Christ Think not straing that the thing is writteÌ„ in the persone of God for al truth is of god Gâ—ie pacient eare therfore vnto our God sayth as we haue done toyour deuill sayth al thys while The coÌ„plaint of God against Idolatours HEare the worde of the Lorde thou proud Babilon Thou people of Sodome spirituall Egipt heare the word of the Lord For asmoche as the lord Iesu Christ is daily crucified daily slayn daily set forth in mocking sacrifice the bloud of the testameÌ„t is trodeÌ„ vnder fote and the arke of the couenaÌ„t is driuen awaye He that despiseth the lawe of Moyses sayth the Lorde is vnder ij or iij. witnesses condemned and howe muche more shall he be punished that treadeth vnder foâ—e the sonne of god despiseth his word and doeth vnhalow the bloude of the testament whereby he was saÌ„ctified and worketh coÌ„tumeliously against the spirite of grace It is God O you prynces of Sodom that geueth sentence in thys matter Before the hygh Iudge shall you be condemned you seed of Babilon because it hath pleased God to admonishe you fyrst bi Moyses and then by the prophetes and last of al by his own sonne to turne into the way of trueth But you contrarie wise do wyllingly folow the waye of wickednes And wheras the Lord sendeth daiely for the fruite of his viniâ—â—rd â–ª you entreate his seruants at your pleasure Some of them you do beate some other you slea and that more is you do neither reuerence nor forbeare his onely begotten sonne but rageynge like men in a furye you haue with one whole consent taken him slain him and cast him out of the vyneyarde which was his own enheritaunce Heare therfore theÌ„ wicked nacioÌ„ and know that he whom thou hast caste awaye in the corner stone where vpon whatso euer buylding is stablisshed it groweth vp to be a holi temple vnto the Lord and who so euer doeth fall vpon this stone he shalbe shakeÌ„ in pieces which thynge the Iewes stoÌ„blyng vpon his humiliti do shew vnto the world to haue â–ª ben truly spoken euen lyke as the ruâ—nâ— of the gentyls shall shortly declare vpon whom 〈…〉 uer thys stone shall fal for he shal most spedily be broken to powder that the whole world mai at leÌ„gh lerne how horible a thing it is to fall into the handes of the lyuynge God whose vengaunce is sore and greuouse against his enemies Lyke as his mercy is redie towarde the chyldren of mercy the Niniuites for an example who at the preachinge of Ionas onely dyd penaunce in ashes and sakclothe and so escaped the aduengeynge haÌ„d of the almighti But you that liue now in the later ende of the worlde beynge admonishede by a thousande oracles and warninges of the prophetes threateninge battail famine an pestilence do not chaunge your wycked purpose but suffer all the wordes of Chryst his prophetes and Apostles concernynge the wrath of God in the later dayes to be spokeÌ„ in vayn No man renueth his herte no man chaungeth his maners Ther is not one that doeth good no not one But the more that your wyckednese is opened by the scripturs the more that Moyses chasteneth your malice the more earnestly that my true messengers sayeth the Lord would drawe you froÌ„ your errours so much the more fyersly you resiste my spirite boastyng forth your powre wysdom and counsels so filled wyth your owne â—…es and subtyl inuencions that you resist all spiritual knowledge and nourishe euen agaynste your conscience these gros er rours and carnal blindnesse not much vnlike vnto Cayn your forefather whiche not beynge coÌ„tented with the dignitie of the firste birth neither yet restrained bi the word of chastimeÌ„t killed his brother Abel deseruyng no suche thing at his hande I praye you what did Pharao and the Egiptians when they were admonished by Moyses and Aaron but in resisteing the opeÌ„ wil of God heap vp his displeasure against theÌ„ Herode also and the wicked phariseis alwaies persecuteynge the Iust and ascribing the workes of the spirite to the powre of Belzebub or the deuyll with sinneing against coÌ„science brought ven geaunce vpon theyr heades So doeth the world saith the Lorde alwaies striue against the spirite And this is the onely sinne that coÌ„demneth the world that I send forth the ligh of the spirite to driue awaie the darkenesse of vyce errour and men loue darkenesse more theÌ„ lyght It is my vse sayeth the Lorde allwayes to send forth my worde before I iudg the worlde that they whych with brasen forheades and IroÌ„ neckes do obstinatly opprese the trueth â–ª shoulde haue nothynge to excuse theyr synne Thus dyd I send Noe and Loth before I destroyed the worlde wyth water and the. v. cyties wyth fier Thus haue I seÌ„t my prophetes also to gyue warneynge vnto Israell and Iuda of my wrath toward them And this same ordre do I obserue coÌ„tinually like as Iam the same god to dai to morewo and for euermore And now shortly I must go into IudgmeÌ„t Wherfore morne houle Oh you wicked vpon the miseries whyche shal chaunce vnto you you I say whych are the inueÌ„ters of new Idols and the dispisers of me your euerlasteing God For your god in whom your hope resteth shal perish And wheÌ„ you shal strech forth your handes vnto heaueÌ„ yet wil I not here you saith the Lord because you haue made you Idols wyth the same handes that you lyft vp towarde me Your Idoles therfore shall be turned into sparkes of fyre your selues into stubble ther shalbe none to quentche it Once I wyl awake and not alwayes suffer so greate reproch as to be dispiced where a dead Idole whiche hath neither sense moueynge lyfe nor breath shall be receyued and embraced It is I I saye that doeth gyue lyfe and breath to al creatures it is I that lend streÌ„gh and all the natural powres whyche you do mispeÌ„d in making of your Idoles vtterly for gettynge that I am the same that made your parent Adam vnto myne owne likenes I adourned and decked hym wyth no smal gyfts Reason and iudgemeÌ„t I gaue him and ordeyned hym gouernour ouer al other creatures You haue forgotten also that immediatly after this my great mercie shewed vnto youre said parent He despising the coÌ„maundemeÌ„t of me hys creatour chose rather to be subiect vnto the most vile creature of al foloyng the Idole of his owne herte thaÌ„ to cleaue firmely to my worde Thys newfound God therfore doeth vnto thys daye dwell vnder my cursse and shal do for euer and shall crepe on his breaste sucking therth in steade of his breade Yet haue I not vtterly for saken this your rebelliouse kinde at diuers and sundrie tymes Firste I called againe to my mercie the same your forefather who by the remorsse of his coÌ„science fled my sight Againe after that man kinde was encreased and wickednesse dyd growe more and more in so much that if I
An ansvver to the deuillish detection of Stephane Gardiner Bishoppe of Wynchester published to the intent that such as be desirous of the truth should not be seduced by hys errours nor the blind obstinate excused by ignorance Compiled by A. G. Iudicum vi ¶ Oh let theÌ„ perish from the erth and from vnder the heauen all the Idoles that haue not made the heaueÌ„ the erthe destroye you theyr groues and altares If they be goddes let them reueng them selues ¶ Anno. 1547. the. 24 of Ianuary ¶ In the viii leafe i. page and xiiii line for staine mne reade same mine To the Reader DEarely beloued bought wyth the same bloude and therfore parte takers of the same kyngedome because the Lorde oure God is the God of knowledge and wyll haue suche seruauntes as by knowledge in trueth wythout fleshely fantasies either of fained goddes or any fonde worship of mans madde brayne who alwaies from the beginneinge hath renne after vanities wyll be radie to geue answere of their faieth in him the God of lyfe and of the hope conceiued by his onely worde it becometh all his â—o labour for knowledge that they maye walke vpright in the waie of their Lorde and by no halting ignoraunce to slide furth of the same and so to prouoke his worthi displeasure And as he is the God of loue peace vnitie and concorde and will haue vs al tied together with the bonde of loue and made therby in hym all one bodie so doeth it become vs wyth open hertes wythout all doublenesse one to enstructe an other to the edifiynge of oure brethern that in sure grownded fayth we maye loue together and so enioye the hope of our vocacion Therfore though mi talent bee verie smal and no principall gifte either of eloquence or learninge but onely a loue of the trueth geuen vnto me yet seinge the worlde is so blinded with Idolatrie and so beewitched with popishe sophistrie and euen nowe the spirittes and powers of darcknes worcke the chiefe mysterie of iniquitie and wickednesse to set vp and maintaine the moste weake Idole that euer was in the worlde in the steade of the most mightie and euerliuinge God I coulde thincke it no lesse theÌ„ my most bounden dutie openly to beare wittnesse vnto the truthe And where as the wordes of truth haue bene slandrously and spitfully named the saieinges of the deuil by the spiritual crafte of a souldiour of SathaÌ„ which by painted wordes woulde transform him self into an angel of lyght Whose boke is spred euerie where and receiued in manie places more reuerentlie then the blessed bible the holie worde of God Yet no maÌ„ hath so farre as I know once opened his mouth or taken penne in hand to make answere to this blasphemouse messenger of the proude Senacherib neglectinge the liueinge God for the littel I dole that he maketh God or no God at hys pleasure who suffreth Mise to eate him and the wicked to deuoure him Lette all other men do as they shall thyncke good wyth silence to let suche thynges slip Truly if I coulde saye nothinge thereunto but onely naye denienge Idolatrie and renouncynge all supersticion therin maintained I iudge it my parte to publishe my faith rather then by my silence to seame to consent to suche diuillishe doctrine So also do I esteme it the dutie of the faithful in this perillous tyme plainely to professe the Lord the liueuinge God to be the onely God in heauen a boue and in the erth beneth leste bi our silence for sakinge hys cause here vpon erth we be forsaken in his heauenly palace For lyke as in herte we do beleue to oure rightuousnes so must we necessarily confesse to oure saluacion as Paule teachethe We must beware as Paule warnethe and the bishope taketh the same text first ofal that our senses be not corrupted from the simplicite and sing lenesse that is in Christe as the serpent begiled Eua. We knowe but one God We are maried vnto one We knowe but one Christ made man and none other creature for ourcause This thing as we beleue it in herte so muste we in mouth â—oâ—fesse the same if we wyll walke in the simplicitie and sing linesse that is in Christe as becometh christians For if the hert and mouth go together then is it sing lenesse otherwise it is doublenesse and dissembling But there is one other simplicitie as it hath bene compted as the worde hath bene abused which is verie folishnes This maye we cal the simplicitie that Antichriste woulde haue styl to reigne amonge vs and therefore his champion when he brought in the texte of Paulle lefte out the principall wordes Que est in christo Whyche is in Christe as their olde texte hath it And thorowe out hys whole boke he woulde driue vs to be simple That is to saye to folowe as we be led like blinde men that the proude papisticall prelates still leadeinge vs into the pitte of perdicion abuseing our wines and goodes maye saye in their connentes Let them alone let them offer still vnto Imeages a pice of bread or any thinge else of a good intent all is well done that is done of a good intent They maye worship a stocke or a stone let them folow their auncient fathers They are good simple soules They do as we and oure doctours teach theÌ„ If we let theÌ„ knowe al trueth they wilbe as wise as we and then they wyll smally regarde vs. Thys is their workeinge these are their wordes howe so euer they haue clokâ—d hertofore all the worde nowe seeth it Let vs beware therfore of this thir simplicitie and let vs no longer thynke that this their doctrine is'true that al should he well done that is done for a good intent and that it is well done in all thinges to beleue theyr doctours For this ignorante opinion that thei haue grounded in their hertes hath hitherto stopped the waie to all knowledge and nowe letteth faith to be grounded and causeth men to continew styll in their olde errowres wythout any desire to come out of blindnesse Consider therefore good reader a gaynste their blinde lessons that Saull was caste from hys kyngedome for his good intent euen because he intended to do sacrifice vnto the Lorde of the best and fatteste of the Amalechites And yet maye thys seme a gloriouse intent The bishoppes of the Iewes and the Idolatours of al ages folowed theyr good intent euen when they put Christ and all hys prophetes and Apostles to death The byshop of Norwich when he burned pore Bilney folowed his good intent our other byshopes also burneninge and murtheringe theyr bretherne in prisone and out of prisone folowed theyr good in tentes But God is the iudge of the inteÌ„tes and thoughtes of vs al and sercheth the verie raine and the holes of our hertes Yea the lord our god abhorreth and the prophetes reproue vs alwayes because we wyll do euerie man that semeth good in his owne
the olde testameÌ„t where the Idoles of the heatheÌ„ ar named in the singular 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and yet for to settâ— forth the vnitie of the godhead alwaie with this worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the plural nuÌ„bre is adioined a verbe of the singuler as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And also in the hygh name of God which the Iewes had in so high estimacioÌ„ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which doth sigâ—ifie vnto vs that onely euerlasteing powre wherbi al thinges haue their being is manifestli opeÌ„ed the vnitie indiâ—…sible Of this spirit is it writeÌ„ thus He that hath not the spirite of Christe is none of hys And agayne Who so ener are led by the spirit of God they are â–ª the childreÌ„ of God So â–ª that as we can not be wythout God or Christe su can we not be wythout this spirite proceadeinge from them boeth as Christ him selfe witnesseth saieinge The conforter euen the holye goste whome my father shal sende in my name Againe WhaÌ„ the holy â–ª goste shall come whom I shal send from my father Of this spirite dyd the prophetes speake muche vnder the name of water and fire as Esaie I shall poure forth my spirit vpoÌ„ the thirstie miâ—floudes vpon the drie land I shal poure forth my spirit vpon thy sede and my blesseing vpon thy buddes and the same shal saye I am the lordes Lyke vnto these are there other places as in Esaie xii Eze. xxxvi Psal C. xlvi lxiii This spirit together wyth the father and the sonne this Trinitie and Vnitie that can not be diuided do we belieue and teach not by a blynde saiynge of any doctoure as you do but by the worde of God and the worke of his spirite whiche is able to leade vs into all truth neuer faileth his church builded vpon the rock Christe agaynste the which the gates of hel can not preuaile For by this spirit thus workyng faieth in Christ and loue to God and maâ— is knowne the true church as Iohn sayeth By thys do we knowe that we dwell in hym and he in vs because he hath geuen vs of hys spirite And Paule saieth generally to alâ— the faithful Do you not knowe that you are the church of God and the spirit of God dwelleth in you If any man do defile the teÌ„ple of God him wyl God destroye Thys church of God is holy which you are wher he doeth not meane of the Popes Churche though it wer builded of v. M. proude cardinales and bishopesse much les of our english church built vpoÌ„ the blind ignoraÌ„ce sinful lyueing but of x. oâ— xi horned Miters for three or foure of you woulde all were well so it were not longe of theâ—… but of that onely Churche whyche doeth alwayes knowe heare and folowe the voice of Christe theâ—â— heade and shepeherde and wyll not harkeâ— to the voyce of any straâ—nger Who though they be but. ii or iii. gathered together in the name of Christe beinge alwayes dispersed abrode by the Idole shepherde yet is Christ in the middes of them and shal at the length gather them all in one that ther maye be one shepherde and one folde Thys church is washed this church is sanctified and made holie This churche is iustified by the name of the Lorde Iesu and by the spirite of oure God sayeth Paule Christe so loued thys churche that he spent him selfe for hyr to make hyr holye clenâ—ed throughe the fountaine of water by hys worde that he myght make hir vnto hym selfe a gloriouse churche haueinge no spot blemish or wrinckle or any such thynge But you wyl doubt still O byshopes whether of vs be thys church Whether you gloriouse in the worlde or we despiced Firste therfore marke the fouÌ„dacioÌ„s of this church for ther can no man laie anye other then that is al redye layed the Lorde Iesu Christe ⧠The fyrst foundacion Whome the fayeth hath set as the chosen stoâ— for the fouÌ„dacioÌ„ of the tru church Sion ⧠The seconde foundacion Christe is the heade of thys churche ⧠The threde foundacion And heade shepeherde of thys folde For the fyrste all men iudge that you al ledgeinge so muche mans lawaâ—es establisinge and buildinge your fayeth wyth mans â—â—raâ—y settinge your cousciences vpon your doctours who are but fleshe and bloude do not so greately regarde Christe as we do whyche wyl haue hym oure onely foundacion and wyll admitte nothinge but that is spoken by hys spirite in his scriptures This fayle you in your fyrst foundacion Secondelye if Christe be heade and maister who dyd come humble meke and pore rideinge vpon an asse not hauinge an house where to â—aye hys heade dispisinge al worldly an outwarde glorie when the people would haue made him a kinge why do you ride on mules trapped wyth goulde Why haue you suche castelles holdes parckes and palaices Why wyll you be Lordes worldelie and take to you suche outwarde glorie Christe sayed that hys kyngedome was not of thys worlde and why wyl you beare suche rule heare Yea Christe forbade you to be called maister and why wyll you be called Lorde On the contrarie parte we haue the worde of Christ our heade for vs. Who sayeth Ther is no seruaunt greater then his Lorde and maister If they haue persecuted me they wil persecute you If they haue kept my word they wil kepe yours If the world do hate you knowe that it dyd hate me before it dyd heate you If you were of the worlde the worlde woulde loue that which is his owne But because you are not of the worlde but I haue chosen you forthe of the worlde therfore the worlde hateth you Yet do I leue you peace and my peace do I geue vnto you but not as the worlde geueth do I geue it vnto you â–ª Yea more ouer they shall curse and excommunicate you whyche was your olde practise o prealates and not onely that but the time shal come that who so euer sleath you shall thincke that he doeth high sacrifice vnto God And thys shall they do because they neither knowe my father nor peâ— me Tyrdlye If Christe be the heade shepeherde and dyd for your exemple saye that the learneynge whyche he taught was not hys but his fathers that sent him howe daâ—e you be so boulde to grownde so many thynges on your doctours Christe coÌ„maundeth you to feade hys flocke but you â—…ea them Christ coÌ„maundeth you to edifie but you distroye Christe byddeth you go into all the world to preach his word to al the worlde and to preach hys worde to al creatures but you saie naye none shal haue it but geÌ„tlemeÌ„ the other pore knaues shal haue a sophistrie boke of your gloses I praie you whoÌ„e make you the heade shepeherde in this and al your doeinges Not Christe but your doctours and Idle braines
