vpper hande And in the Apocalyps you may se it was prophesied that the true church should be dryuen into corners and into wyldernes and suffer great persecution Morgan A are you seen in the Apocalyps ther is many strange thinges phil If I tell you the trueth which you are not hable to refel beleue it and daly not out so earnest maters Me thinke you are liker a scoffer in a play Morgan ryghtly painted out than a reasonable doctor to instruct a man you are bare arced and daunse naked in a net and yet you se not your owne nakednes Morgan What I pray you be not so quicke with me Let vs talke a lytle more coldly together phil I will talke with you as myldly as you can desyre if you wil speake learnedly and charytably But yf you goo about with tauntes to delude the truthe I will not hyde it from you Morgan Why will you not submit your iudgement to the learned men of this realme phil Bycause I see they can bring no good ground wher vpon I may with a good conscience settle my faythe more suerly then on that which I am now grounded by Goddes manifest word Morgan No do that is maruel that so many learned men should be deceaued phil It is no maruel by S. Paule for he sayth that not many wyse neither many learned after the world be called to the knowlage of the gospel Morgan Haue you thē alone the spirit of God and not we phil I say not that I alone haue the spirit of God but as many as abide in the true faith of Christ haue the spirit of God aswell as I. Morgan Howe know you that you haue the spirit of God Phil. By the fayth of Christ which is in me Morgan A by faith do you so I wene it be the spirit of the butterye which your felowes haue had that haue ben burned before you who were dronke the night before they went to theyr death I wene went dronken vnto it Phil. It appeareth by your communicacion that you are better acquainted with the spirit of the buttrye then with the spirite of God wherfore I must nowe tell the thou paynted wall and hypocryte in the name of the lyuing Lord whose truth I haue told the that God shal rayne fyer and brymstone vpon suche scorners of his word and blasphemers of his people as thou art Morgan What you rage now Phil. Thy folishe blasphemies haue compelled the spirite of God which is in me to speake that which I haue said vnto the thou enemy of all righteousnes Morgan Why do you iudge me so phil By thyne owne wicked wordes I iudge of the thou blind and blasphemous doctor for as it is written by thy wordes thou shalt be iustified and by thy wordes thou shalt be condempned I haue spoken on Goddes behalfe now haue I done with the. Morgan Why then I tell the Philpot that thou arte an heretyke and shalt be burnt for thy heresy afterwards goo to hell fyer phil I tell the thou hypocryte that I passe not this for thy fyer and fagots nether I thanke God my lord stand in feare of the same my faythe in christ shall ouercom them But the hell fyer which thou thretnest to me is thy porcyon and is prepared for thee oneles thou spedely repent and for such hypocrites as thou art Morgan What you speake vpō wyne thou hast typled well to day by lykelyhode phil So fayd the cursed generation to the Apostles being replenished with the holy gost and speaking the wonderous workes of God they sayd they were dronke whē they had nothing els to say as thou doest nowe Morgan Why I am hable to answere the ywis I trowe phil So it semeth with blasphemies lyes Morgan Nay euen with learning say what thou canst philpot That appeared well at my disputacion in the conuocation house where thou tokest vpon thee to answere those few argumentes I was permitted to make and yet wast not hable to answere one but in thyne answeres dyddest fomble and wonder that the hole house was ashamed of thee And thy fynall conclusion of all thyne answers was that thou couldest answere me yf I were in the scoles at Oxforde Morgan What dyd I so thou belyest me Phil. I do not belye the the boke of the report of the disputation beareth record therto and all that were present can tel yf they list thou saydest so And I tel thee playne thou arte not hable to answer the spirite of truthe which speaketh in me for the defence of Christes true religion I am hable by the myght ther of to dryue thee rounde about this galarie before me And yf it would please the Quenes maiestie and her counsell to heare thee me I would make thee for shame shrynke behynde the dore Morgan Yea would you so lo phil Thou hast the spirite of illusion sophisirie which is not hable to counteruayle the spirite of truthe Thou arte but an Asse in the true vnderstanding of thinges pertaynyng vnto God I cal the asse not in respecte of malice but in that thou kickest agaynst the truthe art voyde of all godly vnderstandyng not hable to answere to that thou bragest in Morgan Why haue I not answered thee in al thinges thou hast sayd vnto me I take them to recorde Phil. Aske of my felow whether I be a these Cosins Hearke he maketh vs al theues phil You knowe the phrase of that Prouerbe that like wil holde with lyke And I am sure you wil not iudge with me against him speake I neuer so true And in this sense I speake it the strongest answer that he hath made agaynst me is that you wil burne me Morgan Why we do not burne you it is the temporal mē that burne you and not we phil Thus you would as Pylate dyd washe your hādes of al your wicked doynges But I praye you inuocate seculare brachium Cal vpon the secular power to be executioners of your vnryghteous iudgementes And haue you not a rytle in your lawe De haeruicis comburendis for to burne heretikes Harpes I haue heard you both a good while reason together and I neuer heard so stoute an heretike as you are maister Philpot. Cosins Neither I in al my lyfe Phil. You are not hable to proue me an heretike by one iot of Goddes worde Harpes You haue the spirite of arrogācye I wil reason with you no more And so he was departing and M. Cosins also And with that the bishop and Christoforson came in agayne sayd London M. D. howe dothe this man and your agree Morg. My lorde I do aske him where his churche was fyfty yeares ago London Are you not halfe agreed as one man sayd ones to tway partes of whom the one was equally disagreyng from the other Crhisto My lorde it is but foly to reason with him any further your lordeship shal but lose tyme for he is incurable London Wel then let his keper haue hym
phil And I was had into the wardrobe agayne by my keper and within an howre after was sent for to come before him and the bishops of Worcester and Bangor Lond. Syr I haue talked with you many tymes and haue caused you to be talked with all of many learned men yea and honourable bothe temporall and spirituall and yet it auayleth nothing with you I am blamed that I haue brought thee afore so many for they say thou gloryest to haue many to talke withal Well nowe it lieth the vpon to loke to thy selfe for thy tyme drawith nere to an ende yf thou be not become conformable And at this present we are sent from the synod to offer you this grace that yf you wil come to the vnitie of the churche of Rome with vs and acknowledged the reall presence of Christ in the sacrament of the altare with vs all that is past shal be forgeuen and you receyued to fauour worcest M. Philpot we are sent as you here haue heard by my lord of Londō frō the synod to offer you mercye yf you wil receiue it And of good will I beare you I wishe you to take it whiles it is offred and be not a singular man agaynst a hole multytude of learned men which nowe in fasting and prayer are gathered together to ymagyne thinges to do you good There haue many learned men talked with you why should you thinke your selfe better learned thā them all be not of suche arrogauncy but haue humilitie and remembre ther is no saluacion but in the churche Bangor Me thinketh my lord hath sayde wonderfully well vnto you that you should not thinke your selfe so well learned but other men are as wel learned as you neither of so good wyt but other be as wise as you neyther of so good memory but other haue as good memory as you Therfore mystrust your owne iudgement and come home to vs agayne Iwis I neuer lyked your religion bicause it was set further by violence and tyranny The same token proueth your religion false and that is no token of true religion And I was that same maner of man then that I am nowe and a great meany mo Mary for fear we held our peace and bare with the tyme wherfore M. Philpot I would you did wel for I loue you and therfore be cōtent to come home with vs agayne into the catholyke churche of Rome Phil. Where my lorde as I maye begynne first to answere you that you say that religion is to be misliked which is set forth by tyrāny I pray God you giue not men occasion to thinke the same by yours at this daye which hath none other argument to stande by but violēce Yf you can shewe me by any good sufficient grounde wherby