not admyt the scripture to be iudge but referre al thynges to theyr interpretation and spiritee Is not this an hygh blasphemie that a sinnefull man shoulde presume to sete hym selfe iudge ouer the word and wyl of god asthough he ought not to bee obedient vnto it excepte he were moued with his owne spiritee and mocion to reiecte or receiue it I harde ones a papiste doctour openly in a disputaciō saie that we whiche teache the gospell dooe teache the truthe and dyd alowe our teachynge veary well but that he coulde not nor durste subscribe vnto it exrepte our teachynge were adprobated and alowed by the bisshoppe of Rome Beholde my Symon what abhominacion is this that a mortall man shulde take vpon hym to adprobate alowe the diuine and heauenly veritee and set hym selfe iudge ouer god Therfore haue I put this conclusion in the forefront because that the Anababtistes doe for y ◠moste parte boast and aduaunce their spirite vnder such pretence deceiuyng the simple and rude people Symon Doeth not Paule teache this that the letter doeth kylle and the spirit viuifieth or doeth quieken ii Corin. iii And Christe doeth saie Ioan. xiiii The spirite shall teache you all truthe It is spoken by the lorde also Hieremy xxxi Euery man shall teache no more his neyghbour saiyng knowe thou the lorde but all shall knowe hym from the lowest to the hyghest Finally Iohn dooeth saie It is no neede that euery man dooe teache you but as the vnction teacheth you of all thinges whiche is true and is no lye What canst thou saye agaynst so manyfeste scriptures Ioiada To the woordes of Paule I aunsweare thus That Paul speaketh there of the lawe whyche kylleth vs as he dooeth declare more apertly in the .vii. chap. to the Romains And by the spirit he vnderstondeth faith and the consolacion or comforte of the gospell That it is so the texte of the whole chapter dooeth testifie Therefore this place helpeth nothyng your errour For whan we speake of the woorde of god we dooe not vnderstonde the bare and deade letter or voyde sonnde of it but the word well and truely vnderstonded and as it is in veary dede And as for that that Chryste dooeth promesse a spyrite vnto his dysciples teachynge them all thynges wee dooe admytte and beleue it But that spyrite can not bee contrarye to Chryste nor teacheth any other thyng than Chryst hath taught Therfore doeth he adde by and by teachyng you what so euer I haue saied vnto you What dooe these thynges perteyne to the spirite of the Anababtistes whiche teacheth contrary thynges to the spirite of Christe The prophecies of Ioel and Hieremye are vnderstonded of that same spirite that Christe dooeth bothe promesse and geue to his disciples as it is euidently sene in the seconde chapiter of the Actes and the eyght to the Hebrues Iohn in his epistell whan he speaketh of the vnctyon dooeth playnely expounde hym selfe saiynge I haue written vnto you that ye bee not deceyued or that ye dooe not suffer your selues to be brought in to errour whyche thyng will then come to passe if ye dooe stedfastely abyde in the doctrine of the spirite whiche ye haue harde at the begynnynge and swarue not at all from it The holy ghoste is the spirite of truthe which canne neither lye nor repugne against hym selfe beyng all waies constaunte vnchaungeable euery where lyke vnto hym selfe Now no man can denaye but that the same euerlastyng vnchaungeable and holy spirite hath inspyred the holy scriptures in to holy mens hertes and myndes Whereby it foloweth necessarily that the same spirite which speaketh agaynste the meanyng of the spirite that dooeth speake and expresse hym selfe in the diuine scriptures is not of god but rather an humaine mayne affection whyche if it bee styffe maie bee deseruyngly called a deauelysshe spyryte as Chryste dooeth proue agaynste the Iues. Iohn viii Or canst thou thynke in thy mynde that spirite to bee good whiche contemneth the cleare manyfeste pure and holy scriptures and when by them he is conuicted of errour doeth boste an other spirite whiche shoulde teache cleane cōtrary thinges Is not this to despise y ◠spirite of y ◠scriptures and to repugne against hym As though our spirit meaneth truely and the spirit of the scriptures most falsely Where haue the Anababtistes learned to set their spirit against y ◠scriptures yea and preferre hym to the holy worde of god Symon But who hath geuen you this libertee to iudge al thynges after the litterall sence or letter Ioiada That we dooe not as thou doest interprete the letter But we saie that the worde of god conteined in the scriptures of the Bible is a touche stone wherby spirites are tried For what spirite so euer doeth agree with the scriptures is of god the father