the olde testameÌ„t where the Idoles of the heatheÌ„ ar named in the singular 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and yet for to settâ— forth the vnitie of the godhead alwaie with this worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the plural nuÌ„bre is adioined a verbe of the singuler as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And also in the hygh name of God which the Iewes had in so high estimacioÌ„ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which doth sigâ—ifie vnto vs that onely euerlasteing powre wherbi al thinges haue their being is manifestli opeÌ„ed the vnitie indiâ—…sible Of this spirit is it writeÌ„ thus He that hath not the spirite of Christe is none of hys And agayne Who so ener are led by the spirit of God they are â–ª the childreÌ„ of God So â–ª that as we can not be wythout God or Christe su can we not be wythout this spirite proceadeinge from them boeth as Christ him selfe witnesseth saieinge The conforter euen the holye goste whome my father shal sende in my name Againe WhaÌ„ the holy â–ª goste shall come whom I shal send from my father Of this spirite dyd the prophetes speake muche vnder the name of water and fire as Esaie I shall poure forth my spirit vpoÌ„ the thirstie miâ—floudes vpon the drie land I shal poure forth my spirit vpon thy sede and my blesseing vpon thy buddes and the same shal saye I am the lordes Lyke vnto these are there other places as in Esaie xii Eze. xxxvi Psal C. xlvi lxiii This spirit together wyth the father and the sonne this Trinitie and Vnitie that can not be diuided do we belieue and teach not by a blynde saiynge of any doctoure as you do but by the worde of God and the worke of his spirite whiche is able to leade vs into all truth neuer faileth his church builded vpon the rock Christe agaynste the which the gates of hel can not preuaile For by this spirit thus workyng faieth in Christ and loue to God and maâ— is knowne the true church as Iohn sayeth By thys do we knowe that we dwell in hym and he in vs because he hath geuen vs of hys spirite And Paule saieth generally to alâ— the faithful Do you not knowe that you are the church of God and the spirit of God dwelleth in you If any man do defile the teÌ„ple of God him wyl God destroye Thys church of God is holy which you are wher he doeth not meane of the Popes Churche though it wer builded of v. M. proude cardinales and bishopesse much les of our english church built vpoÌ„ the blind ignoraÌ„ce sinful lyueing but of x. oâ— xi horned Miters for three or foure of you woulde all were well so it were not longe of theâ—… but of that onely Churche whyche doeth alwayes knowe heare and folowe the voice of Christe theâ—â— heade and shepeherde and wyll not harkeâ— to the voyce of any straâ—nger Who though they be but. ii or iii. gathered together in the name of Christe beinge alwayes dispersed abrode by the Idole shepherde yet is Christ in the middes of them and shal at the length gather them all in one that ther maye be one shepherde and one folde Thys church is washed this church is sanctified and made holie This churche is iustified by the name of the Lorde Iesu and by the spirite of oure God sayeth Paule Christe so loued thys churche that he spent him selfe for hyr to make hyr holye clenâ—ed throughe the fountaine of water by hys worde that he myght make hir vnto hym selfe a gloriouse churche haueinge no spot blemish or wrinckle or any such thynge But you wyl doubt still O byshopes whether of vs be thys church Whether you gloriouse in the worlde or we despiced Firste therfore marke the fouÌ„dacioÌ„s of this church for ther can no man laie anye other then that is al redye layed the Lorde Iesu Christe ⧠The fyrst foundacion Whome the fayeth hath set as the chosen stoâ— for the fouÌ„dacioÌ„ of the tru church Sion ⧠The seconde foundacion Christe is the heade of thys churche ⧠The threde foundacion And heade shepeherde of thys folde For the fyrste all men iudge that you al ledgeinge so muche mans lawaâ—es establisinge and buildinge your fayeth wyth mans â—â—raâ—y settinge your cousciences vpon your doctours who are but fleshe and bloude do not so greately regarde Christe as we do whyche wyl haue hym oure onely foundacion and wyll admitte nothinge but that is spoken by hys spirite in his scriptures This fayle you in your fyrst foundacion Secondelye if Christe be heade and maister who dyd come humble meke and pore rideinge vpon an asse not hauinge an house where to â—aye hys heade dispisinge al worldly an outwarde glorie when the people would haue made him a kinge why do you ride on mules trapped wyth goulde Why haue you suche castelles holdes parckes and palaices Why wyll you be Lordes worldelie and take to you suche outwarde glorie Christe sayed that hys kyngedome was not of thys worlde and why wyl you beare suche rule heare Yea Christe forbade you to be called maister and why wyll you be called Lorde On the contrarie parte we haue the worde of Christ our heade for vs. Who sayeth Ther is no seruaunt greater then his Lorde and maister If they haue persecuted me they wil persecute you If they haue kept my word they wil kepe yours If the world do hate you knowe that it dyd hate me before it dyd heate you If you were of the worlde the worlde woulde loue that which is his owne But because you are not of the worlde but I haue chosen you forthe of the worlde therfore the worlde hateth you Yet do I leue you peace and my peace do I geue vnto you but not as the worlde geueth do I geue it vnto you â–ª Yea more ouer they shall curse and excommunicate you whyche was your olde practise o prealates and not onely that but the time shal come that who so euer sleath you shall thincke that he doeth high sacrifice vnto God And thys shall they do because they neither knowe my father nor peâ— me Tyrdlye If Christe be the heade shepeherde and dyd for your exemple saye that the learneynge whyche he taught was not hys but his fathers that sent him howe daâ—e you be so boulde to grownde so many thynges on your doctours Christe coÌ„maundeth you to feade hys flocke but you â—…ea them Christ coÌ„maundeth you to edifie but you distroye Christe byddeth you go into all the world to preach his word to al the worlde and to preach hys worde to al creatures but you saie naye none shal haue it but geÌ„tlemeÌ„ the other pore knaues shal haue a sophistrie boke of your gloses I praie you whoÌ„e make you the heade shepeherde in this and al your doeinges Not Christe but your doctours and Idle braines
is preseÌ„t the substauÌ„ce of the bodie and bloude is receyued vnder accidentes and the true feaste and feadinge is in the masse For this your assersion I demaunde some scripture wherbi you may declare it to be of Christe And for the later parte therof I vtterly denie that in your masse is any â—uche feast or feading for it is but a gaping vpon shadowes and dombe cerimoneis Agayne wher the Apostles cal it the breking of bread you cal it the breaking of accidentes or of the hoste for you ar faâ—… to sheft your termis for shame bycause neuer man yet coulde handle an accedent nor breake it handsomly excepte it had a bodi or a subiect As for you I trow you be Iuglars for you will haue the bodie of Christ ther preseÌ„t you wil handle it make it hop aboute your chalice teare it in ij or iii. pieces but yet you wil not breake it for you say it is impassible and can not be broken nor can suffer any violence But I shall tell you If you were not playne Iuglars and coniurers we would swere so many of vs as staÌ„d by you that you do breake the same thinge that you handle â—ou swere nay by the holie masse for you break you saie but a few accidentes vnder whiche the bodie lurke the and that the same precious bodi is after in eche of the partes wholy and whole Christ in the peces broken withoute encrease of nombre you will not gyue an aâ—â—e leaue to tel one two thre as Inglers wyll I am ashamed that I haue occasion thus to wrâ—â— But â—alde propositions must haue balde solutions ¶ And now say you men ash how a mouse can eate God And how can God corrupt waxe moulde howe can god be broken in pieces We demaunde the same questions still warne you that geue the occasiion of suche questions to repent you For as Bell in Babilon and all the other Idoles were by the wrathe of God destroyed so shall you with your false god be consumed excuse the mattier wythe accidentes as longe as you liste And this causeth vs to speake of your Idole as Baruche the prophet did But you make a godly answere or twayne Beleue saye you that a mouse can not deuour god beleue that god can not corrupt Beleue that god can not be broken Al this do we beleue and therfore â–ª we coÌ„clâ—… that this your cake is no God And where you adde yet one other precepte and bed vs belieue that Christ god and maÌ„ is naturally present in the sacrameÌ„t of the aultare if you were a right bishop of Christ you would be ashamed to belie your maister for he saith in no place of the scripture that he is naturally present Be ware therfore for you maye not adde vnto the wordes of Christ lest he do ad and encrease your plages Liars worshy ppars of Idoles sleiars of meÌ„ sorcerers and dogges are iudged without the gates of the newe IerusaleÌ„ But you haue a coÌ„mone refuge the church you saie saith it And when you wil bite vs thaÌ„ the deuil saieth it But it is no newe or straing thinge to heare this of your mouth seing that the sam your mother holie churche multiplieth lyke language against â—ure maister Christ He is mad saied the phariseis he hath the greate diuel Belzebub And by the prince of diuels casteth he forth deuels saide the Scribes Iufine they al agred that he had a wicked spirite Thus can you not gofroÌ„ your nature and we must nedes be like oure maister in sufferinge your reproch Then vpoÌ„ other meÌ„s reasoÌ„ing with you you procede thus ¶ If heare be nothing but this bodie theÌ„ either it corrupteth or else wheÌ„ goeth it awaie or wher