you are the braunches And continuinge in these parables whiche he accustomed his speache vnto in al his sermons and nowe moste specially towardes his death he opened his mistèries for to rauishe the myndes of his disciples that he myghte prynte them the better in their memorie and contrariwyse that the wycked shoulde heare wyth their eares and not vnderstande see wyth their eyes and not perceyue as Christe alledgeth out of the. vi of Esaie in the. xiii of Math. Thus is the highe wysdome of God alwayes vsed from the begynnyng In Moyses wyth his figures In Solomon with his Prouerbes And ryghte so in all the scriptures to the intent that the preciouse Margarite shoulde not be caste to the hogges He wonderfully enstructed his disciples of his departyng Sometyme in parabbles soâ—…tyme wythout parables in thys and the. ii chapters folowing Wheras he might haue conforted them substancially â—…t one worde as you teache if he had sayed I wyl not go from you for alwayes when you wyll haue me do onely blowe these iiii wordes this iâ— my body ouer a litle breade and you shall haue me straighte wayes at hande But oh blynde guides Christe telleth you that the fleshe profiteth nothynge though you haue it present as the Iewes Iudas and the bishoppes had Yea though Iudas had eaten it as you wryte that he dyd in the supper No though he had eaten hym alyue when he kyssed and betrayed him Though he had then eaten Christe I saye euen as he went on the grounde whiche is the thynge that you do so sore stryue about that he must be eaten as he went on the earth sauyng onely that thys muste be done inuisibly Thoughe as you say he were thus eateÌ„ in fleshe Christ sayth the fleshe profiteth nothyng at al. And where as you cal thys the chiefe holines and chiefe worshippe Christe sayeth his father seeketh suche worshippers as wyll worshippe hym in spirite and trueth and not in the fleshe shadowes and ceremonies Agayne Christe sayeth I dyd not speake these thynges vnto you from the beginning because I was wyth you But you papistes wyl answer So art thou present styl though thou be hid in a boxe or a litle breade Christe sayeth nowe do I go vnto hym that sent me and I demaunde of you papistes howe he went vnto his father that sent hym Not the Deuyl but the scripture and the angelles of God shall answere for you Christe after he was rysen froÌ„ death gathered his Apostles together and commaunded them to tarie at Hierusalem and to awayte for their conforâ—our the holy spirite whom he had promised to sende them when he departed in fleshe froÌ„ the earth And whilse he spake thus vnto theÌ„ he was in the sight of them all taken vp and a cloude couered hym And whylse they loked stedfastly vp into heauen beholdyng his goinge beholde ii men stode by theÌ„ in white garmentes whiche sayed Ye men of Galesee why stande you gasyng vp into heauen Thys same Iesus whiche is taken vp from you into heauen shal so come as you haue seene hym go into heauen He is gone none otherwyse but in the fleshe his fleshe therefore is not in the breade When he cometh agayne he shall come visibly euen as he went in the syght of them al as the angelles wytnes He is not therfore inuisible in the bread Nowe thys your opinion of his being vpon the earth in the fleshe and sufferyng of hym selfe to be hid in a litle boxe and such cakes whereof an hundrede are scarse worth one halfpeny is to shamfull There is no reuerence of God in his sonne remaynynge iâ—… your hertes And therefore as the Propheâ—… Osee sayeth though God shewe the trueth of his lawe neuer so often vnto you yet do you take it but for a straung doctrine Wheras they do sacrifice sayth the Prophete offeryng the fleshe and eatyng it the Lorde wyll haue no pleasure therin but wyll remembre their wickednesse and punishe their synnes Israell woulde turne agayne into Egypte to the fleshe pottes They put fleshe theyr arme which is ment by seekinge to Egypte In many places of the kynges also Yea alwayes both in figures and open wordes the folowyng of the fleshe and outward holines whiche is communely voied of the spirite is sore rebuked greuously punished Therfore addeth the prophete They haue forgotten hym that made them they buylde churches and Iuda maketh many stronge bulworkes I wil therfore sende a fyre into their cities and it shall consume their palaices Agayne sayeth Ose As for the Prophete you holde hym a fole aâ—d hym that is ryche in the spirite for a madde man So greate is your wickednesse Fleshe you are fleshe you seeke voied and destitute altogether of the spirite of God the onely authour of al truth and vnfeyned holines Christe sayeth I tell you truth it is profitable to you that I go for if I do not go froÌ„ you the spirite of conforte can not come vnto you But if I go I shall sende hym vnto you These wordes were fyrste proued true in the Apostles whiche were conforted by the spirite after theyr mournyng for the bobily absence of theyr maister And nowe also doth it appeare true in you papistes that the liuely coÌ„fort of the spirite is â—mally felt or regarded amoÌ„gest you whilse you thinke your selues to haue Christe bodily amonge you Agayne Christe sayeth vnto his father Thys is euerlastynge lyfe to knowe the onely the true God and whom thou hoste sent Iesu Christe You saye is euerlastyng lyfe and the chiefe misterie of our religion to knowe thys cake to be a God to knowe the wyne to be a whole Christe God and man where all faythfull hertes muste needes confesse that it is no god nor caÌ„ be god what so euer is made with mans hande For both the thinge that is made as the boke of wisedom telleth is inferiour to the man that made it and because maÌ„ him selfe is mortal the thing that he maketh caÌ„ not be god immortall But I knowe your answere The priest maketh it by the worde of God I answere you agayne We can neither see nor perceyue any maner of thynge there but onely the breade that is made by the hande of the bakar and therfore made and facioned by the handes of man who hath but a borowed spirite and vnhappie are they and amonge the deade is theyr hope that call them Gods whiche are the workes of mens handes Thys is the errour of mannes lyfe when men ascribe vnto stockes and stones and other vile creatures the name of God whiche ought to be gyuen vnto no creature Yea they are twise vnhappy and accursed that do hereby make the creature abominable also depriue the creatoure and maker of all of his dewe honoure But marke agayne that whiche Christ sayth in the same chapter of Iohn Nowe am I not in the worlde and these are in the worlde and
of moste weight importaunce Wherby is wrought the marueilous wisedome of God who onely wyl be accompted alwaies true vprighte and iuste in all his wordes and that all men should appeare as they are lyars If in any one man shoulde rest the fulnes of al trueth we woulde by our weakenesse verie proudely swere into his wordes thereupoÌ„ establish oure beliefe and make hym as it were an earthly God Paule therefore led by the spirite of God taketh his maister Gamaliell and the greate Rabines to no counsell in the settynge furth of the high misteries which God had reueiled vnto him No he woulde not confer with fleshe and bloude that is with any man notwithstanding he him selfe was wonderfully enstructed in the lawe and became irreprehensible therin beinge a pharisei that is to saye an interpreter and as your men are a doctoure hym selfe Notwythstandynge he bryngeth nothynge of Thalmud he teacheth not hynge by the traditious of their fathers but by Moyses by the prophetes and the open worde of God whereupon onely fayth can haue his foundation Fayth is of hearing sayth Paule and this is by the hearing of the worde of God and not of mans doctrine Though you therfore do cal this your doctrine of the real and carnal preseÌ„ce of Christ vnder the fourme of bread and wine the fouÌ„dation of our faith yet were they neuer set in our olde Crede beliefe nor nuÌ„bred among the. xii articles of our faith And Paule wheÌ„ he said I do only know Iesu Christ and him crucified which is the very fouÌ„dation of our faith wherby we might be saued though we lyued in wyldernesse or dyed vpon the seas without thys sacrament Yea though we be murdered in your presence and by your formentes put to death wythout the receyueinge of this Sacrament For our â—ayth standeth fully grounded vpon this worde Whâ— so euer confesseth Christe to be come in the fleshe he is borne of God and who so euer beleueth and is baptised the same is saued Adde you hereunto what newe foundations you please We feele in oure hertes beinge taughte by the open worde that no man can laye any other foundation but Iesu Christe By whose death we dye from confidence in all creatures and by whose rysynge from death we do ryse agayne and do seeke thinges that are aboue where Christe sitteth at the right hande of God ⧠Of contrarietie and coÌ„tradiction THe Deuyll hath an other piece of Sophistrie which is in conterfaite contradictions wherein he vseth for a preface and introduction a moste certeyne trueth whiche is that trueth agreeth wyth it selfe and hath no parte contrarie to an other Wherefore seinge the worde of God is an infallible trueth it hath no contrarieties in it selfe All the worlde muste assent hereunto But thus the Deuyll procedeth to his cauillations from thynges euidently true by little chaunge to thinges euideÌ„tly false HeaueÌ„ and earth haue a kinde of contradiction Christe is in heauen where saynt Stephane dyd se him Ergo he is not in the earth in the sacrament of the aultare Christe ascended into heauen Ergo he taryeth not here He sitteth at the righte hande of God Ergo he is not in the sacrament of the aultare He is the creatoure Omnia per ipsum sacta sunt All thinges be made by him Ergo he is not a creature made of breade He dwelleth not in the teÌ„ples made with mannes handes Ergo he is not in the box vpon the high aultare Your solution to these opeÌ„ scriptures and moste euident argumentes is at one worde and that is this They be taken for notable coÌ„tradictions and insoluble sophisines and in effecte in all these argumentes there is no contrarietie or contradiction in the thinges but onely a repugnaunce and impossibilitie to mans carnal capacitie But I beseche you good bishop is there no contrarietie in the thinges Is not heauen and earth cleane contrarie Haue you so captiuated your wittes and dulled your vnderstandinge that you caÌ„ not perceiue those two thinges to the coÌ„trarie God is the creatoure and maker of all therefore can he not be a creature made of breade He dwelleth not in the temples made with mannes handes for the heaueÌ„ of heauens can not contayne him therfore is he not enclosed in a litle box and hanged vp by a bande It is to muche shame for any priest bishoppe or christian man to thinke so vnreuerently of the secrete maiestie of God as that he mighte be bounde vnto a place enclosed in a cake or a litle boxe seinge boeth heauen and earth be full of his dreadfull maiestie and we what so euer we be do lyue be moued and haue our beinge of him He is infinite incomprehensible vnmeasurable higher then the high heauens lower then the deape botomles waters he measureth the wyde worlde wyth his spanne and coÌ„teyneth all enclosed in his fiste Wyth him the light dwelleth and the sunne beames are at his orderynge By hym is ruled lyghte and darkedesse lyfe and death and altogether Wherefore when thou canâ—t inclose in the box the rageyng seas when thou canst catche the moue in a corner aâ—d sparre her vp in a case when thou canst penne vp the sunne beinge but a creature in thy pix then wyl I graunte the to haue power ouer thinges infinite and incomprehensible In the meane tyme I muste take it impossible not onely by carnall capacitie but also by spiritual iudgement grounded vpon the worde of God by the gifte of reason wherby al men coÌ„sidering the worke of God in the cretion maye knowe their creatoure to exeell all creatures farre and that he can therefore be made by no creature neither of any creature muche lesse can he be enclosed in a box of an yâ—che and an halfe deape when the priest wyll â—…mble foure wordes in a corner and there lye tyed tyll he wax foystie vnlesse the prieste lose hym Oh abominable Idolatours howe muche doeth thys derogate to the maiestie of God And howe farre contrarie is thys to his godlie nature Nowe that it is contrarie to the humaine nature of Christe to be enclosed in bread and sparred in a litle box thus mape we more largely proue vnto you Christe in his humaine bodie forsaketh the worlde he goeth vnto the father He dyd keepe those that were his so longe as he was in the worlde And when he departed out of the worlde he desired his father to keepe them He coÌ„forted them when he went awaye sayinge that it was profitable for theÌ„ that he departed that the spirite of coÌ„fort might come He promised to come againe visibly and with glorie as he went and in the scriptures there is none other comynge of Christ taught vs but the coming first in humilite to take our flesh vpoÌ„ him afterward in glorie to iudge all fleshe whiche thynges are declared Math. xxvi Marke xvi Luke xxiiii Iohn xiii xvi xxii Actuum i. vii Rom. viii Ephe. i. ii Corhi
this is meÌ„t by the worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in diuers places of Deutronomie The wordes are these Thou shalte come to the priest that shall be in those daies and say vnto hym I acknowledge this day before the Lorde my god that I am entred into the lande for the whiche he sweare to our fathers that he woulde giue it vnto vs. Here is a like memorie of God commaunded by Moyses Whereby as in thys sacrament is ment a reuerent thankes gyuyng and acknowledgyng for sâ— is the Hebrue word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 traÌ„slated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iudicum iâ— Whereby we may perceyue the worde blessing to agree with the other greke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thus we therfore haue by the healpe of the Hebrue tonge and the olde testament furth of the whiche two all rites and ceremonies and the trueth of al the principal places of the newe testament haue both their coÌ„firmation and declaration and by the circumstaÌ„ces of the places proued vnto you first that in this sacrament there muste be a general profession of oure sayth in the death of Christ outwardly and theÌ„ priuately euery one must in hert acknowledge giue thaÌ„kes And if the profite of his brethren do so require it or the ordre of the coÌ„gregaâ—ioÌ„ permit they muste with mouth celebrate and prayse this great benifite to the glorie of God and the conforte of the congregation Your first declaration that we must haue Christ present in this memorie by fayth maketh nothinge agaynst vs. For this is it that we do beleue and teach that vnto the eyes of our faith there is preseÌ„t in the sacrament the natural body of our sauiour Christ the same body that suffered And your similitude of the maried womaÌ„ that wyl make an Image of her husbaÌ„de for a remeÌ„brauÌ„ce of him maketh much against you For this I dare saye that al the eloqueÌ„ce you haue â—aÌ„ not proue vn to a righte selêder witted woman that the Image thus made for a memorial is hir owne natural housbaÌ„de and so make hir do honor and reuerence vnto him at bed and at bourd as you woulde haue vs to do to this very Image as you cal it of Christ beinge departed in body froÌ„ his churche and leauing this most perfect Image of him selfe and as you say him selfe for a memorie Furthermore If you coulde proue vnto this womaÌ„ that this image were the natural body â—lesh bloud and bones of hir husband what neede she to loke for hym in any other place abseÌ„t whoÌ„ she hath thus really present at all tymes What shal we say Is hir husbande gone Nay verely hir husbande lyeth hid in and vnder the Image Lo whither your blynde similitudes do leade you But to proue his body to be in diuers places wythout any chaunge of place you had neede to aske better counsayle of your sophisters and then we shal answere you agayne For the texte folowinge Non dâ—…dicans corpus domini makynge no difference of the Lordes body which wordes be so translated in the Bible that you haue allowed by Act of parliament For the scriptures suche is oure miserie can be no farther good and profitable for vs but as yon wyll allowe it That is to saye the laste yere good for all men but thys yere good for gentlemen onely In the last proclamation you condemned three translations and saued one But in thys your boke you seme to be wery of that one for you fynde fautes therein and wyll not haue at reade at suche tymes as men meete together in the churche But God is the Iudge of your doinges You do not Iudge and knowe that God is as presently in his wordes and scriptures whiche you do burne as he is in the Sacramentes whiche are made and take theyr strength of the same worde Oh byshoppes If thys thynge that you do be for the pure â—eale of Goddes worde then take so muche paynes amongest you al as to set furth one traÌ„slatioÌ„ so true â–ª that no man may fynde any faut therwyth But you caÌ„ not heare on that side You haue burned fiue thousande but of your translation we fynde not one It is easy therefore to iudge what your purpose hath bene But to returne to the wordes Non diiudi caÌ„s etc. Your english text is making no differeÌ„ce of the Lordes body But your owne interpretation is not vnderstanding not coÌ„side ring But if you wyl adde thereunto the signification of the greke worde not iudging I wyl say al is true and agreeth very wel For who so euer doeth eate this bread and drinke this cup vnworthily eateth his owne iudgemeÌ„t making no differeÌ„ce not vnderstanding consideringe or iudgynge the Lordes body Where he that doeth eate it worthily doeth by his faith eate the very body of the Lorde so ofte as he eateth of this bread and drinketh of this cup and fedeth his soule by the reioycing in the death of the lorde For who soeuer seketh the spirituall fode he regardeth nothinge but the body of Christ offered for his sinnes though with his mouth bodily he receiue the bread the figure of the same If any haue â—…scoÌ„strued this texte do not charge vs therewyth But if we do take it wronge reproue vs by scripture No man doubteth but that he is giltie of the bloud of Christ which taketh Baptisme vnreuerently Yet dare we not saye that in the water is really presente the body and bloud of Christe He despiceth me saith Christ that despiceth you speaking of his Apostles Yet is it no good argument to say therefore that Christe is corporally in his Apostles But spiritually we must boeth beholde most thaÌ„kefully receiue our Christ in al his sacramentes in al his messengers The third text Spiritus viuificat caro noÌ„ prodest quicquaÌ„ In english the spirite giueth life the flesh profiteth nothyng maketh much agaynste you Yea thoughe you take it after your owne glose which is that this text is a general lesson for the true vnderstandyng of oure whole religion But thys glose shall we touche hereafter This texte The spirit gyueth lyfe the fleshe profiteth nothynge is boeth proued true and manifestly declared in the. xvi chapter folowinge where Christe sayeth I tel you truth that it is profitable for you that I departe for if I do not go awaye that confortynge spirite shall not come vnto you But if I go I wyll sende hym vnto you etc. Whereby it appeareth playnely agaynste your wordes that the presence of the bodie carnally is not profitable vnto vs nowe after his ascendynge into heauen because Christe sayeth it is profitable that in bodie he shoulde departe but you saye it is profitable to haue hym here in a cake notwythstandyng that he sayeth that onlesse he go his waye the spirite of conforte can not come The exemple of Peter and all the Apostles who were stronger by the confort of the spirite then by the presence