of truthe And agayne what spirite so euer is contrary to the holy scriptures is of the dyuelle the father of lyes Seyng therfore that the spyrite of the Anababtistes wil not bee ruled by the holy scriptures but preferreth hym selfe to the woorde of god callynge by crafte the woorde of god a bare letterre yea and sette set him selfe iudge ouer it he cānot be of god For if he were of god he would come to light and speake that same thyng that the holy ghost doeth speake in al the holy scriptures But now sith y t he doeth not depende of the scriptures but will be at his own lybertie it is a token that it is a craft and subtiltie of the deuell whiche doeth alwayes scatter repugne against god Sy. Thou speakest these thynges mightily and stronglye but withoute the word of god And this is your familier custome to speake many thinges without scriptures As touching the spirite what he techeth I haue brought and alledged places and testimonies oute of the scriptures But that the spirit ought to be tried by scriptures or rather mācipated and bounde vnto them and not be at his own libertie it is thy parte for to proue Or peraduenture thou dost prefer the creature vnto the creatour Ioi What and yf I should say also My spirite hath taught me this thyng What couldest thou do or say vnto me Sym. But that is not to aunswere Ioi Nor ye do not answere sufficiently when ye bost your spirite without or agaynst the scriptures But in this thīg we do learne that whan it pleaseth you ye vse the scriptures agayne whan ye see to be expede ent ye boaste aud aduance your spirit Whan I affirme that the spirite must be tried by the scriptures I doe not mancipate nor subdue the creatour vnto y ◠creature but I will that the thynge whiche is vncertaine be tryed proued by y t which is certaine and that any spirit be tried by the holy spirit of god that is to saie by the scriptures whether he agreeth with hym self or not And if he be like euery where vnto him self to be receiued if not to be refused
euer calleth vpon the name of the lorde shal be saued But how can thei call vpon hym in whome they haue not belued and how shal thei beleue in hym of whom thei haue not harde And how can they heare without a preacher And agayne how shal thei prea the except thei be sent By these wordes of Paule we maie perceiue that sendyng is veary necessary whiche doeth not equally pertaine vnto all men For Paule .i. Corin. xii saieth that there be many giftes And eauen as the body is one thynge and hath many lymmes which lymmes though thei belong all to one body yet neuerthelesse haue not all owne offyce in the body so it is in the churche and misticall body of Chryste God dyd putte and ordeyne some in the churche to be apostels some to bee prophetes and interpretours of scriptures some to bee teachers some to bee potestates and rulers summe to haue the giftes of healynge summe to minister to the poore summe to gouerne and summe agayne to haue the knowledge of tonges If so bee that the offyce of teachyng shulde equally perteine vnto al men Paul would haue sayed that god hadde ordeyned all to bee prophettes and teachers but he sayeth he hathe ordeyned summe to bee apostels c. Why dare then the Anababtistes presume so much as for to set them selues forthe by their own autoritee to preache to teach againste the doctrine of Paule Hebrues .v. No man saieth he doeth vsurpe or presumptuousli take that honor vnto hym selfe but he which is called by god as Aarō so christ did not glorifie hym selfe to bee made bisshoppe but he that saied vnto hym Thou art my sonne and to daye haue I begotten the. And in an other place Thou arte a priest for euer after the order of Melchysedecke After this maner dooeth Iohn Babtiste testifye of the mission and sendynge of Chryste in the fyrste and thyrde chapiter of Iohn And of his owne sendyng doeth he hym selfe speake in the .i. cha of Iohn saiynge There was a man sente by god whose name was Iohn when he was also asked by what authoritee he did teache and babtize he did bryng forthe out of Esaie and Malachie a testimony and witnesse of his mission and sendyng So the Apostelles were bothe called and sent as it appeareth by the x. and .xxviii. of Mathew by y ◠last of Mar. and .xx. of Io. Paule doeth testifie in y ◠begynnyng of his epistels and specially in the epistell to y ◠Galathiās that he was called In the .xiii. of the Act. he with Barnabas is segregated by the holy ghost and sent to preache In Moises also in all the prophetes their mission and sendyng is manifested But agaynst them that dooe renne beyng not called and without sendyng doe preache in the .xxiii. of Hieremy the lorde speaketh thus Thei did renne but I sent them not Therfore I do thynke that this conclusion is sufficiently proued and that it is manifeste enough that the Anababristes dooe not in this thyng behaue them selues wel and godly whiche thowgh thei be not called doingerate and thrust them selues in to the office of preachers Which thyng as we doe reade was neuer done by none of the Saintes Symon All this that thou hast brought dooeth nothyng agaynste the Anababtistes For thei saie that thei bee sent by the father and by the holy ghost Ioiada To what thing or for what pourpose Symo◠To teache the truthe to preache of god and to rebuke synne Ioiada It is proued before as thou thy selfe haste graunted that we dooe the same thynge in those places where the gospell is preached What neede haue we then of this mission and sendynge of the Anababtistes To these places where the gospell is preached god dooeth not sende men to plante and set errours to moue sedicion and to teache contrary doctrine to the truthe to separat and make diuision in the churche But the Anababtistes dooe all these thynges therfore they bee not sente by god For god is not the god of dyssencion but of peace and concorde .i. Corin. xiiii Symon Thei saie alwaies that they bee sente of god Ioiada Thei doe saie so in dede but not truely For Sathan can transforme and transfigurate hym selfe into an angell of light ii Corin .xi. but he is not therfore a good aungell Symon Is it not written in the iix cha of Iohn that he which is of god speaketh the woorde of god the Anababtistes dooe preache the worde of god therfore they bee sent of god Ioiada Arrius dyd preache the worde of god That is to saye the father is greaterthan I am ergo he was sent by god Symon Not so Ioiada Is not this the worde of god the father is greatterthan I am Symon He dyd preache the worde of god beyng falsely vnderstonded wrethyng and wrastynge the scriptures ergo he was not sent of god Ioiada The Anababtistes dooe the same the refore they bee not sent by god though they dooe neuer so muche boast and crake that thei doe preache the truthe and worde of god Which thing all the heretikes dyd before and Sathan also dooeth vsurpe the worde of god Mathew .iiii. but it foloweth not that he is sent by god That saiynge whyche thou hast brought out of the .iii. chapiter of Iohn perteyneth onely to Chryste who because y ◠he was come frome god hath perfite knowlage of diuine and heauenly thynges Which thing Iohn Babtiste goeth about to proue to his disciples Symon The Anababtistes doe saie that ye doe deprauate the scriptures Ioiada It skylleth not what they saie whyche are nothynge shamed to lye as it shall manyfestly appere hereafter For sythe that by this authoritee taken out of the. iii chapiter of Iohn and applied to Chryste alone thei adscribe vnto them selues that which belongeth to Chryste onely who dooeth not perceiue and see that thei be enemies of the truthe We know what sklanderous wordes thei doe vomite out and speake agaynste vs callyng vs theues robbers Antichristes false prophetes and seductors We doe impute this to the weakenesse of the flesshe and forbeare for Chrystes sake We might cleare our selues if nede were proue that thei doe beelye vs. But so thei haue nede to proue y ◠thei be sent of god by other thinges thē by sklanderous wordes and railinges Sy. I can not saie none other but that I haue harde them saie that thei are sent of god Ioiada No doubt there is but that thei be ignoraunt and know not whiche waie god doeth call what are the tokens and signes of vocacion and sendyng For thei that are called sent of god are manifested by certaine tokens and signes whiche doe folow that it maie appeare that thei be truely called and sent either by miracles or by manifest vocacion and sendynge but specially by dexteritee or aptenesse integreted of lyfe constauncy and stedfastnesse erudicion and learnynge woorthy suche sendynge and vocacion Symon what and if ye dooe faine all this
¶ AN HOLSOME Antidotus or counterpoysen agaynst the pestylent heresye and secte of the Anabaptistes newly translated out of latiÌ„ into Englysh by Iohn Veron Senonoys PriÌ„cipiis obsta sero medicina para tur CuÌ„ mala per loÌ„gas inualuere moras Vidiego quod fuerat primo sana bile vulnus Dilatum longae damna tuâ—â—sse mora â–ª TO THE MOST REDOVBTED prynce Edwarde by the grace of god Duke of Somerâ—et Lorde Protector of all the Kynges maiestes realmes subiectes and dominions and gouernor of his most totall persoÌ„ health prosperite eÌ„crease of honor heauenly knowleg frome god y â— father through out lorde and sauiour Iesu Christ So bett THE blesed aposttle saynte Paule in y â— xx chapiter of the actys callynge together all the senyours or prestes at a place and