to grounde my conscience that the churche of Rome is the true catholike churche whervnto you cal me I wil gladly be of the same otherwise I can not sone chaūge the religiō I haue learned these many yeres Bangor Where was your religion I pray you a hundred yeres ago that any man knewe of it Phil. It was in Germany in diuers other places apparent worcest Iesus wil you be stil so singular a man what is Germany to the hole worlde London My lordes I praye you geue me leaue to tell you that I sent for him to hear masse this morning and wote you what excuse be made vnto me for soth that he was accursed cursed allegyng his owne shame He playeth as that varlet Latimer dyd at Cambrige Harke how fyne my lorde is in dogges eloquence If he had come to mass he had ben cursed in dede when the vice Chaunceler sent for him who entended to haue excommunicated him for some of his he resies and the chaunceler was commyng to his chamber which as sone as he herde that the chaunceler was come made answer that he was sicke of the plague and so deluded the chaūceler euen so this man sayeth he is accursed because he will not come to masse worcest My Lorde I am sure here dothe behaue him selfe lyke a father vnto you therfore be admonished by hym and by vs that come now frendly vnto you and folowe your fathers before you phil It is forbidden vs of God by the prophet Ezechiel to folow our fathers ▪ neither to walke in their cōmaūdemēts worcest It is written also in an other place interroga patres aske of your fathers phil We ought to aske in dede our fathers that haue more experiēce knowlage then we of Goddes will but nomore to allowe them then we perceaue they agree with the scriptures worcest You wil be a contentious mā I see well and S. Paule sayeth that we neither the church of God haue no suche custome Phil. I am not contentious but for the veritie of my fayth in the which I ought to contende with al suche as do impugne the same without any iust obiection worces Let vs ryse my lorde for I see we shal do no good London Nay I praye you tary hear the articles I laye to his charge and after he had recited them they arose and afterwarde standing they reasoned with me a whyle worces M. Philpot I am very sorye that you wil be so singular I neuer talked with non yet of my diocese but after once cōmunicatiō had with me they haue ben cōtēted to reuoke their errours to teache the people howe they were deceaued and so do muche good as you may yf you list For as I vnderstande you were archdiacon of winchester which is the eye of the B. you may do much good in the coūtrey yf you would forsake your errours come to the catholyke churche phil Wher withal you so sone persuaded them to your will I see not Erroure that I knowe I holde none and of the catholike churche I am sure I am worces The Catholike churche doth acknowlege a real presence of Christ in the sacrament and so wil not you phil That is not so For I acknowlage a very essensial presence in the sacramēt duely vsed worces What a real presence Phil. Yea a reall presens by the spirite of God in the ryght administracion worces That is wel sayd and do you agree with the catholike churche also Phil. I do agre with the true catholike churche worcest My lorde of London this mā speaketh reasonably nowe London You do agree in generalties But when it shal come to the particularities you wil farre disagree worces Wel kepe your selfe here and you shal haue other learned bishops to common farther with you as my lord of Duresme my lorde of Chichester whome I heare say you do lyke wel Phil. I do lyke them as I do all other that speaketh the truthe I haue once already spoken with them they foūde no fault with me worcest Praye in the meane season for grace to God Phil. Prayer is the comfortablest exercise I feale in my trouble and my conscience is quiet and I
your yeares great exercyse do excell therin but fayth coÌ„systeth not only in learning but in simplicytie of beleuing that which Godes word teacheth therfore I wil be glad to heare bothe of your lordship or of any other that god hath reuealed vnto by his worde the true doctrine therof thanke you that it dothe please you to take paynes herein Chiche You take the first alleged amisse as though al meÌ„ should be taught by inspiration not by learnyng Howe do we beleue the Gospel but by the authoritie of the church and because the same hath allowed it Phil. S. Paule sayeth he learned not the Gospel by men neyther of men but by the reuelatioÌ„ of Iesus Christ which is a sufficieÌ„t profe that the gospel taketh not his authoritie of maÌ„ but of God only Chichest S. Paule speaketh but of his owne knowlage how he came therto Phil. Naye he speaketh of the Gospel generally which coÌ„meth not from maÌ„ but from God that the churche must only teache that which coÌ„meth froÌ„ God and not mans preceptes Chiches Doth not S. Austine saye I would not beleue the Gospel yf the authoritie of the churche dyd not moue me therto phil I grauÌ„t that the authoritie of the churche dothe moue the vnbeleuers to beleue but yet the churche geueth not the worde his authoritie for the worde hath his authoritie only froÌ„ God not of man Men be but disposers therof for fyrst the worde hath his beyng before the churche and the worde is the foundacion of the churche and first is the foundacion sure before the buyldyng theron can be stedfast Chiches I perceaue you mistake me I speake of the knowlage of the Gospell and not of the authoritie for by the churche we haue all knowlage of the Gospel phil I confesse that For fayth cometh by hearyng and hearyng by the worde and I acknowlage that God appointeth an ordinary meanes for meÌ„ to come vnto knowlage nowe and not miraculously as he hath done in tymes paste yet we that be taught by men must take hede that we learne nothing else but that which was taught in the primatiue churche by reuelation Here came in the B. of Yorke and the bishop of Bathe and after they had saluted one an other and commoned a whyle together the Archbishop of Yorke called me vnto them sayeng Yorke Syr we hearyng that you are out of the waye are come of charitie to enforme you and to bring you into the true fayth to the catholike churche agayne willyng you first to haue humilitie and to be humble and willyng to learne of your betters for else we can do no good wyth you and God sayeth by the Prophete On whome shall I reste but on the humble and meke and suche as tremble at my worde Nowe yf you will so be we wil be glad to trauail with you phil I know that humilitie is the dore wherby we enter vnto Christ I thaÌ„ke his goodnes I haue entred in at the same vnto him wil with al humilitie heare whatsoeuer truth you shal speake vnto me Yorke What be the maters you staÌ„de on and require to be satisfyed Phil. My lorde and it please your grace we were entred in a good mater before you came of the churche and howe we should knowe the truth but by the churche Yorke In dede that is the heade we nede to beginne at for the churche beyng truly knoweÌ„ we shal soner agre in the particular thynges phil Yf your lordships can proue the churche of Rome to be the true catholike churche it shall do muche to persuade me towarde that you would haue me inclyne vnto Yorke Why let vs go to the definition of the churche what is it phil It is a coÌ„gregation of people dispersed through the worlde agreyng together in the worde of God vsyng the sacramentes and al other thinges accordyng to the same Yorke This diffinitioÌ„ is of many wordes to no purpose Phil. I do not precisely diffyne the churche but declare vnto you what I thinke the church is Yorke Is the church visible or inuisible Phil. It is bothe visible and inuisible the inuisible church is of all the electes of God only the visible consisteth of bothe good and bad vsing all thinges in fayth according to Goddes word Yorke The churche is an vniuersal coÌ„gregacioÌ„ of faythful people in Christ through the worlde which this word catholik doth wel expresse for what is catholike elles doth it not signifie vniuersal Phil. The churche is diffined by S. Austen to be called catholike in this wyse Ecclesia ideo dicitur catholica quia vniuersaliter perfecta est in nullo claudicat The church is called therfore catholike bicause it is throughly perfyt and halteth in nothing Yorke Nay it is called catholyke bycause it is vniuersally receyued of all Chrystian nations for the most parte Phil. The churche was catholike in the Apostles tyme yet was it not vniuersally receyued of the world but bicause their doctrine which they had receyued of Christ was perfect and appointed to be preached and receaued of the hole world therfore it is caled the catholike fayth all persons receyuing the same be to be counted the catholike churche And S. Austine in an other place writeth ad Neophitos that the catholike church is the which beleueth a right Yorke Yf you will learne I wil