IN most humble wise complayneth vn to youre grace youre cōtinuall Orator Robart Barnes / of the intollerable iniu­ries / wronges and oppressions where wyth the bisshoppes of youre royalme vexe and haue vexed / contrary vn to the wor­de of god and their awne lawes and doctours / not onlye me but also all true preachers ād professours of the same / as they did in condemnynge me for an heretyke: whiche thinge they were not able to proue by the scripture of god / nor yet shall not / yff it wold please youre grace in­differently (accordinge to the office wher in god hath sette you) to here the small as well as the great and to susteyne youre pore orator agēst their violence and strength.

God I take to recorde that I am ryght so­rye to make this complaynte vnto youre grace agenst them / yf I coulde coniecture any other meane to cause them to redresse their intollera­ble oppressions / where with they dayly oppres­se youre pore and true subiectis / so sore and so violently that wyth out doute (yf youre grace se not shortly a remedy) god must nedys pu­nish. For I doo not beleue that euer he will suffer longe so great tyrannye agenst his worde & so abhominable liuing as they liue / and that in the name of Christ and his holy churche / verely we do not reade in any memoryes that oure fathers haue lefte vs / that euer the people were [Page] vnder so greate tyrauny as now youre pore subiectis be vn to them. It ys so farre come that what so euer he be / hye or lowe / poore or ryche / wyse or folish that speakyth agenste theyr hy­pocrysy (which they calle holynes) Ambiciō / pryde dignite (which they calle honoure of the church) or vycious liuyng (whych cā not be cloked) he ys eyther made a traytour vn to youre gra­ce or an heretyke agenst holy church / as though they were kynges or God. This may youre moste exce [...] grace perfytly knowe if you calle to remem [...]aūce those men that they haue had to do with [...]s it not a maruelous courte that they haue? these was neuer man accused afore them of heresy were he lerned or not lerned but they founde hym giltye. ys not that a maruelous co­urte that neuer hath innocentes? what courte within youre realme maye saye this agayne? ād yf any man speake of gods lawe and right cōscience agenst thys damnable tyranny / lyttle wyll they stycke to make hym as heretyke. And yf y^t wylle not helpe (to coloure ād mayntayne theyr oppressyon (than adde they [...]asone agenst youre grace though he be neuer so trewe a subiect and all vnlykly to make ony resystaunce or to thynke any evyll vn to youre grace: notwyth­standinge they wyll not be a shamed to laye vn to hys charge that he wolde make an insurrec­cion in youre londe.

Nowe yf yt please youre grace lett vs con­syder to what ende thys vncheritable and vn­ryghtuous accusacion of the bysshoppes is in­uentyd.

Fyrst if there be any man y^t preach / dyspute / or put forth in writtinge any thynge not tow [Page iii] chynge them / though yt be neuer so blasphe­mous agenst god and hys worde / they wyll not ones be moued therewith: the examples therof are so playne that yt nedeth no proufe. youre grace maye se what blasphemous rubrykes they alowe agenst the bloude off chryst / what shamfull and abhominable pardons they tolle­rate and admytte / what disputatyons they do maynteyne to proue the pope a god and noo man as theyr conclusyons and questyons be playne in theyr awne lawes That the pope ys nother a god nor a man. And that the pope ys no man / And whether the pope cane syn or not? and that no man may condemne the po­pe though he bringe innumerable soules to hel­le by hys occassyon. Agayne let any man but ones speake agenst theyr cloked ypocrysye / or neuer so lytle a thynge that longeth too them whych shulde hyndre theyr abhomynacyons: and there can no scripture / no place / no mas­tershyp nor excuse in the world saue / but they must eyther to open shame or cruell deeth. So that yt ys playne that theyr cruelnes ser­ueth to no nother ende / but as they shuld saye yf that ony man wyll take in hond too prea­che the veryte / and the true goospell off th­eyr Master Chryst purely wherby those thyn­gys that we take on vs / that ys oure honour oure dygnyte / oure worldly promosyon / oure dylycyous lyuynge / oure gorgyous aparele / oure sumptuous palases / breuely all thynge that we vse to oure pastyme and pleasure shall be manyfest too euery man / that we doo yt contrary to the worde off god. Soo that they shall knowe opynly by manyfest scryptures oure f [...]yned hypocrysy / and that we ought [Page] not to be lordes of the parlament / nor to haue no place of worldly honour amonge the people nor to haue dominion ouer them / nor that any thynge shuld be orderyd after oure wyl but onlye a [...]ter y^e worde of god / nor that we shuld medyll in ony causes but alonly in reding and pre­achinge of the worde of god / wyth greate stu­dye diligence and labour / yee and thereof be cō ­tent to haue but a pore lyuing / yee and so pore that we shall be constrayned oft tymis both to hunger / to thrust and to suffer greate colde / as Christ and his appostles were. Nowe rather than this shulde come to passe we had lever ga­ther oure strength to gether ād oppresse by violence as many as wyll holde wyth this lerning be he kynge / duke / lorde / Barone / Knight / Mā / woman / or childe. So that they / yf it plese you­re grace / go aboute to make the insurrexion to the mayntaynyng of their worldly pompe and pryde / and not the trew preacher: for he inten­dith to mayntayne nothinge but the worde of god and that with suffering persecucion (as y^e nature of the worde ys) and not wyth persecu­ting / and ys also neyther able nor likly nor wyl­ling yf he might to make any resurrexion agēst youre grace / for he maketh no striuinge (yf he be the trew preacher of god) nor fyghtynge for this worlde / but sufferith the childern of the world to enioye these worldly thynges / and in­tendeth alonly to bring in to light the most glorious and heuenly worde of god / but that wyll not the bisshops (the childern of the world) suf­fer / whych had rather seke and proue all the crafte suttilty and falshode that they can invent / than these thingis shuld by the worde of God come to lyght / so that they wylle make y^e insur­rexion [Page iiij] / and not y^e preacher. Notwythstondyng they ar not a shamed / thus falsly to lay it to the preachers charge / and all by cause they wolde make youre grace to mayntaine ther maylycio­usnes. So that vnder the pretence of treason / they might execute y^e tyrānye of their hartis on lye. For who ys that that wolde be a traytou­re / or mayntaine a traytoure / agenste youre moste excelent and noble grace? I thynk no man / ye [...] and I knowe suerly that no man can doo yt / wyth out the great dyspleasure of the eter­nalle god. For. S. Paule commaundeth straytely vnto alle chrysten / to be obedient in all thyn­ges vn to their princes / saynge on this maner / Rom. 13 Lett euery man submytte him selfe to the auctorite off y^e hye power. For who so euer resystyth the power / resystyth the ordynaunce off god / & they that resyste shall receyve to them selues dā nacyon. Also. S. Peter confermyth thys / 1. Pet. 2. saynge: Submytte youre selues vn to all maner or­dinaunce off mā for the lordes sake / whether yt be vn to the kyng / as vnto the cheffe hed / eyther vn to dukes as vn to thē that are sent off hym for the punishment of evell doars / but to the prayse of them that do welle. Here (most noble prynce) no man is except from the subieccyon of youre most excellent powre / neyther the biss­hops / nor yet no nother man. Not wyth ston­dyng yff they were so trewe in dede as they pretend in worde / Thys gospelle shulde they preache them selfe faythefully / puerly / and syncere­lye to the people / as Paulle commaundeth Ti­tus / and in hym alle bysshops in these wordes. Vvarne them (sayth he) that they submytte them selues to prynces and to powers / and to obeye the offycers Thys are they commaunded [Page] not allonly to obserue them selues / but also to teache the people to obey theyr prynces, whyche thynge yff they dyd faythefully in dede / as they dyssemble in worde / than they wolde not make so holy marters of them / that haue dyed agenst the liberte of prynces / in defendyng of their glorie / as they haue done. Vve haue many y^t be made sayntes for rebellinge agenst prynces / & for defendyng of theyr fayned spirituall lyberte though yt were in sauing a theuysh preaste frō the gallous / whyche had deserued dethe / ye and for defendynge of their temporall possessyons / and that preastes shulde be fre / ād all their goodes / not bounde to paye trybute. For these ar­tycles haue they made many holy sayntes / but whā made they one for defendinge of gods worde and y^e kyngys prerogatiue / whiche ys alow­ed by godes word? Neuer one in all their liues nor neuer wyll. where fore youre grace may se and perceaue / that they be but dyssemblers and hypocrytis / ād nether trewe in worde nor dede. For yf they were / youre grace shulde haue mo­re auctoryte than you haue in youre realme / ād they shulde haue lesse in the worlde and more in the worde / but they neyther teache it thē sel­ues / nor suffer (with their wille) other men to teache it. For if any mā take in honde to teache y^e people / y^t there is no tēporal power with in y^e realme but in youre hōde allōly / anon they are ready to accuse hī of heresie / by cause he spe­keth agēst y^e libertyes of holie churche / and they wil lay to his charge y^e lawes (as they cal thē) of y^e churche / whiche be none other / but dreamis of their owne inuēciō / made agēste gods lawe & his holy ordinaūces / & cotrarie to y^e prerogat [...] ue of alle noble princes. This will I proue by / [Page v] lawe y^t they haue / 15. Q. 6. Alius itē whose wordes be these. zacharias did deposse y^e kinge of fraūce / not allōly for his iniquite / but also by cause he was vnprofy­table for so greate a power: and set in his stede Pipinū y^e Emperours father / & did asoille alle fraūce of their othe & alegiaūce / y^t they had made vnto y^e olde king / y^e whiche thing / y^e holy churche of rome dothe oft timis / by her auctorite How think youre grace by this law? is this their obediēce y^t they will shewe / & also lerne other mē to be trewe subiectes to their prince / ād they be first rebellious traitours / & yet wil they accuse al other men of treason. I wolde knowe of [...] them all / who hath deposed anye kynge sythe Chrystes passion sauinge they onlye? who wyll be kynges fellowes / ye and cōtrollars / sauynge they only?A cast of Antichrist ys not this a subtyle crafte of Anty­christ / to warne other men off heretykes and of traytours / ād in y^e meane ceasone while mē stō ­de lokynge for traytours / cometh he in and pla­yth the parte of an open traytoure / sauyng on­lye that he coloureth his name / and calleth him selfe / a trewe subiect / & is readie to accuse other men of treason / that he myght escape him selfe / but he is suer / that he will neuer accuse none of them / that speake agenst the auctoryte of pryn­ces / and geue to him full auctorite / But yf any man / doo begynne but to open hys mouth / for to declare that he hathe no tēporall power / thā rageth he / ād cryeth out treason treason: But let vs returne to their lawe / ād se how they cā proue it by gods worde / ād how it stōdeth with their trewe subiecciō / Is this resonable / y^t y^e pope / ād they (being by gods lawe but subiectis) shall deposse a king? Vvhat exāple haue they of oure master Christ / or of any of his apostles? [Page] what scripture haue they to helpe them?we ought not to de­pose a kinge though he be wy­ked. How dare they be so bolde / as to depose a kyng / whyche is ordenyd of god / yee and by hys holy worde / hauyng none example / nor scripture for thē? Be they aboue god and hys blessyd worde? But they wyl saye / that the kyng was a wyked man / I answere / the cronycles / geue contrary wytnes / how that he was a very good man / ād ryght symple: and by cause he was so symple / therfore Pipinus whyche had all the rule vn­der hym / thought hym silfe better worthy to rule than the kynge / and so wrote vn to the pope and desyred hym to geue sentence / whether he was better worthy to be kyng that had all the paynes and labours / or he that had no laboure Now the pope / to make Pipinum his frende / gaue sentēce wyth hym / and deposed the other and made hym a monke. Thys can I welle proue by good cronycles Now lett youre noble grace consyder / yff yt were ryght / not only to depo­se such a kinge but also to make hym a monke? Thys haue they done wyth other noble kyn­ges / and no doute / but that same or worse / wyll they attempte to doo vn to youre grace / yff you dysplease them / and at the leste they wyll doo their vtter most. Lett all the hole rable off thē / tell youre grace / when a trewe preacher off chr­ystes gospell dyd suche a deade; There is no officer that hathe nede to be a frayde off Chry­stis gospell / nor yet of y^e preachers ther off / For they wyll geue them auctoryte tēporalle / But off these preuy traytours / can no man be to ware. you may se by experience / how in a maner by their preuy treason they haue gotten in to their handes / halfe youre royalme. But lett vs graunt thē / that the kynge was a wyckyd mā. [Page vj] The scripture commaundeth vs / to obey to wyckyd princes / and geuyth vs none auctorite to depose thē / who was more wycked than He­rode / and yet. S. Iohan sufferyd deethe vnder hym. who was wyckedder than Pylate? And yet Christ did not put him doune but was cru­cified vnder hym. Breuely whyche off all y^e princes were good in the appostles dayes? and yet they deposed none. So that gods worde / and the practyse off oure Master Chryst / and hys holy apostles are openly agenste them. More over their owne glosse sayeth that he was not deposed / by cause he was vnsuffycient / but by cause he was wanton and lecherous wyth we­men. O my lordes yff you be not afrayde of the vengeaunce of god / at the leste take a lyttle shame of the worlde vn to yov / that haue so longe tyme wyth so great tyrannye defendyd these lawes that be so opynlye agēst gods ordinaunce / agenst gods worde / and agenst the commen ordynaunce and consent of all the worlde. And this thynge haue yov done / to the greate iniu­ry off noble princes / to the intollerable subduynge off all noble bloude / to the oppressyon off their trew subiectes / to the dystruccyon off alle commen welthes. And fynalle to the damna­cion off many a Chrystened soule. Tell me by youre faithe / doo you beleue that there is a ly­uyng god / that ys myghtye to punysh hys enymyes? yf yov beleue yt / saye vn to me can yov deuyse for to avoyde hys vengeaunce / whyche be so opynly cōtrayrye to hys worde? what an­swere thinke yov to make to hym? Thinke yov that he will suffer youre worde to be harde / & lette hys godly worde be dyspysed? Thynke yov that yt will be suffycient for yov to saye / [Page] that they be the lawes of holy churche? Thyn­ke you y^t he will be thus taught off yov? Than were yt tyme to plucke hym downe / ād sett you vpp. Naye my lordes he ys no chylde / nor you shalle fynd yt no chyldis game / thus to tryfle & playe with hys holy word and hys blessyd ordi­naunce / ye and that to the dyspysyng / of the maker bothe of heuyn and erthe. Saye what yov wyll / ye are not able neyther by crafte / nor sub­tyltye (and yet be you falce ynough) to defende thys matter / neyther a fore god / nor yet afore oure noble prince / nor a fore any mā off lernyng that wyll be trewe to hys prince: for whiche waye so ever you turne you / oure Master Christ / and all hys blessyd apostles be agenst you / and will openlye accuse you / that yov be contrarye to their worde / and to their dede. Answere ye to them / answere not to me. yff I holde my peace / they wyll speake. Nor yt will helpe you but lyttle / to crye after youre olde maner heresy / heresy / a Traytour / a traytour: for now you crye agēst youre selves / and off those thinges they doo accuse you. Doo yov thinke yt with the ordinaunce of god / that you shall depose a kinge by cause he lyuyth in advoutrye / or ys a lech­erous man? If you thynke yt a lawfull cause / why doo you not preache yt opynly? why doo you not laye yt to kingis charges? why suffer you them to be kingis that lyue in aduouttry? why do you not put youre lawes in execution? you saye they be the lawes of holy churche / and there by may you depose princes. But yff you will put them in execucion / than were yt moche better / to be a bysshop or a preaste / than to be a kinge / or a duke.

For you maye lyue in whordom / or in any [Page vij] other vngracious lyuyng / ye and that to the destruccyon off many mens soules / and yet no man so hardye to repreue you / as youre awne lawe dothe openlye commaunde in these wor­des.Di. 40. Si papa. Iff the pope doo drawe wyth hym innumerable people on a hepe to the deuyll of helle / there to be ponyshed for euer / yet shall no mortalle man presume / to repreue hys synnes / for he muste iugde alle men / and may be iudged off no mā &c̄. Lykewyse haue you an other lawe in your decretales / y^t no laye man maye repreue a preate. &c̄. How thinke yov by these lawys / De. here. Cū exin­iuncto. et sicut in. yff they be not off the deuylle / telle me what ys off the deuyll? you wyll bothe repreue / yee and also depose princes / but yov wyll neyther be deposed / ner yet repreued off any mortall man. what thynke you youre selues godes? But how can you depose a kyng / and yt lyeth not in youre powre to make a kyng / For eyther he ys borne a kyng / or he cometh to yt by elecciō / or he wyn­nethe yt victoriously by swerde. which way so euer he cometh by yt / you can not make hym. And wyll you depose hym for fornicacion / how wolde yov handyll kynge Dauid / Dauid. Solomō. Nathan. and kynge Solomon / wolde you depose them by cause of advoutrye / So doo yov more than the prophe­te Nathan durste doo.