towne called Myletum dyd speake vnto theÌ„ after this maner Take ye hede to your selfs to aâ— the flock ouer the which the holly gost hath put you ouer seers to feade the congregation of god which he purchasyd with his owne blood for I know this wel that after my departynge shall enter in greuous wolfes a monge you which shall not spare the flock And euen of your selfes shall a ryse meÌ„ speakyng peruerse thin ges to drawe dyscyples after them etc. Here most myghtye prynce dyd that choseÌ„ elected vessell of god describe most liuely the wicked and peruerse nature of false seditious herytyckes that studye for nowght elles but to deuid and seperate the churche to gette vnto them disciples to scater dissipate the flocke of y â— most bountuous sheaperde Iesu christe to sowe discorde teach peruerse thinges etc. Which thynge truely dyd chaunce in the primatyue churche euen in the tymes of y â— a postelles to the great hynderance and let of the gosspell of Christe for where so euer the apostells and dysciples of oure sauyour had preachyd y â— kyngdome of god and with greate peane and labour had brough the people from theyr superstytious and vngodly wayes in to the waye of the truthe there dyd breake in certayne false prophetes and false a postelles also with there peruerse and hypocriticall doctryne subuertynge the myndes of them that w t ioyfull hartes had receyued the glade tidynges of saluatinÌ„ delyueraunce These ar they y â— for their bealies sake dyd as a stormy wyndy teÌ„pest trouble y â— peace vnite of y â— church sekiÌ„g their owne glori and promotioÌ„ imagynyng alwaies myscheffe in their hartes how thei coulde gette vnto them selfs by theyr pestiferous blandiloqueÌ„ce and venymed flatterynge tonges moste shamefully and vntruly preferryng them selfs vnto the true a postlles and discyples of our lorde a perpetuall name memorye Agaynst them dyd y â— apostelles and speacially saynt Paule whome we maye right well call the standard bearer of our Chrysten religion wrytte very ernestly callyng them antichristes false prophetes and pseudoapostills callyng them euell workmen enemyes of the crosse and passion of christ as it appereth more euydently in the actys and in the epystylls that they haue wrytten and sent to sondrye and many churches to arme and fense y â— flock of christ agaynst such rauenyng wolfs Yet not w tstondynge after the departyng of the a postells that is to saye after y â— god had done hys blessed wyll w t them accordynge to the commen course of nature these false prophetes dyd so preualle agaynst the true doctryne of christ y â— in a maner these xii hunderd yeares fewe or none durst speake the truthe For as soone as any man by y â— inspiration and gyft of the holy gost dyd begyne in those dayes to preache the gosspell purely sincerely to the great glorye of god and edyfyeng of the church defending with the swerd of the spiritee that libertee and fryedome that christ with hys precyous bloode hath purchassyd vnto vs dyd not these hypocrites bryng all the world in to thraldome puttyng vpoÌ„ christeÌ„ menes neckes heauear â—urdeÌ„s of humayne traditious and ceremoniall dreames thaÌ„ euer dyd the Iues beare whiche as saynt Augustyne sayth though they knew not the tyme of liber tye yet not w tstandyng war lodid and burdoned not with meÌ„s presumptions but with y e burdens of the law onely by and by was he as a false heriticke or as he that hath kyllyd bothe father and mother most cruely put to death In so muche that the yearthly prynces whome with theyr abhomynabyll dysscimulation they had gotten on theyr sede blyndynge and poyseynynge them most subtillye craftely with the golden cuppe of y e purplyd hore of Babylone thought that they dyd a greate sacryfyce vnto god whan with all the tirannye that coulde be for these belys sake murthered and persequuted them whome god had choseÌ„ and sent to shewe vnto them the waye of truthe saluation But blessed be that bontuous lorde which hath not suffered the prynces whome by hys diuine prouidence he hath made ordoned to be supreme gouernors of hys church immedyatly vnder hym though by y â— tyrannicall power of those false prophetes antichristes they ware put by that superyorytye a greate whyle to erre and bee deceued any loÌ„ger but dyd most mercyfull opeÌ„ their eyes to loke vpon that comfortable sonne of ryghtuosnes and lyght of the truthe y â— they myghte in these thyk darkenessys of thys wretched worlde be gydes vnto hys people to bryng them out of the egypte of ignorannycye and so leade them through y â— parylous desertes into y â— land of promiscion For the which thynges we are all greatly bounde to gyue dayly and hourley immortall thaÌ„ckes vnto god and