge you which shall not spare the flock And euen of your selfes shall a ryse meÌ„ speakyng peruerse thin ges to drawe dyscyples after them etc. Here most myghtye prynce dyd that choseÌ„ elected vessell of god describe most liuely the wicked and peruerse nature of false seditious herytyckes that studye for nowght elles but to deuid and seperate the churche to gette vnto them disciples to scater dissipate the flocke of y â— most bountuous sheaperde Iesu christe to sowe discorde teach peruerse thinges etc. Which thynge truely dyd chaunce in the primatyue churche euen in the tymes of y â— a postelles to the great hynderance and let of the gosspell of Christe for where so euer the apostells and dysciples of oure sauyour had preachyd y â— kyngdome of god and with greate peane and labour had brough the people from theyr superstytious and vngodly wayes in to the waye of the truthe there dyd breake in certayne false prophetes and false a postelles also with there peruerse and hypocriticall doctryne subuertynge the myndes of them that w t ioyfull hartes had receyued the glade tidynges of saluatinÌ„ delyueraunce These ar they y â— for their bealies sake dyd as a stormy wyndy teÌ„pest trouble y â— peace vnite of y â— church sekiÌ„g their owne glori and promotioÌ„ imagynyng alwaies myscheffe in their hartes how thei coulde gette vnto them selfs by theyr pestiferous blandiloqueÌ„ce and venymed flatterynge tonges moste shamefully and vntruly preferryng them selfs vnto the true a postlles and discyples of our lorde a perpetuall name memorye Agaynst them dyd y â— apostelles and speacially saynt Paule whome we maye right well call the standard bearer of our Chrysten religion wrytte very ernestly callyng them antichristes false prophetes and pseudoapostills callyng them euell workmen enemyes of the crosse and passion of christ as it appereth more euydently in the actys and in the epystylls that they haue wrytten and sent to sondrye and many churches to arme and fense y â— flock of christ agaynst such rauenyng wolfs Yet not w tstondynge after the departyng of the a postells that is to saye after y â— god had done hys blessed wyll w t them accordynge to the commen course of nature these false prophetes dyd so preualle agaynst the true doctryne of christ y â— in a maner these xii hunderd yeares fewe or none durst speake the truthe For as soone as any man by y â— inspiration and gyft of the holy gost dyd begyne in those dayes to preache the gosspell purely sincerely to the great glorye of god and edyfyeng of the church defending with the swerd of the spiritee that libertee and fryedome that christ with hys precyous bloode hath purchassyd vnto vs dyd not these hypocrites bryng all the world in to thraldome puttyng vpoÌ„ christeÌ„ menes neckes heauear â—urdeÌ„s of humayne traditious and ceremoniall dreames thaÌ„ euer dyd the Iues beare whiche as saynt Augustyne sayth though they knew not the tyme of liber tye yet not w tstandyng war lodid and burdoned not with meÌ„s presumptions but with y e burdens of the law onely by and by was he as a false heriticke or as he that hath kyllyd bothe father and mother most cruely put to death In so muche that the yearthly prynces whome with theyr abhomynabyll dysscimulation they had gotten on theyr sede blyndynge and poyseynynge them most subtillye craftely with the golden cuppe of y e purplyd hore of Babylone thought that they dyd a greate sacryfyce vnto god whan with all the tirannye that coulde be for these belys sake murthered and persequuted them whome god had choseÌ„ and sent to shewe vnto them the waye of truthe saluation But blessed be that bontuous lorde which hath not suffered the prynces whome by hys diuine prouidence he hath made ordoned to be supreme gouernors of hys church immedyatly vnder hym though by y â— tyrannicall power of those false prophetes antichristes they ware put by that superyorytye a greate whyle to erre and bee deceued any loÌ„ger but dyd most mercyfull opeÌ„ their eyes to loke vpon that comfortable sonne of ryghtuosnes and lyght of the truthe y â— they myghte in these thyk darkenessys of thys wretched worlde be gydes vnto hys people to bryng them out of the egypte of ignorannycye and so leade them through y â— parylous desertes into y â— land of promiscion For the which thynges we are