few yeares by certaine abbottes which thinkyng therby to vpholde their false religions wrought moued or els consented to insurrection within diuerse parties of the realme And yet was the same their wisdome a cause that haisted their owne destructiō And euen so now by youre printinge of the saide protestaciō ye haue brought it so to pas that the thinge whiche ye feared is come to light Thus can god pull downe his enemies houses with their owne hondes Certainlie like as I neuer heard that ther was any copie therof till I sawe it in youre boke so am I credibly enfourmed that it was neuer in printe afore Where as ye saie that it is an erroneous and traiterous protestaciō it is sooner saide then proued nether maketh it greately for youre honestie to knowe many secrete embracers of heresie and treason and not to utter them But ye maie twise saie it afore ye be ones beleued onely they that are of god wil whan thei haue tried and examined al thinges kepe that which is good and eschuethe contrary Standish BVt I trust in allmightie god yf it please you to rede this litle treatise with a louyng zele toward oure mother the holy church et cetera Couerdale Here do ye manifestly declare what zele moued you to write against D. Barnes protestacion Namely not any iust zele or loue toward gods worde or his people but euen because ye feare lest your mother shulde come to shame yf the trueth were knowne therfore to shew youre mother a pleasure ye thoughte to do youre best in defending her Nether helpeth it your pretēce anie thinge at all though ye call hir holy for euery such secte as ye be of hath a sundrie holinesse which commeth not of the sprete that sanctifieth Now like as your owne acte came of that zele which ye beare toward the church of the wicked so wolde ye haue youre treatise red with the same zele to the intent that the readers might smell heresie and treason where none is and be poysoned with such a corrupte iudgment as ye be of youre selfe Agayne how are ye or all men lyuinge able to proue that this protestacion of D. Barnes doth smell and sauoure nothinge but heresie and treason Is it heresie and treason to teach no erroneous doctrine to teach onely those thinges that scripture leadeth vnto to manteyne no erroure to moue no insurrection to be falsly slaundred to confute the false opinion of the Anabaptistes to deteste and abhorre all such sectes to set forth the glory of god obedience to the hyer powers and the true religion of Christ Doth it smell and sauoure nothinge but heresie and treason to beleue in the holy and blessed trenite to beleue the incarnacion passiō death and resurrection of oure lorde and sauiour Iesus Christ Is it heresye and treason for a synner to desire god to forgeue him to trust onely in the death of Christ to set forth good workes to beleue that ther is a holy church to beleue a life after this to speake reuerently of saintes to call oure lady a virgin immaculate and vndefiled to knowlege a Christen beleue concerning the body and bloude of oure lorde to ascribe vnto saintes the honoure that scripture willeth them to haue to praie for the Kyng and his counsaill et cete Do such thinges smell and sauoure nothinge but heresie and treason Wo vnto thē that call good euell and euell good darknesse light and light darknesse swete sower and sower swete Though ye do also esteme them to be heretikes and traitours that take parte with D. Barnes protestacion yet doth not youre estimacion or iudgment discorage me in this behalfe Nether is it my minde or will to medle with his offence yf he cōmitted anie against the Kyng nether to defende this his protestaciō with anie hand or weapen of man but by the scriptures to beare recorde vnto the trueth and to reproue youre peruerse and straunge doctrine which ye do teach against the same Standish FOr surely such as do improue them et cete Couerdale This youre saienge proueth not the cōtrary but that seinge ye resist the trueth I maie tell you your faute and enfourme you better acording to the Apostles doctrine yf god at any tyme will graunt you repentaunce for to know the trueth and to turne from the snare of the deuell et cete If I can vnderstonde that thorow this enfourmacion ye will geue place to the open and manifest trueth godschall haue the praise and I shall thincke my laboure well bestowed Yf the trueth can haue no place in you by faire meanes but he wil stil resiste it obstinately and belye it as ye do here in this youre treatise then verely ye maie be sure to be afterward so handled as the lymites and boundes of gods holy scripture wil suffre I beseche god acordinge to his good pleasure that ye maie haue eies to se eares to heare and an hert to vnderstonde his holy worde to consente vnto the same and in all pointes to liue therafter Amen Here foloweth the protestacion of S. Robert Barnes Barnes I Am come hither to be burned as an heretike and you shall heare my belefe wherby ye shal perceaue what erroneous opynions I holde Standishe I am sory to se the obstinate blindnesse and finall induracion in this his protestacion which wolde clere iustifie and excuse himself by colour and disceate Couerdale Christ oure sauioure makyng mencion of his owne death afore he was hanged apon the crosse saide these wordes Beholde we go vp to Hierusalem and the sonne of man shalbe betraied condemned mocked scourged crucified et cetera Whan a true man commeth to be hanged on the galowes Is it obstinate blindnesse and finall induracion for him so to saie Peraduenture ye will saie vnto me Take ye D. Barnes then for a true man I answere Verely these his wordes proue him no false man for he saide that he came to be brent And sure I am that he came not to the fire to be made a bisshoppe Morouer D. Barnes tolde the people that they shulde heare his beleue et cet And ye laie to his charge for his so doinge that he wolde cleare iustifie and excuse himselfe with coloure and disceate As though he iustified himself with colour and disceate which acordinge to S. Peters doctrine is ready allwaie to geue answere vnto euery man that asketh him a reason of the hope which is in him Was not D. Barnes instantly required to shew his faith and to open his minde in sondrie thinges Againe though he or anie man els wolde clere himfelse from such thinges as are wrongfully laied to his charge did he euell therin Yf it be so then did holy S. Paul leaue us a shrewd ensample in the Actes Standishe Which ought to haue accused condemned and utterly forsaken all that he had offended in si nos ipsos iudicaremus non utique diiudicaremur a domino
chaunceloure for denyeng of the sacrament and for faulte of a better I was assygned to the examynacion of him in the galery And after longe reasonyng and disputaciō I declared and sayde that the sacrament beyng rightly vsed and accordinge to scripture doth after the word spoken by the prest chaunge the substaunce of the bred and wyne in to the body and bloud of Christ Were not these my wordes sayde he Yee sayde M. pope Thē beare me witnesse said he that I erre not in the sacramēt Standishe Allthoughe you did not denie that sacrament yet haue you et cet Couerdale Ye call it slaunderous raylinge whan a man with gods worde both ernestly rebuke such horryble abuses as Antichrist and his malignaunt church hath brought in among Christen people So lothe are ye to consent vnto gods worde or to vse anie thing according to his holy instituciō What could it then haue helped you yf he had opened his minde farther seing that in his so godly and honest request ye ascribe naughtynesse vnto him He did but shew that he wold haue the sacrament rightly vsed and acording to holy scripture and ye are not content with him Yet well worth the Corinthians for though they were fallen in to abuse aboute this holy misterie and aboute other thinges we read not that they spurned against the holy goost as you do whan they were called to refourmacion Standish Se also I praye you how he saieth et cetera Couerdale Yf you shulde saye that for lack of a better ye dyd write agaynst this protestacion of D. Barnes wolde ye therfore be iudged to thynke that there were not many better lerned men in England to take such a matter in hande then you Barnes THen sayde he haue ye anye thing els to saye There was one then asked him his opynion of prayeng to sayntes Then sayd he Now of saintes you shall heare myne opynion I haue sayd before somwhat I thynke of them how that I beleue they are in heauē and with god and that they are worthy of all the honour that scripture willeth them to haue But I saye through out al scripture we are not commaunded to pray to any sayntes therfore I can not ner will not preach to you that sayntes ought to be praied vnto For then shuld I preach you a doctryne of myne owne head Standish Ther is an olde heresie that saieth sayntes be not yet in heauen et cet Couerdale Is this your next waye to confute him that saieth we are not cōmaunded in scripture to praie to anye saintes Ye brawll with the deed man that saieth nothinge against you in this article of saintes being in heauen Standishe How can it be in scripture thou impudent heretike the prayer vnto saintes Couerdale Be good to the poore man and take not the matter so whote He goeth not aboute to proue that your prayeng to sayntes is grounded in scripture Standish As for in the tyme of the olde lawe et cet Couerdale The doctrine of god is that Christ is the lambe which hath bene slayne sens the begynnyng of the worlde that is euen he whose power and deliueraunce hath clensed and saued all thē that euer put their trust in him Christ Iesus yesterdaie and todaie and the same contynueth for euer Standish Therfore concerning praieng to saintes et cet Couerdale Must we beleue the testimony of men without it be grounded on gods worde Are ye become such an Apostle Because the church and congregacion of Christ must discerne iudge trie and examen all maner of doctryne and so to eschue the euell and kepe the good hath it therfore auctorite to make anye new article or to receaue a doctryne contrary to gods worde Because Christ hath promised his holy sprete of trueth to be allwaye in his faithfull congregacion shall they therfore make ordeyne set vp or beleue ought that is contrary to his owne teachinge Standish Doest thou set nomore by the auctorite of it then so in asmuch as S. Augustyne sayde Non crederem Euangelio nisi crederim Ecclesie et cet Couerdale Euen as ye peruerte the wordes of holy scripture so do ye with S. Augustine As ye choppe and chaunge with it so do ye with him And as ye alledge the scripture for another purpose then the plaine circumstaunce of the text meaneth so do ye here with this holy doctoure For youre purpose is with S. Augustines wordes to proue that youre church by her auctorite may make new articles and that we are bounde to beleue as she beleueth though the same be not grounded in scripture But yf men diligently marke S. Augustynes sayeng the occasion of his wryting and the circumstaunce therof it shall be euydent that ye are as like him in vnderstondinge as the moone is like a grene chese S. Augustyne perceauynge the greate hurte that was growyng thorow the doctryne of wicked Manicheus toke in hande to confute him and his secte his errours were so noisome and deuelish For he had not onely fayned a new gospell of his owne and named himselfe Christes Apostle but also mainteined the heresie which the Anabaptistes lately helde that the sonne of god toke not the nature of man of the blessed virgin and denied rulers to beare office denied mariage denied certayne kyndes of meates to be of god or to be graunted vnto Christen men Taught also that some mens soules dye with the bodyes despysed the exterior worde of god and mynistracion therof and sought other visions without it And many other fond and wicked opynions had he vnknowne to the holy church and flock of Christ Now for the refelling of such pestilent doctryne S. Augustine among other thinges wrote one speciall boke agaynst a certayne Epistle of the Manichees which was called Epistola fundamenti and whan he had shewed the occasions which moued him to abyde still within the vnyte of Christes catholike church then in the fifth chapter he shewed the cause that moued him rather to geue credence vnto Christes gospell then to Manicheus where among other he saieth these wordes Nostis n. me statuisse nihil avobis prolatū temere credere et cet For ye knowe saieth he that I am determined to geue no haistie credence to anye thing that ye speake of your awne heades I demaunde therfore Who is that Manicheus Ye answere An Apostle of Christ I beleue it not Now what canst thou saye or do thou shalt not opteine for thou dyddest promes knowlege of the trueth and now thou wilt compell me to beleue the thinge that I knowe not Peraduenture thou wilt reade me the gospell and therby wilt thou assaie to affirme the parson̄e of Manicheus Yf I shulde fynde anye man then which as yet beleueth not the gospel what shuldest thou do to him that sayeth vnto the I beleue not As for me I shulde not beleue the gospell vnlesse the auctorite of the catholike church dyd moue
