soeuer we loose here is nothing excepted And an other text lay they of Christ in y e last of Mathew All power is geuen to me sayth Christ in heauen and in earth go therfore and preach c. Preachyng leaueth the Pope out and sayth loe all power is geuen me in heauen in earth And thereupon taketh vpon him temporall power aboue kyng and Emperour maketh lawes and byndeth them And like power taketh he ouer gods lawes and dispenseth with them at his lust makyng no sinne of that whiche God maketh sinne maketh sinne where God maketh none yea wypeth out Gods lawes cleane and maketh at his pleasure with him is lawful what he lusteth He bindeth where God looseth looseth where God bindeth He blesseth where GOD curseth and curseth where God blesseth He taketh authoritie also to bynde loose in Purgatory That permit I vnto him for it is a creature of his owne makyng He also byndeth the aungels For we read of Popes that haue commaūded the aungels to fet diuers out of Purgatory Howbeit I am not yet certified whether they obeyed or no. Vnderstand therrfore that to bynde and to loose is to preach the lawe of God and the Gospell or promises as thou mayst see in the third chapter of the second epistle to the Corinthians Where Paule calleth the preaching of the law the ministration of death and damnation and the preaching of the promises then ministring of the spirite and of righteousnes For when the law is preached all men are found sinners and therefore damned and when the Gospell glad tydinges are preached then are all that repent and beleue founde righteous in Christ And so expounde it all the olde doctours Saint Hierome sayth vpon this text whatsoeuer thou bindest the Bishops and Priestes sayth he for lacke of vnderstanding take a litle presumption of the Phareseis vpon thē And thinke that they haue authoritie to bynde innocentes and to loose the wicked which thing our Pope and Byshops doe For they say the curse is to be feared be it right or wrōg Though thou haue not deserued yet if y e Pope curse thee thou art in perill of thy soule as they lie yea and though he be neuer fo wrongfully cursed he must be fayne to buy absolution But Saint Hierome sayth as y e Priest of the olde law made the lepers cleane or vncleane so byndeth and vnbyndeth the Priest of the new law The Priest there made no man a leper neither clensed any mā but God and the Priest iudged onely by Moyses law who was cleane who was vncleane whē they were brought vnto hym So here we haue the law of God to iudge what is sinne and what is not and who is bounde and who is not Moreouer if any man haue sinned yet if he repent and beleue the promise we are sure by Gods word that he is loosed forgeuen in Christ Other authoritie then this wise to preach haue the Priests not Christes Apostles had no other thē selues as it appeareth thoroughout all the new testamēt Therfore it is manifest that they haue not Saint Paule sayth i. Corinth xv When we say all thinges are vnder Christ he is to be excepted that put all vnder hym God the father is not vnder Christ but aboue Christ and Christes head i. Corinth vi Christ sayth Iohn xij I haue not spoken of myne owne head but my father which sent me gaue a commaundement what I should say and what I should speake What soeuer I speake therefore euen as my father bad me so I speake If Christ had a law what he should doe how happeneth it that the Pope so runneth at large lawlesse Though that all power were geuen vnto Christ in heauen and in earth Yet had he no power ouer his father nor yet to raigne temporally ouer temporall Princes but a commaundemēt to obey them How hath the Pope thē such temporall authoritie ouer king Emperour How hath he authoritie aboue Gods lawes and to cōmaunde the Angels the saintes and God himselfe Christes authoritie which he gaue to his Disciples was to preach the lawe and to bring sinners to repentaunce and then to preach vnto them the promises which the father had made vnto all men for his sake And the same to preach onely sent he his Apostles As a kyng sendeth forth his Iudges and geueth them his authoritie saying What ye doe that doe I. I geue you my full power Yet meaneth he not by that full power that they should destroy any towne or Citie or oppresse any mā or doe what they list or should raigne ouer the Lordes and Dukes of his Realme and ouer hys owne selfe But geueth them a lawe with them authoritie to bynde and loose as farforth as the law stretcheth and maketh mention that is to punishe the euill that doe wrong and to auenge y e poore that suffer wrong And so farre as the law stretcheth will the king defend his Iudge agaynst all men And as the tēporall iudges binde loose temporally so doe the pristes spiritually and no other wayes How be it by falshod and subtiltie the Pope reigneth vnder Christ as Cardinals and Byshops do vnder kinges lawlesse THe Pope say they absolueth or looseth a poena et culpa that is from the faulte or trespasse and from the payne due vnto the trespasse God if a man repent forgeueth the offence onely and not the paine also say they saue turneth the euerlasting payne vnto a temporall payne And appointeth seuē yeares in purgatory for euery deadly sinne But the Pope for money forgeueth both and hath more power thē God and is more mercifull thē God This doe I saith the Pope of my full power and of y e treasure of the Church of deseruinges of martyrs cōfessours and mērites of Christ First the merites of the Saintes did not saue themselues but were saued by Christes merites onely Secondarily God hath promised Christes merites vnto all that repent so that whosoeuer repenteth is immediatly heire of all Christes merites and beloued of God as Christ is How thē came this foule monster to be Lord ouer Christes merites so that he hath power to sell that which God geueth freely O dreamers yea O deuils and O venimous scorpians what poyson haue ye in your tayles O pestilēt leauen that so turneth the sweete bread of Christes doctrine into the bitternesse of gall The Friers runne in the same spirite and teach saying do good deedes and redeeme the paines y ◠abide you in purgatory yea geue vs somewhat to doe good workes for you And thus is sinne become the profitablest marchaundise in the worlde O the cruell wrath of God vpō vs because we loue not the truth For this is the damnation iudgement of God to send a false Prophet vnto him that wil not heare the truth I know you saith Christ
bynde vpon earth shall be bounde in heauen see frendes these be not our wordes but our master Christes And they shall do myracies in Christes name therto to confirme the false doctrine which they preach in his name O fearefull and terrible iudgement of almighty God and senteÌ„ce of extreme rigorousnes vpon all that loue not the truth when it is preached them that God to aduenge himselfe of their vnkyndnesse shall sende them so strong delusions that doctrine should be preached vnto them in the name of Christ and made seeme to follow out of hys wordes and be confirmed with myracies done in calling vpon the name of Christ to hardeÌ„ their harts in the faith of lyes according to the prophesie of Paule to the Thessalonians in the second Epistle An other of their sheepes coates is that they shall in euery sermon preach mightely agaynst the Scribes Phariseyes against Faustus and Pelagian with such like hereticks which yet neuer preached other doctrine then they themselues do And more of their clothing is they shall preach that Christ preached almost prayer and fasting and professe obedience pouertie and chastitie workes that our Sauiour Christ both preached and did Finally they be holy church and cannot erre But they be within rauening wolnes They preach to other steale not yet they themselues robbe God of hys honour and take from him the prayse and profite of all their doctrine and of all their workes They robbe y t lawe of God of her mighty power wherewith she driueth all men to Christ and make her so weake that the feble free will of man is not able to wrestle with her without calling to Christ for help They haue robbed Christ of all hys merites and clothed themselues therewith They haue robbed the soule of man of the bread of her life the fayth and trust in Christes bloud and haue fedde her with the shales and coddes of the hope in their merites and confidence in their good workes They haue robbed the workes coÌ„maunded by God of the entent purpose that they were ordeined for And with their obedience they haue drawen themselues from vnder the obedience of all Princes and temporall lawes with their pouertie they haue robbed all nations and kyngdomes and so with their wilfull pouertie haue enriched themselues and haue made the commons poore with their chastitie they haue filled all the worlde full of whores and sodomites thinking to please God more highly with keeping of an whore then an honest chast wife If they say it is not truth then all the worlde knoweth they lye for if a priest mary an honest wife they punishe hym immediatly and say he is an hainous hereticke as though matrimony were abhominable But if he keepe a whore then is he a good chast childe of their holy father the Pope whose ensample they follow and I warrant hym sing Masse on the next day after as well as he did before without eyther persecution or excommunication such are the lawes of their vnchast I would say their owne chast father If thou professe obedience why ruÌ„nest thou from father mother maister and ruler which God biddeth thee to obey to be a Fryer If thou obey why obeyest thou not the king and his law by whom God defendeth thee both in lyfe and goodes and all thy great possessions If thou professe pouertie what doest thou with the landes of Gentlemen Squyres Knightes Barons Erles and Dukes What shoulde a Lordes brother be a beggers seruauÌ„t or what should a begger ride with thre or foure score horses wayting on hym Is it meete that a man of noble byrth and y â— right heyre of the landes which thou possessest should be thyne horsekeeper thou being a begger If ye professe chastitie why desire ye aboue all other men the company of women What do ye with whores openly in many countreyes and wyth secrete dispensations to keepe Concubines Why corrupt ye so much other mens wiues and why be there so many sodomites among you Your charitie is mercilesse to the rest of the world to whom ye may geue nought agayne and onely liberall to your selues as is y e charitie of theues thirty or fourty of you together in one denne among which yet are not many that loue three of his neighbours hartely Your fasting maketh you as full and as fat as your hydes can holde beside that ye haue a dispensation of your holy father for your fasting Your prayer is but pattering without all affection your singing is but roaring to stretch out your mawes as do your othee gestures and rising at midnight to make the meate sinke to the bottome of the stomacke that he may haue perfect digestion and be ready to deuour a freshe against the next refection Ye shal know them by their fruites First thornes beare no grapes nor bryers figges Also if thou see goodly blossomes in them and thinkest there to haue figges grapes or any fruit for the sustenaunce or comfort of man goe to theÌ„ in time of neede and thou shalt finde nought at all Thou shalt finde forsouth I haue no goodes nor any thing proper or that is myne owne It is the couentes I were a theefe if I gaue it my father whatsoeuer neede he had It is Saint Edmundes patrimony Saint Albons patrimony S. Edwardes patrimony the goodes of holy church it may not be minished nor occupied vpon laye and prophane vses The king of the realme for all that he defendeth them aboue al other yet getteth he nought what neede so euer he haue saue then onely when he must spend on their causes aâ— that they geue with all that he can get beside of his poore commons If the king will attempt to take ought from them by the aucthoritie of his office for the defence of the realme Or if any man wil entreat them other wise then they lust themselues by what law or right it be they turne to thornes and bryers and waxe atonce rougher then a hedgehogge and will sprinkle them wyth the holy water of their malidictions as thicke as hayle and breath out the lightening of excommunication vpon them and so consume them to pouder Moreouer a corrupt tree can beare no good fruite That is where they haue fruite that semeth to be good goe to and proue it and thou shalt finde it rotten or the karnell eaten out and that it is but as a hollow â—â—tâ— For fayth in Christ that we and all our workes done within the compasse of the lawe of God be accepted to God for his sake is the kernell the sweetenesse and the pleasaunt beutie of al our workes in the sight of God As it is written Ioh. vi this is the worke of God that ye beleue in him whom he hath sent This faith is a worke which God not onely worketh in vs but also hath therein pleasure and delectatioÌ„ and in all other for that faithes sake Faith is
to light that it can no lōger be hid get thē vnto the elders of the people the Lordes gentlemen and temporall officers and to all that loue this worlde as they do and vnto whosoeuer is great wyth the kyng and vnto the kyngs grace himselfe and after the same ensample and wyth the same perswasions cast them into like feare of losing of their worldly dominions and rore vnto them saying ye be negligent and care nothing ot all but haue a good sport that the heretickes rayle on vs. But geue thē space a while till they be growen vnto a multitude and then ye shall see them preach as fast against you and moue the people agaynst you and do their beste to thruste you downe also and shall cry hauocke and make all common O generation of serpentes how well declare ye that ye be the right sonnes of the father of all lyes For they which ye call heretickes preach nothing saue that which our Sauiour Iesus Christ preached and his Apostles adding nought therto nor plucking ought therfro as the Scripture commaundeth and teach all men repentaunce to God and his holy lawe and fayth vnto our Sauiour Iesus Christ and the promises of mercy made in hym and obedience vnto all that God commaundeth to obey Neyther teach we so much as to resiste your most cruell tyranny with bodely violence saue wyth Gods worde onely entending nothing but to driue you out of the temple of Christ the harts consciences and soules of mē wherein with your falshead ye sit and to restore agayne Iesus our Sauiour vnto his possession and inheritaunce bought with his bloude whence ye haue driuen him out with your manifolde wyles and subtiltie Take heede therefore wicked Prelates blynde leaders of the blynde indurat and obstinate hypocrites take heede For if the Phariseis for their resisting the holy Ghost that is to say persecuting the open and manifest truth and sleying the preachers therof escaped not the wrath vengeaunce of god how shall ye scape which are farre worse thē the Phariseis For though the Phariseis had shut vp the Scripture and set vp theyr owne professions yet they kept theyr owne professions for the most part But ye will be the chiefest in Christes flocke and yet wyll not keepe one iot of the right way of his doctrine Ye haue therto set vp wonderfull professions to be more holy therby thē ye thinke that Christes doctrine is able to make you and yet keepe as little thereof except it be with dispensations in so much that if a man aske you what your maruelous fashioned playing coates and your other popatrye meane and what your disfigured heades all your Apishplay meane ye know not and yet are they but signes of thinges which ye haue professed Thyrdly ye will be Papistes and holde of the Pope and yet looke in the Popes lawe and ye keepe thereof almost nought at all but whatsoeuer soundeth to make for your bellyes and to maintaine your honour whether in the Scripture or in your owne traditions or in the Popes lawe that ye compell the laye people to obserue violently threatening them with your excommunications and cursses that they shal be damned both body and soule if they keepe them not And if that helpe you not then ye murther them mercilesly with the sworde of the temporall powers whom ye haue made so blinde that they be ready to sley whom ye cōmaūde and will not yet heare his cause examined nor geue him roome to aunswere for himselse And ye elders of the people feare ye God also For as the elders of the Iewes which were partakers with the Scribes and Phariseis in resisting the holy Ghost and in persecuting the open truth and sleying the witnesses therof and in prouoking the wrath of God had their parte with them also in the day of wrath and sharpe vengeaunce which shortly after fell vppon them as the nature of the sinne against the holy Ghost is haue her damnation not onely in the worlde to come but also in this life according vnto all the ensamples of the Bible and autenticke stories since the worlde beganne euen likewise ye if ye will wincke in so open cleare light and let your selues be led blyndfold and haue your part with the hypocrites in lyke sinne and mischief be sure ye shall haue your part with them in lyke wrath and vengeance that is like shortly to fall vpon them And concernyng that the hypocrites put you in feare of the rising of your commons agaynst you I aunswere if ye feare your cōmōs so testifie ye agaynst your selues that ye are tyrauntes For if your consciences accused you not of euill doyng what neede ye to feare your commons What commons was euer so euil that they rose against their heads for well doyng Moreouer ye witnesse agaynst your selues also that ye haue no trust in God For he hath promised the temporall officers assistence if they minister their offices truly and to care for the keepyng of thē as much as they care for to kepe his lawes The hypocrites happly byd you take an example of the Vplanoish people of Almany which they lye that Martin Luther styrred vp For first what one sentence in all the writyng of Martin Luther finde they that teacheth a mā to resist his superiour Moreouer if Martin Luther and the preachers had styrred vp the common people of Germany how happened it that Martin Luther other like preachers had not perished likewise with them whiche are yet all alyue at this houre Ye will aske me who styrred thē vp them I aske you Who styrred vp the commōs of the Iewes to resiste the Emperour after that the Scribes and Phariseis with the Elders of the people had slayne Christ his Apostles Verely the wrath of God And euen so here the wrath of God styrred them vp partly to destroy the enemyes and persecutours of the truth and partly to take vengeaunce on those carnall beastes whiche abused the Gospell of Christ to make a cloke of it to defend their fleshly libertie and not to obey it and to saue their soules therby If Kynges Lordes and great men therfore feare the losse of this worlde Let them feare God also For in fearyng God shall they prolong their dayes vpon the earth and not with sightyng agaynst God The earth is Gods onely his fauour and mercy doth prolong the dayes of kynges in their estate not their owne power and might And let all men be they neuer so great hearkē vnto this and let this be an aunswere vnto them Wicked kyng Achab sayd vnto the Prophet Elias Art thou he that troublest Israell And Elias aūswered it is not I that trouble Israell but thou and thy fathers houshold in that ye haue forsaken the commaundementes of the Lord and folow Idoles Euen so the preachers of the truth which rebuke sinne are not the troublers of
haue charitie but y e iustified mā hée is a frée seruaunt vnto God for the loue y e hée hath vnto him The which loue séeketh not in God his owne profit nor his owne aduaūtage for then were hée wicked but séeketh alonely the wyll of God and the profite of other men and worketh neyther for loue of heauen nor yet for feare of hell For hée knoweth well that heauen wyth all the ioyes thereof is prepared from the begynnyng of the world not by hym but by hys father And it must néedes folow as contrariwyse the Infidell and the wicked man doth not worke hys wicked déedes because hée woulde haue hell or euerlasting dampnation to hys rewarde but hée woulde rather the contrary Notwithstandyng hell and euerlasting dampnation must néedes follow his wicked déedes Finally a righteous man is a frée seruaunt of Gods and worketh not as an hyerelyng For if it were possible that there were no heauen yet woulde hée doe no lesse good for his respecte is to the maker of the worlde and the Lord of all rewardes There is also an other argument and that is thys Fayth is a worke but workes doth not iustifie Ergo fayth doth not iustifie Aunswere Truth it is that we doe not meane how that fayth for his owne dignitie and for hys owne perfection doth iustifie vs. But the Scripture doth say that fayth alonely iustifieth because that it is that thyng alonely whereby I doe hange of Christe And by my faith alonely am I partaker of y e merites and mercy purchased by Christes bloude and fayth it is alonely that receaue the promyses made in Christ Wherefore wée say with blessed S. Paule that fayth onely iustifieth imputatiue that is all y e merites and goodnes grace and fauour and all that is in Christ to our saluation is imputed and reckoned vnto vs because wée hange and beléeue of hym and hée can deceaue no man that doth beléeue in hym And our iustice is not as the schoole men teacheth a formal iustice which is by fulfillyng of the lawe deserued of vs for then our iustification were not of grace and of mercy but of deseruing and of duty But it is a iustice that is reckened imputed vnto vs for y e fayth in Christ Iesus and it is not of our deseruyng but clearely and fully of mercy imputed vnto vs. Now most honorable gracious Prince I haue declared vnto your highnes what faith it is that doth iustifie vs before God and also brought for my sentēce not alonely the blessed word of God the which were sufficient in this cause but the exposition of holy Doctours that your grace might sée that I am not moued to this opinion of a light cause nor that this doctrine of myne is so new as men hath noted it Moreouer I haue declared vnto your grace how that I woulde haue good workes done would not haue a Christen mans life to bée an idle thyng or els a life of vncleannes but I would haue them to bée chaunged into all vertue and goodnes and to liue in good workes after the commaundement will of God So that your grace may well perceiue that myne aduersaries hath not reported truely on me when they haue sayd how that I would that men should neither fast nor pray nor geue almes nor yet bée penitent for their sinnes I haue neuer sayd it nor yet taught no lyke sentence I take God to recorde my workes and my déedes and all my writynges that euer I wrote or made Wherfore I doubt not if it please your grace graciously to here me but that I wil proue them vntrue in this cause many other mo This doth almighty God know to bée true Who euer preserue your moste royall maiestie in honour and goodnes Amen What the Church is and who bee therof and whereby men may know her THe name of the holy church haue those mē of long tyme vsurped presumptuouslye and w t out all shame they were the greatest enemyes that holy church could haue in earth For they did no more agrée w t the maners of holy church then darknes and light then God and y t deuyll For where holy church hard no man but Christ onely They would heare all manner of men sauing Christ and neuer heare him except it weare to to their profit or glory Where as holy church was ruled in this world they would rule all the world where as holy church would bée holy by Christ onely they would bée holy by their owne helpe And where as holy church was allwayes despised and persecuted of the world They would bée honored of y t world and persecuters of all men And where as holy church was inwardly decked with spiritual vertues they would bée outwardly shinyng in spirituall araye And where as holy church would bée chaste in spryte they would with their mouthes vow chastite and spend all their liues in whore dome And where as holy church dyd allwayes shew méekenes in the worlde they would bée so proude y t hart could deuise no more Breifely whatsoeuer thing y e was agreable with the church of that had they neuer a crumme but allonely by violence vsurped the name of holy church So that if a man had had a crowne or a long goune and a white smock ouer his gowne thē was there no remedy but hée must nedes bée of the church yea and holy church her self So y e if a Barber had made a Bul a crowne a Taylor Iack napes a lōg gowne brought an Asse forth in a white rochet thē no mā might dout but y e there were holy church euerye man must fall downe to receyue clene remission a poena and a oulpa toties quoties for there came the successours of Peter Paule and they that haue the despensatiō of Christes bloud and the merites of holy saints and y e suffrages of holy church to distribute and the key bearers of heauē and hell Who can denye but this is truth It is to opē to néede an probation for wee sée it dayly before our eyes So that if a man will compare our M Christ y t is y e very head of holy church vnto these Prelates that call them selues his viccars hée shall finde but smale agréement betwéene the person and the vicar and hée that will consider S. Peter and S. Paule withall other Apostels shall think that eyther they were none of holy Church or els our prelals for they agrée in nothing Yea hée may reckē that S. Peter S. Paule were starke fooles ryght mad men that liued so despectuous a lyfe What néede me to make many wordes or to tell their names that I speake of There is no doubt but that galde horse will béewray hym selfe But shortly if the deuyll would come in his owne person disguised tell me how it were impossible that hée could bée more contrary to Christ and hys apostels
DIEV ET MON DRIOT ¶ THE WHOLE workes of W. Tyndall Iohn Frith and Doct. Barnes three worthy Martyrs and principall teachers of this Churche of England collected and compiled in one Tome togither beyng before scattered now in Print here exhibited to the Church To the prayse of God and profite of all good Christian Readers Mortui resurgent AT LONDON Printed by Iohn Daye and are to be sold at his shop vnder Aldersgate An. 1573. ¶ Cum gratia Priuilegio Regiae Maiestatis ARISE FOR IT IS DAY A Table of the seuerall Treatises conteyned in M. William Tyndals workes A Preface to the Christian Reader The lyfe of Wylliam Tyndall A protestation of the state of the soules departed A preface that he made before the v. bookes of Moses A prologue shewyng the vse of the Scripture Seuerall prologues that he made to the v. bookes of Moses fol. 2. 7. 11. 15. 21. Certaine harde wordes expounded by him in the fyrst second and fourth booke of Moses fol. 5. 10. 16. A prologue vpon the Prophet Ionas 23. Prologues vpon the iiij Euangelistes 32. Prologues vpon the Epistles of S. Paule 39. Prologues vpon the Epistles of S. Peter 54. Prologues vpon the iij. Epistles of S. Iohn 55. The parable of the wicked Mammon 59. The obedience of a Christian man and how Christian rulers ought to gouerne 97. An exposition vpon the v. vj. vij chapters of S. Ma. thewes Gospell 184. An answere to Syr Thomas Mores dialogues 244 The practise of popishe Prelates 340. A pathway into the holy Scripture 377. The exposition vpon the first Epistle of S. Iohn 387. The exposition vpon M. William Tracies will 429. A fruitfull treatise vpon signes Sacraments 436. Two notable letters that he sent vnto Iohn Frith 453. The Supper of the Lord wherein is confuted the letter of M. More sent vnto Iohn Frith supposed to be written by Tyndall 457. ¶ The Epistle or Preface to the Christian Reader AS we haue great cause to geeue thankes to the high prouidence of almighty God for the excellent arte of Printing most happely of late found out and now commonly practised euery where to the singular benefite of Christes Church wherby great increase of learnyng and knowledge with innumerable commodities els haue ensued and dayly doe ensue to the lyfe of man and especially to the fartheraunce of true Religion so agayne of our parte it is both of vs all in generall to be wished and especially of them to be procured who occupie the trade therof rightly to vse the same to the glory of hym which gaue it and to the ende wherefore it was ordayned and not to abuse vnworthely that worthy facultie eyther in thrusting into the worlde euery vnworthy trifle that commeth to hand or hauing respecte more to their owne priuate gayne then regarde to the publike edifiyng of Christes Church or necessary preferment of Religion For therefore I suppose this science of Printing first to be set vp and sent of God to mans vse not so much for temporall commoditie to be taken or mans glory to be sought thereby but rather for the spirituall and inwarde supportation of soulehealth helpe of Religion restoring of true doctrine repayring of Christes Church and repressing of corrupt abuses which had heretofore ouerdarckened the doctrine of fayth to reuiue agayne the lost lyght of knowledge to these blynde tymes by renuing of holsome and auncient writers whose doinges and teachinges otherwise had lyen in obliuion had not the benefite of Printing brought them agayne to light or vs rather to light by them Wherfore such Printers in my mynde are not to be defrauded of their due commendation who in pretermitting other light triflyng pamflets of matter vnneedful and impertinent little seruing to purpose lesse to necessitie doe employe their endeuour and workemanship chiefly to restore such fruitfull workes and monumentes of auncient writers and blessed Martyrs who as by their godly lyfe and constant death gaue testimonie to the trueth in tyme wherein they suffered so by their doctrine and learning geeue now no lesse lyght to all ages and posteritie after them In the number of whome may rightly be accompted and no lesse recommended to the studious Christen Reader these three learned fathers of blessed memory whom the Printer of this booke hath diligently collected in one volume togither inclosed the workes I meane of William Tyndall Iohn Frith and Robart Barnes chiefe ryngleaders in these latter tymes of thys Church of England Wherein as we haue much to prayse God for such good bookes left to the Church and also for such Printers in preseruing by their industrie and charges such bookes from perishing so haue I to exhorte all studious readers wyth lyke diligence to embrace the benefite of God offered and seriously to occupie them selues in markyng and folowing both the valiaunt actes and excellent wrytinges of the sayd godly persons Concernyng the prayse whereof I shall not neede in thys place to bestow much commendation because neither is it the prayse of men but profite of the godly that they doe seeke nor yet the contempt of the vngodly that they doe feare Moreouer what is to be sayde or thought of them rather by their owne workes then by other mens wordes by readyng their bookes then by my preface is to be seene In perusing whereof thou shalt fynde gentle Reader whether thou bee ignoraunt what to learne or whether thou be learned what to folowe and what to sticke to Briefly whatsoeuer thou art if thou be yong of Iohn Frith if thou be in middle age of W. Tyndall if in elder yeares of D. Barnes matter is here to be founde not onely of doctrine to enforme thee of comfort to delyte thee of godly ensample to directe thee but also of speciall admiration to make thee to wonder at the workes of the Lord so mightely workyng in these men so oportunely in stirryng them vp so graciously in assisting them Albeit diuers other also besides these I say not nay as well before them as after through the secrete operation of Gods mighty prouidence haue beene raysed vp both famous in learnyng florishyng in witte and stout in zeale who labouryng in the same cause haue no lesse valiantly and doughtely stoode in the like defence of Christes true Religion agaynst blynde errour pestilent superstition and perillous hypocrisie namely agaynst the Arche enemye of Christ and hys flocke the Byshop I meane of Rome with hys tyrannicall seate as namely here in England Iohn Wicklyffe Rigge Aston Swynderby W. Thorpe Walter Brute L. Cobham wyth the residue of that former age And also after them many other moe freshe wittes faythfull preachers and learned writers haue sprong vp by the Lord of hoastes to furnishe hys fielde Briefly no age nor tyme hath euerlacked some or other styll bayting at the beast but especially nowe in these our present dayes such plenty yea whole armyes the Lord hath powred vppon hys Church of heauenly souldiours who not
