neuer cease til thei had goteÌ„ him out of the way and thei had before brought to death diuerse whom the king did highly fauor before the king him self whom thei moued by all meanes to put them to execucyon quickly could perceyue spye out their craft and suttilty But he bad me gyue hym the paper wherin I had writton my disputacyon that he might shewe it to the bisshop of londoÌ„ to the other bisshops in the councel the coÌ„tentes wherof was this Right honorable and noble lord and ye right reuerend fathers yesterday whan I disputed of the sacramentes with the bisshop of london we came thus farre that those only ought to be called sacramentes which haue the word of god for them and this point only remained to be further declared that nothing ought to be taken for the word of god but only the holy bokes of the old and newe testameÌ„t For the bisshop of london affirmed that the tradicions and ceremonys wherof the old ecclesiastical writers do make mencyon were receiued of the apostles and geuen us of the fathers from hand to hand and therfor thei may be laufully called the word of god vnwrittoÌ„ and our faith must be proued by them as well as by the holy scripture which is writton in the bible Now I haue determined to coÌ„fute this saing and opinyoÌ„ and to shewe by the manifest testimonys of christ of the Apostles of the prophetes and also of the old doctors that the Christen faith ought to leane only vpon the holy scripture and that the bokes of the old newe testament only ought to be had and taken for the word of god And because there hangeth a nother disputacyoÌ„ vpon this that is to say of the auctorite of the doctors and of councels I wil also speake of them For cochleus and other blasphemos lyers which for the bellys sake haue salable tuÌ„ges and in whom the saing which Paul alledgeth against them that mainteyne wicked doctrine for their bellys sake doth very wel agre saing The cretyaÌ„s are alweys false lyers wicked beastes and slowe bellys These hipocrites I say do plainly hold that the church that is to say the bisshops as thei vnderstond hath pour to iudge ouer the scripture and to examyne it and also that it hath auctoryte to allowe or to refuse the gospel and to dispense with the .x. commandments and to alter the forme of baptyme and to make newe articles of our faith beside those which be conteined in the scripture Some there be that speake yet more reuerently saing that thei contend not of the scripture or of the word of god but of the exposicyon theroff which thei wil haue to be taken and sought of the church and of the doctors which be alowed of the church vnto whose iudgemeÌ„t thei say we ought to stand in all coÌ„trouersys of our faith what so euer thei deere whether thei haue any scripture for them or no. This sophistical suttelty although it hath more coning than the first grosse blasphemy yet it is to the same effect and thei both haue one end and defend both one opinion But yet before the bisshop of londoÌ„ there was neuer none so farre past shame as to say that the rytes and ceremonys in the church which can not be proued by the scripture ought to be called the word of god vnwritten â–ª and that we ought to byld our faith vp on them as vp on the holy scripture written in the bible This threfold maze or rather one traâ—â—formed .iij. ways couered painted with diuers wordes hath those reasons onli to coÌ„firme it which the bisshop did before alledge for the vnwritton word and certeÌ„ other which I wil reherse and confute in the end of this writing But first I wil beate downe this grosse blasphemy and I wil shewe and declare that our whole fayth and all the articles of the christeÌ„ religioÌ„ be coÌ„teined in the scripture of the prophetes and apostles so that a christen man is bownd to byleue no other thing than such things as may be proued out of that scripture This horrible blindnes of men and the boldnes malycyos obstinacy which foloweth therup on wherthorow thei blaspheme god and his holy word is rather to be lamented than to be conuict with many reasons the thing being so manifest But the nerer that the brightnes of the sonne of reightwisnes doth coÌ„e and the more clerely that the light of the gospel doth shyne so moch more blinder and more obstynate are the vnfaithful made in so moch veryly that thei are more blynder now in the gret light than thei were before and thei stomble in very dede vp on the stomblyng stone and vp on the rock of sclander For the false teachers euen whan thei were in the most blind darknes were neuer so bold nor impudent as to breake out in to such a blasphemy as to say the church might make newe articles of the faith not coÌ„teyned in the scripture or that it hath auctorite to dispeÌ„se with the .x. coÌ„mandmeÌ„ts and to alter the forme of baptyme Gerson duns dorbel Decam Tomas BonaueÌ„ture do plainly condemne this heresy and thei affirme that the truth reueled of god and conteined in the body of the bible or in the holy scripture is the foundacion of our faith that is to say the thiÌ„g where vp oÌ„ our fayth ought to be bylded thei wold neuer haue byleued that there shuld euer be so gret blindnes in the church that any man shuld be so bold as to affirme that the articles of the christen faith ought to be sought not in the scripture but in the gloses of men and in bisshops lawes or that mans tradicions rites