in his owne cursed deuycis and also fast fetered in the bandes of his offēces and so was this cursed Caine. Thus by disobediēce sinne so much encresed that god repented the creacion of man determining that he for the punishment of sinners woulde destroye the whole worlde and so God dyd eayght persons Noe his wife his thre sonnes their wyues onelye excepted We do reade also that when Loth was commaūded to depart from Sodome with hys wife and daughters he was forbydden of God that he nor any of them shoulde loke behind theym but shoulde go forwarde to that city whych God had a poynted him to euyll in yet Loth his wyfe beīg sumthynge lyke vnto Eue the wyfe of Adam contrary to goddes cōmaundement dyd loke backe vp on the two cityes of Sodome Gomorra and she for her disobediēce was tourned into a pillar of salte and soo remayneth for our example to this daie When Moyses also was sente by God vnto Pharao Kinge of Egipte for the diliueraūce of the peculiar people of God Pharao wold not heare hym wherefore God saide vnto Moyses I wyll harden Pharos hert for that he is dysobedient vnto my voyce and I wyll multiply miracles in the lande of Egipte and so God did ther eate breade nor dryncke water therefore shall not thy bodye come into thy Fathers graue And it came to pas that as he was goinge from Bethelem to Iuda he was deuoured in the wai with a greuous Liō Here mighte somethyng also be spoken of the great foly and disobedience that was in Achab and howe obstinatlye he did refuse to heare the true Prophets of God Doing euyl in the sight of God more then al they whyche were before hym kynges ouer Israel For he thoght it but a small thynge too walke in the sinnes of Ieroboam so that hee dyd more to prouoke God vnto wrathe then all the kinges that before him werein Israel Wee haue also a notable example of the Prophet Ionas who beyng called of God to go vnto Niniue to preach hys worde and also to tel them in what short time their citie if they dyd not repent them selues shuld be destroyed yet Ionas not hauyng the hart of Moises did flee frō the voyce and face of God preparing hym selfe to go another way but god preuenting him in his iorney so ordained that whē Ionas was vpon the Sea there arose such a wonderfull tempest that all y t were in the shyp thoughte that God had forsaken them And vntyll the Prophete Ionas by the mariners was cast into the sea the tēpest seased not and assone as they had throwen Ionas into y e see the weather was fayre and calme Anotable example worthye of all christen mē to be noted for y t it teacheth vs that god doth not suffer anye one sparke of dysobedience in man to skape vnponyshedde althoughe the offence to some man maye seme but small yea euen in those which god tenderly loueth as he did this good Prophete Ionas Nowe as we haue hearde by diuers examples of scripture what dysobediente people were amonge the peculiar people of god So it is to be asked whether the lyke example haue bene in practyse among vs of this realme or no or whether in these oure dayes there hath bene amonge vs suche or rather the same māner of proud and dysobedyente people which as before you haue harde was amonge the peculyar people of God ▪ dyd not our late pretensed bishopes as Lucifer before had done presume to sytte in Godes seate proudly speakinge against god blasphemīg his holy name dispisynge hys tabernacle and holy sainctes that dwell in heauen teaching in the Churche of God the wicked doctrine of Sathan and as the Prophet saith seaced not to vnhallow the saīctuary of truth to put downe the dayely offeringe and to set vppe the abhominable desolacion whyche was the seasinge of the veneration of the body and blod of Christe in the blessed Sacrament of the aulter the takyng awaye oure holye fastynges holye feastes and holye prayinge too Saynctes Thus these dysceytefull Prophetes as sayeth oure Lorde made speedye haste but I appointed theym not they Ranne a greate pase but I sente them not they preached fast but not out of my spirit therfore wyth false title and corrupt entencion they haue entred whose rewarde and Iudgement shalbe euerlasting fier Otherwyse also haue wee not had amonge vs such other lyke tēporal Lucifers as cold not be contented and plesed wyth such estate and honour as theyr drad souerayne had called thē vnto but rather desired as Lucifer did in their heartes to aspyre to the Imperiall state of this Realme Agayne haue we had no Caimes trowe you y ◠hath not let to seeke the bloude of iust Able his brother Maye it not be asked howe many iust Ables in oure daies haue suffered for the vnitye of Christes Catholicke Church in this Realme the cruell deathe of Marterdome I meane not here of those late Heretickes that latelye haue beene iustly burned for their heresies as Hoper Rogers Ridlei Latimer Crāmer such lyke but I mene of those which haue suffered for the vnitie of the Catholycke churche of Christe as dyd that holy father Docter Fysher sometyme Byshop of Rochester and Sirre