onely in number exceedyng but in knowledge also excellyng both by preaching and Printing doe so garnishe the Church in euery respecte that it may seeme and so peraduenture wil be thought this time of ours to stand now in little neede of such bookes and momumentes as these of former antiquitie yet notwithstandyng I am not of that mynde so to thinke For albeit increasing of learning of tonges and sciences wyth quicknes of wit in youth and other doth maruailously shut vp as is to be seene to the sufficient furnishyng of Christes Church yet so it happeneth I can not tell how the farther I looke backe into those former tymes of Tyndall Frith and others lyke more simplicitie wyth true zeale and humble modestie I see wyth lesse corruption of affections in them and yet wyth these dayes of ours I finde no fault As by reading and conferring their workes togither may eftsoones appeare In opening the Scriptures what trueth what soundnes can a man require more or what more is to be sayd then is to be founde in Tyndall In his Prologues vppon the fiue bookes of Moses vppon Ionas vppon the Gospelles and Epistles of S. Paule namely to the Romaines how perfectly doth he hit the right sence and true meaning in euery thing In his obedience how fruitfully teacheth he euery person his dutie In his expositions and vppon the parable of the wicked Mammon how pithely doth he perswade how grauely doth he exhort how louingly doth he comforte simply without ostentation vehement without contention Which two faultes as they cōmonly are wont to folow the most part of writers so how farre the same were from him and he from them his replies and aunsweres to Syr Thomas More doe well declare in doctrine sound in hart humble in life vnrebukeable in disputation modest in rebuking charitable in trueth feruent and yet no lesse prudent in dispensing with the same and bearyng with time and with weakenes of men as much as he might sauing onely where mere necessitie constrayned hym otherwise to doe for defence of trueth against wilfull blyndnes and subtile hypocrisie as in the Practise of Prelates is notorious to be seene Briefly such was his modestie zeale charitie and painefull trauaile that he neuer sought for any thing lesse then for hymselfe for nothyng more then for Christes glory and edification of other for whose cause not onely he bestowed his labours but hys life and bloud also Wherfore not vnrightly he might be then as he is yet cauled the Apostle of England as Paule cauleth Epaphroditus the Apostle of the Philippians for his singular care and affection toward them For as the Apostles in the primatiue age first planted the Church in trueth of the Gospell so the same trueth beyng agayne defaced and decayed by enemies in thys our latter tyme there was none that trauayled more earnestly in restoring of the same in this Realme of England then dyd William Tyndall With which William Tyndall no lesse may be adioyned also Iohn Frith and D. Barnes both for that they togither with him in one cause and about one tyme sustayned the first brunt in this our latter age and gaue the first onset agaynst the enemies as also for the speciall giftes of fruitfull erudition and plentifull knowledge wrought in them by God and so by them left vnto vs in their writinges Wherfore accordyng to our promise in the booke of Actes and Monumentes wee thought good herein to spend a litle diligence in collecting and setting abroad their bookes togither so many as could be founde to remaine as perpetuall Lāpes shyning in the Church of Christ to geeue lyght to all posteritie And although the Printer herein taking great paynes coulde not paraduenture come by all howbeit I trust there lacke not many yet the Lord be thanked for those which he hath gotte and here published vnto vs. And woulde God the like diligence had beene vsed of our auncient forelders in the tyme of Wickliffe Puruey Clerke Brute Thorpe Husse Hierome and such other in searching and collecting their workes and writings No doubt but many thinges had remayned in lyght which now be lefte in obliuion But by reason the Arte of Printing was not yet inuented their worthy bookes were the sooner abolyshed Such was then the wickednes of those dayes and the practise of those Prelates then so craftie that no good booke coulde appeare though it were the Scripture it selfe in Englyshe but it was restrayned and so consumed Whereby ignoraunce and blyndnes so preuayled amonge the people tyll at the last it so pleased the goodnes of our God to prouide a remedy for that mischiefe by multiplying good bookes by the Printers penne in such sort as no earthly power was able after that though they did their best to stoppe the course thereof were he neuer so myghtie and all for the fartheraunce of Christes Church Wherefore receaue gracious Reader the Bookes here collected and offered to thy hand and thanke God thou hast them and reade them whilest thou mayst while time life and memory serueth thee In reading wherof the Lord graunt thou mayst receaue no lesse fruit by them then the harty desire of the setter forth is to wishe well vnto thee And the same Lord also graunt I beseech him that this my exhortation wishe so may worke in all that not onely the good but the enemies also which be not yet wonne to the worde of trueth setting aside all partialitie and preiudice of opinion woulde with indifferent iudgementes bestow some reading and hearyng likewise of these to taste what they doe teach to vewe their reasons and to trye their spirite to marke the expositions of Tyndall the argumentes of Frith the Articles and allegations of Barnes Which if they shall finde agreable to the tyme and antiquitie of the Apostles doctrine and touchstone of Gods worde to vse them to their instruction If not then to myslike them as they finde cause after they haue first tryed them and not before And thus not to deteine thee with longer processe from the reading of better matter I referre and commende thee and thy studies gentle reader with my harty wishe and prayer to the grace of Christ Iesu and direction of hys holy spirite desiryng thee lykewyse to doe the same for mee Iohn Foxe The Martyrdome and burning of William Tyndall in Brabant by Filford Castell Lord opē the K. of Englāds eyes Here foloweth the historie and discourse of the lyfe of William Tyndall out of the booke of Actes and Monumentes Briefly extracted FOr somuch as the lyfe of W. Tyndall author of this treatise immediately folowing is sufficiently at large discoursed in the booke of Actes and Monumentes by reason whereof we shall not néede greatly to intermedle with any new repetition therof yet notwithstanding because as we haue takē in hand to collect and set forth his whole workes togither so we thought it not vnconuenient to collecte likewise some briefe notes concerning the order of his
it impossible that thou shouldest loue Gods commaundementes If thou loue not the commaundementes so is Christes spirite not in thee which is the earnest of forgeuenesse of sinne and of saluation For Scripture teacheth first repentaunce then fayth in Christ that for his sake sinne is forgeuen to them that repent then good workes whiche are nothyng saue the comaundement of God onely And the commaūdements are nothyng elles saue the helpyng of our neighbours at their nede and the tamyng of our members that they might be pure also as the hart is pure thorough hate of vice and loue of vertue as Gods word teacheth vs which workes must procede out of the fayth that is I must doe them for the loue which I haue God for that great mercy which he hath shewed me in Christ or elles I do them not in the sight of God And that I fainte not in y t payne of the slaying of the sinne that is in my flesh myne helpe is the promise of the assistance of the power of God and the comforte of the reward to come which reward I ascribe vnto the goodnesse mercy and truth of the promiser that hath chosē me called me taught me geuen me the ernest therof not vnto the merites of my doynges or sufferynges For all that I do and suffer is but the way to the reward and not the deseruyng thereof As if the kynges grace shoulde promise to defende mee at home in myne owne realme yet the way thether is thoroughe the Sea wherin I might happely suffer no litle trouble And yet for all that if I might lyue in rest when I come thether I would thinke and so would other say that my paynes were well rewarded which reward benefit I would not proudly ascribe vnto the merites of my paynes takyng by the waye but vnto the goodnesse mercyfulnesse and constant truth of the kynges grace whose gifte it is and to whō the prayse and thanke thereof belongeth of duety and right So now a reward is a gift geuen freely of the goodnesse of the geuer and not of the deseruynges of the receauer Thus it appeareth that if I vowe what soeuer it be for any other purpose thē to tame my members and to be an ensample of vertue and edifying vnto my neighbour my sacrifice is vnsauery and cleane without salt my lampe without oyle and I one of the foolishe virgines and shal be shut from y t feast of the bridegrome whē I thinke my selfe most sure to enter in If I vow voluntary pouertie this must be my purpose that I will be cōtent with a competent liuyng whiche commeth vnto me either by succession of myne elders or whiche I get truly with my labour in ministryng doyng seruice vnto the common wealth in one office or in an other or in one occupatiō or other because that riches and honor shall not corrupt my mind and draw myne hart from God and to geue an example of vertue and edifying vnto other and that my neighbour may haue a liuyng by me as wel as I if I make a cloke of dissimulation of my vow laying a net of fayned beggery to catch superfluous aboundaunce of riches and hye degree and authoritie and thorough the estimatiō of false holynesse to feede maintaine my slouthful idlenes with the sweate labour landes and rentes of other mē after the example of our spiritualtie robbyng them of their faythes God of his honour turnyng vnto myne hypocrisie that confidence which should be geuen vnto the promises of GOD onely am I not a wily foxe and a rauenyng wolfe in a lambes skinne and a paynted sepulchre fayre without and filthy with in In like maner thoughe I seeke no worldly promotion thereby yet if I doe it to be iustified therewith and to get an hyer place in heauen thinkyng that I doe it of myne owne naturall strength and of the naturall power of my freewill and that euery man hath might euen so to do that they doe it not is their faulte and negligence so with the proude Pharisie in comparison of my selfe despise the sinnefull Publicanes what other thyng do I then eate the bloud and fat of my sacrifice deuouring that my self which should be offered vnto God alone and his Christ And shortly what soeuer a man doth of his naturall giftes of his naturall witte wisedom vnderstandyng reason will and good entēt before he be otherwise and cleane contrary taught of Gods spirite and haue receaued other witte vnderstandyng reason and will is fleshe worldly and wrought in abhominable blindnesse with whiche a man can but seeke him selfe his owne profite glory and honour euen in very spirituall matters As if I were alone in a wildernesse where no man were to seke profite or prayse of yet if I would seeke heauen of God there I could of myne owne naturall giftes seke it no other wayes then for the merites and deseruyngs of my good workes and to enter therin by an other way then by the dore Christe whiche were very theft for Christe is Lord ouer all and what soeuer any man will haue of God he muste haue it geuen hym freely for Christes sake Now to haue heauē for myne owne deseruyng is myne owne praise and not Christes For I can not haue it by fauour and grace in Christe and by myne owne merites also For free geuing deseruyng can not stand together If thou wilt vow of thy goods vnto God thou must put salt vnto thys sacrifice that is thou muste minister knowledge in this dede as Peter teacheth 2. Pet. 1. Thou must put oyle of Gods worde in thy Lampe and do it accordyng to knowledge if thou wait for the comming of the bridegrome to enter in with hym into his rest But thou peraduenture wilt hang it about the image to moue men to deuotion Deuotion is a feruent loue vnto gods commaundementes and a desire to be with God and with hys euerlastyng promises Now shall the sight of such riches as are shewed at S. Thomas shryne or at Walsingham moue a mā to loue the commaundements of god better and to desire to bee loosed from his flesh and to be with God or shall it not rather make his poore hart sigh because he hath no such at home and to wishe part of it in another place The priest shall haue it in Gods stead Shall the priest haue it If the Priest be bought with Christes bloude then he is Christes seruaūt not his owne and ought therefore to feede Christes flocke with Christes doctrine and to minister Christes Sacramentes vnto them purely for very loue and not for filthy lucres sake or to be Lorde ouer them as Peter teatheth 1. Pet. v. and Paul Acts. xx Beside this Christ is oures and is a gift geuen vs and we be heyres of Christ and of all that is Christes Wherefore the Priestes doctrine is oures and we heyres of it it
is forasmuch as faythe iustifieth and putteth away sinne in the sight of God bringeth lyfe health and the fauour of God maketh vs the heyres of God poureth the spirite of God into our soules and filleth vs with all godly fulnes in Christ it wer to great a shame rebuke and wronge vnto the fayth ye to christes bloud if a man would worke any thyng to purchase that wherwith fayth hath indued hym already and God hath geuen hym freely Euen as Christ had done rebuke and shame vnto hymselfe if he would haue done good workes and wrought to haue bene made thereby Gods sonne and heyre ouer all which thing he was alredy Now doth fayth make vs the sonnes or childrē of god Iohn 1. he gaue them might or power to be y t sonnes of God in that they beleued on his name If we be sonnes so are we also heires Roma viij and Gala. iiij How can or ought we then to worke for to purchase that inheritaunce withall whereof we are heyres already by fayth What shall we say thē to those scriptures whiche sound as though a man should do good workes and lyue well for heauens sake or eternall reward As these are make you frendes of the vnrighteous Mammon And Math. vij Gather you treasures together in heauen Also Math. xix If thou wilt enter into lyfe keepe the commaundementes and such like This say I that they whiche vnderstand not neither feele in their hartes what fayth meaneth talke and thinke of the reward euen as they do of the worke neither suppose they y t a man ought to worke but in a respect to the reward For they imagine that it is in the kyngdome of Christ as it is in the world among mē that they must deserue heauen with their good woorkes Howbeit their thoughtes are but dreames and false imaginations Of these men speaketh Malachias Chap. i. who is it among you that shutteth a doore for my pleasure for nought y t is without respect of reward These are seruauntes that seke gaynes and vauntage hyrelinges day labourers whiche here on earth receaue their rewardes as the Phariseis with their prayers and fastynges Math. v. But on this wise goeth it with heauen with euerlastyng lyfe and eternall reward likewise as good workes naturally folow fayth as it is aboue rehearsed so that thou nedest not to commaunde a true beleuer to worke or to compel him with any law for it is vnpossible that he should not worke he taryeth but for an occasion he is euer disposed of him selfe thou nedest but to put him in remembraunce and that to know the false fayth from the true Euen so naturally doth eternall lyfe folow faith and good liuing without sekyng for is impossible that it should not come though no mā thought there on Yet is it rehearsed in y ◠Scripture alledged and promised to know the difference betwene a false beleuer and a true beleuer and that euery man may know what foloweth good liuyng naturally and of it selfe without takyng thought for it Take a grosse ensample Hell that is euerlastyng death is threatned vnto sinners and yet foloweth it sinne naturally without sekyng for For no mā doth euill to be damned therfore but had rather auoyde it Yet there the one foloweth the other naturally though no man told or warned him of it yet should the sinner finde it and feele it Neuerthelesse it is therfore threatned that men may know what foloweth euill liuyng Now then as after euill liuyng foloweth his reward vnsought for euen so after good liuing foloweth his reward naturally vnsought for or vnthought vpon Euen as when thou drinkest wine be it good or bad the tast foloweth of it selfe thoughe thou therfore drinke it not Yet testifieth the Scripture and it is true that we are by inheritaunce heyres of damnation and that ere we be borne we are vessels of the wrath of God full of that poyson whence naturally all synnes spring and wherewith we can not but sinne which thyng the dedes that folow whē we behold our selues in the glasse of the law of God do declare vtter kill our consciences show vs what we were and wist not of it certifieth vs that we are heyres of damnatiō For if we were of God we should cleaue to God and lust after the wil of God But now our dedes compared to the law declare y ◠contrary by our dedes we see our selues both what we be and what our end shall be So now thou seest that lyfe eternall and all good thynges are promised vnto fayth and belefe so that he that beleueth on Christ shal be safe Christes bloud hath purchased life for vs hath made vs the heyres of god so that heauen commeth by Christes bloud If thou wouldest obtaine heauē with the merites and deseruinges of thine own woorkes so dyddest thou wrong yea and shamedest the bloud of Christ and vnto thee were Christ dead in vayne Now is the true beleuer heyre of God by Christes deseruynges yea and in Christ was predestinate and ordeined vnto eternall life before the world began And when the Gospel is preached vnto vs we beleue the mercy of God and in beleuyng we receaue the spirite of God which is the earnest of eternal lyfe and we are in eternal life already feele already in our hartes the swetnes therof and are ouercome with the kyndnes of God and Christ and therfore loue the will of God and of loue are ready to woorke freely and not to obtaine that which is geuen vs freely and whereof we are heyres already Now when Christ sayth Make you frendes of vnrighteous Mammon Gather you treasure together in heauen and such like Thou seest that the meanyng and entent is no other but that thou shouldest do good so will it folow of it selfe naturally without sekyng takyng of thought that thou shalt find frendes and treasure in heauē and receaue a reward So let thyne eye be single and looke vnto good lyuyng onely and take no thought for y t reward But be content For as much as thou knowest and art sure that the reward all thyng contained in gods promises folow good liuyng naturally and thy good workes do but testifie onely and certifie thee that the spirite of God is in thee whom thou hast receaued in earnest of Gods truth and that thou art heyre of all the goodnes of God and that all good thynges are thyne already purchased by Christes bloud and layd vp in store against that day when euery man shall receaue according to his dedes that is according as his dedes declare and testifie what he is or was For they that looke vnto the reward are slow false suttle and crafty workers and loue the reward more thē the worke yea hate the labour yea hate God which commaūdeth the labour and are wery both of the commaundement and also
wherewith y ◠hart is purified as fayth hope loue pacience long sufferyng and obedience could neuer be sene without outward experience For if thou were not brought sometime into combraunce whence God onely could deliuer thee thou shouldest neuer see thy fayth yea except thou foughtest sometyme agaynst desperation hell death sinne and powers of this worlde for thy faythe 's sake thou shouldest neuer know true fayth from a dreame Except thy brother now and then offended thee thou couldest not know whether thy loue were Godly For a Turke is not angre till he be hurt and offended but it thou loue him that doth thee euill then is thy loue of God likewise if thy rulers were alway kinde thou shouldest not know whether thyne obedience were pure or no but if thou canst paciently obeye euill rulers in all thyngs that is not to the dishonour of God and when thou hurtest not thy neighbours then art thou sure that Gods spirite worketh in thee and that thy fayth is no dreame nor any false imagination Therfore counceleth Paule Rom. xij recompense to no man euill And on your part haue peace with all men Dearely beloued auenge not your selues but geue rowme vnto the wrath of God For it is written vengeaunce is myne and I will reward sayth the Lord. Therfore if thy enemie hungre feede hym If he thurst geue hym drinke For in so doyng thou shalt heape coales of fire on his heed that is thou shalt kindle loue in him Be not ouercome of euil that is let not an other mans wickednesse make thee wicked also But ouercome euill with good that is with softenes kindnesse and all pacience winne him euen as God with kindnesse wonue thee THe law was geuē in thūder lightenyng fire smoke and the voyce of a trumpet and terrible sight Exod. xx So that the people quaked for feare and stode a farre of saying to Moyses Speake thou to vs and we wil heare let not the Lord speake vnto vs left we dye No eare if it be awaked and vnderstandeth the meanyng is able to abide the voice of the law except the promises of mercy be by That thunder except the rayne of mercy be ioyned with it destroyeth all and buildeth not The law is a witnesse agaynst vs and testifieth that God abhorreth the the sinnes that are in vs and vs for our sinnes sake In like maner when God gaue the people of Israell a kyng it thundred and rained that y ◠people feared so sore that they cryed to Samuell for to pray for them that they should not dye i. Reg. xij As the law is a terrible thing euen so is the kyng For he is ordeined to take vengeaunce and hath a sword in his hād and not pecockes feethers Feare him therfore and looke on hym as thou wouldest looke on a sharpe sword that hanged ouer thy head by an heare Heades and gouerners are ordeined of God and are euen the gifte of God whether they be good or bad And what soeuer is done vnto vs by them y t doth God be it good or bad If they be euill why are they euill verely for our wickednesse sake are they euill Because that whē they were good we would not receaue that goodnesse of the hand of God and be thankefull submitting our selues vnto his lawes and ordinaunces but abused the goodnesse of God vnto our sensuall beastly lustes Therefore doth God make hys scorge of them and turne them vnto wilde beastes cōtrary to the nature of their names and offices euen into Lyons Beares Foxes and vncleane Swine to auenge himselfe of our vnnaturall and blind vnkindnesse and of our rebellious disobedience In the Cvj. Psalme thou readest he destroyed the riuers and dryed vp the springes of water and turned y t fruitfull land into barennesse for the wickednesse of the inhabiters therein Whē the children of Israell had forgotten God in Egipt God moued the hartes of the Egiptians to hate them and to subdue them with craft and wilynes Psal Ciiij and Deuteronomiun iij. Moyses rehearseth saying God was angry wyth me for your sakes so that the wrath of God fell on Moyses for the wickednesse of the people And in the secōd Chap. of the second booke of kynges God was angry with the people and moued Dauid to number them when Ioab and the other Lords wondred why hee would haue them numbred and because they feared lest some euil should folow disswaded the kyng yet it holpe not God so hardened his hart in his purpose to haue an occasion to slay the wicked people Euill rulers then are a signe that God is angry and wroth with vs. Is it not a great wrath and vengeaunce that the father and mother should hate their children euen their flesh and their bloud or that an husband should be vnkinde vnto his wife or a master vnto the seruaunt that wayteth on his profite or the Lordes and Kynges should be tyrauntes vnto their subiectes and tenauntes which pay them tribute tolle custome and rente laboring and toyling to finde them in honour and to mainteine them in their estate is not this a fearefull iudgemēt of God and a cruell wrath that the very Prelates and shepheardes of our soules whiche were wont to feede Christes flocke with Christs doctrine and to walke before them in lyuyng there after and to geue their lyues for them to their ensample and edifiyng and to strengthē their weake faythes are now so sore chaunged that if they smell that one of their flocke as they now cal them and no lenger Christes do but once long or desire for the true knowledge of Christ they will slay hym burnyng him with fire most cruelly What is the cause of this and that they also teach false doctrine confirmyng it with lyes veryly it is the hād of God to auenge the wickednes of them that haue no loue nor lust vnto the truth of God when it is preached but reioyse in vnrighteousnes As thou maist see in the second Epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians Where he speaketh of the comming of Antichrist Whos 's commyng shal be sayth he by the workyng of Sathan with all miracles signes and wonders which are but lyes and in all deceanable vnrighteousnes among them that perish because they receaued not any loue to the truth to haue bene saued Therefore shall God send them strong delusion to beleue lyes Marke how God to auenge his truth sendeth to the vnthankefull false doctrine and false miracles to confirme them and to harden their harts in the false way that afterward it shall not be possible for them to admitte the truth As thou seest in Exod. vij and viij how God suffered false miracles to be shewed in y t sight of Pharao to harden his hart that he should not beleue the truth in as much as hys sorcerers turned their roddes into Serpēts and turned water into bloud and made frogges by their inchauntment so thought he
that Moses did all his miracles by the same craft and not by the power of GOD. And abode therfore in vnbelefe and perished in resisting God Let vs receaue all thinges of God whether it be good or bad let vs humble our selues vnder his mighty hand and submitte our selues vnto his nurture and chastising and not withdraw our selues from his correction Read Hebr. xij for thy comfort and let vs not take the stafe by the end or seke to auenge our selues on his rodde which is the euill rulers The child as long as he seketh to auenge him selfe vpon the rodde hath an euill hart For he thinketh not that the correctiō is right or that he hath deserued it neither repenteth but reioyseth in his wickednes And so lōg shall he neuer be without a rodde yea so long shall the rodde be made sharper and sharper If he knowledge his faute and take the correction mekely and euē kisse the rodde and amende him selfe with the learnyng and nurture of his father mother then is the rodde takē away and burnt So if we resiste euill rulers sekyng to set our selues at libertie we shall no doubt bring our selues into more euill bondage wrappe our selues in much more miserie and wretchednes For if the heades ouercome then lay they more weight on their backes make their yoke sorer and tye them shorter If they ouercome their euill rulers then make they way for a more cruell natiō or for some tyraunt of their own nation whiche hath no right vnto the crown If we submitte our selues vnto the chastisyng of God and mekely knowledge our sinnes for whiche we are scourged and kisse the rodde and amende our liuyng then will GOD take the rodde away that is he will geue the rulers a better hart Or if they continue their malice and persecute you for well doyng and because ye put your trust in GOD then will God deliuer you out of their tyranny for his truthes sake It is the same God now that was in the old time deliuered the fathers and the Prophetes the Apostles and other holy Saintes And what soeuer he sware to them he hath sworne to vs. And as he deliuered them out of all temptation combraūce and aduersitie because they consented and submitted them selues vnto his will and trusted in his goodnes and truth euen so will he do vs if we do likewise When soeuer the children of Israell fel from the way which God cōmaunded them to walke in he gane them vp vnder one tyraūt or an other As soone as they came to the knowledge of thē selues and repented crying for mercy and leaning vnto the truth of his promises he sent one to deliuer them as the hystories of the Bible make mention A Christen man in respect of God is but a passiue thing a thyng that suffereth onely and doth nought as the sicke in respect of the Surgion or Phisition doth but suffer onely The Surgen launceth and cutteth out the dead flesh searcheth the woundes thrusteth in tentes sereth burneth soweth or sticheth and leyeth to corsies to draw out y ◠corruption last of all leyeth to healyng plaisters maketh it whole The Phisitiō likewise geueth purgations and drinkes to driue out the disease and then with restauratiues bringeth health Now if the sicke resiste the raser the searching yron and so forth doth he not resiste his owne health and is cause of his owne death So likewise is it of vs if we resiste euil rulers which are the rodde scourge wherewith God chastiseth vs the instrumentes wherewith God searcheth out woundes and bitter drinkes to driue out the sinne and to make it appeare and corsies to draw out by the rotes the core of the poxe of the soule that freateth inward A Christen mā therfore receaueth all thyng of the hand of God both good and bad both sweete and sowre both wealth wo. If any person do me good whether it be father mother and so forth that receaue I of God and to God geue thankes For he gaue wherewith and gaue a commaundement and moued his hart so to do Aduersitie also receaue I of the hād of God as an wholesome medicine though it be somewhat bitter Temptation and aduersitie do both kill sinne and also vtter it For though a Christen man knoweth euery thyng how to lyue yet is the flesh so weake that he cā neuer take vp his crosse him selfe to kill and mortifie the flesh He must haue an other to lay it on hys backe In many also sinne lyeth hidde within and festereth and rotteth inward is not sene so that they thinke how they are good and perfect kepe the law As the younge man Math. xix sayd he had obserued all of a child and yet lyed falsly in his hart as the text folowing well declareth When all is at peace and no man troubleth vs we thinke that we are paciēt and loue our neighbours as our selues but let our neighbour hurt vs in woorde or deede and then finde we it otherwise Then fume we and rage and set vp the bristels bend our selues to take vengeaunce If we loued with godly loue for Christes kindnes sake we should desire no vengeaunce but pitie him and desire God to forgeue and amend him knowing well that no flesh can do otherwise the sinne except that God preserue hym Thou wilt say what good doth such persecution and tyranny vnto the righteous First it maketh them feele the woorkyng of Gods spirite in them and that theyr fayth is vnfayned Secondaryly I say that no man is so great a sinner if he repent and beleue but that he is righteous in Christ and in the promises yet if thou looke on the flesh and vnto the law there is no man so perfect that is not founde a sinner Nor any man so pure that hath not somewhat to be yet purged This shall suffice at this time as concernyng obedience BEcause that God excludeth no degree from his mercy But who so euer repenteth and beleueth his promises of what soeuer degree he be of the same shal be partaker of hys grace therfore as I haue described the obedience of them that are vnder power and rule euen so will I with Gods helpe as my dutie is declare how the rulers whiche God shall vouchsafe to call vnto the knowledge of the truth ought to rule ¶ The office of a Father and how he should rule FAthers moue not your children vnto wrath but bring them vp in y ◠nurtour and information of the Lord. Ephe. vi and Collos iij. Fathers rate not your children least they be of desperate minde that is least you discourage thē For where y ◠fathers and mothers are weywarde hastie and churlishe euer brauling and chiding there are y t children anone discouraged and hartlesse and apte for nothing neither can they do any thyng aright Bryng them vp in the nurtoure and information of