haue you scripture to declare the going away of Christ frome thys hoste This caÌ„ you not answer and therfore are you faine to dalâ—ie in wordes But I shal answere for you He renneth awaie wheÌ„ he spieth the mouse coÌ„ming and al the strength of your God is loste whaÌ„ he once begineth to mould for it is no more able marchaunte or mans meat after it is mouled and corrupted Than speake you grauely acknowledginge your ignoraunce sayeinge Shal the true faith perish because I or such other can not answer thi sophistical reasone We answere that you blynde bishoppes ought to thruste nothing with so greate violence of sworde and fire into your churches but that you can fulli geue answere vnto by the word of God For if you do not bringe this doctrine in all your lessones we are coÌ„mauÌ„ded not to receiue theÌ„ nor to saie aâ—e vnto theÌ„ lest we be partetakers of your il workes For the scripture of god is able to teach to reproue to correcte and enstructe in rightuousnes that the maÌ„ of god maie be perfect redi to eueri good worke And you bishops are coÌ„mauÌ„ded whaÌ„ you teach that you teach the word of god â–ª yea christwold saie nothing but that which he had hard of his father Some scripture in dede you bring for your purpose and you haue it in Paule that mens wordes do not perswade our fayeth Whyche sayinge maketh so cleare against you that nothing can be more euideÌ„t For you go about to establishe a fayeth with naturall reall accidentes quantities qualities and such philosophie termes takeÌ„ forth of the wysdome of the subtile boke of the greke sophistes whiche had much disputed wyth Paule and were highly estemed in Corhinth And therefore sayeth he â–ª I do not come in such high and darcke termes of wisdome No I do iudge my selfe to knowe nothinge but Iesu Christ and hym crucified You might and wold haue answred I dout not that you dyd knowe him naturallye in the bread and the chaliceâ—… if your generacion had theÌ„ ben spronge vp And thinke you this gear had not ben â—…ete for Paul to preach if it had ben so necessarie as you make it But Paull preached such wisdome as none of the wise of thys world knoweth For if they had they woulde neuer haue crucified the Lorde of glorie neither woulde you persecute hym still in hys meÌ„bres He spake wordes that he learned not of mans wisedome but suche as the holie spirit teacheth so that he coÌ„pareth spiritual thinges vnto spiritual thinges not 〈…〉 you do heape vp flesh and carnal doctrin â—nto the spirite makinge the bodilie eatinge and the spirituall to be all one thynge heare you accuse vs of our beliefe to bringe vs into slaunder as though we were warueringe and vnstable But what our beliefe is in god we haue alredie shewed And whether our religioÌ„ be wauering or no God shal iudge Our religion is grounded on the worde of God that can not stacker nor chaunge And wherther bishopes or else wee pore abiectes do liue as ther were no God whiche thinge you laie to our charge all the worlde maye iudge As for
begin ninge who commynge downe from oure heauenlye father dyd declare hym selfe to be the hed corner stone of the true church thoughe the byshoppes refused hym in their buildeinge And when he ascended vp agayn leading capteyue wyth hym captiuitie hyrselfe he gaue gyftes vnto menne makynge one sorte Apostles an other sorte Prophetes some other Euangelistes some Shepeherdes and â—eachers These onely be appointed to be the ministers of his church in the new testament that they shoulde all together in spirite and trueth boeth worship him and cause other to do the same for the spirite is the worcker of al diuiding to eueri one as pleaseth him The bodye of thys churche then is not one membre as of long tyme you haue named your selues onely to be the church but it is many membres as the Apostle witnesseth amonge the whyche membres I feare me you shall not bee worthy to be numbred onles you do amende your life so contrarie to Christ the heade of this churche For thys churche hath he begotten vnto hym selfe by his worde as the parent and onely mother therof that it should be without spot or wrinkle gloriouse holy and without blame and especially saithe Paul the bisshope muste be such a one that no man sholde find any faute with him Thus writethe he to his dearely beloued Timothe and Titus makinge it moste euident and playne vnto vs that you bishopes prestes teachinge for your gaine sake or els teachinge nothinge at all are not the true byshopes and members of the true churche but the hierlinges and hypocrites that haue no parte in the Kyngdom of God and his Christe who dyd come â–ª pore not hauinge wher to laie his heade and dyd chuse pore sheperdes to be his first witnesses and after them fishers toulers and tentmakers And the words that he spake to his disciples are far ouer harde for you byshopes to bear Who so doeth not saieth he for sake father mother goodes lyfe and al together for my sake and the Gospell can not be my disciple Moreouer wher