Thomas More sumetyme Chaunceler of thys Relme Docter Powel Fetherstone Reinoldes Rochester Newdigat w t many other notable lerned mē after thē How many Lothes wiues haue wee had in thys Realme that haue not onely tourned their heartes frō the rules of obedience but also haue tourned their hearts from y ◠sincere fayth of the vniuersal Catholycke churche of chryste from the true vnderstandyng of hys worde Haue wee not also hadde amonge vs Chore Dathan and Abyram whyche dysobedyentlye haue gathered theyin selfes together agaynste Moyses and Aron taking vpon thē to bring in to the churche of God a newe deuised seruīg of god newly inuēted of thē selues instructinge the multitude to dispise and forsake their trewe Moises and Aron and to folowe them as sent of God to teache O vnhappye and Cursed dyscyples of Antychrist how haue you bewitched y ◠people of this worthy realme y t many of vs to cōforme their heresies had rather at this day burne and dye wyth the dyuill then to ryse wyth Moyses and lyue with Christe Heare some wil aske what is meaned by our forsaking Moises I answere y t our forsakinge of Moises was when we by the false perswasiō of Chore Dathā and Abiram disobediently fell from our mother stay coūceller of our faith the Churche of Rome so were deuided frō y e flocke vnitie of y e Catholyke church of god our forsakynge or puttinge Aarō to silence was when oure faythful and obedient bishops were persecuted and imprisoned for the Catholicke faithe as was the good Bishop Athanasius amōg the Arriens whiche was of thē most persecuted for hys constant
not youre heartes as yourâ— fathers did in the wildernes In thys wyse GOD alwayeâ— did speake vnto his people froâ— tyme to tyme by the mouthe 〈◊〉 â—ys holy Prophetes and thereâ—ore the Prophets of the old law â—re properlye called the voice of GOD. And nowe in the time of â—he newe lawe whyche is the â—ime of grace the holye fathers â—nd preachers of Christes Caâ—holicke churche are also called â—he Church voyce of God for Christ speaking to the fathers preachers of his visible knoâ—eÌ„ church whiche is his voice â—oth sai who y t hereth you heareth me Thys church the voice of God teacheth all trueth and this churche is builded vpon the stronge rocke whiche is Christ Then for asmuch as we haue a longe tyme tourned oure eyes from the voice of the visible Catholicke churche of God and disobediently haue folowed the cursed and vnknowen churche of Sathan whose prophets prech lies and vanities leading soules into euerlastynge darckenes it is meter therfore that we whyche I feare do muche yet fauour the same shoulde heare what Christe speaketh of that cursed church Take hede sayeth Christ that no man deceiue you for iâ— the perilous time many fals prophetes shall come in my name sayinge that I am Christe and shal deceiue mani Be ye not coÌ„panions of them sayeth saynctâ— Paule whyche throughe Ipocresy fashioÌ„ them selues like vnto the Disciples of Christe For they who hath not the spirite of Christ althoughe they preacheâ— Christ be not of Christ therfore good countrey menne whych a long time obstinately and dysobediently haue forsaken our mother the Catholycke Churche let vs beware of that disceytefull and dysobediente churche of Antichrist Which standeth and is sette in the rotten marrysh of disobedience where it maye not be seene by the lyght of the daye but in the misty night of darcknes and obediently abidynge in the feare of God folowe our loâ—ynge mother the Catholycke churche for it is wrytten he is â—lessed that obediently walketh â—n the feare of God And agayn The feare of God is the begynâ—inge of wisdome and worcketh â—n mans harte humble obedieÌ„s The lacke whereof amonge vs â—ath been the only cause of oure â—all from the vnitye of Christes churche deseruing therfore and for oure ingratitude the greate displeasure of almightye God whiche nowe wee finde beynge daili scorged with mani diuers and sundrye plages not nedefull at thys tyme to be named or rehersed Yf wee therefore woulde open our eyes to that ende that wee whyche nowe are noted throughe all the worlde for oure singularitie to be a people of al others most froward against the true knowen churche of god our naturall Kyng Quene and Maiestrates myghte see oure owne fautes who alonge tyme as Dauyd sayeth haue bene a laughing stocke to al other couÌ„tries and nacions which aboue all other haue bene called Most victorious and also a countrie Moste beautifull of all welthy commodites planted wyth â— most cuiyll and obedient people and now called most sedicious rebellous and disobedient These thinges well considered what Englishe harte can but lamente to see howe far we nowe are from the felinge of these our wealthy commodities and also howe farre wee are in these out daies from that faythfull obedience whyche was among vs in the tyme of oure wealth Sence the which time many of vs haue not onely declared our selues in all our actes vnnatural and disobedient subiectes against oure moost