and ceremonys receyued in the church and not conteyned in the scripture ought to be called the word of god vnwritton But I wil cease my coÌ„playning seing I know that now is the latter tyme wherof the prophetes christ and the apostles did prophecy that there shuld come false prophetes which shuld face out the gospel and imagyne a newe gospel euen stynking hethenyssh old wiuyssh and capcyos fables inuented by the suttyl wit of man as peter and paul calle them and of these false prophetes that is to say Antichrist did daniel christ and paul admonissh us that he shuld extolle him self a boue god and shuld robbe god of his name pour wisdom and mercy and shuld accuse him of right wisnes cruelnes and weakenes vnabylyte which thing we do manifestly see in maner in all their doctrynes as in their pardons in the popes your in purgatory in pryuate masses in the prayng vnto saintes in worshipyng of Images in the vowes of monkes and pristes and in all mans tradicyons And I pray yow is not this to accuse god of ignorance of malice and of sluggisshnes neclygence to say that god hath not writton in his holy bokes of scripture all things necessary vnto our saluacyon as though either he did not remember althings
neyther one sparke of lerning nor yet of godlines in yow And thus shal ye lose all your estimacyon and auctoryte with them which before toke yow for lerned men and profitable membres vnto the comon welth of Christendome For that which yow do hope vpon that there was neuer heresy in the church so gret but that processe of tyme with the pour and auctorite of the pope hath quenched it it is nothing to the purpose But ye must turne your opinyon and think this surely that there is nothing so feble and weake so that it be true but it shal find place and be able to stand against all falshode Truth is the doughter of tyme and tyme is the mother of truth And what so euer is beseged of truth can not long continue and vpon whose syde truth doth stand that ought not to be thought transitory or that it wil euer falle All things consist not in painted eloquence strenght or auctorite For the truth is of so gret pour strength and efficacite that it caÌ„ neyther be defended with wordes nor be ouercomne with any strength but after she hath hidden hir self long at length she putteth vp hir head and appereth and as it is written in Esdra a king is strong wyne is strongar yet wemen be more strong But truth excellyth all He spake many more things to this purpose effect very discretely to the high delyte of all that hard him And I thinking my selfe to be encoraged by his oracyon I began thus to reason against the bisshop of london Sacramentes be signes or ceremonys which make us certeÌ„ and sure of the wil of god But no mans hart can be certen and sure of the wil of god with out the word of god wherfor it foloweth that there be no sacramentes without the word of god and such as can not be proued out of the holy scripture ought not to be called sacramentes The first part of this reason is Sanct Pauls own saing the .iiij. to the Romanes where he saith that circumcisyon is a tokeÌ„ and a seale of the rightwisnes of faith Ergo it requyreth faith to certify mans hart of the wil of god But the word of god is the foundacyon of faith the .x. to the Roma Faith cometh bi hearing and hearing cometh by the word of god For the mynd must be taught and instruct of the wil of god by the word like as the ey is taught instruct by the outward ceremony And Paul by this saing confuteth this opinyoÌ„ that the sacrameÌ„tes shuld make meÌ„ rightuos and iust before god for the very outward work without faith of them that receyue theÌ„ and after this maner doth Paul speak vnto the Ephesyans that christ doth sanctifie his church thorow the bath of water in the word of life And for as moch as he ioyneth the word vnto the ceremony declareth the vertu and pour of the word of god that it bringeth with him life he doth manifestly teach that the word of god is the principal thing euyn as it were the very substance and body of the sacrament and the outward ceremony nothing els thaÌ„ a token of that lyuely inflaÌ„macyon which we receyue thorow faith in the word and promes S. Paul also in ministring the sacrameÌ„t of the lordes supper doth manifestly adde the wordes of Christ He toke bread saith he and whan he had geuen thankes he brake it and sayd take ye this and eate ye this for it is my body Item do ye this in my rememberans Beside this he teacheth euidently that only christ and none but he had pour to institute a sacrameÌ„t and that neither the apostels nor the church hath any auctorite to alter or to adde any thing vnto his ordinaÌ„ce where as he saith For I receiued of the lord that which I dâ—lyuered vnto yow et ce To what purpose shuld he go a bout to moue the peple to bileue him and to wiÌ„ne their hartes with this protestacyon if it had bene lauful for him to haue made any sacramentes or to haue altered the forme maner of ministring this sacrament as some men both wickedly and shamelesly do affirme that the apostles did alter the forme of baptyme WhaÌ„ I had spoken thus moch the bisshop of loÌ„don did interrupt me and sayd let us graÌ„t that the sacramentes may be gathered out of the word of god yet are you farre deceyued if ye think that there is no nother word of god but that which euery sowter and cobler do