aduaunce your kind aboue the Angels And now you wyl haue hym cowpled with your wrechede creatures worse then your selues But he hath taken the forme of the children of Abraham And for his elect seed was he coÌ„tent to be come man disdayneing all other formes Loke no more therfore for my son Christe vpoÌ„ the earth in the bread the box or the chalice But heare in heauen shal you seke hym wher he reigneth at libertie with me his father from whom he sendeth down the holie gost the spirite of comforte into the hertes of mine elect to strengthen them against all the assaultes of the serpent I feade inwardly my shepe driueÌ„ from the pasture of my word Yea I geue life euerlasting to so many as by him onely wyll come to me his father Thus doeth he sitte at my ryght hande and fulfilleth al in al things spiritually Not beinge bodylie present in euery place where you wyll like charmers muÌ„ble foure words vpon dombe creatures Here in heauen you are sure to haue him your aduocate In the bread you haue no such promise With what fayeth then can you seke him ther. He promised you that he woulde sende the holie gost after his going froÌ„ you but he neuer taught that he was profitable to be chaunged into breade When he returned vnto me froÌ„ the earth then did he send in fyrie tonges visibly the spirite of our powre wisdom which taught the cleare vnderstandynge of the misterie that he had wrought before in the earth This spirite taught the hope of your callinge and that our wonderful worke in you that beleue how that I raysed my son Christ from death and set him at my right hande in heauenly thinges Whense you would most vilaniousely pluck him down turne him into bread and swalowe him like flesh into your bealies which grosse blindnesse and SythiaÌ„ crueltie my flolâ—…l abhor My flocke shal learne nowe other â—…inge of the flesh of my sonne Christ â–ª â—ut that onely which is by the knoweledgâ—… and beleueing of my mercies in my sonne â—…nd therfore shall they follow no tradicions of the world nor sticke to any creatures but say with mine olde seruaÌ„t Dauid I wl loue the O lord my strenth the lord of my succour my refuge my sauiour my buâ— lar the horne of my salucioÌ„ Yea the more boldely because of my newe testameÌ„t Saiâ— thus O heaueÌ„ly father thoughe heaueÌ„ and earth do perish and all creatures tourne to naught yet liuest thou O lordof heaueÌ„ and earth in me thou liuest whose son I am bi adoption thi spirite geueing witnesse of this thing Yea Christe the strength might and powre of thi right haÌ„d liueth no maÌ„ is able to driue him froÌ„ the place whether thou hast exalted him Of this am I sure and so loÌ„g as he is saulfe I am sure to be saulfe for I am partaker of his nature substaÌ„ce powre according to the gifte of Iesu my sauiour that dwelleth in me Not carnally eateÌ„ but spirituallye receiued by fayeth wherby I knowe that he is my heade and I one of hys members Thus may you learne O my little flocke whan you haue for sakeÌ„ al creatures to be assured of fauour and optaine the sownde and sure taste of yâ—… saluacion and euerlasteynge lyfe and 〈…〉 and fele the hope of your calleinge â—…hall neuer suffer you to come to confuâ—… and so reioyce as my son wilded you of no powre earthlye neither of carnall eatinge of Christ nor 〈◊〉 dynge vpon serpentes but that your names are written in the boke of lyfe in the heauenes Vnto the other sorte which may worthely boaste of their powre if it be true that they saie because they caÌ„ make God or cal down God into the chalice for all is one matter in effecte I will an swer as I did of olde by my prophet Esaye I abhor your Sabothes your sacrificies and all your ceremonies Yea what do I care for your masse muÌ„bling whiche banisheth the memorie of my sonne and setteth a newe Idole to prouoke my zelouse indignacion against you What care I for your gletteringe miters seynge you banishe my word What care I for your fasteyuge and prayeinge seinge your handes are of full of bloude your fingers full of â–ª wickidnes What care I for the swarme of your ceremonies y e whole heap of your farthings where vpoÌ„ your religion staÌ„deth seiâ—g your lippes tell lies Geue â—are and tremble for the wickednesse of your handes for the Lorde hath spoken it ⧠An answere to the principal pointes that follow after the doctours in the bishop of winchesters boke NOw go to you papistes who had rather er with your father the pope with his doctours his furred hods and forcked caps then to saie trueth with Christes despised membres wyll you follow the broud way that leadeth to perdicioÌ„ because the multitude doeth enter into it Nay rather coÌ„tend and labour to enter the narrow and straight waye whiche leadeth vnto lyfe which is the waye of knowledge and truth wherein fewe do walke I knowe your doctours are gloriouse You call them sainctes and I truste they be so accepted of God But Christ and his Apostles though they were not so glorious and well taken in the worlde yet was ther more truth in their wordes and writings Yea sure it is to be fea red â–ª ther is some priuie flatterie and vntrueth closely â–ª cloked in the darke sentence of their longe bokes where the wrytinges are so coÌ„mendable in the worlde and so phausible in generally to all the heape of the papistes the vpholders of Antechrist For after olde custom and auncient ordre the scriptures of God maie not be reade in the scholes til such tyme as the maister of the sentences and the heape of your other doctoures haue stopped Iacobs welles the louelye fountaynes of the heauenly water with the fillthy mud of their gloses â–ª Yea the filthieste of that floâ—… let hym lye let him dote let him bable whaâ— helusteth yet shall he be alowed boeth in lâ—… ten and in englishe when the worde of God wheÌ„ the new and olde testament shalbe breÌ„â—… with fire Yea the maynteners therof whâ—… are the onely holions of God because they maynetayne the holie worde of God shalbâ—… destroyed and brent together with the bokeâ— of the Gospell that they mayntayne Surely your perswasion maye do muche to the worldely mynded when you compaâ—… these ii contraries togither The gloriouse doctours the sayntes by the pope canonised and by al worldely powers maynetayned renowmed and worshiped vnto the out castes of the world stil barkynge at the vices which are abominable scrapeing the eares of men wyth the sharp reaseinge trueth and therby deserueinge as the worldelye suppose worthely to be expelled banished or burned But vnto the godlye whose desyre is to be lyke their master Christ in sufferinge with him in this worlde that they may after rayne wyth him in the
reine you of that foule carion and leade you home to take heede of your maisters folde And to teache plainely what is carion we do take it to be what so euer you do bringe into the church of Christ as his religioÌ„ without hys holy worde and the liuely spirite of God The same I saye is that stinckinge carion that Paulle calleth Anathema and the prophet warneth vs we touche it not And Iohn biddeth vs that we do not so much as saye Ane and salute the bringers therof leste we be compted partakers of their iuell workes I wyll passe with silence the roten ragges and carion bones of your reliques and suche lyke ware that sauoure little of the spirite of life and of the worshipeing of god in spirite and trueth But for thys thinge we haue in hande lettinge slippe all other your vnsauourie cerimoneis and carianlyke relyques more stinckinge carion surely and more poisenfull sophistrie causeinge deathe and murren of so many soules was ther neuer in the worlde then the gloses and dreames of your idle braines about this mattier that we shal now handle as shalbe proued plainelie by the grace of the liueinge God Your termes of realities qualites accedentes and dimencions sauour nothinge of the spirite of God and therefore are they fleshe and carion The whole course of your boke labouringe to make Christe really and naturally present vnder these fourmes qualites and quaÌ„tities sauoureth of the rotten pastures and stinckinge fleshli braines of your dreameinge doctours Dunse Thomas de Aquino and petrus Lombardus Therfore is this the carion wherof we muste be ware This is the diuellishe sophistrie wherwyth the world hath bene so loÌ„g bewitched in such sorte that in the steade of the liuelie feading of their soules by the worde of God the breade of lyfe you haue filled theire eares and eies with darcke termes dombe signes and deceiueable shadowes allwaies beateinge and burninge the poreshep bleatinge a gainste the filthy stinckinge carion of your popeishe and I dolatrouse tradicions What other thinge let all men iudge betwexte vs are these sophisticall termes of realitie quantitie accedentes dimentions and alteracions whyche are the onely foundacion of your boke and the establishement of thys fleshly doctrine but the vsuall termes of the subtile sophistes of Cambrige and exforde and the Sorbonistes of parise They can not be founde in the bokes of the holy spirite of the holy scripture of God â–ª and therfor are they fleshely sophistrie and stinckeinge carion Thys your boke all grounded vpon man which is but flesh vpon the darcke sentences and blind termes of blind teachers as Iohn Damascene and such other can be likened to nothinge so well as to carion The whiche mattier is picked out of the maister of the sentences or carionouse sophismes chouse whether you wyl call hym And where you woulde seme to be most spirituall about the words of Christ Hoc est corpus meum ther you are all to gether carnalle and fleshly You wil haue a carnall chaunge a carnal presence a carnall sacrifice A piece of paste as we saye fleshe and bloude as we saye to be carnally worshipped wyth fonde gestures A creature to be made the creatoure A vile cake to be made God and man Which doctrine beinge examined by the spirite of God the triar of all trueth shalbe founde Idolatrouse carion The residue of your preface would haue vs captiue to you Christes vikeres to your doctours and mainteners These haue you alwayes heretofore called the churche of Rome But nowe that you maye deceiue if it be possible the verie electe by a false name calling it Christes church But in verie dede it is the sinnagog of Sathan and the church of Antichriste because you are in liueinge so contrarie to Christe and because you set â–ª and establish therin the ceremonies of Antichrist and bannishe the pore shepe from the worde of theyr shepherde seldome or neuer preacheinge vnto them Christe but your owne baggage nor yet sufferinge the pore lambes to reade and feade of hys worde and pasture But we all are not so folishe thus to be enchaunted We haue Iesu Christe before oure eies crucified by your predicessours which boasted them selues to be the church â–ª Whome alone we learne to knowe to heare and to folowe nowe in these latter daies because your fathers boeth of Rome and of Englande haue led vs out of the waye vn whoreinge in to Babilon and haue hitherto taught vs to worshipe suche thinges as by their nature are no goddes But nowe seing that we knowe God yea rather seinge that we are knowne of God we wil not returne agayne to your weake Idoles and your beggerie ceremonies to the whiche you woulde haue vs slaues and do seruice a freshe But marke and take it for an answere We haue begone in the spirite and we nether wyll nor can be made perfite by the fleshe We wyll make subiecte our senses and captiue our vnderstandinge to all trueth of goddes holy word but to no lies of your idle braines and couetous conspiracie We are no longer vnder the schole of your popeish tradicions for we are all the children of God because we haue beleaued in Christe Iesu For so many of vs sayeth Paulle as are baptised we are clade with Christe so that there is no Iewe nor Greke no exception of yoman from Ientleman or man from womaÌ„ but wee are all one in Iesu Christe Therfore wil we staÌ„d in the liberti wherin Christ hath deliuered vs and we wyll no more be wrapped with your seruile bondage knowinge that whoso trobleth vs shal receiue his iudgement who so euer he be Therefore all the fruites of the fleshe and al the workes of darckenesse set a parte adulterie Idolatrie and suche like we will walke in the workes of the spirite loue Ioye peace gentlenesse liberalitie goodnesse faith mildenesse and sobrenesse And we wil glorie in nothinge â—aue onely in the crose of oure Lorde Iesu Christ by whome the worlde is crucified vnto vs and we vnto the worlde beinge fully parswaded that Christe is the good shepeherde that putteth his soule for his shepe and that al you bishopes are but hirlinges workyng for wages whiche scatter the fâ—oke barcke not for the shâ—pe But he knoweth his shepe and is knowne of them His voice onely wil they heare hym onely wyll they folow and he onely geueth vnto them euerlasting lyfe they shall neuer perish No man shal be able to take them out of his hande for his father and he be all one Thus are we beinge grounded vppon oure heade and maister Christ by faieth the very true church of Christe againste the whyche the gates of hel can not preuaile ⧠An answere concerneinge the true vnderstandeinge and wisdoÌ„e that God geueth to all men that aske it in sure fayeth wherin is declared the true vnderstandinge of these wordes Hoc est corpus meum Winchesters text THe first chiefe and principall point of
deceite is to make euerie man thinke of hym selfe furder then is in deed in hym by this perswasion that God graunteth true vnderstandeinge and wisedome to hym that woulde haue it hath neede of it and axethe it in hys name Whyche thinge is true but not as the vnlerned take it In make answere by scripture to your first Chap and so to enter into your boke we are taught by oure sauiour Christe the onely Authoure of all trueth that what so euer we aske the father in hys name that same shal be geuen vs. And Iames the holie Apostle and openare of his wyll towardes vs saieth If any of you lacke wysdome let hym aske of hym that geueth euen of God whiche geueth to all men indifferent lye and casteth no man in the teethe and it shal be geuen him But let hym aâ—ke in fayth and wauer not Forhe that doubteth is lyke the waues of the sea tossed with the winde caried wyth violence neyther let that man thincke that he shall receiue any thinge of the Lorde This moste sure fayethe and truste that we haue conceiued of our Lorde and father you go aboute spedilie at the beginninge to extinguish by your blinde sophistrie casteinge this bone in our waye that it is not so as we vnlerned take it Oh Lord shal not we beleue thi worde most open promises tyl some one of Antichristes schole haue set to his gloâ—es If this be not wranglinge sophistrie to go about to darke these so open scriptures what shal we cal sophistrie Must we go seek some subtile doctour to teach vs the sence meaning of these thâ— plaine wordes Yea thaÌ„ som bishope to opeÌ„ the meaneing of this doctour for our senses vnderstaÌ„deyng be captiuated vnto theÌ„ Nay nay oh heaueÌ„li father we are thi childreÌ„ and the shepe of thi folde â–ª heareing thy voice none other fulli coÌ„tented wyth thy teacheing Wherfore we cleane only to this thine opeÌ„ worde and saye with S Iohn that we haue this ful trust in it that what so eâ—er we shall aske accordinge therunto thou hearieste vs. And seinge we know that thou heareste vs we know also that we haue the peticions that we haue asked of the. You saye we wyll aske it out of order as a newe miracle as to haue heruelle in februarie so properly can you iudge our thoughtes We saye we wyll â–ª aske it first and principally by oure faieth of God the father for the loue of his sonne Christe accordeinge to hys commaundement knoweinge that it is the gifte of God onely and that fleshe and bloude can not reueile thys vnto vs. Neuer the lesse we do vse the meane order of the studining of goddes holy scriptures which beinge enspired by the holi goste are able to leade vs into all trueth We exercise our selues in the worde of God I saye wherin thys wisedome and knowelege of God lyeth hid so farre and so muche as we maye and dare by your cruel forbydinge vs the same Wherfore if either part be about to driue Christe to a newe miracle out of order it is you forbydinge vs pore men to loke on the scriptures that the scriptures maie shortly be founde true which do promise that the stones bi miracle â–ª shal beare witnesse against you and God wyll make perfet his praise bi the mouth of yong sucklinges and babes We are as Hieremie was not all together dombe and speachelesse al thought partelie your wichednesse oppressinge vs and oure weakenesse puttinge vs to silence we dare do nothinge vntill the Lorde saye vnto vs as he dyd to Hieremie Thou shalt go to all that I shall send the and what so euer I shal commaunde the that shalt thou speake Be not a fraide of theyre faces for I am wyth the saieth the Lorde When we heare thys spoken in oure hertes by the spirite of God who continueth wyth vs vnto the worldes ende then lo with herte do we beleue to our rightuousenes and with our mouth do we confesse to our saluacion Lo this is the continuall course and miracle without misorder that Christ worketh in the hertes of his faithful though your eies dimmed and daseinge with popeishe madnesse can not espie it Foâ—der you saye that we make thys sophistical reasone Because God can alwaies worcke by miracle therfore he wyll alwaies do it â–ª But you may perceiue by this that I haue spoken that it is none of ours neyther did you euer here it of any of our mouthes but yours it is and the chiefe of your argumentes wherwyth you do all the sorte of you establishe your purpose For thus do you reason Nothing is impossible vnto god God can chaunge him into breade therefore is he chaunged into breade Oh diuellish sophistrie and subtiltie of Sathan By thys possibititie you maye chaunge him into a verie vine tree a stone or a materiall dore For you haue boeth the worde possible for you â–ª and these plaine wordes also I am a verie vyne Ego sâ—m vitis vera Petra fuit Christus Christe was the stone Ego sum oâ—… I am the dore Or to go furder as some of your owne doctours do doore Deus potest suppositari mulierem equum asinum God can chaung him selfe as subiecte into a woman an horse or an asse â–ª whyche wordes of your maddesse whan I dyd wrute myn hande dyd tremble They are so lewede that a reuerent herte can not heare them that God immortal and vnchaungabel whose maiestie filleth the heauenes and the earth shoulde be chaunged into any vile creature worsse then asshes yea leaseth nothinge compared to his highnesse Wyth lyke fondenesse do you dispute for your Sodomiticall chastitie beinge geiuen vp into mindes reprobat because you woulde tourne the glorie of God immortall vnto the corruptible creature You saye it is possible for God to geue all your marke chastitie and to make them Ennuches And straight waye you conclude that you haue the gyfte and do swere that you wyll lyue winelesse Thoughe all the worlde maye se it to be possible in the cause and impossible in the effecte because God doeth it not nor wyll not do it yet in your 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 againste the Godly man bucere you are nothinge ashamed to maynetayne with much bablinge that this saieinge of Christ Capiat qui capere potest spoken of the gifte of chastitie is to be vnderstand Capiat qui capere vult Thus do you alwayes dispute sophistically your selfe A potentia ad acâ—uÌ„ A. posse ad velle et esse like a craftie sophister and cal other meÌ„ by the name that you your selfe are worthy to beare as Mockus dyd when he cried stoppe the theafe Therfore take thys answere as a full solucion to your sophistrie set furth by your owne sophisters A posse ad esse non est bona onsequencia Because it is possible to proue therfore it is so is very slender reasone I preâ—e you