specially that of hys bountuous mere goodnes he hath gyuen vnto vs such of noble coragious prince which now in his tender years is so delegentli brought vp iÌ„ all godlynes vertuous learning that he hereafter as a nobyll Salomon shall w t all prudence and godly wysdome not onely shed the blode of them that dyd shede the innocent bloode but also buylde vp myghtely the temple of the liuing god Which thyng as dauyd in y â— olde lawe so nowe oure moste vyctoryus prynce Henrye the eyghte the father of this oure sofuerayne lorde kyng Edwarde the syxte wolde had done if god had not dysposed otherwyse with hym But thanckes be to god that he hath so well prepared all thynges before hys death and that he hath w t y â— tow edgged sworde of the spiritee cutted a waye alredy the bushes thornes and brembles that shuld had letted the buyldyng of the temple makyng the ground euen by abbatynge the pryde of these false a posteles and puttyng awaye by litell and litell the rubbyshe of vngodly traditions and vayne ceremonis Which thyng wyl be no smal spurre vnto our most sofuerayne lord kyng Edward the syxt to performe and bryng to prosperous and ioyfull ende that which hys louyng father hath begonne so godly And I doubte not but now god wyllynge who
reiected as false deceitful But whan ye speake of the spirite ye doe vnderstond a bare creature For your spirit is not the holy ghost but a carnall affection Sy. Ye dooe yet without any scriptures of the Bible enhaunce and magnifie the letter Io. Not so but rather we here ground ourselues bothe vpon y e scriptures of god and vpon examples Sy. Shew therfore y t the truthe muste be tryed by the scriptures not rather w t a fre spirit without scriptures Io. By thy wordes doe I perceine what thinge doeth begile you that is y t ye do seuer these .ii. thinges beyng vnited inuisebly knitted together y t is to saie the spirite the scriptures which can nor ought to be separated asunder the one from y e other For whē we name y e scriptures we doe vnderstande y e expressed worde of y t spirit For as y e voice or sound of y e worde can in no wise be separated from y e lyuely breth of y e liuing creature So y e scriptures can not be diuided from y e spirit y t inspireth thē for y e scripture is y e expressed wil of god but now wil I bryng y e testimonies places w t thou requirest our lord Iesu Christ vnto whom y e heuēly father did geue witnes from heuen who hath receiued the holy ghost after no measure did not despise y e sciptures in so muche that he dyd corroborate all his saiynges by them onely and did commaund that the Iewes should trye both his woordes and factes by the scriptures Ihon. v. and Luke xvi He biddeth them to lyfte vp their eyes to Moyses the prophetes and not to apparaunte spirites He reprouyng also the Saduceis did shewe that this was the cause of their errour be cause that they were ignoraunt in scriptures or neglected them Mark .xii. The Apostles as we may vnderstand by the booke of the Actes did receiue abundātly in the beginyng the holy gost that by a sertaine visible tokē And yet not withstandyng did thei not therfore forsake or contēne y e scriptures nor boste their spirite against thē But rather did proue strengthen all their sermons with the worde of god preachyng nothyng els but the pure and playne scriptures These thynges are euydently proued by the epistels of Peter Iohn doeth plainely shewe and teache that the spirites owght to be tried whether thei bee of god or not .i. Io. iiii Wherby it is euydent enowgh that spirites owght to be tried and that thei be not so free as the Anahabtistes will haue them And how thei muste bee proued it is manifestly declared in y t place Paule whiche was rauisshed in to the thyrde heauen and dyd learne his gospel of Iesu Christ beyng hym selfe the chosen vessel of god full of the holy ghost and heauenly wisedome neuer the lesse before the kyng Agrippa he doeth testify that he dyd teache nothyng beside Moises and the prophetes Act. xxvi In the epistell to the Galathians y e first chapter he saieth thus if I or an angel of heauen shulde preach vnto you any other thīg then ye haue harde let it be anathema or acursed He also warnyng and teachyng Tymothe that be shoulde beware of false and erroneous doctrines dyd directe and sende hym to the redyng of scriptures But reade thou the iii. chapiter of the seconde epistell to Tymothe and it shall appere what we owght to iudge and thynke of the Anababtistes secte what of the spirite and of the scriptures Sy. That place is knowen well enowghe and I am almost persuaded But this vexed my mynde that Paule saieth that a spirituall man iudgeth all thynges but he is iudged of no body Ioiada I longe to