can stoppe the trueth no farther ye wold beare us in hand that it is the wryters iudgment onely which ascrybeth vnto him that he paciently toke his death as though there were none els that herd him and sawe him dye but the wryter alone Couerdale Allbe it I will iudge onely of the outwarde behaueour Couerdale Iudge not after the outward appearaūce saieth our sauyour but geue a righteous iudgment Yet do ye not as ye saye for in many places of your treatise ye iudge the mans mynde and intent yee contrary to his wordes Standishe Takyng occasion by his erroneous wordes to iudge he dyed an obstinate heretike Couerdale Ye can not denye but that after the open confession of his faith and his humble requestes vnto the Kynges grace he than reconcyled himselfe to all men and at the last whan he had desyred thē to praye for him toke his death paciently and yelded vp his soule in to the handes of allmightye god For all this ye do not onely call his wordes erroneous but also geue sentence that he dyed an obstinate heretike Standish And as for the inward secretes whether he be condēned or saued whether he yelded vp his soule in to the handes of allmightie god or no et cet I remitte that to the secrete counsaill of the blessed trenite Couerdale A wonderfull thing is it that ye are so vnstable in your wordes Do ye not take vpon you afore to iudge that he dyed an obstinate heretike And now ye can not tell whether he be saued or condemned whether he yelded vp his soule in to the handes of allmightie god or no. But can an obstinate heretike yelde vp his soule whan he is deed all ready Can an obstinate heretike be saued Beholde now to what worshippe ye bring your doctryne at the last Standish Vnto whom be laude honour and glory for euermore Amen Couerdale Amen Euen to that same blessed trenyte father sonne and holy goost be honour and glory now and euermore Amen The Apostle describing the office and dewtie of a ministre or preacher of gods word wylleth him among all other qualities to shew himself such a laudable workman as nede not be ashamed handling the word of trueth iustly Wherfore seyng ye haue so vnreuerently handled gods holy word peruerted it wrested it and belyed it so oft and many tymes in your treatise Maruaill not at this myne inuectyue agaynst your false doctryne As for symple ignoraunce and such frayll weaknesse as accompanyeth the nature of man whether he will or no it may be suffred and borne But wilful spurnyng at gods holy word froward and false belieng therof must nedes be rebuked and improued Your zele for all your holy pretēce is to suppresse gods trueth to mainteine that doctrine which the catholike or vniuersal church of christ neuer receaued and to defend the church malignaūt in hir wickednesse This is manifest by your present practise But god allmightie which soweth the sede of his holy word and dayly increaceth it in the hartes of his faithfull shall though no man els will maynteyne and defende it himselfe We also whom god will not to be ydle shall do our best and be carieng stones to the makyng vp of the wal which ye haue broken downe To the intent that Christ our sauyour maye haue his owne glorye which ye haue robbed him of our prince his honoure and oure neghboure his dewtie To all true Christen readers Faynt not thou in faith deare reader nether waxe colde in loue and charite though the enemies of gods worde be gathered together and growne in to such swarmes Be thou strong in the lorde and in the power of his might And let it not discorage the that the sayd worde is so litle in the estimacion of the world so greatly despised so sore persecuted so wickedly peruerted wrested and belyed so vnthankfully receaued so shamefully denied and so slouthfully folowed Arme thy selfe therfore with the confortable ensamples of the scripture And as touchinge those ioly Nimrottes that persecute gods worde hunting it out of euery corner whetting ther swerdes and bendyng their bowes agaynst it Be thou sure that the god of oure fathers Abraham Isaac and Iacob shall do with thē as he euer was wont to do with tirauntes in times past Thou seist thorow out the stories of the holy byble how that like as he turneth some of their hartes from crueltie to mekenesse Euē so with death with fyre with water and with such other his plages destroyeth he them that will nedes despise his warninge Yee breaketh their bowes in peces and killeth thē with ther own swerdes As for Iamnes and Iambres those wicked sorcerers and couetous chaplens that teach cōtrary to gods worde and dissuade the greate mē of the world frō it Their owne wrestinge and belyeng of it must nedes cōfound thē For though ther be many that resist the truth yet whan it is uttered and commeth to light their madnesse as S. Paul saieth shall be manifest vnto all men And as Moses rodd deuoured their roddes in the Kynges presence So likewise the same places of scripture that they alledge for their wicked purpose shall destroye their false doctryne in the face of the world Yee euen as litle honestie as the papistry hath gotten by wresting of Tu es Petrus et cet so small profit are they like to haue for belyeng of other textes Nether is it to be feared but god will do for one parte of his worde asmuch as for another whan he seith his tyme. Concernyng those bely beastes that for no cōmaundement ner promes of god for no example warnyng ner exhortacion will be counsayled but still blaspheme his holy worde thorow their vngodly conuersacion let not that withdrawe the from the waye of righteousnesse Loue not thou Christ the worse though Iudas be a traytoure Sett not thou the lesse by his wholsome doctrine though dogges turne to their vomite and though swine walow in their stinking mire agayne I knowe gentle reader that to all true Christē hartes it is a great tentaciō to se gods holy worde either persecuted belyed or vnthankfully receaued But first remembre thy selfe well by the practyse of all stories whan was it without persecucion Whan was there not one tyraunt or other that exercised all his power strength witte and counsaill against it Whan were the childrē of Israel without some bloudy Edomites Egiptians Assirians Babilonians Philistines or other Secōdly Whan was not gods worde belied peruerted or euell spoken of by one false Prophet or other Were there not heretikes and flatringe chaplens in all ages that withdrue men from the trueth and misreported the straight waies of the lord Thirdly whan were there not some multitudes that pretēding a loue toward Christes word did but folow him for their own belies sake whan was the sede of Christes word sowē but some parte of it fell vpō the stony ground where it withred and among the thornes
xliij where he saieth these wordes We can not do that we wold why so For we wold that ther were no concupiscences but we can not haue our will For whether we will or no we haue them whether we will or no they tickle they flatre they pricke they vexe they will vp they are kepte downe but not yet utterly extyncte as long as the flesh lusteth agaynst the sprete and the sprete agaynst the flesh The same affirmeth he in the sixtenth sermon de verbis Apostoli And in the xlix chapter de diffinitionibus orthodoxe fidei he saieth after this maner And therfore all holy men do truly in pronouncyng them selues sinners for of a trueth they haue wherof to complayne and though not thorow any reprofe of conscience yet thorow the frayltie et cet Such doctryne now though it be approued both by the holy scripture and by S Augustine yet because the Germaynes teach it it must nedes be condemned of you for an erroure I wondre ye condemne them not also for holding so litle of the popes church of his pardons of his purgatory for puttynge downe his religions his chauntrees his soule masses and diriges his trentals pilgrameges stacions et cet For ministring the sacramentes in their mother tong for setting their prestes dailie to preach the onely worde of god for bringing in no new customes in to the church for auoyding whordome and secrete abhominacion from among their clergy as well as from other for bringing vp their youth so well in the doctrine of god in the knowlege of tonges in other good lettres and honest occupacions for prouidinge so richely for their poore nedie fatherlesse and aged people et cet Now to your ensample of Abraham which obeyed the voyce of god Doth it proue that his obedience was so perfecte as the equite of gods iustice required Or that his owne wordes were false whan he saide vnto god I am but dust and asshes Standish Also it is said Iob primo In omnibus his non peccauit Iob. Couerdale The later parte of the text which declareth the whole meanyng therof leaue ye quite out The wordes of the scripture are these In all these dyd not Iob sin̄e ner spake any foolish thinge agaynst god Now is it manifest by the same chapter that whan the scripture hath tolde of the great aduersite that Iob had in the losse of his goodes and children it maketh mencion also of his notable pacience and then concludeth the chapter with those wordes The on parte wherof like as ye leaue out and tell the other in latyn from the vnlerned so make ye of a particular an vniuersall asthough Iob might not offende in other thinges though he grudged not here agaynst god For manifest is it that he did afterwarde curse the daie of his byrth as the thirde chapter declareth Now because Iob was pacient in his first aduersite and blasphemed not god doth that proue it an errour to holde with him whan he saieth Yf equite of iudgment be required no man darre beare recorde on my side Yf I will iustifie miselfe or shew miselfe innocent mine owne mouth shall condemne me Standishe And. S. Peter ij Pet. j. after he hath recyted certaine vertues et cet Couerdale S. Peter afore those wordes speakynge of the same vertues saieth thus Yf these thinges be present and plentifull in you they shall not let you be ydle ner vnfrutefull in the knowlege of oure lorde Iesus Christ Let one place of scripture now opē and expounde another Standishe Furthermore a strong argument to proue it maie be this Omnis qui in deo manet nō peccat j. Ioh. iij. Sed qui manet in charitate in deo manet j. Ioh. iiij ergo qui manet in charitate nō peccat et cet Couerdale To your argumēt I answer Like as it is true whan the scripture saieth they that are borne of god sinne not partly because god hath couered their sinne and imputeth it not vnto thē and part ly because they are at the staues end with sinne and delite not in it but kepe them selues from sin̄e as S. Iohn saieth in the same fifth chapter So is it true also that yf we saie we haue no sinne we disceaue our selues and the trueth is not in us as holy S. Iohn saieth In the declaracion of the which words S. Augustine noteth heresie in the Pelagians and Celestines for affirminge that the righteous haue utterly no sinne in this life Take you hede therfore that ye smel not of the Pelagians panne for it stinketh afarre of Standish As Dauid speakyng in the personne of euery good man said he did seruaui mandata tua domine Psal cxviij Couerdale He saieth also a litle after in the same Psalme vnto god I haue gone astraie like a shepe that is lost O seke thou thy seruaunt The circūstaunce also declareth that it is not onely a Psalme of consolaciō of doctrine and of thankesgeuing but also an ernest praier of one that is very feruēt in gods cause and in the defence of his word So that like as somtyme he mourneth and wepeth to se the actes and statutes of god despised Euen so cōplayneth he sore vnto god of them that manteyne anye doctrine contrary to his worde Thus in respect of them he darre boldly saie that he kepeth gods cōmaundementes and no mens doctrynes for he abhorreth all the false lerning of ypocrites But in consideracion of his owne infirmite he saieth to god oft times in this Psalme O teach me thy statutes geue me vnderstonding that I maie lerne thy statutes saue me helpe me deliuer me et cete Like as in another Psalme where he confesseth to haue kepte the waies of the lord he saieth a litle after in the same Psalme O my god geue thou light vnto my darknesse Standish Acording to goddes sayeng to Ieroboam ijj Reg. xiiij Couerdale Though god couered Dauids synnes and imputed them not vnto him yet made he his confession vnto god while he was in this body and said Yf you lord wilt strately marke iniquities lorde who shall abide it Lord entre not in to iudgment with thy seruaunt et cet Standish And also as it maie be proued by this that god cōmaundeth us nothinge vnpossible for us to do Couerdale One false opinion wold ye proue by another and by this present article like as by the other afore ye declare your selfe to be a very Pelagian and partaker of their heresie cōfuted by S. Augustine in the sixtenth chapter of his boke de libero arbitrio and in moo other places Standishe But he saieth not onely Matth. xix si vis ad vitam et cet Couerdale Your argument is this God that commaunded us to kepe his lawe ergo it is not vnpossible for us so to do But whether your cōsequent will be alowed in the checker or no we shall se by our Sauiours