all greatly bounde to gyue dayly and hourley immortall thaÌ„ckes vnto god and specially that of hys bountuous mere goodnes he hath gyuen vnto vs such of noble coragious prince which now in his tender years is so delegentli brought vp iÌ„ all godlynes vertuous learning that he hereafter as a nobyll Salomon shall w t all prudence and godly wysdome not onely shed the blode of them that dyd shede the innocent bloode but also buylde vp myghtely the temple of the liuing god Which thyng as dauyd in y â— olde lawe so nowe oure moste vyctoryus prynce Henrye the eyghte the father of this oure sofuerayne lorde kyng Edwarde the syxte wolde had done if god had not dysposed otherwyse with hym But thanckes be to god that he hath so well prepared all thynges before hys death and that he hath w t y â— tow edgged sworde of the spiritee cutted a waye alredy the bushes thornes and brembles that shuld had letted the buyldyng of the temple makyng the ground euen by abbatynge the pryde of these false a posteles and puttyng awaye by litell and litell the rubbyshe of vngodly traditions and vayne ceremonis Which thyng wyl be no smal spurre vnto our most sofuerayne lord kyng Edward the syxt to performe and bryng to prosperous and ioyfull ende that which hys louyng father hath begonne so godly And I doubte not but now god wyllynge who
neuer for saketh hys true and faythfull seruantes though to trye theyr fayth for a tyme and season suffereth theÌ„ to be persequuted all thynges shall be done to y â— glory of god and greate conforte of y e louing subiectes of thys noble and floryshyng realme Among whom as we may easely prâ—ceyue by theyr dylygent and greadye comyng to the churches whan they heare of any sermon and preachyng is falleÌ„ now a great hunger and thrist not of thys materyall breaed and drincke but of the lyuely worde of god But alas in stede of y â— heaueÌ„ly breade y â— feadeth to euerlasting lyfe they be deluded w t blind dome ceremones Which thing I trust not loÌ„g shal coÌ„tynew in christes churche where y e word of god onely should reygne and w tout y â— which purely sincerly preached is no church but a deÌ„ of theues Excepte I saye these vanytes and pestyferous inuetions of men be vtterly baÌ„nyshed a waye it is more lyke the carnall temple of the Iues in whose Synagoges Moyses the prophetes war reade euery Sabothe daye without fayle than the church of christe But now sith that it hath pleased god whoe lokynge mercyfully vpon the affliction of his people hath sent the 〈…〉 myghtye deliuerer to enhaunce and make your grace not onely hygh protector defendour of this noble contrey of England but also a faithfull ouerseer of y â— buylding of this spirituall temple which is the church of the lyuyng god that with hys precious bloode he dyd washe from all spote blote and macule to tryuÌ„phe with hym euerlastyng lyfe in hys heauenly kyngdome and y â— towarde the same buyldyng as in the olde lawe towarde the settyng vp of y â— tabernacle some men dyd offer gold some syluer some precyous stones some a gayne dyd offer purple scarlet and sylkes I thoughte accordyng to my pouer abylytye be cause I coulde offer none of y â— aboue reherced thyngs to offer at lest either some vyle gotes skynes or some ledde to couer thys spirituall temple and to keape the rayne and foule weather frome that gorgyous and goodly ornamentes that other men accordyng to their ryche pregnant wytts haue abundantly offered It is so that otherwhyles for lacke of good couerture many fayre goodli places well gorgyously trym med w tin and decked plesantly with gold asure and precious stones doo fall in shorte space in to great dekaye by reason of the rayne y â— falleth in Lykwyse yf a remydye be not prouyded that the churche of god and celestyall Ierusalem whiche is now almost buyldyd vp agayn and through reparated by our godly Nehemias may be feÌ„sed against y â— tempestuous heresis of the Anabaptistes whyche where soeuer the truthe dothe spryng and begynneth to come a brode do breake in infectyng the myndes of y e rude and symple people with pernitious detestable opinioÌ„s surely therof as afore of the doctryne of y e papistes great coÌ„uenieÌ„tes must neades folow Many townes cytyes in Germany and in the Sussynres lande where the word of god dyd florish goodly affore ware cleane