as the bishops of the Iewes and chife priestes doe crie TeÌ„plum domini Templum domini As thoughe they them selues and none other were the true church Christe answereth that the sonne of man shalbe betraied to the chief priestes and they shall condemne hym vnto the death so that they were none of the trwe churche thoughe they were of the seéde of Leui to whome the gouernance â–ª of the churche was promised and performed In like maner you so longe as you persecute Christe hys members and burne his worde crie you holie church neuer so much you shalbe no more of the true churche then â–ª they were For ther is all one worcke and purpose in you boeth that is to saye to miantayne your pompe and estimacion your powre and your holynesse before the people But now is the time come that the thing which â–ª was most holy in the sight of the world as you your iewels haue bene shalbe abominable â–ª vnto God Yet one other thing nothinge pleasaunte to your lordlike stomakes He that wilbe the cheife in this church must be the seruante of al Like as the sonne of manne did come not that he shulde haue seruice done vnto hym but that he him selfe shuld serue and giue his soule for many As many therfore as we finde agreable withe this heade Christ as were the. xij Apostles and all the true disciples who continued together in the breaking of breade and praier acceptinge none of the possessions of this worlde as their owne but makinge all that was theirs commune to the necessitie of their brothers we esteme to be the true and faiethful membres of this church Paule also geueinge him selfe for the Gospell to be imprisoned stoned and slayne was of thys churche Stephane also stoned for the defence of GOD his glorie and Antipas the true and fayethfull witnesse of Christ slaine at Pergamis Ignatius the scholar of Iohn who suffred for the Gospel Ignatius I saié Who so ernestly desired the breade of God the heaueÌ„ly bread of life whiche is the flesh of Iesu Christ the sonne of the liuing God who was borne in the last ende of the world of the seede of Dauid and Abraham and desyred to drincke the bloude of hym that is wythout corruption and the life euerlasting All these I saye we knowe to be the lyuelye membres of Christes true churche but not these onelye whiche sufferred vnder the Romishe tirantes but theim also the whiche in al countreis and at al tymes haue witnessed and suffered for the trueth â–ª of God his word for all are created for hys glorye and God hath not at any tyme or in any place ben altogether without hys witnesses if the world woulde receiue theim He sente into oure naâ—ion Iosephe of Aramathia He stirred vp Gildas he enstructed the plowemen oâ— kent and other contries of whome we haue the monumentes After warde dyd he sende Robert Grosheade who boeth by worde and by writinge dyd rebuke the worlde of blynde iudgement Then came the greate clarke that wrate so mani godli bokes Iohn Wicklife of whose workes though Subincolepus the bishop of Prage did bren to the uombre of two hundred yet are ther manie of them reserued vn to thys daye by the prouision of God to the coÌ„fusion of the kingdome of Antichrist cleare testimonie that the worlde before vs hath not ben vtterly destituted of true know ledge thoughe frome tyme â–ª to tyme whan the lyghtte hath come into the worlde the kingdome of darckenes the children of pridâ— haue loued darkenesse better then light and therfore haue laboured to extinguishe it and haue prohibited these bright sterres to geuâ— lighte saue onelye to a fewe whome he had chosen and longe a fore appoynted euen to the weake abiectes and caste awaies in the sight of the world of the whyche sorte parte were slaine and part liued vnknowne to the worlde for this litle flocke euen from the beginninge hath not bene of the wife and stout worldely men and therefore sayeth Christ I thanke the father that thou haste hid these thynges frome the wyse and prudent and haste shewed the same to littleones smallye regarded And Esaie saieth I wyll destroie the wisedome of the wise and the vnderstaÌ„ding of the prudent wyl I caste awaye And agayne Where is the wise Where is the scribe and interpreter of the law wher is the disputer of this worlde Hath not the Lorde made folyshe the wisdome of this worlde For after that the worlde by hir wysedome could not know God in his wisdom it pleased god by the folishenesse of preachinge to make salfe them that beleue This preachinge of the liuing god whiche sent his sonne an euerlasting sacrifice for the lyfe of the worlde caused the sacrifices to waxe colde and that was it that caused the priestes of the Iewes to persecute the christians so sore that