haue reasoned with you allready Now because ye can not proue this last parte of youre conclusiō by scripture namely that your good dedes and actes are not vnpure ner vnperfecte in this life therfore the Prophet Esaie to recompence you the wrong that ye dyd him in minishing his wordes afore will yet take the paines for you to proue your purpose though it be litle to your minde Whan he saieth All we are become as an vncleane man and all oure righteousnesses are as a clothe stained with the floures of a woman And the wise man saieth also Who maie saie My hert is cleane I am pure from sinne Barnes ANd with this he cast abrode his handes and desyred god to forgeue him his trespas Standishe Extra ecclesiam nulla salus et cetera Couerdale Without the church ye saie is no saluacion Now is it manifest that beside the church made of lime and stone ther is also a congregacion church and multitude of frowarde and wicked doers which not onely gather them selues together like roaringe lyons fatt bulles wanton calues and curre dogges agaynst Christ as the xxj Psalme complaineth but also make lawes cōstitucions statutes ordinaunces and tradicions agaynst gods worde Wherby it commeth to pas that though they boast neuer so much of gods seruice yet all is to them in vaine as the Prophet and Christ himselfe doth testifie Another church is there which is the holy spouse congregacion and company of them that are of the felashippe and communion of Christ and walke not in darknes but in the trueth hauing al their sinnes clensed by his bloude This church continueth in the Apostles doctryne renneth not out from the heauenly felashippe of Christ and his membres distributeth the sacramentes duely and truly ceasseth not frō praieng and well doinge et ce are of one minde and soule are glad to helpe one another as it is manifest in the actes and Epistles of the Apostles The men of this church praie in all places liftinge vp pure handes et cet In this church whosoeuer asketh hath he that seketh findeth and to him that knocketh doth god open In this church is fre pardon and remission of sinnes for all true penitentes For god will not the death of sinners but yf they cōuerte vnto him they shall liue and who so is laden with sinne and commeth vnto Christ findeth rest and ease in his soule and shall not be cast out Forasmuch then as ye condemne D. Barnes thus doinge and iudge him to be none of the church that desireth god to forgeue him his trespace it is euident that in your church ther is no forgeuenes for poore sinners and so is it not the church of Christ Wherfore seinge ye discente frō Christes church where the dore is euer opened to them that knocke youre owne sentence condēneth you that ye can trust to haue no saluaciō by gods promes But alas what blindnesse is in you Though a sinner doth erre or hath erred from the right faith and from the true vse of the holy sacramentes that be in the church of Christ and now commeth to repentaunce desiringe god to forgeue him his trespace Is not this a damnable doctrine to teach that he can not trust to haue saluaciō by gods promes No hath god promised that sin̄ers which repēt shal not be saued The thefe that hanged on the right hand of Christ hath proued the cōtrary Agayne Yf a sin̄er maie not trust to haue saluacion by gods promes wherby thē maie he trust to haue it By himselfe by his owne workes Or by youre merites Euen by your merites as it apeareth wolde ye haue him trust to haue saluacion for ye must nedes be full of merites that in all your workyng committe no sinne as ye saye your selfe Morouer the tenoure of your wordes separateth the mercy of god from his promes as though they cōcurred not together But I pray you who can trust to haue saluacion by gods promes and trusteth not in his mercy Whan the Apostle saieth God gaue the enheritaunce vnto Abraham frely by promes was it not done by his mercy And whan he saieth in the same chapter Ye are the heires of Christ acording to the promes what meaneth he els but as he saieth to Titus that the kindnesse and loue of oure sauioure hath appeared not for the dedes of righteousnesse which we haue done but acordinge to his mercy hath he saued us et cet S. Iames wordes which ye bring in in latyn denieth no forgeuenesse to them that repent but like as he rebuketh them that are but Christen men in worde and not in good workes and dedes so yf parcialite be sinne then doth the circūstaunce of the same text cōdemne your former conclusion that saie ye sinne not in all your workes Standishe Loke the reward of finalis impenitētia et cet Couerdale D. Barnes words testifie what faith and repētaunce he had toward god and what hert he bare toward the comon welth of all Christendome and yet shame ye not to wryte that he dyed without repentaunce and in errours because he wold not denie Christ and reuoke his worde with you Standishe Which died by his wordes without signe or token of saluacion Couerdale Is it no token ner signe of saluacion to beleue in the holy and blessed trenite the incarnacion passion death and resurrectiō of our sauioure and to knowlege the same before men Is all this utterly no token of saluacion Christ and the Apostle Paul are of another iudgment Standishe And so his praier must nedes be voyde Couerdale D. Barnes cast abrode his handes and desired god forgeuenes and yet darre ye affirme that his praier must nedes be voide By the which wordes like as ye denie the article of forgeuenesse mencioned in our Crede and promised in the scripture to euery one that truly repenteth so declare ye euidently that ther is litle mercy in your mother the church of the wicked for in Christes church yf the sonne aske the father a pece of bred he will not geue him a stone but good thinges Standish Marke how he trusteth with in an houre et ce Couerdale Is it blinde arrogauncy whan a man refusing all confidence in his owne workes trusteth to haue eternall life thorow the mercy of god What blynd arrogauncy was in the Apostle whan he saide we knowe certainlie that yf oure earthy house of this dwelling were destroyed we haue a building ordeined of god an house not made with handes but euerlasting in heauen Oure sauioure also geueth this comforte to such as beleue in him that they shall not come to damnacion but passe from death vnto life Are ye not a comfortable Phisician then to mens consciences that shame not to teach other wise then Christ doth But surely these two places of scripture are not for the stablishinge of your soule masses and diriges and therfore
teach or warne me Seing that I was obedient vnto them whan they sayde beleue the gospel why may I not obeie them whan they saye vnto me beleue not Manicheus et cet By the circumstaunce now of S. Augustines wordes it is euident first that he wolde beleue no such doctrine as men brought vp of their owne heades Secondly that he wold beleue no vncertayne doctryne ner that he knewe not to be true Thirdly that the occasion which moued him to beleue the gospell was the whole consent and auctorite of the catholike or vniuersall church Now like as he reporteth not of them that they preached anie other doctryne vnto him saue the gospell so saieth he not that he beleued anye other lernyng saue onely it And in confutinge of Manicheus erroure he bringeth none other doctryne but the scripture as it is manifest in the same fifth chapter of his boke What helpe haue ye now in S. Augustines wordes either to proue praieng to saintes or that a particular church maye by her auctorite make anye article necessary to be beleued excepte it be grounded in scripture Ye meant somwhat whan ye chopped vp S. Augustines wordes of that fashion It is not for naught that ye so haue peruerted his sayeng and reade it otherwise then it standeth in his boke For these are his wordes I shulde not beleue the gospell vnlesse the auctorite of the catholike church dyd moue me Now is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as much to saye as vniuersalis Which worde like as ye leaue out in youre lectiō so folowe ye the mynde of Franciscus Maronis such another holy father as was your inquit quidam who commynge long after S. Augustine dyd gather of these his forsaid wordes that the auctorite of the church is greater then the auctorite of holy scripture where as S. Aug. meant nothinge lesse but teacheth us that who so euer bringeth vp anye opynion or setteth forth anye doctryne we shall receaue none but that which agreeth with the manifest doctryne of the vniuersall church of Christ That is we shall holde us to that doctryne which was taught by the Prophetes by the Apostles and by such other as were true folowers of them in Christes holy congregacion and church Standish Is it not still fundamentum et columna veritatis et cet Couerdale The vniuersall congregacion and multitude of thē that beleue in Christ is still the house of god the church of the liuinge god the piler and stablishment of the trueth For there dwelleth god with his mercy grace trueth forgyuenesse et cet Nether dyd the Apostles contrary to Christes former institucion whan they to set vp his name which then was so sore spurned at dyd baptise in the same yf ye remembre well the prerogatyue of holy baptyme and the presence of the blessed trenyte therin Standishe Paul the vessel of election m. v. hundert yeres and more past desired the Romaynes cap. xv the Collo cap. iiij the Tessa j. Tessa v. to praye for him et cet Couerdale I turned not ouer two leafes of your treatise sens I red these your wordes where ye saie thus How can it be in scripture thou impudent heretike the prayer vnto saintes Lorde Iesu what meane ye man Will ye by scripture proue that thing which as ye your self confesse can not be in scripture Do ye not graūt your selfe that the holy scripture is the very worde of god Wyll ye then by gods holy worde proue that thinge which can not be therin Wyll ye belye the worde of god Saye ye not your selfe in another place afore that it is an abhominable vice to slaundre it To what poynt no to haue ye brought that worshipfull doctrine of your vnholy mother the malignaunt church Which teacheth that we must now praie vnto S. Paul and other sayntes because that he beynge here in this body dyd requyre other men to praye for him and for all saintes Now is his request such that yf we shuld fulfill it yet for him aswell as whan he was lyuyng vpō erth thē shuld we desire god to be good to his holy sayntes that are out of this life And then god saue oure lady helpe S. Paul and conforte swete S. Anthony A mocker are ye with gods holy word and a shameful slaūdrer therof therfore as vnworthy to be answered vnto euery vayne sentence of your vnstable doctryne so leaue I your long disputacion therin Desiringe all Christen readers to note wel what scriptures ye bring forth and to cōpare the same vnto the open texte and then trie which of oure two doctrynes is moost agreable to gods holy worde The doctryne of the Prophetes of Christ oure Sauioure of his holy Apostles and of such as haue and do folowe them in the catholike or vniuersall church and congregacion of god Is his holy worde and scripture which as holy S. Paul darre aduowe is able to instructe us vnto saluacion which is thorow the faith in Christ Iesu et cet Yf youre article therfore of prayenge to sayntes that be out of this life were a thing belonging to saluacion no doubte the same holy scripture of god wold haue taught it The awncient firme stable and true doctryne of Christes catholike or vniuersall church is this that like as Christ Iesus toke vpon him oure flesh and bloude without sinne and deliuered us frō eternall death and hell so is he still oure mercifull and faithfull hie prest in thinges concerning god to make agrement for oure sinnes and able to socoure such as are tempted He is the seate of grace to whom yf we resorte we maie receaue mercy and fynde grace to helpe in tyme of nede he is able also euer to saue them that come vnto god by him and lyueth euer to make intercessiō for us yee and appeareth now for us before the face of god This doctryne is confirmed by those same textes of scripture that ye bring in j. Iohn secundo Iohn xiiij j Timoth. secundo and yet without open scriptures are ye not ashamed to resiste it We are cōmaunded thorow out all holy scripture both of the olde and new Testamēt to praie vnto Allmightie god to call vpon him to make oure peticions vnto him and to aske of him what soeuer we lacke We haue his true and faithfull promes that yf we so do we shall be hearde we shall haue oure request we shall finde that we seke we shall be delyuered et cet We haue ensamples innumerable that all those faithfull people whom the scripture maketh mencion of dyd make their peticions and praier to none other but vnto god whyle they were in this life Let Cornelius whom we spake of afore and the practise of the prymityue church beare recorde Shal we now refuse gods holy cōmaundemēt thinke scorne of his louing promes despise the ensamples of his catholike and vniuersall church and defye gods holy ordinaunce as ye
A confutacion of that treatise which one John Standish made agaynst the protestacion of D. Barnes in the yeare M. D. XL. Wherin the holy scriptures peruerted and wrested in his sayd treatise are restored to their owne true vnderstonding agayne by Myles Couerdale Iacobi iij. Nolite gloriari mendaces esse aduersus ueritatem To the Reader To all them that either reade or heare gods holy worde and geue ouer them selues to lyue vnfannedly acording to the same do I hartely wysshe the grace peace and mercy of god the father in and thorow oure lorde and onely Sauioure Iesus Christ THe seuenth daye of Decembre was delyuered vnto me a certayne treatyse composed by one Iohn Standish Felow of Whittington college in londoÌ„ so is the tytle of it and prynted by Robert Redeman Anno M. D. XL. iij. Nonas Octobris At the reading wherof I mourned sore within my selfe for certayne occasions offred vnto me in the sande treatyse First that vnder the Kynges priuilege any thing shuld be set forth which is either agaynst the worde and trueth of allmightye god or agaynst the Kynges honoure Secondlye that good wholsome and Christen wordes shulde be calumpniated and reuyled Thirdly that the sayde Iohn Standish pronouncyng Doctoure Barnes to haue taught heresye so longe is not ashamed all this whyle to haue hold his penne but now first to wryte agaynst him whan he is deed et ce As touching the first whether I haue cause to mourne or no I reporte me to all true Christen hertes for as I am credibly enfourmed and as I partly haue sene there is now a wonderful diuersite in writing bokes and balates in England one enueyenge agaynst another one reuylinge and reprouyng another one reioysinge at anothers fall and aduersite And not onely this but also at the ende of euery balate or boke in maner whether it be the better partye or worse is set the Kynges priuilege Which as it is agaynst the glorye of god that one shulde reuyle another Is it not euen so agaynst the Kynges honoure Yee the shame is it of all Englande that vnder his priuilege anye erroneous contentious or slaunderous boke or papyre shulde be prynted Men wonder in other contrees that ther is so greate negligence of this matter in a realme where so wyse and prudent a counsail is â–ª And they that are moued with godly compassioÌ„ do lament Englande sory that