knowe of the of what spirite Paule doeth speake there Symon But I haue leauer to heare it of the Ioiada Considre the woordes y t go before For he saieth thus We haue not receiued the spirit of the world but the spirit whiche is of god that we may know what thynges haue ben geuen vnto vs by Chryst Symon But to what purpose did Paul speke here of the holy ghost Ioiada I aske of the wheather y t same selfe spirite dyd not inspyre the scriptures Symon Truely that same selfe spirite Ioiada Seyng therfore that it is all one and bothe the same spirite that Paule speaketh of here and that whiche speaketh in the scriptures haue I not proued that Paule by a spirituall man did not vnderstond hym which boasteth I can not tell what spirite despisyng in the meane season the scriptures but suche a spirituall man as is and will be ruled and gouerned by the holy ghost that waie that he sheweth and expresseth hym selfe in the holy scriptures He therfore that striueth againste the holy scripture and inspiracyon of the holy ghost can not bee that spirituall man whome Paule doeth speke of Now if he be not spirituall he can not iudge but he muste be iudged The Anababtistes therfore can iudge nothyng but ought to bee iudged and tryed by the worde of god Hathe not here the spirite of the Anababtistes lost bothe his win ges But I do remembre other ii places whiche dooe vtterly stoppe the mouthes of the Catababtistes The first is in the .x. chapiter of the Actes touchyng Cornelius the centurion which although he was elected by god yet not withstandyng beyng so tawght by the angell did sende messangers to fetche Peter y t he migh heare by hym the preachīg of our sauiour Iesu christ If that the spirite should disanulle and abolisshe the scriptures it shulde folow y t this outwarde preachyng and such like thinges wer done in vaine The other is in the .xvi. chapiter concernyng the Thessaloniens whiche after that thei had harde the preachyng of Paule dyd daily seke and serche the scriptures to knowe wheather Paule dyd teache true or not Which thing thei wolde not haue done if the spirites shoulde not be tried by the scriptures wherefore what so euer the Anababtistes dooe teache concernyng this thynge is false and erroneous and not vnlike vnto the errour of Montanus Sym. What monstruous thyng is y t Ioiada This Montanus about .xiii. hundred yeres a go was a great heretike who did almost speake of the spirite as the Anababtistes dooe For thei do cal in again the old abolisshed errours as it shall appere hereafter Sym. Go forth I praie y e and let vs discusse the argumentes of the second conclusion For I can not beleue that none of the saynttes whiche thyng thou doest affirme stifly did thruste them selues into the office of common preachers excepte thei were called What other thyng is this but as the bisshop of Rome hath done in times paste to hyde the truthe frome the commons that none saue onely thei that are learned dare speake and talke of it Where as not withstandynge god did manifest him self to the littell ones and not to the wise Mathew xi Ioiada I will doe it
which though he hath feeleth in him self sinne and weakenesse of the flesh beyng tickeled with sensualitie affections yet not withstaÌ„dyng dothe not geue the bridell vnto the flesh ne vnto synne but resisteth styll and is alwayes a frayde to fall And if so be that he chaunceth to fall by and by draweth he backe his foote and repentyth Sy But they saye that a man may be without syn Ioi We are without synnes as dogges be without fleas in the moneth of August O abhominacion that men should thinke or presume suche thingê I passe ouer here that by this opinion they doo blaspheme the veritie of the gospel yea take vtterly away the grace mercy of God For where synne is not there is no grace where preuaricacion and transgression is not there is no Remission amonge them there is no transgression ergo the grace of God is not a mong them Is not this to abolish the grace of God What shall I saye but that these mad braynes do fal into another heresye that is to saye in to the heresy of that blasphemous maÌ„ Pelagius who dyd denye the grace of God magnifiyng and extollyng the strengthe of man He was .xi. C. yeares ago Sy. But they proue thys with scriptures Ioia The veritie of the scriptures dothe teache nothing so Beside that thou canst bring no exemple but the exemple of Lucifer which woulde be lyke vnto God as they wyll be without synne wheras no man can be pure and without synne but God onely Sy. Dothe not Iohn say that he whiche is of God synneth not Ioia He synneth not to death Sy. Thou doest so expouÌ„d it or this is thyne exposicion Ioai Consider the wordes that go afore and thou shalte