subuertyd by thys abhomynable secte of y e Catababtistys for they ware called anabaptistys because y t they ware autors of rebaptization or babtizyng agayne and Catabaptistys because y t they dyd speake and hold oppynyon agaynst the baptime of childreÌ„ in so muche y t they had almoste extynguysshed the gosspell ther as it is more euydently shewed in y e workes of certain famous clerkes of Germanie Heluetia Whiche incomoditie and hurte that it maye not chanÌ„ce hereafter in this illustre victorius realme of England I haue accordyng to my small learnyng enterprised to translate out of latin in to englyshe a litell treatie that y e famous clerke Henry Bullinger hathe afore wrytten in the Germanysh tongue and after was translatid into latin by Leo Inde byshope of Tigure agaynste the pestiferous venime of the Anababtistes Wherein the false and pernicious oppinions of these antichristes are so clerkely both by scriptures and also good learnynge confuted â–ª that it is impossible where such bokes shall be dilygently perâ—syd and reade that this cursyd heresie shulde take any place This shall be therfore an holsoÌ„e Antidotus or conterpoyson agaynst suche pestilent doctrines Which I dooe most humbly offer dedicate vnto your grace as vnto hym that wyll with all his myght and godly power see that the worde of god shall be euerie where pureiy and sincerly preachyd that as a tender father wolde be full lothe also y t any suche erronious doctryne shoulde creepe in to infecte the louinge and faithfull subiectes of thys realme desyrynge and moste mekely besichynge youre grace to accepte this my rude labour which I haue bestowed in translating this fyrste boke beinge alwayes readie at your graces commandement to translate the other .iii. as sone as god will gyue me grace who of his infinite bountuousenesse preserue your grace and al the noble counseil of England long to continue in loue welth prosperitee in our lorde and sauiour Iesu Christe to whoÌ„ be praise honour and glory world without ende AMEN By your humble and poore oratour Iohn Verone The fyrste boke againste the errours of the Auababtistes diuided into dialogues wherof the enterloquutors are Ioiada who representeth the true christen man â–ª Symon that taketh the Auababtistes parte How that the worlde is easisy deceiued and brought to diuision by fass doctrine Ioiada THat truely whiche the wise men of the heathen dyd complayne vpon saiyng that al mortal men are exceadyng studiouse of new thynges appeareth now to bee true in so muche that thei doe suffer them selues wilfully to be begyled and vtterly spoyled by shameful and abhominable impostours deceauers so that thei be commended with hypocrisy and vaine blandiloquence or flatteryng although this thing if any man shulde esteme it after humaine reason is by it selfe bothe myserable and full of horrour yet notwithstondyng it owght most of all to be lamented among vs Christen men whiche haue sure and definite shorte and moste approued groundes or foundacions bothe of our faithe and of our lyuyng wher vpon we may surely leine and truste not suffryng our selues thus to be caried about and tossed to and fro by suche erroneouse persons But surely our synnes infidelitie do deserue it whiche dooe heare daiely the worde of god but do not receiue it with a true herte sekyng I can not tell what other thyng beside the glorie of god and true innocencie of lyfe Therfore are we deseruyngly gyuen in to a reprobate mynde and in to all kynde of filthinesse and abhominacion Symon Lo I set the man whome I haue loked for agreate whyll But is it he in dede whome I see comynge hetherward to mete me or not I wyll speke vnto hym God spede moste wellbeloued brother Arte thou not Ioiada with whome I dyd familyarly lyue in the citie of Lyons Tell me I praie the