ther is so great discencion in it sory that blasphemous ieasting and raylinge balates or bokes agaynst the manifest worde of god shulde either be suffred or priuilegied sory that gods trueth shulde thus spitefully be intreated of so greate a nombre Now the reformacion of this and all other defaultes lyeth onely in the hande of god To whom I referre it and to the rightfull admynistracion of his holy ordinauÌ„ce and auctorite in the kynges hyghnesse who whan he knoweth of the saide inconuenience how tryflinge and raylinge bokes and rymes are prynted vnder his priuilege wyll no doubte set a redresse herein Concernyng the seconde occasion aboue rehearced Is it not cause ynough forme and all other Christen to be right sory to mourne and lamente that the wordes which are good wholsome and acordinge to the holy scripture and Chrisies faith shulde be either blasphemed or taken to the worst Yf the Kynges grace shulde put forthe an wholsome proclamacion iniunction or commaundement as he doth many what true subiecte louynge gods holy ordinaunce and auctorite in his prynce wold not be greue to se anye man either spytt at those his soueraignes wordes or to defye them Yf we now which are Christen haue so iust occsion and are bownde to be thus wise mynded in this outward regiment wherein god hath appoynted us to be obedient to the hyer powers how much more cause haue we to water our eyes with sory hertes whan the proclamacion iniunction coÌ„maundement and worde of him which is kyng of all Kynges and lord of all lordes is thus reuyled and euell spoken of That the wordes of D. Barnes spoken at tbe houre of his death and here vnder written are good wholsome acording to gods holy scripture and not worthy to be euell taken It shalbe euidently sene whan we haue layed theÌ„ to the twych stone and tryed them by gods worde To the open text wherof yf ye take good hede ye shal se the peruerse doctryne and wycked opynions of Standish clerely confuted And no doubte god wyll so haue it because that vnder the pretence of bearing a zeale toward gods worde he taketh apon him to be iudge and geuer of sentence agaynst gods worde and to condemne it that gods worde aloweth And this as I sayde is another cause of the sorynesse of my hert that he which darre auowe another man to be an opeÌ„ heretike is not ashamed thus longe nether to haue written ner openly preached agaynst him by name but now to starte vp whan he is deed Is it not a greate worshippe for him to wrestle with a shadow and to â—â—ll a deed man Is he not a worthy souldyer that all the battayll tyme thrusteth his hand in his bosome and whan meÌ„ are deed then draweth out his swerde and fighteth with them that are slayne allreadye Iudge ye gentle readers yf Standish playeth not such a parte with D. Barnes To whom also he imputeth treason and yet proueth neuer a poynte therof agaynst him Yet were it as charitable a dede to confute all treason and to geue us warnynge of it by name as either to establishe false doctryne or to enueye agaynst good sayenges Yee a Christen and charitable acte were it in reprouyng anye traytoure to tell the Kynges subiectes in what thing he committed the treason that they maye beware of the same But thus doth not Standishe here in this his treatise which because it is buylded on sande and on a false foundacioÌ„ I doubte not but with gods worde which is the swerde of the sprete and a weapen mighty to ouerthrow euery ymaginacion that exalteth it selfe agaynst the knowlege of god To geue it a fall and with holy scripture to shewe euydently that Standishe hath farre ouershott himselfe in condemnynge the sayenges which gods word doth not disalowe He that wolde wryte agaynst anye man shulde leuell his ordinaunce agaynst his euell wordes yf he had spoken or written anye and not agaynst his good wordes ffor god is the authoure of all good which as his holy scripture aloweth so will he himselfe defende the same He that is therfore an enemye to the thinge which is good or resisteth it is gods aduersary and withstondeth him Wherfore let Standish froÌ„ hensforth and all other beware that they take no parte agaynst gods worde ner defende any false matter lest god be the auenger ffor yf the lyon begynne to roare he will make all his enemies afrayed And yf D. Barnes dyed a true Christen man be ye sure his death shalbe a greater
stroke to ypocrisye then euer his life coulde haue bene Yf he was falsly accused to the Kynges highnesse and so put to death woo shall come to those accusers yf they repent not by tymes And yf D. Barnes in his hert mouth and dede committed no worse thinge towarde the Kynges highnesse then he committed agaynst god in these his wordes at his death he is like at the later daye to be a iudge ouer them that were cause of his death yf they do not amende Now indifferent reader to the intent that thou mayest the more clearly discerne light frō darknesse and knowe gods true worde from false docrine I shall whan I haue sayde somwhat to Standish preface rehearce vnto the. D. Barnes wordes Secondly though I rehearce not vnto the all Standish wordes lest I shuld make to greate a boke I shall poynte the to the begynning of his sentence requyring the yf thou wilt to reade out the rest thy selfe in his treatise Thirdly though he hath desserued to be roughly handled yet do I purpose by gods onely grace to deale more gently with him beynge alyue then he doth with the deed This interpryse now as I take in hand agaynst Standishe in this behalfe so am I ready to do the same agaynst the greate graundsire and captaine of false teachers I meane greate Goliath of Rome and his weapen-bearer That is agaynst all such as are enemies to Kynge Dauid oure lorde Iesus Christ for whose moost confortable sprete gentle reader I beseche the to praie with me vnto our moost deare father in heauen whose name be praysid whose kyngdome come whose onely wyll be fulfilled now and euer Amen Here Foloweth the Preface of Iohn Standish to the reader Standish TO se the most victoryous and noble Prynce oure soueraigne lorde the kyng labourynge and watchinge contynually wyth all diligent studye to expulse and dryue out I maye saye to pourge and clense this his catholike regyon etce Couerdale Though ye abuse youre termes in reporting that the Kyng goeth about to expell and dryue out his catholike region I will impute those youre wordes to the weaknesse of youre brayne and to the seacenesse of honest eloquence therin But yf the Kynges laboure watching and diligent studye in pourging and clensyng his realme from all heresies and scismes be occasion sufficient as it is in dede to compell euery true subiecte to helpe vnto the same why haue ye then bene so slack therin all this while Youre owne wordes bring yo in to a shrewd suspicion For ye knowe and haue sene with your eyes that the kyng hath these many yeares bene labouring and busie in abolishing out of his realme the vsurped power of the. B. of Rome his manifolde sectes of false religions his worshipping of ymages his disceatfull pardons his ydolatrye and pilgremages etc. Were not all these great heresies and scismes Or can ye excuse your selfe of ignoraunce that ye haue not sene how the Kyng hath laboured in putting downe the same Yf ye then be a writer against heresies and scismes why haue ye written agaynst none of these all this while Thus euery man which readeth your wordes maye se that ye haue bewraied your selfe to be a fauourer of such thinges Standish Wherfore maruayll not gentle reader etc. Couerdale Contrary now to your request wil euery man maruail at you not onely because ye declare your selfe to haue borne all this whyle no ryght loue toward gods word to the saluacion of mens soules ner to the dewtye that ye owe to your prynce but also because that now thorow the occasion of a poore mans deeth ye first starte vp to wryte as though the Kyng had put downe no heresies afore D. Barnes dyed Is this the zele that ye bear toward gods word and towarde his people Such a zele had they of whom the Apostle speaketh to the Galathians sayenge They haue no good zele vnto you but wolde thrust you out namely from the trueth that ye might be feruent to them ward Where as ye write the daye and yeare of D. Barnes death it increaseth your owne confusion and shall be a cleare testimonye agaynst youre selfe for resistinge those good wordes of his protestacion yf ye forsake not youre heresye in tyme. Yee euen by youre owne penne haue ye brought it to pas that it shall not be forgotten till the worldes ende what a Christen testament and last will D. Barnes made at his death and how paciently he forsoke this life Standish FOr in his protestacion is both conteyned heresye and treason Couerdale For saie ye in his protestaciō et cet Is that the cause why ye do enterpryse and take in hande to wryte agaynst it Then verely declare ye youre selfe not onely to be parcial but also a fauourer of heresye and treason knowinge so many to haue bene attaynted therof within these seuen yeares Standish ALlbeit do not thynke that I wryte this thorow anye malyce toward him that is burned etc. Couerdale He that compareth youre wordes to your dede shall soone perceaue that ye haue cast milk in youre owne face and that for all youre holy pretence some spice of Cainish stomake hath made you now do more then all the Kynges noble actes in abolishinge the saide abuses coulde make you do many yeares afore though the same yf ye were a true subiecte were by youre owne confession sufficient cause for you so to do Howbeit it is not I that go aboute to laye malice to youre charge youre awne acte is not your best frende I praye god your conscience accuse you not therof But why take ye god to recorde in a false matter Do ye not confesse yourselfe that the Kynges graces laboure watchinge and diligent studie is the thinge that causeth and compelleth you to write against D. Barnes protestacion and that thorow the loue and feruent zele ye beare towarde gods word and the saluacion of mens soules et cete And now take ye god to recorde that ye do it for feare lest the people schulde be infecte 〈◊〉 the multitude of copies of the saide protestacion Against the which feare I knowe none other comforte for you as longe as ye will not harken vnto gods worde but that wisdome it selfe geueth you in Salomons Prouerbes Namely that the thing which ye feare shal come vpon you and euen it that ye are afrayed of shall fall in sodenly amonge you This am I certified of not onely by the same place of scripture but euen by this youre present acte in putting forth youre treatise to be printed with and against the saide protestaciō For yf ye feare the great infection of the people thorow the multitude of copies therof why caused ye it to be printed or any man els for you Is the printing of the saide protestacion the nexte waie to kepe copies therof from the people Ye maie well haue witte but sure ye lacke policie Such a like wise waie was takē in England within these
afore the horse Yee your doctrine will haue us to be the fore goers of god and not the folowers of him as scripture byddeth us Standishe A reuocacion of these was red in octauis pasche et ce Couerdale What reuocacions ye make in mens names they beinge absent I can not tell But like as ye come to the sermon to take Christ in his wordes so are ye not to lerne to turne the cat in the pan This may all the world spie here in you that as ye are craftie and sotell to bring men to reuocacions so are ye malicious in diffaminge of them Standishe Furthermore reade his detestable bokes and you shal se what pestilent sede he hath sowid Couerdale Yf. D. Barnes bokes be detestable and to be abhorred why do ye bid us reade theÌ„ Will ye haue the kynges subiectes to read abhominable bokes As for the sede which he dyd sowe I can not greatly maruail at you that cal it a pestilent sede for in his boke he said these wordes Whan I am deed the soÌ„ne and the mone the starres and the elemeÌ„t water and fire Yee and also the stones shal defende this cause against them meaninge the cause of gods word against the spiritualty sooner then the veryte shulde perishe This is one corne of the sede that D. Barnes dyd sowe And verely so farre as I can perceaue this same litle praiy sede veryte will growe and come vp Yee I maye tel you it wil grow in youre owne gardeÌ„s whan ye are most against it â—or Christ tolde your predecessours planely that yf his disciples wolde not speake the very stones shulde crye acording to the prophecye of Abacue It is no wonder therfore though he cal this a pestileÌ„t sede For pestilent is asmuch to saye as hurtfull or vnwholsome so that yf ye suffre this sede of the verite to growe it will hurt youre false doctrine and the phisicians that haue sene your water saie that it is vnwholsome for your complexion Standish And therbye you shall perceaue how shamefully now he doth lye like as he hath done euer heretofore Couerdale By. D. Barnes bokes maye euery man perceaue that he confesseth the articles of the Christen beleue And yf he lyed euer here tofore as you reporte of him then sayde he neuer trueth Now is it manifest also that in his boke to the Kynges highnesse he confesseth that no man in England is excepte from the subiectioÌ„ of the Kynges power nether bisshoppe ner other He confesseth also that the Kynges prerogatyue is alowed by gods worde He saieth like wise in the nexte leafe that it is not laufull for the spiritualtye to depose a Kynge Is not this trueth Will ye saye then that he hath lyed euer here tofore Let not the Kynge ner his counsaill here these your wordes I will advyse you Now like as D. Barnes spake trueth in these thinges so heard I him saye to a sorte of malicious enemies of gods worde euen the sayenge of Christ to the wilful Iewes Ye are of the father the deuell and after the lustes of youre father wil ye do He was a murthurer from the