shewe you by S. Austine writing against the Donatistes that he proueth the catholike churche by two principall pointes which is vniuersalitie and successioÌ„ of bishops in one apostolycal sea from tyme to tyme. Nowe thus wil I make myn argumeÌ„t The churche of Rome is vniuersal hath had his succession of bishops from tyme tyme Ergo it is the catholike churche howe answere you to this argumeÌ„t phil I deny the antecedent That the catholike churche is only knowen by vniuersalitie by succession of bishops Yorke I wil proue it And with that he brought furthe a boke which he had noted out of the doctors and turned to his commoÌ„ places therin of the churche recyted one or two out of S Austen specially out of his epistle written against the Donatistes Here S. Austen manifestly proueth that the Donatistes were not the catholike churche bicause they had no succession of bishops in their opinion neyther vniuersalitie and the same force hath S. Austins argument against you phil My lord I haue wayed the force of that argument before nowe And I perceiue it maketh nothing against me nether it commeth to your purpose for I will stand to the tryall of S. Austen for the apê“bacion of the catholike churche where of I am For S. Austine speaketh of vniuersalitie ioyned with veritie of faythful successours of Peter before corruption came into the churche and so yf you can deduce your argumeÌ„t for the sea of Rome now as S. Austen might do in his tyme I would say it might be of some force otherwise not Yorke S. Austine proueth the catholike churche
thinges visible inuisible do coÌ„sist haue their beyng and lyfe In the which beleue we were baptised by the institution of Christ in to the name of the father the sonne the holy Goost Mat. 28. And shal we now begin to stande in doubt of this most firme fayth the which froÌ„ the beginning hath ben coÌ„firmed besydes the vndoubted testimonies of the scriptures with the precious bloud of an infinit nomber of martirs and coÌ„fessours It is no maruaile thoughe these Arrians denye the holy goost to be God who refuse the testimonie that he made of him selfe in fiery tongues to the primatiue churche Act. 1. Math. 3. and before that in the likenes of a Doue at the baptisme of Christ They must nedes denye the spirite of truth who be led by the spirite of errour vnder the colour of Godlynes denyeng their true sanctifier instructour whom Christ euidently taught to be an other comfortor besydes him The holy goost is an other comforter besides Christ And therfore to th ende he should so be beleued appeared visibly as Christ dyd but as their corrupt faces bashe not to denye the eternall sonne of God so are they not ashamed to denye the holye Goost to be God The Arrians are past shame their forehead is lyke the forehead of an hore hardened with counterfaited hypocrisie styffnecked wretches they are that wyll not yeld to the truth though it be neuer so manyfestly layde before their face they haue sworne to runne after their master the deuil wtout staye to draw with theÌ„ as many as they can in the which they are very diligent The Lorde confounde them the Lorde conserue his electe from their dampnable poyson the Lorde open al christian eyes to beware of them The Lorde gyue al his churche an vniforme zeale minde to abhorre them to cast faith froÌ„ them You that be of the truth haue any zeal of God in you stere it vp bynde it against these enemyes of our lyuyng God which is the Father the Sonne the holy Goost to whome be al honour praise and glorie for euer Canst thou be angred with thy brother beyng lawfully called to be a mynister in Christes church and to be a teacher in the same for spitting at an obstinate aduersarie of Christ refusyng to obey the truthe and declare no maner of indignacion against the Arrian the thefe that robbeth thy God of his honour Doth the iniurie of the Arrian more offende thee than the defence of thy redemer please the Art thou not ashamed rather to take part with an Arrian than with a true christian Thou wouldest seme to haue charitie by bearing with the wicked and contrarie to al charitie thou backbitest thy brother for doyng that which thou shouldest rather do than to haue any familiaritie with thee Yf thou dwel within the churche of Christ what hast thou to do with them that be without Which go about nothing els but to buyld a new Babilon and to destroye al the Godly order of the Gospel I tel thee plaine that I am nothyng of that face but gyue God thankes that I heare euil for wel doyng Yf I should please meÌ„ I could not please God I maruaile that there should be so litle zeale in a true christian hart that it can seme to take the part of an ArriaÌ„ We can not scrue Christ and Baal how long wil meÌ„ halt on both sydes let your halting be healed Yf ye be vnfainedly of the truth abyde in the truthe let al your wyl be toward the ê“fessours of the truth in the vnitie of Christes church least you might appeare to be scatterers with heretiks rather thaÌ„ gatherers together with Christ Do ye not se what a rable of newe founde scaterers ther be such a sorte as neuer at ones hath beÌ„ heard of in one realme the one contrarye to the other The deuil hath shakeÌ„ out his bagge of heresies against the gospell So that the deuel myght seme to haue powred out al his poysons at ones against the gospel And wyl you that glorie of the truth go about by worde dede helpe to maintayne any suche in their headdy errours he that toucheth pitche can not chose but defyle his fyngers therwith Be not deceaued sayeth S. Paule for wicked talke corrupteth good maners 1. Cor. 14 Therfore watche ye righteously and synne not for many therbe that haue not the knowlage of God I speake it to your shame 2. Tim. 2. Saint Paule willeth vs to be more circuÌ„spect in talking or acquainting our selues with suche then men at this daye be to their incorragemeÌ„t strenghtnyng in their errour The wordes of an heretike as he sayeth in an other place eateth lyke a canker 2. Tim. 2 And therfore wrytyng vnto Tyte Tit. 3. he commaundeth al Christian persones to auoyde an heretike after once or twyse warnyng knowing that such a one is peruerted and synneth and is dampned by his owne iudgement And to the Thessalonians he also sayeth 2. Thes 3. we commaunde you in the name of our Lorde Iesus Christ that you wythdrawe your selfes froÌ„ euery brother that walketh inordinatly not according to the institutioÌ„ which they haue receaued of vs. There can be no felowship betwixt fayth and infidelitie he that is not with Christ is his enemy Luke 11. he that is an enemie to the vnitie and peace of Christes churche he maye not be coupled with vs. And Salomon rendreth a cause why Prou. 16. A peruerse man in his mouthe doth carye perdicion and in his lippes hydeth fyer Agayne he sayeth an euil man obeyeth the tounge of the vnrighteous Prou. 17 but the Iuste harketh not to lyeng lippes Also Ecclesiasticus warneth sayeng Eccle 28. Hedge thyne cares wyth thornes and do not heare a wycked tounge This haue I touched to gyue you warning howe to behaue your selues with the Arrians and other sismatikes and heretikes whome al godlie ordre and good learning displeaseth the which yf our Christian brethren and systerne did well way and folow there wolde not be so many stoute heretikes as there be I doubt that the heretikes be better prouided for than the poore faithfull afflicted flocke of Christ If you heare that ther is conteÌ„tion betwene vs and theÌ„ that be in prison maruaile not therfore neyther let your mindes be alienated from the truth any thing therby for as it is writteÌ„ it is necessary the heresies should be 1. Cor. 11. that the elect might be tryed Christ and Antichrist can neuer agree 1. Ioh. 2. And as S. Iohn saith Antichrist is come and there is nowe many Antichristes they ar gon out from vs such as were non of vs for if they had they wold haue coÌ„tinued with vs by thys sayeng of S. Iohn we maye wel trye and knowe all the rowte of Antichristes generacion suche they be as breake the vnitie of Christes church neither abide in the