But lett vs come to Herod / Herode that kept hys brothers wyffe / wolde yov depose hym therefo­re? Than doo you more than. S. Iohan durste doo. For he durste no more do but repreue hys vyce / and dare yov depose hym. But lett vs go forth wyth youre lawe / what auctoryte had the pope and you / to sett Pipinū in y^e roume And not rather to lett the kyngedom chose [Page] them a kynge. Oure Master Christ sayd / hys kyngdō was not off this worlde. But you wyll be above kynges in thys worlde / and not allonly depose them / but also sett in newe at youre pleasure. More ouer by what auctoryte dyd y^e pope dispence wyth the royalme off their othe? youre lawe sayth / that the holy church of Roo­me / is wonte so to doo. I pray yov off whome hath she lernyd thys same wonte? who hath geuyn her thys auctoryte? Can she dyscharge vs of oure obedience that we owe to oure prynces? is not thys off the lawe of god? Stondeth yt not also wyth y^e lawe of nature? yee doo not turkes and infydels faythefully obey to theyr prynces? Is not the prynces powre off god? ād wyll you depose this powre? or cā you dyspēce wyth thys lawe?Actu· 5 S. Peter lerneth yov y^t you are more bounde to obey god & his lawe / thā to mā / but yov lytle regarde. s. peters saynge. wherfore what say yov to yo oure alone law? whose wordes be these? Therebe certayne men which saye / 25. q. 1. Sunt quidam that the pope may alle wayes make new lawes. The whyche thynge we doo not allonly denye / but we doo stedfastly afferme / that where oure lorde / and hys appostles openlye / or els holy fathers folowyng them haue defyned any thyng / that there the pope maye make no new lawe. But rather is bound / to confyrme y^e thynge that is a fore preached wyth hys bloude. &c̄. Vvhat saye yov to thys law my lordes / that taketh a way from yov all maner off power off those thyngis that be openly in holy scripture / and commandeth you also to dye for the defence of yt. Nowe / ys not the prynces power openlye in holy scripture? Are not we commaunded by godes word / to obey all maner off prynces? [Page viij] Are not we bounde to kepe oure othe by the worde of god / that we haue made to oure prynce? Thys may be proved by youre awne lawe / 23. q. 5. Regum offi­cium saynge. Vve must kepe vn to prynces and po­wers fayth and reuerens. &c̄. My lordes herey [...]d not / fidē / and oportet / And how come yov wyth youre dispensacion for oure othe and sa­ye non oportet / that we are not bounde to be o­bedient to oure prynces / yff you dispence wyth vs. How can yov dyspence wyth vs of oure o­the / seynge yt ys agenste godes lawe? But pa­raduenture yov wyll answere as youre glos­se dothe / Glossa. c. supra. that ye may be defendyd that the po­pe maye dyspence in those thynges that be agē ste the appostle / but not in those thynges that pertayne to the artycles the faythe. &c̄. By thys lawe / the pope may dyspence / that euery man shall haue two wyues. He may also geue vs licence to lyue in aduoutrye / and to robbe / and to kylle▪ he maye also dyspence wyth vs / y^t we shalle owe none obedyence to oure prynce / nor kepe no faythefulnes towarde hym / but rebelle and be traytours agenste hym (That ys the intent of youre glosse in this place) for there ys none of these / that be artycles off the faythe. Here may men se / what teachers yov haue byn / and also be toward god and hys holy appostles / ād towarde youre noble prynces. The truth ys yov were neuer wonte lenger to holde with thē thā they dyd maintayne youre carnalle desyers and doo those thynges that you commaunded them to doo. Thys coulde I well prove both by auncient cronicles / and also by the practes off youre awne lawe / yff it were not to longe a processe. But thys dare I well saye / and that vnder the payne off loosyng my lyffe / that yff [Page] yt shall chaunce oure moste noble prince (ād off youre partye shalle he want none occasiōs) oure to displease yov / or els to restrayne youre carnall appytytes / whiche you call the lybertyes off the churche / or to dymynyshe youre wordly ry­ches / whych yov call the goodes of the churche / Than shall hys grace welle knowe / ye and al­so feale yt / that there is no faythefulnes in yov But that yov wyll be contrarye in all youre de­des / to youre fayned wordes that yov now spe­ke. I praye god that I maye be a lyer. But I knowe youre lordeshyps so well / that you wyl not of youre honoure suffer me to be a lyer. And yff hys grace beleue not me / lett hys grace re­ade all hys cronycles / and not allonly them / but all other noble princes cronicles. And hys grace shall neuer fynde that they were trewe chylderne off obedyence / yff their prince dyd dyspleasse them. I thynke thys be experyence ynough. Al­myghtye god forbyd / that euer they shulde ler­ne yov by any more experyence. But lett vs re­turne to youre lawe / how are they able to defēd yt by fore your grace? Are not they traytours / that will make any power with in youre royalme / not allonly so good as youres / but aboue youres? Is yt not agēst youre prerogatiue? Is yt not agenst the commen assent off the royal­me? who cā deny thys cōmē proverbe / but they only. On god / and on kyng. But what signifyeth youre royall Croune / what the croune si­gnifyeth. that youre royalme geueth you? Vvhiche ys vnderneth worthely and suffycientlye fulfylled wyth youre graces bed / And so fulfylled / y^t vnderneth can no man­hed come in / so longe as youre graces ys there: that ys / no man maye by ryght vsurpe any auctoryte that belongeth to youre grace wyth out [Page ix] treason. Furthermore / your crowne ys close a­boue / sygnifiyng / that in erth ys there no no­ther superior powre y^t belongeth to Englond. Now where wyll my lordes the bisshops come in to this Crowne? yff they come vnder / they must thruste out youre graces hed / for y^e Crowne ys to lyttle for bothe youre hedes. yff they come aboue / so breke they the clossenes off you­re Crowne / and lye also in youre graces necke / sygnifiyng / that they wyll oppresse youre gra­ce. Lett them answere to thys / as well as they can. I wolde not gladly defende so evell a cau­se as theyrs is. Vvhat wyll they saye to. S. Paule / that was a bysshops as well as they / ād neuer the lesse obedyent vnto temporalle pryn­ces / ye and that vnto infidels. And not alonlye he / but all hys ordinaunce. All hys wrytyn­ges / and all his bisshops dyd agre to the same. And yff they wyll dispice. S. Paule / by cause he was but a begger / and no lorde off the parla­ment what wyll they say to oure Master Christe oure mighty / gracious / and excellent prynce / was not he obedyent vn to Pylate that was an infydelle / and in auctorite muche lesse than youre grace / dyd not he obey in bodye and goodes / dyd not he paye tribute vn to Cesar / was not he crucifyed / vnder Pons Pylat / was not he a spirituall man / was not his cause ryghtuous / was not he mighty to defende his cause was not he worthy to be exempted / was he not annoynted (I meane not with oyle but wyth the holy gost) so well as they / and yet wolde ke­pe the order / that was sett by hys heuynly fa­ther. Dyd not he sore rebuke Peter / that wolde haue defended his cause / and sought for suche carnall lyberte / agenste the power off princes / [Page] Dyd he not clearly take a waye / the temporall swerd from hym? we neuer rede that euer he drewe yt after / and yet we reade that he had causys suffycient. And now commyth Peters successoure / and he wyll drawe yt out / and hed pryncis there with. who gaue master vicare auctoryte / to doo that y^e the parson durste neuer doo / ner coulde neuer doo yt / was his cause neuer so ryght (ye though yt were to defēd christ) wyth out greate rebuke of his master. Thus youre grace maye se / how they do vsurpe / bo­the the name of christ / and off his holye appost­les / but they neyther agre in worde nor dede. what dothe yt profyte / to call an open whore an honest woman / the name can not make here honest / Disti. 40. Nō est fa­cile. di. 40. multi sacerdo­t [...]. so lykewysse (as their lawe saith) They be not the chyldern off holy men / that sytte in y^e romes of holy men / but they that doo their workes. &c̄. Also in a nother place. The seate dothe not make a preaste / but y^e preast maketh y^e sea­te. The place dothe not sanctifie the man / but the man sanctifyeth the place / All preastie be not holye / but all holye men be preastes. &c̄. Nowe yff youre grace wolde follow their aw­ne lawe / what were they lesse than bysshops? Take a way theyr seate / that is their worldely pompe and pryde / their outwarde shynynge / & their glorious name / and what remayneth in them / Surelye not one poynte that belongethe to a bisshope / Thys may youre grace well doo / there is neyther lawe nor consciēce can lett you ye bothe the lawe of god / and also conscience dothe bynde you to doo yt / how can youre grace otherwyse be discharged / except yov sett other men in their romes / that wille doo those thyn­ges / that belongeth by holy scripture to byss­hops [Page x] to doo? There out commith their name / why shulde they not also be hounde to lyue there after? youre grace hathe taken some off them from the bochers staulle and made them bysshops / you haue taken some out of the carte and sett them in Peters Chayre / who can de­nye but this youre grace maye doo? (All ways providyd that they doo those thynges that belongeth to their office by the worde of god / or els youre grace is in daunger.) But who can proue / that they are worthye off thys dignite / that youre grace hath heuen them? moche les­se to be youre controllars / yee and also to be aboue all youre lawes / and to haue auctorite to deposse you. But yf youre grace wolde doo thē ryght / you shulde returne them home ageyne / the bocker to his staulle / The begger to hys wallet / the carter to hys whyppe / and than as­ke them yff they be of the church? and what ex­empcion they haue from youre obedyence? and from youre lawe / and what auctorite to depos­se kynges? But as for thys / youre grace can or­der yt moche better / than I cane deuyse. I saye yt for no nother purposse / but for to declare youre graces power / and youre goodnes towarde them / and lykewyse their vnworthynes / and ingratitude / agenst youre most noble grace.

I wylle returne agayne to oure Master Christ / whan the multitude wold haue chosene hym kyng dyd he not flye?Io▪ So that he dyd not allonly lerne obedience in his doctrine / but also he dyd practice yt in his outward workes and lyuinge.

Fynallye / they shall neuer be able to pro­ve to youre grace / but that Chryst and alle [Page] his apostles were subiect / to the temporal prin­ces / bothe in bodye and goodes / and toke no nother rule in this worlde / but only to preache y^e eternalle worde of god / and lefte all wordly ru­le / vnto temporall princes / whether they were faythefull / or vnfaythefull. But now commyth oure spirituall fathers (So muste we call them allonly of customme and of no deseruynge) and wyll commaunde prynces to be sworne vn to them / and to defende them / and their lybertes / with all their gorgyousnes / and prowde digny­tyes of this worlde. which othe / yff the prynces wyll not make to thē / they wyll interdyte theyr londe / and priuate them of theyr dignite / yee and also asoyle men off the othe / that they ma­de to their prince. This ys opyn in their lawe / de hereticis.De hereticis. Ad abolendum. Ad abolendum. How dothe thys agre wyth. S. Paulys commaundement / and wyth oure Master Christes factes? Is thys o­beying to princes / to depelle them their royal­me / yff they wyll not be sworne vnto them / Be these trewe subiectes. Is this the offyce of bys­hops / Be these the successors of Peter / & Pau­le. Be these the perfyt men that haue forsaken all thyng and followed Christ. Doubtles they forsake all thynges / that they can not gett. Be not these perfytt / forsakers. But they wyll sa­ye that princes be bounde to be sworne / to defē ­de their churche / from heretykes or ells to be deposed. This ys yt that I lokyd for. Vvhom call you heretykes. Vvho shall iudge these men to be heretikes. After what lawe shall they be iud­ged. yff you call them heretikes / that speke a­genst youre lawes / and agenst youre libertyes / and agenst youre dignite / than are Christ and all his holy appostles heretikes. For they defende [Page xj] (pertinaciter as yov say) their lerninge agē ­ste youre lawes / and that not in one place / but in euery place / as yt ys open in holy scripture. But now yff you take them for heretykis that be agenst Christ and his holy worde / than ys y^e kynges grace sworne to expelle you his realme and to defend the churche from yov. For more contrary than yov be / can no man be. But the very truth ys / that yov doo intende to make the kyngis grace but youre hangeman (thys is a shamfull name for a prynce) but the shame be vn to you y^t are not ashamyd / to geue hym y^e very offyce off this name / yee and (by cause you will doo nothyng but shamfullye) also to mock hym / with a glorious title. For you make hym but a mynister of youre myschevous tyrannye so that so oftyn as yov haue condemned any man / agenst ryght and agenst godes law / for an heretyke: so oftyn must he come and receyve thys man off youre hande (for yov saye wyth the Iewes / that yov maye kylle no man) and so put hym to dethe / and not once denye yt / nor yet aske yov what he hath done to deserue de­the / for yov are readye to answere hym / and saye (as the Iewes did. If he were not an evell doar we wolde not commytt hym to youre hondes. More getteth he not of you / for you be spretualle men and may kylle no man / but he is bound to doo yt by youre lawe / vnder the payne of losyng his royalme. So that he is bound / to crucifye chryst so oftyn as you crye Crucifige / Crucifige. Lett euery Christen prynce consyder in hys conscience / whether that the Iewes dyd not procede even on thys maner agenst Christ or no / yee that was more indyfferent than thys ys / for there Pylate was iudge / and here [Page] be they Iudgis / and princes be but seruaun­tes. But I pray yov my lordes / where haue yov gotten thys auctorite ouer princes / to cō ­pelle them to swere to yov in ony cause / what and if the kynge wolde be an infidell / wolde yov expel hym? what can you do more bi right than lay the worde of god to him / ād the daunger of hys infydelite? yov haue no auctorite to deposse hym / for Christenyd men must obey to vnfaythefulle princes / did not Christ this? did not Peter thys? did not Paule thys? dothe not the worde of god commaunde yov thys to do? saynge.

1. Petri. 2Fere God / honour youre kynge / be subiect not allonly vn to them that be good and easy / but vn to them that be evell. Vvhat saye yov to these wordes? how can you avoyde them? how can yov auoyd the vengeaunce of god? But now if yt pleasse youre grace / they wil­le laye to my charge / that I speke agenst the preuileges of holy churche / I will infringe the lybertyes of holy churche: I answere. I know no lybertyes nor preuyleges that holy churche hathe / but these that Christ hathe lefte here / Is thys libertye in his worde to do agenst christes holy worde and ordinaunce / and to folo­we mens dremes? Is Christes holye worde / of so lytle effecte? why dyd not Christ than geue this lyberte in his worde to holy churche? Did he leue that to yov to do? Shewe youre commission.

Call yov thys a preuilege / to be agenst you­re naturall prynce of the royalme / and to make him subiect vn to yov which haue no tytle [Page xij] of preheminence / but alonly of tyranny? Than hathe holy churche gottyn a goodlye lyberte. But what meane yov whan yov say / holy ch­urche? yf yow meane youre selues onlye / than the kynges grace is muche bound vn to yov / that yov do exclude his grace and al his com­mens out of holy churche / in to the whyche Christ hathe bought them with his most pre­cious bloude. And if yov vnderstond by holy churche the wholle congregacion / than are all Chrystenyd men ād alle there godes exemptyd from the kynges grace and vndernethe yov / So that bi this meanys yov wil make his grace a kynge with out a royalme / and he shal ha­ue the name / and yov shal haue the auctoryte and the foolke. But is thys Christes churche? Is thys holy churche that is so contrary to the lorde of all holynes? who hathe made her so holye? why dyd she not clayme this liberte / in christes and his holy apostles dayes? But now my lordis oure moste noble and gracious prynce commaundeth yov to answere / and to defende youre awne lawes / to defende youre libertyes / and to laye for yov by what tytle you do vsurpe his graces power / seynge that yow be but his subiectis. He wille know by what auctorite yov do kepe any Courtes / or do ex­ecute any commaundementes with in his ro­yalme? what auctoryte yov haue to prove te­stamentes / and to take of euery pound a ser­tyn? and to geue letters of mynystracion / ouer those godes / that yov neuer laboured for? Vvhat tytle haue you there to? The mā was not youre subiect / and how come yov by y^e mynistracion of his goodes.

[Page]Also what auctorite haue you to defende youre temporall goodes with bothe swerdes? as yt is wrytten in youre lawe.15 q. 6 Au [...]toritatē. 15. q. 6. Auctoritatem. This is more than the kynges grace can doo / for he hathe but one swerde / and will you haue bothe? But what auctoryte haue you to punysh them that stryke preastes? And them that be bacbyters / and sclanderers? Further­more by what auctorite de you cōmaund / that preastes shal not appere before temporall iud­ges?23. q. 8 Cō venior 33 q. 2. Inter hec As yt ys wrytten in youre lawe. 23. q. 8. Conuenior. in the glosse. Also in a nother place 33. q. 2. Inter hec. Also by what auctorite / ha­ue yov made that princes shal make no statute as concernynge the goods of the church. 23 q. 8 Conuenior in y^e glosse.23 q. 8 Cō venior. But yff ony thinge shal be geuyn vn to you / than the Emperoure and kinges haue sufficient power / but yff you shall paye any thynge to the mayntaynynge of the kynges grace and hys commen welthe / than no man hathe auctoryte wyth out youre consent. Haue you not wytched the world this longe tyme? But forthermore / the kyngis grace wolde knowe / by what auctorite you haue made that a preast shall not be sued afore a temporall iud­ge for whoredom? These be the wordes of you­re lawe.Di. 28. c. Cōsulen­ [...]m But vn to you that be laye men / is le­f [...]e no power for to iudge off preastes / nor yet to serche ony thyng of their liuing. &c̄.