not onlie the Apostles were scaterid among the heathen but also Ioseph of Arimathia a capitain that buried Christ did fle as our olde cronicles do report bi the prouideÌ„c of god brought the faith into this realme of Englande then called Bretan This persecutioÌ„ of the true churche whiche was the flocke dispiced was stil encreased by the bisshopes of the Iewes criynge that the disciples of Christe were disceyuers teaching a newe faieth errours and herisies goynge aboute to withdrawe from the lawe of Moyses as aperithe throughout the boke of the Actes of the Apostles And this endured xlii yeres vntil the Iewes were coÌ„pellid to forsake their owne contrey being vanquishide and ouercome and by the greate and iust punishemeÌ„t of god distroyed by Titus and vespasianus The disciples also being scatered thorow the heathen but fewe in numbre and as yt were a sede for haruest apointyd did so preache the onely and euerlastynge god and his sone Christe sent in the fleshe to gyne light vnto the world that Idoles began to decay so that the priestes of the Idoles aÌ„d the work men and makers of al suche Idoles yea and their owne brethern the Iewes did in al places moue and sterre persecution Thus was this pore churche beynge but here and there an hanfull to gether caried before kynges Emperowres scourged imprisoned stoned beheaded but in all this did they ouer come through their head Christ who gaue theÌ„ suche spirite and wysedom that no man coulde resist So that the more christiaÌ„ men wer put to deathe by fore and cruell tormentes the more boldli and maÌ„fulli did newe souldiours arise in their stedes Nowe when the helly powre can not preuayle by this way of open tyranny agaynst Christes true churche then dothe the deuille send forthe the disciples and shcolars of the preistes of these Idols whiche were the subtyle philosophers and especially the Grekes of Athens who bringgynge forth reasones of Aristotle and suche other did subtilly dispute agaynste the resurrection In so muche that in his time Paule sayd we do preache Christ crucified to the Iewes an occasion of falling and to the grekes folishnes The Romaines also were at that tyme bothe enstructed withe the Grekes sciences and puffed vp so proudely wyth their great conquestesâ— that they accompted all other menne barbarouse and foleyshe in regarde of them selues So that thei smalli regarded this weake and wearish company of Christ and his scholares that the saying of Christe myght be true the worlde loueth his own and though the sound of their voice wente thorowe the world and they did continually growe and encrease yet did the world persecute them for the space of iii. hundred yeares And at that time wer they most cruelly handled bi Maxentius the tirant Then god stirred vp Constantine who shewed greate fauoure to christian men suffered them frely to preache gaue them leue to builde churches and at the later ende of his life was christened in Nicomedia Now persecution of the church began to cease and than streight began the name of christen men and Christes churche to be coÌ„mune to many but so many heresies sectes and dissentions did arise vp by subtelite of the deuill and by this crafte stopped the truthe in suche sorte that the true church was but in fewe Euen then the chief of your doctours menne suerly whom I neuer do dispise but when you do bringe them as witnesses agaynst the truthe the best lerned I sai of al your doetours partli blinded by the greke philosophy wherin they were noselled euen from their infancie and partly driuen therunto by the subtill arguments of the crafti heretickes Arius Macedonius Nestorius Eurites and suche other were coÌ„pelled to write many suche thinges as they did afterwarde retracte and recante as their own workes do sufficiently witnes testifyinge of them selues that they were faâ—e to take suche weapons in hande some time as had but smal grounde in holie scripture But to go forthe withe our purpose thus was the church of Christ in the time of Constantinus euen in the dispite of the wicked groune vp into estimation and made so generall of so small beginning that al the children of god might openly beholde that the folyshenes of god is wiser then men and the weakenes of god is stronger then men But such is the estate condicion of men agayne by the prouidence of God that nothinge sholde longe continewe in prosperite And if at any tyme it chaunce so to doe we waxe ouer proude and so forget who is the geuer therof Yet did the churche florish so long as the bishopes did preache the gospell of Christe in pouertie so longe as the bishope of Rome was not lord ouer the empier but a feder of Christes flocke so long as al other bishopes were no lordes but pastours and herde men watching carefully vp on their folde not de sirynge dominion rule and worldlye gouernaunce neyther sekyng theyr owne honoure and gayne But teachinge their britherne the kingdome of God Suche good bisshoppes were Athanasius and Epiphanius Such good bisshopes were the membres of the true church for yet wer they not so proud to name them selues God makers but ministers of God seruantes apointed to bestow his treasures And as they wer begotten children of the churche of Christ by the worde of truthe so did thei liue and growe vp by the same word and