booke and read the place The which after I had read I sayd it made nothing against me but against the Arriās and other heretiks against whom Ireneus wrote prouīg that they weare not to be credityd because they did teache and folowe after straunge doctrine in Europa that the chefe churche of the same was founded by Peter and Paule and had to his tyme continued by faythfull succession of the faythfull Bishops in preachyng the true Gospel as they had receyued it of the Apostles and nothyng lyfe to the late sprong heretikes c. Wherby he cōcludeth against thē that they were not to be heard neyther to be credited The which thing yf you my lordes be able to proue nowe of the churche of Rome then had you as good autoritie against me in my cause nowe as Ireneus had against those heretikes But the church of Rome hath swarued frō that truthe and simplicitie of the Gospell which it maintained in Ireneus tyme and was vncorrupted frō that which it is nowe Wherfore your lordships can not iustly applie the autoritie of Ireneus to the churche of Rome nowe which is so manifestlye corrupted from the primatiue Churche London So wil you say stil it maketh nothing for the purpose what so euer autoritie we bring and wil neuer be satisfyed Phil. My lorde when I do by iust reason proue that the autorities which be brought against me do not make to the purpose as I haue already proued I trust you wil receyue myne answere worcest It is to be proued most manifestly by al auncient wryters that the sea of Rome hath alwayes folowed the truthe and neuer was deceyued vntil of late certayne heretikes had defaced the same Phil. Let that be proued I haue done worcest Nay you are of suche arrogācie singularitie vayne glorie that you wil not se it be it neuer so wel proued Phil. Ha my lordes is it nowe tyme thynke you for me to folowe singularitie or vaynglorie synce it is nowe vpō daunger of my lyfe and death not onlye presently but also before God to come and I knowe yf I dye not in the true faythe I shall dye euerlastingly again I knowe yf I do not as you would haue me you will kyll me and many thousandes moo Yet had I leuer perishe at your handes than to perishe eternally And at this tyme I haue lost al my cōmodities of this worlde and nowe lye in a colhouse where a man would not laye a dogge with the which I am wel contented Cole Where are you hable to proue that the churche of Rome hath erred at any tyme and by what historie certaine it is by Eusebius that the churche was stablyshed at Rome by Peter and Paule and that Peter was Bisshop .xxv. yeres at Rome Phil. I knowe wel that Eusebius so wryteth but yf we compare that which S. Paule writeth to the Galathiās the first it wil manifestly appere the cōtrarie that he was not halfe so long there He lyued not past .xxxv. yeares after he was called to be an Apostle And Paul maketh mencion of his abidyng after Christes death more then .xviij. yeres Colle What did Peter wryte vnto the Galathians Phil. No I saye Paule maketh mencion of Peter wrytyng to the Galathians of his abiding And further I am hable to proue bothe by Eusebius and other historiographers that the church of Rome hath manifestly erred and at this present doth erre because she agreeth not with that which they wrote The primatiue churche dyd vse according to the Gospel And ther nedeth none other profe but cōpare the one with the other London Hearke my lordes wise parabable I maye compare this man to a certayne man I reade of which fell into a disperation and went into a wood to hang him selfe And when he came there he went vewyng of euery tree and could fynde none on the which he myght vouchesaffe to hang himselfe But I wil not applie it as I myght I praye you maister doctor go forth with him Nother you nor they are hable in this case Colle My lorde there be on euery syde on me that be better hable to answer him And I loue not to falle in disputacion for that nowe a dayes a man shall but sustayne shame and obloquy therby of the people I had leuer shewe my mynde in wrytyng Phil. And I had leuer that you should so do then otherwyse For thē a mā may better iudge of your wordes then by argument And I beseche you so doo But yf I were a ryche man I durst wager an hundreth poundes that you shal not be hable to shewe that you haue sayd to be decreed by a general coūsel in Athanasius tyme. For this I am sure of that it was concluded by a general counsel in Affrica many yeres after that none of Affrica vnder payne of excōmunication should apeale to Rome the which decre I am suer they would not haue made yf by the scriptures it had bene by an vniuersall counsell that all men should abyde and folowe the determinacion of the churche of Rome Colle But I can shewe that they reuoked that errour agayne Phil. So you saye maister doctour But I pray you shewe me where I haue hetherto heard nothing of you for my contentation but bare wordes without any autoritie London What I praye you ought we to dispute wyth you of our fayth Iustinian in the lawe hath a tytle De fide catholica to the contrarie Phil. I am certayne the ciuil lawe hath suche a constitucion but our fayth must not depende vpon the ciuil lawe For as S. Ambrose sayeth Non lex sed fides congregauit Ecclesiam Not the lawe but the gospel sayeth he hath gathered the church together worcest Maister Philpot you haue the spirite of pryde wherwith ye be ledde which wil not let you yelde to the truth Leaue it for shame Phil. Sir I am suer I haue the spirite of fayth by the which I speake at this present Neither am I ashamed to stand in my fayth Glocest What do you thynke yourselfe better learned then so many notable learned men as be here Phil. Elyas alone had the truthe whē there were foure hundreth priestes against him worcest Oh you would be coūted now for Helyas And yet I tel thee he was deceiued For he thought ther had ben none good but him selfe and yet he was deceyued for ther was .vii. hundreth besydes hym Phil. Yea but he was not deceyued in doctrine as the other .vii. hūdreth were worc By my fayth you are greatly to blame that you can not be content to be of the churche which euer hath ben of that faythful antiquitie Phil. My lorde I knowe Rome haue ben there where I sawe your lordship worc In dede I dyd flye from hence thither And I remember not that I sawe you there But I am sorye that you haue ben there for the wyckednes whych you haue sene there peraduēture causeth you to
Phil. Yes I haue sufficient scripture for the profe of that I haue sayd For the fyrst it is writteÌ„ of Christ in the psalmes Diminuisti cum Paulominus ab angelis Thou hast made hym a litel lesser then angelles It is the fyfteÌ„ spalme begynning Celi enarrant And there I misrekened wherwithall my lorde toke me London It is in Domine Dominus noster Ye maye see my lordes how well this man is vsed to saye his matyns Phil. Though I say not matyns in suche order as your lordship meaneth yet I remember of olde that Domine Dominus noster Celi enarrant be not far a suÌ„dre And albeit I misnamed the spalme it is no ê“iudice to the truth of that I haue proued London What saye you then to the seconde scripture how couple you that by the worde to the other Phil. The text it selfe declareth that not withstaÌ„ding Christ did abase hym selfe in our humain nature yet is he stil one in deitie with the father And this S. Paule to the Hebrues doth more at large set furthe And as I haue by the scriptures ioyned these two scriptures together so am I hable to do in al other articles of fayth which we ought to beleue by the manifest worde of God to expounde them London How can that be seyng S. Paule sayth that the letter kylleth but it is the spirit that gyueth life Phil. S Paule meaneth not that the worde of God written in it selfe kylleth which ys the word of lyfe and the faythful testimony of the Lorde But that the worde ys vnprofitable and kylleth him that is voyde of the spirite of God although he be the wysest man of the worlde And therfore S. Paule sayed that the gospel to some was a fauour of lyfe vnto lyfe and to some other a sauour of death vnto death Also an example herof we haue in the syxt of Iohn who hearing the worde of God without the spirite were offended therby Wherfore Christ sayd the fleshe profiteth nothing it is the spirite that quickneth London What do you vnderstaÌ„d that of S. Paule and of S. Iohn so Phil. Yt is not myne owne interpretacion it is agreable to the worde in other places And I haue learned the same of auncieÌ„t fathers interpreting it likewise And to the Corinthians it is written Animalis homo non percipit ea que sunt spiritus Dei Spiritualis dijudicaâ— omnia The natural man perceyueth not the thinges that be of the spirite of God But the spiritual man which is indued with the spirite iudgeth al thinges London You se my lordes that this maÌ„ will haue but his owne minde and wil wilfully cast away him selfe I am sory for hym Phil. The wordes that I haue spoken be not of myne but of the gospel wheron I ought to stand And yf you my lorde of London can bring better auctoritie for the fayth you woulde drawe me vnto then that which I stande vpon I will gladlye heare the same by you or by any other in this realme Wherfore I kneling downe besought the lordes to be good vnto me a poore gentlemaÌ„ that would fayne lyue in the world yf I might to testifie as you haue heard me to saye this daye that yf any man can approue that I ought to be of any other manner of fayth then that which I now am and can proue the same sufficientlye I wil be neither willfull neyther desperat as my lorde of london would make you beleue me to be Ryche What contreiman be you are you of me Phylpots of Hampshere Phil. Yea my lord I was syr Peter Philpots sonne