My lordes maye no man iudge / of youre ly­uyng but youre selues a lone? not the kynges grace / who hathe geuyn yov this exempcyon. who hathe geuyn you power to be iudges over bawdrie. Is bawdrye a spirituall cause / Dothe [Page xiii] bawdrye belonge to spyrituall men? S. paul calleth yt the worke of the fleshe?Gala. 5. and will you call yt a spirituall cause? It may well be spyrytuall of youre spryte / but I am suer it is agenste the sprete of god. But by thys meanys haue you asoyled a greate doubte whereat y^e kynges gra­ce and all hys noble lordes haue often mused That ys / how yt came that there was so grea [...] wherdome and bawdrye / amonge them that b [...] called spirituall men? But now yt ys no won­der / for bawdry ys a spirituall cause and belongeth onlye to the iudgement of bysshops. But shortly to oure purpose / The kyngis hyghnes commaūdeth yow straytely / to shewe hym by what auctoryte that you take causes out of his hye Court of complaynte / and to brynge them a fore yow / As who shulde saye yow wolde re­dresse bothe the Kynges lawe / and also y^e sentē ­ce there of. And not alonly that / but you wyll Master the Kynges grace and his lawe. Shortlye to recyte all the iniuryes and wrongys that you doo to y^e Kyngys hyghnes / to all hys no­ble bloude and vnto all his trewe subiectis / yt were to longe a processe. wherefore breuely I require you by the faith y^t you owe to christe Iesus / and by y^e othe y^t you haue made to y^e Kinges highnes (if you be not dispēsed with all) y^t you āswere to these thinges: you can not denye but these thinges you do / wherefore what wyll you saie thereto / what āswere cā you make / ha­ue you vpholdē these thinges so lōge / haue you shamed / troubled & killed so many of y^e Kynges trew subiectis for y^t thīg / which ye cā not defēde to be true? ād if you haue nothinge for you / but youre awne dreamis / they wil not helpe you. For they be accusyd with you. And therfore / y^e [Page] kynges highnes (if it pleased him) myght laye hie tresone to youre charge / and also the abomynable cryme of heresye / whiche ys all ways in youre mouthes / yf a man speake but agēst you­re olde showes. what say yow to these thingis: yff they be false / it is a smalle matter for yow to refelle them by holy scrypture / yf they be tre­we / why geue you not place? you shall well knowe that I wyll defend ernestly Godes cause ād my prynces / and that not out off myne awne hed / but out off holye scrypture / whyche I doo neyther wrynge nor wreste / but onlye declare it by the practyce off oure most gracyous Master Christ Iesus / and of all hys holy apostles. Can you requyre any more. It not thys suffycyent probacion? Is not thys cause good? Is yt not ryghtuous? Is yt not to the honoure of god? Notwithstondynge I am sure that I haue ta­ken thys matter in hond with you / to my grete daūger / yf you may haue youre wyllys / But here do I set my lyffe / and body agenste youres / to defende thys matter agenst you / yf yt wyll plesse the kinges noble grace / to geue me fre pardon and to defende me from youre vyolence / I aske no pardō of any trespasse / that you or any dedly enymye that I haue / can proue that I haue done agenste y^e kynges noble grace / but that alonly I am compelled to flye youre dedly and intollerabylle vyolence. But yf yt shall pleasse the kynges highnes to defend me frome youre vyolence in my ryght / I wylle dyscusse thys matter wyth you by Chrystes worde / And yf I be [...]uercome / I doo not refuse dethe / and soo shall you be shortly rydde off me / And yf yow be ouercome / yt were ryght that you shulde be punysshed. Not wythstondyng I wyll desyer [Page xiiii] but amendmēt. wherefore Most gracious prince / Humbly ād mekely / I besech youre highnes and that in the name of oure sauioure Iesus Chryst / a fore whom you must geue an accump­te off youre dignyte / Also I requier you by youre othe / that yow haue sworne to ryght and to Iustice / ye and also by all youre honour do I humbly beseche youre grace that you wyll de­fende me in my right / as you wil be defended of Chryst Iesus from all youre dedly enymies ye not to defend me / but godes worde / and youre prerogatiue / So that I truste youre grace will not be dyspleased / with youre daylye bedeman / that he requireth you so ernestly / for he desireth of you nothinge but that that stondeth with godes honoure / with youre graces preheminence / and with good ryght and conscience / and al­so with y^e othe that youre grace hathe made bothe to god and man. Thys wolde youre grace doo / though I dyd not requyre yt / The cause is not myne / but it is Christes veryte which wyll neyther be mocked nor yet ouercome / It is also youre prerogatyue / whiche deserueth defendynge and also audyence / Though there were no worde of god. I do requyre (as god shal Iudge me) no wordlye promosyon thereby / but alonly the verite of Christes worde / and of chrystes ordynaunce. Vvhiche thynge yf I can proue / I doubte not but youre graces conscience / wyll Iudge it right y^t I shulde be harde / youre grace hathe no nede of the bysshops no more than off me / but vn to Chrystes worde / youre grace ys bounde / vnder the payne of euerlastynge dam­nacyon / from the whych neyther the bysshops / neither all their power / neither theyr pardons / [Page] neyther heuen nor erthe can delyuer you if you be foūde a transgressor. This is the veryte / lett them crake ād face / blaste & blowe / Praye / Singe [...] Curse / absolue / bringe in their custōs / bryng in their churche / bringe in their lawes with all their myters & their crossestaues / with all theyr spiritual honoure / they can not helpe youre grace but that the daunger shal remayne to youre graces parsone / if any thinge be amisse: but this youre grace knowith better than I can telle yt wherfore I wille returne agayne to the cause. It is openlye proued that oure master Christ / and all hys holy apostles were subiect / bothe in bodye and goodes to tēporall princes / And toke no temporall rule nor iurisdiccyon on thē whe­refore I conclude / that what so euer they be y^t will be exempt from the tēporall power / Be neyther Christes apostles / nor chrystes dyssyples / no nor yet trewe chrystened men / though they haue Chrystes and Peter and Paules name / an hundred tymes. For Chrystes wordes be playne whych sayth / Matt. 20. yow doo knowe that y^e lordys of the gentles haue dominacyō ouer thē but so shalle yt not be amonge yow. And these wordes were spoken to the apostles and can not be avoyded by alytle dystynccyon / as the bysshops are wonte too avoyde all holly scrypture. But what soo euer they saye / the practyce off oure Master Chryst and off all hys holy apostles wyll declare how they vnderstonde yt. And moreouer to stope their mouthes I wyll shewe them how holy doctours vnderstode yt / Origene Ro. 13. Orygene vppon thys texte / Omnis anima / sayeth on thys maner / All maner off synnes y^t god wolde haue punisshed / he wolde [Page xv] haue them punyshed not by the bysshops and rulers of the churche / but by the Iudgys off y^e worlde &c. be not these wordes playne? S. Paule sayeth / Omnis anima / ād origyn saythe / oīa crimina / So that S. Paule takethe awaye all men from their subieccion / And orygen taketh awaye all crymes from their correccion. what glosse can they make of these wordes a fore youre grace / ? yf they laye for them the olde custom ād their lawys I will laye a genst thē oure master Christ S. Paule / S. peter & Origen. And I will denye their customs / their church and also their lawys. And this wil I not doo onlye / but I will proue yt bi their awne lawe that I may doo yt rightfully / These be their wordes.Disti. 8. c. qui He y^t doth dispisse the verite ād presume to followe y^e custome / eyther is envyous & malicious agenst hys bretherne to whom the veryte is ope­ned / or els he is vnthankefulle towardes god by whose inspyracion his churche ys instruc­te / for the lorde sayth not I am y^e custom / but I am the veryte &c. these wordes be playne agē ste all customs and al churches that be agenste the worde of god.Distin. 8. c cōsuetudo This same thynge haue they also in another place in these wordis / that sa­me custom / that ys crept in vn to certayne mē / maye not lett but that the veryte must preuaylle and ouercome. For a custom with outh the verite ys but an olde erroure &c̄. These wordes be playne that all customs be but errours that be agenste the veryte. And as for to denye their churche I maye lawfully do yt / for that is not the churche that ys with out and contrarye to the worde of god for christis churche heareth his worde onlye / as christ sayth my shepe hea­re my voyce / Ioa. 10. and they follow not a straunger [Page] but flye from hym / for they know not hys voyce. Also in a nother place / he that is of god hereth the wordes of god / and therfore do not you here / Ioan. 8. by cause yov be not of god. Here is yt opyn that they that be not of god heare not the worde of god nor be of hys churche / but of the churche of the deuylle whyche he dothe hate. Now haue I prouyd vn to youre grace / that I may ryghtously denye there churche / their lawys and their customs. Not with stondyn­ge all thys / yet will I prove by their awne la­we that they haue none auctorite tēporall / but al their auctorite ys allonlye in the ministraci­on of godes worde whyche they do sore despyce / these be the wordes of their lawe The churche that knoweth no corporall wepons / 16. q. 3. Porro▪ doth paciently abyd allonly god whyche is her defē der / whan it shalle plese him for to haue mer­cy &c̄. Here is playne that the church knoweth no temporall wepons. Also in a nother place. The holy churche of god hath no swerde but y^e spirituall swerde / with the whych she dothe not kylle / 33. q. 2. In­ter her. but quikkyn. These wordes be play­ne / that the churche hathe no swerde but y^e spirituall swerde. Now how comme the bisshops by the temporal swerd? Lyke wyse in a nother place. I may morne / I may wepe / I may waylle agenst wepons / agenst sodyars / and agenst the Gothos.23. q. 8. Cōvenior For my teris be my wepons / for suche thyngis be the wepons of preastes / otherwysse I ovght not nor I may not resyst &c̄. Here yov this my lordes? how that S. Ambrosse had none other wepons / but wepyngis ād prayers / and that he might not in ony wysse defende him selfe with other wepons.

[Page xvi]How thinke yow / was not he of the churche? was not he preuileged of god as wel as ye? and yet coulde he not nor ought not defend hym nor medylle with the temporall swerde Moreover yt is open in yovre awne lawe .24. q. 4. Quesitum. That the temporal swerde / & the mynystracyon of the worde are of God / 24. q. 4. Quesitū. and these too be dyuers and the one may not vsurpe others auctorite / the wordes of you­re lawe be these. The mediator betwene god and man Christ Iesus / hathe deuydyd the offices of bothe powers in to their proper actes and in to dystincte dygnityes / Di. 10. [...]. Quoniam. wyllinge bi hys awne medycinalle meknes that mens hartes shulde be lyfted vpp / and not with mans pry­de agayne to be drowned in these inferior thynges / so that christen Emperours (As consernyng eternalle lyfe) shulde haue nede of byss­hops / and lykwysse the bysshops (for the course allonly of these temporall goodes / shulde vse the Emperours lawys / so that the spirituall accion shulde be distyncted from the world­lye courses / and he that shuld serue god shul­de not wrappe him selfe in worldlye busynesses &c̄. Here is playne that youre grace must haue fulle power over al worldlye coursis / and the bysshops allonly mynistracion of the worde of God: and as youre grace maye not vsurpe to preache the worde of god / no more maye they vsurpe any power y^t belōgeth to youre swerde. This same sētēce haue they. di 96. c.dis. 96. c. cū ad verū Cū ad verū. So y^t youre grace may opēly se by godis lawe / by their awne lawe / by the practice of o­ure master christ & of his apostils and bi y^e exposiciō of holy doctours y^t y^e bysshops neither haue nor yet maye haue any power tēporal / but all [Page] ys allonly in youre graces honde / and you are bound to vse yt & to execute yt / in youre awne parson to the vttermost strength y^t God hathe geuyn yov. And in no wysse may youre grace geue this power or parte thereof vn to other men / for so doyng do yov breake the ordinaunce of godes word and declare youre selfe a fore god that yov are vn worthy and not sufficient to minyster the honoure y^t god of heuyn hath frely geuyn vn to yov. This may not youre grace do / for that were as moch a fore god as though yov wolde controlle his ordinaunce / or els that yov wolde not mekelye a plye youre selfe with dyligēce to mynister that thyng that god hathe enioyned youre grace vn to. Not with stondynge / this may youre grace doo allonly yf the busynes be so greate that belongeth to youre administracion that youre grace can not alone discharge thē / than may youre grace cho­se and assyne certayne other so many as shall be necessary / whyche shal dyscharge all maner of causes. All ways prouided / that these men shall be but mynysters and seruauntes vnder­neth youre grace / and no kyngis: nor they ma­y not vsurpe any power as kyngis by no lawe perpetuall / but al y^t they haue is by youre gra­ces eleccion and assynement. More ouer these mē may not be of all maner of sortys / but they must be suche men as god hathe ordenyd there vnto / and that haue no nother particular adminystracion. As Dukys Erlys / Barons and suche temporall lordes whych be ordenyd of god for that same purposse to helpe youre grace in alle suche tēporall causes. And it were vnright that youre grace shulde set a Duke to preache godes worde / and a bysshop to be a Iudge in [Page xvij] westmynster halle. For the office of a bisshop is onlye to preach godes worde and there in to be a faythefull minister whyche thyng yf he doo / he is a trew bysshop a fore god / for the faythful administracion maketh him a bysshope ād not the name / neyther can the worlde make him A bisshop that dothe not preache truly Chrystes worde / but as oure master chryst saythe / A fore god they be but theuys and murtherars.Ioan. 1 [...]. And vn to them be the wordes of the prophete writtin / wo be vn to yov which do y^e worke of god dysseitfully / ād also S. Paule spekith in the name of all bysshops saynge / w [...] be vn to me yff I preach not the gosspell / 1. Cor. 9. for necessite ys put vnto me and an office is committyd vn to me So that if the bisshops do not preach the wor­de of god / they be not necessarie / nor nedefulle vn to the bodye of christ wyche ys the churche. For what good dothe that member of the bo­dy that dothe not his mynistracion. As what profite were yt to haue an yie / that wolde no­ther se nor yet coulde se / or to haue afote that wolde neither goo nor coulde goo. The bodye were welle easyd yff suche mem­bers were cutte a way / for they be but a burdē and a cumbraunce vnto the body. So lyke w­yse be these bysshops that glorye allonly in the name and in the dignities of the worlde / as oure bysshopes do / of whome y^e churche of god is nothyng lerned nor holpē / but allonly men doo lerne of thē / al pōpe and pryde / Disdayne / Spytefulnes / fornycacion / Advoutrye / Couituousnes / And how to oppresse oure poore bretherne And to blaspheme y^e blessyd name of god. These be their workes and their examples y^t the church of god may lerne of them / as al y^e worlde [Page] can testifye. And they that be their best frendes and wille lye for them with out shame can not proue a fore youre grace but y^t these thynges be trewe. Now if it pleasse youre grace to remē ber youre conscience / and thynke with in you­re selfe whether that these bysshops be of God or none / And whether they ought thus to be sufferyd of youre grace or no whyche yf they were a mōge Infidilles colde not be thus sufferid both to rage agenste god & also agenst man For doutles if there came an infidelle a monge vs that were lernyd in oure lawe / whyche is y^e worde of god / ād saw oure bisshops vse so frely their abhominabille pompe and pryde and vycious lyuynge / there were no doute but that he wolde meruelle and rekkyn in hys consciens y^t we lyued bothe with out lawe of god ād of mā For there is noo lawe that can alowe their ly­uinge / wherefore youre grace is bounde in consciens to see a mendment / and to se them reformyd / and to sett them to do their mynistracy­on that they be callyd vn to in the churche off god / and not so to steale and by vyolence to vs­urpe / other mens administracions / and to dis­pise their awne dutye. And if youre grace doo thus reforme them / no doute but you shall ha­ue the fauore of god: ād prosper in al thynges / and haue a commen welthe welle ordered / and welthye and trewe subiectis and faythefulle at youre nede. For the ordinaunce of oure eter­nal father is / that alle men hye and lowe / spiri­tuall or temporal / ryche or poore / of what sta­te so euer they be shall be obedient vn to their prince not in one thynge / but in al thynges (bothe in bodie and godis) that be not agenst the worde of god. So that if y^e kynges grace wol­de [Page xviij] requier any worldly ordinaunce over oure body or goodis / y^t is not agēst oure fayth / 1. Reg. [...] we are bound to obey and to fulfylle yt Thys power was geuen to kynges of god ād not by mā / as it is opē in the boekes of the kyngis. So that it shal not be lawfull for no mā / with out daunger of his soule / for to breke yt. For this haue y^e apostles lernyd and fulfylled bo­the in worde and dede. wherefore there may be no resystaūce / nor rebellion in ony wyse agenst oure prince for orderinge of these tēporal goo­dis / no though he do vnryght / but all must be­lefte to god and we must only suffer / and as for y^e wronge god shal punyshe yt at his pleasu­re / but it belongeth not to vs to resyst. Therfore do I now exhorte al trewe Christen men ād women out of y^e bottom of my harte and bi the blessyd name of christ Iesus whyche ys the iudge of quycke & deed / whose iudgemēt no man cā a voyd neyther by myght / neyther bi power neither by wissedom nor by lernynge / neyther by deeth nor by lyffe / neyther by man nor by angel / neither by saynte nor by deuyll / neither by place hye nor love / that they do fullefille this ordinaunce of oure eternall father with al the strength of their hartes / and obey and also de­fend their kynge at al tymys whan they be required / agenst al men / yee and if it were possibil for angels to rebelle agenst their kynge / that there also they / defend hym This do I beleue to be the truth / and thys is my consciens a fo­re god / a fore whome I must answer at the generall daye of iudgement / where as no falsehod nor hypocrysye can helpe. where fo­re I doo protestate a fore God / A fore an­gelle / a fore man and a fore heuen and erthe / [Page] and all them I cal to recorde that I beleue this to be the veryte / and therfore wyll I abyde there by. And thys protestacyon make I / with out any worldly compulsyon / Alonly compellyd by the heuenlye worde of god.

Now most gracyous prince / this is the confessyon of myne obedience that I owe vnto youre grace / whyche bothe I and all trew chryste­ned mē are bound to kepe. And this haue I declared wyth open scrypturs of god and with y^e exposicions of doctours / the more dylygently / that I might stoppe the mouthes of myne ad­uersaryes whyche wolde not els be a shamed too instructe youre noble grace / how that I wolde intend treason / and insurreccyon agen­ste youre grace. But now youre grace may ly­ghtly iudge whether that they be traytours y^t wyll mynyshe youre power / yee and almost ta­ke yt cleare a waye / and not soo content except they be also youre fellowes wyth in youre aw­ne realme / or els I that wyll be obedyent with all mekenes and lowlines vnto youre grace / ād also lerne all other men so to be and to geue vn to youre grace all maner off power erthlye vnder god: whiche thynge I do not now allonly lerne / but all ways did lerne that same and dyd intende for to haue proceded further in this cause yff yt had pleasyd god that I myghte haue contynued / as myne artycles for the whyche I was condemned do openly declare and testyfye whyche thynge as sone as the bysshops percey­ued / they thought yt was not good for them that I shulde contynue and therefore they toke me and condempned me for an heretyke / wyth out scrypture / agenste goodes worde / Agenst all good order / Agenst all good conscyens / agēst [Page xix] all manhod. And not soo content / but put me to the greatyst shame that their hartys coulde deuyse ād afterwarde put me in preson allmost thre yearys / and yet not so content but sought all false / vncherytable and vnchrystyned mea­nys too brynge me to dethe / the whyche no doute but they had done yt / yff they had not feryd youre grace more than god.

It ys not to be doubted / but that youre grace and also all the worlde / hearynge howe they dyd vse me / wyll suspect and Iudge / that I haue done some intollerabylle cryme / and y^t I haue offendyd in heresye and too sore agenst god and hys blessyd worde / or ells the bys­shops wolde neuer have soo handelyd me / thys all the worlde wyll thynke. For they be reue­rent fathers and holy men / and great prelates off Christes churche / and men off great lernyn­ge / and suche men that they will not of their honour / handyll any man so sore / except yt wers for a great and an vrgent cause. Truthe yt ys that all these thynges they wyll be / but howe honorable / and howe cherytable they haue byn vn to me / the cause wyll declare yt selfe / yff yt please youre grace no more but too rede the artycles for the whyche they haue condempned me. And that youre grace ād all the worlde myght se them / I haue put them forthe in prynte I thynke youre grace shall not fynde manye thynges in them neyther agenst god nor yet agenst hys holy worde / but agenst theyr abo­mynable lyuynge and damnable pompe and pryde be the moste parte off them all. Those ware the thyngys / that I toke in honde to dystroye / but these thynges a fore god / and a fore [Page] all chrysten men / be very farre from heresy. Notwythstondge / yt was not possyble that I and all my frendes coulde deuyse any resona­ble ende with them / but that I shulde spend all my lyffe in pryson / my trespace (as they sayd) was so great.