by no mans doctrine Thus continued they in christian pouertie to the yere of our Lorde ccccc xix When Iustinius the Emperour of Constantinople did call them forth agayne beinge longe disquietid and sore oppressed by the continuall warres of all realmes and prouinces and boeth he and Iustinianus hys sisters sonne dyd shewe vnto theÌ„ greate beâ—euolence and fauour He gaue them greate giftes and appointed them salares and wages TheÌ„ was Agapitus byshop of Rome sent to the emperour by Theodocius to bring al thinges vn to a christian vnitie This Agapitus was so holy a man that as he entred the gates of CoÌ„staÌ„tinople a certayn blind man receiued hys sight Then folowed Gregorius magnus after whome we reade of no true preachinge of the worde of god by any bishoppes And therfore dyd the bishopes and their scholars from that daye forward growe into a Sâ—nagoge of sathaÌ„ firste gounded in pride and ambicion as appeareth by their owne histories Bonifacius the thirde optaiueinge of Phocas to be byshoppe of all bishopes and to be the spirituall heade of the churche puttinge Christ from his office whom onely al christiaÌ„ meÌ„ must acknolege the spiritual head of his church though all Kinges and gouernours be by god appointed the ciuile heades of the bodye politicke This dyd he growe vp by little and little he I saye and hys successours euen to the highest estate of Antichrist banisheinge Christe hys worde and his fourme of liueinge seting him selfe in the hertes and consciences of men the uerie true churche of God nameing hym selfe an
your opinioÌ„ coÌ„cernynge that the fleash carnally eaten should be lyuely and confortable you are not able to iustifi by any scripturs And therfore beware how you establishe it wyth your tyranny wee haue learnyd thys gospell that Chryst was crucified to saue synners and to gyue lyfe vnto the worlde But that he must be eaten bodylye to gyue lyfe is a newe gospell For Iohn in hys syxte chapiter doeth wholly declare and set forth the spirituall eateynge of the fleash of Christe by fayth as is before declarede contrarie to your carnall writynges WheÌ„ you saye that we make the scripture like a coÌ„fuse sonne of belles I do take all meÌ„ to witnesse yea I dare appeale your owne conscience whether of vs hath the scriptures in more estimacion You and your doctours which do accostomably preach and writ that the scriptures are like a nose of wax easie to be tuurned to al purposes or we that compt no lerneing of maÌ„ nor yet ani doctrine taugh by the apearans of Angelles to be sure and stable vnlesse it be confirmed by the word of God and his infallible scriptures A gayne how lightly and vnreuerently you iudge of the authority of the scriptures of God your â—larckelye cloked 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall testifye to the whole worlde wherin you are nothinge ashamed to recite how that openlye in the greate cownsaile lyke A byshope streightwayes at your beginning to be sure to folowe the foundacion of your Romeish church you compted the authoritie of scriptures vnprofitable for your purpose because the sense therof as you say maie be drawne at pleasure to both partes You cloke the matter with cleÌ„lier termes O bishop as you do al your mattiers but in effect this is al one with the nose of waxe coÌ„fused soune of belles Your words be these Prefatus sum inutiliter me verba effusurum si ad fraÌ„gendam hominum pertinaciam scripture authoritati vt nunc sunt hominum ingenia inniterer cuius seÌ„sus pro arbitrio vtrinque distahatur Iudge O you that do syte haue not your consciences all readie marked boeth of these wordes and of the brennyng of the scripturs for loe here may you se the cause why the bishope wyll neither meddle wyth them hym selfe in hys disputacions nor suffer them that woulde so much as in hym selfe lyeth but burne them and banysh the diligent interpretatours of them because he and hys felowes do thinke that they may so easilie be wrasted to the madnesse of man Oh what shall we say or thinke of suche bishopes It is no maruaile though you haue your brethern in smal reputacion and rayle vpon them at your pleasure seynge the worde of God is so smally regarded with you Yea how can you loue God whom you see not when you hate your brethern wyth whom you lyue conuersant derydeyng despiseing and brenninge al that you can haue of God in thys worlde his holie word and scriptures we take God to our Iudge that to our knowledge we do not abuse the scriptures neither write we any thinge but wyth suche mindes hertes conscience as we are redi to stand before hym and make answer at the greate day when he shall appere And because we do knowe the scriptures inspired aboue from God hym selfe to be profitable to teache to improue to amende to enstructe in ryghtuousenese that the man of God may be perfecte and prepared vnto all good workes therfore haue we it in suche estimacion that we can counte no learning good but that is hereby confirmed and establysshed