vertuous Quene Quene Mary But also as I haue said against oure mother the catholike churche Wickedly deuising Iestynge and railinge againste al the holy Sacramentes of the same Forgettynge that whiche God wold vs to do seasyng not from these worckes whyche are euel as whordome aduoutrye hatred strife dyssencion sectes and suche like Whose reuenue finall rewarde is euerlastynge dethe And therfore the wise maÌ„ sayth my sonne auoid euil kepe thy selfe in the feare of God And the profite Dauid sayeth tourne from euell do good But what sayeth our cursed disobediente libertines eueÌ„ as Lucifer said among the AuÌ„gels in heauen perswadinge vs that they were the worthy pastors that oughte to syt in the seat of theapostels folowing therein the exaÌ„ple of the proud disobedient Lucifer and gouerner of their cursed church who proudly sayd I wil ascend be equal with the highest For whose presumpcion disobedieÌ„t miÌ„d not he only but al those auÌ„gels that to him did conseÌ„t werâ— cast down in to the daÌ„nable hel And if god therfore did not spare his aungels but for their transgression disobedience did caste them forth of heauen what deserueth then man whoÌ„ god hath made lyke vnto hym selfe for whose sake hee garnyshed the whole earthe wyth all maner of pleasaunte thynges and yet is disobediente against his Lorde God his annointed Sayncte Paule telleth vs the wrathe of God Whiche is an horible sayinge and yet it is most true as by exaÌ„ple when God had made Adam a parfyte man set hym in the pleasaunte garden of Paradise wherein was planted al manner of fruite delicyous too eate he sayde vnto Adam of all the fruit in the gardeÌ„ thou shalt eate one onely excepted whiche deth in the middest of the gardeÌ„ of that thou shalt not eat if thou eate therof thou shalt dy There was laid before Adam the blessing and the curse The blessyng if he were obediente the curse if he were not obediente so y e god did set before hym good euell to chose of theÌ„ whiche he would yet Adam for want of grace at fewe woordes to hym spoken by his wife Eue who before hadde conferred with the subtil serpeÌ„t chose that was euil and did eat of the fruite whereof God saide he should not eate disobediently brekynge therby the wyl commaundement of his Lord God whereby they bothe lost the original innocency which they had at their creacion they whyche before were most precyous and pure in the sight of god at now become before god hatefull and odious Thus by y e fals suggestion of the wily dysobedient serpent Man whiche was King Emperoure ouer all lost his soueraintie and so being ouerthro wen was caste into thys vale of miserable wrechednes and so became subiecte vnto death sinne and all other miseries and infirmities Sainct Paule therfore not forgetting the fal of Adam writteth to the Romaynes saying through the disobedience of one man many became sinners soo that dysobedience broughte sinne and sinne broughte deathe vnto Adam and hys hole posteritie Lyke wyse Cayne the first sonne of Adam hauinge a priuie hatred against his brother Abel maliciously slewe him contrarie to the will of hys Lorde God And for so doing he was also accoursed of God so that Cayne for hys disobedieÌ„ce was wrapped by his euyll fact in y â— chaine of his wickednes For it is wrytten the wycked disobedient man shalbe catched
whome the holye gost hathe made you ouer seers to rule y e church flocke of god the whiche he hath purchased with his bloud Marke here good countremen how ernestly saynt Paule speaketh of the auctoritie of the church calling them ouerseers and rulers of the company and faythefull which christe hath purchased w t his bloud furthermore I am sure saith saint Paule of this that after my departinge shall greuous wolues enter in amoÌ„g you not sparinge the flocke and also of youre owne selues shall menne aryse speaking peruerse thinges to draw disciples after them Haue not good contremeÌ„ the like Wolues entred among vs in this realme Grafting in the vyneyard of our lord thornes and brambles also drawing christes members from the true obedience and discipline of their mother y â— catholike church As of late manye hath rysen amonge vs in this realme and especially that presumpteous he retike Iohn Bale who hath taken no â—inale trauaïle to hinder through his abhominable heresies the glory of Christes gospel As it doth appeare by diuers and sundry bokes by him made and speciallye in his boke intiteled the vocacion of Iohn Balle to y e bishoprike of Ossery where he not a litle triumpheth of hys daungerous trauailes whyche he had in the same not shaming to compare himselfe with holy saincte Paul in troubles in labours in perill of shipe wracke in perill of the sea in perill of false brethreÌ„ in peril of pirates robbers and murtherers Thus whilest he is comparing himself with the holy Apostle lyke a mad harehead begynneth to say why shoulde I shrinke or bee ashamed to boste as the Apostle hath who as it appereth in the seconde to the Corinthians