To speake agēst prynces is at the most but treason / but to speake agenst these holy goodes ys bothe treason and also heresye / whyche ys y^e greatyst cryme in erth / & yf harte coulde deuyse any greater cryme yt shulde be layd vn to hym / suche heuenly parsons be these / It ys euell me­dlynge for mortall men with immortall godes / for there ys no waye to make satisfacciō. This haue I well proued to my vtter vndoynge / for I beynge in preason made dyuers tymys mea­nys vn to certayne off them / as vn to my lorde of london / fyrst that yt wolde pleasse hys holy­nes / to speake wyth me / and yf he found me in any errours / that he wolde be so good as to teache me / for I desyred to lerne the veryte and yff he founde me in none / I wolde desyre hys holynes that he wolde laboure for me too my lorde Cardynalles magestye that I myght come out off preason / for I was a younge man / and yf I had made any faute for wante of descrecyon / lernynge / or wysdom / I wold gladlye in time to come by godes grace make a mendes / Allonlye my request was that he wolde be so good as to helpe / that I myght not lose and spend all my lyffe and youth in preason / but at the lest that I myght teache chylderne to wryte and to reade / and lerne them theyr gramer / and soo too gett my lyuynge wyth truth and honestye / and not ydlye to lyue in preason. He made me answere [Page xx] that too speake wyth me he had none occasyon / and I was the man that he neuer sawe and therfore he knew no cause why I shulde desyre too speake wyth hym / ād as for teachynge off chyldern he wolde neyther graunte me wyth in preson / nor wyth out. Moreouer yf it pleasse youre grace / at a nother tyme I sent certayne off my frendes vn to hym agayne / to the number of .viij. or .x. of the whyche a certay­ne were aldermen and of the worshypfullest cō ­meners wyth in youre Citye of London / and men of so good substance that no courte wyth in youre royalme wolde haue refusyd them for twentye thousande poūde / these men I desyred in the waye off cheryte and for Chryst Iesus sake to go to my Lorde of london / and to desyre hym too be good lorde vn to me (for my cause was put to hym) that I might come out of preson / and that he wolde take some cherytable ende wyth me / and what soo euer thynge that he wolde require off me lawfulle and resonable I wolde performe yt and therto fynde hym good suertyes. Thys thynge dyd youre faythfull subiectes dylygently for me / Alonly off theyr cherite and goodnes: but what answere they had / youre grace may knowe off the bysshope off london and off them / Neuer the lesse I dare well say (vnder youre graces fauour) that the greate Turke could not be moore cruell than the Bysshop off london was / though hys cruelnes were colered a lytle wyth holy hypocrysie For he wolde neyther graunt them any parte off their petycyon / nor yt gladlye heare them too speake for me / but soo handelyd them that they were bothe a frayde too speake wyth me [Page] and also to speake for me to any man / yee they were a frayde to geue me meate and dryncke. This is truth that I saye to youre grace They be men I truste a lyue and of great honestie for to testifie it / So that youre grace maye se / w­hat cheritable fathers they be / what holy byss­hops they be / what men of the church they be / that wyll nothinge but vengeaunce ād dystruccion of their power brethern / and yff a man co­me in their daunger there is no remedie nor no wayes to come out / nor no man maye labour for hym. So that yff a man pleasse them / than promysse they hym heuyn and erthe wyth all y^e frutes in them / yee and also god hym selfe. Cō ­trarye wise yf a mā displeasse them and speake agenste their abhominable lyuynge / a thousan­de hellys are to lyttle for hym / and neyther frēd in heuyn nor erthe can helpe hym / no Chrystes bloud can not profite hym / but he must be dāp­ned with out recover. I wyll passe ouer the la­bour that I made to doctour Steuen / And to D. Allyn. For nothyng coulde helpe me / so that I am compelled by intollerable vyolence and opressyon to complayne vnto youre most noble grace / humbly and meklye beseching youre grace / for Christ Iesus sake / and in the honoure of god oure father in heuyn / that you wold call y^e matter a fore youre grace. And yf the bysshops can yet proue any heresye in myne artycles / I wyll refuse no maner of payne that youre grace shall iudge me worthye. Notwithstondyng (with youre graces fauoure) I haue bene sufficiently punished for one trespasse. How be it / I call god to my recorde / that in my consciens I neyther intended heresy / nor yet lerned heresy in my sermone / and I doubte not / but their consciens [Page xxj] will also testifye the same. Moreouer yf yt plese youre grace / they know that I coulde bryng them good testimonye ād that to a great number out of the vniuersite / where I dyd preach and was continually .xx. yearis / that there was neuer man that harde by me any thyng le­sse or more that was worthy after good cherite to be suspected for heresy. And yet my lordes haue thus cruelly condemned me for one ser­mone / which they are never able to proue here­sy by godes worde nor by holy doctours. Not­withstondinge yff it were heresy / me thynketh christes word and his blessyd cheryte wolde moue suche holy fathers as they wyll be / not to caste a way a man for euer for once errynge / Se­yng I offerd my selfe to be taught of them / and they are not abylle to make a man. Moreouer most gracious prynce / youre daylye orator had good testimonie / of his sermone from the best of the vniuersyte / vn to certayne men in wryt­tynge. As vn to. D. Steuen a letter / from Master Iohan puergould / which harde my sermo­ne / whose testimony. D. Steuen can well reporte / vnto youre grace. Also the vicechauncelar dyd wryte a letter vnto a marchaunt of londō whan y^e cause had bene a fore hym .vj. wekys testifiynge / that there coulde none heresy be proved agenste me / and that he durst say / that I dyd intend none heresy. Furthermore yf it please youre grace / the bisshops knowe how y^e prin­cipal clerkes of the vniuersite were with me / yf they durst haue spoken for them. But all my submissiō / all my wytnes / all my suertyes / all the­se lernyd men / and all the lerninge that I coul­de speake coulde not helpe / but I must nedes be an heretike / for I had spoken so muche (as [Page] they sayd) agenste the holy church. Vvherfore here be the articles followynge that were layd agenst me / and also the lerninge / that the byss­hops layd agenst me / so nere as god hathe ge­uen me remembraunce. This doo I not to gett any worldly vauntage or worldly promocion (as god is my iudge) for of all the worlde I cā make no more but meate and drynke / the which I doute not but god shal send me / for my dayly prayer ys / lorde geue me my dayly bred. whych I stedfastly beleue that he shal do for hys wordys sake / where so ever I shall become. Neuer the lesse where so ever I be I shall be a faythe­full and a trewe bedeman of youre graces (better seruice can I not do youre grace.) But this doo I that youre grace may know / what tyrā ­nye the bisshopes vse vndernethe youre name / for the which your grace shal straytly answere a fore god. where fore humbly I beseche youre grace that in tyme to come you may so over se them that they doo not opresse poore men by tyranny / as they haue done longe / and doo also dayly / and not alonly that / but they also lerne and compelle men to lerne / clearly and openly agenst Christes holly gospelle and the exposy­cion of doctours. yee and agenst their awne la­we / to the euer lastynge damnacion off many a christen soule / of the which thinges I haue partly opened vnto youre grace in certayne arty­cles that here folowe / which I haue proued by the invyncibylle word of god / and that not wrō ge after my sence / but after the exposycyon off their awne doctours / wherfore I doute not but y^t youre noble grace wyll defend this boke frō the tyranny of the bisshops tylle they be able to condemne yt with Christes holy word / and [Page xxij] doute ye not but that the heuynly father and his mercyfull sone Christ Iesus / and the holy cōfortar / shall all ways defend youre most excelencie & preserue you in his verite and kepe yov in all prosperite and honoure of this worlde / ād after this miserable lyffe shall they bring yov vn to an heuenly lyffe that neuer shall haue en­de. Amen. Now most noble and excelent pryn­ce / humblye / and with all mekenes of harte I desyre pardon of youre grace for that thynge that is eyther a mysse writen / or not with due ordre nor wyth due reuerence as yt ought to be to so noble a prince / for there is no faught in my harte / nor wyll / But allonly for want off lernyng / and experience in writinge vnto so noble a prynce / thus Iesus Christ kepe youre hygh­nes euer. Amen.

NOw if youre grace do not ta­ke vppon you / to heare y^e dis­putacion and the probacion of thys artycle out of the very grounde of holy scriptur / my lordys the bysshops wille condemne yt a fore they reade yt as their maner is to do with al thyngis that pleasse them not / and whyche they vnderstond not / and than Crye they herese / heresy / an heretyke / an heretyke / he ought not to be harde for his matters be condemned by the churche / and by holy fathers / and bi al­le longe customs and by alle maner of lawys. Vn to whom / with youre graces fauour I make this answere. I wolde know of them / if all these thyngis that they haue here rekenyd can ouercome christ and hys holy worde / or sett y^e holygost to scole / and if they can not / why shulde not I be harde / that do require it in the na­me of christ / ād also bryng for me hys holy worde / And as for the holy fathers they haue vn­derstonde Godis worde as I do / There fore though they wille not here me / yet must they nedys here them / Neuerthe lesse (if it pleasse youre grace) it w [...]re no ryght to bynde vs all ways to the Iudgemēt / of our olde fathers for than what nede we the gyfte of wysdom wh­at nede we the gyfte of vnderstondyng? but let vs vse their wysdom / and their vnderston­dynge / what nede we to studdy / to make any new thyngys? for the fathers haue made all. Breuely what nede we ony syngulare gyftes of god? For we can de nothyng that is syngular with them / for the fathers haue done all / But what ryght were yt / thus to bynd vs more [Page xxxvii] to oure fathers / than oure fathers were bounde to theirs? why did they not all beleue the first father? ye why dyd they not all beleue christ the master of al fathers?1. Tess. v. Breuely why dothe. S. Paule commaūde vs that we shuld proue al thyngis / and a byde by that that is good / what nede we to proue that thyng / why­che we are bound to reseue? our Iudgement is not lokyd for in y^e thyng whych we are boūd to reseue / and than what nede. S. Paule to sa­ye / holde that thyng that is good / for alle the fathers be good / and none bad / and whether they be good or bad we must reseue them after the bysshops lernyng / but than how shall we folow. Sayn. Ioās counsell / that biddeth vs to be ware of Antichrist? for he shalle be in al agys / and wyth out doute he shal be no dyspysyd parson in the world / nor no fole / nor vn­lernyd / nor with out the coloure of holynes / nor with out the name of a father / no nor vn to mans Iudgement / with out a good spiryte And therfore / that men shulde not be dyssey­uyd with these exterior dysgysynges / as with holy hyprocrisy / with y^e name of lernyng / with the name of fatherhod ye with the name of ch­rist / he byddythe men prove of whence the spri­tys be / whether they deny chryst or none: for he that denyeth that Iesus christ is come in y^e fleshe / is ātichrist / 1. Ioan. 4. Now if these lordis or ony off the fathers do deny / that christ is come in the fleshe than are they ātichristes / But my lordis wille say that they do not deny / nor none off their fathers do deny that christ is come in the fleshe / for they do graunte that christ is borne of a vyrgyn / and is very god and man / and dyd here lyue on erthe and preachid & thaught [Page] ād did many great miracles / & afterward dyed and assended vp to heuyn and there sytteth on the ryght hond of the father wyth many other thinges more / which they do not allonly graunt but are also ready to dye in the cause: wherfore they wyll say / that this is nothing agenst them nor yet agenst their fathers.

My lordes I pray god yt be not / but geue vs the lyberte y^t the apostylle geuythe vs here / to prove youre spretys / & than shall we know off whence you are. First all those thinges be trew that you haue graunted of christ / but. S. Iohā wyl that we must prove you nerare than thus / for in thys is no probacion of the spretys / for the deuylls graunt all or the moste parte of the­se / and if there shulde come one that wolde deny with open wordes any of these artykyllis / men wolde geue hym none audience / nor they wolde not here hym / wherefore there were no feare off suche men / for as sone as they open their mou­this to speake agenste any of these / a none we condemne them with out any further iudgemēt wherefore. S. Iohā must nedes speake of other craftyar heretikes than these / which graunt all those thinges with many other mo (to mās iudgement) yee & all they doo / they do yt in christes name & preache in christes name / & do many good workes in christes name / yee & paraduentuer al so do miracles in christes name / and yet neuer y^e lesse vnder the great crafte and subtylty of y^e deuylle they denye Christ / Is not this a meruelous thinge? howe can this be? How can they deny christ and also graunt christ? how can they preache christ / and yet deny christ? But all thys crafte and subtylty vse they in christis name / & all by cause they wyll deny Christ / for the more [Page xxxviij] that antichrist preachyth christ / the more wylle he deny hym. For whan he hathe once gotte hym auctorite by christes name / than wylle he rage / and waxe secretly mad agenst Christ / and yet wyll he preache Christ / and also deny Christ and so subtylly deny hym / that wyth out we stycke faste to holy scripturs / and haue the spryte of god / we shall not perseue hym / therefore lett vs now proue his sprete / ād we shal sone se that he is not off god. But fyrst we must decla­re / and perfytly know what is christ. Not allonly by the name / for y^t Antichrist graunteth / but we must serche out the properte / and the natu­re / and the verye effect of christ / and so shall we sone know hym▪ In holy scripture Christe is nothing elles but a sauiour / a redemer / a iustifyar / and a perfecte peace maker bytwene god ād man.Mat. [...]. 1. Cor. [...]. Esa. 53. This testimonye dyd the angelle geue off hym in these wordes / he shall saue hys people from their synnes / and also. S. Paule Christ is made oure ryghtwysnes oure sanctificacion ād oure redempcion / moreouer y^e prophet wyttne­syth y^e same saynge / for y^e wrechidnes of my people haue I strykyn him / so y^t here haue we christ with his properties / now yf we wil cōfesse that christ is borne in to this world / thā must we graunt with oure hartes y^t christ is al oure iustice / all oure redempciō / all oure wysdō / all oure holynes / alonly y^e purcheser of grace / alonly y^e peace maker / by twene god & mā. Breuely al goodnes y^t we haue / y^t yt is of him / by him / & for his sa­ke only. And y^t we haue no nede of nothing but of hym only / & we desyer no nother saluacion / nor no nother satisfaccion / nor any helpe of any other creature / other heuynly or erthely but off him onlye / for as. s. Pe. sayth / there is no nother [Page] name geuen vnto men / where in they must be saued.Actu. 4. Act. 13. And also. S. Paule / by him are all that beleue iustifyde from all thynges. Moreover. S. Iohan witnesseth the same in these wordes (he yt is that hathe opteyned grace for oure sinnes and in a nother place▪ 1. Ioan. 2. 1. Ioan. 4 He sent his sone to make agremēt for oure synnes. Now my lordes / here haue you Christ and his very nature fulle and holle / and he that denyethe any thinge / or any parte of these thinges / or take any of them and aplye them or geue the glorye of them to any o­ther person than to Christ only / the same man robythe Christ of his honour / and denieth chri­ste / and ys very antichrist. wherefore my lordes / fyrst what say yov vn to this article / vn to the­se propertis of Christ / yff you graunt yt / thā are we at a poynte for it saith that faythe in Iesus Christ only iustifythe a fore god / secundarilye yff you deny yt (as I am suer you wyll for yov had leuer denye youre crede then graunte yt) how can yov than a voyde / but that you be the very antichristis / of whom. S. Iohan spekyth for now haue we tryed youre spretis that they be not of god / for you deny Christ. That is / yov deny the very nature / & the properte of Christ. you graunte the name / but you deny the vertu: you graunte that he dissended from heaven / but you denye the profyte therof / for he descended from heaven for oure helth / thys denye you and yet it ys youre crede. you graunt that he was borne / but yov deny the purposse: you graunt that he is rysyn from dethe / but yov deny the profyte there of / for he rosse to iustify vs. you graunt that he is a sauiour but yov deny that he is allonly the sauiour. I pray yov wherefo­re was he borne? to iustify vs in parte? to redeme [Page xxxix] vs in parte? to doo satysfaccion for parte of oure synnes / so that we must haue a nother to make satisfacciō for the other parte? Say what yov wyll yf you geue not al / and fully and alonly to one christ / than deny you christ / and the holy gost &. S. Iohan dothe declare yov to be contrary to christ. This may also be proued / by a playne scripture of the holy gost which is this. No man in heuyn nor in erthe / neyther vnder the erthe / was abylle to open the boke / or to lo­ke on the boke / tyll y^e lambe came vn to whom the senyours spake / on this maner. Thou arte worthy to take the boke / and to open the selys ther of for thou wast kylled & haste redemed vs by thy bloud. How say yov to thys my lordis? In heuen was there none founde / neyther by y^e angyllis / nor yet by the senyours / worthy to o­pen the boke but christ only / and will you fynd that they coulde not fynd? wyl you sett an hel­per to christ / whome they sett a lone? but I praye you tell vs what he shall be. All the worlde knowethe that they be good workes / but now from whēce come youre good workes? whether from heuen / or out of the erthe / or from vnder the erthe? yf they were in any of these places / where were they whan the Angells and y^e sen­yers sought them? haue you found them who­me they could not fynd? but let this passe. I praye you what wylle you lay for youre good workes? or by what tytell wyll yov bring them in to Ioyne them with the lambe in openyng off y^e boke? The senyours haue layd for them that the lambe alonly was worthy to open the boke by cause he was slayne / and redemed them with his precious bloud. Now what cause lay yov for youre good workes? The lambe hathe alonly [Page] dyed for vs. The lambe hathe alonly shed his bloude for vs. The lambe hath alonly redemyd vs. These thinges hath he done alone. Nowe if these be suffycyent / than hath he alone made sa­tysfaccion / ād is allonly worthy to opyn the bo­ke. Moreouer / Thys tytyll ys geuen to the lambe by them y^t be in heuyn / and how dare you (beyng but stynkynge caryon) geue it eyther in parte or in hole to any other? Also they that be in heuyn confesse that thys lābe ys allonly worthy to redeme them / be youre workes better thā they? Or can youre workis helpe them? yf they can / than ys not the lambe alonly worthy to redeme them / yf youre workys doo not helpe rhē than are they alonly Iustyfyde be the lambe / and yf they be / why shall not we also? Moreo­uer the seniours falle doune by fore the lambe / geuinge him allōly praise / And shal youre good workys stonde vpe by the lambe / than be they better than the senyours. But let vs proue this thing by opyn scripturs / That no mā shal be able too denye yt? Saynt Paul toke so greate labours to proue thys artykyll / as he neuer toke in no nother / and all bycause he wol­de make yt playne / and stope the mouthys off the agayne sayers / But all thys wyll not helpe thē / y^t haue not the sprete of god / Neuer the lesse we wyll by godes fauour / do the best we can too confounde the croked enymys of Christes bloude / ād though we can not make them hys frendes / at the lest we wylle so handylle them / that they shall be a shamyd openly to speake a­genste hym / as they haue done longe tyme / And soo wyll we handylle them (by godes helpe) y^t all the worlde shall knowe that they glory in Chrystes name and by hym be they also hye promotyd [Page xl] in thys worlde that they can not be hyer & yet deserue they of christ / worst or all mē. But lett vs go to oure purposse. S. paul sayth / All men be synners / and wante y^e glory of god / but they ar iustifyed frely by hys grace / Ro. 3 thorow y^e redemcyon y^t is in christ Iesu. Vvhat is this y^t all mē haue synned & ye are iustyfyde frely? How shall a sinner do good workys? how can he deserne to be iustifyde? what call you frely? yf there be any deseruyng lesse or more / than is it not frely. what call you by his grace? yf it be any parte of workes / than it is not of grace / for as. S. paul saithe / Than grace were not grace.Ro. 11. here can be none euasiō / y^t wordys be so playne yf you bring in any helpe of workys / than for so muche ys not oure redemption frely / nor yet ys yt of grace / but partly of workys / and than doo yow dystroye all. S. paule / and hys holle dys­putacyon / for he contendyth agenst workys / ād clearly excludyth workys in Iustyfycacion / and bryngythe in grace only / Now that y^t ys exclu­dyd in the wholl by contencion / can not be brought in / in parte to the cause. Thys ys opyn in hys wordys / where he sayth. Vvhere ys nowe thy reioysynge? yt ys excluded / By what lawe? by the lawe off workys? Nay: but by the lawe off faythe / we do Iudge and geue sentēce that a man is Iustifyde by faythe wyth out the workys off the lawe / Here yow not / that the gloryacyon off workys ys excludyd / and yet wyll yow bost youre workys? Here yow not playnly Saynt Paules sentence / that Iudgeth clearly wyth faythe / and agenst all workys in thys cause / how can yow a voyd this? is it not clear. Vvhat can yow answere too yt? Is not this Paulis proposion y^t he toke to proue / fayth only [Page] iustifythe? It were but lost labour for Pau­le to proue that workes dyd helpe to iustifyca­cion / for that the iuys dyd graunt. In so moche that they gloryed agēst the gētyllis / which had no maner of workes / ād for that dispysed them as peopell vn worthy to be iustifide / but paradvēture you wil make a blynd & a damnable evasion / and say that Paule condemneth the wor­kes of the olde lawe / as vnworthy to iustifica­cion / but not the workes of the newe lawe / are yov now satysfyed in youre conscience? Thynke yov that yov haue well asso [...]yd. S. Paules argument? thynke you that this ys sufficient to avoyde. S. Paule that hathe taken so great la­bour to proue this cause? thynke you that yov shal be thus discharged a fore god? yf yov doo / than goo boldly in to the strayte iudgement off god with this euasion / and doute you not but there shalle yov fynde. S. Paule as styfly and as strongly agenst yov ād youre newe workes as ever he was agenst the Iuys and their ol­de workes / and yf he dyd condemne the workes of the lawe / that were institute by the mouth of god / thynke yov that those workes that you haue inuented out of youre idylle brayne shalle be there a lowed? Breuely what workes can yov doo / or excogitate (that be good) whiche be not in the olde law / Ergo he speketh of all ma­ner of workes / for y^e law includythe all workes that euer god instituted / but lett me stope you­re mouthis with. S. Paule. Doth not he brynge to proue his cause / the example of the great father Abraham / whom no maner off workes culde iustify / but faith only / thynke you that S. Paule dothe speke here of the workes of y^e olde lawe? nay doutles. For how coulde Abrahā do [Page xli] the workes of the law / and there was no law geuen .iiij.C. & .xxx. yeres after? where fore S. paule constrayneth you to conclude that no maner of good workis (though they be so good as Ab­rahams workys) can helpe to iustificaciō. But yet yov haue a nother evasyon & that is of youre glosse / how that S. Paule speketh of cerimonial workys / how they do not Iustifye.Glossa. Thys distynccyō is but for mad men / and for thē y^t be not lernyd whyche are glad whane they may a­voyd holy scriptur / though it be notyng to purposse but alonly with ydille and vayne wordis I pray yov what nede S. paule to proue y^t the ceremonials did not iustyfy / was there ever any Iue y^t lokyd to be iustified by thē? Nay doutl­es. For they were not geuyn to Iustificacion. where fore what mā wolde thynke y^t S. Paule (except mad mē ād vnlernyd assis) wolde take so great labour to proue y^t thing / that every mā did gravnt / where fore say what you can Here stondith holy S. paule styfly ād strongly for me and agēst yov and saith that we be frely ād a­lonly Iustifyed by faith with out allemaner of workis.Ambro ad Rom. [...] But let vs see what youre awne docto­urs saye to this text S. Ambrose declarith it on this maner. They are iustified frely / for thei do­yng nothyng nor nothyng deseruyng / alōly by faithe are iustifyed by the gifte of god &c̄. here you not / that mē workinge nothynge at al / nor nothyng deseruing / ar iustified bi faith only / yee & that frely? yov were wont to say that faithe dothe Iustifye / but not alonly ād therfore wol­de yov crye / For. Sola. Sola. Sola. only / only / only. Here haue yov hym / ād to helpe hym yov haue also gratis that is frely / ād also dono de [...] that is by the gyfte of god / and nihil operātes [Page] that is workinge nothinge at al. if these wordis do not exclude workis and alowe faithe only / I can not telle what wordis wille do it. And lest y^t S. Ambrose shulde not be sufficient in this cause / I wille also bring yov Origyne on this same texte whose wordis be these