to mary and commauÌ„ding to absteine from meates which God hath created to be receaued wyth geuing thaÌ„kes Which two thynges who euer did saue y e Pope Rochesters God makyng sinne in the creatures which God hath created for maÌ„s vse to be receaued wyth thankes The kyngdome of heaueÌ„ is not meate and drinke sayth Paule but righteousnes peace and ioye in the holy Ghost For whosoeuer in these thynges serueth Christ pleaseth God and is alowed of men Rom. xiiij Had Rochester therfore not a coÌ„science marked wyth the hote yron of malice so that he can not consent vnto the will of God and glory of Christ he woulde not haue so alleaged the texte which is contrary to none saue themselues He alleageth an other text of Paule in the second chapter of his second epistle to the Thessalonians Erit dissessiâ— primum that is sayth Rochester before the comming of Antichrist there shall be a notable departing from the fayth And Paule sayth The Lord commeth not except there come a departing first Paules meaning is that the last day commeth not so shortly but that Antichrist shall come first and destroy the faith and sit in the temple of God and make all men worship him and beleue in hym as the Pope doth and then shal Gods worde come to light againe as it doth at thys tyme and destroy hym and vtter his iuggling and then coÌ„meth Christ vnto iudgement What say ye of this crafty coÌ„ueyar Would he spare suppose ye to alleage to wrest other doctours pestilently which feareth not for to iugle wyth y â— holy scripture of God expounding y â— vnto Antichrist which Paule speaketh of Christ No be ye sure But euen after this maner wise peruert they the whole scripture and all doctours wresting theÌ„ vnto their abhominable purpose cleane contrary to the meaning of the text to the circumstaunces that goe before and after Which deuelishe falshod lest the lay men should perceaue is the very cause why y â— they will not suffer the Scripture to be had in the Englishe tounge neither any worke to be made that should bring the people to knowledge of the truth He alleageth for the Popes authoritie Saint Ciprian Saint Augustine Ambrose Hierome and Origene of which neuer one knew of any authoritie that one Bishop should haue aboue an other And Saint Gregory alleageth he which would receaue no such authoritie aboue hys brethren when it was profered hym As the maner is to call Tully chiefe of Oratours for hys singular cloquence and Aristotle chiefe of Philosophers and Virgill chiefe of Poets for thir singular learnyng and not for any authoritie that they had ouer other so was it the maner to call Peter chiefe of the Apostles for his singular actiuitie and boldnes and not that he shoulde be Lord ouer his brethren contrary to hys owne doctrine Yet compare that chiefe Apostle vnto Paule and he is found a great way inferior This I say not that I woulde that any man shoulde make a God of Paule contrary vnto hys owne learning NotwithstaÌ„ding yet this maner of speaking is left vnto vs of our elders that when we say the Apostle sayth so we vnderstand Paule for hys excellency aboue other Apostles I would he would tel you how Hieroin Augustine Bede Origene and other doctours expound this texte vpon this rocke I wyll builde my congregation and how they enterpret the keyes also Thereto Pasce pasce pasce which Rochester leaueth without any Englishe signifieth not Polâ— shere and shaue Vpon which texte beholde the faithfull exposition of Bede Note also how craftely he would enfeoffe the Apostles of Christ with their wicked traditions and false Ceremonies which they themselues haue fayned alleaging Paule ij Thessal ij I aunswere that Paule taught by mouth such things as he wrote in his epistles And his traditions were the Gospell of Christ and honest maners liuing and such a good order as becommeth the doctrine of Christ As that a woman obey her husband haue her head couered keepe silence and goe womanly and christenly apparelled that children and seruauntes be in subiection and that the younge obey their elders that no man eate but he that laboureth and worketh and that men make an earnest thing of Gods word and of hys holy Sacramentes and to watch fast and pray and such lyke as the Scripture commaundeth Which thynges he that woulde breake were no christen man But we may well coÌ„playne and crye to God for helpe that it is not lawful for the Popes tyranny to teach y â— people what prayer is what fasting is and wherefore it serueth There were also certayne customes alway which were not commaunded in paine of hell or euerlasting daÌ„natioÌ„ as to watch all night and to kysse one an other which as soone as the people abused then they brake theÌ„ For which cause the Byshops myght breake many thynges now in lyke maner Paule also in many thynges which God had made free gaue pure and faythfull couÌ„cell without tangling of any mans coÌ„science and without all maner commaundyng vnder payne of cursing payne of excommunication payne of heresie payne of burnyng payne of deadly sinne payne of hell and payne of damnatioÌ„ As thou mayst see i. Cor. 7. Where he counceleth the vnmaried the widowes and virgines that it is good so to abyde if they haue the gift of chastitie Not to winne heaueÌ„ therby for neither Circumcision neither vncircumcision is any thyng at all but the kepyng of the commaundementes is altogether But that they might be without trouble and might also the better wayte on Gods worde and sâ—elyer serue their brethren And sayth as a faithfull seruaunt that he had none authority of the Lord to geue them any commaundement But that the Apostles gaue vs any blynd ceremonies wherof we should not know the reason that I denye and also defie as a thyng cleane contrary vnto the learnyng of Paul euery where For Paul commaundeth that no man once speake in the Church that is in the congregation but in a toung that all men vnderstand except that there be an interpreter by he coÌ„maundeth to labour for knowledge vnderstandyng and feelyng and to beware of superstition persuasions of worldly wisedome philosophy and of hypocrisie and ceremonies and of all maner disguising to walke in y â— playne and open truth Ye were once darkenes sayth he but now are ye light in the Lord walke therefore as the children of light Ephe. v. how doth Paul also wish them encrease of grace in euery Epistle How crieth he to God to augment their knowledge that they should be no more children waueryng with euery winde of doctrine but would vouchsafe to make them full men in Christ and in the vnderstandyng of the mysteries or secretes of Christ so that it should no be possible for any man to disceaue them with any entisyng reasons of worldly wisedom or to beguile them with blind
groweth dayly in the operations workes therof ¶ Of Confession COnfession is diuers One foloweth true fayth insparably And is the confessing and knowledging with the mouth wherein we put our trust and confideÌ„ce As when we say our Credo confessing that we trust in God the father almighty and in his truth promises in his sonne Iesus our Lord and in his merites and deseruinges in the holy Ghost and in his power assistance and guiding This confession is necessary vnto all men that wyll be saued For Christ saith Mathew x. he that denyeth me before men hym will I deny before my father that is in heauen And of this confession sayth the holy Apostle Paule in the x. chapter The beliefe of the hart iustifieth and to knowledge wyth the mouth maketh a man safe This is a wonderfull text for our Philosophers or rather sophisters our worldly wyse enemies to the wisdome of God our deepe profounde welles wythout water our cloudes wythout moysture of rayne that is to say naturall soules without the sprite of God and feeling of godly thynges To iustifie and to make safe are both one thing And to confesse with the mouth is a good worke and the frute of a true fayth as all other workes are If thou repent and beleue the promises then Gods truth iustifieth thee that is forgeueth thee thy sinnes and sealeth thee with hys holy spirite and maketh thee heyre of euerlastyng lyfe through Christes deseruinges Now if thou haue true fayth so seest thou the exceeding and infinite loue and mercy which God hath shewed thee freely in Christ then must thou needes loue agayne and loue can not but compell thee to worke and boldly to confesse knowledge thy Lord Christ and the trust which thou hast in his word And this knowledge maketh thee safe that is declareth that thou art safe already certifieth thine hart and maketh thee feele that thy fayth is right and that Gods spirite is in thee as all other good workes doe For if when it commeth vnto the point thou hast no lust to worke nor power to confesse how couldest thou presume to thinke that Gods sprite were in thee An other confession is there which goeth before saith and accompanieth repentaunce For who so euer repenteth doth knowledge his sinnes in his hart And who soeuer doth knowledge his sinnes receaueth forgenenes as â—ayth Iohn in the first of his first Epistle If we knowledge our sinnes he is faythfull and iust to forgeue vs out sinnes and to clense vs from all vnrighteousnes that is because he hath promised he must for his truthes sake doe it This confession is necessary all our liues long as is repentaunce And as thou vnderstandest of repentaunce so vnderstand of this confession for it is likewise included in the sacrament of Baptime For we alwayes repent and alwayes knowledge or coÌ„fesse our sinnes vnto God and yet dispayre not but remember that we are washed in in Christes bloud which thing our baptime doth represeÌ„t and signifie vnto vs. Shrift in the eare is verely a worke of Sathan and that the â—alsest that euer was wrought and that most hath deuoured the fayth It began among the Greekes and was not as it is now to reckeÌ„ all a maÌ„s sinnes in the priestes eare but to aske couÌ„cell of such doubtes as men had as thou mayst see in S. Hierome and in other authors Neither went they to Priestes onely which were very fewe at that tyme no moe then preached the worde of God for this so great vantage in so many masses saying was not yet founde but went indifferently where they saw a good and a learned man And for because of a litle knauery which a DeacoÌ„ at Constantinople plaide thorough coÌ„fession with one of the chiefe wiues of the citie it was layde downe agayne But we Antichristes possession the more knauery we see growe thereby dayly the more we stablishe it A christen man is a spirituall thing and hath Gods word in his hart and gods spirite to certifie him of all thing He is not bound to come to any eare And as for the reasons which they make are but persuasions of mans wisedome First as perteining vnto the keyes maner of bynding and loosing is eough aboue rehearsed in other places Thou maist also see how the Apostles vsed them in the Actes and in Paules Epistles how at the preaching of fayth the spirite came and certified their harts that they were iustified thorough beleuing the promises When a man feeleth that his hart consenteth vnto the law of God and feeleth hymselfe meeke pacient curteous and mercifull to hys neighbour altered and fashioned like vnto Christ why shoulde he doubt but that God hath forgeuen him and chosen him and put his spirite in hym though he neuer cromme hys sinne into the priestes eare One blynde reason haue they saying How shall the Priest vnbynde loose and forgeue the sinne which he knoweth not How did the Apostles The Scripture forsake they and runne vnto their blinde reasons and draw the Scripture vnto a carnall purpose When I haue tolde thee in thyne eare all that I haue done my life long in order and with all circumstances after the shamefullest maner what caÌ„st thou doe more then preach me the promises saying if thou repent beleue Gods truth shall saue thee for Christes sake Thou seest not myne hart thou knowest not whether I repent or no neyther whether I consent to the law that it is holy righteous and good Moreouer whether I beleue the promises or no is also vnknowen to thee If thou preach the law and the promises as the Apostles did so should they that God hath chosen repent and beleue and be saued euen now as well as then How be it Antichrist must know all secretes to stablish his kingdom to worke his misteries withall They bryng also for them the storie of the x. lepers whiche is written in the. xvij Chapter of Luke Here marke their falsehoode and learne to knowe them for euer The fourtene Sonday after the feast of the Trinitie the begynnyng of the vij leâ—…n is the sayd Gospell and the viij the ix lessons with the rest of the seuenth is the exposition of Bede vpon the sayd Gospell Where saith Bede of all that Christ healed of what so euer disease it were he sent none vnto the Priestes but the lepers And by the lepers enterpreteth the folowers of false doctrine onely which the spirituall officers and the learned men of the congregation ought to examine and rebuke their learning with Gods word and to warne the congregation to beware of them Which if they were afterward healed by the grace of Christ ought to come before the coÌ„gregation and there openly confesse theyr true fayth But all other vices saith he doth God heale within in the conscience Though they this wise reade at mattens yet at hie masse if they haue any
Christ or entende to restore the Kynges agayne vnto their duties and right and to the rowme and authoritie which they haue of God and of shadowes to make theÌ„ Kynges in deede to put the world in his order agayne then the Kynges deliuer their swordes and authoritie vnto the hypocrites to â—lay him So dronken are they with the wine of the whore ¶ The text that foloweth in Paule wil they happely lay to my charge and others How shall they preach except they be sent sayth Paul in the sayd x. to the Romaines We wil they say the Pope Cardinals and Byshoppes all authority is ours The Scripture perteineth vnto vs and is our possession And we haue a law that who soeuer presume to preach without the authoritie of the Bishops is excommunicate in the deede doyng Whence therefore hast thou thine authoritie wil they say The old Phariseis had the Scripture in captiuitie likewise and asked Christ by what authoritie doest thou these thynges as who should say We are phariseis thou art none of our order nor hast authoritie of vs. Christ asked them an other question and so will I do our hypocrites Who seÌ„t you God Nay hee that is sent of God speaketh Gods word Iohn iij. Now speake ye not Gods worde nor any thyng saue your own lawes made cleane contrary vnto Gods worde Christes Apostles preached Christ not them selues He that is of the truth preacheth the truth Now ye preach nothyng but lyes and therefore are of the deuill the father of all lyes of hym are ye sent And as for mine authoritie or who sent me I report me vnto my workes as Christ Iohn v. and. x. If Gods word beare recorde that I say truth why should any man doubt but that God the father of truth and of lyght hath sent me as the father of lyes of darknes hath sent you and that the spirite of truth and of light is with me as the spirite of lyes and of darkenes is with you By this meanes thou wilt that euery man be a preacher will they say Nay verely For GOD will that not and therfore will I it not no more then I would that euery man of London were Mayre of London or euery man of the Realme Kyng therof God is not the author of dissention and strife but of vnitie and peace and of good order I will therefore that where a congregation is gathered together in Christ one be chosen after the rule of Paul and that hee onely preach and els no maÌ„ openly but that euery man teach hys houshold after the same doctrine But if the preacher preach false then whosoeuers harte God moueth to the same it shal be law full to rebuke and improue the false teacher with the cleare and manifest Scripture and that same is no doubt a true Prophet sent of GOD. For the Scripture is gods and theirs that beleue and not the false Prophet SAcrament is then as much to say as an holy signe And the Sacramentes which Christ ordeined preach Gods word vnto vs and therfore iustifie and minister the spirite to them that beleue as Paul thorough preachyng the Gospell was a minister of righteousnes of the spirite vnto all that beleued his preachyng Domme ceremonies are no Sacramentes but superstitiousnes Christes SacrameÌ„ts preach the fayth of Christ as his Apostles did thereby iustifie Antichristes domme ceremonies preach not y â— fayth that is in Christ as his Apostles our Byshops and Cardinals do not But as Antichristes Bishops are ordeined to kill who soeuer preach the true faith of Christ so are his ceremonies ordeined to quench the faith which Christes SacrameÌ„tes preach And hereby maist thou knowe the difference betwene Christes signes or Sacramentes and Antichristes signes or ceremonyes that Christes signes speake and Antichristes be domme Hereby seest thou what is to be thought of all other ceremonies as halowed water bread salt bowes belles waxe ashes and so forth and all other disguisinges and Apesplay and of all maner coniurations as the coniuring of church and churchyardes and of alter stones such like Where no promise of God is there can be no fayth nor iustifiyng nor forgeuenes of sinnes For it is more then madnes to looke for any thing of god saue that he hath promised How farre he hath promised so farre is he boduÌ„ to them that beleue and further not To haue a fayth therefore or a trust in any thing where god hath not promised is plaine idolatry and a worshipping of thyne own imagination in stede of God Let vs see the pith of a ceremony or two to iudge the rest by In coniuring of holy water they pray that whosoeuer be sprinckled therewith may receaue health as well of body as of soule and likewise in makyng holy bread and so forth in the coniurations of other ceremonies Now we see by dayly experience that halfe their prayer is vnheard For no man receaueth health of body thereby No more of likelihode do they of soule Yea we see also by experience that no man receaueth health of soule thereby For no man by sprinckling himselfe with holy water and wyth eating holy bread is more mercifull then before or forgeueth wrong or becommeth at one with his enemy or is more patient and lesse couetous and so forth Which are the sure tokens of the soule health They preach also that the wagging of the Byshops hand ouer vs blesseth vs and putteth away our sinnes Are these workes not against Christ How can they do more shame vnto Christes bloud For if the wagging of the Byshops hand ouer me be so precious a thyng in the sight of God that I am thereby blessed how then am I full blessed wyth all spirituall blessinge in Christ as Paul saith Ephe. j Or if my sinnes be full done away in Christ how remayneth there any to be done away by such phantasies The Apostles knew no wayes to put away sin or to blesse vs but by preaching Christ Paule sayth Gal. ij If righteousnes come by the law then Christ dyed in vayne So dispute I here If blessing come by the wagging of the Byshops hand then dyed Christ in vayne and his death blesseth vs not And a little afore sayth Paule if while we seeke to be iustified by Christ we be yet found sinners so that we must be iustified by the law or ceremonies is not Christ then a minister of sinne So dispute I here If while we seeke to be blessed in Christ we are yet vnblessed and must be blessed by the wagging of the Byshoppes hand what haue we then of Christ but curse Thou wilt say When we come first to the fayth then Christ forgeueth vs and blesseth vs. But the sinnes which we afterward commit are forgeuen vs through such thinges I aunswere If any man repent truely and come to the fayth and put hys trust in Christ theÌ„ as oft as he sinneth of frayltie at
the sygh of the hart is his sinne put away in Christes bloud For Christes bloud purgeth euer and blesseth euer For Iohn sayth in the second of his first epistle This I write vnto you that ye sinne not And though any man sinne meaning of frailtie and so repent yet haue we an aduocate with the father Iesus Christ which is righteous and he it is that obteineth grace for our sinnes and Heb. vij it is written But this man meaning Christ because he lasteth or abideth euer hath an euerlasting priesthod Therefore is he able also euer to saue thē that come to God through hym seing he euer liueth to make intercession for vs. The Byshops therefore ought to blesse vs in preaching Christ and not to deceaue vs and to bring the curse of God vpon vs wyth wagging their handes ouer vs. To preache is their dutie onely and not to offer their feete to bee kissed or testicles or stones to be groped We feele also by experience that after the Popes Byshoppes or Cardinals blessing we are no otherwise disposed in our soules then before Let this be sufficient as concerning the sacramentes and ceremonies with this protestation that if any cā say better or improue this with Gods word no man shall be better content therewith then I. For I seeke nothing but the truth and to walke in the light I submit therefore this worke and all other that I haue made or shall make if God will that I shall more make vnto the iudgements not of them that furiously burne all truth but of them which are ready with Gods worde to correct if any thing be sayde amisse to further Gods worde I will talke a worde or two after the worldly wisdome with them and make an ende of this matter If the sacramentes iustifie as they say I vnderstand by iustifiyng forgeuenes of sinnes Then do they wrong vnto the sacraments in as much as they robbe the most part of them through confession of their effect of the cause wherfore they were ordeined For no man may receaue the body of Christ no mā may marry no man may be oyled or aneiled as they call it no man may receaue orders except he be fyrst shriuen Now when the sinnes be forgeuen by shrift afore hand there is nought left for the sacramentes to doe They will aunswere that at the least way they encrease grace and not the sacramētes onely but also hearing of masse matens and euensong and receauing of holy water holy bread and of the Bishops blessing and so forth by all ceremonies By grace I vnderstand the fauour of God and also the giftes and working of his spirite in vs as loue kyndnes patience obedience mercifulnes despising of worldly thynges peace concorde and such like If after thou hast heard so many masses matens and euensonges and after thou hast receaued holy bread holy water and the Byshops blessing or a Cardinals or the Popes if thou wilt be more kinde to thy neighbour and loue him better then before if thou be more obediēt vnto thy superiors more mercifull more ready to forgeue wrong done vnto thee more despisest the world and more a thyrst after spirituall thynges if after that a Priest hath taken orders he be lesse couetous then before if a wife after so many and oft pilgrimages be more chast more obedient vnto her husband more kynde to her maydes and other seruauntes if Gentlemen knightes Lordes and kinges and Emperours after they haue sayd so often dayly seruice wyth their Chappellaynes know more of Christ then before and can better skill to rule their tenauntes subiectes and realmes christenly then before and be content with their duties then do such thinges encrease grace if not it is a lie Whether it be so or no I report me to experience If they haue any other enterpretations of iustifiyng or grace I pray them to teach it me For I would gladly learne it Now let vs goe to our purpose agayne ¶ Of miracles and worshipping of Saintes ANtichrist shal not only come with lying signes and disguised wyth falshod but also wyth lying miracles and wonders saith Paule in the said place ij Thess ij All the true miracles which are of God are shewed as I aboue rehearsed to moue vs to heare Gods word and to stablishe our fayth therin and to confirme the truth of Gods promises that we might without all doubting beleue thē For Gods worde thorough fayth bringeth the spirite into our hartes and also life as Christ sayth Iohn vi The wordes which I speake are spirite and lyfe The worde also purgeth vs and clenseth vs as Christ sayth Iohn xv ye are cleane by the meanes of the word Paul sayth i. Timo. ij One God one Mediatour that is to say aduocate intercessor or an atonemaker betwene God man the man Christ Iesus which gaue him selfe a raunson for all men Peter sayth of Christ Actes iiij Neither is their health in any other neither yet also any other name geuen vnto men wherin we must be saued So now Christ is our peace our redemption or raunsom for our sinnes our righteousnes satisfactiō and all the promises of God are yea Amen in him ij Cor. i. And we for y t great and infinite loue whiche God hath to vs in Christ loue him agayn loue also his lawes loue one an other And the deedes whiche we hence forth doe do we not to make satisfaction or to obteine heauen but to succour our neighbour to tame y t flesh that we may waxe perfect and strong men in Christ and to be thankefull to God againe for his mercy and to glorifie his name COntrarywise the miracles of Antichrist are done to pull thee from the worde of God and from beleuyng his promises and from Christ and to put thy trust in a man or a ceremonie wherin Gods word is not As soone as Gods woorde is beleued the fayth spread abroad then sease the miracles of god But the miracles of Antichrist because they are wrought by the deuil to quench the fayth grow dayly more and more neither shall cease vntill the worldes end among them that beloue not Gods worde and promises Seest thou not how God loosed sent forth all the deuils in the old world among the Heathen or Gētiles And how the deuils wrought miracles spake to them in euery image Euen so shal the deuill woorke falshode by one craft or an other vntill the worldes end amōg them that beleue not Gods word For the iudgement and damnation of hym that hath no lust to heare the truth is to heare lyes and to be stablished and grounded therein through false miracles and he that will not see is worthy to be blind and he that biddeth the spirite of God go from him is worthy to be without him Paul Peter and all true Apostles preached Christ onely And the miracles did but confirme and stablish their preachyng and those
into the world to condemne the world but that the world through him might be saued He that beleueth on him shall not be damned but he that beeleeueth not is damned alreadye Iohn iij. Paule Rom. 5. sayth Because we are iustifyed through fayth we are at peace with God through our lord Iesus Christ that is because that God which can not lye hath promised and sworne to be mercyfull vnto vs and to forgeue vs for Christes sake we beleue and are at peace in our consciences we run not hither and thither for pardon we trust not in thys fryer nor that monke neyther in any thing saue in the woord of God onely As a childe when his father threateneth him for his faâ—t hath neuer rest til he heare the worde of mercy and forgeuenes of his fathers mouth againe but assone as he heareth his father say Goe thy wayes do me no more so I forgeue thee this fault then is his hart at rest then is he at peace then runneth he to no man to make intercession for him Neyther though there come any false marchant saying what wilt thou geue me and I will obtayne pardon of thy father for thee Will he suffer him selfe to be beguiled No he will not buy of a wilie fox that which his father hath geuen him freely It foloweth God setteth out hys loue that he hath to vs. that is he maketh it appeare that men may perceiue loue if they be not more then stocke blinde In asmuch sayth Paule as while we were yet sinners Christ dyed for vs. Much more now sayth he seeing we are iustifyed by hys bloud shall we be preserued from wrath thorough him for if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of hys sonne much more seeing we are reconciled we shall be preserued by hys life As who should say If God loued vs when we knew him not much more loueth he vs now we know him If he were mercifull to vs while we hated his Lawe how much more mercifull will he be now seeing we loue it and desire strength to fulfill it And in the viij he argueth If God spared not his owne sonne but gaue him for vs all how shall he not wyth him geue vs all thinges also Christ prayed Iohn xvij not for the Apostles onely but also for as many as should beleue through theyr preaching and was heard whatsoeuer we aske in his name the Father geueth vs Iohn xvi Christ is also as mercifull as the saintes Why go we not straight way vnto him Verely because we feale not the mercy of God neyther beleue his truthe God will at the least way say they heare vs the sooner for the saintes sake Then loueth he the saintes better then Christ and his own truth Heareth he vs for the saintes sake so heareth he vs not for his mercye For merites and mercye can not stand together Finally if thou put any trust in thine owne deedes or in the deedes of any other man of any saint then minishest thou the truth mercy and goodnes of God For if God looke vnto thy workes or vnto the workes of any other man or goodnes of the saint then doth he not all thinges of pure mercy and of his goodnesse and for the truthes sake which he hath sworne in Christ Now sayth Paule Tit. 3. Not of the righteous deedes which we did but of his mercy saued he vs. Our blinde disputers will say If our good deedes iustify vs not if God looke not on our good deedes neither regard them nor loue vs the better for them what need we to do good dedes I aunswer God looketh on our good deedes and loueth them yet loueth vs not for their sakes God loueth vs first in Christ of his goodnes and mercy and poureth his spirit into vs and geueth vs power to do good dedes And because he loueth vs he loueth our good deedes yea because he loueth vs he forgeueth vs our euill dedes which we do of frailtie and not of purpose or for the nonce Our good dedes do but testifie onely that we are iustifyed and beloued For except we were beloued and had Gods spirite we could neyther do nor yet consent vnto any good deed Antichrist turneth the rootes of the trees vpwarde He maketh the goodnes of God the braunches and our goodnes the rootes We must be first good after Antichristes doctrine and moue God and compell him to be good againe for our goodnesses sake so must Gods goodnesse spring out of our goodnes Nay verely Gods goodnesse is the root of al goodnes and our goodnes if we haue any springeth out of his goodnes Prayer OF Prayer and good deedes and of the order of loue or charitie I haue aboundantly written in my booke of the iustifying of fayth Neuer the later that thou maist see what the prayers and good workes of our monkes and friers and of other ghostly people are worth I will speake a woord or two and make an end Paule sayth Gal. 3. All ye are the sonnes of God through fayth in Iesu Christ for all ye that are baptized haue put Christ on you that is ye are become Christ himself There is no Iew sayth he neither Greeke neither bond nor free neither man nor woman but ye are all one thing in Christ Iesu In Christ there is neither french nor english but the frenchman is the englishmans owne selfe and the english the frenchmans owne self In Christ there is neither father nor sonne neyther maister nor seruaunt neyther husband nor wife neither king nor subiect but the father is the sonnes selfe and the sonne the fathers owne selfe and the king is the subiects owne self and the subiect is the kinges own self and so fourth I am thou â—hy selfe and thou art I my selfe and can be no nearer of kyn We are all the sonnes of God all Christes seruauntes bought with hys bloud and euery man to other Christ his owne selfe And Col. 3 Ye haue put on the new man which is tenned in the knowledge of God after the image of him that made him that is to say Christ where is sayth he neyther Greke nor Iew circumcision nor vncircumcision barbarous or Scithian bond or free but Christ is all in all thinges I loue thée not now because thou art my father and hast done so much for me or my mother and hast borne me and geuen me sucke of thy brestes for so do Iewes and saracens but because of the greate loue that Christ hath shewed me I serue thee not because thou art my maister or my king for hope of rewarde or feare of payne but for the loue of Christ for the children of fayth are vnder no law as thou seest in the Epistles to the Romanes to the Galathians in the first to Timothe but are free The spirit of Christ hath writteÌ„ the liuely law of loue in their hartes whiche driueth theÌ„ to worke of theyr owne