own that is to say howses and possessions and moreouer maye liue of the gospell THat the Anababtistes ar so enuious and do imagine al wayes and forge calumniacions and lyes who dooeth not see that it commeth of a hatered that they haue against the preachers of the gospell that they may crepe in and aduaunce theÌ„ selues eâ—tenuatyng therfore the faythfulnes and fidelitee of the sheapeheardes before the commons because they may the better bee beleued them selues CHristen men whiche are ryghtfully chosen may w t out any offeÌ„ce of god be are rule sith that power is the mynister of god THis power is not onely profitable but also necessarie for christen men therfore we must be obedient vnto it according to the doctrine of christ Peter and Paule THey which wyll not be obedient to the common magistrates and rulers or do resist against them doyng them at any tyme wrong and reproch fulnes be not christen men but Sanlonites THei that refuse to make laufull othes vnto the publike rulers do manyfestlye against the wyl of god beyng autours of sedicion and all dysobedience THe magistrate and rewler hath the sworde from God wherwith he may smite the malefactours and shed the blud of wicked dooers that both the malefactours may be punysshed and the good and righteous liue surely among the wicked THe libertie of a christen maÌ„ is not carnall they therefore that in the gospell do seke carnall thynges and fleshly are the fellowes of Symon Magus VVe doe not learne in y â— gospell that we shuld pay neither rentes nor tithes but that we ought to paie our debtes vnto whom so euer we owe any thyng THe administracioÌ„ of bodily thynges doeth perteâ—ue to y â— magistrates rulers whiche doe christen men lyke whan thei doe after this rule what so euerye will that men doe vnto you doe the same vnto other VVho so euer kepeth this law rule may be and remayne stil a christen man though he receiueth bothe rentes and tithes These articles haue I here put generally because that a great parte of y â— Anababtistes do hold against them â–ª for I know y â— it is impossible y t any man should reherse al their errours sith y t thei be iÌ„finit w tout number For it is no meruel y t thei do fall from one errour into an other seyng y t thei haue not y e same spirite of truthe Whiche thyng causeth y t so dyuerse contrary sectes do aryse among them that the one doeth condemne and excommunicate the other Symon If thou haddest rehersed these articles before them thou couldest not haue done it w tout a 〈…〉 and sharpe answere Ioiada I haue proued my Symon and that a greate whyle a go their poysoned and v 〈…〉 d hertâ—s and tounges bothe ready to all kynd of reuyling and opprobriousues and also more bytter than is any worme wode wher by any man maye coniecte and knowe of what spirite these phaÌ„tastical felowes doe speake But reade thou the thryde chapiter of the epystell of saincte Iames and thou shalte knowe that I saye true Symon I praie the that thou wylt reherse out of this chapiter the thinges y t moste chyefly doe for our pourpose Ioiada These are the wordes of the apostel Who is wyse and endued with knolage amonge you Let hym shewe by his good conuersacion his workes with a gentell wysdome If so be that ye haue bytter enuye and contencion in your hertes dooe not ye boaste of it nor be liers againste the truth For that wisdome is not connyng from aboue but yerthly beastelyke and deauelyshe For where tnuye and contentacion is ther is incoÌ„stancie and wicked workes But the wisedom whiche is from heauen or from aboue first is chaste after peasible meake tretable full of mercie and of good fruites withoute rache or vnaduised iudgement and simulacion Hitherto haue we rehersed the wordes of Iames. Ponder and iudge now whether the holy Apostle did not liuelye describe the fashions and doctrin of the Anababtistes For what do they els but ineth and rayle against other men and that of a despitefull enuye and bitternes oppressing theÌ„ w t preiudicial seÌ„tence and iudgemeÌ„t Sy. They promesse to make an aunswere before any manne and to geue a reasonable accoumpt of their doctrine and learnyng Moreouer that they wyll suffer them selues patiently to be conuicted of errour Ioiada Why dooe they promesse that whiche thei wil neuer perfourm Thou thy selfe haste knowen manye to saye the truthe they doe all of a pretudiciall sentence stiflie and with great pertinacy staÌ„d in their owne oppinions which saied that thei ware sufficieÌ„tly tawght dyd knoledge their erroure and offered them selues to recante yea and dyd forswere their errour And by and by as sone as they ware come to their complyces or felowes thei dyd renewe their heresee and against their othe and all honestye besyde dyd obstinatly defende it What should we doe with suche men Paule sayeth Shunne thou an heretyke after