begynnynge and abode not in the trueth for the trueth is not in him Whan he speaketh a lye he speaketh of his owne for he is a lyar and father of the same et ce Ye will graunt these wordes to be true I thinke Standishe Which wolde haue us here to beleue contrary to oure hearinge and seynge that he neuer taught ner preached heresye ner erroneous opynions Couerdale To that doth D. Barnes saie himselfe in his fore rehearced wordes that to his knowlege he neuer taught anye erroneous doctrine Somwhat also haue I sayde vnto you allready concernynge this matter Standishe I praye you what was his owne reuocacion et ce Couerdale Ye make answere to youre owne questioÌ„ your selfe Ye saie that he utterly there forsoke many of his olde damnable heresies Yf as you saye he forsoke there his olde damnable heresyes then dyd he there as he dyd in other his sermons euen shewed himselfe to abhorre the heresies of the papistrie for those were the olde infectioÌ„s that he was tangled withall somtyme Barnes ALlthough I haue bene slaundred to preach that oure lady was but a saffron bagg which I utterly proteste before god that I neuer meant it ner preached it but all my studie and diligence hath bene utterly to confounde and coÌ„fute all men of that doctryne as are the anabaptistes which denie that oure sauioure Christ did take anie flesh of the blessed virgin Mary which sectes I deteste and abhorre Standish Here he cleareth himselfe to be no Anabaptist as though ther were no heresie but that alone Couerdale Ye wolde be lothe youre selfe that other men shuld so vnderstoÌ„d your wordes or gather such a consequeÌ„t of theÌ„ Yf ye were accused to be a preuy these and came before a multitude to cleare youre selfe froÌ„ that vice wold ye meÌ„ shulde iudge you to be therfore of so fond opinioÌ„ as to thinke that ther were no moo vices but theft alone I doubte not but yf ye were strately examyned ye wolde saye that ther were also the vice of lienge the vice of malice of slauÌ„dring of bacbyting of frowardnesse of foolishnesse of wilfulnesse et cet Standish And yet this opinion to saie Christ did passe thrugh the virgins woÌ„be as water thrugh a cundeth was none of the Anabaptistes owne opinion It was one of the Maniches erroure and also Eutices errour whoÌ„ som of the Anabaptistes herin dyd folow Couerdale Whose erroure so euer it was I referre that to you for youre treatise declareth that ye be wel acquainted with heretikes Standishe Therfore M. Barnes hereby doth not pourge himselfe froÌ„ the Anabaptistes heresie concerning the baptime of infauntes Couerdale His disputacioÌ„s had oft times with theÌ„ his coÌ„tinual preaching against theÌ„ his dailie wordes also and conuersacioÌ„ was recorde sufficieÌ„t that he abhorred their erroure also in that behalfe Why wolde ye haue him theÌ„ to pourge himselfe therof Youre phisike is not good to geue a man a purgacion which is not infecte with such euell or grosse humours as require a purgacion Standishe Here he saieth he neuer gaue occasion to insurrecion But how saye you Dyd he not offre himselfe to cast his gloue in defence of his errours at Pauls crosse Couerdale He sayde at the crosse the thirde sondaie in lent Here is my gloue not in defence of anye erroure as ye vntruely reporte nether with materiall swerde buckler or speare to defende anye such thinge but with the swerde of gods worde to proue that god first forgeueth us afore we can forgeue and that they be no breakers of ordre which set forth gods worde and due obedience to their prince but they that mainteine their owne tradicions burne gods worde and regarde not the Kynges iniunctions et cet Standishe Dyd he not openly saye these thinges meanynge his errours must
And now come ye in with somtime Agayne Ye saide afore that the satisfaction must be acording to the qualite of the offence and now ye saie that the punishment due vnto sinne must be pourged with a worthy satisfactiō Now is it manifest that vnworthinesse is a qualite of euery offence for all faultes are vnworthy thinges wherfore by youre awne confession it foloweth that the paine due vnto the same must be satisfied with an vnworthy satisfaction And verely so I take it for vnworthy is it what so euer a man of his owne braine inuenteth without some sure ground of gods worde Standishe And this is signified by that of the Prophet Ioel et cet Couerdale The wordes of the Prophet though ye choppe them very short are these Now therfore saieth the lorde Be ye turned vnto me in your whole hert in fasting weping and mourning And rent your hertes and not your clothes and be ye turned to the lorde your god for he is gracious and pitefull long suffringe and of great mercy and will be intreated as touchinge sinne et cet Doth this text now signifie that after the fault is forgeuē there remaineth somtyme a duetie of punishment to be pourged with a worthy satisfaction Is this your iudgment in scripture O shameles beliers of the open and manifest text Standish Now yf you saie Esay Cap. liij saieth our sauyoure bare oure sinnes on him et cete Couerdale Of a trueth saieth the Prophet he hath taken awaie oure sorowes and he himselfe hath borne oure paines et cet The correction of oure attonement was laied vpon him et cet These are the wordes of Esaie which as they are manifest and plaine so do not you truly rehearce them as they stand and yet can ye not denie but that yf we conforme oure selues vnto Christ then hath he satisfied for us moost abundauntly To what poynt now haue ye brought your former doctryne of satisfaction Verely euen to this poynt that Christ hath taken awaye their sorowes and paynes yee and borne the correction of their attonement which conforme them selues vnto him For all this your confession yet denie ye the trueth agayne and saye that he deliuered us not from all payne satisfactory Now saieth the Prophet that he toke away our sorowes and paynes What payne satisfactory then is there that he hath not deliuered us from Yf it be oure payne then saieth Esay Christ hath borne it But peraduenture ye do meane some payne of your owne Ye seme to be yet dreaming of your painfull purgatory for yf ye conformed youre selfe to Christ and to his doctryne ye shulde be persuaded and certified in your conscience euen by the same chapter of Esay that Christ hath aswell satisfied his heauenly father for the paine due vnto your sinne as for your sinne itselfe Standishe For yf he had so done we shuld nether mourne et cete Couerdale Ye saie that yf Christ had deliuered us from all paine satisfactory we shulde nether mourne ner be penitent for oure offence committed against god ner we nede not to mortifie our fleshe O damnable heresie And are ye one of the authours therof Are ye one of the destroiers of pennaunce of conuerting to god and of mortifienge the flesh But as touchinge such another like vngodly consequent I haue talked somwhat with you afore All the worlde therfore shall knowe that ye are the teachers of such pestilēt doctrine and not we Behold now how vnsure ye are of your selfe Ye saie that yf Christ had deliuered us from all paine satisfactory we shulde nether mourne ner be penitent for our sinne ner mortifie oure flesh And yet ye confessed afore that thorow Christ we auoide and escape eternall death which likewise by your owne confession is the paine due vnto sinne How stond your wordes now tegether Where as ye condemne your owne peruerse doctrine by the sixte chapter to the Romaynes it were sufficient to deliuer you from suspicion yf ye did bide therby But that do ye recante and fall to youre vomite againe saienge Standishe But we shulde with their fleshly libertie haue a ioyfull pennaunce full of myrth Couerdale Your doctrine is that yf Christ had taken awaie the paine due vnto your sinne ye shuld not repent for your sinnes but folowe your owne fleshly libertie et ce Wher by ye declare your self to be still of that rotten opinion which ye defended afore Now where as ye reporte of us that oure pennaunce is with a fleshly libertie I answere Euē as by your former wordes ye proue your self to be one of their nombre which saie Let us do euell that good maie come therof Let us continue in sinne that there maie be abundaunce of grace Let us sinne because we are not vnder the lawe but vnder grace Euen so Isaie do ye declare your selfe to be one of them that speake euell of us and reporte us to be the affirmers of youre wicked wordes As though we were they that exhorted men to a fleshly libertye or not to lyue in vertue and good works Now god is the tru iudge who as he abhorreth all liers euen so referre I all vengeaunce to him for it is his office by right But in the meane season till all falshode be discloised oure ernest watching and labourynge for youre saluacion the poore life which we leade in this world and the frutes of oure good wil that grow in youre owne gardens for all youre wedes shall testifie somwhat with us also agaynst your euell tonges And god which is able to restore the blind to their sight shall lende men eyes to se and vnderstonding to discerne whether the doctryne and open worde of god which we teach wold haue men to liue after ther awne lustes Or whether your doctrine which is of mens inuenting be not rather cause of all wickednesse robbing men of their wittes and makynge them to renne at riote from gods word from his ordinaunce from his commaundementes from his promises and from the most vertuous ensamples of gods children Now as touchinge oure pennaunce Ye wold make the worlde beleue that whan we speake therof we meane some moris daunce some such delicate bancketting as is among the vngodly some vnlaufull chambringe some such excesse of eatinge and drynkynge as god amende it is comonly vsed in the world Againe your doctrine is that repentaunce shulde be without ioye And oure beleue is that yf the holy goost and the true faith of Christ go together then like as repentaunce proceadeth of faith so is the ioye of Christen men a frute of the holy goost as the Apostle saieth Thus also to be mery and ioyfull are we taught by the scripture Hiere ix.j. Cor. j.ij. Cor. xj Rom. v.viij. Math. v. Luce. x. Shall we thē be sory because god hath done so much for us For oure sinnes and trespaces we wilbe sory and mourne though whan we fast we rent not oure garmentes ner
owne words Who whan he had said to the yong man yf thou wilt entre in to life kepe the commaundementes and tolde his disciples how hard it is for the couetous to entre in to heauen They asked him and said Who can thē be saued Then answered he them saieng With men it is vnpossible but with god are all thinges possible Downe then goeth the Pelagians heresie and litle thanke are ye like to haue for holdinge with it Yf he aske Why then doth god cōmaunde us to decline from euell and to do good yf it be not in our power To the same obiectiō doth S. Augustine make a sufficiēt answere in the secōde chapter de correptione et gracia and not onely refelleth it by S.P. words saiēg It is god which worketh in you both the wil and the dede but also putteth us in minde that yf we be the children of god we are led by gods sprete to do good that whan we haue done anie good thinge we maie geue thankes to him of whom we are led et cet And in another place Therfore doth he commaunde certaine thinges that we can not do because we might knowe what thinge we ought to aske of him The same doctrine teacheth he also in the lxiij sermō de tempore This is confirmed by holy scripture for by the lawe commeth the knowlege of sinne So that euen they which are renewed in Christ fynd by the lawe that whan they wold faine do good for therin is their delite euell is present with them The wordes of oure Sauioure yf ye loue me kepe my commaundementes proue nomore your purpose then your wresting of them proueth you to be a true scolar of his For after those wordes he himself saieth thus I am the waie the trueth and life No man commeth to the father but by me Naie saieth your doctrine we maie come to god by oure selues he commaundeth us nothing vnpossible for us to do Now let me aske you this question Yf Christ whan he saide these wordes Yf ye loue me kepe my commaundementes did meane that it is not vnpossible for us so to do why then immediatly after the same wordes doth he promes us the sprete of conforte What nede haue we of him yf we be not comfortles of oure selues or yf nothing that he commaunded us be vnpossible for us to do What nede haue the whole of a phisician And. S. Augustine writing agaynst them that extolle their owne possibilite in the seconde sermon de uerbis Apostoli saieth Let us be glad to be healed whyle we are here in this church Let us not make oure boast of health beinge yet sicke lest by oure pride we do nothing els but make oure selues incurable Standishe Which to the louers of thē be but light Math. xj.j. Ioh. v and Deut. xxx Couerdale Ergo god cōmaunded us nothinge vnpossible for us to do Is that your consequent Full faintly are ye able to proue it by those thre chapters that ye do alledge First in the xj of Matth. doth our Sauioure bid all them that are laden et cet to come to him And yet saieth he in another place that no man can come vnto him excepte his father draw him Where is now oure possibilite That fifth chapter of S. Iohns first Epistle sheweth that they which are borne of god do ouer come the worlde by the victory of faith Now like as we begat not our selues in the Kyndome of god but he himselfe of his owne good will begat us with the worde of life So is it manifest also that true faith is the onely workyng of god and not oures Where is then I saie our possibilite forsoith euen fled into the yle of weaknesse Yf by the thirtieth chapter of Deuteronomiō ye will proue that god hath commaunded us nothing vnpossible for us to do because Moses saieth This precepte that I commaunde the this daie is not aboue the ner farre from