reade in their mother tong And if ye think that nothing perteyneth vnto the Christen faith but that only that is writton in the byble than erre ye playnly with the Lutheranes For. S. Iohan saith that Iesus did many things which be not writton And. S. Paul commandeth the Thessalonians to obserue and kepe certeÌ„ vnwritton tradicyons and ceremonys .ij. Thessa. ij Moreouer he him self did preach not the scripture only but euen also the tradicyons of the elders Act. xvj Finally we haue receyued many things of the doctors and councels by tymes which although thei be not writton in the bible yet for as moch as the old doctors of the church do make mencyon of theÌ„ we ought to grant that we receiued them of the apostles and that thei be of like autoryte with the scripture and finally that thei may worthily be called the word of god vnwritton Now whan the right noble lord Crumwel the Archbisshop with the other bisshops which did defend the pure doctrine of the gospel hard this thei smyled alytle one vpoÌ„ a nother for as moch as thei sawe him flee euen in the very beginning of the disputacyon vnto his old rusty sophistry and vnwritton verites And I wold haue disputed further with the bisshop to haue coÌ„futed this blasphemos lye But the lord Crumwel bad me be content for the tyme began to go away and it was .xij. of the clock and thus I made an end with this protestacyon Right reuerend master bisshop ye denye that our ChristeÌ„ faith and religyoÌ„ doth leane only vpon the word of god which is writton in the bible which thing if I can proue and declare than ye wil grant me that there be no sacrameÌ„tes but those that haue the manifest word of god to confirme them vnto this he did consent and than immediately that assemble was dissolued for that day Now the next day whan the bisshops were assembled agayne and I was present with the lord crumwel there came vnto me a certeÌ„ archdeacon in the name of the archbisshop of caÌ„torbery which told me that the other bishops were greuosly offended wâ—th me that I being a stranger shuld be admitted vnto their disputacyoÌ„ which thing whan I had shewed vnto the lord crumwel he thought it best to gyue place vnto the bisshops specially be cause he wold not procure me their hatred for he knewe wel that if thei had ones conceiued in their hartes any malyce against any maÌ„ thei wold
against the doctrynes tradicyons of men saing All flessh is euen grasse all the glory of it that is to say euen his most excellent wisdom pour is euen lyke the floure of an herbe the grasse widdereth away and the floure of the herbe falleth a way for the spyryte breath of the lord hath blowne vpon it And the peple be very grasse the grasse I say widdereth the floure falleth but the word of the lord endureth for euer c. He threatneth also euerlasting night of infidelyte or vnbylefe if we beleue eyther any newe reuelacyons withowt the word of god or els any apparicyoÌ„s of dead spretes The wordes after the true hebrue text be these Shal the peple seke councel of their god or shal thei are councel of the deade for the liuyng shal thei not rather loke serch in the lawe of the lord and tak the testimony of god vnto councel Iff thei tel you not saith he according vnto this word thei shal haue no morniÌ„g lyght Sureli this is a sore threatning vnto them which vnderstond what this voyce is what this derknes signifyeth and who is the auctor causer of it Iohn calleth christ the light that shyneth in darknes that lightneth all meÌ„ which come in to this world he saith that the true life is in the word of god that life is the light of men again that god is the light in whom is no darknes at all that who so euer walketh in darknes hath no felowship with god And christ calleth hiÌ„ self the life of the world he saith vnto us Walk in the light whyle ye haue it that no darknes compasse now c. Now the deuel is the prince of all darknes he did first steale this light from mankind thorow infidelite he did first robbe us of the true knowlege of god and brought us in to all darknes of infydelite and in to all kindes of errors But the sonne of rigtuosnes hath restored this light vnto the world agayne and his coming was vnto us the bright morniÌ„g wherof Esay speaketh in this place And it is no meruel that we haue walked in a continual darknes thus long for we haue forsaken the word of god and sought the light in the deuils doctrine in our own wisdom in mans tradicyons we haue had so gret confydence in fantasyes that we haue byleued deade spyrites made newe artycles of our fayth euen owt of the appearing of them as namely that there is a purgatory after this life out of the which soules may be redemed thorow the sacrifice of the masse which the pope and the deuyl haue ordeyned to be a sacrifice for the quick and the deade contrary to the institutyon and ordinaÌ„ce of christ But now let us heare what witnesse christ him selfe the euerlasting word of god geueth of his scripture For the same question was disputed of eueÌ„ in christes tyme among the high doctors which thought that the scripture without the tradicyons of the elders was not sufficient vnto their saluacyon and one of those doctors came to christ and saide master what may I doo to enioye euerlasting life But christ seÌ„t this curios infidele vnto the scripture sayng what is writton in the lawe How dost thow reade thereiÌ„ as though he shuld say Doist thou thinck that god is a wauerer or a changeling that wil alter his mynd euery howr as men change their lawes and imagine dayli newe opinions of god I tell the the word of god continueth for euer and do thou nothing but euen the selfe thing only that thow seyst writton in the law and so thou shalt liue he saith not now how thinkest thou or how dost thow heare the pharises the scribes preach teach but he sendeth hym to the scripture and sayth what readest thou there Do that thou shalt lyue And although the scribes pharises and doctors did euer patch their lawes and tradicyons vnto tâ—e word of god yea and preferred theÌ„ also before it as christ sheweth in the .xv. .xxiij. of Mathew yet all other among wâ—om the true church did raygne had on iudgement bylefe namely that the wil of god must be known by the scripture only that aâ—l articles must be iudged and examyned by it as christ declareth where as he saith vnto the iewes Serch the scriptures for ye beleue surely that ye shal haue euerlasting life in theÌ„ by the which wordes christ testifieth playnly that this was the opynion and iudgement of the oâ—d church that all men shuld knowe the wil of god by the scripture only and that thei shuld iudge all articles of the faith necessari vnto saluacyon by that only And where as he biddeth theÌ„ examâ—ne his preaching by the scripture he sheweth euidently euin the whole gospel to becoÌ„teyned in the old scripture And who so euer denieth the coÌ„mandment of Moyses before rehersed to perteyne vnto us because the Apostles had not yet writtoÌ„ their bokes thei be very asseheades withowt any knoulege or vnderstoÌ„ding For this rule did the Apostels folowe whan thei testified vn to the church of the gospel that no boke shuld be receyued except it consentyd with the old scripture and by this rule the church refused the bokes which confirmed their storys by the prophetes And by this rule do the Euangelistes proue their writings Paul also procureth auctorite vn to his pistle to the Roma .j. by this same rule where as he saith that his gospel was before promised by the prophetes in the holy scriptures To this purpose also serue these saings of christ If ye beleued Moyses ye wold bileue me also for he wrote of me c. and agayne this Serche the scriptures c. for euen thei beare witnesse of me Now this controuersy of the vnwritton word of mans gloses and tradicyons if we wil folow the councel of our fore fathers and stande to the iudgement of the church in christes tyme I wil lay this senteÌ„ce of the old church confirmed of christ for me against all that my aduersarys can make or say writton in the xij of Iohn The word which I haue spoken shal iudge them in the last day And if this word were not writtoÌ„ or if it were not all writton who could besure certen of his saluacyon or of the wil and pleasure of god And if our faith and the saluacyon of mankynd did depend only of mennes doctryne so that the soÌ„me rule of our religion were not writton in the scripture who durst trust bileue that one hole perfight and vnblemisshed sentence of christ were left vnto us For seing the deuel wresteth the scripture vnto eueri wicked opinyon and durst refuse the scripture thorow the Manicheis as he doth now adays cause it be burnt by the bisshops who dowteth but that he wold rather haue destroyed the whole scripture at ones more than .xv. hundreth yere agone and to haue
bi chance in the streate the right excellent lord Crumwel going vnto the parlament howse in the yeare .1537 he whan he sawe me called me vnto him toke me with him to the parlameÌ„t house to westmyster where we fownd all the bisshops gathered to gether vnto whom as he went and toke me with him all the bisshops and prelates did rise vp and did obeisance vnto him as to their vicar general and after he had saluted them he sate him down in the highest place right against hym sate the Archibisshop of cantorbery after him the Archbisshop of yorke and than London Lincoln Salisbery Bathe Ely Herford Chichester Norwich Rochester and Worcester and certeÌ„ other whose names I haue forgoten all these did sitâ— at a table couered with a carpet with certeÌ„ prystes standing about them Than the lord Crumwel being vicar general of the reame lord of the preuy seale and chefe secret counceler vnto the king turned him self to the bisshops sayd Right reuerend fathers in christ The kings maiesty geueth yow high thankes that ye haue so diligently without any excuse assembled hether acording to his commandment and ye be not ignorant that ye be called hether to determyne certen coÌ„trouersys which at this tyme be moued concernyng the christen religion and faith not only in this reame but also in all nacions thorowt the world for the kiÌ„g studieth day night to set a quietnes in the church and he can not rest vntil all such controuersis be fully debated and ended thorow the determinacyon of yow and of his whole parlament For all though his special desyre is to set a stey for the vnlerned peple whose consciences are in dout what thei may bileue and he him selfe by his excellent lerning knoweth these controuersys welinough yet he wil suffer no comon alteracyon but by the consent of yow and of his whole parlameÌ„t By the which thing ye may perceiue both his high wisdom and also his gret loue toward yow he desiereth yow for