Orig. ad Rom. li. 3. cap. 3.Paule saythe that the Iustificacion of fayth is alonly sufficient. So that if a man / do beleue alonly he is iustifide though there be no workis done of hym at al / bi faythe was the thefe iusti­fide with out the workis of the law / wherefore a man is iustifide by faythe / vn to whom / as cō ­seruyng iustificacion the workis of the law / helpe nothyng &c̄. Vvhat say yov by Origyn / that saythe how men be iustifyde / though they do no good workys at alle / for workis do helpe noth­yng to Iustificaciō / but faythe only Be not these playne wordis / gravnt these wordis / and we wille aske no more of yow / here haue yov also Sola. Sola. Sola. so that yov nede not Crye no more for Sola. For yov haue more thā yov can welle a voyde / Also Origen bryngith an o­pyn example of the thefe that no man can deny who can haue lesse good workis than a theffe whiche is neither good before god nor man.Rom. 9. Al­so paule in the .ix. chapter bryngithe in the gentille / whiche knowithe nothynge of God / nor hathe done no good workis / but contrary blas­phemyde god / and hys holy name and hathe allways lyuyde in idolatrye ād byn an vtter e­nymy vn to alle goodnes / he bringythe in also the Iue fulle of good workes of the lawe / why­che hathe also great zele to god / Rom. 10. and to his workis / yee ād of that Paule beryth hym wytnes [Page xlii] breuely he bryngith in for hym suche a Iue y^t no mā cā cōplaine of / but is fulle of good workis yee take al the best of the Iuys to gether (For it were madnes for paul to speke of the damnable iuys that were opyn wrechis and damna­ble by the Iudgement of the law) with al theyr good workis / and yet S. Paule dothe exclude them and repellithe them clearly from iustificacion with al their good zele / and with al their good workys ād concludithe with playne wor­dis / that the gentille which was fulle of damnable workis / and had neither zele nor loue vn to goodnes is iustifyed by faythe only / These be S. Paules wordis.Rom. 9. Vve saye that the gentilles whyche followyd not rightwysnes haue obte­nyd ryghtwysnes I mene y^e ryghtwysnes whiche comith of faithe. But Israell whyche folow­yd y^e law of rightwysnes / colde not attayne vnto rightwisnes / where fore? bicause they sought it not bi faythe but as it were by y^e workis of the lawe. Be not these playne wordis that the gentilles whiche followyd no rightwisnes / nor had no minde ther vn to / are Iustifyed frely by fay­the? Is not here. Sola fides / only fayth? More ouer the Iue ys repreuyd with al his zele with al his loue with al his studye and with all hys good workis. Is not this a meruellous thyng? yes verely. And so meruelous that yov shalle neuer vnderstond it with out yov beleue. But peradventure here shalle be sayd that the good workes of the Iuys dyd not profyte them / by cause they had no faythe. But if they had had faythe / than wolde they helpe to their iustificacion. To this I make answere / trouth it is that good workys dyd not proufyt that [Page] Iuys for want of faithe / but this is false they workis shulde haue holpe to Iustificaciō with faythe For S. Paule prouythe clearly y^t good workys helpe nothyng to Iustificacion nor ev­ille workis let not the iustificacion that comy­the by faythe / And this he prouyth bi the exampille of the gentille / which had no good workys but alle evill and all damnable workys / and yet ys iustyfyed by fayth.

Moreover the Iue hathe the zele of god and alle maner of good workis with alle thyng y^t the worlde cā deuisse & al this coulde not helpe hym where fore y^e glory of iustificacion remanyth only to faith. Also S. paule provithe playnly in these wordis that workis haue no place in Iu­stificaciō / to hym that workyth is the rewarde not geuyn of fauour but of deutye To hym y^t workythe not / Rom. 4. but beleuithe on hym that Iusti­fythe the wikkyd mā / is faythe coūtyd for rightwysnes. How thynke you bi these wordis? be they not opynly agēst al workis? saythe he not that Iustyficacion is imputyd vn to hym that workith not but alonly beleuythe in hym that iustyfythe y^e wykkyd man? I pray yov what good workis dothe the wikkyd man? Marke also how he saythe that ryghtwysnes is ymputyd vn to hym / Ergo yt ys not deseruyd. For y^t that is deseruyd / is not imputyd of fauour / but it must be geuyn of dewty. How thynke yov is not this Sola fides onlye fayth▪ yow know y^t there be but workis and faythe y^t do Iustitie / and S. Paule excludythe workys clearly Ergo faithe alone remaynith / but paradventure yov will say (As yov be full of holy hypocrisye) that workis with faythe do Iustifye / Neuer the lesse of mekenes and lowlynes / and avoydyng [Page xliii] of al bost of youre godnes yov wille geue alle y^e glory to faythe / as vnto the principalle thynge & with out the whiche no workis can helpe / not with stonding workis be good and do helpe to iustificacion / though of mekenes yov wille not know it. Is not this damnble hypocrisy ye ād that with god which were intolerable if it we­re with men. But how can yov proue by scrip­ture that this hypocrisy of youres ys trewe / y^t workis ar worthy of any glory of iustificacion? Is not this opyn lying on faith to geue alle to hym and yet (as yov say) he is not worthy off alle? for workis be worthy of parte / yf faythe be not worthy alonly / Confesse it opynly / and geue workys hys prayse / and fayth her prais­se / and say not one thyng with youre mouth ād thynke another in youre hartis for god serchith the preuytis of hartis: who hathe requiryd off yov suche a mekenes? who hathe desyryd that yov shulde so lye on fayth? what cā youre lyes profit god? but I pray yov how can workis helpe to Iustificacion lesse or more / whan they be nether done nor yet thought of? who ys Iustifyed but a wykkyd man? whyche thynkythe nothyng of good workis But these meke lyes deserue none āswere wherfore let vs heare wh­at holy doctours saie on this texte.Ambrosiꝰ Saint Ambrose saithe on this maner / It was so decr­eyd of god / that after the lawe / he shulde require vnto saluacion alonly the faythe of grace. whiche thinge he prouith by the exampille of y^e prophet sayng / Blessyd is that man to whom god dothe impute Iustificacion with out wor­kis / he saith that they be blessid / of whome god hathe determyd with out labour / with out alle maner of obseruacion / allonly by faythe y^t they [Page] shall be iustifyde by fore god. Blessed are they whose synnes be forgeuen. Clearly they are blessed / vn to whome with out labour / or with out any worke their iniquites be remitted and their synnes be couered and no maner of workes re­quyred of them / but allonly that they shulde be­leue. &c̄.

Be not these wordes playne? God hathe decreyd that he shall requyer nothyng to iustificacion but faith / and he is blessed to whom God imputeth iustificacion with out all maner wor­kes / with out all maner of obseruacions / also their synnes be covered / and no maner of wor­kes of penaunce requyred of them but allonly to beleue / here haue yov Sola fides and tantū fides / and here can yov not saye / that. S. Am­brose spekith alonly of workes of the law / but of all maner of workes / of all maner of obseruacions / yee and also of penaunce. Paraduenture yov wylle saye / as a great doctour sayd ons to me / D. wethe [...]all [...] that. S. Ambrose dyd vnderstond yt of yo­unge chylderne / that were newly baptisyd / thē their faith shulde saue alonly with out workes.

How thinke yov is not this a lykely answere for a great doctor of diuinite / for a gret duns man? for so great a preacher? are not. S. Paule and. S. Ambrose welle avoyded and clarkely? But I made him this obieccion / that this Epystell was wrytten of. S. Paule to the Romās / whiche were men and no chyldern and also the wordes of scripture speake of the man and not of the childe / and. S. Ambrose saith blessed ys that man / but at this obieccion / he was not a lytylle moued / but sware by the blessed god / let Ambrose / and Austyne say what they wyll / he [Page xliiij] wolde neuer beleue but that workes dyd helpe to iustificacion. Thys was a lordly worde off a prelat / and of a pyllar of christes church / but w­hat medlinge is with suche mad men. But yet paraduenture you wyll say / as you were won­te to doo (whan yov can not a voyd a playne saynge of a doctour) how that I take a pece off the doctour / as moche as maketh for my purposse / notwithstonding he saith otherwisse in another place which I doo not bryng. what is that to me / yet is not my doctour thus a voyded / for yov can not deny / but this is hys sayng / and a pone this place of scriptur / ād this dothe a gre with scriptur / or els he dothe expound scriptur evyll / wherefore you must answer / to the sayn­ge of the doctour in this place / for thys ys the place that is layd a genst yov and thys ys the place / where by other places must be expounded and yff you dare deny him in thys place than wylle I deny him in alle other places / by that same auctorite (than be the holy doctours cle­arly gone. Neuer y^e lesse holy scripture stondeth opynly agenst yov whych yf you deny I wylle not alonly prove yov heretykes / but I wille also accuse yov of heresy / wherefore take hede w­hat yov doo / but yet paraduenture yov wylle (as yov be very lordly) say that I vnderston­de not. S. Ambrose nor holy doctours / as my lorde off Rochester sayd / how I vnder­stode not Tertulyan / he had no nother eva­syon to saue hys honour wyth / but thys ys not ynough so to say / but yov must proue yt and other men must iudge yt) by twene yov and me / here haue I translated a great ma­ny off the saynges off doctours in to En­glyshe / lette other men iudge whether I [Page] vnderstonde them or none / Go ye to the lattyn and lett vs se what other sence yow can take out / but I saye boldly vn to yow alle / and yow shall also fynde yt trewe (yf we may be in dyf­ferently harde) that all yow too gether / shall haue but lyttylle Iudgement in those thynges that be in lattyn whyche I doo not vnderstonde. Thys doo I say not too boste my selfe / but to prouoke you to dispute / and to shewe what yow can do agenst these artycles and in prouynge that I vnderstonde not the doctours / in these causys. I meane that yow must proue yt / by lernynge / and not by youre olde ty­ranny. Now if you will saue youre honour / flie not a way frō lernyng / vn too violēce / But make requeste vnto oure most noble prince mekely that both you and I may be harde in differen­tly / and if yow ouercome me than are you at a shorte conclusion in all these matters / And in tyme to come / doute you not but euerye mā will beware of them / But yf you wyll not doo this / but take yow to youre olde cruelle vyolence yet remember that god stondeth agenst you / ād all the worlde may openly know / that you haue not the holy veryte / but the damnable wronge / ye and that mayntayned / with extreme violence and tyranny / by the whiche thingys / the Great Turke / & infidelles ād also deuylles of hell / are abylle (if they be sufferyd) to proue that they haue y^e verite. But my lordes remēber / y^t oure god is aliue whose cause we defende / a fore whō I dare well say / you are alredy cōfoūdyd in youre cōscyēs wherefore doute you not but that tere­bille vengeaūce hangeth ouer you / which whan yt cometh / cometh shortly. How are you abyll to defende a thynge / that you cā not proue openly [Page xlv] by holy scrypture? Say what you wyll you­re conscience will murmur and grudge ād wyll neuer besatisfide with mēs dremis / nor yet with tirannye. Thynke you that youre lawis ād youre inuencions can be a sufficyent rule for chrys­ten men to lyue by? and too saue their conscy­ence therby? Think you / that youre cause is suffycyently prouyd whan you haue cōpellyd pore men by violence to graunte it? Than may we dystroye all scripturs / and reseue allonly youre tyrannye. But my lordis thys matter is not rightyd by youre Iudgment / but by oure Master Christes and his blessyd worde / a fore whose strayte iudgemēt / you shall be iudged / & that straytely. For whā all youre grace / all youre ho­nour / al youre dignite / al youre pōpe & pride / breuely al y^t youre hartes do now reioyce in shall lie in y^e dust / than shal you be called to a strayte rekenynge: it is no lyght game nor no chyldys play. Marke it well for it lithe in youre necke. but what nedyth me to lose many wordis / for if you be halfe so full of grace / as yow saye you be of good workys / than wyll yow rekkyn yt better than I can moue yow. But a gayne to oure pourposse. Saynt Paul prouythe the iustifycacyon of faythe only / in these wordes.Gala. 2. No man ys Iustified by the workis of the law but by the faythe of Iesus Christ / and we doo bele­ue in Iesus Christ / that we may be Iustyfyde / by the faythe of Christ / and not by the workys of the law? How thynke yow / dothe not Saynt Paul exclude workys and brynge in allonly faithe / ye and that the workis of the lawe whyche were the beste workys in the worlde: and he be­leueth to be Iustifyed only by y^e faythe of Iesus Christ / and not by workis / and that prouyth he [Page] in these wordis / Gala. 3. That no mā ys iustifyde by y^e law a for god it is manyfest / for a rightwismā liuyth by faithe. Here you not how a rightwyse man lyuyth by faithe? what call yow lyuyng by faith? if he lyue any parte by workis / thā liuith he not by faithe but partly by workes / Thā ys Saynt paulys probacyon vnperfyte. But lett vs se how youre doctours do expound this texte.Athanasiꝰ Gala. 3. Nowe dothe he playnly shew / that faithe allonly hath the vertu in hym to iustyfy / ād bringyth abacuk saynge / of faithe (and not of the law) shal a rightwyse mā lyue / he addeth wel a fore god / for a fore man peraduenture they shal be rekkenyd ryghtwyse / y^t stykke to the lawe / but not a fore god. &c̄. Here haue you Sola. Onlye. And also y^t this holy Iustificacyon ys a fo­re god / and after his Iudgement / and not after mēnys Iudgement. wherefore glory as moche as you can of youre good workys / They cā not alonly not Iustyfye you / But also they be of no valure but damnable and very synne / yf there be no faythe / So for are they from helpyng too iustificacyon.August. in prologo. Psal. 31. Thys dothe. S. Augustyne wyt­nes in these wordys. Those same workys y^t be done a fore faythe / though they seme vn to men laudable / yet are they butt vayne / And I do Iudge them / as great strength / and as swyf­te runninge out of y^e waye. where for let no mā count hys good workys by fore faythe / where as faythe ys not there is no good worke / the in­tencyon makythe a good worke / but faythe do the gyde y^t intencyon. &c̄.

Here Augustyne condēneth all youre good workys a fore faythe / and saythe that they be nothynge worthe / But vayne and thynges out of the way / How can suche thynges helpe too [Page xlvi] Iustifiacyon? Marke also how y^t youre good intencyon (where vppon you bost that you doo so many good workys by it) can not helpe you for heys blynd and knowythe not what to do (though he stond weell in hys awne conseyte) wyth out faythe whych ys hys gyde. Soo that all thynges a fore faythe are but very blyndnes But as sone as faythe cometh / he dothe bothe Iustyfy and also maketh the workys good / whyche were a fore synne, But my lordys / you th­ynke to Iustyfy men a fore god / as you do ful­fyll youre offyce a fore the worlde / that ys by workys of hypocrysy / and by workes that ha­ue y^e name of holynes / and not the dede / and by vayne and glorious namys / ād wyth youre vayne blessyngys and sanctificacions / and wyth youre dānable pardōs / & wyth youre whysling absolucyons / by suche workys as these be that haue but y^e shadow of holines & in dede be but sinne / Think you to satissefye god / lyke wysse as with youre bostinge & crakinge & with prou­de lokis & with youre hie thretnīges & with youre gorgiꝰ pōpe & pryde / you do make y^e world beleue y^t you be y^e very successors of peter & paule whā in very dede you are y^e very Antychrystys y^t Scriptur speketh of / & y^t y^e worlde hathe lokid so longe for / And yet so mad be we to loke for Antichrist / whā he ys long come in to the game place and playeth hys parte to the vttermoost. For lett any man that lokythe for Antychryste tell me what Antychryste shall doo whan he cometh / that yow doo not openly / and yet wylle yow be Chrystes bisshops / So that pore Christ must bere in his nek / all youre damnable and a bomynable lyuynge. But lett vs se what Saynt Barnarde saythe off good workys. [Page] I do abhorre (saith he) what soeuer thynge ys of me / Barnar. suꝑ Can. sermo. 67 excepte paradventure / that that be mine that god hathe made me his. By grace hath he iustyfyed me frely / and by that hathe he delyuered me from the bondage of synne. Thou haste not chosyn me (sayth christ) but I haue chosen the / nor I founde no merites in the / that myght move me to chosse the / but I preuented alle thy merites. where fore thus by faith haue I ma­ried the vn to me / and not by the workes of the lawe. I haue maried y^t also in iustis / but not in the iustis of the lawe / but in that iustis whyche ys of faith. Now this remaynythe / that thou doo iudge a ryght iudgement by twene the and me / geue thou iudgement where in that I haue maryed the / where yt is open that thy merites dyd not come by twene / but my pleasure & wyll &c̄. S. Barnard dothe dispyse all his good wor­kes and takythe hym only to grace / but you stycke partly to youre workes and not allonlye to grace / had. S. Barnarde no good workes to stycke to? And yet he saith that there was no merites / nor any goodnes / but that we were frely chosen. wherefore he prouokyth you and all suche as you be / to iudge ryghtwisely by twene god and yov / the which hathe preuented al youre goodnes / and that of his awne wylle and off hys awne pleasure / how can he fynd any good­nes / that preuentythe all goodnes? So that here haue you clearly / that good workes off the lawe / or morall good workes as you fayne / doo nothyng helpe to iustificacion / for they be pre­vented of iustificacion. This is also well provyd by.Augus. de Spiri. et [...]it. cap. 12. S. Augustyn / saynge. wherefore these thynges consydered and declared after the strength / y^t it hathe plesed god to geue vs / we do [Page xlvij] gether that a man can not be iustifyde / by the preceptis off good lyuyng / that is / not by the lawe of workes / but by the lawe off faith / not by the letter / but by the sprete not by the merites of workes / but by fre grace. &c̄. Here yov thys? Not by merites of workes but by fre grace / w­hat call you fre grace / but with out all thynges sauynge grace / what calle you not off workes / but that workes helpe nothyng. For yf workes dyd helpe / thā wolde he not say / not of workes but not of workes only / but parte of workes & parte of faith / but he excludeth workes fully / & only. Agayne y^e same thinge that purchessythe vs remission of oure synnes / doth also purches­se iustificacion / for iustificacion is nothyng but remissiō of synnes. Now faith purchessith vs remission of synnes / ergo by faith be we iustifyde Now that faith dothe purchesse remissiō of synnes / yt is well provyd by this article of oure faith / credo remissionem peccatorum / I beleue remission of sinnes / now yf I haue not this re­mission for faith than faith disseuythe me / for I doo beleue alonly / becavse I wolde haue remis­sion of synnes / what nedeth me to beleue remis­sion of synnes / yf I may deserue yt by workes? also oure master Christe declarythe openly that no maner of workes what so euer they be can iustify a fore god. These be his wordes / whan yov haue done all thynges that be commandid yov yet say that we are vnprofitable seruantes if you be vnprofitable than be you not iustifyd / Luce. 17 and iff yov can not be iustifide whan yov haue done all thinges / how wyll you be iustified whā you doo in a maner nothynge / and specially off those that be commandyd yov / wherfore this is playne that youre workes can not helpe yov to [Page] iustificacion / for whan yov haue done alle ye [...] are yov vn profitable.