that we are holy righteous full of good deedes if y â— law be preached a right our righteousnes and good dedes vanish away as smoke in the winde and we are left damnable sinners onely And as thou seest how that Christ healeth not till Peter had wouÌ„ded and as an healyng plaister helpeth not till y â— corrosie hath troubled the wounde eueÌ„ so the Gospell helpeth not but wheÌ„ the law hath wouÌ„ded y e conscience and brought the sinner into y e knowledge of his sinne This allegory proueth nothyng neither caÌ„ do For it is not the Scripture but an exaÌ„ple or a similitude borowed of the Scripture to declare a text or a conclusion of the Scripture more expresly and to roote it and graue it in the hart For a similitude or an example doth printe a thing much deper in the wittes of a man then doth a plaine speakyng and leaueth behynd him as it were a stinge to pricke him forward and to awake him with all Moreouer if I could not proue with an open text that which the Allegory doth expresse then were the Allegory a thyng to bee gested at and of no greater value then a tale of Robyn hode This allegory as touching his first part is proued by Paul in ye. iij. chap. of his Epistle to the Romanes where he sayth The law causeth wrath And in y e vij chapter to the Romanes When the law or commaundement came sinne reuiued and I become dead And in the ij Epistle to the Cor. in the third chap. the law is called the minister of death and daÌ„nation c. And as concernyng the second part Paul sayth to the Rom. in the v. chap. In that we are iustified by faith we are at peace with God And in the ij Epistle to the CorinthiaÌ„s in the. iij. The Gospell is called the ministratioÌ„ of iustifying and of the spirite And Gala. iiij The spirite coÌ„meth by preaching of the faith c. This doth the litterall sence proue the allegory beare it as the foundatioÌ„ beareth the house And because that allegories proue nothyng therfore are they to be vsed soberly and seldome onely where the text offereth thee an allegory And of this maner as I aboue haue done doth Paul borow a similitude a figure or allegory of Genesis to expresse the nature of the law and of the Gospell and by Agar her sonne declareth the propertie of the law and of her bonde children which wil be iustified by deedes and by Sara and her sonne declareth the propertie of the Gospell and of her free children which are iustified by faith and how the children of the law which beleue in their workes persecute the children of the Gospel which beleue in the mercy and truth of God and in the Testament of his sonne Iesus our Lord. And likewise do we borow likenesses or allegories of the Scripture as of Pharao and Derode and of the Scribes and Phariseis to expresse our miserable captiuitie and persecution vnder Antichrist the Pope The greatest cause of which captiuitie and the decay of the fayth this blindnes wherin we now are sprang first of allegories For Origene and the doctours of his time drew all y e Scripture vnto allegories Whose ensample they that came after folowed so loÌ„g till at the last they forgat y â— order and processe of the text supposing that y e scripture serued but to faine allegories vppoÌ„ In somuch that twenty doctours expounde one text xx wayes as children make descant vpon playne song Then came our sophisters with theâ—â— Anagogicall and Chopologicall sence with an antetheme of halfe an inch out of whiche some of them drawe a threde of ix dayes long Yea thou shalt fynde inough that will preach Christ and proue what soeuer poynte of thee fayth that thou wilt as well out of a fabell of Ouide or any other Poet as out of S. Iohns Gospell or Paules Epistles Yea they are come vnto such blyndnes that they not onely say the litterall sence profiteth not but also that it is hurtful and noysome and killeth the soule Which damnable doctrine they proue by a text of Paule ij Corinth iij. Where he sayth the letter killeth but the spirit geueth life Lo say they the litterall sence killeth and the spirituall sence geueth life We must therfore say they seeke out some choplogicall sence Here learne what sophistrie is and how blind they are that thou mayest abhorre them and spue them out of thy stomake for euer Paule by the letter meaneth Moyses law which the processe of the text folowyng declareth more bright then the sunne But it is not their guise to looke on the order of any text but as they find it in their doctours so alledge they it and so vnderstaÌ„d it Paule maketh a comparisoÌ„ betwene the law and the Gospell calleth the law the letter because it was but letters grauen in two tables of cold stoâ—e For the law doth but kill and damne the consciences as long as there is no lust in the hart to doe that which the law commaundeth Contrary wise he calleth the Gospell the administration of the spirite of righteousnes or iustifying For wheÌ„ Christ is preached and the promises whiche God hath made in Christ are beleued the spirit entereth the hart and looseth the hart and geueth lust to do the law and maketh the law a liuely thyng in the hart Now as soone as the hart lusteth to do the law then are we righteous before God our sinnes forgeuen Neuerthelesse the law of the letter graued in stone and not in the hartes was so glorious and Moyses his face shone so bryght that the children of Israell could not behold his face for brightnes It was also geuen in thunder and lightning and terrible signes so that they for feare came to Moses desired him that he would speake to them let God speake no more Lest we dye sayd they If we heare him any more as thou mayst see Exod. xx Wherupon Paule maketh his comparison saying if the ministratioÌ„ of death thorough the letters figured in stones was glorious so that the childreÌ„ of Israell could not behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenaunce why shal not the administration of the spirite be glorious And agayne if the administration of damnation be glorious much more shall the administration of righteousnes excede in glory That is if the law that killeth sinners helpeth theÌ„ not to be glorious then the Gospel which pardoneth sinners and geueth them power to be the sonnes of God to ouer come sinne is much more glorious And the text that goeth before is as cleare For the holy Apostle Paule sayth ye Corinthians are our Epistle which is vnderstand and read of all men in that ye are knowen how that ye are the Epistle of Christ ministred by vs and written not with ynke as Moyses law but with the
workes aright and for the entent that God ordayned them And then thou shalt see whether thy brother haue a mote in his eye or not and if he haue how to plucke it out and els not For he that knoweth the entent of the lawe and of workes though he obserue a thousand ceremonies for hys owne exercise he shall neuer condeÌ„pne his brother or breake vnitie with him in those thinges which Christ neuer commaunded but left indifferent Or if he see a moâ—e in his brothers eye that he obserueth not with his brethren some certaine ordinaunce made for a good purpose because he knoweth not the entent he will plucke it out fayre and softly and instruct him louingly and make him well content Which thing if our spiritualty would do men would not so abhorre to obey their tyranny But they be hipocrites and do and commaunde all their workes for a false purpose and therefore iudge slea and shedde their brethrens bloude mercilesly God is y â— father of all mercy and therefore gaue not hipocrites such absolute power to compell theyr brethren to obey what they liste or to slay them without pitie shewing eyther no cause of their coÌ„maundemeÌ„tes at all but so will we haue it or els assigning an entent dampnable and contrary to all scripture Paule Rom. 14. sayth to them that obserued ceremonies that they should not iudge them that did not for he that obserueth and knoweth not the enteÌ„t iudgeth at once and to theÌ„ that obserued not that they should not despise them that obserued he that obserueth not ought not to despise the weakenes or ignoraunce of his brother till he perceaue that he is obstinate and will not learne Moreouer such measure as thou geuest thou shalt receaue againe that is if thou iudge thy neighbour God shal iudge thee for if thou iudge thy neighbour in such thinges thou knowest not the lawe of God nor the entent of workes and art therefore condempned of God c. Giue not that holy thyng vnto dogges neither cast your pearls be fore the swyne lest they treade theÌ„ vnder their feete and the other turne agayne and all to teare you The dogges are those obstinate and indurate which for the blynd zeale of their leuen wherwith they haue sowred both y â— doctrine also the workes maliciously resiste the truth and persecute the ministers therof and are those wolues among which Christ sendeth his shepe warnyng them not onely to be single pure in their doctrine but also wise and circumspect to beware of meÌ„ For they should bryng them before iudges and kynges and slay them thinkyng to do God seruice therein that is as Paul to the Romains testifieth of the Iewes for blynd zeale to their own false fayned righteousnes persecute the righteousnesse of God The swyne are they whiche for all they haue receaued the pure Gospell of Christ will yet continue still in sinne and rowle them selues in the podell myer of their old filthy conuersation both before the ignoraunt and also the weake vse the vttermost of their libertie interpretyng it after the largest fashion and most fauour of the flesh as it were the Popes pardon and therewith make y t truth euill spoken of that thousandes which els might haue ben easely wonne will now not once here therof and styrre vp cruel persecution which els would be much easyer yea and sometime none at all And yet will those swyne when it commeth to the poynt abyde no persecution at all But offer them selues wyllyng euen at the first chope for to deny ere they be scarsly apposed of their doctrine Therfore lay first the law of God before them call them to repentaunce And if thou see no hope of mendyng in them sease there and go no further for they be swyne But alas it euer was and shall be y â— the greater noÌ„ber receaue the wordes for a newnesse and curiositie as they say and to seme to be somewhat and that they haue not gone to schole in vayne they will forthwith yer they haue felt any chauÌ„ge of liuyng in them selues be scholemasters and begyn at libertie and practise opeÌ„ly before their Disciples And when the Phariseis see their traditions broken they rage and persecute immediatly And then our new scholemasters be neither grounded in the doctrine to defend their doinges nor rooted in the profession of a new life to suffer with Christ c. Aske and it shal be geuen you seke and ye shall finde Knocke and it shal be opened vnto you For all that aske receaue and he that seeketh findeth And to him that knocketh it shal be opened For what man is it among you if his sonne asked hym bread that would proferre him a stone Or if he asked him fishe would he offer him a Serpent If ye then whiche are euill know to geue good giftes to your children howe much more shall your father whiche is in heauen geue good thynges to them that aske hym First note of these wordes that to pray is Gods commaundement as it is to beleue in God to loue God or to loue thy neighbour and so are almose fastyng also Neither is it possible to beleue in God to loue him or to loue thy neighbour But that prayer will spryng out there heÌ„ce immediatly For to beleue in God is to be sure that all thou hast is of him and all thou nedest must come of him Whiche if thou do thou canst not but continually thanke him for his benefites which thou continually without ceasyng â–ª receauest of his hand and therto euer cry for helpe for thou art euer in nede and canst no whence els be holpen And thy neighbour is in such necessitie also Wherfore if thou loue him it will coÌ„pell thee to pitie him and to cry to God for him continually and to thanke as well for him as thy selfe Secondarely this heapyng of so many wordes together aske seke and knocke signify that the prayer must be continuall and so doth the parable of the widowe that sued to the wicked iudge and y â— cause is that we are euer in continuall necessitie as I say and all our lyfe but euen a warre fare and a perpetual battaile In which we preuaile as long as we pray and be ouercome assoone as we ceasse praying as Israell ouercame the Amalechites Exod. xvij as long as Moses held vp his hands in prayer and assoone as he had let downe his handes for werynesse the Amalechites preuayled and had the better Christ warned his Disciples at his last supper to haue peace in him affirming that they should haue none in y â— world The false Prophetes shal euer impugne the faith in Christes bloud and inforce to quenche the true vnderstaÌ„ding of the law and the right meanyng and intent of all the workes commaunded by God which fight is a fight aboue all fightes First they shal be in such noÌ„ber that
Christes true disciples shal be but a small flocke in respect of them They shall haue workes like Christes so that fastyng prayer pouertie obedience and chastitie shall be the names of their profession For as Paule saith to the Corinthians the aungels or messengers of Sathā shall chaunge them selues into aungels or messengers of light and truth They shall come in Christes name and that with signes and miracles and haue the vpper hād also euen to deceaue the very elect if it were possible Yea beyonde all this if thou get the victory of the false Prophetes and plucke a multitude out of their handes there shall immediately rise of the same and set vp a new false sect agaynst thee And agaynst all these Amalechites the onely remedy is to lift vp the handes of thy harte to God in continuall prayer Which hādes if thou for werynes once let fall thou goest to the worsse immediatly Then beside the fight and conflict of the suttle sophistrie false miracles disguised and hypocritish workes of these false Prophetes commeth the Dogges Wolues of their Disciples with the seruauntes of Mammon and the swyne of thyne owne scholers agaynst whiche all thou hast no other shilde or defence but prayer Then the sinne lustes of thyne owne flesh Sathan and a thousand temptations vnto euil in the world wil either driue thee to the castell and refuge of prayer or take the prisoner vndoubtedly Last of all thy neighbours necessitie and thyne owne will compell thee to crye father which art in heauen geue vs our dayly bread though thou were as rich as kyng Salomon For Christ commaundeth the rich as well as the poore to cry to God continually for their dayly bread And if they haue no such neede then is Christ a deceauer a mocker What nede I to pray thee to geue or lende me that is in myne own possession all ready Is not the first cōmaūdemēt that there is but one God and that thou put thy whole trust in him Which if it were written in thyne hart thou shouldest easely perceaue though thou haddest as many thousandes as Dauid left behynd him and Salomō heaped mo to them that thou haddest no more then the poore begger that goeth from doore to dore yea and that the begger if that cōmaundement be written in his hart is sure that he is as rich as thou For first thou must knowledge that thou hast receaued y ◠great treasure of y ◠hand of God Whersore whē thou fettest an halfepeny therof thou oughtest to geue God thākes in thyne hart for the gift therof Thou must confesse also that God onely hath kept it and thee that same night and euer before or els be an idolater and put thy trust in some other thyng then God And thou must confesse that God onely must keepe it and thee the day and night folowing and so continually after not thine owne witte or power or the witte or power of any other creature or creatures For if God kept it not for thee it woulde be thine owne destructiō and they that helpe thee to keepe it woulde cut thy throte for it There is no king in Christendome so well beloued but he hath ◅ow of his owne euill subiectes if God kept them not downe with feare that woulde at one houre rise vpō him and slea hym to make hauocke of all he hath Who is so well beloued thorow out all Englād but that there be ◅ow in the same parishe or nie about that would for his good wishe him to hell if they coulde and woulde wyth theyr handes destroy him if God kept hym not and did cast feare on the other Now then if God must euer keepe it for thee and thou must dayly receaue it of his hand as a poore man doth receaue his almose of an other man thou art in no more suertie of thy dayly bread no though thou were a Cardinall then the poorest is Wherfore howsoeuer rich thou be yet must thou euer cry to God for thy dayly bread So now it is a commaundemēt to pray and that continually short thicke and oft as the Psalmes be and all the prayers of the Bible Finally the third is that we be commaunded to pray with faith and trust and that we beleue in the Lorde our God and doubt not in his promises vnto which Christ enduceth vs wyth an apt similitude saying If ye beyng euill can yet geue good thynges vnto your children how much more shall God fulfill hys promises of mercy vnto his children if they cry vnto hym he is better and more mercifull then all men Wherfore seing God commaundeth thee to pray and for as much as thou hast so great necessitie so to do because he is mercifull and hath promised and is true and cannot deny his owne wordes Therefore pray and when thou prayest looke not on thine vnworthines but on his cōmaūdemēt mercy goodnes on his truth and faithfulnes beleue stedsastly in hym Moreouer whatsoeuer thou hast done yet if thou repent and wilt amende he promiseth that he will not thynke on thy sinnes And though he differ thee thinke it not long nor faint not in thy fayth or be slacke in thy prayer For he will surely come and geue thee more then thou desirest though he differre for thy profite or chaunge thy request into a better thyng All thinges therefore whatsoeuer ye woulde men shoulde do to you so do ye to them This is verely the lawe and the Prophetes This is a short sermon that no mā neede to complayne that he cannot for the length beare it away It is so nye thee that thou needest not to sende ouer sea for it It is with thee that thou needest not to be importune vpon master Doctor saying syr I pray you what say ye to this case and to that is not this lawfull and may I not so do and so well inough Aske thyne owne conscience what thou mayst or oughtest to do Wouldest thou mē did so with thee then do it Wouldest thou not be so dealt with then do it not Thou wouldest not that men shoulde do to thee wrong and oppresse thee Thou wouldest not that men shoulde do thee shame and rebuke lie on thee kyll thee hyre thine house from thee or tice thy seruaunt away or take against thy will ought that is thyne Thou wouldest not that men shoulde sell thee false ware when thou puttest them in trust to make it ready or lay it out for thee nor thou wouldest not that men shoulde deceaue thee wyth great othes swearing that to be good which in deede is very naught Thou wouldest not also that men should sell thee ware that is naught and to deare to vndo thee do no such thinges then to thy neighbour But as loth as thou wouldest be to buye false ware or to deare for vndoing thy selfe so loth be thou to sell false ware or
the life of maÌ„ as it is written Iustus ex fide viuit out of which life the pleasantnesse of all his woorkes spring As for an ensample thou art a shoumaker which is a worke within the lawes of God and sayest in thyne hart loe God here I make a shooe as truely as I woulde for my selfe to do my neighbour seruice and so get my liuing in truth with y e labour of myne handes as thou commaundest and thanke thee that thou hast geuen me this craft and makest it lucky that I get my liuing therewith and am surely perswaded that both I my worke please thee O father for thy sonne Iesus sake loe now this fayth hath made this simple woorke pleasaunt in the sight of God An other ensample thou takest a wife sayest O father thou not onely permittest this but also commaundest all that burne haue their mindes vnquieted to marry for feare of formcation and so forth And father I promise thee to loue this woman truely and to care for her and gouerne her after thy lawes and to be true to her and to stand by her in all aduersities and to take in worth as well the euill as the good and to bring vp the fruite that thou shalt geue me of her in thy feare and teach it to know thee Moreouer as concerning the acte of matrimony as when thou wilt eate thou blessest God receauest thy dayly fode of his hand according to y â— fourth peticion of thy Pater noster knowledgest that it is his gift and thankest hym beleuing his worde that he hath created it for thee to receaue it wyth thankes by the which worde prayer of thankes thy meate and drnicke is sanctified i. Tim. iiij Euen so thou sayest father this I do not onely at thy permission which is inough to please thee wythall but also at thy coÌ„maundement and haue bound my self hereunto to keepe my soule from sinning against thee to helpe my neighbour that he sâ—me not also and promise thee to keepe thys profession truely and to nourishe the fruite that thou shalt geue me in the feare of thee and in the fayth of thy sonne Iesu and so thankest the Lord for his giftes Now is thy worke thorow thys sayth and thankes pleasaunt and acceptable in y â— sight of God And so was the geÌ„dring of Iacob in fayth and of Samuell many other And y â— geuing sucke was a good worke and so was the dressing of them by the fire And when our Lady coÌ„ceaued Christ thorow fayth was not that a good worke What if God when she doubted and asked by what maner she should conceaue him had commaunded her to conceaue hym of Ioseph or of some other man had not that worke done in obedieÌ„ce and faith bene as good a worke The will that Abraham had to sâ—ay Isaac and all that he dyd till he came at y â— very point to slay him were good workes and so had ben the slaying also And AbrahaÌ„ was sure that he pleased God highly and as well as in any other worke and had as depely sinned if he had bene disobedient therein as though he had done any other cruell dede forbidden by God Yea but shomakyng is not commaunded by God Yes and hath the promise of God annexed therto For God hath commauÌ„ded me for the auoyding of sinne to do my brethren seruice and to lyue therby and to chose one estate or other for if thou wouldest receaue onely of thy brethren and do nought agayne thou were a these and an extorcioner a tyraunt And I chose shomaking or receaue it at y â— obedience of myne elders Now haue I Gods commauÌ„demeÌ„t to woorke therin truly and his promise annexed therto that he wil blesse mine occupation and make it lucky frutefull to bryng me an honest lyuyng Worke I not now at Gods commauÌ„dement and haue hys promise that it pleaseth him Note this also first my craft is Gods commaundement Secondarely I beleue am sure that my worke pleaseth God for Christes sake Thirdly my woorke is profitable vnto my neighbour and helpeth his necessitie Fourthly I receaue my reward of the hand of God with thaÌ„kes and worke surely certified that I please God in my worke thorough Christ and that God will geue me my dayly bread thereby But if thou examine their doctrine thou shalt finde that this fayth is away in all their frutes and therefore are they worme eaten and shales with out kernelles Note againe the Turkes Iewes geue almose aswell as we as much yet abhominable for lacke of fayth knowledge of the true intent What sayth the text he y â— receaueth a prophet in the name of a Prophet shall haue the reward of a Prophet That is because thou aydest him in preachyng of of Christes word thou shalt be partader with him haue the same reward And he that receaueth a Disciple in the name of a disciple shal haue c. And he that geueth one of these litle once but a cup of cold water for my names sake shall haue his reward If a kyng minister his kingdome in the faith of this name because his subiectes be his brethreÌ„ and the price of Christes bloud he pleaseth God highly and if this fayth be not there it pleaseth him not And if I sow a shue truly in the fayth of hys name to do my brother seruice because he is the pryce of Christes bloud it pleaseth God Thus is faith the goodnesse of all workes Finally when God geueth end I receaue with thankes is not God as well pleased as when I geue for his sake and he receaueth A true frend is as glad to do his freÌ„d a good turne as to receaue a good turne When the father geueth his sonne a new coate and sayth am not I a good father and wilt not thou loue me agayne and do what I byd thee And the boy receaueth it with thankes and sayth yea and is glad and proude therof doth not the father reioyce as much now in the lad as an other tyme when the ladde doth what soeuer it be at his fathers commaundement But the false Prophets do well to paynce God after the lykenesse of theyr owne visenomy glad when he receaueth ye when they receaue in his name But sowre grudging and euil content when he geueth agayne But thou pleasest God when thou askest in faith and when thou receauest with thankes and when thou reioysest in his giftes and louest hym agayne to kepe his coÌ„maundementes and the appoyntment and couenaunt made betwene him and thee And for a conclusion besides that they expell fayth whiche is the goodnes of all workes they set vp workes of their owne makyng to destroy the workes of God and to be holyer then Gods woorkes to the despisyng of Gods woorkes and to make Gods workes vyle With their chastitie they destroy the chastitie that God ordeined and onely requireth With
by which was at that time nothing signified but an Elder And it was no doubt taken of the custome of the Hebrues where the officers were euer elderly men as nature requireth As it appeareth in the olde testament and also in the new The Scribes Pharises and the elders of the people sayth the text which were the officers and rulers so called by the reason of their age ¶ Why he vseth loue rather then charitie HE rebuketh me also that I traÌ„slate thys greke worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into loue and not rather into charitie so holy so knowen a terme Verely charitie is no knowen Englishe in that sence which agape requireth For when we say geue your almes in the worship of God and sweete saint charitie and when the father teacheth his sonne to say blessing father for saint charitie what meane they In good fayth they wot not Moreouer wheÌ„ we say God helpe you I haue done my charitie for this day do we not take it for aâ—…s And the man is euer childing and out of charitie and I beshrew him sauing my charitie there we take it for patience And when I say a charitable maÌ„ it is taken for mercifull And though mercifulnes be a good loue or rather spring of a good loue yet is not euery good loue mercifulnes As when a woman loueth her husband godly or a man his wife or his frende that is in none aduersitie it is not alway mercifulnesse Also we say not thys man hath a great charitie to god but a great loue Wherfore I must haue vsed this generall terme loue in spite of myne hart oftentimes And agape charitas were wordes vsed among the Hetheâ— yer Chrst came and signified therefore more then a godly loue And we may say well inough and haue heard it spoken that the Turkes be charitable one to an other among themselues some of them vnto the christen to Besides all this agape is coÌ„mon vnto all loues And when M. More saith euery loue is not charitie no more is euery Apostle Christes Apostle nor euery Angell Gods Angell nor euery hope christen hope nor euery sayth or beliefe Christes beleife and so by an huÌ„dred thousand wordes So that if I should alway vse but a worde y t were no more generall then the worde I enterprete I should enterprete nothing at all But the matter it selfe and the circumstaunces do declare what loue what hope and what fayth is spokeÌ„ of And finally I say not charitie God or charitie your neighbour but ioue God and loue your neighbour ye though we say a man ought to loue his neighbours wife his daughter a Christen man doth vnderstand that he is commauÌ„ded to defile his neighbours wife or his daughter ¶ Why fauour and not grace ANd with lyke reasons rageth he because I turne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into fauour and not into grace saying that euery fauour is not grace and that in some fauour there is but little grace I can say also in some grace there is little goodnesse And when we say he standeth well in my Ladyes grace we vnderstand no great godly sauour And in Vniuersities many vngracious graces are gotten ¶ Why knowledge and not confession repentaunce and not penaunce ANd that I vse this worde knowledge and not confession and this word repentaunce and not penaunce In which all he can not proue that I geue not the right Englishe vnto the Greeke word But it is a farre other thyng that payâ—eth them and byteth them by the brestes There he secret panges that pinch the very hartes of them wherof they dare not coÌ„playne The sekenesse that maketh them so impacieÌ„t is that they haue lost their iugglyng termes For the doctours and preachers were wont to make many dimisioÌ„s distinctions sortes of grace gratis data gratum faciens preueniens subsequens And with confession they iuggled so made the people as oft as they spake of it vnderstand shrift in the care Wherof the Scripture maketh no mentioÌ„ no it is cleâ—ne agaynst the Scripture as they vse it and preach it and vnto God an abhominatioÌ„ and a soule stinkyng sacrifice vnto the filthy Idole Priapus The losse of those iugglyng termes is the matter where of all these bottes brede that gnaw them by the belyes and make them so vnquiet And in like maner by this word penaunce they make the people vnderstand holy deedes of their enioynyng with which they must make satisfactioÌ„ vnto Godward for their sinnes When all the Scripture preacheth that Christ hath made full satisfactioÌ„ for our sinnes to Godward we must now be thaÌ„kfull to God agayne and kill the lustes of our flesh with holy workes of gods enioynyng to take paciently all that God layeth on my back And if I haue hurt my neighbour I am bounde to shrâ—…e my selfe vnto him and to make him amendes if I haue wherewith or if not theÌ„ to aske him sorgeuenesse and he is bounde to forgeue me And as for their penauÌ„ce the Scripture knoweth not of The Greke hath Metanoia and Metanoite repentaunce and repente â–ª or forthinkyng and forthinke As we say in English it forthinketh me or I forthinke and I repent or it repeÌ„teth me and I am sory that I dyd it So now the Scripture â—ayth repent or let it forthinke you and come beleue the Gospell or glad tydynges that is brought you in Christ and so shall all be forgeuen you and henceforth lyue a new lyfe And it will folow if I repent in the hart that I shall do no more so willingly and of purpose And if I beleued the Gospell what God hath done for me in Christ I should surely loue him agayne of loue prepare my selfe vnto his commaundementes These thinges to be euen so M. More knoweth well inough For he vnderstandeth the Greke and he knew them long yer I. But so blynd is couetousnesse dronkeÌ„ desire of honour Giftes blind the eyes of the seyng and peruert the wordes of the righteous Deut. xvij When couetousnes findeth vauntage in seruyng falsehead it riseth vp into an oâ—…mate malice agaynst the truth seeketh all meanes to resiste it and to queÌ„ch it As Balam the false Prophet though he wiste that God loued Israell and had blessed them and promised them great thyngs and that he would fulfill his promises yet for couetousnesse and desire of honour he fell into such malice agaynst the truth of God that he sought â—ow to resiste it and to curse the people Whiche when God would not let him do he turned him selfe an other way and gaue pestilent counsell to make the people sinne against God wherby the wrath of God â—el vpon them and many thousand perished Notwithstandyng Gods truth abode fast and was fulfiled in the rest And Balam as he was the cause that many perished so escaped he not hym selfe No more did any that