againe Haueinge no nede as other byshopes haue to offer for hys owne sinnes and then for the synnes of the people for he hath done that once whan he offerred him selfe Againe in the. ix Chap By hys owne bloude wente he in once into â—he holie place euerlasteinge redemption opâ—ained The whiche euerlasteinge redemption if we haue optained al redie in that he offerred hym selfe by spirite euerlasteinge as Paule sayeth without spot vnto God and so hath purified oure conscience from deade workes what neade we an other pope Byshope or prieste to offer hym agayne Hath he not sufficiently and aboundantly offered hym selfe for the sinnes of the whole world Howe can the priest then offer hym to take a waâ—e sinnes or profite quicke and deade For those selfe same sinnes wer taken away before by Christ or else shal they neuer be taken waie by the pâ—istes Therfore is this but vaine iug linge for money and for the maintenaunce of your dignities Againe Christe is gone into heauen that he maye appeare nowe in the sight of God for vs not that he may oft offer hym self what authorite than I pray you hath the priest oft to offer hym for than muste he oft haue suffered sith the world was made But now once at the later ende of the worlde for to driue awaye sinne dyd he appeare by the offeringe of hym self And where as all men once must die and after receyue iudgment so also Christe is once offerred vp that he maye take awaye the sinnes of manye Agayne in the. x. wee are made holie by the offeringe of the bodâ— of Christe once done What it is that yoâ— priestes do offer so ofte I shal tel you anoâ—… Euerie priest sayeth Paule standeth daie â–ª ly doinge sacrifice and offerringe the saâ—… oblacions often tymes which neuer can take awaye sinne Which wordes â—houghe thei 〈◊〉 spoken onely of the priestes of the olde lawe yet coÌ„parynge that which foloweth it shalbe proued true in you of the newe lawe For Christe after one offeringe offerred for sinnes â—â—tteth for euer at the right hande of god A gaine By one onely offerringe hath he made peâ—fecte for euer so many as are made holie Iâ— he haue made vs perfect by one only offeringe wherto serue the priestes â–ª that we maye conclude as Paulle doeth Where ther is remission of and forgeuenesse of sinnes be 〈◊〉 in the olde testament or the newe â—hâ—re remaineth no farther oblacion or offerringe for them Contrariwise as Paulle reasone the with them so maie we reasone with you if thys offeringe myght take a waye sinne or make theÌ„ perfecte that vse it woulde they not haue leste of the offerringe of it for them selfe their foundars and all suche as they vsed it for Because nowe they shoulde haue had no conscience of their sinnes which hade thus sacrified and bene once purged Therfore sayeth Paule in the sacrifices of the olde lawe whyche were not done wyth out bloude was onely the commemoracion and remembraunce yerely of sinnes And Christe hym selfe sayeth of thys oure sacrament Do thys in the remembraunce of me Lyke as in the passouer whyche was the figure of oure deliueraunce by Christe the vn spotted lambe yerely remembraunce was commaunded to be done Though by the open word of god who is able to chaunge what lyketh hym whose powre no man euer doubted of that had but the gifte of reasone the ceremonie of oure redemption which they had but in shadowe and we haue in trueth and therfore it ceased whan the bodye that is Christe did come and offer the true passeouer lambe thoughe I saye thys ceremonie of the Iewes be by these open wordes of God thus named Thys is the passouer of the Lorde yet was ther neuer any of the Iewes priestes so mad to saye that God chaunged any substaunce by thys worde is yet were they all baptised by Moyses as Paule witnesseth in the cloude â–ª and in the sea And they all did eate the same spiritual meate and drinke the same spirituall drinck for they dyd drinke of the spirituall drinke whiche folowed them The stone was Christe But we more grosse and carnall by much in all oure doeinges blowe inges and blâ—ssâ—iâ—ges then were â—he pharisies though Christe sâ—ke such worshipers as shall worshâ—e hym in spirite not contented wyâ—h the spirituall fode of the soule wherwiâ—â— onely he feadeth the soule because it is also a spirit and therfore taketh no fode but onely Christe and hys worde spiritually ministred whyche are spirite and life where as â—he fleshe profiteth nothinge â—oeth as we reade in the sixt of Iâ—hâ— and the manifeste example of the olde byshopes haueinge hym carnally present amonge them â–ª and as you will haue it Iudas and all the wicked do carnally and fleshely eate hym and yet do not abyde in hym but haue damnacioâ— contrarie to the sainge of Christ He that eateth my fleshe and dâ—…h my bloude hath euerlastinge life and I shall raise hym vp at the laâ—â—e daye And againe He that eateth mi fleshe and drincketh my â–ª bloude abydeth in me and I in hym And as Iohn sayth in hys firste Epistle God hath geuen vs euerlastinge lyfe and thys lyfe is in hys sonne He that hath the sonne hath life and he that hath not the soÌ„ne of God hath not lyfe All whiche scriptures â—oeth they that teach vs that Christe can no more nether neadeth againe in bodye to be offerred and sacrificed and therfore compell vs to graunt that these wordes thys is bodie which shalbe geuen for you were neuer ment so carnally that euerie prieste â—…blinge these wordes in a strange language with breathing and bloweing shoulde cause Christe to come downe from the right hand of the father to be chaunged into bread that he myght sacrifice hym newe againe to take awaye sinnes In lyke maner do those scriptures that teach all sacrifices to be perpetuall commemoracions and remembraunces of the spirituall eateinge of Christe amonge the fathers of the olde testameÌ„t and that Christ likwise wyll haue thys sacrament ministred in the remembraunce of hym in the newe testameÌ„t wher as the speache maye feme verie idle to saye make me in the remembrauÌ„ce of me althought it so were that it myght be so sayed without intolerable arrogancie as it can not in any wise whether you saie you make him by hys worde or no as shall appeare afterwarde Those scriptures also whyche teach that we haue life euerlasteinge so â—â—â—y of vs as eate hâ—s fleshe and drinke hys bloude yea that we shall neuer be hongrie or â—hirstie agayne so many of vs â–ª as once do taâ—e of thys bread comming from heauen Finally alscriotures that teach how and after what sort Christ is profitable vnto vs for they are the chiefe establyshementes of oure fayeth that were not present with him at suche time as he was budilie vpon the earth That is to saye that the flesh profiteth no thinge The wordes that I
fleshe profiteth nothinge thought it were eaten euerie meÌ„bre after other But the spirite giueth life Who leadeth vs to the fode that bringeth lyfe euerlasteinge And thus by the spirite whiche onely isprofitable we vnder stande these wordes Take and eate thys is my bodie which is giuen for you That like as I geue the bread to be eaten wyth the bodilie tethe so do I geue mi bodie to be eaten bi faith and that of the spirite For nowe shal it be geuen vnto the death that you maye haue lyfe And thus is my fleshe verie meate and my bodie breade and fode whiche maye be taken and receiued onely spiritually and not carnally bodilie or really In lyke maner therfore as you do bodilie take this brad at my hande eate it wyth your mouth and so receiue it into your stomake and bodie for the fode and sustentacion of your naturall lyfe so muste â–ª you by fayth the onely meane wherby ye maye eate or haue me present vpon erth receiue my body beleueing that my bodie is geuen for you that where you were deade frome God by your synnes I haue brought youfurth to leue in good workes vnto my father who compteth you nowe aâ—… children an heâ—ers prepared to euerlasteingâ—… lyfe so many as belieue truste in my deathâ—… Thus doeth Christe geue the breade to bâ—… eaten bodily with the mouth but hys bodiâ—… to be eaten spiritually in the spirite by faith And thys is it that good byshop Augustine sayeth What doest thou prepare thy teeth and thy bealiâ—… Beleue and thou haste eaten It is fleshe as I haue saied before what so euer bringeh not lyfe and therfore it profiteth nothing so ar al things that ar don without faith wherfore if christ might be eaten with the mouth as he might be in dede if he were bodilie in the breade which boeth fayethfull and vnfaythful do eate then myght Christe be eaten wythout fruite whiche is contrarie to the manifeste worde of God which affirmeth that who so euer eateth him hath euerlasteinge lyfe We do conclude therefore that there is but one onely eateinge of the bodie of Christ whyche is perceiued of the faythfull onely none otherwyse then these wordes whyche is geuen for you and whyche is shed for the remission of sinnes are proper and peculiar vnto them onely And to tell you somewhat of your sophistrie WhaÌ„ you reasone in this wyse Thys is the bodie of Christe therfore 〈◊〉 is naturally really and bodily hys bodie It is a fallax or deceiueable argument of sophistrie affirminge that simpliciter quod est modo aliquâ— Thys câ—n euerie sophiste of Cambridge tell you And we knowe that it is small reasone to conclude that Iohn baptist was thâ— same Elias that was dead many hundred yeres before hys tyme because Christe saâ—ed that he was Elias except we shoulde be of the opinion of the fonde Phylosophers who helde that the soules of men departed went into other newe bodies and so coÌ„tinued stil immortal In like maner whaÌ„ Iosephe saieth that the. vii fatte oxen are vii good yeres and the. vii leane one 〈◊〉 vii yuell yeres â–ª we maye not coÌ„clude that oxâ— or â—ieÌ„ aâ— natural yeres More ouer wheÌ„ Christ saieth that the worde of God is a sede it is but a slender argument to saye therfore it is a bodylye sede An hundred suche places maye be brought And yet if thei can bring but one place where God hath sayed This is such a thynge and woulde haue at corporally so to be I wyll gladly geue place vnto them thoughe it be so that the thynge do not appeare to be as God hath sayed it is But I do know â—…m certaine in my beliefe that al the workes of the Lorde be trueth And as he hath sayed that they be so shall they be and are in dede either in spirite or else in the sight of all men bodilie ¶ An answere coÌ„cerneing the knowledge of The seÌ„ses and a declaracion of al the. xii Articles of the fayth whyche euerie true Christian man muste beleue in herte and Confesse wyth moUth THus far haue I brought in mi faith plainely contrarie to no place of scripture except you call Your gloses scripture And where I myght haue your owne doctours to confirme the same yet wyll I not stir contencion so farre Knoweinge that no thynge hath bene so popeishlie thaught neither worshiping of Images and Idoles praieing to saintes and fond pilgrimages nor yet monasteries monkes purgatorie and the poppe hym selfe but it hath bene by theÌ„ and their subtile argumeÌ„tes diuised and by their writeinges set forth and maintained Wyth dainger therfore haue we folowed them ouer long But nowe you maye not thyncke styll to leade vs captiues from Christe whome we loke for spedilye to come into iudgement wyth vs when we shalbe iudged by his word and not by their writeinges We haue folowed you to longe beinge but blynde guides gropeinge after your blynde wayes in the darcke wythout wit reasone or faith but onely because your holie father of Rome and that holie mother churche dyd so belieue and teach and nowe at lengh as our holy mother church of Englande doeth leade and therfore maye you worthyly cal vs as you do beastely blinde and therfore far from the knowledge of our religion But nowe that your father is fallen and weseke for our father in heauen desireinge hys kingedom to come vpon the erthe and praieing for the foode of our soules his heauenly breade whiche you haue so longe banished and neither woulde your selfe enter into his kingedome nor suffer them that woulde to enter accordeinge to the sayeinge of Christe our sauioure we knoweynge that what so euer is not of fayth is sinne and that fayth is of heareynge not of you Byshoppes and your doctours but of the worde of God whyche can deceiue no man nor yet be deceiued desire and require you to beate into oure heades no longer as articles of oure faith your chaunge of suâ—… staâ—… your accidentes qualities and quaÌ„tities in fourme and vnder the fourme of dreade to go awaye from it when the bread musteth and brenneth you knowe not how For thys your answere is an euident argument that you knowe as little howe it came ther. And thinke not much I praie you that we do in thys mattier â—…ye your crafte â—…d falsehode not onely wyth scriptures but also wyth oure reasones and outwarâ—e senses The whyche three that is to saye Fayeth grownded vpon the worde of God reasone that caâ—â—e not be resisted and the senses as sight tasteinge smellinge and felinge which can by no learneinge but by your schole be deceiued Yet you woulde haue vs wholely captiuated vnto you in all these thinges that you might leade vs wher you lyste to make vnseÌ„sible chauÌ„g where you blowe and blesse crosse and kisse No faile in thynges far distant as is the â–ª sinne moue and sterres and diuers other thynges he senses maye
To be shorte let any indifferent persone take in hande to iudge the life trade and learneinge of you byshopes and compare it wyth the doeinge of Christe and he shall fynde so muche diuersitie as betwen Christe and Antichrist To compare them also to Peter an Paule and other of the Apostles woulde sâ—ne declare the one parte to be naught they are so coÌ„trarie but they shalbe founde the folowers of Christe and therfore of the trwe churche and you the â–ª contrefaites yea the verie folowers of the Romeish Antichrist and therfore the sinnagoge of SathaÌ„ As for vs we wyll heare the voice of oure shepeherd onelie We will heare â–ª no straunger and therfore we haue no nede of any testimonie of man For the verie anointe inge teacheth vs to call Father father And the same spirite witnesseth vnto our spirit that wee are the chyldren of God For he that confirmeth vs to gether in Christe is God who hath also sealed vs and geueÌ„ the erneste of hys spirite in oure hertes And as Paule sayeth in the fyrste to the Ephesians to so manie as do beleue in the worde of truethe and the gospell of health you are sealed vp by the holy spirite a fore promised whyche is the ernest of oure heritage Therfore sayeth he agaâ—ne drawe no pâ—cke wyth the vnfayethful For what companye can ther be betwene the ryghteouse and the vnrighâ—â—ouse or whaâ— parâ—etakeing of the lyghte wyth darckenesse What concorde wyth Christe and Belial Or what parte can the fayethfull haue wyth the vnfathfull or howe can â—he churche of God agree wyth Idoles For you are the â—emple of the liueynge God as God sayede I wyll dwel in theÌ„ and walke in them and I wil be their God and they shall be my people c. And thys is the vniuersall churche scatered thorough out the worlde whiche we beleue not the churche of Rome Fraunce and Englande as Peter confessethe sayeinge I perseiâ—e in deed that wyth God there is no regarde of persones but in euerie nacion he thâ—t feareth hym and worketh ryghtuousenesse he is acceptableâ— vnto him This church sufferreth alwaye wyth hir heade Christe wherefore she shall also reigne wyth hym alwayes and be glorified This is eueÌ„ the felowship of sainctes that we do suffer together wyth oure heade and make perfite the afflictions whyche lacked vnto his bodye which is the church haueing one onli father in heauen one onely sauiour on erth one fayeth grounded on hys onely worde one baptisme of the spirite one hope of our calleing one heritage commune from Christe to all the whole feloshipe of sayntes and memberâ— of hys bodie Haueinge the remission and forgeuenesse of oure sinnes as the whole scripture witnesseth be leueinge stydfastely the riseinge agayne of the fleshe as is moste playnely taught and euerlasteâ—nge lyfe as Iohn witnesseth that God hath geuen euerlasteinge lyfe And thys lyfe is in his sonne He that hath the sonne hath lyfe The spirit is it that witnesseth these thinges for the spirite is trueth and he that beleueth in the sonne of God hath this testimonie wit in hym selfe and he that doeth not beleue maketh God a liar These thinges haue I written that al men myght knowe our fayth not to be grounded on man but on goddes holy worde and that we doubt in noparte of the olde fayeth but onely vpon your newe articles and gloses ⧠The resolusion of certen doubtes contained in Winchesters booke THus haue I put you out of doubt â–ª that we doubte in no article of the christiaÌ„ faith But I doubt that you bâ—e not yet out of doubte in those thinges that you doubt of in your detection amongest whych this is the greatest doubt You doubt you saye how the sonne of god whome you cal Iâ—…sus shoulde be contained in the woÌ„be of the virgine Vnto this your boubt I answere that as he was and is God so was â–ª he and is wythout begining and ende And the heauen yea the heauen of al heauens can not containe hym much lesse a littlle boxe to be shut therin but as he was verie man so was it true that the prophete dyd speake That a woman shoulde coÌ„passe a man And thys body that was borne of of the woman can you not proue to be scatterred throught out all corners of the erthe and to be in heauen also For so shoulde you make hym a spirite and no bodye yea all together God no crature for no creature can be in â—…o places theÌ„ one at one coÌ„trari to the chieffest article of our faith which is that he was incarnat became maÌ„ like vnto vs in al thynges synne onelye excepted and that in the same fleshe he dyed once rose againe and ascended into heauen and there sitteth at the right hande of God the father from when 〈◊〉 he shall come euen verie man as he asended hauinge all the propreties of an incorruptible bodye that is to saye beinge visible and local haueing quantitie and qualities as his fayethfull disciples and Apostles sawe and perceined hym to haue after his resurrection whyche proprites declared hym to diâ—â—er froÌ„ a spirite muche more from God as concerneinge the bodye wherin these qualitites be The godheade differeth and is knowne froÌ„ the bodye by that it is immense and can be coÌ„tayned in no place neither is it sensible nor can be perceiued by any of the senses Wher as contrariwyse the bodye is sensible and maye be boeth felt and sene and must nedes be alwayes contained in some one place other else is it no bodie And thought by miracle God haue caried any corporall bodie froÌ„ place to place coÌ„trarie to the cours of nature as he dyd Elias in the firely chariot Or as he caried Abacuke for the confort of daniell and as the spirite of God toke awaye Philip when he had christened the Ennuche of quene Candaces and set him at AzotuÌ„ And as by the spirite Peter was brought out of prisone taken from the foure quaternians of souldiours hys bodye lowsed forth of all the chaines and prisons sodaynelye yea the â—ate of Irone openeinge agaynste hym contrarie to the naturall order yet can no man proue by these or any lyke miracle that one bodye hath ben in ii places at once much les that any of these bodies maie be eueri where as you do maynetayne by miracle of Christ comeinge into the house when the Apostles had shette the dores and wyndowes for the feare of the Iewes that the natural bodye of Christe maye be in ten thousande boxes and aultres when you do not knowe whether the dores dyd open agaynst Christe as the Iron gate dyd agaynst Peter But you bringe in your sophistrie agaynste al reasone wyth out any scripture and therfore wythout any fayeth affirmeinge that ii bodies are in one place together occupi the same place at one time which neither faieth reasone nor any of the seÌ„ses that
ought bi the ordinauÌ„â— of God to iudge of all bodilie thynges could at any time either by miracle or otherwise perceiue We reade in the. v. of the Actes that the secte of the Sadduceis dyd caste the Apostles into prisone that they were brought fourth by an angell Yet when the ministers were sent to bring them to examinacion thei founde the prison diligently shotte and the kepers standeinge at the gates But nowe it were a verie slender reason to proue that the bodies of the Apostles maie be in many plaâ—â—es at once And yet is this euen lyke matter with the entring in of Christ to his Apostles when the dores were shette But boeth these miracles were wrought to coÌ„firme the fayth of the Apostles not that Christ myghte lye hid in a little breade for they neuer taught thys fayeth to the world But this was their doctrin that theyr God coulde deliuer from prisone and rayse from death for as muche as he was the trwe God euen Christe Iesu the soune of the lyueinge God whome they preachede to be as then risen frome deathe But you are not contented wyth thys because it hath some shadow of the of the truth your purpose is to deceiue by snbtyle wordes But nowe you myxt open falsehod and saye that Christe dyd rise out of the graue the same beinge styll shet where al the foure euangelistes do witnesse agaynste you sayeing that the stone was taken awaye or roled from the dore of the graue or monument It is no meruaile therfore thought you would banishe as many as is possible frome readeinge of the scripture for if no man myght reade the scripture but you and your coÌ„pleis then myght you lye at the large wythout â—heke and plaie your legerdemayne without beinge esspied of any man Firste Iohn the chiefe secretarie of God writteth thus The firste daye of the Sabuthe Marie magdalene dyd come perlie when it was yet darely vnto the graue and she dyd se the stone takâ—… awaie from the graue And Mathew telleth â–ª howe the stone was taken awaye â–ª The Angell of the Lorde sayeth he dyd come dowâ—… from heauen and dyd rolle the stone frome the dore and sit vpon it In Marke and Luke good christians yoâ—… maye reade if the byshoppe wyll geue you leaue to loke on Christes holy worde that the stone was rolled a waye and the womeÌ„ went into the graue By thys maye all men se that luste that you ar better sene in the popes lerning theÌ„ inthe gospel of Christ Who so listeth to be deceiued let them truste suche byshopes More ouer leste it shoulde seme strange to you that the graues should open we read in Mathewe that the graues were opened and many bodies of the sayntes which were deade dyd rise and after the resurrection of Christ dyd come into Ierusalem and appeared to manye What if one of your doctours laye that Christes graue dyd not open whaÌ„ he rose must you gather therof a newe article of oure fayth to be defended wythe fyrâ— and conclud that eithere ther were ii bodies together in one place and occupied the same place at one tyme whiche is but a sophistrie mattier whyche if you coulde proue we care not greatly or else whych is lyke madnesse that one bodye naturall maye be in ii thousande places at once In the. viii leafe of your boke where you laboure a bout certayne reasons that haue bene made coucernemge your God these be your wordes If it were true that is taught in the sacrament of the aultare by the papistes whyche terme serueth â—or a tokeÌ„ to them to proue the mattier nought such and such inconnenieÌ„ces shoulde not folowe to oure senses By these wordes you do minister occasion to speake of ii thinges One is whâ— you donot cal this the sacrament of Christ and the remaÌ„braunce of hys deathe and passion accordeinge to the scriptures whych saie Do this in the remembraunce of me And agaiue So ofte as ye shall drinke of thys cuppe and eate of thys breade you shall shewe the Lordes death tyl he come or else the supper of the Lorde as Paule calleth it in the same Chap or else as Luke calleth it the breakeinge of the breade But goddes holye worde you care not for your owne gloses delight you so much The cause is that you are papistes do as your father hath done before you Whoe as he is the verie antichrist and the wicked man sowing the iuil wede which you would faine deni and you durst be so bolde so likewise must you lyfte your selfe a boue that whyche is God or godlye thinke that you can name al thynges better and teache enerie thynge more wisely then the spirile of God coulde do it in his holie scriptures For this do you call it the sacramente of the Aultare and do hange it vp in a bande ful vnreuerendelie if it be a god sheweing the shame of your god as Baruch sayeth that can not stand alone Thys muste we worship wyth al godly honour saye you and so furth in all other cere monies bloweing blessing crosseing kissing and other mad gestures All thys muste we do euen as your father the pope taught Are ye not worthy to be called papistes when you rage and reuell burne and broyle boeth the worde of God and the mayntainers ther of because you can not haue the poppe and his name styl and for that you perceiue that the people begynne to loeth the baggage brought in by his subtill legerdimayne Do ye not declare your selues hearein to be righ papistes All that is crept into the mas more then the Epistle and Gospell and these wordes Hoc est corpus meum wyth a fewe wodes fuloweinge for the whiche you prouidâ— verie well that we shall neither heare them nor vnderstande theÌ„ what other thynge are they then the documentes of your father the pope Not of Peter but of hys superstitious successours and vieares as you call them Eche of theÌ„ cobbled on hys cloute As Celestinus for his parte or deined the praiers that the priest sayeth when he rauisheth himselfe to masse as you place your termes Damasus ordeined Confiteor Gregorie caused Kirie lesone to be sayed ix tymes together Gregorie and Gelasius gathered the collectes wherof many are plaine heresie if they were waighed to their worthinesse Thei ordeined also the grayle The tracte was diuised by Telesphorus And the sequences were firste inuented bi one Notherus an Aabbt Anasta sius commaunded that men shoulde stande vp at the Gospel Eutichianus did ordaine the offertorie to be songe whylse the people offered for the conforte of the poore Gelatius made the preface and sextus put to the sanctus Pope Leo the threde ordeyneh the in sense The secretes of the masse called the cannon whiche is made geare was patched vp by diuerse Gelasius made Teigitur Siritius added communicantes and pope Alexander made qui pridie Leo made