christes sake that all malyce obstynacy carnal respect set apart ye will frindly louingly dispute among your selues of the coÌ„trouersys moued in the church and that ye wyl coÌ„clude all things by the word of god with out all brauling or scolding neither will his magesty suffer the scripture to be wrâ—sted defaced by any glosys any papistical lawes or by any auctoryte of doctors or councels and moch lesse wil he admit any articles or doctrine not conteyned in the scripture but approued only by coÌ„tynuance of tyme and old custome and by vnwritton verytes as ye were wont to doo Ye know wel iÌ„ough that ye be bound to shewe this seruice to christ to his church yet notwithstoÌ„ding his magesty wil giue you high thanckes if ye wil set coÌ„clude a godly and a perfight vnyte wherunto this is the only way and meane if ye wil determyne all things by the scripture as god commaÌ„deth yow in deuteronomy which thing his maiesty exhorteth and desyreth yow Whan the lord crumwel had spoken his mynd after this sort with high grauyte as he was a man of a gret witt of excellent wisdom and of goodly eloqueÌ„ce all the bisshops did ryse vp and gaue thankes to the kings maiesty for his ferueÌ„t study and desyre toward an vnite and for this vertuos exhortacyon most worthy a christen king After this began thei to dispute of the sacramentes And first of all the bisshop of london which was an ernest defender of the popes part whom a litel before the lord crumwel had rebuked by name for defending of vnwritton verites this bisshop of london I say went about to defend that there were .vij. sacrameÌ„tes of our christeÌ„ religion which he wold proue by certeÌ„ stincking gloses and old lousy writers and he had vp on his syde the Archbisshop of york the bisshop of lincoln bath chichyster and norwich The bisshop of salisbery Ely herford and worcester and certeÌ„ other with the Archbisshop of Cantorbery were against him And after thei had made moch strife and coÌ„tencyon about the saings of the doctors one contrary to a nother The bisshop of cantorbery spake and sayd thus It besemeth not men of lerning grauyte to make moche babling and brauling about bare wordes so that we agree in the very substaÌ„ce and effect of the matter For to braule abowt wordes Is the property of sophisters and such as meane disceight and suttilty which delight in the debate and dissencyon of the world and in the miserable state of the church and not of them which shuld seke the glory of christ and shuld study for the vnyte and quietnes of the church There be waighty controuersis now moued put forth not of ceremonis light things but of the tru vnderstanding and of the right difference of the lawe and of the gospel of the maner and way how synnes be forgeuen of cowmforting doutful and wauering conscieÌ„ces by what meanes thei may be certifyed that thei please god seing thei fele the strength of the lawe accusing them of sinne of the true vse of the sacrameÌ„tes whether the outward work of them doth iustifye man or whether we receyue our iustificacyon thorow fayth Item which be the good workes and the true seruice and honor which pleaseth god and whether the choise of meates the difference of garmentes the vowys of monkes and pristes and other tradicyoÌ„s which haue no word of god to coÌ„firme them whether these I say beright good workes and such as make a perfâ—ght christen man or no. Item whether vaine seruyce and false honoryng of god and mans tradicyons do bynd mens consciences or no. Finally whether the ceremonis of confirmacyon of orders and of annealing and soch other which can not be proued to be institute of christ nor haue any word in them to certifye us of remissyon of sinnes ought to be called sacramentes and to be coÌ„pared with baptim and the supper of the lord or no. Thes be no light maters but euen the principal poyntes of our christen religioÌ„ wherfor we contend not about wordes and trifles but of high and ernest matters Christ saith Blessed be the peace makers for thei shal be called the soÌ„nys of god And Paul coÌ„mandeth bisshops to auoyde brawling and coÌ„tencion about words which be profitable to nothiÌ„g but vnto the subuersion and destructioÌ„ of the hearers and be monissheth specially that he shuld resist with the scriptures whan any man disputeth with him of the fayth he addeth a cause wher as he sayth Doing this thou shalt preserue both thy selfe and also them which heare the. Now if ye wil folow thâ—se councellers Christ and Paul all contencyon and brauling about wordes must be set apart and ye must stablissh a godly and a perfight vnyte coÌ„cord out of the scripture Wherfor in this disputacioÌ„ we must first agree of the nomber of the sacramentes and what a sacrament doth signify in the holy scripture and whan