vnderstand that I saye true Sy What synne is that or is not a man without synne when he synneth not to death Io. Christ saieth vnto the Iues If ye do not beleue ye shal dye in your synnes Ergo vnfaythfulnesse is a deadly synne or syn to death And though a faythful beleuer is without this syn that is to say without infidelitie yet he is not without vyce or syekenesse which he must be ware of always lest he be drouned in syn or soiled defiled w t the abhominable fylthynesse of sinnes therfore it followeth in Iohn We do know that all that is borne of god sineth not but he that is borne of god doth kepe himself theuyll toucheth him not So therfore the godly sineth not though he falleth by frailnes yet notwithstaÌ„ding that malicious Satan can not catche him For the diligent study labor that the godly dothe take in shunnynge auoidyng synne that is to say faith doth that syn is not imputed for syn It is written in the .viii. Rom. That ther is no condemnacion vnto theÌ„ that be in christ which do not walke after the flesh but after the spirit Els saint Iohn doth say in the same self epistle If we do say we haue no syn we deceyue our selfê truth is not in vs. If we do coÌ„fesse our sines god is both faithful rightwise to forgeue vs our sinnes and to clense vs from our iniquitie If we do say we haue no synne we make him a lier his worde is not in vs. There be many suche places euery where in the scriptures Dauid doth crye out O Lorde do not enter into iudgement with thy seruaunt for in thi sight no maÌ„ shal be iustified And agayne if thou lookest extremely vpon our synnes o lord who is able to abyde it In the xliii of Esa the lord doth speke thus by the Prophet vnto the Iues which dyd glorify boast them selues in the rightwysnes of y e law I am he I am he saith y â— lord that taketh away thyne iniquities for myne owne sake wyll not remembre thy sines Bring me into remembraunce let vs be iudged together telle furth if thou hast any thyng to iustifie thy selfe Thy father hath synned fyrst and thyne interpreters haue gone out of the way None of the most holy men were euer without sinne which thyng manifestly appereth in Adam Noe Abraham Isaac Iacob Moyses Aaron ` Dauid Iosias Ezechias Peter Paul Matew c. Therfore Iob speaketh truly Iob .ix. What am I that I should answer him and speake with him with my wordes which though I had some rightwysnesse wyl not answer but entreate my iudge If I wyll iustifye my selfe my mouth shall condemne me if I say that I am innocent my mouth shall proue me wicked c. Paule in the .iii. Rom. sayeth that al men haue sined do want the glory of god In y â— .xiii. of Ihon christ sayeth he that is washed hath no neade but to wash his feete for he is all cleane If he be all cleane what neade hathe he to wash his feete If he hath neade to wash his feete how can he be all cleane Therfore we ar clensed purified with the blood of Christ that was shed vpon the crosse from the filthines of syn be all cleane But it followeth not by this that we be no more i the flesh or that we be no more synners For the dregges of syn do remayne in our feete that is to say in our affections as long as we liue walke in this dust i and foule way we are soyled contaminated with the filthynesse of synne which we neade with perpetuall study and daily care to washe awaie and afterwardes to wype out these filthinesses with gret inward grefe repentaunce and teares in the vertue of the passion and death of Chryst Finally christ in the .xv. of Iohn saieth I am the trewe vine and my father is the husbande man He doeth take awaie euery bough in me that bringeth forth no fruite euery bowgh y â— bryngeth for the fruite he doeth purge make cleane that he mai bryng forth more fruite By the which saiynges we maie vnderstande y e we that are in Christ thorowe faith as a bowgh is in y â— vine doo bryng forth fruite liuyng godly haue neuerthelesse nede to be made cleane and that by the spirit and vertue of Christ Now y e which is made cleane must nedes to be vnpure vnclene So we that ar in Christ alredy ar made clene daily for we do offend in many thinges and no man is liuyng that sinneth not and that hath no nede of this clensyng Except the Anababtistes whiche in their hathe be made so pure clene by their water wherwith thei do wash their disciples among whom water doeth take awaie that which the blood of Christ doeth not take awaie in them that are godly Sy. I do not see yet proued that he which falleth againe after that he hath knowen the truthe doeth daily fynd grace pardon Io. It is sufficientli proued by y â— saiyngs of Iohn and by the exemple of Dauyd and of Peter For if we be all synners and yet neuerthelesse doo entre into the