god and his sonne Christ but euerlasting damnation For this is lyfe Euerlastinge to knowe the true God and whoÌ„ he hath sent Ihesu Christ TheÌ„ must it nedes be euerlasting death thus blasphemously to Iudge of them bothe He that beleuethe in me hathe Euerlastinge lyfe saithe Christ we do thus beleue on the sone of god therfore haue we this witnesse within our selues And seing we haue life euerlastynge and are made the chyldren of God by the testimony of the spirite we do seke no farther merite But this worde merite is one of our iugling termes wherewyth you blynde the people You promise merite for your matteÌ„s merite for your masse merite for your eatynge of fishe merite for al maner holines that you haunte Worshippinge of Images Creping to the crosse Setting vp of Candles and all our workes must be done for our merites so that the merites of Christe who onely hath deserued euerlasting life for vs is cleane for gotten and fordone Agayne you saye A good true christian beleuinge man knoweth this by faithe that god is inuiolable impassible incorruptible immortall and that our sauiour the seconde persone in trinitie verie god haueing the humayne nature now vnite to the godhed whiche beinge glorified can not any more suffer violence or corruptioÌ„ nor be violated or brought to mortalitie All thys is playne agaynst your owne doctrine for seinge that the bodie of bread is cleane gone and yet there remaineth a body that the mouse or ape catcheth in his mouthe or eâ—s they coulde not carie it awey What shal we conclude by your doctrine but that the mouse or ape runneth awaye wyth that bodie whiche by your enchauntment is conceiued into the place of the bread which blasphemously do name the body of Christ coÌ„secrated into the fourme of breade But you do answere that lyke as Christ wheÌ„ he was here in the fleshe dyd fyrst escape the handes of Herode when he slewe the chyldren and afterwarde the furious Iewes when they woulde haue precipitate hym transiens per medium illorum ibat Christe escapped thorowe the middest of them So doth he nowe saye you Your similitude is euyll applied For besydes that there is no comparison of Christe comynge in the fleshe for the wealth of the world vnto the bread thus altered for your pompe and pryde we knowe and Ioseph and Mary do wytnesse vnto vs that they knewe and perceyued by the benifite of theyr senses that thys same oure Sauioure Christe was in shape a very man And we knowe also by the testimonies of the scriptures that he continued here very man in fourme and shape beinge subiected vnto all our infirmities synne alwaye excepted for the space of xxx yeres and more and that then he suffered death and rose agayne his fleshe neyther being consumed nor putrified but styll remayneth fleshe incorruptible and immortal Where as in the fourme of bread wherein you say we see hym and eate him we perceyue neither incorruption nor immortalitie For it neuer continueth paste the date of one moneth if you incurre not the daunger of your fathers decrees and commonly not one quarter of an houre muche after the rate of the dayly newe created monstros of whoÌ„ Aristotle maketh meÌ„tion Who doubtles if he had harde of these monstrous gods made and marred all in an houre woulde haue wrytten wonders vnto his posteritie If the cakes were preserued from corruption and dyd continewe styl immortal as Christ his fleshe did then woulde your similitude in these two miracles serue you somewhat better But seing that your cakes do mould and corrupte and his fleshe escaped Herode and the handes of his enemies and coulde neuer see any corruption thys your similitude proueth that those cakes of yours can by no meanes be his naturall body These two miracles therfore as all his other were done to declare hym to be subiecte to no power of man but to worke all his workes so that no man can lette and hyndre ought that he hath determined to be done but you must wrest all that you can to cloke your Sophistrie wythall Nowe your affirmation of xv hundred yeres wythout any proufe but only because you say so hath ben answered by many learned men As â—adinius EcolaÌ„padius Zwin glius and other prouing by your doctours that the true fayth and spirituall vnderstandyng of thys mattier continued longe in the best sorte of them Howe be it surely I wyll graunt this much vnto you that this blinde grosse and carnall opinion of the carnall eatyng of Christe hath ben crept vp euer sence the deuyl was lowsed This thousaÌ„de yeres that thys enemy hath troubled the worlde wyth popishe pompe and pryde keepynge and lockyng vp the worde of God from vs God hath not destituted and forsaken but hath alwayes from tyme to time steared vp witnesses of his truth whom partly the popishe haue slayne but some God hath reserued and alwayes the good simple people haue had theyr eyes vnto the lyuynge God in heauen what so euer the priest dyd babble of thys his owne haÌ„dy worke Neither could those termes of your straite lawes really substaÌ„tially the chaunge of the bread so that â—here remayne onely accidentes wythout subiecte and consecration into the quantitie and qualitie of breade euer be vnderstande of the pore simple people For those termes do sprynge and haue their beginnyng of the schole learnyng and Sophistrie as all men of knowledge can testify with me and were neuer gyuen in coÌ„maundemeÌ„t to thys bloudy generation to be deliuered vnder payne of death It were but foly to striue with you concerning your doctours Howe they haue in ordre and course by litle and litle fallen from the trueth in thys and other thynges For it is no merueile though you caÌ„ expound your doctours to maynteyne your opinion seinge you dare be so bolde to cause Christes wordes to serue for your carnall purpose I entende not therfore to brynge in any proufe of doctours but only of the worde of God leauyng you to your doctours to trye them at leasure But thys one thynge I shal desire you To bringe some apparant proufe of your termes and I promise you it shall be answered Good men be neuer offended wyth the breakynge of the hoste beinge persuaded Christes body to be present in the sacrament really and materially whereunto wyth worshippinge they dyd lift vp their handes and nothinge doubted but God was impassible â—e vsed not to mistâ—uste God his immortalitie when they haue sene a sicke man receyue the sacrament a quarter of an houre before his naturall death as though in that maÌ„ the hoste consecrated wherin the body of Christ is preseÌ„t should wyth Gods iniury moulde or corrupte wast or consume Here is muche mattier offered but that I perceyue my selfe to tary somwhat to longe vpon your occasions Who shall trye theâ—e good men therfore but eueÌ„ the boke of wisedome where it is sayed Blessed be
begin ninge who commynge downe from oure heauenlye father dyd declare hym selfe to be the hed corner stone of the true church thoughe the byshoppes refused hym in their buildeinge And when he ascended vp agayn leading capteyue wyth hym captiuitie hyrselfe he gaue gyftes vnto menne makynge one sorte Apostles an other sorte Prophetes some other Euangelistes some Shepeherdes and â—eachers These onely be appointed to be the ministers of his church in the new testament that they shoulde all together in spirite and trueth boeth worship him and cause other to do the same for the spirite is the worcker of al diuiding to eueri one as pleaseth him The bodye of thys churche then is not one membre as of long tyme you haue named your selues onely to be the church but it is many membres as the Apostle witnesseth amonge the whyche membres I feare me you shall not bee worthy to be numbred onles you do amende your life so contrarie to Christ the heade of this churche For thys churche hath he begotten vnto hym selfe by his worde as the parent and onely mother therof that it should be without spot or wrinkle gloriouse holy and without blame and especially saithe Paul the bisshope muste be such a one that no man sholde find any faute with him Thus writethe he to his dearely beloued Timothe and Titus makinge it moste euident and playne vnto vs that you bishopes prestes teachinge for your gaine sake or els teachinge nothinge at all are not the true byshopes and members of the true churche but the hierlinges and hypocrites that haue no parte in the Kyngdom of God and his Christe who dyd come â–ª pore not hauinge wher to laie his heade and dyd chuse pore sheperdes to be his first witnesses and after them fishers toulers and tentmakers And the words that he spake to his disciples are far ouer harde for you byshopes to bear Who so doeth not saieth he for sake father mother goodes lyfe and al together for my sake and the Gospell can not be my disciple Moreouer wher as the bishops of the Iewes and chife priestes doe crie TeÌ„plum domini Templum domini As thoughe they them selues and none other were the true church Christe answereth that the sonne of man shalbe betraied to the chief priestes and they shall condemne hym vnto the death so that they were none of the trwe churche thoughe they were of the seéde of Leui to whome the gouernance â–ª of the churche was promised and performed In like maner you so longe as you persecute Christe hys members and burne his worde crie you holie church neuer so much you shalbe no more of the true churche then â–ª they were For ther is all one worcke and purpose in you boeth that is to saye to miantayne your pompe and estimacion your powre and your holynesse before the people But now is the time come that the thing which â–ª was most holy in the sight of the world as you your iewels haue bene shalbe abominable â–ª vnto God Yet one other thing nothinge pleasaunte to your lordlike stomakes He that wilbe the cheife in this church must be the seruante of al Like as the sonne of manne did come not that he shulde haue seruice done vnto hym but that he him selfe shuld serue and giue his soule for many As many therfore as we finde agreable withe this heade Christ as were the. xij Apostles and all the true disciples who continued together in the breaking of breade and praier acceptinge none of the possessions of this worlde as their owne but makinge all that was theirs commune to the necessitie of their brothers we esteme to be the true and faiethful membres of this church Paule also geueinge him selfe for the Gospell to be imprisoned stoned and slayne was of thys churche Stephane also stoned for the defence of GOD his glorie and Antipas the true and fayethfull witnesse of Christ slaine at Pergamis Ignatius the scholar of Iohn who suffred for the Gospel Ignatius I saié Who so ernestly desired the breade of God the heaueÌ„ly bread of life whiche is the flesh of Iesu Christ the sonne of the liuing God who was borne in the last ende of the world of the seede of Dauid and Abraham and desyred to drincke the bloude of hym that is wythout corruption and the life euerlasting All these I saye we knowe to be the lyuelye membres of Christes true churche but not these onelye whiche sufferred vnder the Romishe tirantes but theim also the whiche in al countreis and at al tymes haue witnessed and suffered for the trueth â–ª of God his word for all are created for hys glorye and God hath not at any tyme or in any place ben altogether without hys witnesses if the world woulde receiue theim He sente into oure naâ—ion Iosephe of Aramathia He stirred vp Gildas he enstructed the plowemen oâ— kent and other contries of whome we haue the monumentes After warde dyd he sende Robert Grosheade who boeth by worde and by writinge dyd rebuke the worlde of blynde iudgement Then came the greate clarke that wrate so mani godli bokes Iohn Wicklife of whose workes though Subincolepus the bishop of Prage did bren to the uombre of two hundred yet are ther manie of them reserued vn to thys daye by the prouision of God to the coÌ„fusion of the kingdome of Antichrist cleare testimonie that the worlde before vs hath not ben vtterly destituted of true know ledge thoughe frome tyme â–ª to tyme whan the lyghtte hath come into the worlde the kingdome of darckenes the children of pridâ— haue loued darkenesse better then light and therfore haue laboured to extinguishe it and haue prohibited these bright sterres to geuâ— lighte saue onelye to a fewe whome he had chosen and longe a fore appoynted euen to the weake abiectes and caste awaies in the sight of the world of the whyche sorte parte were slaine and part liued vnknowne to the worlde for this litle flocke euen from the beginninge hath not bene of the wife and stout worldely men and therefore sayeth Christ I thanke the father that thou haste hid these thynges frome the wyse and prudent and haste shewed the same to littleones smallye regarded And Esaie saieth I wyll destroie the wisedome of the wise and the vnderstaÌ„ding of the prudent wyl I caste awaye And agayne Where is the wise Where is the scribe and interpreter of the law wher is the disputer of this worlde Hath not the Lorde made folyshe the wisdome of this worlde For after that the worlde by hir wysedome could not know God in his wisdom it pleased god by the folishenesse of preachinge to make salfe them that beleue This preachinge of the liuing god whiche sent his sonne an euerlasting sacrifice for the lyfe of the worlde caused the sacrifices to waxe colde and that was it that caused the priestes of the Iewes to persecute the christians so sore that
not onlie the Apostles were scaterid among the heathen but also Ioseph of Arimathia a capitain that buried Christ did fle as our olde cronicles do report bi the prouideÌ„c of god brought the faith into this realme of Englande then called Bretan This persecutioÌ„ of the true churche whiche was the flocke dispiced was stil encreased by the bisshopes of the Iewes criynge that the disciples of Christe were disceyuers teaching a newe faieth errours and herisies goynge aboute to withdrawe from the lawe of Moyses as aperithe throughout the boke of the Actes of the Apostles And this endured xlii yeres vntil the Iewes were coÌ„pellid to forsake their owne contrey being vanquishide and ouercome and by the greate and iust punishemeÌ„t of god distroyed by Titus and vespasianus The disciples also being scatered thorow the heathen but fewe in numbre and as yt were a sede for haruest apointyd did so preache the onely and euerlastynge god and his sone Christe sent in the fleshe to gyne light vnto the world that Idoles began to decay so that the priestes of the Idoles aÌ„d the work men and makers of al suche Idoles yea and their owne brethern the Iewes did in al places moue and sterre persecution Thus was this pore churche beynge but here and there an hanfull to gether caried before kynges Emperowres scourged imprisoned stoned beheaded but in all this did they ouer come through their head Christ who gaue theÌ„ suche spirite and wysedom that no man coulde resist So that the more christiaÌ„ men wer put to deathe by fore and cruell tormentes the more boldli and maÌ„fulli did newe souldiours arise in their stedes Nowe when the helly powre can not preuayle by this way of open tyranny agaynst Christes true churche then dothe the deuille send forthe the disciples and shcolars of the preistes of these Idols whiche were the subtyle philosophers and especially the Grekes of Athens who bringgynge forth reasones of Aristotle and suche other did subtilly dispute agaynste the resurrection In so muche that in his time Paule sayd we do preache Christ crucified to the Iewes an occasion of falling and to the grekes folishnes The Romaines also were at that tyme bothe enstructed withe the Grekes sciences and puffed vp so proudely wyth their great conquestesâ— that they accompted all other menne barbarouse and foleyshe in regarde of them selues So that thei smalli regarded this weake and wearish company of Christ and his scholares that the saying of Christe myght be true the worlde loueth his own and though the sound of their voice wente thorowe the world and they did continually growe and encrease yet did the world persecute them for the space of iii. hundred yeares And at that time wer they most cruelly handled bi Maxentius the tirant Then god stirred vp Constantine who shewed greate fauoure to christian men suffered them frely to preache gaue them leue to builde churches and at the later ende of his life was christened in Nicomedia Now persecution of the church began to cease and than streight began the name of christen men and Christes churche to be coÌ„mune to many but so many heresies sectes and dissentions did arise vp by subtelite of the deuill and by this crafte stopped the truthe in suche sorte that the true church was but in fewe Euen then the chief of your doctours menne suerly whom I neuer do dispise but when you do bringe them as witnesses agaynst the truthe the best lerned I sai of al your doetours partli blinded by the greke philosophy wherin they were noselled euen from their infancie and partly driuen therunto by the subtill arguments of the crafti heretickes Arius Macedonius Nestorius Eurites and suche other were coÌ„pelled to write many suche thinges as they did afterwarde retracte and recante as their own workes do sufficiently witnes testifyinge of them selues that they were faâ—e to take suche weapons in hande some time as had but smal grounde in holie scripture But to go forthe withe our purpose thus was the church of Christ in the time of Constantinus euen in the dispite of the wicked groune vp into estimation and made so generall of so small beginning that al the children of god might openly beholde that the folyshenes of god is wiser then men and the weakenes of god is stronger then men But such is the estate condicion of men agayne by the prouidence of God that nothinge sholde longe continewe in prosperite And if at any tyme it chaunce so to doe we waxe ouer proude and so forget who is the geuer therof Yet did the churche florish so long as the bishopes did preache the gospell of Christe in pouertie so longe as the bishope of Rome was not lord ouer the empier but a feder of Christes flocke so long as al other bishopes were no lordes but pastours and herde men watching carefully vp on their folde not de sirynge dominion rule and worldlye gouernaunce neyther sekyng theyr owne honoure and gayne But teachinge their britherne the kingdome of God Suche good bisshoppes were Athanasius and Epiphanius Such good bisshopes were the membres of the true church for yet wer they not so proud to name them selues God makers but ministers of God seruantes apointed to bestow his treasures And as they wer begotten children of the churche of Christ by the worde of truthe so did thei liue and growe vp by the same word and by no mans doctrine Thus continued they in christian pouertie to the yere of our Lorde ccccc xix When Iustinius the Emperour of Constantinople did call them forth agayne beinge longe disquietid and sore oppressed by the continuall warres of all realmes and prouinces and boeth he and Iustinianus hys sisters sonne dyd shewe vnto theÌ„ greate beâ—euolence and fauour He gaue them greate giftes and appointed them salares and wages TheÌ„ was Agapitus byshop of Rome sent to the emperour by Theodocius to bring al thinges vn to a christian vnitie This Agapitus was so holy a man that as he entred the gates of CoÌ„staÌ„tinople a certayn blind man receiued hys sight Then folowed Gregorius magnus after whome we reade of no true preachinge of the worde of god by any bishoppes And therfore dyd the bishopes and their scholars from that daye forward growe into a Sâ—nagoge of sathaÌ„ firste gounded in pride and ambicion as appeareth by their owne histories Bonifacius the thirde optaiueinge of Phocas to be byshoppe of all bishopes and to be the spirituall heade of the churche puttinge Christ from his office whom onely al christiaÌ„ meÌ„ must acknolege the spiritual head of his church though all Kinges and gouernours be by god appointed the ciuile heades of the bodye politicke This dyd he growe vp by little and little he I saye and hys successours euen to the highest estate of Antichrist banisheinge Christe hys worde and his fourme of liueinge seting him selfe in the hertes and consciences of men the uerie true churche of God nameing hym selfe an