or xii yeare olde before they were admitted to receaue the sacrameÌ„t of Christes body haply And he apposed them of the lawe of God and fayth of Christ asked them whether they thought that lawe good and whether their hartes were to follow it And they aunswered yea And he apposed them in the articles of our fayth and asked them whether they put their hop and trust in Christ to be saued thorow his death and merites And they answered ye TheÌ„ coÌ„firmed he their baptim saying I confirme you that is I denounce and declare by the authoritie of Gods worde and doctrine of Christ that ye be truely baptised within in your hartes and in your spirites thorow prosessing the lawe of God and the faith of our sauiour Iesu which your outwarde baptim doth signifie and therupon I put this crosse in your foreheades that ye goe and fight agaynst the deuill the world and the flesh vnder the standard of our Sauiour in the name of the father the sonne the holy ghost AmeÌ„ Which maner I would to God for his tender mercy were in vse this day But after that the deuil was broken lowse and the Byshops began to purchase and the Deaâ—…s to scratch all to them and the spiritualtie to clime an hygh then because the labour seâ—… to tedious and paynfull to appose the children one by one they asked the Priests that presented theÌ„ onely whether the children were taught the professioÌ„ of their Baptisme And they aunswered yâ—â— And so vpon their wordes they confirmed theÌ„ without apposing So wheÌ„ they no lenger apposed them the Priests no lenger taught them but committed the charge to their Godfather and Godmothers and they to the father and mother dischargyng them selues by their owne authoritie within halfe an houre And the father mother taught theÌ„ a monstrous Latin Pater noster and an Aue and a Crede Which gibbresh euery Popâ—…iaye speaketh with a sundry pronunciation and fashion so that one Pater noster semeth as many languages almost as there be tounges that speake it Howbeit it is all one as loÌ„g as they vnderstand it not And in processe as the ignoraunce grew they brought them to confirmation straight from Baptisme so that now oftymes they be volowed and bishoped both in one day that is we be confirmed in blindnesse to be kept from knowledge for euer And thus are we come into this damnable ignoraunce and fierce wrath of God through our owne deseruyng because when the truth was told vs we had no loue therto And to declare the full and set wrath of God vpon vs our Prelates whom we haue exalted ouer vs to whom we haue geuen almost all we had haue persuaded the wordly Princes to whoÌ„ we haue submitted our selues and geueÌ„ vp our power to deuour vs vp body soule and to kepe vs downe in darkenesse with violence of sword and with all falsehead and guile In so much that if any do but lift vp his nose to smell after the truth they swap him in the face with a fire brande to seng hys smellyng or if he open one of his eyes once to looke toward y â— light of gods word they bleare daze his sight with their false iugglyng so that if it were possible though he were Gods elect he could not but be kept down and perish for lacke of knowledge of the truth And in like maner because Christ had institute the Sacrament of his body and bloud to kepe vs in remembrauÌ„ce of his body breaking blud sheding for our sinnes therfore went they and set vp this fashioÌ„ of the Masse and ordeined Sacramentes in the ornamentes thereof to signifie and expresse all the rest of his passioÌ„ The amice on the head is the kercheue that Christ was blynd folded with when the souldiours buffeted him and mocked hym saying prophecie vnto vs who smote thee But now it may wel signifie that he that putteth it on is blynd and hath professed to leade vs after him in darkenesse according vnto the beginnyng of his play And the flappe theron is the crowne of thorne And the albe is the white garment that Herode put on him saying he was a foole because he held his peace and would not auÌ„swere him And the ij flappes on the sleues and the other ij on the albe beneath ouer agaynst his fete behind and before are the. iiij nayles And the fanon on his hand the cord that his haÌ„des were bound with And the stole the rope wherwith he was bound vnto the piller when he was scorged And the corporiscloth the sindon wherin he was buried and the altare is the crosse or haply the graue and so forth And the casting abroad of his hands the splaying of Christ vpon the crosse And the light and sticking vp of candles bearyng of candles or tapers in procession happly signified this text Math. v. ye be the light of the world and let your light so shyne before meÌ„ that they may see your good workes glorifie your father which is in heauen And the salt signifieth the wisedome of Christes doctrine and that we should therewith salt our dedes and do nothing without the authoritie of Gods word So that in one thing or other what in the garmeÌ„tes and what in the gestures all his playde in so much that before he will go to Masse he wil be sure to sell hym lest Iudases part should be left out And so throughout all the SacrameÌ„ts ceremonies or signes iij. words of one signification there were significations vnto them at the beginning And so long as it was vnderstaÌ„d what was ment by them and they dyd but serue the people and preach one thyng or an other vnto them they hurted not greatly though that the free seruaunt of Christ ought not to be brought violently into captiuitie vnder the boÌ„dage of traditions of men As S. Augustine complayneth in his dayes how that the condition and state of the Iewes was more easy then the ChristiaÌ„s vnder traditions so sore had the tyranny of the shepheardes inuaded the flocke all ready in those dayes And theÌ„ what iust cause haue we to coÌ„plaine our captiuitie now vnto whose yocke from that tyme hetherto enen xij hundred yeares long hath euer somwhat more waight bene added to for to keepe vs bowne and to confirme vs in blyndnesse howbeit as long as the significatioÌ„s bode they hurted not the soule though they were paynefull vnto the body Neuerthelesse I impute this our greuous fal into so extreme and horrible blyndnesse wherin we are so deepe and so deadly brought a slepe vnto no thyng so much as vnto the multitude of ceremonies For assoone as the Prelates had set vp such a rable of ceremonies they thonght it superflnous to preach the playne text any longer and the law of God faith of Christ loue toward our
for the deedes that pertayne vnto our neighbours and vnto the common wealth we haue not regarded at all as thynges which seemed no holy workes or such as God woulde not once looke vppon And therfore we left them vnsene to vntill they were past remedy or past our power to remedy thē in as much as our slowbellies with their false blessinges had iugled away from vs that wherwith they might haue bene holpen in due season So that y ◠silly poore man though he had haply no wisdome to expresse hys mynde or y t he durst not or y ◠M. More fashioneth his tale as he doth other mens to lest out the truth sawe that neither Goodwinsandes nor any other cause alleaged was the decay of Sandwich hauen so much as that the people had no lust to mainteyne the common wealth for blynde deuotion which they haue to popeholy workes ¶ The solutions and answeres vnto M. Mores first booke IN the first chapter to beginne the booke wythal to bring you good lucke and to geue you a say or a taste what truth shall follow he fayneth a letter sent from no man The second Chapter In the second chapter besides that it is vntrue this vse to haue bene euer since the tyme of the Apostles he maketh many sophisticall reasons about worshipping of saintes reliques and Images yet declareth not w t what maner worship but iuggleth with the terme in comune as he doth with this worde church and this worde fayth when the wordes haue diuers significations for all faithes are not one maner fayth and so forth and therefore he beguileth a mans vnderstanding As if a man sayd the boyes will was good to haue geuen his father a blow and an other woulde inferre that a good will coulde be no sinne and conclude that a man might lawfully smite hys father Now is good will taken in one sence in the maior and in an other in y ◠minor to vse schollers termes therfore the conclusion doth mocke a mās wit Then disputeth he the seruaunt is honoured for the masters sake and what is done to the poore is done to Christ as the popishe shall once feele for their so robbing them And the xii Apostles shall haue their seates sitte and iudge with Christ as shal all that here preach hym truely as they dyd and Mary that powred the ointment on Christes head before hys passion hath her memoriall and therefore we ought to set candles before Images First I aske hym by what rule hys argument holdeth And secondarily I answere that the true worshipping of Saintes is their memoriall to follow them as they did Christ And that honour we geue them and so do not ye papists but folow the steppes of your father the Pope as he doth the steppes of his father the deuill And as for sticking vp of candles I aunswere that God is a spirite and in the spirit must be worshipped only Faith to his promises and loue to his lawes and longing for the life that is in his sonne are his due honour and seruice All bodyly seruice must be referred vnto our selues and not vnto the person of God immediatly All outwarde thynges which we receaue of God are geuē vs. to take our partes with thankes and to bestow the rest vppon our neyghbours For God vseth no such thynges in his owne person but created thē for to gene thē vs that we shoulde thanke hym and not to receaue them of vs to thanke vs for that were our praise and not his Fasting watching wolward goyng pilgrimage and all bodely exercise must be referred vnto y t taming of the fleshe onely For as god deliteth not in y ◠tast of meat drinke or in the sight of golde or siluer no more doth he in my fast and such like that I should referre them vnto hys person to do him a pleasure withall For God in himselfe is as good as he can be hath all the delectation that he cā haue And the refore to wish that God were better then be is or had more pleasure then he hath is of a worldly imagination And all the spirites that be in heauē are in as good case as they can be and haue all the delectation they can haue and therefore to wishe them in better case or to studie to do them more pleasure then they haue is fleshly mynded popishnes The pleasure of them that be in heauen is that we harken to god and keepe his commaundementes which when we do they haue all the pleasure that they can haue in vs. If in this life I suffer hell gladly to win my brother to folow God how much more if I were in heauen should I reioyce that he so did If in thys worlde when I haue neede of my neighbour by the reason of myne infirmities yet I seke nought of him saue his wealth onely what other thing should I seke of hym if I were in heauen where he can do me no seruice nor I vse any pleasure that he can do me THe deuill desired to haue his imaginations worshipped as God his popishe children desire the same compell men so to honour them and of their deuelishe nature describe they both God and his Saintes And therfore I say all such fleshly imaginations as to fast the wensday in the worship of S. Iohn or of S. Katerine or what Saint it be or to fast Sayntes eues or to go a pilgrimage vnto their images or to offer to them to do them pleasure thinkyng therby to obteyne their fauour and to make special adnocates of them as a man would winne the fauour of an other with presentes and giftes and thinking that if we did it not they would be angry are playne Idolatry image seruice for the saint deliteth in no such And when thou stickest vp a candle before the image thou mightest with as good reason make an holow bely in the image and powre in meate and drincke For as the Saint neither eateth nor drinketh so hath he no bodyly eyes to delyte in the light of a candle An other is this God geueth not the promises that are in Christ for bodyly seruice but of his mercy onely vn to his owne glorie Yea and of the fathers goodnesse do all naturall childrē receaue Aske a litle boy who gaue him his gay coate he aūswereth his father Aske him why and he annswereth because he is his father and loueth hym and because he is his sonne Aske hym whether his father loue hym and he sayth yea Aske him how he knoweth it and he sayth because he geueth me this or that Aske him whether he loue his father he sayth yea Aske him why he sayth for his father loueth hym and geueth him all thing Aske him why he worketh he aunswereth his father wil so haue it Aske him why his father geneth not such and such boyes coates to Nay saith he they be not
were in them determined as stories make meÌ„tion And by the same fcripture we know which counsels were true which false And by the same scripture shall we if any new question arâ—…e determine it also Abraham answered the rich man they haue Moses and the Prophets let theÌ„ heare them and sayd not they haue the Scribes and the Phariseis whom they should heare preachyng out of the seate of their owne doctrine wythout scripture And when he alleageth he that heareth you heareth me and if any man heare not the church take hym for an heathen concluding that we must beleue whosoeuer is shauen in all that he affirmeth without scripture or myracle I would fayne know in what figure that silogismus is made Christes disciples taught Christes doctrine confirming it with miracles that it might be knowen for Gods and not theirs And euen so must the Church that I wyll beleue shew a myracle or bryng autentike scripture that is come from the Apostles which consirmed it with myracles The xxix Chapter IN the xxix he alleageth that Christ sayd not the holy ghost shall write but shall teach It is not the vse to say the holy ghost writeth but inspireth y â— writer I maruayle that he had not brought as many of hys brethren do Mathew in the last where Christ coÌ„maunded the Apostles to go and teach all nations and sayd not write I auswere that this precept loue thy neighbour as thy selfe and God aboue all thyng went wyth the Apostles coÌ„pelled them to seeke Gods honour in vs and to seeke all meanes to continue the fayth vnto the worldes ende Now the Apostles knew before that heresies shoulde come and therefore wrote that it myght be a remedie against heresies as it well appeareth Iohn xx Where he sayth these are written that ye beleue and thorow beliefe haue lyfe And in the second of his fyrst Epistle he sayth these I write because of them that deceaue you And Paule and Peter therto warne vs in many places Wherfore it is manifest that the same loue compelled them to leaue nothyng vnwritten that should be necessarily required and that if it were left out should hurt the soule And in the last chapter to make all fast he bringeth in the kynges grace how he confuted Martin Luther with this conclusion y e Church can not erre where vnto I will make none aunswere for feare to displease his grace neuerthelesse because Martin could not soyle it if his grace looke well vpoÌ„ the matter he shall finde that God hath assoyled it for him in a case of his own And vppon that M. More concludeth his first booke that what soeuer the Church that is to were the pope his broode say it is Gods worde though it be not written nor confirmed with miracle nor yet good liuing yea and though they say to day this and to morow the contrary all is good inough and Gods word yea and though one Pope condemne an other ix or x. Popes arow with all their workes for he retickes as it is to see in the stories yet all is right and none errour And thus good night and good rest Christ is brought a slepe layde in his graue and the doore sealed to and the men of armes about the graue to keepe hym downe with polaxes For that is the siâ— rest argument to helpe at nede and to be rid of these babblyng heretikes that so barke at the holy spiritualtie with y t Scripture beyng thereto wretches of no repuration neither Cardinals nor Bishops nor yet great beneficed men yea and without torquottes and pluralities hauyng no hold but the very Scripture whereunto they cleaue as burres so fast that they can not bee pulied away saue with very syngyng them of ¶ A sure token that the Pope is Antichrist ANd though vnto all the argumeÌ„ts and persuasions whiche he would blind vs with to beleue that the Pope with his sect were the right Churche and that God for the multitude will not suffer them erre we were so simple that we saw not the suttiltie of the Argumentes nor had wordes to solâ—e theÌ„ with but our bare fayth in our hartes yet we be sure and so sure that we can therein not be decâ—aued and do both seele and see that the conclusion is false and the contrary true For first Peter sayth ij Pet. ij there shall be false teachers amoÌ„g you which shal secretly bring in damnable sectes denying the Lord that bought them and many shall folow their damnable wayes by whom the way of truth shal be euill spoken of and with fayned wordes they shall make marchaundise ouer you Now saith Paule Rom. iij. the law speaketh vnto theÌ„ that are vnder the law And euen so this is spokeÌ„ of theÌ„ that professe the name of Christ Now the Pope hath x. thousand sectes â—ropen in as pied in their consciences as in their coates settyng vp a thousand maner of workes to be saued by which is the denying of Christ And we see many and all most all together folow their damnable wayes And in that Peter sayd that they shall rayle blaspheme the truth it foloweth that there shal be a litle flocke reserued by the haÌ„d of God to testifie the truth vnto them or els how could they rayle on it And it foloweth that those raylers shal be the mightier part in the world or els they durst not do it Now what truth in Christ doth not the Pope rebuke and in settyng vp false woorkes denie all together And as for their fayued wordes where findest thou in all the Scripture Purgatory shrift penaunce pardon poena culpa hyperdoulia and a thousand fayned termes mo And as for their marchaundise looke whether they sell not all Gods lawes and also their owne and all sinne and all Christes merites and all that a maÌ„ can thinke To one he selleth the faulte onely and to an other the fault and the payne to and purgeth his purse of his money and his braynes of his wittes and maketh him so beastly that he can vnderstand no godly thyng And Christ sayth Math. xxiiij there shall false annoynted arise and shew signes and wonders that is they shall shew miracles so preuayle that if it were possible the elect should be brought out of the true way And these false annoynted by the same rule of Paule and in that Christ sayth also that they shall come in his name must be in the Church of Christ and of them that shal call theÌ„ selues Christen and shall shew their wonders before the elect and be a sore temptation vnto them to bryng theÌ„ out of the way And y e elect whiche 〈◊〉 few in comparison of them that be called and come faynedly shall among that great multitude bee kepte by the mighty hand of God agaynst all naturall possibilitie So that the Church very elert shall neuer be such
a multitude together by them selues without persecution temptatioÌ„ of their â—ayth as the great multitude vnder the pope is which persecute and â—…t And these which the Pope calleth heretikes shew no miracles by their owne confession neither ought they â–ª 〈◊〉 as much as they bryng no new learnyng nor ought saue the Scripture which is all ready receaued coÌ„firmed with miracles Christ also promiseth vs nought in this world saue persecution for our fayth And the stories of the old Testament are also by Paulus 1. Cor. x. our examples And there though God at a time called with miracles a great multitude yet the very chosen that receaued the fayth in their harts to put their trust in God alone and which endureth in temptations were but few and euer oppressed of their false brethreÌ„ and persecuted vnto the death and driuen vnto corners And when Paule ij Thes ij sayth that Antichristes commyng shal be by the working of Sathan with all power signes and wonders of falsehead all deceaueablenesse for them that perish because they coÌ„ceiued not loue vnto the truth to be saued by and therefore shall God send them strong delusioÌ„ or guile to beleue lies the text must also pertaine vnto a multitude gathered together in christes name of which one part and no doubt the greater for lacke of loue vnto the truth that is in Christ to liue thereafter shall fall into sectes and a false fayth vnder the name of Christ and shal be indurate and stablished therein with false miracles to perish for their vnkindnesse The pope first hath no Scripture that he dare abyde by in the light neither careth but blasphemeth that his word is truer theÌ„ the Scripture He hath miracles with out Gods word as all false Prophetes had He hath lyes in all his Legendes in all preachynges and in all bookes They haue no loue vnto the truth which appeareth by their great sinnes that they haue set vp aboue all the abhominatioÌ„ of all the heathen that euer were and by their long continuaunce therin not of frailtie but of malice vnto the truth and of obstinate lust selfe will to sinne Which appeareth in two thinges the one that they haue gotten them with wiles and falsehead froÌ„ vnder all lawes of man and euen aboue Kyng and Emperour that no man should constraine their bodies bryng them vnto better order that they may sinne frely without feare of man And on the other syde they haue brought Gods word a slepe that it should not vnquyet their consciences in so much that if any maÌ„ rebuke them with that they persecute him immediatly pose hym in their false doctrine and make hym an hereticke and burne hym and quench it And Paule sayth ij Timo. iij. in the later dayes there shal be perilous tymes For there shal be men that loue them selues couetous high mynded proud raylers disobedient to father and mother vnthankfull vngodly churlish promisebreakers accusers or pickquareles vnlouyng despisers of the good traytours hedy puâ—sed vp that loue lustes more theÌ„ God hauing an appearaunce of godlynesse but denying the power therof And by power I vnderstand the pure faith in gods word whiche is the power and pith of all godlynesse and whence all that pleaseth God springeth And this text pertaineth vnto them that professe Christ And in that he sayth hauing an appearaunce of godlynesse of that foloweth in the text of this sort are they that enter into mens houses and lead women captiue laden with sinne euer askyng neuer able to atteine vnto the truth as our hearers of coÌ„fessions do it appeareth y t they be such as wil be holyer then other and teachers and leaders of the rest And looke whether there be here any sillabe that agreeth not vnto our spiritualtie in the highest degree Loue they not them selues their owne decrees and ordinaunces theyr owne lyes and dreames despise all lawes of God and man regarde no man but theÌ„ onely that be disguised as they be And as for their couetousnesse whiche all the world is not able to satisfie tell me what it is that they make not serue it in so much that if God punishe the world with an euill pocke they immediatly paynt a blocke and call it Iob to heale the disease in stede of warning the people to mend their lyuyng And as for their high mynde and pryde see whether they be not aboue Kings and Emperour all the names of God whether any man may come to beare rule in this world except he be sworne to them and come vp vnder them And as for their raylyng looke in their excoÌ„munication and see whether they spare Kyng or Emperour or the Testament of God And as for eâ—edience to father and mother Nay they be immediatly vnder God and his holy vicare the Pope he is their father on hys ceremonies they must wayte And as for vnthaÌ„kfull they be so kind that if they haue receaued a thousand pound land of a man yet for all y t they would not receaue one of his ofspryng vnto a nights harbour at his nede for their founders sake And whether they be vngodly or no I reporte me vnto the parchement And as for churlishnesse see whether they will not haue their causes venged though it should cost whole regions yea and all ChristeÌ„dome as ye shall see and as it hath cost halfe Christendome all ready And as for their promise or trucebreakyng see whether any appoyntement may endure for their dispensations be it neuer so lawfull though the Sacrament were receaued for the coÌ„firmatioÌ„ And see whether they haue not brokeÌ„ all the appointementes made betwene them and their founders And see whether they be not accusers and â—â—aytours also of all meÌ„ and that secretly of theyr very owne Kynges and of their owne nation And as for their headmeste see whether they be not proue bold and runne headloÌ„g vnto all mischief without pitie compassion or caryng what misery and destruction should fall on other men so they may haue theyr present pleasure fulfilled And see whether they loue not theyr lustes that they will not be refrained from them either by any law of God or man And as for their apperauÌ„ce of godlynesse see whether all be not Gods seruice that they fayne and see whether not almost all consciences be captiue thereto And it foloweth in the text as the sorcerers of Egipt resisted Moses so resisted they the truth They must be therfore mighty iugglers And to poynt the popishe wyth the finger he sayth men are they wyth corrupt mindes and cast awaies concernyng fayth that is they be so fleshly mynded so croked so stubbuâ—ne and so monstrous shapen that they caÌ„ receaue no fashion to stand in any buildyng that is grounded vppon fayth but wheÌ„ y u hast turned them
all wayes and done thy best to hew them and to make them frame thou must be fayne to cast them out wyth the Turkes and Iewes to serue God wyth the image seruice of their owne false workes Of these and such like textes and of the similitudes that Christ maketh in the Gospell of the kyngdome of heauen it appeareth that though the holy ghost be in the chosen and teacheth them all truth in Christ to put their trust in hym so that they cannot erre therein yet whyle the worlde standeth God shall neuer haue a church that shal eyther persecute or be vnpersecuted them selues any season after the fashion of y ◠Pope But there shall be in the church a fleshly seede of Abraham and a spirituall a Cain and an Abell an Ismael and an Isaac an Esan and a Iacob as I haue sayd a worker and a beleuer a great multitude of them that be called and a small flocke of them that be elect and chosen And the fleshly shall persecute the spirituall as Cain did Abel and Ismaell Isaac so forth and the great multitude shall persecute y ◠small little flocke and Antichrist wil be euer the best christen man SO now the church of God is double a fleshly and a spirituall the one will be and is not the other is may not be so be called but must be called a Lutheran an hereticke and such like Vnderstand therefore that God when he calleth a congregation vnto hys name sendeth forth his messēgers to call generally which messengers bring in a great multitude amased and astonied wyth myracles and power of the reasōs which the preachers make and therewyth be compelled to cōfesse that there is but one God of power might aboue all that Christ is God and man and borne of a virgine and a thousand other thynges And thē the great multitude that is called and not chosen when they haue gotten thys fayth common as wel to the deuils as them more strongly persuaded vnto the deuils then vnto them then they go vnto their owne imaginations saying we may no longer serue Idoles but God that is but one And the maner of seruice they fet out of their owne braynes and not of the worde of God and serue God wyth bodely seruice as they did in tymes past their Idoles their hartes seruing their owne lustes still And one will serue hym in white an other in blacke an other in grey an other in pyed And an other to do God a pleasure withall will be sure that his show shall haue two or three good thicke soles vnder and wyll cut hym aboue so that in sommer whyle the weather is hot thou mayst see hys bare fote in winter hys socke They wyll be shorne and shauen and Saduces that is to say righteous and Phariseis that is seperated in fashions frō all other men Yea and they wyll consecrat thēselues altogether vnto God and wyll annoint their handes and halow them as the chalice from al maner lay vses so that they may serue neither father nor mother maister Lord or Prince for poluting thēselues but must wayte on God onely to gather vp hys rentes tythes offeringes all other duties And all the sacrifice that come they cōsume in the altar of their bellies and make Calil of it that is a sacrifice that no mā may haue part of They beleue that there is a God But as they can not loue hys lawes so they haue no power to beleue in hym But they put their trust and confidence in their owne workes and by their own workes they will be saued as the rich of this world whē they sue vnto great men hope with giftes and presentes to obtayne their causes Neither other seruing of God know they saue such as their eyes may see and their bellyes feele And of very zeale they will be Gods vicars and prescribe a maner vnto other and after what fashiō they shall serue God and compell thē therto for the auoyding of Idolatry as thou seest in the Phariseis But little flocke as soone as he is perswaded that there is a God he rūneth not vnto hys owne imaginatiōs but vnto the messēger that called hym and of hym asketh how he shall serue God As litle Paul Act. ix whē Christ had ouerthrowen him and caught him in hys net asked saying Lord what wilt thou that I do And as the multitude that were cōuerted Act. 2. asked of the Apostles what they shoulde do And the preacher setteth the lawe of God before them and they offer their hartes to haue it written therein consenting that it is good and righteous And because they haue runne cleane contrary vnto that good law they sorrow mourne and because also their bodyes and flesh are otherwise disposed But the preacher comforteth them and sheweth thē the testamēt of Christes bloud how that for his sake all y ◠is done is forgeuē and all their weaknes shal be taken in worth vntil they be stronger onely if they repent wyll submit themselues to be scholers and learne to keepe this law And a little flocke receaueth thys testament in hys hart and in it walketh serueth God in the spirit And from henceforth all is Christ wyth hym and Christ is his he is Christes All that he receaueth he receaueth of Christ and all that he doth he doth to Christ Father mother maister Lord and Prince are Christes vnto hym and as Christ he serueth them wyth all loue Hys wife children seruauntes and subiectes are Christ vnto hym and he teacheth them to serue Christ and not hymselfe and hys lustes And if he receaue any good thyng of mā he thāketh god in Christ which moued the mans hart And his neighbour he serueth as Christ in all hys neede of such thynges as God hath lent because that all degrees are bought as he is with Christes bloud And he wil not be saued for seruing hys brethrē neither promiseth his brethren heauē for seruyng hym But heauen iustifying forgeuenes all gyftes of grace and all that is promised them they receaue of Christ and by hys merites freely And of y t which they haue receaued of Christ they serue ech other freely as one hand doth the other seekyng for their seruice no more thē one hand doth of an other ech the others health wealth helpe ayde succour to assiste one an other in the way of Christ And God they serue in the spirit only in loue hope faith and dread When the great multitude that be called and not chosen Cain Ismaell Esau carnall Israell that serue God night and day wyth bodely seruice and holy workes such as they were wont to serue their Idoles withall beholde little flocke that they come not forth in the seruice of god they rore out where are thou Why commest thou not forth and takest holy water Wherfore saith y