that thou hast warned hym oÌ„es or twyse Their doctrine therfore is a certaine pertenax contention and bitter wysdome suche as Saynt Iames doeth descrybe Symon In the meane season they wyll neuer graunt thy conclusions to be true Ioiada This is that I saye thei be more styfe more obstacle thaÌ„ doeth be come any christeÌ„ men to be But thou that haste lyued most famylyarly w t them knowest wel and perfitly their foundacions where vpon they grounde them selues Symon No Anababtyst better Ioiada I wolde therfore my Symon that thou shouldest now dispute agaynst my conclusions as the Anababtistes are wonte to doe but without stomake and conteÌ„cion I wyll endeuoure my selfe to corroborate and streingthen them with holy scripures and to proue that they be true Sym. Be it as thou saiest For I desire to be taughte Thou shalte haue me also obediente so that I may vnderstande and perceiue y t thy doctrine and teachyng is true ⧠The third treatie or dialoge How that the spirite which repugneth agaynst the spirite that speaketh in the scriptures is not from the father of truth but from the father of lyes the deuels Symon Fyrste and formost I dooe meruell what moueth the to put this conclusioÌ„ where as after myne oppynion and iudgmeÌ„t it is no nede therof Ioiada But it semeth vnto me to be verye necessarye For manie of the Anababtistes doe boaste I can not tel what spirite and father agaynste the manyfest scriptures For whan they perceiue them selues to bee ouer comed with holye scriptures and so holden in that they can by no waye escape by and by they crye oute sayeng that the spiritee teacheth them an other thyng that is to saye eyther to holde theyr peace or to speake forthe some tryflyng matter â–ª and that they bee neyther subiecte ne bound to the litterall sense or letter In the which thyng they dooe no lesse erre than the doctoures of the bysshope of Rome which in matters of fayth wyll
gladly but I wil first confute that which thou bryngest of the learned of the symple For it is not conuenient that I shulde passe ouer these thynges vnspoken sithe that therwith ye doe blynd the eyes of the simple and rude people The .iiii. treatie or dialoge touchynge simplicitee and erudicion Symon IS this to blynde the eies of the symple rude people Chryste hym selfe did saie so when he gaue thankes vnto his father because y â— he hath reuelated shewed such high godly and diuine misteries not to the wises but to the litell ones to the simple Ma. xi And againe he did not chose learned men but simple and idiots to be his apostels .i. Cor. i. Therfore we haue no neede of great learnyng but the simpler that any man is the more apte is he to this office Ioiada It is manifeste and euident that ye vnderstonde not the woordes of Chryst For if by the symple he shulde vnderstond them that lacke wisedome and learnynge for so ye expounde the wordes of Christ truely no man shulde be more apt than fooles and diserdes whiche be in dede ignoraunt in all maner of thinges But euery man dooeth see that it is against al reason to thinke any such thyng Therfore Christ vnderstondeth by simplicitee an other thyng Symon Tell you what it is Ioiada He is called a symple man not he that is without witte without reason and wisdome but he whiche is playne and sincere and without fraude he whiche is good and true inwardly in his herte beynge without crafte and deceit Elles it woulde come to passe that euery man shoulde defende his errour by ignorancie Whiche thyng what coulde be elles but a carnall malice or libertee wherby euery man woulde begynne and goe about to boaste and sette forthe hs ignorancie and therewith to defende his errours Who did euer see suche temerarious audacitee as these shamefull rennegates dooe vse that with theyr ignorancie and rudenesse dare defende any thynge By ignorauncy truely errours are detected and not confyrmed Symon Yet the apostels were ignoraunt and vnlearned nor we dooe not reade that Chryst did choose any that were learned Ioiada Truely thei were endued with such simplicitee as we haue spoken of afore But they were not vnlerned and ignoraunt For they were familiarly coÌ„uersant with Chryste aboue three yeares w t Christ I say in whom are all y â— treasures wisdoÌ„ of knowlage yea which is hymself y t eternal wisedome of y â— heauenly father