sophistrie is betwene the words and the meaneinge wherein the deuell shifteth the mattier thus Where the wordes of scripture be plaine euident manifest and coÌ„firme the catholike truth ther the deuill diuiseth an other meaneing aduâ—…eth his scholers that the words be nothing without the meaning and therfore sayeth he we must vnderstand Christes wordes as he â—…eut theÌ„ therfore saith the deuil be ware of the words take hede to the meaning Christ saith the deuil saith this is my bodie But take hede sayth the deuill what Christ meÌ„t Thus far you bring in the wordes of the diuell you saie Nowe if you wyll geue me leaue to bring in your wordes folowing a litel after thei wil declare the meaning of these faithfull interpretours of Christes wordes whom you do slaunder by the name of sathaÌ„ the deuil for non other cause as I suppose but for that you lacke mattier scriptures and substaÌ„cical argumeÌ„tes Your wordes be these Who so hath the wordes of scripture per uersely taken is therwith infected and poisoned to his coÌ„fusion as the Arians and Sabel liaÌ„s and an infinite numbre of heretikes haue ben So that it must nedes be graÌ„ted that in the meaning of scriptur is the marow and kenel the swetenes the fode the hony of scripture without which the words be bitter shale and an hard bone without fode or sustinance This must nedes be coÌ„fessed of al men as an euident truth ¶ Hitherto you agre ful wel but nowe lo you braste fourth into your father lyke eloquence and say The deuil abuseth this by caâ—ellacioÌ„ and sophistrie to ouertourne the trueth in the most bessed sacrament of the aultare It is a more redy maner of sophistical solusioÌ„ thaÌ„ substaÌ„â—ical forme of artificicial coÌ„futacion to crie cauillation cauillacioÌ„ sophistrie sophistrie the deuil saeth it when you your selfe doo speake the same thynge Forther more you adde herunto these wordes It is in dede a tâ—ue lessoÌ„ that the verie word of God is the true meaning of scripture If you would speak plainli saie the coÌ„paring of scriptures whiche are the verie word of god vttereth the wil meaning pleasure of God vnto vs you shoulde make much for our purpose If you saye otherwyse that the worde is the meaning you make the letter to be the spirit the bitter shale to be the kernel it selfe for such is your owne similitude Yea If the verie word be the meaning so that we mai waigh no farther which thinge if you beâ—…ed in herte you would not sticke so much to your own interpretacioÌ„s I could driue you to much incoÌ„uenience But how whau the scriptures ar to be examined and the tru meaning as the kernel to be tried the old rule of al ages mai lead and teach sufficieÌ„tly That is that no one place of scripture be set or aledged coÌ„trarie to other But if suche one place bee alledged it ought to be declared and made playne by the coÌ„pareing of mo places more plaine by the sence and vnderstandinge agreable vnto the faythe gethered of other Reade the rule of Augustyne for that same purpose how scripture which coÌ„maundeth any absurditie is to be vnderstaÌ„ded TheÌ„ saye you But for the openynge of thys sophistrie it is to be coÌ„sidered that somtime in scripture the wordes be so placed and ordeyned as the meanynge is vttered and opened wyth the wordes at once and hath such lyght of the wordes as they appeare both to gether and wythout farther serche be strayte coâ—ueyed to our vnderstaÌ„dynge If these wordes This is my bodie this cuppe is the newe testament were so playne for your purpose that they neded no farther serche or interpretacion what neded it you to seeke these gloses The bodie is in the qualities accidentes quaÌ„tities dimeÌ„sions ann other pretie wordes whiche I am sure can not be founde among the wordes of god noz his sonne Christ really carnally naturally and other termes of traÌ„substaÌ„ciasioÌ„ bisides other wrasted gloses That the cup is not the newe testameÌ„t but the whole bodâ— flesh and bones as wel as it is in the bread and such like But by your straite slightes and subtile interpretasioÌ„s it may be perceyâ—ed that these wordâ— are such as folowe Somtime againe the wordes be suche and so placed that they bring not theyr meanyng straight wyth theÌ„ in the same lyght but more darkely and as it were hyd vnder the words Your scripture Humiliauit hespethe to fyll your boke more ouer you saye When we reade of Christ that he sayed hym selfe I am a waye I am a dore I am a vpne here should the meanynge be callid for and here should good men say these wordes must be taken as Christ ment them For the meaning is hyden and apeareth not straight wyth the wordes which be suche as in their coÌ„mune knowne sens be not spokeÌ„ of Christ but by a similitude and in an other meaning as the circuÌ„stances of the place do declare bâ— which circumstaunces the wordes varie froÌ„ theyr coÌ„mune significacion So likewise must we like good men call for the meanynge of these wordes Thys is my bodie This cuppe is the newe testament seynge we know perfectly that in the â—oÌ„mune seus and significatioÌ„ nether the bred is Christes bodie nor the cup the newe testament And seynge that we haue so iust occasion offered of the circumstances First let vs loke what Christ did intende at his last supper when he spake theâ—e wordes Truly his intent was to admonishe his disciples that all the olde sacrifices of the olde testamente which wer but shadowes shoulde in thys onely offeringe of hys bodie vpon the crosse haue an ende as he him selfe sayeth vnto theÌ„ before he goeth from supper The thynges that wer of me haue an end according to the psalme Sacrifice and oblatioÌ„ thou wouldest not but a bodie thou hast ordeyned me And also to arme them wyth coÌ„fortable wordes a gainst the daingers that were at hand boeth of hys betraynge by hym that did eat of the same dyshe wyth hym selfe and of hys death and departynge forth of the world as appeareth in all the Euaugelistes but especialli in Iohn the. xiii xiiii xv xvi xvii Chapi I besech al christen herts to marke the circumstaÌ„ces and iudge whither they do leade Christ saieth in the. xxi of Luke Wyth gret desyre haue I desiered to eate this passeouer wyth you before I suffer Christ ioyneth together this olde sacrifice of the passeouer and the geuyng of hys bodie in this only ceremonie Wherfor we may not part them in searchinge the meanynge of hys worke and wordes seinge that he hym selfe coupled theÌ„ to gether bothe in dede and speache We must therfore coÌ„sider and marke how and after what maner Christe and his disciples are named to eate the passeouer when they eate the lambe onely which was onely the signe or remeÌ„braunce of the
myght repent me of my works I had eueÌ„ theÌ„ iust occasioÌ„ to haue sorowed for the benifites that I had shewed vnto your wicked kinde the wickednesse wherof was so greate that I could not other wise expresse it to the worthynesse then to saye that it repented me to haue made man Idolatrie was then spred thorowe the whole earth and fewe or none woulde call vpon my name For â—embroth the stoute hunter raysed Idoles in Babilon and the Chaâ—aneâ—s worshiped the fier After that Belus with his coÌ„plices builded a towre to withstaÌ„d my vengeaunce Sodome and Gomore prouoked myne heauie displeasure wyth theyr manifolde enormities To be shorte all the whole world refused â–ª me the leueinge God the wel of liuing waters and digged them cisternes which can holde no water Euerie citie inueÌ„â—ed a straung god Saturnus Iupiter Iuno Mars Mercurie and such othere moÌ„strous Idoles are newelye inuented whylse I destroie the olde But Israell whom I had chosen to be my people to be my holy people coÌ„mauÌ„ding him to haue no maner of Image doeth after so many my greate mercies shewed vnto Aabraham Isaake Iacob and the fathers after suche wonderfull deliueraunce from Pharao set vp a goldeÌ„ calfe the Idole of theire idle braine They renâ—e to Baall Pheger They fill the holy lande whyche I gaue them in heritage full of most filthy Idoles Worthily therfore are thei destroied wyth pistelence famine and swerde But you that heare the name of my soÌ„ne Christe and are named Christians whom I haue by the death of the same myne onely begotteÌ„ sonne made â—…e owne you are much more blame worthy and pour miserable waâ— wardnesse is no longer to be sufferred For you haue these xv hundred yeres prouoked my wrath vpon you renneing head long into al kindes of wickednesse But to pas with silence al other thinges wherin you haue offended my maiestie ther is nothing so vile amongest al my creatures but that you haue assaed to set vp the same as your God dispiceing therin both my powre and the rule that I gaue you ouer al other creatures forgettinge clearelie that I haue exalted myne elect aboue the Angelles and haue fent mine heauenly spirites io do seruice vnto them Al this notwithstanding haue not you worshipped stockes and stones dome and deade blockes and geuen my glorie whiche I do not wyllingely imparte vnto anie other abâ—un dantly to such monsters and I do les polluteinge your bodies with boweinge and beckeing crowcheing 〈◊〉 kneleing kisseing and more filthily defiled your mindes and soules with worshipeinge as goddes such insensible creatures so that you leaue no place of dewe reuerence vnto me your creatur nor to my son Christe whoe suffered moste bitter death to bring you out of bondage You do ofteÌ„ crie Lorde Lorde If I be your lord â–ª where is my feare where is the worship mete for a Lord wherfore do you forsake me your lord You do often times call me father but I meruaile whither the childeli reuerence is banished or into what contrey al brotherly loue is flede Yea muche more do I meruaile where you haue hyd the memorie of my soÌ„ne Christe of whom al fatherhod brotherhode and kinred froÌ„ me to you warde taketh his beginning For he is the firste begotten of euerie creature of whoÌ„ al kinred in heauen and in earth hath his original Who suffering most cruel death for your sinnes and most bitter tormeÌ„tes in his bodie asketh nothinge againe but that you wyll celebrate some thankefull memorie of hys name and not suffer his bountuouse benifite to be forgotten by vnworthy scilence For when he departed from the earth to come agayne to hys heauenlye mansion what dyd he commaund to any of you but onely this that as he had after hys last supper ministred the bread and wyne in misterie so shoulde you so ofte as you eate and drinke in the remembraunce of him Certifiinge you that so ofte as you shoulde eate thys breade and drink of his cup you should shewe his death tyl he come agane vnto you The charge that he geueth you is to do it in the remeÌ„braunce of him promiseing you that he wyll not forget you wher he siteth at the ryght hand of me hys father where he is a continuall mediatour and meane for you neuer ceasynge to opteyn for you what so euer you aske of me in his name But loe your ingratitud you acquite vs our mede Me you do cast cleane frome you and to a stone do you say Thou art my father and to a bloke thou hast begotten me Agayne to my sonne you are so vnkynde and vngentle that you haue pute awaye the memorie of hys death wherby you lyue not onlie forgetfull of the laboures whiche he susfered for your â—akes but also if any of my seruantes wolde renew his memory among you he shal with muche crueltie be put to silence And you boast of a certayn vayne and conterfayte gesture and mumblynge called the masse which you say is more holie and more wisely set forth then Christ my sonne could do it when he was in the worlde Thus do you forsake his coÌ„mauÌ„dement of preachynge his death to your brethern and posteritie for the maintenaunce of popyshe ceremonies the ware of Antechriste wher in you bable blasphemouse collectes with blynde mumblinges Yet pache you your matters wyth my scriptures that you may deceyue so much the more craftelie day lyinge so wyth the pore people in a tounge that they do not vnderstande nor know noâ— â—ne worde what you saye least they shoulde chaunce to dreame any thynge at al of the death of my sonne and haue him in any remembraunce at all Yea and to kepe the matter more secrete you are ryght well ware that when any mencion is made of hys bodie geuen for the worlde you speake not onelie in a strange tonge but also vnder suche scilence that a man had nead to crepe verie nere you and harâ—en verie diligently if he should vnderstaÌ„d any thinge though he were learned in y e tong that you whisper in Yea you blow forth your words so closeli into your chalice as though you intended nought els but to deceiueth people And they silâ—y soules being alâ—o gether astooied through theyr own ignoraunce and your strange gestures cease not to renne about you lyke men amased They fall down and worshyp they wonder at this newe and strangeâ— God in so little a piece of bread They striue who shaldo most honore and reuerence to this weake Idole Yea they falone in aâ—others necke at the soÌ„ne of the little bell They kysse theyr fingers they parte pardoÌ„ to their â—ies and other partes of theyr bodies They strok their heades What god Yea what mortal man coulde abid to be worshiped with such mad gestures But I the lord of hostâ—s for as muche as I am a spirite and the creatour of aâ— pure spirites wyth bodily gestur am I nothing delited but in spirit
can chaunge the thynge that they doe but once breath vpon Proue it once to be chaunged and I wyll neuer call it breade agayne But because you can proue no chaunge your similitude of the rodde of Moyses which was turned into a serpent strenght waye retorned to a rod agayne is not lyke For the same rodde was afterwarde declared euer in the sight of Pharao and al the Egiptians to be the aduengeing rod of God wherby al the waters of Egipt were turned into bloude and all the wonderfull plages wroughte whiche are terrible vnto vs vnto thys day Worthely therfore was this called a rodde for it was the chastesyng rodde of God and alwayes returned into a rodde agayne so often as Moyses or Aaron dyd take it in their handes Nowe for that you bryng Iacob for your purpose ther was no chaunge of substaunce in hym for he was styl Iacobbe his house was styll called the house of Iacob through out all the prophetes as wel as Israel Micheas sayth I am full of strength to shewe the house of Iacob their wyckednes and the house of Israel their sinne Agayne ye rulers of the house of Iacob and ye iudges of the house of Israell You are far deceiued in the Etimologie and true significacion of this worde Israell For the name was geuen him not of seinge the Lorde neither wyll the Hebrue word Israell serue therunto but as is plainely declared in the text of Genesis it was because he had striued princely wyth God and with men and had preuailed therfore was it sayed vnto hym Thy name shalbe Israell that is to saye one that hath myghtilye preuayled against God and meÌ„ for this is the true Etimologie of the worde Israel All your other exemples make for vs but that we wil not be tediouse in appling them to oure purpose because the tyme is to little for your other mattier ⧠The church and elders NOw doth the foxe renne to his old vsed pathes Stoppe thin eares and be deafe Thou muste belieue the churche and learne to spell 〈◊〉 with a lyttle as we men of the churche teache the The foxe hath small shifâ—e when for feare of espiynge in playne pathes he rennethe to this hedgerowe of eÌ„ est eÌ„ en but we haue answered to this churche before and taught you it hath deceiued vs with false spelles darke gloses And we maye well be contented with this answer that SaÌ„ct Paul calleth it breade and it is called bread also in other places of the scripture how so euer the bishopes men do name it For ther is no word truer or better then the wordes of scripturs are neither any spellinges or speakings more certain then those that be taught by the word of God But you aske vs thys question Hath not the church had and vnderstand these wordes and yet notwithstandinge taught this lesson That the bread is by consecracion turned into the bodie of Christ Yea they haue coÌ„demned and brent all them that woulde saye that bread remayneth Yet did they kepe Paule still as they did Iohn geuinge occasioÌ„ to the Arians To this I answer that the Romeish churche hadde the scriptures but the father of this church did treade them vnder his fete Not onely bodily when he was coniuringe at his masse but also by his powre and the spirites that he sent abrode commaundeinge that no man shoulde otherwise vnderstande them then he and his church determined And therfore he assigned that eueri man that shoulde meddle with the studie of them shoulde first be trayned in the scholes of his doctours and so be sinered with the blacke coles of theyr helly doctrine that theyr soules should neuer be cleare againe as for al other pore men not brought vp in the popeishe learninge of hys scholes and therfore haueing theyr coÌ„sciences lyke a whyte wall redie to receyue all trueth of God his holie worde the scripture was clearlie forboden them like as you haue also with shame inoughe procured in this oure tyme that pore men shall not reade it for feare lest they dispice your shamlesse pompe and pride and vtterly renownce all your wycked erroures For the vnderstandynge of it I can not be leue that the popeishe prelates had the true vnderstandynge therof because they maytened many blinde erroures cleane contrarie to the scriptures which doeth manifestli declare that they were voide of the spirite of trueth which onely openeth the waie to the vnderstaÌ„dinge of the heauenly misteries How blindly haue they taught wythout the worde contrarie to the iudgment of reasoÌ„ or the perceiueynge of the senses that thys bread is chaunged this bitter contencioÌ„ about the matter declareth Surely they haue condemned and brenned men and that ryght many for this mattier wherby they declare theÌ„selfes to be of the cursed seed of Cain and the wicked serpent who was the murtherer euen frome the beginninge Finally they haue kept the gospel and scriptures still we thanke God and not them for god hath caused the phariseis before theÌ„ and our bishopes folowing to kepe these Iewelles for our vse and profite and for theyr own coÌ„fusion that by the sam bokes which they kept and wher vpon they boasted they shoulde be openly conuinced and ouercome Wherfore in that your doctour Damascen and you would haue vs learne of our elders we answer that froÌ„ the elders al iniquitie is sprongen A seniorâ—bus ingressa est iniquitas And the Israelites are alwayes by the threateninges of the prophetes forbidden to folowe the waye of theyr fathers and elders We must therfore crie with Dauid Peccauimus cum patribus nostris iniuste egimus iniquitateÌ„ fecimâ—s We haue sinned with our fathers we haue done vnrighteously we haue done wickednesse Aske your father and myne O bishope aske theyr fathers and grandfathers what they haue beleued and they wyl answer accordinge to the tyme that they were in that they belieue as the churche of Rome doeth belieue For so my father taught me and so dyd the priestes generally teach in all place chargeinge the people vnder the payne of the greate cursse to belieue as theyr holy father of Rome belieued And farther coulde they not teache vs theyr children neyther beinge suffered to haue the scriptures in englyshe neyther heareynge any thynge but the lyes of the Romeishe Antichriste by their popeishe curates In this church you can finde nothinge amisse And this blynde churche is it that you laboure so sore to defend or else woulde you in some one place haue geuen vs warneinge that we folowe not thys Romeishe churche But doutlesse all your boke thorowe you spende all your wittes to brynge vs vnder the captiuitie of thys church that you might worthily triumphe as you haue done makeinge marchandise of our soules Woulde God the kynge oure maister heade ruler and leader woulde searche forth suche Romeishe traytours For they can neuer take hym for they onely heade so longe as they haue an