the et cete Then must I require you to take the answere of S. Paul who saieth that it is the righteousnesse of faith which speaketh those wordes and that the worde which Moses there spake of is the worde of faith that Paul himself preached Yf ye thinke there to proue your purpose because Moses laieth before the people life and death good and euel blessinge and cursinge and biddeth them chose life et ce Then must I desire you not onely to remembre the office of the lawe wherfore it was geuen and wher to it serueth But also to considre that in the begynnyng of the same thirtieth chapter Moses himself saieth these wordes The lorde thy god shall circumcise thine hert and the hert of thy posterite that thou mayest loue the lorde thy god with all thy hert and in all thy soule et cet Wherby it is euident that excepte god circūcise our hertes we are not able to loue him ner to kepe his cōmaundementes So that these wordes of Moses do proue rather impossibilite in us For the circūcision of the hert saieth the Apostle is the true circumcision which is done in the sprete and not in the lettre whose prayse is not of men but of god All these thre chapters now proue that like as to be saued to kepe gods cōmaundementes to haue circūcised hartes and to ouercome the world with the lustes therof is the onely workyng of god in us Euen so to them that loue god are his cōmaundementes not greuous not thorow anye possibilite of man but partly because Christ hath takē awaie the curse of the lawe and deliuered thē frō the heuy burthens of their soules and partly because they delite in gods cōmaundementes and esteme his word sweter then hony as Dauid did For loue maketh all thinges light Standish Therfore I conclude in all our workynge we do not cōmitte sinne Couerdale Of an euell Maior and Minor foloweth a weake conclusiō Ye haue wrung and wrested the scriptures violently to make them serue for your purpose and now without anie scripture make ye youre conclusion that in all youre workyng ye do not committe sinne To the probacion wherof because ye bring no scripture your selfe I will helpe you with a text where the scripture saieth thus There is no righteous man vpon erth that doth good and sinneth not Yf ye be a man I wil not reason much with you of righteousnesse for I am a sinfull man miselfe then must ye nedes graunt this scripture to be true Yf ye be no man then am I sory that I haue disputed with you so long for angels haue no nede of my wordes and as for deuels they will not be counsailed Standish No ner our dedes and actes which be good can not be called so et cet Couerdale Of. D. Barnes secrete intent and meaning will not I presume to be iudge but what maye be gathered by the circumstaunce of his wordes I
Couerdale D. Barnes wordes are playne ynough He goeth no farther then the article of your crede yf ye be a Christen man What will ye more Do these his wordes iudge any good man to be none of Christes church Or be they good men that professe not Christ Standish For it can not be but either your secte or the other be the malignaūt church Couerdale But so it is that ye which are of another secte blaspheme Christes bloude Ergo ye are of the malignaunt church Standish Two contraries can not stande both in one Couerdale It is not reason that they shulde and yet can ye bringe it so to pas for ye can prately well graunt to a thing in one place and denie the same in another as I tolde you oft afore Standish Hinc Iacobi iij. Nunquid fons de eodem foramine et cet Couerdale It foloweth a litle after euen in the same place yf anye man be wise and endewed with learnyng among you let him shew the workes of his good cōuersaciō in the mekenesse that is coupled with feare Which text doth utterly confute your former doctryne that will not haue us do good workes to set forth oure profession Standish Vnde .ij. Corinth vj. Que societas luci ad tenebras et cet Couerdale It foloweth immediatly in the text What parte hath the beleuer with the infidell How accordeth the tēple of god with images Now might I aske this questiō also of you How do these places of scripture that ye haue now alledged agree to the confutacion of D. Barnes wordes which saieth I do beleue that ther is a holy church and a company of all them that do professe Christ Standishe Wherby ye proue your selfe both an heretike and a traytoure Couerdale Do ye laie heresie and treason to him for beleuyng that ther is a holy church and a company of all them that do professe Christ Saieth he here anie thinge els And do ye not confesse your selfe that euery Christen man must thus beleue yf he will be saued Standish Makynge by youre deuelish doctrine not onely us to be the malignaunt church Couerdale To beleue that article of the Crede which D. Barnes here affirmeth is no doctryne to make you of the malignaunt church but your blaspheminge of Christes deare bloude your defacinge of his glorye your wresting peruerting and belieng of his holy worde and disagreyng from the wholsome doctryne therof maketh you ye maye knowe what by S. Pauls wordes .j. Timo. vj. Ye plaie here with D. Barnes though he be deed from this body as the false Prophet Sedechias did with Michee Who whan he had exhorted the kyng not to breake gods commaundemēt this Sedechias stepte forth among foure hundred of his secte and smote Michee vpon the cheke and saide What hath the sprete of the lord forsaken me and spoken vnto the Euen thus do ye with the deed whom though ye may not hurt with your fist yet do ye your worst with your tonge against him Notwithstondinge ye shall be of the malignaunt church still for all your facyng and bragginge yee though ye had ten thousand times foure hundred false Prophetes of youre side solonge as ye resist the manifest trueth of god Standish But also oure heade the Kynges graces maiestye and his honorable counsell Couerdale I darre saye that the Kynges highnesse and his noble counsaill doth iudge no malignite to be imputed vnto them whan anie subiecte beleueth that ther is a holy church for they knowe that it is an article necessary to be beleued of all Christen men Wherfore this cauillaciō declareth you planely to be but a pike thanke in this behalfe Well yet remembre the ende of Sedechias the storye is written for your warnyng And verely like as myne humble expectacion in the Kynges highnesse doth persuade me so heard I a very famous and prudent counsailour of his who yet is aliue saye within these few yeares that of all prynces liuing his grace is the greatest enemie to flatrers whan he ones hath thorowly spied them The Kynge also hath receaued his hie and suppreme office of god to defend the worde the faith the congregacion and church of god within his dominion and is no mayntener of anye such malignaunt church Yf your doctrine come to light it will doutlesse declare the same Standish By whose lawes you be now iustly condemned to be burnte Couerdale By what lawe he was cōdemned I wote not nomore than I can tell what poynt of treason was layed vnto him But sure I am that like as the ciuile lawes of euery realme excepte the prynce graunt his pardon condemne such as are accused by the mouthes of many witnesses so do false witnesses oft tymes bring to death euen innocent persons as ye se by the storie of Naboth of Susanna of holy S. Steuen in the actes and of oure Sauioure Christ Yee cleane contrary to the iudges minde Neuertheles though Cain slaye Abel in the busshes yet will murthur come out at the last Standish But now to speake of this parte of your belefe et cete Couerdale What is the holy church and cōpany of thē that professe Christ but that true and faithfull church which is ruled by the holy goost acording to gods promes euen the congregacion of the electe and chosen children of god What els can ye iustly gather of D. Barnes wordes but he confesseth the same whan he saieth I beleue that ther is a holy church et cete Standish For this is the company that professe Christ with their mouth et cet Couerdale So they do also with other good frutes aswell as with their mouth Now yf this company of Christes church do professe Christ with their mouth then haue they some iniunctiō of god so to do for without his commaundement will they do nothinge ner consente to that which they knowe not to be his will And thus haue ye proued your selfe at the last that it is not erroneous to saye how that god hath commaunded us to do good workes for the settyng forth of our profession Had it not bene more worshippe to you for to haue graunted the same at the first thē now with shame to affirme it that ye denyed afore Barnes ANd that all that haue suffred and cōfessed his name be sayntes and that all they do prayse and laude god in heauē more then I or any mans tonge can expresse Standishe As you do take it this is also erroneous et ce Couerdale What so euer the cause were that he was put to death for wherof I am ignoraunt it is no euell token of a Christen man at the very poynt of his death among other articles of the crede to confesse that such a holy church ther is which professeth the name of Christ and ys content to laude and prayse it and to lyue and die in his cause Nether is it erroneous thus to saie Of arrogauncye that ye
laie to D. Barnes charge I haue talked with you afore Touchinge martirs Like as we haue cause sufficient to prayse god dailie for his worde mynistred vnto us by those martyrs that ye here haue named and for all such as be true folowers of thē So haue we no litle occasion to lamente and be sory that anie man betaking himselfe to godlines and makyng a couenaunt with god to lyue vnfaynedly after his worde shulde not professe the same in true fidelite and good workes Our lorde be praised yet which thorow the fall of other men hath warned us to beware of vnthankfulnesse For whan they that pretende to be setters vp of godlynesse are either ypocrites to god vntrue in the effaires of their prince maynteynours of pryde of ydillnesse of swearyng of excesse and of aduoutrye in them selues or in their housholde seruauntes Gods good worde must weere the papyre and be iack out of seruyce from other men Now god shew the right Barnes ANd that allwayes I haue spoken reuerently of sayntes and praised them as much as scripture wylled me to do Standishe Here he planely sheweth himselfe to be an heretike et cet Couerdale I am sure that Christes church hath made no such ordinaunce nether geuen any sentēce or iudgment that men shall not speake reuerently of saintes nether that men shall prayse them otherwyse then scripture teacheth How sheweth he himselfe thē to be an heretike in this behalfe that foloweth the example of Christes church and not of your vnholy synagoge What maketh youre diffiniciō of heresie to proue that he is an heretike which not onely speaketh reuerently of sayntes but also prayseth them acordinge to the rule of scripture Verely your diffinicion commeth out at an importunite Ye might also haue diffyned it thus and haue sayde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 deducitur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 j. volo decerno That is to saie I will so haue it I am at a full poynt For truly I se litle in youre writinge but wilfulnesse and obstinate resisting of the manifest trueth Well god is able to brydle you Standish Also in this his saienge that he wil do nothinge but that scripture byddeth him he planely goeth agaynst scripture et cet Couerdale Is he not a worthy Apostle legate or messaūger that hauinge commission of his prince what to saie in his message will speake thinges of his owne heade or more then his master commaundeth him Forsoith he declare manifestly whose Apostle ye be But now let us se how the scriptute will mainteine this spirituall treason euen treason verely and no better agaynst the Kyng of all Kynges and lord of all lordes Christ oure Sauyoure saieth vnto his Apostles these wordes As my liuinge father sent me so send I you How did his father send him My doctrine saieth he is not myne owne but my fathers that hath sent me Therfore saieth he go ye youre waye and teach all nacions and baptise them et cet and teach thē to kepe all thinges what so euer I haue commaunded you Ought not stewardes to be faithfull mynistres of their masters goodes to paye euery man good money as they be cōmaunded and not to geue false coyne in stead of syluer and golde Must we not contynue in the doctrine of Christ and speake that thing which is agreable to gods worde Your doctrine wold haue us to renne at ryote and not to kepe us with in the boundes that god hath appoynted us Standish So that here he proueth himselfe to haue another propertye of an heretike which is to go about with the worde of god to destroye the worde of god et cete Couerdale Like as ye proue not here with what text of scripture D. Barnes shulde go aboute to destroie the scripture so declare ye manifestly by this your opyniō and wrestinge of the texte to be one yourselfe that with the worde of god goeth aboute to destroye the worde of god Now to your thre places that ye bringe out of gods worde Where fynde ye in the fiftenth chapter of the actes that we must obeye more then holy scriptuture byddeth us First S. Peter confesseth there in that coūsail that it is a tēpting of god to laie anie yock of the ceremonies of Moses lawe vpon the neckes of Christes disciples or to trouble the weake consciences of those which lately we returned and conuerted to the faith And afore in the same place he confesseth that god appoynted and ordeyned him to preach the worde of the gospell and maketh mencion of none other doctrine Againe like as by the comē consente of the Apostles in the same coūsail ye se that they wolde not be brought in to subiection ner geue place to those false brethern that wolde haue brought in ceremonies of the law to binde mens cōsciences withal So wolde they not that the brethren which were turned to Christ shulde abuse their libertie in him but absteyne from certayne meates for offendinge of the weake which thinge also S. Paul requyreth ernestly in his Epistles In the xvj chapter of the Actes Paul and Silas preach the worde of the lorde and whan Paul sawe that to circumcise Timothye was a thing which might be done for the time and was not requyred of the Iewes as a thing necessary he was content Wherby it is manifest that like as in thinges indifferent they had allwaye respecte to the tyme in forbearinge weake conscientes for a whyle so preached they none other doctryne but gods onely worde In the second chapter of the second Epistle to the Thessalonians S. Paul whan he hath told them of the great departing from the faith doth geue thankes to god for calling thē to his trueth of the gospel in the which he requireth thē to stand stedfast and to kepe such ordinaunces as he and the other Apostles had taught thē either by mouth or by epistle Now let me demaunde of you this question In the xv of the Actes whan Peter preacheth the worde of the gospell and forbyddeth the binding of weake consciences with supersticious thinges and consenteth with the other Apostles to haue such a charitable respecte to the tyme Is that as much as to will that men shal obeie more then is grounded in scripture In the xvj of the Actes whan Paul and Silas preach the worde of the lorde and deale gently with the consciences of the weake acordinge to the tyme will they that men shall obeie more then holy scripture teacheth them ij Tessa ij Whan S. Paul requyreth them to stande stedfast in the trueth of the gospell and to kepe such ordinaūces as he and the other Apostles had taught thē either by mouth or in their Epistles willeth he them to obeye more then is conteyned in holy scripture Thus is it euydent where about ye go namely euen by your false alledginge of such places of gods worde to destroye the worde of god This is