all thyng for vauntage leadeth in the darkenesse of death M. Tyndall doth knowe how that S. Augustine and S. Hierome do proue with holy Scripture that confessioÌ„ is of necessitie vnto saluation Tyndall That is false if ye meane eareconfession Why alledge ye not the places where But ye know by S. Hierome and other stories and by the conuersation with Erasmus how it came vp and that the vse was once farre other then now M. I meruell that Tyndal denieth Purgatory except he entend to go to hell Tyndall He entendeth to purge here vnto the vttermost of his power hopeth that death will end and finish hys purgation And if there be any other purgyng he will commit it to God take it as he findeth it when he coÌ„meth at it and in the meane tyme take no thought therefore but for this that is present wherewith all Saintes were purged and were taught so to be And Tyndall marueleth what secret pilles they take to purge them selues whiche not onely will not purge here with the crosse of Christ but also bye out theyr Purgatory therof the pope for a groat or vj. pence The xviij Chapter M. The Clergie doth nothyng vnto the heretikes but as the holy Doctours dyd Tyndall Yes ye put them in your prisons and diote them and handle them after your fashion as temporall tyrauÌ„tes and dispute with them secretly and will not come at light And ye slea theÌ„ for rebukyng you with Gods worde and so did not the old holy Doctours If a man slea his father ye care not But if any man touche one of you though he haue neuer so great an occasion geuen him ye curse him and if he will not submitte him selfe vnto your punishmeÌ„t ye leaue him vnto the temporall power whome ye haue hyred with y e spoyle of his goodes to be your hangman so that he must lose his life for geuyng one of you but a blowe on the cheke M. Saint Paule gaue two heretickes vnto the deuill whiche tormented theyr fleshe whiche was no small punishement and haply he slew them Tyndall O expounder of the Scripture like Hugo Charensis which exposideth haereticum hominem deuita take the hereticke out of his lyfe We read of no payne that he had whom the Corinthians excommunicated and gaue to Sathan to slea his fleshe saue that hee was ashamed of hym selfe and repented when he saw his offence so earnestly taken and so abhorred But ye because ye haue no power to deliuer them to Sathan to blynde theyr myndes ye deliuer theÌ„ to the fire to destroy their flesh that no more is seene of them after then the ashes ¶ FINIS ¶ The practise of papisticall Prelates made by Wylliam Tyndall ¶ In the yeare of our Lorde 1530. ¶ William Tyndall to the Christian Reader WHen the olde Scribes and Phariseis had darckned the Scripture wyth their traditions and false interpretacions and wicked perswasions of fleshly wisdome and shut vp the kingdome of heauen which is Gods word that the people coulde not enter in vnto the knowledge of the true way as Christ complayneth in the Gospell Math. x. iij. Then they sat in the hartes of men with their false doctrine in the stead of God and hys word slew the soules of the people to deuoure their bodyes and to robbe them of their worldly substaunce But when Christ and Iohn the Baptiste had restored the Scripture agayne vnto the true vnderstanding and had vttered their falsehead and improued their tradicions and confounded their false interpretations with the cleare and euident textes and with power of the holy Ghost had brought all their iuggling and hypocrisie to light theÌ„ they gat them vnto the elders of the people perswaded them saying this man is surely of the deuill and hys myracles be of the deuill no doubt And these good workes which he doth in healing the people yea and his preaching against our couetousnes are but a cloke to bring hym vnto hys purpose that when he hath gotteÌ„ him disciples ynow he may rise against the Emperour and make hymselfe kyng And then shall the Romaynes come take our land from vs and cary away our people and put other naâ—ions in our realme and so shall we lose all that we haue and the most part of our liues therto Take heede therefore betimes while there is remedy yer he go so far that ye be not able to resiste hym The elders of the people which were rich and welthy though before they in a maner fauoured Christ or at y â— least way were indifferent nor greatly caryng whether God or the deuil raigned so that they might bide in their authoritie feared immediatly as Herode did of the losse of his kingdome when the wise men asked where the new borne king of Iewed was and conspired with the Scribes and Phariseis against Christ and tooke him and braught him vnto Pilate saying We haue â—ounde this fellow peruerting the people and forbidding to pay tribute vnto Cesar and saying that he is king and mouyng the people from Galile vnto this place The Pilate though he likewise was before indifferent put now in feare of the losse of his office thorow such perswasions slew innocent Christ And in very deede as the Scribes Phariseis were all their liues before blynde guides vnto the destruction of their soules euen so were they at their last ende blinde Prophetes vnto the destruction of their bodyes For after that they had slayne Christ and diuers of his Apostles and persecuted those poore wretches that beleued on hym God to aduenge the poore innocent bloude that bare witnes vnto the truth poured hys wrath among them that they theÌ„selues rose against the Emperour And the Romaynes came according as they blyndly prophesied and slew the most part of them and caryed y e rest captiue into all nacions and put other nacions in the Realme But whose fault was that insurrection against the Emperour and mischiefe that followed Christes and his Apostles whom they falsely accused before hand Nay Christ taught that they shoulde geue Cesar that pertayned vnto Cesar and God that which belonged to God EueÌ„ that they should geue Cesar lawfull their bodely seruice God the hart and that they should loue Gods law repent of their euill come and receaue mercy and let the wrath of god be taken from of them And the Apostles taught that all soules should obey the hyer powers or temporall rulers but their obstinate malice that so hardened their harâ—s that they coulde not repent and their raylyng vppon the open and manifest with which they coulde not improue and resisting the holy Ghost and sleying of the preachers of righteousnes brought the wrath of God vpoÌ„ theÌ„ and was cause of their vtter destruction Euen so our Scribes and Pharises now that their hypocrisie is disclosed and there falshead so brought
wise The body of our Sauiour which was broken on the crosse for the sinne of all that repent and haue good hartes and would fayne keepe his law be broke vnto my danmation if I breake this othe then is it a terrible othe and they had nede to take hede how they make it and if it be lawfully made not to breake it at all But as they care for their othe whiche they make in wedlocke so they care for this What soeuer nede the Pope hath he wil not send to the Emperour to come and helpe him in Italy for feare lest he would take to him selfe what soeuer he conquered of the Frenchmen and waxe to strong and minish our holy fathers power and become our holy fathers Vicare as he is S. Peters Neuerthelesse if we Englishmen wil hyre the Emperour to come and fight agaynste Fraunce for the right of the Churche in these quarters that be next vnto vs his fatherhode is content to admitte his seruice When our kyng hath graunted to take our holy fathers part then the pretence and cloke outward must be that the kyng will chalenge his right in Fraunce And to ayde the kyng in hys right must the commons be milked till they blede agayne Thē to do the kyng seruice the Lordes sel or lay their lādes to morgage Then is cleane remission geuen to flea French dogges He that dyeth in the quarell shall neuer see Purgatory but flye to heauen streight euē with a thought WHen the Pope hath what he desireth in Italy then must we make peace with the Frēchmen agayn immediatly that Fraunce be not all to gether troden vnder the foote but that it remayne alwaye in a meane state strōg inough to match the Emperour and to keepe him downe but not to mighty for oppressing the Pope And then our Prelates to bryng the peace about send immediatly a Frier Forest or a Vicare of Croyden to preach before the Kyng and his Lordes which preacher roareth and crieth vnto them as though he halowed his houndes maketh exclamations saying Alas what will ye do spare Christen bloud will ye sea your owne soules Be not the Frenchmen as wel Christen as ye Moreouer ye slea poore innocētes that neuer offended Make peace for the passion of Christ Kill not one an other as though Christ had not dyed for you but fight rather agaynst the Turkes Then come in the Ambassadours of Fraunce and money a few Prelates certaine other the kinges playfelowes that be sworne with them to betray both the kyng and the Realme to And then is peace concluded But outwardly there is nothyng saue a truce taken for halfe an yeare till our souldiers be at home agayn for feare lest they wold not bee content Then commeth the whole host home beggarde both great and small And the poore that can not sodenly get worke fall to stealyng and be hanged at home This could More tell in hys Vtopia before he was the Cardinals sworne Secretary and fallen at his foote to betray the truth for to get promotion Take an example the Bishops sent kyng Henry the fifte out to conquere Fraūce The cause was saith the Chronicles that the kyng wēt about to take their temporalities from them And therfore to bryng the kyng into an other imagination they monyed hym sent him into Fraunce When they had sent out the kyng he conquered more then was their will and more then they supposed possible for him in so short space and brought Fraunce cleane vnder the foote so that our Prelates had much secret businesse to set it vp agayne but what is impossible vnto so great Gods In kyng Henryes dayes the vi our holy father of Rome made the Bishop of winchester a Cardinal which went shortly after into Fraunce to treate of a truce betwene England Fraunce And him mette a Legate of Rome a Cardinall also after which meatyng Englishemen had euer the woorse in Fraunce and their chiefest frende the Duke of Burgaine forsoke them For when Cardinals and Byshops mete together they haue their secret counsell by them selues wherin they conclude neither what is good for England nor yet for Fraunce but what is best for our holy fathers profite to kepe him in his state When kyng Henry was of age there was a mariage made betwen him and the Earle of Arminackes daughter in Gyan with the which should haue ben geuen many Castles and Townes in Gyan a great somme of money therto But that mariage was broken not without the secret working of our Prelates and dispensation of our holy father thou maist be sure And a mariage was made betwen him and the kyngs daughter of Cecile for which England gaue vp the whole Dukedome of Gyā and Earledome of Mayne wherby we lost all Normandy whereof they were the kaye And beside that the commons gaue a fiftene and an halfe to fette her in wyth pompe And then was the good Duke of Glocester trayterously murthered partly because he coulde iudge false myracles partly because of the deliueraunce of these two countryes For he beyng a liue they durste not do it And when kyng Edwarde had put downe kyng Harry a mariage was made and concluded betwene him and the kyng of Spayne this quenes mother that now is But yet the Embassadours were come home our Prelates had bewitched kyng Edwarde by their apostle Fryer Bongaye and maryed hym vnto a wydow that was a knyghtes wyfe least if Spayne and England had bene ioyned together kyng Edwarde should haue recouered Fraunce agayne But what folowed after the breaking of the mariage betwene kyng Edwarde and the Erle of Warwicke and what came of his children yea and what came on king Hēry of Windsores children also But what care our prelates what vēgeaūce or mischiefe fall on Princes or on their realmes so their kingdome prosper In kyng Henryes dayes the vij the Cardinall Murton and Byshop Fox of Winchester deliuered vnto y t kinges grace the confessions of as many Lordes as his grace lusted Who so euer was mistrusted if he shroue himselfe at the Charter houses Sion Grenewich at Saint Iohns or wheresoeuer it was the confessour was commaunded by the auctoritie of the Pope to deliuer his confession written sworne that it was all And Cardinall Murton had a licēce of the Pope for xiiij to to studie Necromācy of which he him self was one other I haue heard named which at this tyme I passe ouer with silence And how the holy Friers obseruauntes caryed fayned letters to trye who was true I passe ouer with silence also Howbeit such tēptations fayned profers were inough to moue thē that neuer would haue thought amysse yea in cōfession mē will shrine thē selues of thoughtes which they neuer went about in the outward deede Whē any great man is put to death how his confessour entreateth him what
y t beleued thē frō y t vengeaunce of the law And in the new Testament is oft made mention of the law to cōdemne them which beleue not the promises Moreouer the law and Gospell may neuer be separate for the Gospel and promises serue but for troubled consciences which are brought to desperation and feele the paynes of hell and death vnder the law and are in captiuitie and bondage vnder the law In all my dedes I must haue the law before me to condemne myne vnperfectnes For all that I do be I neuer so perfect is yet damnable sinne when it is compared to the law whiche requireth the ground and bottome of myne hart I must therefore haue alwayes the law in my sight that I may be meke in the spirite and giue God all the laude and prayse ascribyng to him all righteousnes and to my selfe al vnrighteousnes and sinne I must also haue the promises before myne eyes that I dispayre not in which promises I see the mercy fauour and good will of God vpon me in the bloud of hys sonne Christ which hath made satisfaction for myne vnperfectnes and fulfilled for me that which I could not do Here may ye perceaue that two maner of people are sore deceaued First they whiche iustifie them selues with outward dedes in that they abstayne outwardly frō that which the law forbiddeth and do outwardly that which the law commaundeth They compare them selues to open sinners and in respect of them iustifie them selues condemning the open sinners They set a vayle on Moyses face and see not how the law requireth loue from the bottome of the hart and that loue onely is the fulfilling of the law If they dyd they would not condemne their neighbours Loue hydeth the multitude of sinnes sayth S. Peter in his first Epistle For whom I loue from the deepe bottome grounde of myne hart him condemne I not neither recken his sinnes but suffer his weakenes infirmitie as a mother the weakenes of her sonne vntill he grow vp into a perfect man Those also are deceaued which with out all feare of God geue them selues vnto all maner vices with ful consent and full delectation hauyng no respect to the law of God vnder whose vengeaunce they are locked vp in captiuitic but say God is mercyfull Christ dyed for vs supposing that such dreaming imaginatiō is that fayth which is so greatly cōmended in holy Scripture Nay that is not faith but rather a folish blind opinion springing of their owne corrupt nature and is not geuē them of the spirite of God but rather of the spirite of the deuill whose fayth now a dayes the Popish compare and make equall vnto the best trust confidence and belefe that a repenting soule can haue in the bloud of our Sauiour Iesus vnto their owne confusion shame vtteryng what they are with in But true faith is as sayth the Apostle Paule the gift of God and is geuē to sinners after the law hath passed vppon them and hath brought their consciences vnto the brim of desperation and sorowes of hell They that haue this right faith consēt to the law that it is righteous and good and iustifie God which made the law and haue delectation in the law notwithstanding that they cā not fulfill it as they would for their weakenes and they abhorre what soeuer the law forbiddeth though they can not all wayes auoyde it And their great sorrow is because they can not fulfill the will of God in the law and the spirite that is in them cryeth to God night day for strength and helpe with teares as sayth Paul that can not be expressed with toung Of which thinges the belefe of our Popish or of their father whom they so magnifie for his strong faith hath none experience at all The first that is to say he whiche iustifieth him selfe with his outward deedes consenteth not to the law inward neither hath delectation therin ye he would rather that no such law were So iustifieth he not God but hateth him as a tyraunt neither careth he for the promises but will with his owne strength be sauiour of him selfe no wise glorifieth he God though he seme outward to do The second that is to say the sensuall person as a voluptuous swyne neither feareth God in his law neither is thankefull to him for his promises and mercy which is set foorth in Christ to all them that beleue The right Christen man consenteth to the law that it is righteous and iustifieth God in the law for he affirmeth that God is righteous and iust which is author of the law he beleueth the promises of God iustifieth God iudgyng him true and beleuyng that he will fulfill his promises with the law he condemneth him selfe and all his dedes and geueth all the prayse to God He beleueth the promises and ascribeth all truth to God thus euery where iustifieth he God and prayseth God By nature through the fall of Adam are we the children of wrath heyres of the vengeaunce of God by byrth yea and from our conceptiō And we haue our felowship with the damned deuils vnder the power of darkenes and rule of Sathan while we are yet in our mothers wombes and though we shewe not forth the frutes of sinne as soone as we be borne yet are we full of the naturall poyson whereof all sinnefull deedes spryng and can not but sinne outwardes be we neuer so young as soone as we be able to woorke if occasion be geuen for our nature is to do sinne as is the nature of a Serpent to stynge And as Serpent yet young or yet vnbrought forth is full of poyson and can not afterward when the tyme is come and occasion geuen but bryng foorth the frutes therof And as an adder a tode or a snake is hated of man not for the euill that it hath done but for the poyson that is in it and hurt which it can not but do so are we hated of God for that naturall poyson which is cōceaued and borne with vs before we do any outward euill And as the euil which a venemous worme doth maketh it not a Serpent but because it is a venemous worme doth it euill and poysoneth and as the frute maketh not the tree euill but because it is an euill tree therfore bryngeth it foorth euill frute when the season of frute is Euen so do not our euill dedes make vsfirst euill though ignorance blindnes through euill workyng hardeneth vs in euill maketh vs worse and worse but because that of nature we are euill therefore we both thinke and do euill and are vnder vengeaūce vnder the law conuict to eternal damnation by the law and are contrary to the will of God in all our will and in all thynges consent to the will of the tende By grace that is to say by fauour we are plucked out of Adā the ground of all euill and
vs that we be not ouercome of euill c. Now if they which beleue in Christ are bold with God that he heareth them sure that he graunteth their petitions it foloweth that they whiche are not bold that he heareth them nor sure that hee graunteth their petitions do not beleue in Christ They that go to dead Saints with which they neuer speake nor wotte where they be be not bold that God wil heare them nor sure that he will graunt their petitions therfore they beleue not in Christ That they be neither bold nor sure appeareth first by their deedes and secondarely by their owne confession for they say what should God heare them or graūt them ought seing they be vnworthy yea and they confirme it with a similitude of worldly wisedome that they should be put backe for their malapertnes and fare the worse as if a rude felow shuld breake vp into the kyngs priuie chamber and presse vnto his owne person without knockyng or speakyng to any other officer so that they beleue it an augmentyng of sinne to go to God thēselues in the cōfidēce of Christes bloud as he bad them If a man see his brother sinne a sinne not vnto death let him aske and he shall giue hym life for them that sinne not vnto death There is a sinne vnto death and for it say I not that thou shouldest pray All vnrighteousnes is sinne And there is a sinne not to death Whatsoeuer sinne we see in y t world let vs pray and not dispayre For God is the God of mercy But for the sinne to death whiche is resistyng grace and fightyng against mercy and open blasphemyng of the holy ghost affirmyng that Christs miracles are doue in Beel sabub and his doctrine to be of the deuill I thinke that no Christen man if he perceaue it can otherwise pray then as Paule prayed for Alexander the Copersmith the. ij Timo. the last that God would reward hym accordyng vnto his workes They that go backe agayne after they know the truth and giue them selues willingly to sinne for to folow it and persecute the doctrine of truth by profession to maynteine falshead for their glorie and vaūtage are remedylesse as ye may see Hebr. vj. and. x. Bala◅ so sinned the false Prophetes in the old Testament so sinned the Phariseis so sinned Alexander so sinned now many so sinne folowyng their pride couetousnes We know that all that are borne of God sinne not But he that is borne of God kepeth him self and the wicked touche hym not As thou readest in the third chapter they that are borne of God can not sinne for the sede of God kepeth them They cannot cast of the yocke of Christ and consent to cōtinue in sinne nor defie his doctrine nor persecute it for to quench it or to maynteine any thyng contrary vnto it But in whatsoeuer captiuitie they be in y t flesh their harts yeld not but imagine to breake lowse and to escape and flye away vnto the partie standart of their Lord Christ And as men of warre they euer keepe watche and prepare them selues vnto warre and put on the armure of God the which is Gods word the shield of fayth the helmet of hope and harnesse thē selues with the meditation of those thynges which Christ suffred for vs with the examples of all the Saintes that folowed him and thinke earnestly that it is their part to lyue as purely as the best come after as fast as they can And yet in all their workes they knowledge them selues sinners vnsay nedly as long as one iote of the perfectnes that was in y t deedes of Christ is lackyng in theirs So that the deuill can not touch the hartes of them neither with pride or vayne glorie of pure lyuing neither to make them consentyng vnto the flesh in grosse sinnes if at a tyme they be taken tardy ketche a fall Whatsoeuer chaunce them the deuill can ketch no hold of them to keepe them still in captiuitie but they will breake lose agayne and repent and do penaunce to chast theyr flesh that they come no more vnder y t deuils clawes We know that we be of God and that the whole world is set on mischief They that beleue that is to say put their trust in Christ see both their owne glorious state in God and also the wretched estate of y t world in their wickednes But the worlde as they knowe not God nor the glory of the sonnes of God Euen so they see not their owne miserable estate in wickednes and damnation vnder the law of God but the worse they are the bolder they be and the surer of themselues the further from repentaūce and the more standyng in their owne conceites for the darkenes that is in them And therfore say our Doctours a man can not knowe whether hee be in the state of grace or no nor needeth to care therfore And they be therefore the blynd leaders of the blynd We know that the sonne of God is come and hath giuen vs vnderstandyng to know him that is true and we be in the truth thorough Iesus Christ He is very God and eternall lyfe Christ is all and the fountaine of all and of his fulnesse receaue we all And as hee powreth the giftes of his grace vpon them that beleue in hym so he giueth them vnderstanding to know the very God and that they be in the very God and that they haue obtained that through his purchasing and leaueth not his sheepe in darkenes And the same Iesu Christ is very God and eternall life God and eternall lyfe was he from the begynnyng and became man for the great loue he had to vs for to bryng vs vnto his eternall life And he that hath any other way thether whether his own workes or other mēs or workes of ceremonies or sacraments or merites of Saintes or of ought saue Iesu Christ onely shall neuer come thether The world seith the Pope and seith that they which be in the Pope be Lordes in this world and therfore they care to be in the Pope but whether they be in God or not they say it is not necessarie to know Litle children beware of Images Serue none Image in your harts Idolatrie is Greeke and the English is imageseruice And an Idolater is also Greke and the English an imageseruaunt Be not Idolaters nor committe Idolatrie that is be none imageseruauntes nor do any imageseruice but beware of seruyng all maner images And thinke it not inough to haue put all the Images of false Gods out of the way if ye now set vp the Image of very God and of his true Saints in their rowmes to doe the same seruice vnto thē which ye dyd vnto the other For ye may do as strong imageseruice vnto the Image of GOD and of hys Saintes as vnto the Images of false Gods yea thou maist commit as great
cogis auri sacrafames What doth not that holy hunger compell them that loue this world inordinatly to committe might that deuils belye be once full truth should haue audience and wordes be constcued a right and takeÌ„ in the same sence as they be ment Though it seme not impossible haply that there might be a place where the soules might be kept for a space to be taught and instruct yet that there should be fitch a Iayle as they Iangle and such fashions as they fayne is playne impossible and repugnaunt to the Scripture for when a man is traÌ„slated veterly out of the kyngdome of Sathan and so confirmed in grace that he can not sinne so burnyng in loue that his lust can not be plucked from Gods will and beyng partaker with vs of all the promises of God and vnder the commaundemeÌ„tes what could be denyed hym in that deepe innocencie of hys most kynde father that hath left no mercy vnpromised and askyng it thereto in the name of his sonne Iesus the child of his hartes lust whiche is our Lord hath left no mercy vndeserued for vs namely when GOD hath sworne that he will put of righteousnes and be to vs a father and that of all mercy and hath slayne his most deare sonne Iesus to confirme hys othe Finally seyng that Christes loue taketh all to the best and nothing is here that may not be wel vnderstanded the circumstances declaryng in what sence all was ment they ought to haue interpreted in charitably if ought had bene founde doubtefull or seemyng to sound amysse Moreouer if any thyng had ben therin that could not haue ben taken well yet their part had bene to haue interprete it as spoken of idlenes of the head by the reason of sickenesse for as much as the man was vertuous wise and well learned and of good fame and report and sounde in the fayth whyle he was a lyue But if they say he was suspect when he was a lyue then is their doyng so much the worsse and to bee thought that they feared hys doctrine when hee was a lyue and mistrusted their owne part their conscieÌ„ces testifyeng to them that he held no other doctrine theÌ„ that was true seyng they then neither spake nor wrote agaynst him nor brought hym to any examinatioÌ„ Besides that some mery felowes will thinke that they ought first to haue sent to him to wyt whether he would haue reuoked yet they had so despitefully burnt the dead body that could not aunswere for it selfe nor interprete his wordes how he ment them namely the man beyng of so worshypfull and auncieÌ„t a bloud But here will I make at end desiryng y t reader to loke on this thing with indifferent eyes and iudge whether I haue expouÌ„ded the wordes of this TestameÌ„t as they should seme to signifie or not iudge also whether the maker therof seme not by his worke both vertuous and godly whiche if it so bee thinke that he was the worsse bycause the dead body was burnt to ashes but rather learne to know the great desyre that hypocrites haue to finde one craft or other to dase the truth with cause it to be counted for heresie of the simple and vnlearned people whiche are so ignoraunt they can not spye theyr sutteltie it must nedes be heresie that toucheth any thyng their rotten byle they wil haue it so who soeuer say nay onely the eternall God must be prayed to night day to amende them in whose power it onely lyeth Who also graunt theÌ„ once earnestly to thirst his true doctrine contained in the sweete and pure fountaines of hys Scriptures and in his pathes to direct their wayes AMEN Here endeth the Exposition of Master Tracies will by William Tyndall ¶ A frutefull and godly treatise expressing the right institution and vsage of the Sacramentes of Baptisme and the Sacrament of the body and bloud of our Sauiour Iesu Christ Compiled by William Tyndall TO vnderstaÌ„d the pith of y â— SacrameÌ„tes how they came vp the very meanyng of them we must consider diligently the maners fashions of the Hebrues which were a people of great grauitie sadnesse and earnest in all their doynges if any notable thyng chaunced among them so that they not onely wrote but also set vp pillers and markes diuers signes to testifie the same vnto their posteritie and named the places where the thynges were done with such names as could not but keepe the dedes in memorie As Iacob called the place where he saw God face to face Pheniell that is Gods face And the place where the Egyptians mourned for Iacob seueÌ„ dayes the people of the countrey called Abell Miram that is the lamentation of the Egyptians to the intent that such names should kepe the gestes and stories in minde And likewise in all their couenaunts they not onely promised one to another and sware theron but also set vp signes and tokens therof and gaue the places names to keepe the thyng in minde And they vsed therto such circumstaunces protestations solemne fashions and ceremonies to confirme the coâ—enauÌ„tes and to testifie that they were made with great earnest aduise and deliberation to the intent that it should be to much shame and to much abhomination both before God and man to breake them euer after As Abraham Genes 21. when he made a couenaunt of peace with Abimeleck kyng of the Philistines after they had eaten and dronke together and sworne hee put seuen Lambes by them selues and Abimelecke receiued them of his hand to testifie that he there had digged a certaine well and that the right therof pertained to hym And he called the well Beer Seba the well of Swearyng or the well of seneÌ„ because of the oth of the seueÌ„ lambes and by that title did Abraham his children chalenge it many hundred yeares after And when Iacob Laban made a coueâ—aunt together Genes 31. they cast vp an heape of stones in witnesse and called it Giliad the heape of witnesse and they bound ech other for theÌ„ and their posteritie that neither part should passe the heape to the others countreyward to hurt or conquer their land and Laban bouÌ„d Iacob also that he should take no other wiues besides his daughters to vexe them And of all that couenaunt they made that heape a witnes calling it the witnesseheape that their children should enquire the cause of the name their father should declare vnto them the history And such fashions as they vse among them selues did God also vse to themward in all his notable dedes whether of mercy in deliueryng them or of wrath in punishing their disobedience and traÌ„sgression in all his promises to them and couenauntes made betwene them and hym As when after the generall floude God made a couenaunt with Noe and all mankind also withall liuing creatures that he would no more drowne the world he gaue them the