other heade vpon the earth whose honour they laboure to enhaunce euen wyth all theyr myght and diligence endeuour and studi whose kyngdome the labour to enlarge with bokes with writinges wyth sermons and preachinges with faggotâ—es fyre brenninges and all meanes they can possible Oh byshop and Idole dyddest thou not vilainouselie at Paules crosse not long sens seeke and bringe forth al the Argumentes of thy subtyle braine for to stop the kyngdome of Christe spreadeinge by hys worde and scriptures frome the whiche thou dideste affraye men by the terrible inuentions of thy diueillishe subtilties A traitour to God and man But the aduengeinge hande of God thou canst not escape Qui vos spernit me spernit he that despiceth you despiceth me was neuer ment of such bishopes as driue men frome the worde but of the faiethful Apostles and mesengers of Christe whiche dare speake nothinge but that they haue hearde and learned by the spirite of God in hys holy scriptures Whyche muste be receiued not for theyr owne authoritie but because thei are prophetes and preachers of the heauenly misteries and the disciples and scholers of Christ Not preachers agaynst Christ as you such other prelates are in your sermons than who so receiueth hym in the name of a disciple or the name of a prophet the same shall haue the rewarde of a prophet And who so dispiseth hym thus being the disciple of Christ setting furth and promoting the glorie of his maister he dispiseth Christe and not onely hym but his father the authour of his message But you priestes you preach for lucre Oh you prophetes you prophecie for your owne gaine and for money Yet wil you be takeÌ„ as those that holde vpon God say Is not the Lorde amonge vs But woulde God â—ure heades woulde esteme the mattier as it is be no longer blynded wyth your clokes of hypocrisie Let them but coÌ„sidre the cause onely as Cicero doeth monishe in his oration Cui commodo sit et bono It is your coÌ„moditie and profit to maynteyne poperie and dombe ceremonies It is greatly your gayne to keepe the worlde in blyndnesse For by these thynges haue you crept vp to thys lordely pompe and euer as they decaye so decreaseth some thynge of your dignitie So it is no merâ—â—yle though you beinge carnall men do stryue verie sore for your aduauntage We pore men of the contrary part which of a zeale grounded vpon the knowledge of the worde of God do speake agaynste your superstition your pompe and Idolatrie do not onely not gayne one farthynge thereby as I take God to witnesse before whom I shall answere at the greate daye I desyre nothynge of yours but your soule health we pore caytyfes I saye do not onely loke for no gayne but for tellyng of the trueth we loke to lose the litle goodes that we haue our wyues and deare chyldren to be spoyled ourelyues wyth moste spiteful tormentes of â—ackyng and burnyng to be taken from vs. Vide iam cui sit commodo ⧠To the gouernours of the people VVherfore seeke you knowledge ye that iudge the earth Iudge a right in all controuersies betwixte a man and his neighbour Heare O you heades of the house of Iacob and ye leaders of the house of Israel Should not ye knowe what were lawefull and ryght But ye hate the good and loue the yuell The Lorde hath ben sore displeased with your forfathers but turne you vnto me saith the Lorde of hostes and I shall turne vnto you Be not you lyke your forefathers vnto whom the prophetes cried afore tyme sayinge Turuâ— from your yuell wayes and wicked Imaginations but they woulde not heare nor regarde me sayth the lorde What is now become of your forefathers and the prophetes c. I must needes say with Iheremie â–ª Waâ—… to the prophetes that prophecie theyr owne Imaginations myne hert breaketh in my body â–ª All my bones do tremble I am become lyke a drunken man wythout rest disquieted wyth wyne euen for the verie feare of the Lorde and his holy wordes because the land is full of aduouteres where thorowe it is destroyed Yea the waye that men take is wycked and theyr gouernaunce is nothynge like the holy worde of the Lorde For the prophetes and the priestes them selues are poluted hypocrites theyr wickednes haue I founde in my house sayeth the Lorde Theyr waye therfore shall be slepperie in darknesse that they maye stacker and fal therin For I wyl hrynge a plage vpon them euen the yere of their visitasion sayeth the Lorde If you doubt of whom you shall seeke for knowledge remembre what was spoken by God the father from heauen of Christe oure sauiour when he was sent into the worlde This is my dearly beloued sonne heare you him He is the onely maister opener of the wisedome of his father Whiche wisedome who so lacketh let hym aske of hym that gyueth eueÌ„ of God that giueth vnto al men indiffereÌ„tly and casteth no maÌ„ in the teeth and he shall haue it But let him ashe in fayth nothynge doubting But alwayes vse the meanes that God hath appointed As for perfect vnderstanding of the scriptures it muste needes be graunted conuenient to haue the knowledge of the Hebrue greke and latine tonge to vse the diligent comparinge of the scriptures together and counsayle of learned teachers diuers interpretations writinges of men of all ages For hapely thou maist perceiue by one that thou canst not vnderstande by an other But for the pore lay man whiche can not haue these later healpes and furtheraunce let him be diligent in readynge the englishe text no faile God wyl graunt him so muche knowledge as shall be expedient for the ordering of his life And therefore maye he nothynge doubte but that his maister Christ which dyd vouchsafe to shed his bloude for him wyll also graunte vnto him so muche knoweledge as shall be thoughte meete for the sauing of that soule whiche he hath so dearly boughte And you muste alwayes beware that you call you no maister vpon earth to be sworne into any mans sayinges but haue you eye vnto the heauenly maister onely vpon whom onely resteth all trueth Where men be they doctours or byshoppes if they bringe not the word of God with them they are but lyars ⧠To the bishoppes IT maye well appeare what mindes you bishoppes haue to the furtheraunce of the knowledge of God by that you do with out cause fynde faute with the diligent translations of good men coÌ„demnyng them by your counsayles and yet wyl not traÌ„slate any parte thereof your selues Yea all your life and labours do teach vs plaine that you woulde stop oure eyes and leade vs captyâ—e in your blinde waies Therfore if we should folowe you beinge blinde guides false prophetes and Idole pastours we shall be styll scattered abrode in the blinde waies of ignoraunce we shall be led with your lyes euen
together with you into the blinde pit of darknesse Thus haue you led our fathers before vs so many as would take you for their scho maisters and had none other secrete motion of the spirite to lifte their hertes vp into the heauens dâ—…nge the ayde and healpe of al other â—râ—… And yet 〈◊〉 can not content your selues with the kingdome that you haue vsurped in the consciences of men where none ought to reigne but God more then these thousande yeres onlesse you maye styll haue the same authoritie in establishinge your popetrie and Idolatrie beating euermore into oure eares that your Idolatrous and superstitious religion hath continued these M. D. yeres Where as we partly haue declared might more at large declare were it not to tedious that it hath crept vp onely with your wicked papacie and possessions of the churche and hath continued onely the tyme that Sathan hath bene lose and sent furth into the worlde to worke his wyll when you his stoute souldiour dyd shit vp the kyngdome of God his worde and neither woulde enter in your selues nor suffre them that woulde entre But now that the lambe hath vnlocked the boke Sathan begynneth to roare for feare of the fal of his kingdome and you bishoppes his champions do rage and fight agaynst God his worde yea agaynste euery thinge that is God or godly But we shal ouercome by the bloude of the lambe and by the worde of his witnesse And therefore do we ieoperde oure soules vnto death not onely against the Romishe Antichriste but the Mahumetaine also who is like to reigne ouer vs as a worthy plage for slidynge from the worde of God eueÌ„ as he hath many yeres reigned ouer many christian nations whiche boeth in life and learning were as holy as we be now coÌ„pted If thys thynge I saye shall come to passe as no man knoweth Goddes secrete working but suche onely as it shall please him to endue with this knowledge we shall be redie both to speake and write as we nowe do for the glorie of God against al Idolatours so far as God shal open our hertes and giue vs strength For without his audacitie and boldnesse of spirite poured into vs we shall stande in as gerate feare to perfourme thys as we shoulde be to write against your abominations knowing your crueltie towardes theÌ„ that haue hertofore moued your pacieÌ„ce What other men haue written in the fauour of Mahumete I can not tell But thys do I see with myne eyes that you bishoppes do opeÌ„ a great dore for him to entre in at by the Idolatrie that you do maynteyne in settyng vp so weake a creature to be God For what playner waye can ye haue to impunge the christian religion then to fynde it to be grouÌ„ded vpon so fonde a foundation as this weake Idol of yours And on the other side by your wicked life and tirannouse handlynge of the pore flocke of Christ you ministre great occasion for vs to thyinke that we shall lyue vnder the turckes as quietly and safly as vnder you both in auoydynge the Popishe Idolatrie and also in escapynge of outragiouse tiranny Beware howe your malice leadeth you to minister suche occasions For though we abhorre eueÌ„ froÌ„ the bottomes of our hertes the turrkeshe Mahumete and his lawes and are ready to wryte and speake agaynste them in the defence of our Christ and his religion rather wishyng to dye then to be subiect vnto him yet thys present necessitie and more greuous bondage that we suffre nowe vnder the byshoppes the lymes of the Romishe Antichrist are so intollerable that we had rather proue any thynge then longe to abyde it If they ouercome here the victorie wyll hardly be stayed from conquest in the reste Call backe your tiranny therefore aboute the worshyppynge of thys Idoll Surely it is full tyme as you saye for you to stryue for your God and to encourage your companions to sticke to their taklynge for if we maye once get the victorie herein all the residue of your Poperie wyl haue a foule fall Note our simplicitie as much as you wil and skoffe on styll wyth the Deuyll is simple iwys we wyll neuer be ashamed to call breade breade so longe as we haue Luke the Euangelist and Paule the Apostle of Christ to take our parte Come you in wyth your double gloses and put furth two faces in owne hoode in euerie thinge you go about as longe as you luste But it is an high mattier to vnderstand what breade meaneth and what the worlde signifieth you saye Go to go to And all the worlde what so euer the worlde signifieth wyll shortly deride you and thynke you worthy of your ii forcked myters for your doublenesse ⧠Of thys name Masse and of the diriuation of the same NOw labour you to haue this name Missa or Masse diriued of an Hebrue worde wherein I wyll not greatly contende thoughe it make not much for your purpose because I know the subtiltie of the generation that fyrste named it whose caste it is alwayes to busie mens myndes wyth straunge names darcke termes and subtile disputations aboute the same to holde men occupied in trifles and to keepe them froÌ„ the playnes of the trueth Other wise they could haue ben coÌ„tent to haue named it the breaking of the bread with Luke or the supper of the Lorde wyth Paule But for the nature of the Hebrue worde Lerne what Sanctes Pagninus wryteth in Thesauro lingue sancte 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Missa sufficientiaÌ„ significat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 id est Sufficientiam voluntatis aut spontis manns tue TarghuÌ„ Deut. xv xviii pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod est sufficieÌ„tia habet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rabbi Selomoh in coÌ„meÌ„taries exponit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sufficieÌ„tiaÌ„ Rabbi AbrahaÌ„ hoc pacto scribit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Daghessatur samech nam deducitur a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod est signâ—m Iheroâ—iâ—nus OblationeÌ„ spontaneaÌ„ manâ— tue Vnde dicuÌ„t noÌ„ nulli quod 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est oblatio que fit deo propter aliquod munus personale quibus non assentior cum nullus ex Hebreis doctoribus hoâ—dicat quos legerim Hactenus Pagninus These wordes declare the nature of this worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by diriuatioÌ„ euen froÌ„ the original Whiche howe wel it agreeth with our englishe word masse let the learned iudge It caÌ„ not be tried hereby that it is a sacrifice for the quicke for the dead but rather cleane coÌ„trarie by that whiche Pagninus affirmeth Ther is yet an other Hebrue worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifiynge a tribute whiche some men saye is the originall because of the contribution and payment that was gathered for the reliefe of the pore in the beginning There is also a verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which betokeneth to melte or to be dissolued awaye where of you may diriue Missa if you wyll
the vndefiled in the waye which walke in the lawe of the Lorde Blessed are they which serch his testimonies and ther shall you perceiue that the worde of God shoulde be the delyte of the life the fode of the soule the lyght â—o the foâ—e stepes the rode of the yonge man to breake his lustes the exercise of his lyfe the coÌ„forte in aduersite the bridle in prosperitie the medicine in sickenesse the onely fode in health the relefe in werinesse the banisment of vilanie sufferinge no shame to assalt the cause of reioyseinge in banisment and imprisoneinge in extreme age the releyfeinge of werinesse causeynge all quietnesse Yea in death the geuer of lyfe and in lyfe ioye euerlasteinge Is not this thinge worthie to be preached in the tyme of mattens and masse to be preached red and hearde inmattens masse and euensonge tyme to be learned of men women children plowemen yemen gentillmen fre men bound men and generally of al christen men Oh bishope recant for shame Now to discuse what place the doctrine of meÌ„ should haue in the worship of God marck that God sayeth That which I coÌ„maund the that onely do thou neither adde thou any thynge nor diminishe therfrom Marcke agayne howe Madaâ— and Abihu the chyldreÌ„ of Aaron dyd offre vnto the Lorde straunge fyre that was not commaunded them fyre came furth froÌ„ the Lorde deuoured them So straunge a thing it is to set vp a strauÌ„ge thinge of our owne braine Oze for touching the Arke of God was stryken to death notwythstandynge he dyd it of a good entent Howe thynke you then wyll God receyue your fonde doctrines and ceremonies Saule the firste kynge of the Israelites was thorowe a folishe intent of his owne put from his kyngdome Beinge commanÌ„dded to destroye the Amalechites wyth all theirs he saued the best and fayrest inteÌ„ding to do sacrifice therwyth vnto the Lorde But God asked hym by the prophet in this wise Wyl the Lorde haue holocastes offeringes and not rather obedience vnto the voice of the Lorde But thys place do you falsâ—y alledge for the obedience vnto men euen in like maner as you do wraste thys texte also In â—ayne do they worshyp me teachyng the doctrines and preceptes of men But we dare examine the maâ—tier by your owne gloses You are content to graunte that suche doctrines and preceptes of men as be taught of their owne braines wheÌ„ they were but in the state of men onely were but vayne worship And then talke you of Lycurgus and of Numa Pompilius but in the popes kyngdome al doctrine was good for he was aboue this state of a man as it should seme because you can fynde no faute wyth his doinges yea all you bishops and your priestes are more then meÌ„ also as may appeare by your boke for what so euer you saye we muste beleue you or els we dispise God Thus caÌ„ you alledge scriptures and can proue thys by a text of Paule Non spernit hominem sed Deâ—m He doeth not dispise man but God Whiche text is spoken of the precept of God wrytten in Leuiticus whiche forbyddeth the to defraude thy brother whiche Paule alledgeth a litle before and therfore warneth the Thessalonians not to set lyghte of that lawe the authour wherof was not any maÌ„ but God But you write of authoritie You may writh scriptures as ye luste As for your place to the Hebrues maketh for theÌ„ that preach the worde of God whose fayth we shoulde folowe and consider the ende of their conuersation If you wyl be tryed to be such ministers you must proue vnto vs your ministration in muche sufferaunce in afliction in necessitie in carefulnesse in strokes in imprisonment in seditioÌ„s in labours watchyng fastynges in purenesse in knowledge in gentlenesse of minde and liberalitie in the holy gost in loue not fayned and in the worde of trueth c. Dare you styll cal your selues ministers Then must you be the disposers of these misteries of God And so longe as you syt in the seate of Moyses preachyng the worde of God so far wyl we beleue you And so far as you are the folowers of Christe we wyll folowe you But if you bringe not his word we dare not saye Aâ—e vnto you nor receyue you into our â–ª houses No we do take you for the vncleane beastes that do not diuide the houffe Suche are the shepeheardes as Iheremie sayeth that are fed wyth the wynde whiche scatter the shepe caste them furth and do not visit the flocke The priest and the prophete are boeth defiled wherfore they do doeth folowe a slipperie waye in the darcke wherein they shalbe dryuen furth and fal in the same for I shall brynge the daye of their visitation vpon them sayeth the Lorde They are al like Sodomites in my sight the people lyke Gomorrha With wormewod and gaâ—â—e therfore wyll I feede theÌ„ For al pollution is coÌ„men vpon the earth sayeth the Lorde by the prophetes of Iherusalem men moste highly estemed in outwarde holinesse But thus sayth the Lorde of hostes Gyue none eare to the wordes of these prophetes that deceyue you For they speake the visioÌ„ of thir owne hertes not of the mouth of the Lorde Thus are we playnely taughte howe perilouse a thinge it is to folowe the doctrines of men be they neuer so highly aduaunced wyth titles of holynesse Yea we are by the mouth of God admonished aboue all thynges to beware of them that promise peace quietnesse folowinge but the shreudnesse of their owne hertes and folishe inuentions for it is a kynde of Idolatrie not to sticke vnto his worde as vnto the thynge onely sufficient Of suche prophetes therefore as brynge their owne inuentions doeth he saye I dyd not sende them they ranne I did not speake vnto them and they dyd prophecie If they had stande in my counsayle and published my wordes to my people they shoulde haue turned them from their wycked wayes and from their wycked inuentions I dyd heare howe they tolde lyes dreames in my name by the disceites of their herte causynge the people to forget my name for their dreames as is it come to passe thys daye Therefore sayeth the Lorde of hostes agaynst such prophetes He that hath a dreame let him tel his dreame and he that hath my worde let hym speake my worde truly What minglest thou chaffe wyth the â—heate Are not my wordes lyke fyre sayeth the Lorde and lyke the mall that breaketh the stone Therfore to you prophetes that steale my wordes euerie one froÌ„ his brother dreamynge furth your lyes deceyuyng my people wyth your lyes your miracles where as I dyd neuer sende you nor yet commaunde any suche thynge to my people as dyd not profite them You are the heauy burden that I can no loÌ„ger beare and therfore I wyl caste you awaye Agayne Ezechiell in the spirite of God doeth thus