verely as ye saie your selfe the propertye of an heretike and this propertye lerne ye of the father of all heresye euen father Satan Who by angelis suis mandauit et cete wolde proue that a man maye tempte his lord god But like as Satan wrestyng that place of scripture which made moost against him was cōmaunded by oure Sauioure to auoyde so be ye sure that your false doctryne can not stand Dawlbe your wall and spare not for Ezechiel telleth you planely that god wyll sende such a shower of rayne among all lyeng prophetes as shall ouerthrowe it Your laboure is but lost so long as ye dawlbe your wall with vntempred morter Standish Also where he saieth that he hath euer spoken reuerently of sayntes et cet Couerdale Ye graūted afore his wordes to be true whan he sayde that all such as for confessyng Christes name and for his sake do suffre death are sayntes in heauen This reuerent talkynge and praysinge of sayntes dyd ye alowe afore And now contrary to your awne wordes ye saye that ye wote not whether he euer spake reuerently of them or no Yet confesse ye that ye haue heard him fortye tymes Who will now trust you that are so double in your wordes Barnes ANd that oure lady I saye she was a virgyn immaculate and vndefyled and that she is the moost purest virgyn that euer god created and a vessell electe of god of whom Iesus Christe shulde be borne Standish Here yet ignorauntly et cete he goeth forther then the scripture speaketh et cet Couerdale Be these his wordes out of the boundes of scripture or not acording to the scripture Reade them ouer agayne Standishe He wolde neuer willingly graunt anye thynge but that is in scripture Couerdale Then like as ye proue him to haue bene a true messaunger of god in grauntinge to the holy scripture which by your owne cōfession is gods very worde so declare ye that yf he reuoked anie thing that is in it or graunted ought cōtrary vnto it It was done agaynst his will Haue ye not now a great cause to make such tryumphinge of reuocacions in your sermons Standish Albeit here with the church he doth professe that oure lady did continue a virgin still et cete Couerdale Doth not the scripture affirme this doctryne that the mother of oure Sauyoure is the purest virgin that euer god created Will not the Prophecies of Christes birth the perfourmaūce of the same and the practises of the holy goost in Christes blessed mother alowe this doctrine Haue ye noted the worke of god in her no better Yf she had anye nede of you ye shew her but a faynte frendshippe in reportynge that her most pure virginite hath none other grounde but the auctorite of your church Verely such your doting doctrine wil make both you and your church be lesse set by Standish Deus n tantam eam fecit inquit quidam et ce Couerdale Is not your doctryne now well sealed with butter Whan ye haue presumed to cōtroll gods word and to call the blessed mother of Christ with other names then the holy goost geueth her Now to ratifye and cōfirme your false matter ye bring in an heretike to helpe you Can not Christes worthy mother kepe still the gracious names that the holy trenite hath geuen her but she must now haue a sorte of hereticall Ruffyans to become new godfathers vnto her Call her as gods worde teacheth you full of grace blessed immaculate virgin et cete Praye to god that ye maye folowe the fote steppes of her constant faith her feruent charite and godly loue her moost meke and humble behaueoure her vnfained trueth et ce And whan ye talke in matters of Christes religion bring forth playne and manifest wordes of his scripture and no Romysh heretike ner a text out of frame to proue youre purpose withall Barnes THen saide M. Sheriffe You haue sayd well of her before And he beynge afrayed that M. Sheriffe had bene or shulde be agreued with any thing that he shulde saye sayd M. Sheriffe Yf I speak any thing that you will me not do nomore but beckē me with your hand and I wil straight waie holde my peace For I will not be dishobedient in anie thing but will obeye Standishe Now as he faineth he wold gyue no slaunder or offence Sed sero sapiunt Phriges Couerdale At this poynt ye are with D. Barnes that though he be out of this life yet what so euer he sayd in this protestacion or dyd at the tyme therof ye iudge him to the worst and slaunder him But your owne prouerbe that ye bring in doth admonishe you that it is to laite for though ye belye him and slaunder him neuer so much it can not hurt him Standishe Now he saieth he is afraied to displease irep◠dauerunt timore vbi non erat timor et cete Couerdale Like as ye referre to him the wordes which are not his owne so reporte ye of him that he was afrayed where no feare was But was there no feare at the fyre syde The manhode of our sauioure Christ feared death and so dyd that holy Kynge Ezechias As for you ye must nedes be of some bolde and stowte kynde that can kyll a deed man But how serueth those wordes of the Psalme to this youre purpose The holy goost speaketh of such wicked workers as eat vp gods people like bred call not vpon god are afraied to se god stande on ryghteous mens syde and mocke poore mē for putting their trust in god How maketh this scripture now to proue that ther is no feare where a man seyth death present before his eyes O wicked mockers with gods holy worde Standish Now se I praye you how obedient he saieth he will be which before tyme was euer dishobedient et cete Couerdale Ye saye much and proue litle touching this man whose present protestacion and his boke written afore declareth planely his obedience toward his prynce whose wholsome commaundement yf he haue at anye tyme disobeyed contrary to this his doctryne and example I am the more sory But yet haue ye not proued it to be so Touchinge bishoppes which are to be estemed acordinge to their estate I wote not what dishobedience ye haue to proue against him Such bishoppes as laboure in the worde of god and in the doctryne therof are to be counted worthye of double honoure therfore in herkenyng vnto such he dyd well and yf he dispysed such he despysed Christ But yf he folowed S. Iohns bydding and dyd not receaue such false Apostles as bring not the doctryne of Christ then can ye not iustly blame him Barnes AFter this ther was one that asked him what he saide of the sacrament of the altare Then sayde he vnto M. Pope which was there present M. Pope ye know and. M. Ryche yf ye be alyue that ther was one accused before my lord
why bring ye in this or any other place of the olde Testament to proue that the merites of sayntes in heauen do profit us seyng ye saye your selfe that afore Christes ascension ther were none in heauen and seing also that those vertues of Abraham and Dauid were thinges practised here and not in heauen God is my recorde I wonder greatly what ye meane thus to daly with his worde Touchinge merites I haue answered you allreadie but. S. Paul answereth you better and saieth that god geuing us his deare sonne hath geuen us all thinges with him and that in him dwelleth al fulnesse so that we are cōplete in him Sure I am also that no true seruaunt of god wil be otherwise minded then was holy Iohn baptist which saide that out of Christes fulnesse all we receaue grace et cet and that grace and trueth cōmeth by Iesus Christ Yf the merites then that ye speake of be anye parte of grace and trueth then must ye nedes graunt that we receaue them onely of him But surely ye haue some vngracious and false matter in hand Standish He speaketh nothinge of oure workes after our iustificacion but onely of workes before faith which in dede are not meritorius et cetera Couerdale Afore to proue by Cornelius workes that our iustificacion deserued onely by the death of Christ is a false iustificacion Ye saye that his good workes before he was iustified somthing deserued that he shuld be called in to the congregacion of our sauioure and so through gods mercy his workes dyd deserue much of allmightie god These are your awne wordes And now cleane contrary to the same ye graunte that workes before faith are not meritorious Thus by youre awne wordes condemne ye youre awne doctryne But though euery good worke done in true faith after gods commaundement shalbe rewarded and hath his promes annexed vnto it as yf I be mercifull vnto my neghboure god hath promised to haue mercy on me agayne shall that rewarde be geuen for my workes sake and not rather because of his owne promes and blessing in Iesu Christ Is not all oure sufficiency of god Can we thinke a good thought of our selues Is it not god which worketh in us both the will and the dede Whan god rewardeth any good worke doth he not crowne his owne giftes in us Stoppe your mouth then and knowlege your selfe to be in gods daunger and in his dett Why boast ye of your merites agaynst the doctryne of gods worde Why graunt ye not with S. Luke whom ye alledge your selfe that whan ye haue done all such thinges as are commaunded you ye are an vnprofitable seruaunt And with S. Paul that the paynes taken in this life are not worthy of the glory for to come Do ye not saye your selfe also these wordes We must think and surely beleue that all cōmeth of Christes liberalite which frely did cal us and loue us before we loued him What practise then of anye wordly prynce can proue this trueth to be false Your owne wordes and sentences destroye your doctryne of merites Folowe S. Augustines counsaill thē and boast not of mens merites but let the grace of god which raigneth thorow Iesus Christ haue all the preemynence And yf ye haue any workes folowinge the fre and liberall vocation of god thē graunt with Chrisostome that they are his rewarde and youre dewtie and that the giftes of god are his owne benignite grace and greatnesse of his owne liberalite Barnes WEl haue ye yet any thing more to saye then called he M. Shyreffe and sayd haue you any articles against me for the which I am condemned And the sheriffe answered no. Then said he Is there here any man els that knoweth wherfore I die or that by my preaching hath taken any erroure let them now speake and I will make them answere And no man answered Then sayd he well I am condemned by the lawe to die and as I vnderstōd by an acte of perliamēt but wherfore I cā not tel but belike for heresy for we are like to be burnt Standish Articles agaynst the What articles dyddest thou reuoke at the spyttle et cet Couerdale A very spittle fashion is it no doubte to aske questions of the deed And I suppose verely that excepte it be a cōiurer a iugler or a worker with spretes there is none that vseth it Touchinge articles at the spittle I am certaine D. Barnes dyd not affirme there that faith doth not iustifie or that Christes death was not the sufficient satisfaction for our synnes Now where as he was enioyned to affirme that though Christ be oure onely mediatour sauyour iustifier and onely satisfaction vnto god for the sinnes of them that beleue in him Yet yf we loose this grace thorow sinne then must we rise agayne by true pennaunce et cet Yf for this article I saye ye will gather that he shulde reuoke then do ye interprete his wordes contrary to his owne declaracion that he made of them in the same sermon In so much that the sondaye after at Pauls crosse as I vnderstond D. Wilson could laye no greater thing to his charge then that he had expounded pennaunce after his wont maner by the office of the law and the gospell Now like as afore in your wordes ye compare this his confession to the cōfession of the deuel so by this and such other your tawntes ye wold make the world beleue that he reuoked al trueth at the spittle felde and that he had all his life tyme taught an vngodly and carnall libertye the contrary wherof is euident not onely by this present protestaciō but also by his wryting and preaching afore Namely that to the true beleue and consent of the hert are necessarilie required good Christen frutes in euery man and womans conuersacion acording to the same Wherfore this his confessiō so long as he mainteined no damnable errour contrary vnto it which in all your babling boke ye haue not proued nether shalbe able to do was a sufficient euidence at his latter ende that he dyed a true Christen man Nether can ye iustly condemne him that maketh no worse confession on his death bedde Agayne S. Iohn saieth Euery sprete which confesseth that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh is of god Wherfore ye are to rashe in iudgment to affirme that he was iustly condemned for heresie seinge that he nether helde any doctryne ner manteined by euell conuersacion eny thing out of which ye can truly deduce that euer he denied the true faith of god or any one of the benefites or offices of Iesus Christ As for the articles that were laied against him in Cambrige aboue xij yeares agoo verely like as in repetinge of thē ye accuse your church to pretende an outward forgyuenesse and yet to kepe hatred stil many yeares So appeare ye to fauour them that accused him of the saide articles in som