But lett vs proue this by an open example. I put thys case my lordes (vn to you I speke) y^t oure most noble prince wolde call you all a fore hym and saye / my lordes so yt is that it ha­the plesyd vs to call you vnto the spirituall di­gnite of bisshopes / and to make you of oure co­uncell / and lordes of oure royalme & also of ou­re parlament / how wolde we know of you / wh­ich of yov alle hathe deserued yt or rekkeneth hym selfe worthy by his deseruyng lesse or mo­re of this dignite / what wylle you say to this? what wylle you answere to the kynges grace? Is there one amonge you alle / that dare be so bolde / as to saye to the kynges grace that he hathe not geuen yt vnto hym frely / but that he hathe done the kynge so faithfulle seruyce that he was bound to geue yt vn to him ye and that of his deseruyng / If there were one y^t were so proude (as doutles yov be presumptuous yno­ugh) as to say this / thinke you that the kinges grace wolde not laye to his charge / how that he had not done halfe his dewty / but were rather bound / to doo ten tymes as moche more / and yet the kynges grace were not bounde to geue him a bisshoperyke / for he hade done but his duty / and not al that / now yff youre good workes and all youre faithfulle seruys / be not abylle to deserue a bisshoperyke off the kynges grace / how wyll yov be abylle by youre workes / to de­serue heuen and iustificacyon a fore the kynge of all kinges? whan yov haue answered to this a fore the kynges grace / than come and dispute with god the iustificacion of youre workes / ād [Page xlviij] yet shall they be sore vn lyke. wherefore I con­clude of these scriptures / and off these doctours that the faith that we haue in Christ Ihesus / & in his blessyd bloud dothe alonly and sufficiently iustefye vs a fore god wyth out the helpe off any workes.

And though that all scripture be nothyng els / but a holle probacion of this artikell (that ys alonly a perfyte commendacion and a pray­se of christ & of his blessed merites / that he hathe deserued for vs) yet wyll I passe over to bryn­ge in ony mo places / for they that are not con­tent with these scriptures wyll not be satisfyed nor yet content to geue alonly glorye to God / though I brought in alle the newe testament / yee christ him selfe coulde not satisfie them yff he were here / no nor yet though heuen and er­the and alle creatures there in / were nothynge els but probacions of this article / yt wolde not helpe.

Vvhere fore I lett suche infideles passe ād leue them to the iudgement of god / alonly certyfyenge them of this one thynge that is infallyble how the day shall come / that yt shall repent them / ye and that sorar than I can eyther wri­te or thynke / that they dyd not beleue the leste prycke of holy scripture but vn to oure pur­posse.

The verye trew waye of iustificacyon ys this / The ma­ner of iustificacion fyrst comythe God for the loue of Chryste Ihesus / and alonly of his mere mercy / and ge­uythe vs frely the gyfte of faythe where by we doo beleue God and hys holy worde / and stycke faste vn the promyses off God / [Page] and beleue that though heuen / and erthe and all that is in them shulde perishe and come to nought / yet god shalle be founde trew in hys promises: for this faithes sake be we the elect childern of god. This is not suche a faythe as men dreme / whan they beleue that there is won god / and beleue that he is eternalle / beleue also that he made the worlde of nought yee and be­leue that the gospelle is trew / and alle thyng y^t god speakyth must be trew and fulfyllyd / with other suche thynges / This I say is not the fai­the that we be iustifide by / for the infideles ha­ue this faithe / and also we may attayne to the­se thinges / by the strength of reason / but the faith that shall iustifye vs / must be of a nother maner strength / for yt must come from heuen / and not from the strength of resone. It must also make me beleue that god the maker of he­uen and erthe ys not alonly a father / but also my father: yee and that thorow the fauour that Christ hathe purchesyd me / from the whiche fa­uour / neyther heuyn nor erthe / tribulacion nor persecucion / dethe nor helle can deuyde me / but to this stycke I faste / that he ys not alonly my father / but also a mercifull father / yee and that vn to me mercifulle / and so mercifulle / that he wyll not impute my synnes vn to me / Though they be neuer so great (so longe as I hange on the blessyd bloud of Christe Iesus) he is also a lyberalle father / yee and that vn to me lyberal­le / which will not alonly promyse me al thyn­ges / but also geue them me whether they be ne­cessary to the body or to the soule. He ys also not alonly lyberalle / but myghty to performe all thynges that he promisyth vn to me. Bre­uely this faith maketh me to hange clearely off [Page xlix] god and off his blessed promisis and not too fe­re dethe nor none afflyccion / nor persecucions / nor tribulacion / but too dispysse all these thin­ges / and not allonly these / but to dispisse also myne awne selfe / mine awne body / myne awne life for Christes sake. Finallye of a fleshely best it maketh me a spirituall man / of a damnabille childe / yt maketh me a heuenly sone / Of a ser­uaunt of the deuell / yt maketh me a fre man of godys / both deliuered frō the lawe / from sinne / from d [...]the / fro the deuell / and from all mysery that might hurte me My lordes this is the faythe that dothe Iustifie / and be cause it is geuen from heuen in to oure hartis by the sprete off god / therfore it can be no ydille thynge / But it must nedis do all maner of thingis / that be too the honour off god / and also to the profite of oure neyboure / in so muche that at all tymis ne­cessary yt must nedis worke well / and also brynge forthe all good workes / that may be to the profitte and helpynge off any man. But these workys be not done / too Iustifye the man / but a iuste man must nedes do them / Not vnto his profite / but allonly to other mēs profites / euyn as oure Master Christ / suffered hunger and thurst / and persecucion and toke greate labours in preachinge of hys worde / ye ād also suffered deth all these thinges I say dyd he not to fur­ther or to profite him selfe / But for oure merit and for oure profytt / so likewyse doth a Iuste man his workes. And as a good tre in ty­me off yeare bringeth forthe a god appylle / not to make hym good for he is good a fore / nor yet this appyl is not to his profyt / But vn to other mens not withstondinge the good nature that ys in him must nedys brynge yt forthe / so lyke­wyse [Page] the Iuste man must nedys do good wor­kys / not by them to be Iustyfyde / but allonly in them to serue hys brother: for he hathe no nede of them / as consernynge hys Iustyfycacyon. wherefore now here haue yow the very trewe cause off Iustyfycacyon / that is faythe allonly / And also the very trewe waye and maner of doynge good workis / And how y^t no man can do good workis but a Iustified mā / As oure Master Christ saythe / eyther make the tre good ād thā hys frute most be good / Mat. 7. Or ellys y^e tre euyll and hys frute also euyll for a good tre must ne­dys brynge forth good frute / And a bad / evell frute. But now lett me answere to theyr scrypturs and too their carnall reasons that they brynge to proue that workys do Iustyfye.

Soluetōs to y^e scripture whych thei falsly allegeFyrst cometh the flesslye and damnable reson / And the saythe yf we be Iustyfyde allonly by fayth what nede we to do any good workis what nede we to crucyfye or to mortyfye ou­re fleshe / for all these wylle not profytt vs / and we shall be sauyd though we do none of them al. Thus dyd blinde reason dispute with Saint Paule whan that he had prouyd / that god off hys mere marcy / had delyuered vs frely from the damnable bondage off the lawe / A none he Iudged that he myght doo what he wolde / for he was no longer vndernethe the lawe / To thys Saynt Paule answereth / that yf we obey vn to the workys of synne / than are we the seruauntys off synne / and yff we obey to the wor­kys off Iustys than are we the seruauntes off Iustys / soo that yff we truly haue that same faythe that Iustyfythe vs / we shall desyere too doo noo nother workys but those that belonge [Page l] too Iustyfycacyon / not that the workys do Iustyfye vs / but that we must nedys doo these workys / as the very trew frutys off Iustificacyon / ād therfore those men y^t wyll do no good workys by cause they be Iustyfyde alonly by faythe / be not the chylderne of god nor the chylderne of Iustyfycacyon / and of that ys this a suer and an euydent token / for yf they were the very trew chylderne off god / they wolde be the gladder to doo good workys / by cause that they are Iustyfyed frely. Therfore shulde they also be mouyd frely to worke / yff yt were for no nother purposse / nor profyte / but allonly to doo the wyll off their mercyfulle god / that hathe so frely Iustyfyed them / and also to profyte theyr neyboure / whom they are bound to serue of ve­ry trewe cheryte.

Take an exampell / here ys a thefe that ys condemnyd by ryght and by law to be hangyd whom the kyngis grace of hys mercy / dothe frely delyuere from the gallous / and geuythe hym hys pardon / Nowe thys thefe thus delyuered wyll not kepe hym selfe a trew man nor do those workys that belonge to a trew man to doo / but fallyth agayn to stelynge by cause the kyn­ge perdonyd hym so frely / and rekenyth that the kynge ys so mercyfull that he wyll hange noo theuys but delyuer them all of hys mercy with out their deseruyng / Now how thynke you wyll the kynge be marcyfull vn to thys thefe whan he comythe agayne to the gallous? nay truly / but yff he had done those thynges that the kyngys pardon deseruyd / than had he come noo more in danger / but shulde haue byn styll in the kyngys fauou [...]e. Thē cometh my lorde off Rochester / ād he saith y^e faith doth be gynne [...] [Page] [...] [Page l] [Page] a Iustyfycacyon in vs / But workys do perfor­me yt and make yt parfyt / and by cause that noo man shall thynke that I lay yt vn to hym vnrightwisly I wil resyte his awne wordes.Arti. 1. Per fidem initiari dicitur iusticia solū / non autē cōsummari nā cōsūmata iusticia nō aliter quā exoperibꝰ natis / et in lucē editis acquiri potest / Opera cōsummate iustificāt / Fides primū inchoat. &c̄. Vvhat christenyd man wolde thyn­ke that a bisshope wolde thus triffylle and play wyth godys holy worde? Godys worde ys soo playne / that no man can avoyde yt how that faythe Iustyfythe allonly / and now commyth my lorde of Rochester / wyth a lytle and a vay­ne dystynccyon inuentyd of hys awne brayne wyth out auctoryte of scrypture and wyll clearly / a voyde all scrypturs / and all the holle dysputacyon of Saynt Paul. But my lorde / Say to me of youre conscyence how do yow rekkyn to a voyde the vengeaūce off god / syth yow thus tryfyll and dyspyse godys holy wor­de? Thynke yow that thys vayne distinccyon / will be alowid afore Iesus christ for whose glo­ry we do cōtend ād stryue & a fore whom we do hādylle this matter I do thynk verely / y^t youre awne consciens dothe sore accuse yow for thus blasphemynge y^e holy worde off god / wherfore my lorde for Chrystes sake remember that you be agyd and shall not longe tarry here / and these vayne dystinccions that yow haue inuentyd too the pleasure of men / And to the great per­uertynge of godys holy worde shall be to youre euerlastynge damnacion. And at the lest wais if you sere not y^e terribyll vengeaūce of god / re­member the shame of this worlde / and thynke not that all men be so mad and so vnlerned / as [Page li] for to be disseuyd by thys tryflyng distinctyon Seyng that the word of god is so playne agēst it / Ephe. 2. Doth not Saynt Paul say that oure iustifycacion is alonly of faythe / and not of workys? How can you avoyd thys same / Non ex operi­bus / Not of workes? yf that workis do make Iustificacion perfyt / thā are not Saynt paules wordys trewe. Also S. paul saythe / that we be the chylderne of god by faythe / and yf we be the chyldern we are also y^e heyres. Now what imperfeccion fynde you in chyldern and in hey­res? Christen men desyer no more but thys / and all thys haue they by faythe only / and will you say that faythe dothe but begynne a Iustifycacyon? Besydes that you know well that S. pa­ule dothe proue in all the holle pistle ta the Ro­manys and also to the Galathyans / that fayth doth iustify / yee and that by contencyon agenst workes / Now how can you bringe in workis to make iustificacion perfy [...]t / and. S. paul hath excludyd them. Moreouer / why did not y^e Iues agenst whose workis. S. paul disputith / bryng in this distinccion for them / breuely what wyll yow saye to all the doctours that I haue here resytyd whiche saye that Sola fides / onlye fa­ythe doth iustifye / but doutles if yow were not a lorde this distinction were not worthy off an answere. A nother damnable reason haue yow that is an opyn and a playne lye / whiche is this Thow saiste that workes doo not iustifie / nor yet helpe to Iustificacion but faythe only Ergo thou dystroyest all good workes and wylt that no mā shall worke well / but alonly beleue. I answere if ther were any shame in you / you might well be a shamed of these opē lyes / Tell me one that is lerned / that euer dyd say or lerne / that [Page] men shulde do noo good workys. Many there be that say workis do not Iustifye / As Saynt Paul and all his scolars / but no man denythe good workes / But I mervell not at you / for you do but the workis off youre father / which was a liare and a mutherar from the begenyng I pray yow what consequent ys this after youre awne logyke / workes do not Iustifye / Ergo we neade not to do them / but dyspysse them: for they be off no value / Take a lyke consequent / yow say that the kyngis grace doth not Iustifi Ergo yow dysspyse hym / Ergo he is no longer kyng / Also the sonne and mone do not Iustyfye Ergo yow dystroye them / but such a damnable lye must Saynt Paule nedis suffer / whan he had provyd that faithe only dyd Iustyfy / Thā came youre ouerthwaert fathers / and sayde Ergo thou distroyest the lawe / for thou ler­nest that yt Iustifieth not / God forbyd saythe Saynt Paule / for we doo lerne the very way to fulfylle the lawe / Roma. 3. that ys faythe / where by y^e lawe alonly is fulfyllyd and wyth out the whi­che / all the workis of the law be but synne / So doo we lykewise lerne the very trew waye where by that all good workes must be done As fy­rst a man by faythe to be Iustifyed and than a Iust man / must nedes do good workes which a fore were but sinne / and nowe be all good / yee his eatinge / drinkynge and slepinge are good.

But by syde all these haue you sertyn scripturs.Iaco. 2. First of Saint Iames / whose wordes be these. Vvilte thou vnderstonde o thou vayne man / that faythe with out dedis is dede / was not Abraham oure father Iustified of his dedis whan he offeryd his sone Isaac on the Aultar / [Page lii] Lykewyse / was not Raab the harlot Iustyfyed whan she reseuyd the Mesengers / and sent thē out a nother waye? I answere / if I denyed thys pystelle to be Saynt Iamys / yow coulde not proue yt by the auctoryte of the churche / for she hathe allways douted of yt / as yt ys open / In ecclestica hystoria. More ouer / I haue in­vynsible scrypturs to proue that yt can not be.Li. 2. cap. 23. Li. 3. Ca. 25. Saynt Iames. Fyrst where he bryngythe that Abraham was Iustyfyed by offerynge of hys sone Isaac / That is clene contrary / Fyrst vn to Moses / where as the very orygynall ys / For yt ys openly declared. Gene the xv. chapter where these wordys were spoken off Abrahā / Iames pistle is improued Abra­ham dyd beleue / and yt was reputyd too hym for Iustyfycacyon where there ys noo worde of Isaac / for he was neyther borne / nor yet promysyd / and yet Abraham must nedys be Iusti­fyed for the holy gost saythe yt / and whan the wordys were spoken too hym of Iustyfycacy­on he was at the most / but .lxxxvi. yearys olde / as yt is declaryd in the .xvi. chapter / But whan Isaac was promisyd him by name / Than was he .xcix yerys olde / as it ys opyn in the .xvij. chapter / And the yeare after was Isaac borne / and whan Isaac was borne / was Abraham an .C. yeares olde as yt ys playne in the .xxi. chapter / Now wolde I know off yow that wyll defen­de thys Epystylle / where by that Abraham was Iustyfyed / from that he was .lxxxvi. yea­rys olde tyll he was an. C. yeres olde? yow can not say by offerynge off Isaac for yow se that he ys not borne.

Moreouer Isaac must be off lawfulle age a fore that hys father dyd offer hym / and at the lest he was seuen yearys olde / for he [Page] coulde speke perfyttly / and saye to his father / be holde / here is fyer and stykkys where is the oblaciō / as yt is open the .22. chapter / now how will you iustify Abraham in the mene tyme / frō lxxxvj. yeris olde / tyll an .C. and from an .C. tyll y^e offeringe of Isaac which at the lest was sevē yerys / so that Abraham must nedis be iustifyed xxj. yerys afore he offered his sone / ergo by that worke was he not iustifyde.