prophecie agaynst you that haue the names of shepeherdes and wyll not feede his flocke with his worde but feede your selues by your craftie inuentions and cause the shepe to go astraye in the wylde mountaines of your errours Wo vnto the shepeherdes of Israell sayeth the Lorde whiche do feede them selues oughte not the flocke to be fed of the shepeherdes But you haue eaten the mylke you are clothed wyth their woll you sley that whiche is fat and feede your selues and wyl not feede my flocke You conforte not the weake you heale not the sicke you bynde not vp the broken you seeke not that whiche perisheth but wyth power and rigour do you rule ouer them Thus are my shepe scattered because they haue no shepeherde and deuoured wyth wylde beastes They go wanderynge in the mountaynes and are scattered thorowe the earth and no man doeth seeke them No man doeth seeke them I saye As truly as I do lyue sayth the Lorde God because my flocke is thus spoyled my shepe denoured whylse the shepeherdes do feede them selues and dispise my flocke Lo I my selfe wyll require my flocke at the handes of these shepeherdes and they shal neither feede my flocke nor yet them selues any loÌ„ger For I wil deliuer my flocke out of their mouthes sayeth the Lorde Thys is the talke that God the father hath thorowout the olde testament agaynste you that wyl not be coÌ„tent to feede his flocke wyth his worde onely without the sowre leuen of mannes doctrine He calleth you men fed and led with the winde of errours Idole shepeherdes yea deuouring wolfes that wyl neuer be saciate Seinge then that boeth the scriptures and your owne lyues do testifie of you that you are such rotten trees or rather poysoned stockes what fruites of heauenly doctrine shall we loke to springe from you Do men gather grapes of thornes or figges of thystles The yuyl tree caÌ„bring no good fruite Christe therefore in the newe testament and in his firste sermon gyueth vs warnyng of suche Idole shepeherdes sayinge Beware of these false prophetes whiche come to you in shepes clothynge for inwardly they are rauenyng wolfes And after that he had rebuked them that would seme to know al thynges yet could not see the tyme of their visitation callynge them Hypocrites wicked nation aduoulterouse generation that coulde not marcke or ponder the signe of Ionas the Prophete streightwaye he admonished his to take hede not of the leuen of breade but of the seuen of the doctrine of the scribes and phariseis Neither dyd he at any time rebuke so sharply as when he dyd speake of these blynde shepeherdes their doctours shewing how theido teach the traditous of meÌ„ to put the preceptes of God out of place that all their doctrine maketh for their corban and lucre that thei do all thynges to be sene of men Thus do you also folowynge the trade of your fathers For couetise worldly pompe and hypocrisie do establishe all the workes and doctrines of men that you do cal so necessarie Reade the damnation that Christ him selfe pronounceth agaynst you in the. xxiii of Mathewe Where he gyueth vs oure lesson also that we shall keepe obserue your doctrines so longe as they come furth of the seate and doctrine of Moyses But in no wyse to folowe your workes He teacheth in the beginnyng of his preachyng that oâ—les our ryghtuousnes do farre passe the ryghtuousnes of the scribes phariseis who onely were accompted the church in those dayes as you woulde be nowe we can not entre the kyngdome of God The state of the phariseis and you O bishops lest you should murmour and grudge at my playne wrytynges is in thys case of your doctrines for the feedynge of Christes â—locke all one Neither hath any of you authoritie either to make lawes or interprete the scriptures for boeth haue one strength muste be done by the same spirite you haue none authoritie I saye oâ—er the flocke further then you haue the worde of God for you And bryngynge that worde you maye saye he that despiseth you despiseth God As for thynges indifferent you muste say as Paul sayed vpon this your owne exeÌ„ple If any maÌ„ be coÌ„tentiouse the church of God knoweth no suche custome So that rather then any suche bitter contention as is nowe adayes shoulde continue it were better that all your in uentions were refused For seinge that your authoritie is gyueÌ„ to edifie by loue and charitie you maye not abuse it and destrye by bitter braulynge and cruell contention for suche thynges as were not good before you named them so nor yuyl before you did forbid them Thus do I take many of your doctrines of men to be indifferent As to stande vp at the Gospell to praye or preach bare headed to eate fishe this daye or that daye All these thynges being indifferent in their kinde that is to saye nothinge yuyll being voyed of superstition are by superstition made yuyll For that chaungeth good into yuyll Yet are the beste of these doctrines but vayne worshippe of God euen in their best vse For his worship standeth in spirite and trueth But you haue other doctrines and that verie manie that are manifestly yuyll because you do therein adulterate the worde of God as dyd the phariseis when they added their gloses to the coÌ„maundementes of God As when God sayed Thou shalte loue thy neighboure they added hate thyne enemie God sayed Thou shalte not swere but they added vnto the precepte Paye vnto the Lorde the thynge that thou swearest Agayne dyd not the olde pharisies wyth their sowre leueÌ„ whiche is Hypocrisie make vnpleasante and vnsauerie the two speciall workes of the newe man Fastynge and prayer Dyd not Christe hym selfe continually rebuke them because thei brake the commaundementes of God for their owne traditions doctrines where God the father had giuen commaunmente to honoure father and mother they cryed for their gayne their corban and offerynges Where God asketh the whole herte and thereof onely measureth all oure doinges their teachynge is to worshippe wyth the lippes though the herte be farre from me sayeth the Lorde by his Prophete In vayne therefore do they worshippe teachynge the doctrines as preceptes of men The whiche doctrines syth their firste bebyâ—â—ynge the true Prophetes of Christe seekynge the onely honour of God haue froÌ„ time to time laboured to coÌ„fute to restore to their worthiâ—es the preceptes of God his holie coÌ„mauÌ„dementes which euer more amongest hypocrites haue ben in small reputation in comparison of their owne inuentions In somuch that all these Prophetes whom God sent to beate downe the blynde errours of mennes dreames were hated persecuted from Citie to Citie scourged slayne and crucifyed So that all the bloude of the iuste whiche was and shall be shed vpon the earth from Abell to the worldes ende maye be heaped vpon the Hypocrites in the
death of Christe Christe â—yd not â—…rate the 〈◊〉 Math. xxvi Mar. xiiii Luke xxii No maruell thoughe the â—…ple saiede 〈◊〉 wheÌ„ thei â—…e meÌ„ burâ—… for sayng yea Learne to reâ—… sophstrie In these iâ— wordes lieth the whole matter Two maner of teachinges By wordes and bisigues This similitude deesareth all the mattier Christ cannot he eaten with out fruâ—te â–ª Sophistrie Pithagaras By these fruites you maie knowe my Lordes doctours Math. xxiii 〈…〉 wherin the senses are deceiued Math. xxvi Marke xiiii Luke xxii i. Corh x. et xi Act. ii The senses are witnesses to the trueth of sensible thinges Luke i. Math. i. Marke i. Luke ii Mar. ii Luke ii Iohn ii Iohn xi 1. Pet. iii. Act. x Luke xxiiii Math. xxviii Mare xvi Iohn xx Iohn xx Luke xxiiii Mar. vi Act vii Act. x. Gen. ii Esai liiii Gen. i. Rom. viii Iohn iii. Iohn ii Iohn xiiii Esai xliiii Math. xvi Iohn iiii i. Corh iii. Iohn x. i. Corh vi Ephe. v. 〈◊〉 Corh iii. Esai xxviii â–ª i. Petr. ii Ephe. i. i. Peter v. â—ach ix Iohn vi Ihon. i. viii Math. xxiii Iohn xv Iohn xiiii Iohn xvi Iohn xiiii ii Corh x. The folowers of Christ are the trwe churche Ephes i. ii Corh vi Act. x. Rom. vâ—iii Coloss i. Eph iiii Luk. xiiii i. Corh iii. i. Thess iiii i. Iohn v. Apocal. xxii iii Reg. viiii Acto i. iiii Reg. ii Acto viii Act. xii Act. v. Iohn xx Mat. xxviii Math. xxvii Winchesters wordes in the viii leafe of his boke The answer Luk. xxii i. Corh xi Luke xxiiii Acto ii ii Tehss ii Math. xiii A rehersall of the benefactours and founders of the masse Popeishe is the fitteste name that can be geueÌ„ to the masse Silence betokeneth consent of the minde or coÌ„sience Winchesters wordes The answer Winchesters wordes The answer Winchesters wordes The answer Luke xxiii Act. iiii Hebru ii Coloso ii Psal xv Iudic. vi Rom. xii i. Corh vi Hebru i. Meâ—… Iohn xiiij Iohn vi Iohn v. Rom. viij Winchesters wordes The answer Math. iij. Luke iiii Psalme xv Winchesters wordes in his xiij leafe The answer When realitie was inueÌ„ted Winchester wordes The answer God hath neuer forsaken his church Marke how God prouided his churche of true preachers Fewe are found faythfull Eph. iiii i. Corh xii i. Corh iiii Eph. v. i. Tunoth iii. iiii Tâ—tus i. Mathe. x. Luke xiiii Iereme vii Mathe. xx Luke xvi Luke xx Learne to knowe the membres of christes churche Aâ—to â—i Fire can not preuaile against God Luke x. Esai xxix Esai xxxiii i. Corh i. Marke who haue ben the coÌ„tinuars of persecucion The sophisters are the deuilles messengers Maxentius the tirant The churche of christ shall not continne â—onge in the prosperite of thys worlde Behold how God striketh and healeth a gayne Bonifacius putteth christ out of offyce Perscâ—usion can not spoil Christ of his witnesses Mi Lord wil haâ—… noâ—e but gentlemeÌ„ Winchesters wordes The answere The sacrameÌ„t maye be poysone Accidentes muste haue subiectes Winchesters wordes The answer The iuglers are not so daungerouse Winchesters wordes The answer Winchesters wordes A right byshop wyll not belie Christ Marc. iii. Winchesters wordes The answer Winchesters wordes The answre i. Iohn ii i. Timo. iii. i. Corh ii Paule aâ—oâ—…h not these termes By the workes you shall knowe them He that knoweth not God is worâ— then a beaste All meÌ„ must knowe the sacraments This shal be our schalemaister styll All the workes of God be good Deut. vi 〈…〉 that is â—…eâ—… beâ—… of â—â—u â—…e wyse Winchesters wordes The answer â—ii Syllogismosses Iohn vi 〈◊〉 Iohn v. Iohn vi Winchesters wordes The answer The Rabbies heare and se but beleue not Marke the fruites of my Lordes opinion You shall mocke vs no longer Math. x. Winchesters wordes The answer Marcke my Lordes intent Winchesters wordes The answere Deut. xiij Baptisme is not estemed as it is worthy Marke my â–ª Lordes Sophistry Learne wit at the mouse The Lorde open the eye of your soule Wynchester in the. xvi leafe of his boke The answer Mathe. xv Your owne swerde stryketh of your â—eade 〈◊〉 Iohn i. Math. xiiâ—j and. xvi Marc. viii Luke xi i. Corh x. Rom. x. Rom. 〈◊〉 Rom. iii. Winchesters wordes The 〈…〉 Winchesters wordes The 〈…〉 Winchesters The answer Winchesters wordes The answre Winchesters wordes The answer Winchesters wordes The answer Winchesters wordes The answer Luke xxii Psalme xxxâ—… The lambe is called the passeouer Iherem xxiiii 〈…〉 vâ—…i Exod. xiii i. Corh v. Iudas dyd not eate the bodie of christ Mathe. xx vi Luke xxii Iohn â—iii Mâ—… xxiiii Iohn xâ—… My Lordes wordes ende in lye Christ is the verie vyne Iohn vi Folio x. Iohn iiii Act. i. Christ shall come agayne visiblie as he went Exod. xvi Deut. xvii Ose ix Iohn xvii Sapi. xiii Iohn xvij Winchesters wordes The answer Winchesters wordes The answer Gen. xli Exod. xii i. Corh x. Marh xi Winchesters wordes The answer Rom. x. Act. i. Iohn xiiij xv xvi xvij Psalm C. Hebr. i. Iohn vi The Apostles did not worship the Sacrament The cup is not the newe testament Winchesters wordes The answere Iohn xv Iohn iii. Iohn vii My Lorde hath loste his witnes EcolaÌ„padius repented the translatyng of Damascen Math. xxiiil Ireneus libr. i. Cap. ix The deuyll worketh myracles Exod. vii Damascen putteth water into Christes cup. Damascene wil haue water madeâ— bloude It is possible 〈◊〉 God shoulde chaunge all thynges Hebr. ii My Lordes similitudes serue not for his purpose Dâ—e errour draweth an other The worshipinge of Images is the fountaine of all iuell Marche the constancie of this doctour Thys was far â—otte Galat. i. We resiste not the scripture but my Lordes gloses Iohn vi i. Corhi x. Deut. vi Mat. iiii Esai vi Gens xiiii Exod. xxi Mala. i. The bodie of Christe can 〈◊〉 be chaâ—ngâ—â—â—â—to our coâ—ruption Esai xliii xlv xlvi Mala. iii. i. Corhi xi Iohn vii Damascene wil haâ—e this breade the fiâ—â—te frutes of the breade to come Luke xxiiii No man can laye any other foundation then Christe Winchesters wordes The answre Winchesters wordes The answer Augustine to Dardanius Math. xxiiii Act. iii. Esaie vii Obstinacie is the cause that you can not beleue Winchesters wordes The answer Winchesters wordes The answer Winchesters wordes The answer Act. xxii ix i. Corhi iu. i. Corhi xv Winchesters wordes The answere The doge wyll not eate doges fleshe Winchesters wordes The answer A double erâ—…â—…eâ—… 〈…〉 conseâ—… The maneâ— of Christ blesseinge was thankes geueinge Winchesters wordes The answer Winchesters wordes The answere Stephaâ—…e the martir agaynste Stephane Gardiner iii. Reg. vi Esai lxvi Act. xvii Winchesters Wordes The answere i. Corhi x. Onely God is in many places at once Winchesters wordes The answere Marke the examinacion of these similytudes Nature worketh no miracles so longe as she kepeth hir ryght course i. Corhi x. We muste beare wyth the
and truth wil I be worshiped And suche worshipers do I seke as with pure mindes flye vp aboue the heauens and wishe that myne impere and kingdome maye be delated and my name helowed and renowâ—â—ed celebrated and prased in al though al creatures Such worshipers I saie do I seke as can coÌ„prehend and perceiue Christ sitting â–ª at my right hand and wyll seke hym without the helpe of any creature These worshipar wyll I regarde and to their sacrifices wil I haue respect For their high bishop hath an euerlasting priesthod wherbi he may fully saue al theÌ„ that wil com vnto me by him whom I haue made the gouernour of holy thynges and of the true ta bernacle which I my selfe and not man haue made which must therfore be coÌ„prehended receiued without the help of any creature vpon earth neither must these worshipers seke Christe here nor ther nor renne after him in anie places vpon earth where any man shall name him to be Muche lesse shall these true worshipers seke me the incomprehensible God tyed to any one place or creature for heauen is mi seate and thearth my fotestole euen as my prophete Esaie dyd witnesse vnto you when he demaunded what house you wold build vnto me or what place I woulde reste in seinge that my hande hath made all My seruaunt Paule also hath sayed vnto you that I the Lorde God haue made the worlde and al that is therin yea the heauens also haue I made howe shoulde it be theÌ„ that I might dwell in temples made with mans hande who is one of the creatures that I my selfe haue made And eueÌ„ as I dwell not in the temples made with mans hand so am I not worshiped wyth the workes of mans haÌ„d as once standing nede of any thinge For I the Lord geue breath to al liuing thynges and haue of one bloude made al the kinde of man and haue caused hym to spread ouer the whole face of earth appointinge prescript tymes and limeting the borders of their dwellynges that they maye seeke me theyr God and trye whether they can by gropeing find me Yet not withstandeinge I am not far froÌ„ euerye one of you For through me you are do lyue and are moued So that ther is no ignoraunce canne excuse you because you nede not â—o secke my kyngedome farther then in your selues And to ressemble my Godly powre and worshippe wyth golde siluer stone or ani other creatture named and coÌ„uerted into the stead of me the onelie and almightie your god you shall not be excused â—i any ignoraunce for by my workes you maie knowe me from my worckes and much more from your owne worckes If you therfore can not be able resemble my godlie powre by any of your Imaginacions howe muche lesse able shal you be to shet vp me the immortal immensurable and incomprehensible God whom the heauen of heauens is not able to conteine in a little box of golde siluer or any other meatall in breade wine or any other creature setteinge vp a newe and strainge I dole of the whiche neyther you nor your fathers haue hearde one worde of my mouth imagineinge a strange worship of your own Idle braines not withstandeinge that my sonne Christe doeth crie agaynst you sayeinge In vaine do you worshipe me teacheinge the doctrines and preceptes of men His most fayethful seruauntes also ceased not to threaten sharpe plages vnto all them that shoulde adde to or take fro chaunge or alter any one worde of all that theye had receiued of their Lorde the father of spirites Wherfore because your fathers haue for saken me and folowed strange gods serued them and worshiped them they haue forsaken me â–ª and my lawe haue they not kept And you haue done worsse theÌ„ your fathers For euery one of you walketh after the wickednes of his owne herte striuinge alwaies howe you maye stop your eares agaynste my wordes and admonicions Loo therfore I wyl fyll all the inhabitauntes of the earth and the kynges which sit in their hygh thrones the preistes and the Prophetes together with drunkennes And I wyl scatter theym one brother from another and the father froÌ„ the chylde I wil not spare them nor haue pitie on them but wil vtterly destroy them Harken and geue eare and beware you do not rage for the Lord hath spokeÌ„ it Geue glory vnto the Lord your God before it wax darke and before your fete do stumble in the darke hilles when you shal loke for lyghte and lo ther is nothynge but the shadowe of death and deepe darkenesse Oh Popes and Princes and glorious Prelates high couÌ„terfait names called byshops to you al I saye whych holde the worlde in darkenes If the Morian can chaunge his skinne or the Leoparde her spottes then can you also do well suckyng wickednes with the mylke of your mothers This shalbe your charge therfore and the portion prepared for you Because you forget me and trust vnto lyes I wil disclose your thoughtes and your shame shall appeare Your lustes your lechery your wiked fornication shall I disolose Let no man praye for thys sorte of people They synne vnto death and their plages are vncurable If you faste I wyll not heare your prayers If you offre offerynges I wyll not receyue them For when you were corrected with famine you dyd not regarde it WheÌ„ you were chastened whyth the pestilence and diseases you refused al discipline Stormes teÌ„pestes and earthquakes floâ—des and breaches of the sea you count not to be sent by my haÌ„de One of you therefore shal dygge in the bealy of an other and you shall be consumed with the sworde of my furie Lo I wyll sende fishers whiche shall fâ—she after you by the sea and hunters whiche shall hunte you in euery hyll mountayne and cragy rocke For myne eyes are vpon your wayes and shortly I wyll sende my spirites whiche I haue created for a vengeaunce the fyre the stormy hayle famyne death the teeth of beastes serpentes and the sworde whiche beinge readie in my wrathfull displeasure do torment all thynges at my commaundemente and especially death bloude debate oppression tiranny and the sworde are create for the wicked and therwyth I beate downe myne enemies be they neuer so proude I the Lorde do create all these thynges that my name maye be terrible vnto the heathen and my power knowne thorowout the earth I demaunde of you O Byshoppes of my flocke I wyll aske you stande vp and gyue me answere of your wayes Is there any of your newe founde Goddes that can gyue you rayne or that can saue them selues from the tiranny if neede require Is there any of these Goddes that can saue hym selfe and his worshyppers furth of my hande when I sende fyre and the sworde vpon them Yea tell me thys rather Hath either you or your parentes founde any wyckednesse in me that you are departed from me and folowe vanities