bloud Which precepte of the lawe and bycause that bloud is lyfe we affirme it to be set like as many other almost innumerable sacramentes of those Scriptures full of signes and figures of the preachyng to come whiche now is declared by our Lord Iesu Christ c. And I may interprete that precept to bee layed in a signe For the Lord doubted not to say This is my body when hee gaue the signe of his body And euen so is the bloud lyfe and the stone was Christ And yet when he sayd these wordes he sayd not the stone signified Christ but he sayd the stone was Christ whiche lest they should be taken carnally hee calleth it spirituall that is to say he teacheth it to bee vnderstand spiritually Where is now Mores litteral sense and materiall meate Now shall ye heare Chrisostome Nihil sensibile tradidit Christus licet dederit panem vinum non quod panis vinum non sint sensibilia sed quod in illis mentem haerere noluit Nam in suum corpus quod est panis vitae subuehit dicens Hoc est corpus meum perinde ac dicat Hoc licet panis sit significat tamen tibi corpus Thus it is in Englishe Christ geuyng bread and wyne gaue no sensible thyng not that bread and wine be not sensible but that he would not our mynde to sticke still in them For hee lifted vs vp into hys bodye which is the bread of lyfe saying This is my body as though he should say Though this be but bread yet it signifieth vnto thee my body Now iudge thou ChristeÌ„ reader whether M. More reporteth right of this maÌ„ that alledgeth these holy Doctours or no. Now haue ye the pure vnderstandyng of the wordes of the Lordes supper confirmed with the old holy Doctours That this is my body is as much to say as this signifieth my body And this is my bloud is this signifieth my bloud But yet was there neuer such maner of speaking in the scripture This is that that is to say This is conuerted and transubstanciated into that Or this is conteined in that the thyng conuerted and chaunged kepyng still her forme qualities quantities c. As to say This is my body that is to say This bread is conuerted into my body the bread abydyng still in his fashion tast colour waight c. For Christ when hee conuerted water into wyne dyd not leaue the fourme colour and tast still in the water For so had it bene no chaungyng But let our couetous conuerters choppe and chaunge bread and wyne till we there feele see tast neither bread nor wyne and then will we beleue them so they bryng for them the word of God For as for their false iugglyng we feele it at our fingers ende we see it had we but halfe an eye we tast it at our touÌ„gs end and know it with all our wyttes and vnderstandyng so manifestly that we perceiued them openly long agoe to be the very Antichristes of whom Christ and his Apostles warned vs to come in this last tyme. And if they say That this conuersion is made by miracles Then must euery one of them as hee say a Masse make vs many a miracle the very markes of M. Mores Churche For it is oue great miracle that Christs body should come so sodenly inuisible and so oft out of heauen and that such a miracle as the worde of God neuer knew An other that so great a body should be conteyned in so litle a place and that one body should be at once in so many places and two bodyes in one place An other that it is eaten neither the cater feelyng it nor the body eaten sufferyng nor feelyng the teeth of the eater With as many moe maruelous like miracles or rather absurdities of the bread and wyne that there must be the forme colour tast wayght broken c. and yet neither to be bread nor wyne in our belefe except we will be burned of theÌ„ bycause we beleue not their iugglyng castes O mischieuous miracle makers O cruell conuerters O bloudy butchers But hearke Christen reader and I shall learne thee to knowe Christes playne and true miracles from the sleighty iuggling of these crafty coÌ„neyers Christ would neuer haue done miracle had men beleued hym onely by hys woordes but when hee sayd first these wordes This is my body no maÌ„ doubted at them no man was in any vnbeleue of them wherfore these wordes must needes bee playne single and pure without miracle as these The iij. braunches are thre dayes without any subtile transubstantiation such insensible conuersion or any false miracle Christ wrought all his miracles for the glory of God to declare hym selfe both God and man so that all Christes miracles were coÌ„prehended vnder mans sences or commoÌ„ wyttes which bryng in such knowledge vnto the vnderstaÌ„dyng As when he chaunged water into wyne the miracle was first receiued with the sight open at the eye tasted with the mouth and so conuayed vnto the vnderstandyng And now though we neither see nor tast that miracle yet we heare it see it read it and so vnderstaÌ„d that it was once a miracle done of Christ wheÌ„ he restored the sight to the blynd healed the lame clensed the leprose reared the dead all was seen heard and so comprehended vnder our most swete senses that his very enemyes were compelled to coufesse them for miracles But our miracle makers that make dayly so oft and so many are so farre from this cleare poynt that their miracles in this matter be not neither shal be coÌ„tained nor compreheÌ„ded vnder any of our fiue wittes but they rather delude and deceyue both sight tast feelyng hearyng and smellyng ye our fayth and vnderstandyng to Beware therefore of these mischieuous miracle makers for theyr owne glory and profite and will kill thee to if thou beleuest not their lyes Beware I say of those Marchauntes that will sell the wares which they will not suffer thee to see nor to tast nor to touch but when they shewe the white thou must beleue it is blacke If they geue the bread thou must beleue it without any word of thy fayth that it is Christes body and that of their owne makyng If thou tast see and feele it bread yet thou must say it is none though the Scripture calleth it bread xx tymes Beware beware I say of Antichrist whose commyng sayth Paule He is come alredy sayth Iohn now are there many Antichristes shall be after the workyng of Sathan with an almighty power with false signes and wouders lying miracles with all deceite of vnrighteousnes c. To be to curious in so playne a Sacrament and signe to cauill Christes cleare wordes with sophisticall soâ—…mes and to tryfull out the truth with tauntes and mockes as M. More doth is no Christen maner And if our Papistes and Scholasticall Sophisâ—â—râ— will obiect and
Christes Church 345. b Officer not the priuate person must aduenge 191. a Offryng dayes and priuey tithes 136. a ffrings what they meant 204. a. of ripe fruites 424. b. at first masses of Priestes 336. b. maintaine Po Opish miracles 159. b ffenders open openly to be rebuked 345. a Old translation 318. b Old commaundement what 403. b Old ceremonies preachers to the people 273. a Old Pharisaicall practise now practised by Papistes 340. a Old â—estament wherupon built 9. b Old man must be put of 80. b Old Adam byndâ—tl â–ª our consciences 47. a Opinions Popish waueryng how bred 329. a. and 170. b Opinions iij. touchyng the Sacrament of the last Supper 445. a Oppresâ—ion of sure doctrine 289. a Opportunitie 455. a. and b Orders 322. a. in teachyng 103. b. of iustifiyng 330. b. of Scholemen ouerthwart 103. b. of S. Paules doctrine 43. b Orders how euery man may preach and how not 198. a. Papall compared with orders Apostolical 354. b compared with Christes doctrine 353. b Ordinaries hangmen to the faithfull 319. a Ordinaunce of rulers 186. a Ornamentes 273. b Originall of good workes whence 10. b Oth of a witnes may be taken 309. b. vnlawfull may be broken 137. a agaynst charitie to be broken 315. b Otho kyng of Saxons 252. a Ouercommers of the world who 421. a Ouerthrow of our forefathers was freewill 16. a Oules and Papistes alike in abhorryng light 1. b Outward Popery is the worshyp of the vnfaythfull 422. b Outward signes required of Christ by the Iewes 457. b Outward deede fulfilleth not the law 117. a Outward oyle not auaylable 409. a P. PAce an Ambassadour 372. a Paâ—…e taking how delightsome to God 229. a Paphnutius his opinion concernyng mariage 317. b Papisticall schole doctrine corrupteth youth 103. b Papisticall Doctours repugnaunt 102. b. their argumentes 88. a. their gloses conâ—uted 474. b. their workes 79. a Papistes caÌ„ do miracles 300. b. teach with the mouth onely 267. b still purge their patientes 166. a. of the carnall opinion of the Iewes 459. b. cannot abide Scripture 287. b. 319. a. wrest the Scriptures 466. b. perâ—ert the Scripture ibid. suppressors of Scriptures 1. b. walke in shadowes 125. a Papistes great iugglers 201. a. persecutours 448. b. furious agaynst their aduersaries 447. a. persecutyng tyrauntes 319. b. blousheders 363. b. children of this world 268. b throw downe Kynges and Emperours â—27 a. heare not Christes voyce 126. b. fruites of their earthly Gods 126. b. why they will not haue Scriptures in English 128. a. preach woorkes for their owne profite 334. b. trust in workes as they should in Christ 246. a Papistes and Phariseis make sinne of no sinne 29. b Papistes will louse nothyng 305. a. forecasters of perils 370. a. make no accompt of periury 376. a. abolish the true doctrine of Sacramentes 422. a. enemyes to all good learning 278. a. know all other meÌ„s counsell 102. a Papistes haue a way of their owne to heauen 170. a. their malicious pratyng 475. b. haue robbeâ— many realmes of the Gospel and all goodnes 116. b. Churchtheiues 20. a. winne what others loose 165. b Papistes abuse the Sacramentes 13 b. agaynst the Popes lawes 341. a. hate Scriptures as oules do light 1. b. their contrary preachyng 102. b locke vp the Scripture that they onely may expounde the same 23. b. their grounde for vnwritten verities 473. b. cannot expounde their ceremonies 131. b. sworne to theyr wicked liuyng 305. a Papistes and peripatetiques theyr doctrine 88. b Parable how to vnderstaÌ„d it 78. b. of the Samaritane expounded 285. b Parcialitie in Erasmus 2. a Parcialitie in a preacher for feare of persecutioÌ„ odious 196. b. in iudges is wicked 122. b Pardons 173. a Pardons surer then the Popes pardon 223. a Parentes to vs in Gods stede 107. a how they trye their childrens loue 12. a Parish Priest 102. b Parliament 314. b. at Bury 363. b Paschall lambe 282. a. 273. b. figured the Lordes Supper 468. a. how spiritually fulfilled in Gods kyngdome 440. a Paschall lambe and Christes death compared together 440. a Patience in sufferyng 454. a. bryngeth libertie 119. a Paule 103. a. a persecutour 39. b. 275. a. a carefull preacher 402. a. describeth the Pope 290. a. aunswereth the Papistes concernyng iustification 44. knew not Masse 287. a. preached Christ and not him self 391. b. how he rebuketh hypocrites 44. a. condemneth all hypocrisie ibid. no preacher of worldly wisedome 170. b. gaue faythfull counsâ—… without vexyng mens consciences 129. a. teacheth mariage of Priests 312. b. calleth the Sacrament bread after the consecration 472. a. a fatherly instructor to Timothy 252. rebuked Peter to his face 344. b. his Epistles are the Gospell 127. a his traditions were the doctrine of the Gospell 286. b. the order of hys doctrine 43. b Paule and Peter equals 359. a. aboue Peter in Apostleshyp 126. a. his Apostleship how proued 126. a Paul excommunicated but Papistes burne 339. b. lacked Ministers 109. a. retayned not Onesâ—…us froÌ„ his master 109. a Pax. 276. a Peace makyng 193. b Peace of conscience 194. b Pelagius his heresie 407. b Penaunce 426. b. profitable to Papistes 254. a. abused by shauelyngs 397. b Penaunce put for repentauÌ„ce 146. a People of two sortes deceiued 379. b People why called to the teÌ„ple 282. a People beleue in the worke without the promise 153. a Persecution for the truth obtayneth lyfe 190 b Persecution of Papistes 195. a. at Rysellâ—s in Flaunders At Saint Luke 454. b Persecutors of the spirituall 308. a. of the word threatned 100. b Perfect Christians in no daunger 48. a Perfect kepyng of the law 40. a Perfection 216. b. ioyned with repentaunce and strong fayth 386. b Performance of mans pretense not of hym selfe but of God 17. a. of an euill oth double sinne 209. a Persuasions of Papistes 448. a. of hypocrites 341. b Partakers of Gods promise professe the law 185. a Pestilence of Princes what 123. a Peter his patrimonie 124. b. was neuer scholer in the Arches 135. b Peter rebuked openly of Paule 344. b Peter and Iohn their puttyng on of handes 152. b Peter shewed Gods power 344. a. called chief of the Apostles why 343. b. in what respect so called ibidem preached but so doth not the Pope 357. a. practised his keyes 123. b. sent to preach in Samaria 344. a. preached playne Scripture 170. b. his seat and his keyes are his doctrine 359. a. his seate Christes Gospell ibid. his submission to his brethren 344. a. prophesieth of the popes spiritualtie Epist 2. cap. 2. 55. a. his fayth strong 261. a. his possessions 352. a Pety pillage 136. a Phariseis applyed all to their deedes 205. condemned of Christ 17. a Phariseis nearer the true Churche then Papistes 201 b Phariseis rebuked 17. a. agree with Papistes in doctrine 17. b. clense their soules with theyr owne workes 30. a. their actes all outward 202. b. their freewill 16. b Pharao confessed his
with materiall water are very Christen men and haue the true fayth and be those which Paule affirmeth to be without spot blame or wrinkle But thereto I say nay for euen as the outwarde circumcision made not the Iewes the elect people and children of saluation so doth not the outwarde baptisme make vs the faythfull members of Christ but as they were the children of God which were inwardly circumcised euen so they that are washed inwardly from the concupiscens of thys worlde are the members of Christ whom Paule affirmeth so to be purged through his bloud Agayne you may know that Rastell knoweth none other faith but that which may stand with all maner of sinne but the faith which we speak of is the same which worketh through charitie wherof Paule speaketh Gal. 5. They that haue thys fayth are borne of God and sinne not these that haue this faith do hope and looke daily for deliuerance out of this thraldome and body of sinne and in the meane season they purify themselues as he is pure For if a man will say that he knoweth Christ or beléeueth in him and kepeth not his commaundementes he is a lyar and we renounce him to be any of this number that we speake of And when Rastell sayth I woulde conclude there is no hell for them that be Christen men though they continue still in sinne I aunswer he that committeth sinne is of the deuill and I say agayne that the Christen that we spake of which are the children of God cannot continue still in sinne but séeke all meanes to fulfill Gods commaundementes Notwithstanding the christen which Rastel speaketh of which are the children of the deuill may do as they list and indéede they had néede to make a frende of Rastell to helpe them into his purgatory if it be any better then hell for they shall neuer come in heauen except they repent and walke innocently in this world as Christ and his little flocke haue euer done for they that walke otherwyse are none of his though they weare miters This little flocke it is that are so purged and not Rastels multitude and for this is there neyther hell nor purgatory ordeyned euen as for the hope that continueth still in sin is ordayned no heauen And that there is no hell ordained for these faythfull folowers of Christ I will proue euen by this worde of Paule which Rastel rehearsed before Rom. 8. That there is no damnation to them that be in Christ Iesu if they liue not after the flesh Here Rastell hath smitten the ball quite vnder the corde and hath alleged that that shall condemne him For if there be no damnation but because you are somewhat slow in perceauing the matter I shall reduce it into a Sillogismus on this manner There is no damnation vnto them that be in Christ Iesu if they liue not after the flesh but after the spirite Euery hell is daÌ„nation Ergo there is no hell to them that be in Christ Iesu if they liue not after the flesh but after the spirite This is in the first figure made by Relarent not by any profite that I thinke that the poore coÌ„moÌ„s can take by such babblyng but onely to satisfie your mynde and pleasure Notwithstandyng one thyng I must put you in remembraunce that you haue falsly translated the text for the text hath not that coÌ„ditional although I was contented to take it at your handes to sée what you could proue but the text sayth thus there is no daÌ„nation to them that are in Christ Iesu which walke not after the flesh but after the sprite where Paul doth certifie you that they which are in Christ Iesu walke not after the flesh but after the spirite so that you may gather by Paule that if they walke not after the spirit they are not in Christ Iesu that is to say they are none of Christes although Rastell will call them Christen men therfore deare brethreÌ„ looke that no man deceiue hym selfe for Christ is not y t minister of sinnes If we be deliuered froÌ„ sinne through Christ then must we walke in a new conuersation of our life or els we are still in darknes Remember that we haue this precious treasure in frayle britell and earthy vessels let vs therfore with feare and trembling worke our health and make stable our vocation and electioÌ„ for if we retayne the truth knowledge of God in sinne and vnrighteousnes we shall shortly perceiue the wrath of God vppon vs with infinite delusions and the ende of vs shal be woorse then the begynnyng awake therfore and vnderstaÌ„d your health Now you may sée howe he concludeth that I establyshe thys error that there is no hell for séeing mine arguments and Paule Rom. viij doe conclude that there is no hel nor dampnation to them that are in Chryst Iesu and are hys faythfull followers he thinketh it should well folowe that if there be no hell for them that there is no hell for no man for in hys seconde chapter and also in the beginnyng of the third he saythe that I deny hell and when we come to hys probation there is nothyng sayd but that whych Paul confyrmeth that is there is no dampâ—ton for them that are in Chryst Iesu which walke not after the flesh but after the sprite whych are thorow Chryste wythoute spotte wrynkle or blame And so though Rastel appeare to hymselfe to conclude lyke a sage Philosopher yet I answer you he coÌ„cludeth lyke an ignorante Sophyster as all meÌ„ may sée for it foloweth not Paule and Fryth say there is no hel as contrarywise it foloweth not there is no heauen for Rastelles Chrysten men whych contynue styll in synne Ergo there is no heauen for the deuil theyr father and yet is there heauen for Chryste and hys electe I haue before declared how Chrystes elect are synners and no synners And nowe bycause you shoulde not mistake the tertes of S. Iohn whych I before alleaged I wyll shew you how they do commyt synne whych I dyd also fufficiently touch in my answer agaynst Rastels dialoge euen two leaues froÌ„ the ende and yet I wyll touche it agayne bycause you shall not thyncke that I woulde not leade you in ignorance and darknesse There are two partes in a faythfull man whych rebell eche agaynste other and are at contynuall stryfe and both of them haue diuers names in serypture the one is called the inward man the heart the mynde the wyll and the spryte the other is called the outward man the rebellyous membres the bodye of synne and the fleshe and these in a faythfull man kéepe contynuall warre and allbeit the one be subdued and taken prysonner of the other yet neuer consenteth to hys ennemy he can not leaue him neyther will make peace wyth hym but wyll laboure what he can and wyll call for all that he thynketh
and if the righteous turn from his righteousnes and do iniquitie he shall die although thou shewe it hym not he shall die in hys sin but I wyll require his bloude at thy hand Take hede you curates vnto your charge and let no man excuse himselfe thorough ignoraunce FINIS Antithesis wherin are compared together Christes actes and the Popes gathered by Iohn Frith and annexed vnto the Reuelation of Antichrist which he translated 1529. ¶ Antithesis WE haue annexed Christen Reader vnto the end of the ReuelatioÌ„ a little treatise after the maner of an Epitome and shorte rehearsall of all thynges that examined more diligeÌ„tly in the aforesayd booke wherein their false and cloked hipocrisie is aboundantly opened by the compairing of Christes actes and theirs together for Christes rule can not bee deceauable whiche sayth that we should know theÌ„ by their workes for Paule saith that such false Apostles are wicked workers which be transfigured into Christes Apostles And no maruell for Sathan hym selfe is some tyme transfigured into an aungell of light therefore it is no great thyng if that his ministers do take vpon them a similitude as though they were the ministers of iustice whose ende shal be accordyng to their workes Christen men should marke such and flye away from theÌ„ for such serue not Christ but their owne bellyes And by sweete preachynges and flattering wordes deceaue the hartes of the innoceÌ„tes And euen as Iannes and Iambres withstode Moses euen so these resiste the truth men they are of corrupt myndes and lewed as concernyng the fayth but they shall preuayle no lenger for their madnesse shal be vttered vnto all meÌ„ as theirs was Thus the people be blynded fallyng into vnbelefe And are deceaued thorough the sleghty conueyaunce of Antichrist and his adherents Saint Iohn said that there were many Antichristes in his time no wonder if now be mo howbeit by their workes they shal be knoweÌ„ and also by their wordes for they shall contrary Christ both in lyfe learnyng whom they professe to folow Nowe let vs consider Popes Cardinalles Byshops Suffraganes Archdeacons Deacons Officials Persons Abbotes with Deans and Friers Sumners Pardoners and these Papal Notaries take hede to Monkes Chanons Ankers and He remites Nunnes and Sisters and marke how they folow Christ We will chiefly touch the head whiche is the Pope although it may be verified through all his members First CHrist was poore saying The Foxes haue holes and the byrdes of the ayre haue nestes but the sonne of maÌ„ hath not whereon to lay his head The Pope and his adherents are rich for the Pope sayth Rome is myne Sicilia is myne Corsica is myne c. And his adherentes haue also frutefull possessions this euery man knoweth 2. Christ was méeke and lowe and forsooke this worldly glory and fled alone vnto the mountaynes when the people woulde haue made him a kyng Saying my kingdome is not of this worlde The Pope is full high and proud saying I am a Lorde of both the realmes earthly and heauenly and the Emperour is my subiect This witnesseth his lawe Di. 96. ca. Si imperator 3 Christ full lowly and méekely washed his disciples féete The Pope sayth the Emperours and kynges shall knele and kysse my féete and is not ashamed to expresse it in the lawe ca. CuÌ„ olim de priuil ele 4. Christ came not to be serued but to serue takyng vpon him the similitude of a seruaunt humbling hymselfe and made himselfe of no reputation to serue vs. The Pope will be serued and sayth it were a shame if he shoulde so humble himselfe Dist 86. ca. Quando necessitas 5. Christ went on his féete with hys disciples both in wette and dry heat and cold to teach the people as it is euident through the Gospels The Popes and Byshops will kéepe their féete ful cleane with shoes of gold and siluer Sith with precious stones and will not preach them selues but say it is sufficient to cause other to preach cap. Inter ceteram de offic Iuor After this maner might the Turke be Pope also 6. Christ wold not suffer that doues shéepe oxen for the offeryng should be sold in the teÌ„ple of God but draue out the buyers sellers with whipes The Pope and Byshops suffer chapmen in the Church that minister the Sacramentes for money dayly vnto the common people And they geue great pardon vnto it that they may be partakers of the wynnyng to maynteine theyr cradles and other necessaryes with all this may you sée dayly 7. Christ saith ye haue it for nothing therfore shall you geue it for nothing The Pope hath Iudas mynde for you get nothyng of hym without money for he selleth both prayer preachyng 8. Christ sate at meate among hys Disciples ful lowly and poorely Not requiryng the hyghest seate The Pope sitteth full high in a curious throne and will be serued gloriously with long knéelyng and meÌ„ to kerue his morssels w t iagged coates blasphemyng God with othes many other vices as we may sée dayly 9. Christ was in hilles with wepyng and praying and walked in desert féedyng many thousandes both with meate and preachyng The Pope sitteth in hys Castels towers with minstrelsie laughter And the hungry poore shall sit at the gate he will not serue them hym selfe for shame he thinketh it were 10. Christ lay and slept in a boate on the hard bordes and had to his chamberlaynes but fishers crying to hym vppon the Sea in the tempest when they were a feard to perish The Pope sléepeth full soft easely and no man may awake hym vntil he haue slept inough for his chamberlaynes shal be ready with Marshals and vshers to kéepe his hall and chamber from noyse And the portar at the gate to kéepe out the poore Their Lord they will not awake 11. Christ fasted sought the frute on the trée when he was hungry and founde none theron The Pope hath great prouision at Cities and Townes to get him of the best that may be founde well dressed and dayntely to make digestion with spicery sawces and siropes coloured out of kynde 12. Christ lay in a stable with few clothes betwixt an oxe and an Asse for the place was narrowe The Pope in rich chambers with quiltes curtaines carpettes and quishâ—ons spread all about with swéete smelles and paynted walles 13. Christ chose to hym poore men and commaunded them to be simple as doues The Pope choseth subtile meÌ„ and crafty full of pride or els they are not méete for hym 14. Christ rode simply on an Asse had twelue that folowed him a foote all about The Pope on a mule or a white palfray much hygher then hys master dyd And hath many mo then twelue folowyng hym on horsebacke with swoordes and bucklers as it were to battaile 15. Christ bade hys Disciples to go into all
wicked eate not hys body it must also thereof néedes followe that the sacrament is not hys naturall bodye For they doe eate the sacrament as all mē know Besides that the faythfull doe not eate Christes body with their téeth And therefore it must followe that the wicked doe not eate it with their téeth The antecedent or first part of the reason is prooued by the wordes of Christ which sayth that the flesh profiteth nothyng at all meaning that it doth not profite as they vnderstoode hym that is to say it profiteth nothyng to bée eaten carnally with their téeth and belly as they vnderstoode hym For els it profiteth much to bée eaten spiritually that is to say to beléeue that through hys body breakyng bloud shedding our sinnes are purged And thus doth Origene S. Austen Beda Chrysostome and Athanasius expound it as appeareth in the booke before And therfore Frith sayth that onely faythfull men eate hys body not with their téeth and mouth but with their fayth and hart that digest it into y e bowells of their soules through beléeuing that it was broken on the crosse to washe away their sinnes And the wicked eate not hys body but onely the bread and their damnation because they eate hym not spiritually that is because they beléeue not in hys bodye breaking and bloud shedding †The third point wherin Frith dissenteth from our prelates and their proctoure 3. THe Prelates beléeue that men ought to worship the sacramēt But Frith sayth nay and affirmeth that it is Idolatry to worship it And hée sayth that Christ and his Apostles taught vs not so to doe neither did the holy fathers so teach vs. And Frith sayth that the authors of thys worshipping are the children of perdition which haue ouerwhelmed this world with sinne Neuerthelesse we must receaue it reuerently because of the doctrine that it bringeth vs. For it preacheth Christes death vnto vs and describeth it before our eyes euen as a faythfull preacher by the worde doth instill it into vs by our eares and hearing And that it supplyeth the roome of a preacher is euident by the woordes of S. Austen which sayth Paulus quamuis portaret farcinam corporis quod aggrauat animā potuit tamen significando predicare Dominum Iesum Christum aliter per linguam suam aliter per epistolam aliter per sacramentum corporis Christi That is to fay though Paule did bere the burthen of the body which doth honorate the soule yet was he able in signifiyng to preach y e lord Iesus Christ one way by his tonge and an other way by an epistle an other way by the sacrament of Christes body c. For as the people by vnderstanding the fignification of the wordes which he spake did heare the glorious Gospell of God and as by the reading of his pistle they vnderstoode his minde and receiued the word of the soules health so by the ministration of the sacrament they might sée with their eye the thing which they heard read and so haue their sences occupied about the mistery that they might the more earnestly print it in their minde As by example The Prophet Hieremie being in Hierusalem in the tyme of Sedechias king of the Iewes prophesyed and preached vnto them y t they should be takē prisoners of Nabugodonesar the king of Babilon the Iewes were angry with him and woulde not beléeue his wordes And therfore be made a chayne or fetters of wood and put them about his neke and prophesied agayne and preached that they should be taken prisoners led captiue into Babilon And as his wordes did certifie their eares y t they should be subdued so the chayne dyd represent their captiuitie euen before their eye Whiche thyng did more vehemently woorke in them then the bare wordes could doe and euen so it is in the Sacrament For likewise as the woordes dyd instill into our eares that his body was geuen for vs and his bloud shed for the remission of our sinnes euen so did the mynistration of the sacrament expresse y e same thing vnto our sight and doth more effectuously moue then the bare wordes might doe and make vs more attent vnto the thing that we may wholye geue thankes vnto God and prayse him for his bounteous benefites And therfore seyng it is a preacher expressing vnto our sight y e same thing that y e wordes doe to our eares represēt you must receyue it with reuerence sober behauiour aduertising y t thing that it representeth vnto you And euen y e same honour is dew vnto it which is geuen vnto the scripture that is the word of God For vnto y t must a man deuoutlye geue eare and reuerently take the booke in hys hande yea and if he kisse y t booke for the doctrines sake that he learenth thereout he is to bée cōmended Neuerthelesse if he should goe sence hys booke men might well thinke that he were very childishe But if he should knéele downe and pray to this booke then he dyd commyt playne Idolatrye Consider deare bretheren what I say and auoyde this Ieoperdye which thing auoyded I care not as touching the presence of his body though you beléeue that hys naturall flesh be there in déede and not onely in a misterye as I haue taught For when y t Ieoperdye is past he were a foole that would bee contētious for a thing as long as there cōmeth no hurt therbye The Germanes which beléeue the presence of his body do not worshyp it but playnly teach the contrary and in that poynt thankes be to God all they whom you call heretickes do agrée fulwell Onely auoyde this Idolatry and I desire no more ¶ The conclusion of this treatise NOwe deare brethren I beséech you for the mercy y t ye looke for in Christ Iesu that you accepte this worke with a single eye and no contentious hart For necessitie hath compelled me to write it because I was informed both of my Lord of Winchester and other credible persōs that I had by the meanes of my first treatise offended many men Which thing may well be true For it was to slender to instruct all them which haue since seene it albe 〈◊〉 it were sufficient for their vse to whō it was first deliuered And therfore I thought it not onely expedient but also necessary to instruct them further in the truth that they might sée plaine euidence of that thyng wherein they were offended By this worke you shal espye their blasphemyes the venemous toūges where with they flaunder not onelye them that publish the truth but euen the truth it selfe They shame not to say y t we affirme it to bee onely bread and nothing els And we say not so but we say that beside the substaunce of bread it is y e sacrament of Christes body and bloud As y e Iuye hanging before the tauerne doore is more then bare Iuye For beside the substaunce