of Hampshere Ryche He is my nere kinseman wherfore I am the more sorie for hym phil I thanke your lordship that it pleased you to chalenge kinred of a pore prisoner Ryche In faith I would go a hundreth miles on my bare fete to do you good Chamber He maye do wel ynough yf he list S. Iohn Master Philpot you are my contreiman and I would be glad you should do well Riche You sayd euen now that you would desyre to mayntayne your belef before ten of the best of this realme You did not wel to compare with the nobilitie of the realme But what yf you haue ten of the best of the realme to heare you wil you be tried by theÌ„ Phil. My lorde your lordship mistaketh me to thinke that I chalenge ten of the best of the nobilitie in this realme it was no part of my mynd But I ment of the best learned on the contrarie syde Ryche Wel I take your meaniÌ„g What yf meanes be made to the Quenes maiestie that you shall haue your request Wil you be iudged by them Phil. My lord it is not mete that a maÌ„ should be iudged by his aduersaries Ryche By whom then woulde you be iudged phil I will make your honors iudges that shal be hearers of vs. Ryche I dare be bould to procure for you of the Quenes maiestie that you shall haue ten learned men to reason with you and twentye or fourtie of the nobilitie to heare so you will ê“mise to abide their iudgement How saye you wil you promise here afore my lordes so to do Phil. I wil be contented to be iudged by them Ryche Yea but you will not ê“mise to agree to their iudgement Phil. There be causes whye I maye not so do onles I were sure they would iudge according to the worde of God Ryche O I perceyue you wil haue no man iudge but your selfe and thinke your selfe wyser then all the learned men of this realme phil My lorde I seke not to be myne owne iudge but am content to be iudged by other so that the ordre of iudgement in maters of religion be kepte that was in the primatiue churche whyche is fyrst that Goddes will by his worde was sought thervnto bothe the spiritualtie and temporaltye gathered together gaue their consents and iudgement And suche kynde of iudgement I wil stande to London My lordes he would make you beleue that he were profoundly sene in auncient writers of the iudgementes of the primatiue churche and ther was neuer no suche maner of iudgement vsed as he nowe talketh of Phil. In the epistles of S. Ciprian I am hable to shewe it you London A I tel you there is no suche thing fet me Cyprian hither Phil. You shal fynde it otherwyse when the boke commeth And doctor Chadsey his chapleyne whome he appointed to fet his boke whistered the bishop in his eare and fet not the boke by lyklyhode that he should haue susteyned the reproche therof yf the boke had ben fette Wel my lorde ê™ I maister doctor knoweth it is so or elles he would haue fet the boke ere this Ryche You would haue non other iudge I see but the worde Phil. Yeas my lorde I wyl be tried by the worde and by suche as wil iudge according to the worde As for an exaÌ„ple yf ther were a controuersy betwyxt your lordship and an
the B. calling for .ij. chaires placed by him sayeng M. sherif I would you should vnderstaÌ„d how I do ê“cede against this man M. sherif you shal hear what articles this maÌ„ doth maiÌ„taine And so he red a rablemeÌ„t of fayned articles that I should denye baptisme to be necessarie to them the were borne of christiaÌ„ persoÌ„s That I denied fasting praier al other good dedes And that I maintained only bare faith to be sufficient to saluacioÌ„ what so euer a man dyd besydes And I maintained God to be the author of al synne and wyckednes be fayne to imagine these blasphemous lyes against me you might as wel haue sayd I had killed your father the scriptures say that God will destroy all them that speake lyes And is not your lordship ashamed to say before this worshipfull gentyll man who is vnknowen vnto me that I mayntayne these abominable blasphemies which you haue rehearsed which yf I did mayntayne I were wel worthy to be counted an heretike and to be burned an hundred tymes yf it were possible London I doo obiect them vnto thee to hear what thou wilt say in them howe thou canst purge thy selfe of them phil Then it was not iustly sayd in the beginning of your lordship that I did mayntayne them synce almost I hold none of al those articles you haue red in forme as they are written London How sayst thou wilt thou answere to them or no Phil. I will fyrst knowe you to be myn ordinarie and that you maye lawfully charge me with suche thinges than afterward being lawfully called in iudgement I wil shew my mind fully therof and not otherwise London well then I will make thy fellowes to be wytnes agaynst theÌ„ wher are they come Keper They be here my lord London Com hyther syrs hold them a boke you shal sweare by the coÌ„tentes of that boke that you shall al maner of affections layd aparte say the truthe of al such articles as you shal be demauÌ„ded of concerning this man here present which is a very naughty man take you hede of him that he doth not deceyue you as I am afraid he doth you muche hurte and strengthe you in your errours Prisoners My lord we wil not swere excepte we know wherto we can not accuse him of no euil we haue ben but a whil acquaynted with him phil I wonder your lordship knowing the lawe wil go about contrary to the same to haue infamous persons to be witnesses for your lordship doth take them to be heretikes and by the lawe an heretike can not be a witnes London Yes one heretike agaynst an other may be witnes well ynough And master sherife I wil make one of them to be witnes against an other Phil. You haue the lawe in your owne hande and you wil do what you list My prison felowes No my lorde London No wil I wil make you sweare whither you wil or no. I wene they be Anabaptistes maister sherife they thynke it not lawful to swere before a iudge phil We thinke it lawfull to swere for a man iudicially called as we are not nowe but in a blynde comer London Why then seyng you wil not sweare against your felowe you shal sweare for your selfes and I do here in the presence of M. sheryf obiect the same articles vnto you as I haue don vnto him and do require you vnder the payne of excommunication to answere particulerly vnto euery one of theÌ„ when you shal be examined as you shal be by by examined after by my regester som of my chaplaines My lord Prisoners we will not accuse our selues If any man can lay any thing against vs we are here redy to make answere therto otherwyse we pray your lordship not to burden vs for some of vs are here before you we knowe no iust cause why London M. sherif I wil trouble you no lenger with these frowarde men And so he rose vp and was goyng awaye talkyng with maister sheryf Phil. Maister sheryf I pray you record howe my lorde procedeth against vs in corners without al order of lawe hauiÌ„g no iust cause to laye against vs And after this were all coÌ„maunded to be had awaye And I was commaunded to be put in the stockes where I sat froÌ„ mornyng vntyl nyght the keper at nyght vpon fauour let me out The sondaye after the Bishop came into the colehouse at nyght with the keper and viewed the house sayeÌ„g that he was neuer here afore wherby a maÌ„ may gesse how he hath kept Goddes coÌ„maundement in visiting the prisoners seing he was neuer with them that haue bene so nigh his nose And he caÌ„ not then for any good zeale but to viewe the place and thought it to good for me and therfore after supper betwene eyght and nyne he sent for me sayeng London SYr I haue great displeasure of the Quene and the counsel for keping you so long and for lettyng you haue so muche lybertie And besydes that you be yonder and strengthen the other prisoners in their errours as I haue layd wayt for your doynges and am certifyed of you wel ynough I wil sequester you therfore from them you shal hurt no mo as you haue done And I wil out of haÌ„de dispatche you as I am coÌ„maunded onles you wil be a conformable man Phil. My lorde you haue my body in your custody you may transporte it whither it please you I am content And I would you would make as quicke expedition in my iudgement as you saye I long therfore and as for conformitie I am ready to yeld to al truthe yf any can bryng better then I. London Why you wil beleue no man but your selfe what so euer they saye phil My belefe must notheng vpoÌ„ meÌ„s sayenges wtout sure auctoritie of Goddes worde the which yf any body caÌ„ shew me I wil be pliaÌ„t to yt. Otherwise I caÌ„ not go froÌ„ my certain fayth to an vncertaine Lon. Haue you theÌ„ the truth only Phil. My lorde I wil speake my mynde fully vnto you vpon no malice I bear you before God You haue not the truth neither are you of the church of God But you persecute both the truthe the true church of God for that which cause you caÌ„ not prosper long You see God doth not prosper your doinges according to your exspectation he hath of late shewed his iuste iudgemeÌ„t against one of your greatest doers who by reporte dyed myserably Gardiner I enuye not your authoritie you are in You that haue learning should knowe best how to rule And seyng God hath restored you to your dignitie lyuing agayne vse the same to goddes glorie to the setting forth of his true religioÌ„ other wise it wil not coÌ„tinue do what you caÌ„ London With this sayeÌ„g he was apaused and sayd at lenght that good man was punished for suche as thou arte Where is the keper come let him haue him to