But let vs â–ª returne to your fyrst expositioÌ„ of these wordes Caro non prodest quicquaÌ„ spiritus est qui vinificat and Quod natum est ex carne caro est That is The fleash profiteth nothynge it is the spirite that geueth lyfe that which is borne of the fleash is flesh Thys you say is the true rule of our whole religion The fleashe when it is carnallye eaten as you wil haue it engendreth nought els but fleash Then if it be but fleash that it engendreth then haue we no profit therbi for the fleash doeth nothynge profit Contrary wyse the spirituall eatinge geueth life and engendrethe the spirite whiche onely feadeth the soule therfore we nede nothing to regard the carnall eatinge whyche neither feadeth the soule nor bodie for no bodily thyng can enter the soule nor no spirituall thynge can feade the bodie Now where you would myxte the fleashe and the spirite to gether by this solusioÌ„ that the fleash of Christ can not be wythout the spirite marke what we do answere If we haue lyfe by the spirituall eatynge of Christ once offered for vs as thepistle to the Hebrues doeth witnes if we haue al one spiritual fode with the fathers if we haue lif so many of vs as do thus beleue in hym by the benefite of the spirite as the. vi of Iohn doeth tell at larg if the rightuous liue by the fayth and not by bodily eatynge if that whiche cometh from the herte do make the man holye or prophaâ—e and not that which goeth into the mouth if he that beleueth in Christe shall not be condemned but haue euerlasting lyfe if God haue graunted to all them that receyue Christ that they shalbe the chyldren of God that is to saye as many as beleue in hys name as Iohn doeth interprete hym selfe if he that drinketh of the fountayn of life by faieth shall neuer be thyrsty but be refresshed into euerlastynge lyfe if he that heareth the worde of God and beleueth haue euerlastinge life what auayleth the fleashly eatynge or what can you wyn therby As doctour Ciprian callynge the breade of thys sacrament Sacramentalem panem that is to say bread signifiyng by sacrameÌ„t farther thynge than breade it is a mattier so euideÌ„t that we nede not to striue for it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 panis breade in all languages haue al one propre signification of the bread made of graine An other significatioÌ„ they haue by translacioÌ„ wherby they signifie al maner of fode but your doctour must haue a loÌ„g glose of your bishoplyke brayne wherby you are so wyttie you can depraue euery thing For you are not content to haue glosed your doctour but you must forbyd Paul to cal it ani lenger bread bicause that you bishopes haue espied that panis may signifie fode But I prei you good bishop leaue your daliing and tel vs what christ did take in hys haÌ„des as he sate at supper It was not a pece of the lambe to haue a similitude of fleash but it was bread the general substaunce of mans bodily lyfe euen lyke as Christ is the onely breade of lyfe and spiritual fode of the soule Bread I saye it was to declare that lyke as breade is made of many graynes whych all to gether do make but one bodie so lykewise we beynge many beleueynge in Christ are all one bodie in Christ We are one breade and one
prophecie agaynst you that haue the names of shepeherdes and wyll not feede his flocke with his worde but feede your selues by your craftie inuentions and cause the shepe to go astraye in the wylde mountaines of your errours Wo vnto the shepeherdes of Israell sayeth the Lorde whiche do feede them selues oughte not the flocke to be fed of the shepeherdes But you haue eaten the mylke you are clothed wyth their woll you sley that whiche is fat and feede your selues and wyl not feede my flocke You conforte not the weake you heale not the sicke you bynde not vp the broken you seeke not that whiche perisheth but wyth power and rigour do you rule ouer them Thus are my shepe scattered because they haue no shepeherde and deuoured wyth wylde beastes They go wanderynge in the mountaynes and are scattered thorowe the earth and no man doeth seeke them No man doeth seeke them I saye As truly as I do lyue sayth the Lorde God because my flocke is thus spoyled my shepe denoured whylse the shepeherdes do feede them selues and dispise my flocke Lo I my selfe wyll require my flocke at the handes of these shepeherdes and they shal neither feede my flocke nor yet them selues any loÌ„ger For I wil deliuer my flocke out of their mouthes sayeth the Lorde Thys is the talke that God the father hath thorowout the olde testament agaynste you that wyl not be coÌ„tent to feede his flocke wyth his worde onely without the sowre leuen of mannes doctrine He calleth you men fed and led with the winde of errours Idole shepeherdes yea deuouring wolfes that wyl neuer be saciate Seinge then that boeth the scriptures and your owne lyues do testifie of you that you are such rotten trees or rather poysoned stockes what fruites of heauenly doctrine shall we loke to springe from