Moreouer in the .xxij. chapter. where he dyd offer his sone ys there never a word spoken off iustificacion / which must nedis haue byn spokē yff he had therefore bene iustifyde / but alonly is there sayd / now doo I know that thou fea­ryst god / which ys an effect and a worke of iustificacion / and no cause of iustificacion. Moreo­uer the Macabytes bryng the same exampylle of Abraham that his faith was imputed vn to hym for iustificacion.1. Mac· 2. Also. S. Paule of whose auctory and lernynge no christē man dothe douce / bryngythe the same example bothe to y^e Romayns and to the Galathyans to pro [...]e that faith only dyd iustifye Abraham a fore the byr­the of Isaac / which dothe playnly sygnify that he wold prove that Abraham was iustifyd a fore / and with out the offerynge of Isaac / also in the pystylle to the hebrews is yt opē that Abraham was iustifyed by faythe only / yee and that longe a fore Isaac was borne. Furthermore as concernynge the example of Raab / yt is open in the boke of Iosue that she dyd say these wor­des vnto the messengers / Iosue. 2 I doo know that the lorde shall geue you this londe / for truly there is a great feare come a pone vs / ād all the dwellers of this londe doo pyne away for sorow. we [Page liij] haue herd that the lorde. hathe dryed vp the re [...] see a fore youre entrynge in whane yov came out of Egypt / we haue hard what thynges you haue done to the two kynges of y^e amorites. &c̄. youre lorde god ys he the whiche is in heuen aboue / ād in erthe bynethe / wherefore swere yov vn to me that as I haue shewyd yov mercy / y^t yov shal lykewysse doo vn to me and vn to my fathers howssold▪ &c̄. Be not these wordes off a great faith? Dothe not she beleue the promyses of god? and of that faith she reseued the mesen­gers / or els she had neuer reseyued them / and of that faith she requierythe also mercy / whā god hathe fulfylled his promise / wherfore of this fayth was she iustifyde / and this fayth made here to doo well vn to the mesengers / Hebr. 11. therfore saith the epistle to the hebrews / That Raab y^e harlot thorow faith dyd not peryshe wyth the vnbeleuynge persons. Here may yov se that Moses / and. S. Paule and other places of scri­pture doo expound these scripturs contrary to youre epistle / and that not with darcke wordis but with so playne wordes that no christen mā can say the contrary. wherfore I can not bele­ue that you are abylle to defend this pistle to be S. Iamesys / but notwithstonding al these thinges / I will graunte yov this pystle to be of au­ctorite that you may haue some thyng to dispute with / what wil yov conclude out of that / that workes doo iustify? That were sore agenst christes bloud / for than did christ dye invayne / Aug. 8 [...]. q. c. 76. it is also agenst the exposiciō of. S. Augustyn / whose wordes be these. S. Paule sayth that a man may be iustifyed by faith with out any workes goynge by fore iustificacyō / but whā a mā ys iustifyed by fayth / how can he but worke well [Page] though that he before workinge nothyng ryght wysly is nowe come to the iustificaciō of faith not by merites of good workes but by the grace of god / the which grace in him / now can not be ydylle seynge that now thorow loue he worketh well. And yff he departe out of this lyffe after that he beleuythe / y^e iustificacion of faith abydythe by hym / not by his workes goynge a fore iustificaciō / for by his merites came he not vn to that iustificacion but by grace / nor by his workes that follow iustificacion / for he ys not suffered to lyue in this lyffe / wherefore paule ād Iamys be not contrary for Paule spekythe of workes that go by fore faythe / and Iamys spe­keth off the workes that follow the iustificaciō of faith. &c̄.

Here haue yov playne that. S. Augustyne saithe that no maner of workes / neyther that goo by fore neyther that come after helpe to iustificacion but allonly they follow iustifica­cion / and a iuste man must nedes do good workes. Here haue you also / that. S. Iames spe­keth of workes that follow iustificacyon and not of workes that helpe to iustify for there be none suche.

Here haue yov also that the iustificacion off faith ys so parfytt that yt saueth a man onlye the which is agenst my lorde of Rochesters dy­stynacion / for yf workes dyd make perfytt iustificacion / than a man coulde not be saued wyth out the perfeccion of workes / wherefore yt wylle be harde for my lorde of Rochester to saue his honestye. S. Augustine ys so opē agēst hym [Page liiij] but I feare me that the prouerbe that a wysse man dyd wons lerne me (whane men are come to great honour they doo so much regard yt y^t clearly they for gett all honesty) wylle here be found to trewe.

Also yov haue a nother scripture for you which is this By fore god they are not iustified whych here the lawe but they which do y^e lawe shalle be iustified / of this texte yov glorye / and crye opera / opera / workes / workes / Rom. 2. but yf yov wolde cōsyder the mynd of. S. Paule yov shulde welle perseue / that he menyth not howe workes shulde deserue iustificacion / for than coul­de not he haue concluded this agenst the Iuys for they dyd the workes of the law to the vtter most and yet ware they not iustifyde / wherefo­re. S. Paule menyth by the herers of the lawe alle them that doo the vtter workes of the law for fere / or for rewarde / or of hypocrisy / or els by them to be iustifyed: the doars callyth he thē that doo the workes of the lawe after the in­tent of the lawe / and as the lawe commandeth them / that is in the trewe fayth off Christ Ihe­sus / which is the very ende of the lawe an [...] the fulfyllynge of the lawe (as. S. Paule saythe) to alle them that beleue. wherefore alle men be but hearers allonly of the lawe / tylle the tyme that they haue the faythe of Christ Ihesus / w­hyche ys imputed vnto them for iustis / and the workes of the lawe be no cause of iustifica­cyon / but allonly an outward testimonye and wytnes y^t the lawe ys fulfylled inwardly in theyr consciēs a fore God & so fulfyllyd y^t it hathe no accasaciō agēst thē for christ hathe made [Page] satisfaccion for them / of the which they be per­takers by their faith / and so the lawe must be content to admytt all these men to be fulfyllars and doars of the lawe.Au. despi [...] lit. And now that you shall not say that this is my dreme / here be. S. Augustines wordes / the doars of the law shal be iu­stifyed / so must yt be vnderstonde that we may knowe / that they can no nother wysse be the doars of the lawe except they be fyrst iustifyed not that iustificaciō belongyth vn to doars but that iustificacion dothe precede all maner of do­ynge. &c̄.

Here yov not that iustificacion is fyrst ge­uen that men myght be abylle to doo the wor­kes of the lawe?Glossa This is also the exposicion of your commen glosse / I haue mervelle you stu­dye yt no better.

Also you haue a nother scripture / and that ys this / Cornelius a gentylle did greate almes / and prayd vnto god all ways / Acto. 10 vnto whome y^t angelle spake on this maner. Thy prayars ād thy allmesses are come vpp in to remembraun­ce in the presens of god / of this texte you gether that his good workes did helpe to iustifie him / I answere the holy gost hathe opinlie declared him selfe there / for he saith that this Cornelius was a deuote man and one that feryd god / how coulde thys be with out that God had taught him inwardly by faith / ye how coulde he know god and that deuotely / but by faith? Ergo he was iustifyed a fore god by his faithe / but the worlde knew not his iustificacion / and therfore y^t holy gost dothe declare his inwarde iustificacion whan he saith y^t he was deuote and feryd god & also dothe shew opynly y^e frutes of thys [Page lv] Iustificacion / whan he saythe that he dyd alle­messe. Moreover yov haue there that the holy gost felle on them a fore they were baptisyd in watter the whiche declarythe opynly that they were Iustifide a fore god / This is welle decla­ryd also in youre awne lawe whose wordes be these / Cornelius Centurio / 2. q. 7 Nō ōnes Episcopi. beyng yet a hethen man / was Iustifyde by the gyfte of the holy gost. here haue yov playnly that he was Iusti­fyed by the gifte of y^e holy gost a fore alle good workis / For he was an hethyn mā. A nother scriptur yee haue whyche is this / if I haue alle faith / Soo that I may transeposse mon̄tayns and haue no cheryte I am nothynge / of this gether yov that faithe with out cheryte can not Iustifie / I answere This can yov not gether of S. paule for it is opyn that he spekyth not of that thyng where bi that men may be iustified / but allonly he techith howe they that be iustified must worke with cherite: it is also playne that he spekith not of fayth that doeth Iusti­fye inwardlye / but of that faythe that dothe worke outwardly The whiche is callid a gifte of the holy gost / as the gyfte of tonges / The gifte of prophicyes / y^e gifte of healing / the gyfte of interpretacion / as it is opyn in the chapter a fore Now this faythe ys not geuyn to Iustefye / but allonly to doo myracles / wonders and sygnys by / and therfore saithe paule / if I had all faith so that I coulde moue moūtayns.Mat. 7. Also it is opyn that sertyn men shalle say vn to Chryst be holde we haue done miracles ād caste oute deuyles in thy name & yet he shalle say to thē / truly I knowe yov not / So y^t this faythe is a gyf­te of god that iustifythe not / no more than the gyfte of sciens or prophicies And somtyme is it [Page] in the churche & some tyme not / and yt is neuer of necessite there to be / but the faithe that we speke of whiche dothe beleue the promyses of God / and styckythe faste to the blessed bloud of Christ / hathe no nother vertue but to iustifye / & must nedes iustify where so ever he ys / and he stycketh so fast to godes worde / that he lokyth for no miracles. This faith is neuer out of the church / Ioan. 17. for yt ys the lyffe of the church / and yt is y^e faith that oure master Christe prayd for y^t yt myght neuer fayle / ād therfore S. Paule w­han he describythe this faith / he calleth yt a faythe that worketh by cheryte / not that yt iu­styfyeth by cherite / for as he sayth there playnly / Gala. 5. yt is neyther circumcision / nor yet vncir­cumsicion that is of ony vallure in christ Iesu / but faith. Here dothe he playnly exclude from iustificacion the hyest worke of the law circumcision / and setteth faith alone: not the gyfte of faithe that dothe miracles / but the gyfte of faithe that worketh by cheryte / and that yov shall not thynke this to be my dreme here brynge I yov Athanasius whose wordes be these.

Atha. ad Rom.There are .ij. maner of faithys won ys iustifying as that of the which it is spokē / thy / faith hathe saued the / A nother ys called the gyfte of god where by miracles be done / of the which yt ys wrytten if yov haue faith as a grayne of musterd sede. &c̄.

So y^t here haue yov playne that faith dothe iustify only / and parfyttly / a fore alle maner of workes / that is / faith is geuen of god frely in to oure soules vn to the which faith iustificacyon is allonly promised and is alonly imputed and rekkened of god / neuer the lesse this faith in ty­me and place convenient / ys of that strength y^t [Page] he must nedes worke by cheryte / not for to be iustifide there by / for if he wer not a fore iusty­fyed / yt were not possible that he coulde haue cheryte / for after youre awne scolle men an in­fidelle can not haue cheryte / but that he is a freseruant vnto god for the loue that he hathe vnto him / the which loue seketh not in god his awne profytte nor his awne auauntage / for than were he wykked but seketh alonly the wylle off god and the profite of other men / and wor­keth neyther / for loue of heuen nor yet for fere of helle / for he knoweth well that heuen / wyth all the Ioys there of ys preared for him from y^e begenynge of the world / not by him / but by his father and yt must nedes follow: as contrary wysse the infydelle and the wykked man dothe not worke hys wykked dedes / by cause he wol­de haue helle or euerlastynge damnacion to his rewarde / but he wolde rather the contrary / not withstondinge / helle and euerlastinge damna­cion must nedes follow his wykked dedes.

Finallye a ryghtwyse mā is a fre seruant of godes / and worketh not as an hyerelyng for iff it were possible that there were no heuen yet wolde he doo no lesse good / for his respect is to y^e maker and the lorde of alle rewardes.

Nowe most excelēt and gracious prince / yt is not vnknowen vnto alle the worlde that my lordes the bisshops haue purchesed youre gra­ce this tytylle to be defender off the faith / oure lorde strength youre grace that yov may per­forme yt / nothwithstōding there was neuer none of all y^e bisshops / y^t wold take so grete payne for youre graces sake / as to declare what was [...] [Page] [...] [Page] [Page] the very trewe faythe whiche youre grace was bovnd to defend / but thei lefte youre grace as a man shyt in a darke housse that wolde fayne come out / but he colde not fynde the dore for want of lyght. So lyke wysse / they gaue vn to youre grace The tytylle of defendyng the fay­the / but they neuer declaryd what it was / but alle ways lefte youre grace to the name of faythe and to the olde opyniō that went of faithe but neuer clearly set out what it wasse / where fore moste nobille prince / for to declare my trewe and faithfulle seruyce that I haue vn to youre most noble hyenes I haue taken the la­bours and paynys / to the vttermost powre of my smalle gyfte to declare this artykille / so playnlye and so stronglye / not alonlye by the heuynly worde of god / but also by the clarkely exposicions of holy doctours / that no faythefulle man cā haue any place to doute in it / wh­erfore most excelent prynce with al humble subieccion / and with all due honoure and reueren­ce / I besech youre grace to reseue graciously my faithefulle and trew harte. For if I coulde do youre noble grace any better seruyce (It sh­ulde not be vndone. Now do I not doute but that youre grace wille defend this pore ād sympille laboure of myne / from the vyolence of the bysshops) that they shalle not condemne it by tyranny / nor with out lernynge as their maner is to doo / and for that cause haue I dedicatyd the holle boke / vnto youre most noble grace / vnto whome it can not be vn knowyn / how greatly it were agenst youre honoure to suffer y^e bysshops to condemne by tyranny with out rea­son and lerninge so playne scripturs of god & so cleare exposicions of holy doctours. How [Page lvii] were youre grace abille to answere to it a fore the dredfull trone of christ Iesus? This present lyffe is shorte / and sone faylythe vs / but if we suffer the godly worde / of the euerlasting God to be ouertrodyn and oppressed bi vyolence / there remaynythe nothynge to vs but everlastyn­ge wo and damnacion / for we are lost for ever. For euer is a great tyme and god wille not be mokkyd / for as the holy goste saithe / if we do dispisse so gret helthe how shalle we escape?Hebr. 2. Ibidē. 10. also in a nother place / it is an horrible and a ferfulle thynge to falle in the hōdys of the lyuynge god where fore I doute not but that youre grace wille more regarde the holy verite of chryst Ie­sus and also youre soulle helthe / than any out ward shynynge of thys dysseuable worlde And here by this present wrytinge do I offer my sel­fe vn to youre most nobylle grace to proue alle thyngys that I haue here wryten agenst y^e bis­shops and alle maner of men that wille holde with them in this cause / ye and that vnder the payne that your most noble grace shalle sett thys do I not to preferre mi selfe / but alonly y^t I can not suffer the glorious bloud of christ Ie­sus to be extynctyd and trodyn vnder the foote by vyolence. I requyer no defence of none evill cause / but alonly I requyer youre graces fauo­ure and defence from vyolence and oppression as god is my Iudge who preserve youre most Noble and excellent grace to his pleasure and honoure ever Amen

THe name of y^t holy church / ha­ue those men of longe tyme v­surped presumptuously & with out all shame / y^t were the greatyst enymys y^e holy church co­ulde haue in erthe / For they did no more agre with the ma­ners of holy churche / thā dark­nes ād light / thā god & y^e deuyll. For where ho­ly churche hard no man but Christ only / They wolde here all maner of mē sauyng christ / & ne­uer here him / except it were to theyr profyte or glory. where as holy churche was rulyd in this world / they wold rule all y^e world / and where as holy church wold be holy by christ ōly / they wold be holy by their awne helpe / And where as holi churche was all ways dispisid / and persecutyd of the world / They wolde be honouryd of the worlde ād persecuters of all men / And where as holie church was in wardly deckyd with spiri­tuall vertues they wolde be vtwardly shinynge in spiritual araye. & where as holy church wolde be chayste in spryte they wold with their mouthes vowe chastite / and spend all their liu [...]s in horedome / And where as holy churche dyd all ways shew meknes in y^e worlde / they wolde be so proude y^t harte coulde deuyse no more / Bre­uely what so euer thynge that was agreabylle with y^e churche / of y^t had they never a crumme but allonly by vyolence vsurpyd the name off holy churche / So that yf a man had had a croune or a longe goune and a whyte smock ouer his goune / thā was ther no remedy but he must nedis be of the churche / yee and holy church her selfe / So y^t yf a barber had made a bulle a cro­ne / ād a Tayler Iachnappis a longe goune and [Page lviij] brought an asse forthe in a white rochitte / than no mā might doute but y^t there were holy churche & euerie mā must fall doune to receyue clene remissiō a pena & a culpa / tociēs quociēs / for there cā y^e successors of peter & paule & they y^t haue y^e dispēsaciō of christes bloud / & y^e meritis of holy sayntes / ād y^e suffragis of holy churche to dystribute / & y^e keyberrars of heuyn & hell / who cā deny but this is truth? It is to opyn to nede any probacyō / for we see it dayly a fore oure yies So y^t if a mā wil cōpare oure master Christ y^t is y^e very hed of holy church vn to these p^elattis (y^t call thē self his vicares) he shall finde but smal agremēt / by twene y^e ꝑson & y^e vicar: and he y^t wil cōsider. S. peter &. S. paul / with al other holy apostillis shal think y^t eyther they were none of holy churche or ellis oure prelatris [...] for they agree in nothing / yee & he may rekkyn y^t. S. pe­ter &. S. paul were stark foolis & right mad men y^t liuyd so despectuꝰ a liff. what ned me to make many wordys / or to tell their namys y^t I speke of / There is no doute but y^e galde horise wil bewraye him selfe. But shortlye / yt y^e deuill wolde come in his awne ꝑson disgysyo / Tel me how it were possible y^t he could be more cōtrarie to ch­rist & his holy apostillis / thā those mē y^t call thē selfe y^e holy church / yee take a waye y^e name off y^e church / & set in her stede y^e name of y^e deuyll & how wil you thā knowe a bisshop frō y^e deuyll? By their workis? nay trewly / for they be all one & yet wyll ye be y^e hedys of chrystis church / ye y^e holy church here selfe / not so ye wyked not so. Vvherefore y^t this blessyd spouse of christ / maye be knowyn frō y^e opyn & abhominable whores & harlatis / therefor wil I (bi godis grace) set out what holy church is & where bi mē shal know her

[Page]This worde Ecclesia / bothe in the new testament and the olde / is takyn oftyntymys for the hole congregacion and the holle multitude of y^e people bothe good and bad / as it is in the boke of numeri / Nume. 20 why haue yov brought the congregacion or churche of god in to wildernes? also in a nother place / 3. Regū. 8 The kynge turnyd his face and blessid the holle congregacion or churche of Is­raell / [...]. Corin. 4 and alle the churche of Israell stode. lyke­wysse in the newe testament S. Paule to y^e Corynthiās / I haue sent vn to yov Tymothe the whyche shalle lerne yov my ways / that be in christ Iesu / 1. Corin. 11 as I do lerne euery where in alle cō gregacions. Also in an other place do yov disp­isse the congregacion of god? ād shame them y^t haue not? In alle these placis and in many mo is it opyn that this greke worde ecclesia is ta­kyn for the hole congregacion bothe of good ād bad / where fore this is not the church that we wille greatly speke of / for in this churche are Iuys and Sarasens / Murtherars ād theuys / baudys and harlotes though we knowe them not.Ephesi. 5. But there is a nother holy churche of the which S. paule spekyth yov men loue youre wiuys / as christ hathe louyd the churche / and ha­the geuyn hym selfe for hyr / that he myght santyfye hyr / And clense hyr in the fovntayne off watter thorow the word of liffe / to make her to hym selfe a glorious churche with out spot or wrynkille / or any suche thynge / but y^t she myght be holy and with out blame. Here haue yov the very trewe churche of christ / that is so puer and so clene with out spot. But whereby is she pu­er and clene? not by hyr awne meritis nor by hir awne myght / not by exterior araye / not by golde nor syluer nor yet by precious stonys / [Page] neither by myters nor crosestaues / nor by pil­lers nor polaxis / but whereby than? by Chryst only whiche hathe geuyn hym selfe for that in­tent that he wolde make her clene and there fore saithe S. Paule / He gaue him selfe that he myght santifie hyr / that he might clense hyr & make hyr to hym selfe a glorious churche. Also in a nother place: yov are wasshid / yov are san­ctifyde / yov are iustifyde in the name of Iesus christ / and in the sprete of god. Se my lordes / howe the churche is washed bi christ ād bi his holy sprete / and not by youre blessingis / 1. Corin. [...] not by youre sprytualle ornamentis / nor by youre spritualle holy watter / for these thynges cā not helpe the holy churche for she is holy in sprytte ād not in outward hypocrysye / she is also clensyd by christes blessyd bloud / and not by outward disgysyngis. This dothe S. Augustine well prove sayinge Of christ is the churche made faire / first was she fylthy in synnys / Augustinꝰ de verbis dn̄i ser. 50 afterwarde by pardon and by grace was she made fayre &c̄ here S. Augustine saithe that christ hathe ma­de his churche fayre / and that by his grace and his pardon / And not by youre pardons / nor by youre grace for thys churche / stondythe by Christis eleccion / and not by youres: and if Christ haue not wasshid yov and chosyn yov than be yov none of this churche though yov ryde with a thousande spretualle horses / ād haue alle the spretual tokyns in erth / Ioan. 6. for ād if the sone of god haue dylyuerd yov thā are yov tre­wly deliuerd / ye can not make by al youre powre and holynes that we shalle al ways fynde good ale or wyne where there hangyth out a grene sygne / And wille yov with youre sprituall sygnes ād tokins make the church of god to [Page] followe yow / or by them assigne out where the church shall be? nay nay my lordis / yt wyll not be: but they that beleue y^t Chryst hath was­shed them from their synnes / and styke fast vn to his meryttis and to the promysse made too them in him only / they be the churche of god / ād so puer and so clene that yt shall not be lawfull no not for Peter to say that they be vnclene / but where they be Iue or greke / kynge or sub­iect / Carter or cardinalle / bucher or bisshop / Tā cardeberar or cān [...]lcater / fre or boūd / fryer or fydler / Monke or Miller if they beleue in Christis worde / and styke faste to his blessed promysys / & trust only in y^e meryttis of hys blessed bloude / they be the holy church of god yee and the very trew church a fore god / and yow with all you­re spirytuall tokyns / and with all youre exteryor clēnes / remayne in youre fylthynes of synne / from the whyche all youre blessynges / all youre pardons / All youre spiritualyte / all youre holy­nes / cā not clense you / nor bryng you in to this church: Boste / Crake / Blaste / Blesse / Curse tille youre holly yies starte out of youre hed yt wyll not helpe you / for Christ chousythe hys church / at his iudgemēt & not at youres. The holy gost ys fre / and in speryth where he wyll / he wil neyther be bound / to Pope nor Cardynall / archebysshop nor Bysshop / Abbot nor Pryor / De­ken nor Archedeken / Parson nor Vyckar / too Nunne nor Frear. Breuelye come all the hol [...] tabbylle of yow to gether that call youre selfe the holy churche (and exclude all other) yee and take sonne / mone / and stars to helpe yow with all the frendes yow haue in heuen and erthe and yet shall yow not be of holy churche except that you haue the sprite of christ and be wasshid [Page lx] in his blessed bloud / For the holy churche of ch­rist is nothyng els but that congregacion / that is sanctifyed in sprete / redemed with Christis bloud / and stykkyth fast and suer alonly to the promissis that be made theryn.