we cal baptyme and the supper of the lord sacramentes of the gospell what we meane therby I knowe right wel that s. Ambrose and other autors calle the wasshīg of the disciples fete and other things sacramētes which I am sure yow your selues wold not suffer to be nombred among the other sacramentes This exhortacyon did the archbisshop make most soberly discretely as he is a man of a singular grauyte with such swetenes that it did my hart good to hear him And bicause I did signifye bi some token of my countnance that this admonicyō of the archbisshop did please delight me excellētly wel the lord cromwel bad me speake what I thought of this disputacyō but he told the bisshops before that I was the kings scolar and therfor he desiered them to be cōtent to heare me indifferently Than I after the rude maner of the scholes rather than after any courtly solemnyte bowing my knee for a token of curtesy and reuerence as It became me with out any preface at all begā to speake after this maner Ryght honorable noble lord and yow most reuerend fathers and prelates of the church although I come vnprepared vnto this disputacyon yet trusting in the ayde of christ which promiseth to geue both mouth and wisdom vnto vs whan we be required of our fayth I wil vtter my sētence and iudgement of this disputacyon And I think that my lord archbisshop hath geuen you a profitable exhortacion that ye shuld first agree of the significacyon of a sacramēt whether ye wil call a sacramēt a ceremony institute of christ in the gospel to signifie a special or a singular vertu of the gospel and of godlines as paul namith remissyon of sinnes to be or whether ye mene that euery ceremony generally which may be a token or a significacyon of an holy thing to be a sacramēt For after this latter significacyon I wil not stike to grant yow that there be .vij. sacramentes and more to If ye wil. But yet Paul semeth to describe a sacrament after the first significacion wheras he sayth that circūcisiō is a token and a seale of the rightwisnes of fayth This diffinycion of one particular sacrament must be vnderstōd to perteine vnto all sacramentes generally for the Iewes had but one sacrament only as all the scholastical writers do grant And he describeth baptyme after the same maner in the .v. to the Ephesians wheras he sayth that Christ doth sanctifye the church that is to say all that be baptised thorow the bath of water in the word of life For here also he addeth the word and promes of god vnto the ceremony and Christ also requireth fayth where as he saith who so euer bileueth and is baptised shal be saued And s. Austen describeth a sacramēt thus The word of god coming vnto the element maketh the sacrament and in a nother place he saith a sacrament is a thing wherin the pour of god vnder the forme of visible thinges doth work secretly saluacyon And the master of the sentences doth describe a sacrament no nother wise A sacramēt saith he is an inuysible grace and hath a visible forme and bi this inuysible grace I meane saith he remissyon of sinnes Finally s. Thomas denieth that any mā hath auctorite to institute a sacrament Now if ye agree vnto this diffinicyon of a sacramēt it is an easy thing to iudge of the nomber of those sacramentes which haue the manifest word of god and be institute bi christ to signifye vnto us the remissyon of our sinnes s. Austen saith that there be but .ij. such sacramentes in the .cxviij. pistle vnto Ianuarius His wordes be these First I wold haue the to vnderstōd the somme and effect of this disputacyō which is this that our lord Iesus Christ as he him self saith in the gospel hath ladē us but with a light and easy yock or burden Wherfore he hath glewed the felowship of his newe peple with sacramentes very fewe in nomber very easy to be kept and very excellent in signifycacyon which be baptyme and the supper of the lord and such other if there be any moo commanded in the holy scripture those except which were burdēs for the seruytute of the peple in the old lawe for the hardnes of their hartes et ce And agayne in the .iij. boke of the lerning of a Christen man he saith the scripture hath taught us but fewe signes as be the sacramēt of baptyme and the solemne celebracyon and rememberance of the body and blode of the lord et ce The bisshop of london could scarsly suffer me to speake thus moch but he brake forth and said thus vnto me where as ye affirme all right and true sacramentes to be institute of Christ or to haue the manifest scripture to proue them or that all sacramentes must haue a significacyō of remissyon of sinnes It is all false Than I answered that I wold proue all that I had sayd to be true not only by the scripture but by the old doctors and by the schole writers also But the bisshop of herforth whom the kings grace fauored highly both for his singular wisdom and lerning which was thā newe comne out of germany where he had bene Imbassytor being moued with the frowardnes of this bisshop of londō sayd vnto me brother Alexander contend not moch with him about the myndes and sayngs of the doctors and schole writers for ye knowe that thei in many places doo differ among them selfes and that thei are contrary to them selues also almost in euery article And there is no hope of any concord to be made if we must leane to their iudgementes in these maters of controuersy and we be commāded by the kings grace to dispute by the holy scripture et c. And he turned him to the bisshops and made a short and pythy oracyon Think ye not sayd he that we can by any sophistical suttiltes steale out of the world agayn the light which euery man doth see Christ hath so lightned the world at this tyme that the light of the gospel hath put to flight all misty darknes and it wil shortly haue the higher hād of all cloudes though we resist in vaine neuer so moch The lay peple do now knowe the holy scripture better than many of us And the germanes haue made the text of the Bible so playne and easy by the hebrewe and the greke tōg that now many things may be better vnderstand without any gloses at all than by all the commentarys of the doctors And more ouer thei haue so openned these controuersys by their writings that womē and childern may wonder at the blindnes falshode that hath bene hetherto Wherfor ye must consider ernestly what ye wil determyne of these controuersys that ye make not your selues to be mocked and laughed to storne of all the world and that ye bring them not to haue this opinion of yow to think euer more here after that ye haue