impossible And there is many examples that baptisme may be singularly ministred to one person as we haue exāple in Christ baptised of Iohn̄ and in the Eunuche baptised of Philip with many mo suche lyke But so haue you not of the sacramēt of the body and bloud of Christ but cōtrary wyse by the expresse wordes of S. Paule you are cōmaunded to vse it in a cōmunion and participation of many together the xi to the Corin. Quoties conuenitis ad mandu candum alius alium expectate As ofte as you come together to eate meaning the Lordes supper tary one for an other And also the minister in the celebration of the sacrament speaketh vnto al that be present in Christes behalfe to cōmunicate with him sayeng take ye and eat ye Wherfore as many as be present not cōmunicate do breake goddes commaundemēt in not receauyng the same and the minister is no iust minister that dothe not distribute the sacrament as Christ dyd to al that are presēt where Goddes worde is transgressed there is not Christ present and consequently is no sacrament Harpsfelde What would you haue it no sacrament without it be a cōmunion phil I make it not so but Goddes expresse worde teacheth me so yea also all the auncient wryters As S. Chrisostōe wryting vpon the epistle to the Ephesians sayeth that the oblatiō is in vayne where as none doth communicat with the priest If by his iudgement the action of the priest alone is in vayne where is no communion howe can that be a sacramēt which he calleth a vayne oblatiō a vayne standing at the altare Cosins You are such an other felow as I haue not heard that will not haue the masse to be a sacrament you are no man for me to reason with all Come let vs goo poyntyng to the morow masse chaplayn we wil leaue you master archdiacon and him together And so they went away Afterward the archdiacon fell into earnest persuasions with me sayeng harpsfild Master Philpot you and I haue ben of old acquayntance a long tyme we were scolefelowes both in wynchester and in Oxforde many yeares wherfore I must wyshe you as well to do as my selfe and I praye you so thinke of me Phil. I thanke you for your good will towardes me but yf you be deceaued as I am sure you are I shall desyre you not to wyshe me deceaued with you For afore God I tell you playnely you are highly deceaued and mayntayne false religion and be not those men you take your selfes for And yf you do not repent leaue of your persecuting of christes trueth you wil go to the dyuell for it Therfore consyder it in tyme I gyue you warnyng for in the day of iudgement ells I shal be a wytnes agaynst you that I told you this here talkyng together Harpesfild Fye that is but your owne vayne syngular opinion I perceaue you are styll now that man you were in Oxforde Phil. I trust you can reporte no notorius euill that euer you knew by me there Harpsfeld I can saye no euill of your conuersacion but I knew you to be a studious man Mary if you remembre when we met in disputacion in paruis you wold not lyghtly gyue ouer and for that cause I speake that I haue sayd Phil. Master Harpesfeld you knowe in the scoles at Oxforde when we were yong men we dyd stryue moche vpon vayn glory and vpon contention more than for the trueth But nowe our yeares and our ryper learnyng teache vs to fal to a truthe which must be our portion for euer And yf I was then in my tyme of ignoraunce earnest in myne owne cause I ought now to be earnest in my maister Christes cause in his truth I know now that nothing done vpon vayne glorie and singularitie can please God haue it neuer so goodly a shewe Wherfore I praye you iudge not so of me nowe Harpfi What wil you thinke your selfe better learned then all the learned men in this realme Phil. My fayth hengeth not vpō the learned of the worlde but vpon the learned after Goddes worde Harpf. Wel I wil talke with you nomore as nowe but pray to god to opē your harte Phil. I pray God open both our hartes to do more his wil then we haue done in tymes past Harpf. Ho keper take him away with you Phil. I pray you M. Harpsfeld tel me what this pronowne Hoc doth demonstrate and shewe in this indicatiue proposition as you cal it Hoc est corpus meum This is my body Harpf. It dothe demonstrate the substaunce of bread which by the wordes spoken by the priest by the omnipotency of God is turned into the substaunce of Christes very body Phil. Is the substaunce of the bread as you saye turned into Christes bodye Harpf. Yea that it is phil Why then Christes body receaueth dayly a great increase of many thousād peces of bread into his bodye And that is his body become nowe which was not before and by this you would seme to make that ther is an alteracion in Christes glorifyed body which is a wicked thing to thinke Harpf. Then he fet about agayne and remembring better him selfe and seyng the inconuenience of his first assertion of the transubstantiacion of the bread into Christes bodye he sayd that the substaunce of bread after the wordes spoken by the priest was euacuated or vanished away by the omnipotency of God Phil. This is an other song thē you said fyrst And here you maye see howe contrary you ar to your selues For in dede your scole mē do holde that the verye substaunce of bread is really turned into the substaunce of Christes body And nowe you perceauing of late the inconuenience which is obiected agaīst you in the opinion of late you ar dryuē to imagin a new shyfte and say the substance of bread is euacuated contrary to that your churche hath fyrst beleued and taught O what contrarietie is ther among you and all to deface the syncere truth Harpesfild Is not God omnipotent cannot he do as he hath sayd Phil. But his omnipotency will not do as you say contrary to his word and to his honour it is not Goddes honour to include bodely in a pece of bread and of necessitie to tye him therto It is not Goddes honour for you to make a pece of bread God mā which you se before your face doth putrifie after a certen tyme. Is not Goddes omnipotency as hable to geue his body with the sacramental bread as to make so many turninges away of the bread as you doo And that directly against the scripture which calleth it bread many tymes after the cōsecraciō Are you not ashamed to make so many alteracions of the lordes holy institucion as you do And to take away the substanticall parts of the sacrament as take ye eate ye drinke ye all of this So ye this in remembraūce of me and to place in their steades heare ye
father he be one And none in the spirite of God can deuide Christ frō the substaunce of God the father onles a natural sonne may be of an other substaūce than his father which nature dothe abhorre Who can abyde the eternall generacion of the sonne of God to be denied synce it is written of him his generacion who shal be able to declare Esa 53. Is ther any true christiā hart that grudged not at suche faythles blasphemours Can the eye eare tongue or the other senses of the body be cōtent to heare their creatour blasphemed not repyned should not the mouth declare the zeale of his maker by spittyng on him that depraueth his diuine maiestie which was is and shal be God for euer Apoc. 3. Yf God as it is mencioned in the Apocalipse wil spew ypocrites out of his mouthe suche as he neither hotte nor colde in his worde why maye not than a man of God spitte on hym that is worsse than an hipocrite enemye to the godhead manifested in the blessed Trinitie which wil in no wyse be persuaded to the cōtrarie Iohan. 2. Yf Christ with a whippe droue out the of temple suche as were prophaners therof ought not the seruaūt of God by some lyke outwarde significacion reproue the villanie of those as go about to take awaye the glorie of him that was the buylder of the tēple Yf there were as muche zeale in men of the truth as there is talkatiue knowlege they would neuer be offended with that which is done in the reproche and cōdemnacion of frowarde vngodlye men whome nothing can please but singularities and diuisions from the churche of Christ which ought to be the mother and mystres of vs al to leade vs Gala. 4. into al true knowledge of the worde of God and not ymagine by ignoraūce takyng the word of God dayly an other Gospel and an other Christ as euery sect dothe separating thē selues frō Christes spouse which is the same that is the accōplishement of truthe Ephe. 1. hitherto neuer knewe O insatiable curiositie O arrogaunt selfe loue the original of al these heresies O pestilent canker of thyne owne saluacion O Arrian the ryght inheritour to Lucifer Esay 14. that would exalte his seate and be lyke to the hyghest whose fal shal be lyke where the synne is equal Yf God dyd hyghly allowe the minister of Ephesus Apoca. 