prince as my lordes the bisshoppes were wont et cet But yf the kyng will do it by violence they must suffre it but not obeie to it by agrement Item Now is it cleare that we maie not resist this temporall power in no wise by violence et cet but yf anye thing be commaunded us that is against the word of god wherby oure faith is hurt that shuld we not do in any wise but rather suffre persecucion and also death Be these wordes now as much to saye as yf the Kyng commaunde anie thing by tirannie mē shall not suffre him What meane ye so vntruly to reporte of the deed But no maruail whan ye shame not to belie so many textes of gods holy word Touching mens lawes it is manifest that such as are not grounded in gods word do not bind the conscience of man to deadly sinne For yf they be not grounded in gods worde and agreable to the faith therof then are they synfull and naught Who is bound now to obeie sinne But a man maie smel you a farre of whose successours ye be You will not sticke to call it a laufull acte for a prince to condemne gods word and to forbid that thinge which is institute and ordeyned of god Yee yf oure prince wold take such a thing in hand which god forbid he shuld lacke no instigacion of your malignaunt church Nether can I yet coniecture the contrary but that ye are aboute such a tragedy Now go to set your watch men to kepe the sepulchre suffre not Christ to ryse vp in any wyse let not the souldiers lack money the church is riche ynough cast your greate heades together and let Caiphas geue you his most so tel counsaill For whan ye haue done your best and lyed all that euer ye can yet shall god make your policye to serue for the glorye of his trueth Amen Barnes YEe and I saye further yf the kyng shuld commaunde you any thing agaynst gods law yf it be in your power to resist him yet maye you not do it Standish Se here the stedfastnesse et cetera Couerdale This man nether wrote ner sayd that we must obeye an erthly prynce more then allmightie god and yet are ye not ashamed so to reporte of him He saieth that though the Kyng commaunde us anye thing agaynst gods lawe yet maye we not resist him Which saieng ye call an abhominable heresie Thus declare ye your selfe manifestly to be of the nombre of them that teach how that it is lauful for a man to resist his prince Which thing whether it be not both heresie and treason let them iudge that haue auctorite Because Amos the Prophet preached agaynst ydolatry at Bethel that false prest Amasias whom ye speake of told that Kyng that he was a sedicious felow and so found the meanes to get him out of the court Yet played Amasias a more honest parte with Amos then you do for he laied rebellion to his charge that was alyue and your accusacion is agaynst the deed Agayne Amasias being yet a false prest saieth not that it is laufull for a man to resist his prynce and you call it abhominable heresie to teach the contrary Though Peter and Iohn do teach that we must obeye and harken vnto god more then vnto men do they therfore teach that we must resist our prynce Where fynd ye that example in them Peter smote of Malcus eare in dede but litle thanke had he for his laboure Doth he not teach us to endure grefe to suffre wrong and to take it paciently Saieth he not that we are called ther vnto Setteth he not Christ vnto us for an example of suffryng Because our Sauioure wylleth us not to feare them that kyll the body must we therfore resist them Whan a prynce doth persecute us for gods wordes sake in one citie must we resist him and not rather flye in to another Doth he call them blessed that resist and not them rather that suffre for persecucion sake Dyd Christ entre in to his Kyngdome by resisting or by suffryng As for that saieng qui timet hominem et cet I can not find it in the xix of the prouerbes but I fynd ther written that a false witnesse shall not remayne vnpunished and that he which speaketh lies shall not escape Ye call it an abhominable heresie to teach that we ought not to resist our prince though he commaunde us any vnlaufull thing And to proue your purpose ye poynt us to the fifth of Esaye where ther is no such words as ye speake of But these wordes fynd I there Wo vnto them that call good euell et cet As for the ensample of the seuen brethren and their mother it utterly condemneth you for they saie these wordes We are ready rather to suffre then to offende the lawes of god et cete And as they said so they dyd without makyng resistaunce though the Kynges commaundement was vnlaufull What other thing now dyd D. Barnes teach in his fore rehearced wordes but as he had said in his boke afore that yf the Kyng wolde cōmaunde us anie vnlaufull thing we must suffre him though we obeie not to it by agremēt What daunger you be in then for teaching the contrary I will not define I praie god acording to his good pleasure haue mercy vpon you Barnes THen spake he to the shereffe and sayde M. shereffe I requyre you of gods behalfe to haue me commended vnto the kynges grace and to shew him that I require of his grace these requestes first that wher his grace hath now receaued in to his handes all the goodes and substaunce of the abbayes Then the shereffe desyred him to stoppe there He answered M. shereffe I warraunt you that I wil speake no harme for I know it is well done that all such supersticion be taken cleane awaye and the kynges grace hath well done in takyng it awaye But seyng his grace is made a hole kyng and obeyed in his realme as a kyng which nether his father ner graundfather ner his ancestours that raigned before him euer had and that thorow the preaching of us and such other wretches as we are which allwayes haue applied our hole studies and gaue our selues for the setting forth of the same and this is now our reward Well it maketh no matter Now he raigneth I praye god long maye he raigne among you Wold god it might please his grace to bestow the sayd goodes or some of them to the comforte of his poore subiectes which surely haue great nede of them The second that I desire his grace is that he will se that matrymony be had in more reuerence then it is and that men for euery light cause inuented cast not of their wifes and lyue in aduoutry and fornicacion and that these that be not maried shuld not abhominably lyue in whordome folowing the filthy lustes of the flesh The third that the
that choked it vp Wherfore seynge thou art compased aboute with so great a nombre of witnesses that is to saye with the ensamples of so many godly and holy meÌ„ which not onely dyd chose rather to suffre aduersite with the people of god then to enioye the pleasures of synne for a season but also eschued false doctryne and brought forth allwaye good workes in their liuinge folowe thou the same trade folowe thou them I saye as thou seist they folowed Christ and no farther And as touchinge anye maner of doctryne beleue no man without gods worde acording as S. Hierome counceleth the. In Epistolam ad Gal. ca. v. For certaine it is that like as many tymes thou shalt spie euen great faultes in the conuersacioÌ„ of gods electe so readest thou of very few teachers sens the Apostles tyme which haue not erred and that grossely in sondry thinges Wherfore whom so euer thou hearest teach preach or wryte or whose bokes so euer thou readest trye them by gods worde whether they be agreable ther to or no. Whan thou knowest them I saye and art certayne and sure by Christes doctryne that they are false sedicious or abhominable then hold them accursed avoyde them utterly eschue them in anye wise and geue ouer thy selfe to the wholsome hearing and readinge of the scripture But so that thou be sober and discrete in the knowlege and vse therof And that in confessing the true faith and beleue of Christ thy hart mouth and dede go together and that thou coÌ„sent to none opinion contrary to the same That god maye haue the prayse and thy neghboure be edified in all thy conuersacion So doyng thou shalt not onely stoppe the mouth of euell speakers but also allure and prouoke other men to be frutefully geueÌ„ to faith and good workes and to helpe with such their vnfained faith and godly liuinge that the tabernacle of god maye be set vp againe The grace of our lorde Iesus Christ be with us all Amen Iacobi iij. Yf ye haue a bytter Zele and there be contencions in youre hartes make no boast nether be lyars agaynst the trueth Diuersyte amonge wryters Tryfles are prynted with the Kynges priuilege vnknowing to him Good wordes are blasphemed Stâ—ndish 〈◊〉 â—yll a deed man Ephe. vj. ij Corin. x. Let no man take parte agaynst the trueth Suspicion Gala. â—iij Standish is afrayed Prouer. j. The enemies 〈…〉 worde 〈◊〉 â—gainst them selues All is not gold that shyneth Standish smelleth here nothinge but heresy and treason Esa v. ij Tim. ij Matth. xx j. Pet. iij. Act. xxiij xxiiij.xxv j. Cor. xj Standish peruerteth the texte Math. iiij Luc. iiij out of the xc Psalme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gen. xiiij Rom. j.ij. Cor. j.ij. Cor. xj Gal. j. Iudic. xj Who is an heretike Mar. vj.ix. Luc. ij ix.xviij Iohn â–ª xvj Deut. xij Mat. xxviij Gal. j.ij. Iohn j. Hiere xv Matth. v ij Cor. xiij Rom. xv ij Pet. j. De peccatorum meritis et remissione cap. xxij The bisshoppes of England A good ensample in D Barnes Standish wryteth him self to be none of Christes church Esa j. lviij.lxvj Zac. vij Amos. v.viij. Mal. ij Gala. iiij Collo ij Esa lviij Matth. vj. j. Cor. vij Esa j. Matth. vj. xxiij Iaco. .j iiij Godly ordinaunce Esa xxix Matth. xv xxiij Marck vij Col. ij Gal. iiij j Timo. â—iij Iaco. iiij Collo ij j. Pet. ij Rom. viij xiij Rom. xiiij j. Cor. vij x ij Cor. vj Col. iij IustificacioÌ„ Gal. j. Matth. xij Nar. iij. Luc. xj The scriptures the doctours Naturall reason God is not the authour of synne D. Barnes wordes Workes Rom. xiiij Osie xij D. Barnes wordes I fond obiection against the iustificacion of faith lj Pet. j. Gal. v. Ephe. ij ij Cor. vj. Tit. ij j. Tessa iiij lib. j. cap. vâ—â— De vera et falsa peniteÌ„ cap. ij j. Iohn iiij Math. xviij Gal. v. Iohn xiij Ephe. iiij Col. iij. Luc. xj Matth. vj. Rom. x. Iob. iij. vj.xj Mar. xvj â—ob xiij Math. xviij Ephe. v D. Barnes words in the xxxiiij leafe of his boke 〈◊〉 xix 〈◊〉 ij In the iiij leafe In the v leafe Iohn viij A fond consequent Math. x. xvj Acto xv ij Cor. x. Math. x. xvj Mar. viij Luc. xij Rom. j. An heretike agreeth not with himselfe Standish contrary to himselfe Mar â–ª â— â–ª The coÌ„fession of D. Barnes â–ª Math. x. Luc. xij Roma x. Esa xxviij Iohn iij. Apoc. xviij Gen. xij Sach ij Standish is full of his latyn Standishe is contrary to himselfe Psal xciij Psal cxviij Math. iij. xvij ij Pet. j Iohn j. Col. ij The kynges grace knoweth not of all the euell that is done in his realme An ensample of charite A mans last will must stande j. Ioh. j.ij. Diuersite Heresie Roma v. Diuersite Diuersite j. Cor. xj ij Pet. iij. The texte j. Cor. xj The holy supper of oure lorde O wicked opynion Iohn iij. Ose xiij The wordes of Iohn baptist Standish Couerdale Diuersite Col. ij Deute xxv Note well now how the text and Standish agreeth Apoc. xviij Equalite The femynine gendre turned to the masculyne Mete this well Ioh. v.viij. Ephe. iiij j. Cor. vij Ephe. ij The texte Luc. xj The texte Eccl. xxj Obiection ij Cor. j. Sapi. iij. Prouer. iij. Heb. xij j. Cor. x. By sinÌ„e doth Standish vnderstond satisactioÌ„ for synne What a charitable hert Daniel bare toward the poore The storie of Ionas A thinge to be wisshed The text Roma xij The text Rom. vj. Maior Minor Conclusio Roma vj. Ose xiij Heb. ij Maior Minor Conclusio Rom. ij Ephe. ij Rom. v. Col. j. Rom. v.j. Tessa j. Maior Mnior Conclusio Maior Minor Conclusio The place Luc. vij Standish maketh a new texte Standish wold make Christ a liar Somtyme An vnworthy qualite The text Iohel ij The text Esaie liij An heynous heresie Roma iij. Rom. vj. Psal v. Deute xxxij Roma xij Gal. v. Ioel. ij Esa lviij Math. vj. iij Re. xviij Math. vj. Esa j. Eccl. v. Rom. xij ij Cor. ix Rom. xij Esaie liij Math. xj Ioh. j.j. Ioh. j. Psal liiij Matth. vj. Luc. xij Deute vj. j. Pet. ij j. Pet. v. j. Pet. iiij Iohn xx We haue sufficient testimonie of this Note this well The place j. Iohn j. Ezech. xviij Esaie lv Hiere xviij Sap. xj Psal cxliiij Math. xviij Ezech. xviij iij. reg xviij Esa lviij Esaie iij. popule mens Oui te beatuÌ„ dicunt et cet The text Acto x. Esa lvj Eccle. ij Heb. xj Rom. xiiij Diuersite Diuersite iiij Reg. xx iiij Re. xviij Heb. vj. Iacob j. Ionas iij. ij Par. xxxij Ionas iij. iiij Reg. xx Diuersite j. Iohn iiij Roma v Roma iij Iob. xxv Iob. ix Psal cxlij Psal cxxix Esa lxiiij Standish doth mynish the text Luc. xvij Matth. vj. Luc. xj Roma vij iij. Re. vâ—ij ij Par. vj Iob. vij Gal. v. The scripture and. S. Austen mainteine the Germaines doctrine Ther Germaynes clense their church from