saieth he dyd boste of hys labours perils and troubles in the gospell And the lyke laboure and perilles had I in my Iorneye with no lesse trouble then he had from Ierusalem to Rome sauing that sayeth he we loste not our ship and in the .vii. lefe and on the lefte syde he sayeth I wryhte not this for that I would receiue prayse thereof But that I haue done it also to declare my most earnest reioice in the same god which by grace hath called me by persecucyon hath tried me and of fauoure hath most woÌ„derfully deliuered me Here Frier Bale beginneth craftely to perswade with the poore Christians that GOD hath deliuered him froÌ„ peril of death by miracle as thoughe he were called of god in these daies to set vp a light in his churche but as that notable here tyke terinthus did labour to put oute of the Churche of God the true lyght of the gospell in the time of the holy apostle Saint Iohn so doth that shameles freer laboure and trauaile all that he may lyke a false disciple to put forth himselfe to tread downe in these our dayes the true light of the gospell wherefore freer Bale where you saye that god woÌ„derfully hath deliuered you we Christiens would that you did vnderstande that we take your deliuerance from perils of your enemyes to be lyke as the common barratours doe stande by the highe waye syde to take and rob the true manne of hys goodes and after doth flee from towne to towne to saue themselues So doe we well vnderstande you to be a notable heretike a postata and runagate whereby you are compelled of necessite to runne with y e thefe or murtherer froÌ„ Citie to Citie and from contrie to contrie for the assuraunce of your lyfe but ondoutedly If you had been as you saye a true disciple of Christ and as felow lyke with Sainct Paule as you wryght your self to be when you by chaunce of wether were dryuen into Douer rode woulde lyke as Paule did at Philippus haue set youre fote on lande preached Christe but contrary wyse as you haue writteÌ„ in the xl lefe of your boke and on the lefte syde you were more desirous to sette youre hande to a bill of fyfty poundes more theÌ„ you were able to pay to that ende you myghte be set on lande in flaunders for that ye might â—aue spedye trauayle to the rest of your viperous brethren in Germany wheras ye saye you wer receaued with as muche reioyce of your myraculus deliueraunce as you terme it as was sainct Paule at Apiphorum of the Catholycke and christeÌ„ brethren thus this mad frantike fryer Bale in the myddest of his proude bostinges praisinge him selfe dothe saye If Helias that wether driuen runnagate remayne nowe in a foren lande I pray thee gentyll reader marke here how he hitteth here the nayle on the head of a false lying frier is becom in this one point a true tale teller naming him selfe â–ª Helias w t this addiscion that wether driuen runnagates so hathe he brought hymselfe from the fellowship of saint Paule to be as he is a runnagate and fellowe with the vnplacable enemies of Christes Churche and companion with Cerinthus the enemye of trueth And in the conclusyon of hys Booke the. xliiii leafe and on the lefte syde also he hathe diuers comparysones betwene the prophetes apostles and the Churche of Englande and these are hys woordes What shall I saye more Iohn Baptist is nowe derided in the prison and Iesus the sonne of God is grenned at vpon the crosse but contrarye wyse in Englande mayster Bale Iohn baptist is now deliuered forth of pryson And IeIesus the sonne of god is truely worshipped vpoÌ„ the crosse and moreouer he sayeth Paule in Athens is hissed at the poore apostles are slyly laughed to scorne But nowe in Englande praised be our lord Iesus Christ Paule is truely preached the Apostles receaue theyr dew honoure and last of al he saith Iohn the sonne of zebede is sent into Pathinos whiles Cerinthus Menander and Hebion play the heretikes at home But otherwise I say Iohn zebed is now receaued forth of Pathinos in to England and Cerinthus MenaÌ„der and Hebyon who triumphed in Englande while Iohn was in Pathinos are nowe fledde in to Germany to play the prophets of heretikes there The reste of Bales trachery I will omit at this time returne to my matter Saint Iohn speakinge of the notable heritike Cerinthus doeth saye to his disciples beware that you bath not your selues in bathes wherin Cerinthus the enemy of truth hath washed himselfe lest by theÌ„ you be infected with his vntruth it is good for vs therfore good cuntrymeÌ„ that we whom god now hathe called from the bathes of Cerinthus do run with all our minde and with al our heart in to the lap of oure mother the catholike churche who with her swete bathes wil wash clense vs from al these wicked errors whiche we haue learned of this wicked church of Sathan and then shal we receue such heueÌ„ly moysture as shal bring forth in vs vnmouable obedience saint Paule sayeth vnhappye is that grounde and nerest to the curse of God whiche when it receaueth heauenly moystures doth bringe forthe