2. for that he could in no wise abyde such as said they were Apostles and were not indede howe maye any laye vncharitablenes vnto me which for the loue of my swete Christ do abhorre al phantastical Arrians in suche sorte as al men ought to do that loue the sonne of God vnfaynedly Yf Moses be cōmended by the scriptures Act. 8. for strykyng an Egiptian that dyd iniurie to one of the people of God howe may he iustly be blamed which dyd spit at him that doth suche iniurie and sacrilege to the sonne of God as to plucke him from his eternal and propre godhead was there euer creature so vnkynde was there euer man so temerarious to stryue against the glory of his glorifier was there euer heretike so bolde and impudent as the Arrian is that durst take frō the sōne of God the glorie which he had with the father frō the beginning Yf Christ be the beginning Apoca. 1. ending of all thing as he testifyeth him self to S. Iohn how may he be but a creature like vnto others who may dissemble such blasphemy that hath any sparke of the spirite of God who may heare with patience the right wayes of the Lorde peruerted by these deuilishe holi Arriās hold his peace A lyuely fayth is not dōme but is alwayes ready to resist the gainesayers as Dauid sayth I haue beleued therfore I haue spoken Speake than you that haue tonges to prayse confesse against these Arriās exalte your voice lyke a trompet that the simple people maye beware of their Pharisaical venome and be not deceaued as now many are vnwares of simplicitie Suffre them not to passe by you vnpointed at yea yf they be so stonte that they will not ceasse to speake against God our saueour and Christ as they are al newe baptised enemies therto refraine not to spit at suche inordidate swyne as are not ashamed to tread vnder their fete the precious godhead of our saueour Iesus Christ Our God is a gelous God and requireth vs to be zelous in his cause Yf we can not abyde our owne name to be euel spoken of without great indignacion shall we be quiet to heare the name of our God defaced and not declare any signe of wrath against thē It is writtē be angry and synne not A man than maye shewe tokens of angre in a cause which he ought to defende without breache of charitie The prophet Dauid sayeth shal I not hate them O Lorde that hate thee Psal 138. vpon thyne ennemyes shall I not be wrathful I wil hate them with a perfect hatred they are become myne enemyes Aaron bycause he was not more zelous in goddes cause whan he perceiued the people bent to ydolatry entred not into the lande of promyse God loueth not luke warme souidiars in the batel of fayth but suche as be earnest and violent shall inherite his kyngdome Therfore S. Paule biddeth vs to be feruent in spirit you that are to colde in these dayes of the cōntet of the gospel aswel against these arch heretiks as others wherof there be at these daies stered vp by the Deuill an infinite swarme to the ouerthrow of the gospell if it were possible I exhort you not to iudge that euil which God highlie commedeth But rather to pray that God will geue you the lyke zeale to withstande the enemies of the gospel neyther to haue any maner of felowship with these Antichristes whom the deuil hathe shitten out in these dayes to defyle the Gospel which go aboute to teache you any other doctrine The gospel pure in K. Edw. dayes than you haue receyued in kyng Edwardes dayes in the whiche praysed be God al the synceritie of the gospel was reuealed according to the pure vse of the primatiue church and as it is at this present of the trew catholike church allowed through the worlde The spirite of God the holye Goost the thirde persone in Trinitie whom these wicked Arrians do elude and mocke hath taught the church according to Christes promise al truth and shal we nowe receyue an other vaine spirite whome the holy fathers neuer knewe Trye the spirites of mē by goddes worde and by the interpretacion of the primatiue churche who had promyse of Christ to receyue by the cōming of the holy goost the true vnderstanding of al that he had spokē and taught after the which we haue ben truely taught to beleue three persones in one deitie God the father frō whom and God the sonne by whom God the holy Goost in whō al
same neyther submit their iudgemeÌ„t to be tryed in the causes which they brable for by the Godly learned pastours therof but arrogauntlie depraue them and take vpon them selfe to be teachers before they haue learned affirming they can not tell what and speaking euil of that which they knowe not proude they are and puffed vp in the imaginacions of their owne hartes blinde senses and iudge them selues best of all other bycause they can make a pale face of ypocrysye to the worlde cast a glas of desembling water before the eyes of the simple people as these Arrians do But praised be God his word is lyuelie and mightye and beateth theÌ„ al downe like an yron rod an earthen pot in peaces yet they ar so hard harted far froÌ„ grace that they wil not yeld to the manifest truth wheÌ„ they haue naught iustlie to replie besydes couÌ„terfaited wordes There ys no pyth in theÌ„ ful of coÌ„teÌ„tion backbiting these brauliÌ„g heretikes ar vnder a pÌ„teÌ„ce of fayned holines whoÌ„ our saueour Christ aptly coÌ„pared to painted sepulchres which be nothing els wtin Math. 23. but ful of rotteÌ„ bones For wheras trew faith is not in the vnitie of Christes churche there is nothing but abhominable in the sight of God for God Psal 67. as the Prophete sayeth maketh his people to dwell after one maner in one house But with al maner of sectes can these peruerse generation awaye with al more thaÌ„ with the vnitie of Christes pure catholike churche to the which in no wyse they will agree albeit the same is the piller stablishment of truthe as S. Paule wryteth to Timothe 1. Tim. 3. I neuer sawe neither hearde before of suche a syght of gydie and fantastical heades who delite only in singularitie whom I do muche pitie bycause they take so muche paynes to go to the deuil Arrogaunt singularitie and enuious contention be ready pathes leading to the same in the which they walke manfully Stil thei haue the scriptures in their mouth and crye the scripture the scripture but it commeth lyke a beggers clooke out of their mouthes ful of patches al out of facion and when they be by the worde ryghtly alledged ouerthrowen that they haue not with reason what to replye yet will they neuer be confounded But either departe in furie or elles stoppe their eares at the sayeng of the wyse charmers lyke deafe serpentes or els fal to scolding which is their surest diuinitie they fight with all And yf perchaunce any of them be soberer than other their aunswer is I praye you let vs alone our conscieÌ„s is satisfyed you labour but in vayne to go about to turne vs. Thus in selfe loue blyndnes and vayne hipocrisie these heretikes coÌ„tinue be they neuer so charitably or learnedly informed And where they haue nothing to laye against their louing informers than they ymagine most spitfully and falsly to declare whose children they are blasphemies spreadyng the same abrode bothe by them selues by their adherentes against the syncere professours of the Gospel that we make God the author of synne and that we saye let men do what they wil it is not material yf they be predestinate and that we maintaine al carnal libertie dyse cardes dronkennesse and other inordinate thinges and gayne with this I among other am most slauÌ„derously charged and defamed by these outragious heretikes to whome I haue gone about to my power to do good as God is my witnes but I haue receaued the rewarde of a Prophete at their haÌ„des although I am not worthy to be counted vnder that glorious name which is shame rebuke slaunder sleyng of my good fame They are lyke Sathan their graund syer in this poinct Ioh. 8. who was a lyer and a maÌ„ queller froÌ„ the beginning These presciptuous heretikes do dayly declare their colde charitie which procedeth out of their colde faith God forgyue it them and inflame them with a better spirit I protest before God his angelles that I neuer ment neyther sayde any of these infamies wherof I am besyed of them with many other good meÌ„ Onely bycause I hold affirme beyng manifestly instructed by goddes word that the electe of God cannot finally perishe therfore they haue pyked out of their owne malicious nayles the former parte of these blasphemyes and bycause at an other tyme I dyd reproue them of their temerarious rashe iudgement for condempning of men vsyng thinges indifferent as shoting