workes to be good that are not conteyned in the scripture Now the other part of his reason he proueth thus Those which folowe foliss◠questyons contencyons of wordes strange old wyues fables and to be short the doctrines of men not conteyned in the word of god do swarue and erre from the faith and are vngodly wiked hypocrites wherfor if thou stand fast by the holy scriptures and wade no further than thei teach the thou shalt saue both thy self and also them which heare the from this capcyos snare and suttelty of the deuel Specially if thou wilt monissh the christen brethern both of the holsom doctryn and also of the deuels erronios doctrine as it becōmeth a faythful minister of Iesus christ Preach teach these things saith he to all faithful men namely to such as may be apt to teach other likewys And agayne If thou puttest them in remēberāce of these thīgs thou shalt be a faithful minister of Iesus christ brought vp in the word of faith and of the true doctrine which thou hast folowed vntil this day But se that thou banisch contemne all vnholy and old wyuissh fables and rather exercyse thy selfe vnto vertu and godlines Take deligent hede to thy self and to thy doctrine stand fast in it for so doīg thou shalt saue both thiself and them that hear the. Afterward he geueth him a commandment and saith this precept do I charge the with O son timothy acordinge to the prophecies that be past befor thy daies that thou fight a good battel in thē with a sure perfight faith a good or right vp conseyence which certē not regarding haue suffred gret harme losse in their fayth c. And euen in these wordes he teacheth us to fight agaynst the deuel euen with the old prophecy or prophetical scripture and to confirme our faith by it and also to forme and rule our conscyence by it And he sheweth a cause for els we shal lose our faith as other haue done we shal procure our selues a wauering and a dowtful consciēce Finally he is not content and satisfied to haue geuen hym this monicyon but he also entreateth besechith him by all meanes saing I besech the for gods sake and for our lorde Iesus christes sake which shal iudge both quick and dead at his coming and for his kingdoms sake preach the word be instant be ernest and importune in season and out of seasō reproue chide exhort with gentilnes or sobrenes with doctryne For the time shal come whā mē shal not suffer the holsom doctrine but thei shal procure thē selues masters acordīg to their own affeccions and appetices c. This tyme which he speaketh of heare if it be not now let us neuer loke for it For now our faith is confirmed with a vnwrittō word with mās tradicyons with custome ceremonis fathers and cowncels with out any word of god and the manifest scripture is moked out with euery crafty hipocrites Imaginacion and glose yea it is takē out of our handes and burnt Now if these men be not louers of them selues and estemers of their own wisdom if thei be not couetos if thei be not arrogant and vaine glorios if thei be not braggers and blasphemers which ymagin a new vnwrittō word if thei be not dissobedient vnthankful vnto their parentes which wil not ones moue their fote out of their deanes to helpe an old man or to comfort their parentes lying at the point of death if thei be not vnkind vnnatural which for their fayned chastite dare not knowe their own childerne if thei be not truse breakers that vnmercifully warre against vertu and godlines if thei be not deuels quarelers and the very members of the deuel which do nothīg but ymagine cauillacyōs to mocke a way the truth if thei be not voluptuos ryetors merciles neglectors of their office despisers of all lerning and of all true good workes if thei be not traiteros betrayers of kings kingdōs of the whole world if thei be not louers of wordly pleasures and lustes rather than louers of god which condēne matrimony lest thei shuld be compelled to mary wiues but might still liue in whordome with other mennes wiues if thei denie not the vertu pyth and effect of godlines that vnder a color and pretence of true holynes which esteme mans tradiciōs higher than the .x. commandmentes of god and teach that their own tradicyons and ceremonys be sufficiēt to make a perfight christē man that thei may minissh drowne the iustyficaciō of faith ther were neuer none such nor neuer shalbe Paul whan he shuld take his last vale of the church or congregaciō and byd them farewel for euer he called a cowncel whose auctoryte and testimony he wold haue to be estemed and regarded of all men and in that councel he preached thus vnto the bishops I take you all to witnes and testifye vnto you all this day that y am innocēt pure clere frō the blode of you all for I haue kept secret frō you none of those things which concerne your profyght and