you Do men gather grapes of thornes or figges of thystles The yuyl tree caÌ„bring no good fruite Christe therefore in the newe testament and in his firste sermon gyueth vs warnyng of suche Idole shepeherdes sayinge Beware of these false prophetes whiche come to you in shepes clothynge for inwardly they are rauenyng wolfes And after that he had rebuked them that would seme to know al thynges yet could not see the tyme of their visitation callynge them Hypocrites wicked nation aduoulterouse generation that coulde not marcke or ponder the signe of Ionas the Prophete streightwaye he admonished his to take hede not of the leuen of breade but of the seuen of the doctrine of the scribes and phariseis Neither dyd he at any time rebuke so sharply as when he dyd speake of these blynde shepeherdes their doctours shewing how theido teach the traditous of meÌ„ to put the preceptes of God out of place that all their doctrine maketh for their corban and lucre that thei do all thynges to be sene of men Thus do you also folowynge the trade of your fathers For couetise worldly pompe and hypocrisie do establishe all the workes and doctrines of men that you do cal so necessarie Reade the damnation that Christ him selfe pronounceth agaynst you in the. xxiii of Mathewe Where he gyueth vs oure lesson also that we shall keepe obserue your doctrines so longe as they come furth of the seate and doctrine of Moyses But in no wyse to folowe your workes He teacheth in the beginnyng of his preachyng that oâ—les our ryghtuousnes do farre passe the ryghtuousnes of the scribes phariseis who onely were accompted the church in those dayes as you woulde be nowe we can not entre the kyngdome of God The state of the phariseis and you O bishops lest you should murmour and grudge at my playne wrytynges is in thys case of your doctrines for the feedynge of Christes â—locke all one Neither hath any of you authoritie either to make lawes or interprete the scriptures for boeth haue one strength muste be done by the same spirite you haue none authoritie I saye oâ—er the flocke further then you haue the worde of God for you And bryngynge that worde you maye saye he that despiseth you despiseth God As for thynges indifferent you muste say as Paul sayed vpon this your owne exeÌ„ple If any maÌ„ be coÌ„tentiouse the church of God knoweth no suche custome So that rather then any suche bitter contention as is nowe adayes shoulde continue it were better that all your in uentions were refused For seinge that your authoritie is gyueÌ„ to edifie by loue and charitie you maye not abuse it and destrye by bitter braulynge and cruell contention for suche thynges as were not good before you named them so nor yuyl before you did forbid them Thus do I take many of your doctrines of men to be indifferent As to stande vp at the Gospell to praye or preach bare headed to eate fishe this daye or that daye All these thynges being indifferent in their kinde that is to saye nothinge yuyll being voyed of superstition are by superstition made yuyll For that chaungeth good into yuyll Yet are the beste of these doctrines but vayne worshippe of God euen in their best vse For his worship standeth in spirite and trueth But you haue other doctrines and that verie manie that are manifestly yuyll because you do therein adulterate the worde of God as dyd the phariseis when they added their gloses to the coÌ„maundementes of God As when God sayed Thou shalte loue thy neighboure they added hate thyne enemie God sayed Thou shalte not swere but they added vnto the precepte Paye vnto the Lorde the thynge that thou swearest Agayne dyd not the olde pharisies wyth their sowre leueÌ„ whiche is Hypocrisie make vnpleasante and vnsauerie the two speciall workes of the newe man Fastynge and prayer Dyd not Christe hym selfe continually rebuke them because thei brake the commaundementes of God for their owne traditions doctrines where God the father had giuen commaunmente to honoure father and mother they cryed for their gayne their corban and offerynges Where God asketh the whole herte and thereof onely measureth all oure doinges their teachynge is to worshippe wyth the lippes though the herte be farre from me sayeth the Lorde by his Prophete In vayne therefore do they worshippe teachynge the doctrines as preceptes of men The whiche doctrines syth their firste bebyâ—â—ynge the true Prophetes of Christe seekynge the onely honour of God haue froÌ„ time to time laboured to coÌ„fute to restore to their worthiâ—es the preceptes of God his holie coÌ„mauÌ„dementes which euer more amongest hypocrites haue ben in small reputation in comparison of their owne inuentions In somuch that all these Prophetes whom God sent to beate downe the blynde errours of mennes dreames were hated persecuted from Citie to Citie scourged slayne and crucifyed So that all the bloude of the iuste whiche was and shall be shed vpon the earth from Abell to the worldes ende maye be heaped vpon the Hypocrites in the