boulyng hawking with such lyke ê“uyng by the scripture that al men in a temperancy might vse them in their dewe tymes shewyng that honest pastyme was no synne which these contencious sysmatikes do improue wherupon they do maliciously descaÌ„t as is before meÌ„cioned And whether I haue deserued to haue this reproche for tellyng them the truthe which they can not abyde let al men iudge that be of an vpright iudgemeÌ„t Might not these hipocrites be ashamed of their bridleles blasphemous tounges yf the deuil had not rubbed awaye all shame froÌ„ their fore heades S. Iames sayeth Iames. â— that yf any persone which would seme to be a gospeller refrayne not his tounge his religion is in vayne O what a meany of vayne caterpillers be there whiche corrupt the swete and holsom flowers of the Gospel to the shame therof as moche as it lyeth in them It had ben better for them neuer to haue knowen the Gospel than by their prowde freewill knowlage to go aboute to subuert the same I would they would be taught by the churche of Christ where they ought to be and become syncere confessours or elles leaue bogging of heresies to their owne damnacioÌ„ and deceauing of many The heretikes clout vp the scriptures without vnderstanding and fal to their owne occupacion euery man according to his owne callyng and learne to eate with the swet of their owne browes their bread to helpe others as goddes word coÌ„mauÌ„deth theÌ„ not to lye in corners lyke huÌ„bledories eating vp the hony of the bees do nothing els but murmure and sting at the veritie and at all faithful labourers in the lordes vynyarde Thus by the waye I thought it good to admonishe you of other heretikes besydes the ArriaÌ„s who be haÌ„d maidens vnto them do dayly make an entraunce for theÌ„ to encrease who belong to one kingdome of darknes although the one be not so high in degree as the other Blynde guydes they are Mat. 15. and leaders of the blynde and as many as folowe them do fal into the ditch for as it is sayd of SalomoÌ„ ther is a waye that semeth to a maÌ„ right Prou. 14. yet the ende therof tendeth to destruccion Direct therfore your steppes with the churche of Christ in the wayes of the gospel and in brotherly vnitie and accompt it as the synne of witchcraft to make diuision from the same And God of his mercy eyther turne their hartes shortly or els confounde
hable of himselfe to enriche thee with al felicitie Thou arte lyke them that be of the congregation of Laoditia mencioned in the Apocalips which sayeth with them that I am ryche and enryched and want nothing Apoca. 3. and knowest not in dede that thou art wretched and myserable both poore blind and bare I counsel thee therfore to bye fyrye golde of the deitie of our Christ that thou myghtest thorough true belefe wexe ryche and be clothed with his whit garmentes that the shame of thy nakednes myght not appeare as it doth now to thy great confusioÌ„ Yf thou se not this thou art one of them whome Christ for thyne infidelitie towardes him made blinde vnto euerlasting dampnacion These Arrianes would not be couÌ„ted myserable and they can not awaye with this godly prayer which the churche vseth saieng Lorde haue mercy vpoÌ„ vs myserable synners Rom. 7. But S. Paule was not ashamed to say miserable persone that I am who shal delyuer me from this body subiect to death He confesseth aswell our myserable as synfull state in this lyfe and they that perceaue the impuritie of our nature which it hath throughe the fall of Adam and the want of originall iustice which we lost by hym can not but crye we are miserable and saye with Dauid I am miserable and made croked I went al daye long sorowfully praye with the blynde man of the gospel Luke 18. Iesu the sonne of Dauid haue mercye vpon vs. What vayne religion is this of theirs What pharisaical leuen dothe they scatter abrode what lyeng hypocrisie do they maintaine But is this al no verely It were to long for me to touche their infinite errours they are infected withal they deny the olde testameÌ„t to be of any authoritie Dauid psalmes be not to be vsed as prayers and prayses to God and they are almost as bolde with the newe For they fynde fault with the Lordes prayer and affirme that they nede not saye for theÌ„ selues let thy kyngdome come for it is already come vpoÌ„ them And what nede we praye say they for that we haue alreadi And we haue no synne wherfore than should we saye forgeue vs our trespasses O impudeÌ„cy of al impudencyes the greatest O infidelitie more than euer was amoÌ„g the brutishe heathen Was ther euer any that went about to set God to scole before he hathe taught vs howe to praye and they saye we nede not so to pray The godly men saieth S. Peter 2. Pet. 1. which dyd write the scriptures spake not of theÌ„selues but by the instructioÌ„ of the holy Goost And these frantike heretikes and Antichristes will bothe correcte and teache the holy Goost to speake Who hauyng any spitte in his body may not thinke it wel bestowed vpon suche wicked blasphemours of God and his worde I woulde I had a fouÌ„tayne of spitle to spatle on them I woulde my spittle myght be of so great vertue against them as the wordes of S. Paule was agaiÌ„st Bariesu whom resysting the belefe of Christ Act. 13. he called the sonne of the deuill and therwith stroke him blynde Better it were for a man to lose his outwarde syght wherby corruptible thinges be only sene than to want the inwarde wherby God is perceyued And more precious is the glorie of my Christ in my syght than al the men of the world The blynde Pharisees I knowe wyll be offended at this my sayeng think it is vncharitably spoken but I passe not vpon their offence answering theÌ„ with Christ let them alone they are blynde the leaders of blynde he that is ignoraunt let him be ignorauÌ„t still and he that is fylthie let him be more filthye but he that is holy let him become more holy Apoc. 22. and beware of these pestiferous Arrians leauen who besydes al this deny the benefite of repentaunce to any persone that synneth after baptisme coÌ„trary to the manyfest worde of God Ezech. 13. sayeng that in what so euer houre a synner dothe repent him of his synnes they shal be forgiueÌ„ him Do ye not thiÌ„ke that these beastes are to be borne withal Say what ye wil they wil not heare they are lyke vnto those of whome it is written in the psalmes Psal 115. eyes they haue and see not eares they haue and hear not they haue noses and smel not yea they haue a frowarde hart and vnderstande not wheÌ„ the scriptures be so clearly alledged agaynst them that they haue not what to saye these be their folishe answers they can make you vnderstande it so you wil nedes haue it so Yf ye were of vs ye should perceyue more thaÌ„ ye do Thus vnder the pretence of a hyddeÌ„ secret which they saye is reueled vnto them aboue al other they would thorough curiositie haue meÌ„ to cal their faith in doubt so to denye the same But saye to them departe froÌ„ me you Sathans whelpes Take hede lest by any meanes it come to passe that lyke as the serpent deceaued Eue so by his sutteltie 2. Cor. 11. your sences be corrupted froÌ„ the simplicitie of fayth which ye haue towards Christ And yf any maÌ„ preache vnto you an other Iesus whome the churche of Christ hitherto hath not taught or an other spirite which the church hath not receiued Math. 24 hear him not beleue him not for suche Christ ê“phecied of to come in the latter dayes that should go about to shewe vs other Christes than he taught vs whom he chargeth vs not to credit Hebr. 13. for Iesus Christ as it is written is alwayes one yesterdaye and to day and shal be to the worldes ende and for euer Therfore do as saint Paule exhorteth you Gala. 1. Yf an Angel from heauen should preache vnto you any other Gospel besydes that which hath ben preached vnto you let it be accursed or yf any man preache any other holde hym accursed These be sufficient warninges for al true christiaÌ„s to beware of these late sproÌ„g heresies specially of these newe baptised Arrians who be more craftyer than the others and more dampnable and for that the diligeÌ„ter to be auoided If they will goo about to peruert you from the true faith in corners and dennes as they do very diligently as I heare say the more pity it is they be so suffred tell suche that the truth seketh no corners as the prouerbe teacheth vs. And therfore if they were of the truth they wolde not lurk in corners this loÌ„ge as they haue don Thapostles whose counterfaicted successours they would be counted to be after the truth of the gospel was reueled vnto them went furth and preached the same boldelie notwithstanding they were straightlie forbidden and persecuted for the same Euery one saith our saueour Christ that dothe wel cometh to the light that his workes may be seen that they be done according to Godes will Ioh. 3. but he which doth naughtely hateth the light and cometh not to the