saluacyon but I haue opened vnto you all the councel of god for the space of .iij. yeares day night without ceasing and I monisshed exhorted euery one of you euen with weping teares For I know right wel that after my departing there shal come among yow rauening wolues which shal haue no pyty or compassyon vp on the flock and certen among you shal teach false and wicked doctryne to allure discyples after them Wherfore take diligent hede both vnto your self and to all your floke and watch remembryng that I haue monysshed you of these things for the space of .iij. yere together with gret lamentacyō And now brethern I commit you vnto the word of his grace which is able to edifye you and to gyue you an inherytance with all them that be sanctifyed c. Here doth paul monissh the councel of the false and lying prophetes and he exhorteth the whole church that thei remember diligētly his monicyon wher of he had put them in rememberāce continually for the space of .iij. yeares that thei shuld take hede of those wolues which had deuoured both bodis and soules of men with wicked doctrine opinions tradicions which thei wold thrust in to the church vnder this color and cloke that the apostles could not teach all things necessary vnto our faith and saluacyon and that all the articles of the christen faith are not conteyned in the word of the grace of god I haue taken yow to record this day sayth he For this cause that if ye cast a way damne your selues thorow bileuing theyr persuasions I am pure clere from your bloude christ shal not reken vnto me your damnacyon For I know that this thing wil come to passe and I tremble and shake euery ioynt of me for the miserable perturbacyons and aduersites of the church whā
the prophecies which speake of the latter dayes come to my remembrance And I feared lest christ shuld reken it vnto me vnd lay it vnto my charge if I shuld not haue monished you before And this thing with the horrible blasphemys and Idolatry which shal opresse the church hath made me so heauy careful and hath caused me to water myne eyes so oft But what shal I doo whan I heare danyel sayng The determinacion is concluded I can no notherwise do than monissh you that ye heare or receyue no newe opynions vnder any such cloke or color as though I had not opened vnto you all the councel of god somoch as perteyneth vn to you to know or as though I had hidden any thing from you which shuld be necessary vnto your saluacion I can not tell what to say more but only to commit and referre you vnto the word of the grace of god that is to say to the holy scriptures which all are able to edifye and to bilde you vpon the tru foundacion which is christ wherupon the whole church all the patriarckes prophetes and apostles be bylded and grounded Christ is the foundacion of the church we be the stones and stikes which are proued and assayed with diuers tentaciōs and aflictions The holy gost is the master bylder or worck man and the word of god is the clay lyme which holdeth the whole bildīg to gether For by the word of god we are incorporate vnto the church and by it we abide and remayn in the churche This word also incorporateth ioyneth groundeth us perfightly to christ that we shuld not be drawn away and ledde about with euery blasing wynd of doctryne and so fall a way agayne This is a good bucler agaynst all the fiery dartes of the deuel This is the sterne wherby alone the shyp of the church is ruled This is the anker which ones brokē or lost our faith must nedes vtterly perissh To this word peter biddeth us loke as vnto a lantern which in the dark night of ignorance of the cōtempt of god of infidelite and of all weakenes of such hartes as be blinded of the deuel sheweth the light of faith and the knouledge of gods will that we fall to no heresis nor receyue the doctrine of the false lying prophetes And by this light which chaseth a way all darknes of errors Christ and Peter cōmand us to examen and trye all maner of doctrine as by the true toche stone And Paul biddeth us ronn vnto this in all stormes as vnto the most sure anckar to resist or withstand all maner of strāge doctrines with the holy scripture and Christ doth plainly pronounce that by this we shal be iudged at the last day Iohn writeth this to be sufficient to obteyne euer lasting life by And christ sendeth the man which enquired of him by what meanes he might be saued vnto this scripture which luke saith that he hath writton with all dyligence Esay sent them which sought newe reuelacions vnto this word Christ also sent them which required myracles vnto this saing Thei haue Moyses and the prophetes if thei wil not byleue them neither wold thei bylefe if any shuld ryse from death By this word doth Moyses command kings to feare god and he biddeth the pristes to iudge by this word and at last he sayth let this word be writō out to you before your eies that no man may be excused of ignorance and he saith further that heauē erth shal witnes against us at the latter day that we geue ouer our selues agayne frely willingly and wetingly vnto the deuel if we receyue any doctryne not approued by the word of god or if we iudge determyne any thing of the wil plesure of god without some testymony of the holy scripture Now these testimonys gathered out of the holy scripture be sufficient against this grosse blasphemy of the vnwritton word