of righteousnes what it is Carâ— How the spirituality â–ª care for the temporall common wealth As thou 〈…〉 ‑ 〈◊〉 â—o shalt 〈◊〉 ob 〈◊〉 mercy in y â— life to come 6. The filthines of the hart what The purenes of the hart what The ende of the lawe 〈◊〉 to iustiâ—… all that â—…leue Impure harted who are 7. Peacemaking what Princes what they ought to 〈◊〉 yet they make warre WheÌ„ thou maist assure thy selfe to be y â— sonne and heyre of God VengeauÌ„ce pertayneth to God onely 8. In y e fayth of Christ lawe of God â–ª all oâ—r righteousnes is conteyned Peace The peace of Christ is a peace of conscience To suffer with Christ in this worlde is to be glorified wyth him in the worlde to come Payne No 〈◊〉 payne caâ— be a satisfaction to God 〈◊〉 Christes passion 9. What the most cruell persecution is Set the example of Christ before thee Cursed Most accursed who Workes iustifie noâ— Not the worker but y e pure mercy of God is cause of the promise made vnto The office of a true preacher It is a leopardous thyng to salt hypocrisie Salt Who is mete to salt A true preacher of gods word must vse no parcialitie for feare of persecution Monkes why they runne to cloystures By salte is vndersteod the true vâ—deâ—â—tandinâ— of the â—…as of fayth of woâ—kes c â–ª Spiritualtie why 〈◊〉 be dispiâ—â—d Ceremonies must be salted Darcknes all knowledge is darcknes 〈◊〉 the knowledge of Christes bloud shedâ—ing be in the hart Laye The laye ought to haue the Gospell Gospell The propertie of y â— Gospell Gospell The trâ—e Gospell is not hid in dennes If y â— spiritualty were a light as they ought to be they woulde make them â—…ues pore to make other riche but they make other poore and themselues riche Kinges ought to be learned The order how euery man may be a preacher and how not None ought to preach â—…ly but such as are admitted by y â— ordinaunce of the congregation Spirituall and temporal reqâ—… do biffer Euery maÌ„ must defeÌ„de Christes doctrine in 〈◊〉 owne person Whose refuseth tadâ—… for Christes sake caÌ„ not be the disciple of Christ False doctrine causeth â–ª 〈◊〉 workes True doctrine is cause of good workes Grace and truth thorough Iesus Christ Gloses They that destroy the law of God with gloses must be cast out The Church Law Except a man loâ—e Gods law â—e cannot vnderstand the doctrine of Christ The righteousnes of Phariseis Glorie He that seketh hys owne glory teacheth his owne doctrine not his masters Glory â–ª he that sekâ—… came glory altereth his maâ—…s message Worde Gods worde altered is not his worde To loue is to helpe at â—eede Prayer The prayer of MoÌ„kes robbeth helpeth not Loue prayeth Scribes Phâ—… what they were The Phariseyeâ— might better haue proued theÌ„selues the true Church theÌ„ our spiritualâ—â—e way The promises are made vpon the profession of the keepyng of the lawe of God so that the Church that will not keepe Gods lawe hath no promise that they caâ—ot erre The wickednes of y â— Phariseies what it was Preacher Why the true preacher is accused of treason and heresie Ipocrisie Why hipocrisie must be first rebuked though it be ieopardie to preach against it The lawe is restored The Phariseis 〈◊〉 exteÌ„d 〈…〉 doinges or actes to y â— outward shew 〈◊〉 deede and nothing to the hart The lawe 〈…〉 wâ—â—t on the hart as the hand Racha How a maÌ„ may be angry without sinning Loue is y â— keeping of the lawe Sinnerse He that helpeth not to mâ—nde sinners must suffer with them when they be punished In doyng out best to further our neighbour in vertue although we preuaile not we are excused Hate When a man may hate hys neighbour Offeringes or sacrifices what they meant The faste that God requireâ—… Last farthyng How corruptly the Phariseis dyd attribute all euil to the deede onely Loue is the fulfillyng of the law Aduoutrie Some doctoure â—aue doubted in that which Christ hath flatly condemned Filthy A wife How good a thyng The office of a preacher Law What foloweth the kepyng of the law Law What foloweth the breaking of the law The enormities that haue chauÌ„ced since y â— slaughter of King Richard y e secoÌ„d vnto this realme of EnglaÌ„d Tiraunts Why God geueth vs vp and leaueth vs in the handes of titaunts and in all misery An admonition What rulers ought to do touching such as runne Flie from their wiues without â—ust cause Swearing To sweare by God Men ought so 〈◊〉 deale that their wordes may be credited without any othes Swearing in what sort it is lawfull â–ª Charitie moderareth the law Othe To performe an euill othe is doubleâ— sinne He is not forsworne whose hart ment truly when hee promised To lye or dissemble 〈◊〉 some causes not culpable Cheke To turne the other cheke what it is Mekenes Pollyng how to auoyde it Two maner states degrees of regimeÌ„tes Euery maÌ„ is of the spiritualtie and of the temporalitie both 〈…〉 He that loueth not his neighbour â—ath not y e true fayth of Christ The temporall regiment Violence Not to resist violeÌ„ce how it is vnderstode Rulers must punishe â—ut for malice but for defence of the people and maintenaunce of y â— lawes An example how to vnderstand y â— two regimentes What soeuer thou art bound to do do it with loue How to be a warriour Thou 〈…〉 or 〈…〉 〈…〉 Goodes Math. xxv To go◠〈◊〉 lawe To rise agaynst the iudge or magistrate so to resiste God Princes whether they may be resisted or put downe of their subiectes in any case The king hath Gods authoritie An aunswere to the former Argument Goodes The kyng as â—ee is Lord of thy body so 〈◊〉 hee of thy goodes RegimeÌ„ts Euery maÌ„ is vnder both regimentes As the spiritualitie may rebuke kings vices so may kyngs vse temporall correctioÌ„ agaynst the spiritualtie A preacher of â—…eâ—ce Rulers do repene to heare of theyr â—…es In lending we must folow the rule of mercy We must not reuenge our selues vpon our euill detters but referre our cause to God and his officers 〈◊〉 Couetousnes is the roote of all euill Iaco. ij The enemies of God and hiâ— wordâ— are to be huted Leui. 19. Publicans what they were As our heaueÌ„ly father bestoweth his benefites vpon good bad so ought we to loue both frend and soe To be perfect what it meaneth Almose Deedes coÌ„manded by the scripture done to any other ende then they ought are â—o good deedes 〈◊〉 xvi It is the purpose entent of our deedes that make or marrâ— Trumpets To blow trumpetes what Lefte hand Vaine glorie A good remedy against it Workes iustifie not from sinne neither deserue the rewarde promised Our rewarde commeth not of our deserts but thâ—… the loue that God beareth 〈◊〉 thorough faith in Iesus Christ We may not chaleÌ„ge the proâ—… by our merites but by Christes bloud Crosse Workes What
contrary The mayde of Kent The mayde of Ipswich 〈◊〉 the mayde of KeÌ„t were both false dissembling haâ—â—â—tes The mayd of Kent Such as were possessed with deuils fled froÌ„ Christ A false delusion to bryng vs to Idolatry S. Bartholomew Our Lady dyd the mayde of Kent small pleasure Orestes Traditâ—… Allegory â–ª A true exposition of the parable of the â—aâ—…tan All that God hath not planted shal be plucked vp by the rootes Byshops should be seruaunted and not Lordes Actes 15. The Pope will not obey princes though God haue commaunded hym so to do TraditioÌ„s Christes burthen is easie and gentle Math. 5. ☞ The salt of our Prelates iâ— vnâ—…ery Fayth loue charitie arâ— iij. sisters We must beleue neither to much nor yet litle We are promised all thinges for our Sauiour Christes sake â–ª not for the Saintes Iohn 21. The virginitie of our Lady Antichrist is knowen Paules traditions were the doctrine of the Gospel Christes Supper not Masse The consecration Water mixed with the wyne 1. Cor. 14. Iustification of workes Saboth The Saboth day holy dayes are made for be not â—…e for theÌ„ Why women Baptise Why the Prelates vnderstand not the Scripture A good tale if it were long enough Ye can not spede well if ye trye the doctrine of our Prelates by the Scripture All beleue in God that haue the lawe written in their hartâ— The Churche must shewe a reason of theyr doctrine Popes may not be beleued without Scripture Corusailes ought to conclude eccordyng to the Scriptures Luke 16. Luke 10. Math. 18. Math. 〈◊〉 The cause why the Apostles wrote the Gospels Iohn 20. 1. Iohn 2. The Pope and hys Cardinals erred in K. Henry the â—ights case M. Mores conclusion â–ª ☜ The furest way to oppresse true doctrine is to say the preachers fall The Pope is 〈◊〉 â—…st 〈◊〉 Pet. 2. Rom. 3. A swarme of sectes set vp by the Pope The Pope by setting vp of false workes denieth the truth of gods word The Pope selleth sinne and paine all that 〈◊〉 be solde Math. 24 â–ª The popish church are 〈◊〉 but no sufferes 1. Cor. 10. The church of Chriâ—… euer persecuted 2. Thess 〈◊〉 The church of Antichrist is the false church â–ª and euer y e greater number The Pope is a deuelishe blasphemer of God The Pope is aboue kyng and Emperor The Pope persecuteth the word of God S. Paule describeth the Pope his in their coâ—ters Gods worde is y t power and pith of all goodnes Confession Loue is of theÌ„selues Couetous Hye mynded Proude Raylers Disobedient Vnthankefull Vngodly â–ª Churlishe Promise breaketh Accusâ—rs Headyâ— Leuyng lustes Appearaunce of godlynesse The Pope and his are mighty iugglers ☞ In the Churche shall there be for euer both good and euill This word Church is taken ij maner wayes The spirituall Churche of God are called LutheraÌ„s and heretickes The fleshly Churche serue God with workes of their owne Friers ☜ The blasing of hypocrites Calil is a sacrifice that no mâ— may haue any parte therof The small flocke of Christ commeth to the word and promises of God Actes 9. Actes 2. Christ onely is the perfect coÌ„forteâ— of the Christian ☞ The Christian maÌ„ in all thinges seketh â—he honour of Christ The Christian selâ—eth his saluatioÌ„ onely in Christ A pretye 〈◊〉 nâ—â—thesis betwen the Popes Churche Christes litle flocke ☜ The Popish church auÌ„swereth The litle flocke The Popes church The maner oâ— y t Popes cleargie Little flock gâ—â—th euer to wracke The Pope 〈…〉 be â—â—â—d by scripture by scripture must be iudged 〈◊〉 ☞ Iohn 5. None can minister the Sacramentes superâ—…ly but the Popes generation 1. Cor. 2. The naturall carnall man sauoreth not the thinge that be of God Rom. 5. God is fatherly to his elect members Rom. 7. Iâ— we sinne of frailtie God is mercifull ready to forgeue The new life doth tame the fleshe and serue her neighbour â–ª God seketh vs and we not hym More a lying papist Sir Thomas Hitton The Pope hath no martyrs 1. Iohn 3. There is a church that sinneth not The churh is double Gal. 5. The carnall church sinneth Two maner faithes Iohn 15. The â—aith of them that be called â–ª but not elect The Pope hideth the scripture The heretikes be fallen out of the mist Why many â—all Councels ☜ Saintes Luke 1â—… Luke 7. Christ dyâ— such seruice as all the Saintes could not do 1. Cor. 3. We may not trust to Saintes Prayer to Saintes is a great superstition Before Christ we vsed not to pray to Saintes M. More destroyeth the resurrection Math. 2â— 1. Cor. 15. 1. Thes 4. The more trust we haue in Saintes the lesse we haue in Christ Phisitions We must first call vppon God then sende for the phisition The fleshly mynded caÌ„not iudge the thinges that be of God 1. Cor. 3. More driueth from God Heb. 4. Iohn 1â— Ephes 2. We may be bolde to â—â—sort to god for he â—…leth vs so to do M. More is against the Popes profite Purgatory â–ª 〈◊〉 purgatory visible and a purgatory inâ—â—sible Canonisâ—… How you may know who be Saintes in heauen King Henry of Windsore A straunge doctrine to pray to him for helpe that is dead damned The Israelites were â—o in number theÌ„ the Iewes The Iewes committed Idolatry God euer reserueth a litle flocke More feareth not to worship an vncoÌ„secrated hosâ—e 1. Cor. 1. We must first know the true way then agree in the same Christ rebuked the false trust the Iewes had in their wil works The myracles done by the prophetes and Apostles was to coÌ„firme their doctrine Christ made the woman whole and not hys coate Miracles were done for the confirmation of doctrine A filthy chapter Latriâ— Moses Moses â–ª bones The brasen Serpent God is a spirite and wil be worshipped spiritually The Idolatrouâ— persoÌ„ worshippeth the Image for y t Saint Processionâ— though they be abused may not be put downe Wilde Irishe Welch meÌ„ Many thinges are altered for the abuses sake Ezechâ—as The true preaching of Gods worde remoueth theft and an other wickednes ☞ A good maÌ„ may erre yet not be dampned Thâ— myracles of Saintes confirme mans imaginations There were no doctours neither Apostles that did myracles to establishe the worshipping of â—amages Witches where true doctrine is set forth â–ª there needeth no myracle ☜ Let y â— Papistes for lacke of scriptures come torch and do miracles Gods worâ— to y â— touchstone to triâ— myracles The â—ectes in y â— popists church are almost innumerable Mahomets doctrine hath preuailed these viij hundred yeares The cause of false miracles Where the Scripture is there nedeth no miracles The preachers of the worde of God nede no miracles False docctrine was neuer persecuted The Papistes are ashamed of their LegeÌ„d of lyes The deuill hath holpeÌ„ Popes to their dignities The cause why the Turkes Iewes caâ— not come to to the truth Popish doctrine nedeth miracles but Christes
How many are there of the same sort which thou cāst not make beleue that a thousand thinges are sin which God damneth for sinne all the scripture throughout As to bye as good cheepe as he can and to sell as deare as he can to rayse the market of corne and victuale for his owne vauntage without respect of his neighbor or of the poore of the common wealth and such like Moreouer how many hundred thousandes are there which when they haue sinned knowledge their sinnes yet trust in a balde ceremony or in a lowsy Fryers coate and merites or in the prayers of them that deuoure widowes houses and eateth the poore out of house and harbour in a thyng of hys owne imagination in a foolishe dreame and a false vision not in Christes bloud and in the truth that God hath sworne All these are faythlesse for they follow their owne righteousnes and are disobediēt vnto all maner righteousnes of God both vnto the righteousnes of Gods lawe wherewith he damneth all our deedes for though some of them see their sins for feare of payne yet had they rather that such deedes were no sinne and also vnto the righteousnes of the truth of God in his promises whereby he saueth all that repent and beleue them For though they beleue that Christ dyed yet beleue they not that he dyed for their sinnes and that hys death is a sufficient satisfaction for their sinnes and that God for hys sake will be a father vnto them and geue them power to resist sinne Paule sayth to the Romaynes in the x. chap. if thou confesse wyth thy mouth that Iesus is the Lord and beleue wyth thine hart that God raysed hym vp from death thou shalt be safe That is if thou beleue he raysed hym vp againe for thy saluation Many beleue that God is riche and almighty but not vnto themselues and that he he will be good vnto them and defend them and be their God Pharao for payne of the plague was compelled to confesse hys sinnes but had yet no power to submit hymselfe vnto y t will of God and to let the children of Israell goe and to loose so great profit for Gods pleasure As our Prelates confesse their sinnes saying though we be neuer so euill yet haue we the power And agayne the Scribes and the Pharises say they sate in Moyses seate do as they teach but not as they do thus confesse they that they are abhominable But to the second I aunswere if they sate on Christes sear they would preach Christes doctrine now preach they their owne traditions and therefore not to be heard If they preached Christ we ought to heare them though they were neuer so abhominable as they of themselues confesse and haue yet no power to amende neither to let loose Christes flocke to serue God in the spirit which they holde captiue compelling them to serue their false lyes The deuils felt the power of Christ and were cōpelled against their willes to confesse that he was the sonne of God but had no power to be contēt therewith neither to consent vnto the ordinaunce eternall councell of the euerlasting God as our Prelates feele the power of God agaynst them but yet haue no grace to geue roome vnto Christ because that they as the deuils nature is will themselues sitte in hys holy temple that is to witte the consciences of men ¶ Simon Magus beleued Acts. 8. with such a fayth as the deuils confessed Christ but had no right fayth as thou seest in the sayd chapter For he repented not consenting vnto the lawe of God Neither beleued the promises or longed for them but wondred onely at y ◠myracles which Philip wrought and because tha◠he himselfe in Philips presence had no power to vse his witchcrafte sorcery and arte magike wherewith he mocked deluded the wittes of y t people He would haue bought the gifte of God to haue solde it much dearer as his successours now do and not the successours of Simon Peter For were they Simon Peters successours they would preach Christ as he did but they are Simon Magus his successours of which Simō Peter well proued in y t secōd chapter of hys second epistle saying there were false Prophetes among the people meaning of the Iewes euen as there shal be false teachers or doctours among you which priuely shall bring in sectes damnable sectes is part taking as one holdeth of Fraunces another of Dominyck which thyng also Paule rebuketh 1. Corin. 1. and 3. euē denying the Lord that bought them for they will not be saued by Christ neyther suffer any man to preach hym to other And many shall follow their damnable wayes thou wilt say shall God suffer so many to goe out of the right wayes so long I aunswere many must folow their damnable wayes or els must Peter be a false Prophet by which the way of truth shal be euill spoken of as it is now at this present tyme for it is heresy to preach the truth and through couetousnes shall they wyth fayned wordes make merchaundise of you of their merchaundise and couetousnes it needeth not to make rehearsall for they that be blinde see it euidently Thus seest thou that Iames when he sayth faith without deedes is dead and as the body without the spirite is dead so is fayth without deedes and the deuils beleue that he meaneth not of the fayth trust that we haue in the truthe of Gods promises and his holy Testament made vnto vs in Christes bloud whiche fayth foloweth repentaunce and the consent of the hart vn-the lawe of God and maketh a man safe and setteth him at peace with god But speaketh of that false opinion and imagination wherewith some say I beleue that Christ was borne of a virgine and that he dyed and so forth That beleue they veryly and so strōgly that they are ready to slay who soeuer would say the contrary But they beleue not that Christ dyed for their sinnes and that his death hath peased the wrath of God and hath obtained for them all that God hath promised in the Scripture For how can they beleue that Christ dyed for their sinnes and that he is their onely and sufficiēt Sauiour seyng that they seeke other Sauiours of their owne imagination seyng that they feele not their sinnes neither repent except that some repent as I aboue sayd for feare of payne but for no loue nor consent vnto the law of god nor lōging that they haue for those good promises which he hath made them in Christes bloud If they repented and loued the lawe of God and longed for that helpe whiche God hath promised to giue to all that call on hym for Christes sake then veryly must Gods truth giue them power strength to do good workes when so euer occasion were giuen either must God be a false God But let God be true and euery
man a lier as Scripture sayth For the truth of God lasteth euer to whom onely be all honour and glorie for euer Amen The ende of the Parable of the Wicked Mammon ¶ The obedience of a Christen man and how Christen rulers ought to gouerne Wherein also if thou marke diligently thou shalt finde eyes to perceaue the craftie conueyaunce of all iugglers Set forth by William Tyndall 1528. Octob. 2. William Tyndall otherwyse called Hitchins to the Reader GRace peace and increase of knowledge in our Lord Iesus Christ be with thee reader and with all that call on the name of the Lord vnfaynedly and with a pure conscience Amen Let it not make thee dispayre neither yet discourage thee O Reader that it is forbidden thee in payne of life and goods or that it is made breaking of the Kinges peace or treason vnto his highnesse to read the worde of thy soules health but much rather be bold in the Lorde and comforte thy soule for asmuch as thou art sure and hast an euident token through suche persecution that it is the true worde of God which worde is euer hated of the worlde neyther was euer without persecution as thou seest in all the stories of the Bible both of the newe Testament and also of the olde neyther can be no more then the Sunne can be without his light And forasmuch as contrariwise thou art sure that the popes doctrine is not of God which as thou seest is so agreable vnto the world and is so receiued of the world or which rather so receaueth the world and the pleasures of the worlde and seeketh nothing but the possessions of the worlde and aucthoritie in the world to beare a rule in the world persecuteth the worde of God with all wilinesse driueth the people from it and with false and sophisticall reasons maketh them afeard of it he curseth them and excommunicateth them and bringeth them in beleef that they be damned if they looke on it and that it is but doctrine to deceaue men and moueth the blinde powers of the world to slay with fire water and sworde all that cleaue vnto it For the world loueth that which is his and hateth that which is chosen out of the world to serue God in the spirite as Christ sayth to his Disciples Iohn 15. If ye were of the world the world would loue his owne but I haue chosen you out of the worlde and therefore the world hateth you An other comfort hast thou that as the weake powers of the worlde defende the doctrine of the worlde so the mighty power of God defendeth the doctrine of God Which thing thou shalt euidentlye perceiue if thou call to minde the wonderfull deedes whiche God hath euer wrought for his word in extreame necessitie since the worlde began beyond all mans reason Whiche are written as Paule sayth Roma 15. for our learning and not for our deceauing that we through patience and comfort of the scripture might haue hope The nature of Gods word is to fight agaynst hypocrites It beganne at Abell and hath euer since continued and shall I doubte not vntyll the laste daye And the hypocrites haue alway the world on their sides as thou seest in the time of Christ They had the elders that is to witte the rulers of the Iewes on theyr side They had Pilate and the Emperors power on theyr side They had Herode also on theyr side Moreouer they brought all theyr worldlye wysedome to passe and all that they coulde thinke â–ª or imagine to serue for theyr purpose Fyrst to feare the people withal they excommunicated all that beleeued in him and put them out of the temple as thou seest Iohn 9. Secondly they founde the meanes to haue him condemned by the Emperors power and made it treason to Cesar to beleeue in him Thirdly they obtayned to haue him hanged as a theefe or a murtherer which after theyr belly wisedome was a cause aboue all causes that no man should beleeue in him For the Iewes take it for a sure token of euerlasting damnation if a man be hanged For it is written in theyr lawe Deutero 21. Cursed is whosoeuer hangeth on tree Moyses also in the same place commaundeth if any man be hanged to take him downe the same day and bury him for feare of polluting or defiling the countrey that is least they shoulde bring the wrath and curse of God vpon them And therfore the wicked Iewes themselues which with so venemous hate persecuted the doctrine of Christ and did all the shame that they coulde do vnto him though they would fayne haue had Christ to hang still on the crosse and there to rotte as he shoulde haue done by the Emperors lawe yet for feare of defiling theyr Sabboth and of bringing the wrath and curse of God vpon them begged of Pilate to take him downe Ioh. 19. which was against them selues Finally when they had done all they coulde and that they thought sufficient and when christ was in the hart of the earth so many billes and pollares about him to keepe him down and when it was past mans helpe then holpe God when man coulde not bring him agayne Gods truth fetched him agayne The oth that God had sworne to AbrahaÌ„ to Dauid to other holy fathers Prophetes raysed him vp agayne to blesse and saue all that beleeue in him Thus became the wisedome of the hypocrites foolishnes Loe thys was written for thy learning and comfort How wonderfully were the children of Israell locked in Egipt In what tribulation combraunce and aduersitie were they in The land also that was promised them was farre of and full of great cities walled with high walles vp to the skye inhabited with great giantes yet Gods truth brought them out of Egipt and planted them in the land of the giantes This is also written for our learning For there is no power agaynst Gods neyther any wisedome against Gods wisedomeâ— he is stronger and wiser then all his enemies What holpe it Pharao to drowne the men childreÌ„ So little I feare not shall it at the last helpe the pope and his byshops to burne our men children whiche manfully confesse that Iesus Christ is the Lorde and that there is no other name geuen vnto men to be saued by as Peter testifieth Actes 4. Who dryed vp the red sea Who slew Golias Who did all those wonderfull deedes which thon readest in the Bible Who deliuered the Israelites euermore from thraâ—dom and bondage as soone as they repented and turned to God Fayth verely and Gods truth and the trust in the promises which he had made Read the xj to the Hebrues for thy consolation When the children of Israell were ready to dispayre for the greatnes the multitude of the Giantes Moyses comforted them euer saying RemeÌ„ber what your Lord God hath done for you in Egipt his wonderfull plagues his
Realmes and common wealthes but they that do wickedly and namely high Prelates and mighty Princes which walke without the feare of God and lyue abhominably corrupting the common people with their example They be they that bryng the wrath of God on all Realmes and trouble all common wealthes with warre dearth pouertie pestilence euill lucke and all misfortune And vnto all subiectes be it sayd if they professe the law of God fayth of the Lord Iesus wil be Christes Disciples then let them remember that there was neuer man so great a subiect as Christ was there was neuer creature that suffred so great vnright so paciently and so mekely as he Therfore what soeuer they haue bene in tymes past let them now thincke that it is their partes to be subiect in the lowest kynde of subiection and to suffer all thynges paciently If the hyghe powers bee cruell vnto you with naturall crueltie then with softenesse and pacience ye shall either wynne them or mitigate theyr fiercenesse If they ioyne theÌ„ vnto the Pope and persecute you for your fayth and hope whiche ye haue in y e Lord Iesus then call to mynde that ye be chosen to suffer here with Christ that ye may ioy with hym in the lyfe to come with ioye euerlastyng that shall infinitely passe this your short payne here If they commaunde that God forbiddeth or forbyd that God commaundeth then aunswere as the Apostles did Actes v. that God must be obeyed more then maÌ„ If they compell you to suffer vnright then Christ shall helpe you to beare and his spirite shall comfort you But onely see that neither they put you from Gods worde nor ye resiste them with bodely violence But abyde paciently a while till the hypocrisie of hypocrites be slayne with the sword of Gods word and vntill the word be openly published witnessed vnto y e powers of y e world that their blyndnesse may be with out excuse And theÌ„ wil god awake as a fierce Lyon agaynst those cruell Wolues whiche deuoure his Lambes and will play with the hypocrites and compasse them in their owne wyles send them a dazing in the head and a swimming in their braynes destroy them with theyr own counsell And then those malicious and wilfull blynd persecuters whiche refusing mercy when they were called thereto chose rather to haue theyr part with hypocrites in sheddyng of innocent bloud shal bee partakers with them also in hauyng theyr owne bloud shed agayne God geuyng an occasion that one wicked shall destroy an other And as for wickednesse whence it springeth and who is the cause of all insurrection and of the fall of Princes the shortenyng of theyr dayes vpon the earth thou shalt see in the glasse folowyng which I haue set before thyne eyes not to resiste the hypocrites with violence whiche vengeaunce pertayneth vnto God but that thou mightest see their wicked wayes and abhominable pathes to withdraw thy selfe from after them and to come agayne to Christ and walke in hys light and to folow hys steppes and to committe the keepyng both of thy body and soule also vnto him and vnto the father thorough hym whose name bee glorious for euer Amen ¶ Prelates appointed to preach Christ may not leaue Gods worde and minister temporall offices But ought to teach the lay people the right way and let them alone with all temporall businesse OVr Sauiour Iesus Christ answered Pilate Ioh. 18. that his kindome was not of thys worlde And Mathew x. he sayth The Disciple is not greater then his master but it ought to suffice the Disciple that he be as hys master is Wherfore if Christes kyngdome be not of this worlde nor any of his disciples may be otherwise then he was then Christes Vicars which minister his kingdome here in his bodely abseÌ„ce haue y e ouersight of his flock may be none Emperours kinges Dukes Lords Knightes temporall iudges or any teÌ„poral officer or vnder false names haue any such dominion or minister any such office as requireth violeÌ„ce And Math. 6. No maÌ„ caÌ„ serue two masters Where Christ coÌ„cludeth saying Ye can not serue God MaÌ„mon that is riches couetousnes ambicion and temporall dignities And Math. xx Christ called his disciples vnto him and sayde ye know y â— the Lordes of the heathen people haue dommion ouer them and they that be great do exercise power ouer them How be it it shall not be so among you But whosoeuer will be great among you shall be your minister and he that will be chiefe shal be your seruaunt euen as the sonne of man came not that men shoulde minister vnto hym but for to minister and geue his life for the redemption of many Wherfore the officers in Christes kingdome may haue no temporall dominion or iurisdiction nor execute any temporall auctoritie or lawe of violence nor may haue any like maner among them But cleane coÌ„trary they must cast themselues downe vnder al and become seruauntes vnto all suffer of all and beare the burthen of euery mans infirmities and go before theÌ„ fight for them against the world with the sworde of Gods word eueÌ„ vnto y e death after the ensample of Christ And Math. xviij WheÌ„ the disciples asked who shoulde be greatest in the kingdome of heauen Christ called a young child vnto hym and set him iâ— y â— middes among them saying Excepte ye turne backe and become as childreÌ„ ye shall not enter in the kingdome of heauen Now younge children beare no rule one ouer an other but al is felowship amonge them And he sayde moreouer whosoeuer humbleth himselfe after the ensample of this childe he is greatest in the kingdome of heauen that is to be as concerning ambition and worldly desire so childishe that thou couldest not heaue thy selfe aboue thy brother is the very bearing of rule to be great in Christes kingdome And to describe the very â—ashion of the greatnesse of his kingdome he sayd He that receaueth one such childe in my name receaueth me What is y t to receaue a childe in Christes name Verely to submitte to meeke and to humble thy selfe and to cast thy selfe vnder all men to consider all mens infirmities and weakenesses and to helpe to heale their diseases wyth the worde of truth and to liue purely that they see no contrary ensample in thee to whatsoeuer thou teachest them in Christ that thou put no stumblinge blocke before them to make them falle while they be yet youÌ„g and weake in the fayth But that thou absteine as Paule teacheth 1. Thes 5. Ab omni specie mala from all that might seeme euill or wherof a man might surmise aâ—iste and that thou so loue them that whatsoeuer giâ—t of god in thee is thou thinke the same theirs and their foode and for their sakes geuen vnto thee as the truth is and that all their infirmities be thine and that