Of this fountaine draÌ„ke they abundantly by this maister wer thei instituted and tawght and at lengthe were so endued and illuminated with the holy ghost that they were â—unnynge in all tonges scriptures That may be sene bothe by their writyngs and also by theyr actes As for that that thou denaiest y â— christ did call none whiche were learned doest thou not repugne here agaiÌ„st y â— manifest truthe Paull was excedyngly well lerned Barnabas Gamaliell Nicodedemus Apollo y â— Alexandrian were great clerkes That in the meane season I shulde passe ouer all the other that is to saie Moises whiche was learned in al the sciences of the Egipcians Steauen Esaie Timothe loke better vpon the .xiii. chap. of the first epistel to the Corinthians and vpon the first chap. of the epistell to Citus and thou shalt fynde what erudicion and learnynge an ouerseer or bisshoppe ought to haue Therfore these arrogant presumptuous Anababtistes can not excuse nor defende their impudent ignorancie by simplenes but that it is alredy manifest vnto the world y t they are geuen into a reprobate sence as thei that be not ashamed to boast and to set forth vnto all men their ignorancie in stede of good learnynge as though children do not smel alredy their craft subtiltee But in y â— meane seasoÌ„ no man ought thus to interprete our saiynges as though we shuld speake here of them that are falsely called learned men For we speake of such as haue ben taught by god to the glory of god Of whom there were many in the primitiue churche as PaÌ„tonus Tertulian Cyprian Lactantius Augustine and many other Sy Thou speakeste with good reasoÌ„ For we ought not to think that Chryste did commend such simplicitee wherby the vnconnynger that a man is the bolder he shoulde be As many whiche though thei can scarsely reade y â— vulgare tonge yet not withstandyng doe without shame ingerate thrust them selues in to y â— office of preachers stamering most foolysshely in the common pulpit But because thei shulde not be founde to bee ignoraunt in some thyng they begyn first to excuse their ignorancie with such woordes Be not ye offended obretherne that I am ignorant and vnlearned For the father doeth manifest hym selfe to the symple and vnlerned Finally seyng that Christe doeth promesse to his disciples suche wisedome and eloquence that their aduersaries should not be able to withstond it where as on the contrary part these men doe recken their ignorancie to be a glorious thyng vnto them I mai easily perceiue that these are not suche simple persons as Chryste doeth speake of but rather such as doe clothe them selues in sheapes skinnes faining them selues to be sheapes but inwardely within theyr hertes are rauenyng wolues But now I praye the to take that awaye quickely whyche offendeth me in the seconde conclusion ⧠The .v. treatie or dialoge Of the vocacion and office of preachers againste them that ingerate them selues beynge vncalled Ioiada AS for that that thou gatherest by this coÌ„clusion y â— so it shulde not be iaufull for euery man to speake and talke of god thou goest far out of the waie and doest not vn derstond my saiynges I speake of common preachyng and not of priuate communicacion or talke For he that taketh vpon hym to be a common preacher not being called doeth rauen as he that maketh hym selfe by his owne authoritee a kyng or gouernour makyng callyng together a particuler Senate or counseill beginneth thus of his owne heade to rule and administrate the common welthe commaunding and forbiddyng what so euer pleaseth him Truly no man can dooe this but y t he shal be accused not onely of folishenesse disobedience but also of tumultee and high treason Elles we do not denaie but y t euery man maie talke of god yea maie synge of him accordyng to y e doctrine of Paule .iiii. Ephesy And the more y t it is done the better we alow it But to separate him self froÌ„ y â— church to seke woods corners there to assemble a company to institute ordein sectes and to take vpon them selues beyng vncalled vnsent the office of preachers not onely it hath no example in y â— holy scriptures but hath ben iudged and condemned alwais as heretikall But we will now corroborate and strength these saiynges with holy scripture In the epist to the Rom. x. chap. Paule teacheth after this maner who so