So that the churche ys a spiritualle thynge and no exteryor thynge but invisible from carnalle yies (I say not that they be invisible that be of the churche / but that holy churche in hyr selfe ys invisyble) as faithe is / and hyr puernes and clennes ys a fore chryst only / and not a fore the world / for the worlde hathe no Iudgement nor knowlege of hyr but alle hir honour ād clennes is a fore Christ suer and faste / and if thers apere any of hyr goodnes vn to y^e worlde / of y^t she makyth no rekenynge / nor thynkyth her selfe any thynge the better / that the worlde Iudgeth wel of hyr: for alle hyr trust is in christ onlye. She suffereth the worlde rage and blaspheme bothe agenst hyr and agenst chryst hyr maker. She stondith fast and beleuythe stedfastly / that that shalle haue a shamfulle ende / and euerla­stinge damnacion to rewarde. Breuely / hyr meditacions and hyr thoughtes are heuynly and alle that she dothe is spiritualle. For she can not erre she cleaveth so faste to the worde of god that is the verite.

And for thys cause Saynte Paule / callyth hyr the pyler and ground of truth / not that she is so suer of and in hyr awne strength / but that she stykkyth so fast to the lyuynge god and to hys blessed worde / this is the very trewe chur­che / that is scattered thorow al the worlde / & is [Page] neither bound to parson by the reason of dignyte / nor yet to any place by the resō of faynyd holynes / But she is a fre thinge thorow alle the world as S. Augustine dothe witnes in these wordes / Augusti. ser. 99. de tempore. The holy churche are we / but I do not say we as one shuld saye / we that be here alonly / that heare me now / but as many as be here faythefull christenyd men in this churche / that is to say in this Cytie / As many as be in this regyon / as many as be beyounde the see / as mani as be in alle the wholle world (for from the ry­synge of the sonne tylle the goyng dovne is the name of god prayssed) so is the holy churche o­ure mother &c̄. Here haue yov playnly / that the holy churche is the congregacion of faithefulle men where so euer they be in the world. And neither the pope / nor yet his cardynallys be more this churche or of this churche than the poorest man in erthe / for this churche stondeth alonlye in the spiritual faith of christ Iesus / and not in dignyties nor honoures of the worlde / as Lira­nus dothe declare in these wordis The churche dothe not stond in men by the reson of spritualle power / Lyram mar. ca. 19 or secular dygnite / For many pryncis & many popes / and other inferior persons haue sweruyd from the faithe / wherfore that chur­che dothe stonde in those parsons in whome is the trew knowlege and confession of faythe / and of veryte &c̄. O my lordes what wille yov say to lira? I haue great mervelle that yov burne hym not. It is hye tyme to condēne hym for an heretyke / for he speaketh agenst youre lawe xxiiij. q. 1. Quodcum (que). where as youre glosse declarithe y^t god suffereth not The romechurche for to erre / and lyra saythe playne that ma­ny popis haue erred. And also that the churche [Page lxi] stondith not in dygnyte but in confessyon of christ and of his blessid verite.

But now here wille be obyectyd that I fayne such a churche / as oure logicions do intencionem secundam that is a thynge that is no where. Vvhere shalle a man fynde a churche that is so puer and so clene that hathe neither spot / nor wrynkille in hare and that is with out alle syn / seynge that alle men must of truth say / Matt. 6, 1. Ioan. 1. forgeue vs oure trespas? And if any man say (be he neuer so rightwise) that he hathe no syne than is he a lyer / and there is no veryte in hym / To this I answere / Ephesi. 5. that this holy churche ha­the synne in hyr and yet is she puer and clene / Marke S. paulis wordis. Christ hathe geuyn hym selfe for hir that he myght make hyr glori­ous / So that the clennes of this holy church is the mercy of god toward hyr thorow christ for whose sake he laithe nothinge to her charge yee and if any other parson wolde / he is reddy to geue hir his clennes / and to lett hyr by faithe clayme of ryght his puernes for hyr awne. For by twene them alle is commen / as be twene mā and wyfe. So that if the churche loke on hyr awne meritis and of hyr awne workis / she ys fulle of synne and must nedis say dimitte mihi debita. The whiche she nedid not to say if she had none. But if she referre hyr selfe vn to the merittis of hyr blessid husbonde christ Iesus / and to the clennes that she hathe in his bloud / than is she with out spotte For by the reson y^t she stickith by faythe so fast vn to hyr husbād christ and dothe a byde in confession of hyr synne / and requyerith mercy for them / therfore is there nothynge layd to hyr charge / but alle thinge is forgeuyn hyr.

[Page]And therfore saithe. S. Paule / there is no damnacion vnto them that be in Christe Iesu. And that this may be the playner I wille brynge yov.Augustinꝰ de verbis apostoli. s. 29. S. Austins wordes / the which was vex­ed of the donatistes with thys same reson that ys layde agenste me / hys wordes be these. The holle church saith / forgeue vs oure synnes / wherefore she hathe spottes and wrynkylles / but by knowlegynge of them / her wrynkylles be extēded & stretched out / by knowlegynge / hir spottes are wasshed away. The churche a byddeth in prayer that she myght be clensed by knowle­gynge of hyr synnes. As longe as we lyue here so standeth yt / and whan we shalle departe out of this bodye / alle suche thynges be forgeuen to everye mā / wherefore by this meane the church of god / is in y^e tresurs of god / with out spot ād wrynkylles: and therfore here doo we not lyue with out synne / but we shall passe from hence with out synne. &c̄. Here haue yov clearly that the church of god is clensed & puryfide by christ for knowlegynge of hir synnes / & not by hir awne puernes wherefore suche a church there must nedes be / though y^t the carnalle yie can not se h [...] re / nor fleshely reson can iudge of hyr. wherefo­re we beleue this article by faith that holy chu­rche is a cōmunion or felyshyp of holy men / ād know yt not by seynge or felynge / as we do the felishype of drapers or mercers / for than were yt none article of the faith. And yt ys playne y^t all youre exterior sygnes / with alle youre holye ornamentes / as youre holy myters / youre holy crossestauys / youre holye pyllers and polaxis / youre holy red gloues / youre holy ouches / and poure holye rynges / youre holye anoynted fyn­gers / youre holy vestmentis / youre holly challi­sys [Page lxij] / & youre holy goulden showys / yee & take al­so to helpe yov. S. Thomas of Canterberys holy showe wyth alle the holy botys of holye monkys & all these to gether can not make one crumme of holynes in yov / nor helpe yov one prycke forward / that yov may be wyth in this churche. For if these thynges coulde helpe / than were yt no mastery to make an asse to be of the church of god. But oure holy mother y^e church hathe a nother holynes / y^t cometh from god the father thorow y^e sweat bloud of his blessed son­ne Iesus Christ / in whome is alle hyr confidens & trust. Vn to whome she stycketh onlye by stedfast faith / by whose purenes she ys also puer in that y^t she dothe confesse hyr vnclennes / for she beleueth stedfastly y^t she hathe an aduocate for hyr synne to the father of heuen / which is chri­ste Iesus.1. Ioan. 2. And he is the satisfacciō for hyr syn­nes. And he of his marcye & not of hyr merites hathe chossen hyr for to be his / and by cause she ys hys / therfore must she be clene so lōge as she aby [...]eth in hym. This is well declared in.Ioan. 15 S. Iohan where oure Master Christe is cōpared to y^e vyne and all the members of holy churche to the branches / y^t as the branches / can brynge forth no frute of them selfe / so can holy churche of hyr felfe brynge forth no goodnes excepte she remayne in christ by perfyt faithe. This is wel proued by youre awne lawe whose wordes be these / therfore is the churche holy / by cause she beleueth rightwyselye in god. &c̄.De cō. Di 4. c. prima igitur. Here yov not the cause wherefore the church is holy? by cau­se she beleueth rightwyselye in god / that is she beleueth in nothynge but in hym / and she bele­uethe nor hereth nor worde but hys / as oure Master Chryste berythe wytnes / my shepe [Page] here my voyce / and a nother mans voyce doo they not knowe / also in a nother place / he that is of god / herythe the wordes of god / how com­mythe this that the church of god hathe so suer a iudgement / that she knowythe the voyce of Christe from other voycis? and can not erre in hyr iudgement? By cause that Christ hath cho­sen hyr / and by cause she ys lerned of god as oure master Christ saith / and by cause she hath (as.1 Iohan. 2. S. Iohan saith) the inward oyntement off god / that techyth his alle maner of verite / so y^t she can not erre / but why can she not erre? by cause she may do what she wille? By cause that all thynge that she dothe / is well done? by cau­se she maye make newe rules and newe lawes at hir plesure? By cause she may invent a ne­we seruice of god that is not in scripture at hir wille? Nay nay my lordes. For she is but a woman & must be ruled by hyr husbonde / yee she is but a shepe and must here the voyce of hyr sheppard / and so longe as she dothe / so longe can she not erre by cause the voyce of here shepperd can not be false.

De pene Dis. 2. Si in glossa. 24. q. 1 A recta et in Glossa.This maye be proued by youre awne lawe whose wordes be these / the whole churche can not erre / also in a nother place / the congregaciō of faith fulle men must nedes be which also can not erre. &c̄. These wordes be playne what chu­rche yt is that can not erre / that is the congre­gacion of faithfulle men that be gethered in ch­ristes name / which haue christes spret which haue the holy oyntement of god / whiche abyde fa­ste by christes worde / and here no nother mans voyce but his. Now my lordes gather yov alle to gether with alle the lawes that you can ma­ke / and all the holynes / that yov can deuysse / & [Page lxiij] Crye / y^e church / y^e church / & the counsels / y^e counsels that were lawfully gathered in the power of the holye gost (alle this may yov say and yet lye) and yf yov haue not in dede the holly goste with in yov / and iff yov do heare any other voyce than christes / thane are yov not of y^e church / but of the deuylle / and theuys and murtherars as christ saith. For yov come a fore him / that is yov come in to the foulde of Christe wyth out him / yov brynge not his voyce / but yov come with youre awne voyce / with youre awne sta­tutis / with youre awne worde / and with youre awne mandamus / mandamus / precipimus / precipimus / excommunicamms / excommunicamus These be the voyces of murtherars and The­uys and not of Christ / therfore yov can not but erre / for yov be not taught of god / you haue not the holy oyntement yov haue not the worde of god for yov / yov here not y^e voyce of y^e trewe shepperd / there fore must yov nedes erre in alle youre counselles. This is a nother maner of rule thane my lorde of iochester dothe assine to examen youre counselles by / for he saith / where y^t the pope and the counsell dothe not agre alle in one there wylle he susspect the counselle not to be ryght. who did euer here suche a rule of a christenyd man? yee and of a bishop? yee and of a doctor of diuinite / where hathe he lerned this diui­nite? to recken a counselle to be trewe / by cause that the pope ād so many men do agre in one / yee & that suche men as haue so oftyn tymes er­red in their counsels / as he dothe declare hym selfe rekenynge the counselle of Constantino­ple that had .330. bisshops and yet did erre / and he knew no nother cause / but by cause the po­pe dyd not agre to them / is not thys a resona­ble [Page] cause? can not the pope erre? lett hym red [...] his awne lawe. Dis. 19. Anastasius / & Dis. 40. Si papa and also .24. q. 1. A recta in the glosse / & there shall he finde that the pope hathe erred wherfore than shulde the matter stonde in hys iudgement? Now how wille he by this rule sa­ue the counselles of constance / and of basel where in both counsels the popes were condemned for heretykes? as the same counsels make men­cion / also that the counsels haue erred that graunteth he hym selfe / but paraduenture he wyll say / that they were not fulle counsels. Now is yt well a mended / what dysticcionis (as consernynge the veryte in a counselle that hathe a thousande bisshopes and in a nother that hath fyve thousande can the multitude helpe to the veryte? Than had the turke the veryte and we the falsed / 3. Reg. 2 3. Reg. 18. than had the prophete Micheas the worsse parte for he was a lone agenst .iiij. hun­dred / so was the veryte by y^e prophetes of Baale / and not by Elyas / for they were foure hun­dred and fiftye and he was but one man. Breuely Christis flocke is all ways the smallyste number in this worlde / but yet yt ys the best / not y^t the smallest number maketh christis flocke / but that christes churche stondeth neyther by the grettest number nor yet by the smallest / nor by y^e iudgemēt or numberynge of man / but by the callynge and eleccion of god / wherefore lett my lorde bryng forthe / what counselle that he will and yf they haue not the worde of god / I wylle not alonly say they may erre / but also y^t they do erre in verye dede. And y^e wylle I proue by the grettest lawyar y^t they haue called Panormitanꝰ whose wordes be these / De [...]ectio [...]. s [...]gnifica y^t counselle may erre as it hath erred / as cōsernynge y^e cōtracte of matrimony [Page lxiiij] / inter raptorē et raptā / The counsell of mel delci did [...]rre and the saynge of. S. Hierom was afterward preferred a [...]oue the statute of the counselle as yt ys proued. 36. q. 2. Tria / for in thynges consernynge the faith ys the saynge of a pryuate persone to be pre­farred a fore the saynge of the pope yf he haue better resons and scripturs of the newe and y^e olde testament for hym than the pope / nor yt cā not helpe to say that the counselle can not erre by cause that Christ dyd pray for his church y^t her faythe shulde not faylle / for I answere to this / that though the generalle counsell doo represent the wholle vniuersalle church / neuerthelesse in very dede there is not the very vniuer­salle church / but representatiue. For the vniuersalle church stondeth in the elect [...]on of alle faithfulle mē & all faith fulle mē of y^e worlde make y^e vniuersalle church / whose hed & spouse ys christ Iesus & the pope is but the vycker of Christ & not the very hed of the church / this is y^e church that can not erre. &c̄. Here it is open that the counselle may erre / ād that a priuate person ha­uynge scriptures for hym is to be harde a fore the pope and also the conselle hauynge no scriptures for them / yov haue also what is the very trew church which can not erre / whiche thinge cā not be veryfyed of youre counselles for they be neyther wyth out erroure nor yet the holye churche but that they doo represent the church as a legate representeth a kynges person but of y^e followeth not that he is the kynge or hath as muche power as the kynge / or ys a bove y^e kynge or y^t he may rule y^e kynge / Augusti­nꝰ de bap. Ki. 2. c. 3. contra do­na [...]as this maye also be proued by. S. Augustine whose wordes be these / those coūselles y^t be gethered in everie ꝓ­uince must with out geue place to y^e auctorite of [Page] the full coūsellis which be gethered of all chrystendō / ād also those ful coūsellis oft timis must be a mendyd by the full counsellys that come after / yf any thynge be openyd by any experience that was a fore shyt / and yf any thyng be kno­wen that was hyddyn. And this may be done with out any shaddow of supersticious pryde / with out any bostyd Arrogancye with out any contencyon of malyciꝰ envye / but with holy meknes / wyth holy peasse / and with chrystened cheryte. &c̄. Here it is playne that youre full coū ­selles may be a mendyd and reformyd / the whyche thynge nede not / yf they coulde not erre yee and if they did not erre in dede. Moreouer you must nedes graūt that there is a rule where by youre counsellys must be exāmynyd / and whe­re by sentens must be geuyn whyche of youre counsellys be trewe and which false / by the whych rule yf youre coūsellys be not ordered / they must nedys erre and be false / and of the deuyll wherefore gather all youre counsellys too ge­ther and yet of them can you not make holy ch­urche / But peraduenture there may be many in youre counsellys good and perfyte men and of holy churche / But they and you to gether make not the vniuersall holy churche that can not erre / Neyther haue yow any auctoryte ouer ho­ly churche / further than the holy scrypture off god / But as sone as you for sake Chryst ād his holy worde / so sone are you the congregacyō of the deuyll / and theuys and murtherars / ād yet for all thys there must nedis be an holy churche of chryst in erthe that ys neyther bounde to Ierusalem nor to Coūstātinopill / nor yet to Rome as though she were lyke vn to / the Asse and y^e foolle.

[Page lxv]But now wyl there be obiected / that oure Master Christe commandeth / Ma [...]. 1 [...] yff my brother offend me that I shuld complayne to y^e church / Now ys this church that I haue sett out spretualle & no man knoweth hyr but God onlye / she is also scattered thorow out the world / wherefore how can a man complayne to that church? I answe­re oure master Christ dothe playnly speake of a man that hathe wronge / the which must nedes be a perticuler and a serten man / and therfore lyke wysse he byddythe hym complayne not to the vniuersalle churche / but to the perticular church. Now this particular church / if she be of god / and a trew member of the vniuersalle chu­rche / she wyll iudge ryghtwysly after Christes words / and after the probacions brought a fore hyr / neuer the lesse oftyn tymes comyth yt that this particular church doth fully and holly erre and iudgeth vnryght and excommunycateth hym / that is blessed of god / 24. q. 3. Si quis et. c. cū aliquis as yt is open in youre awne lawe / whose wordes be these / oftyn ty­mes he that ys cast out ys with in / and he that is with out ys kept with in. &c̄. Here haue yov playnlye that the particular church may erre / wherefore that church that can not erre is alle only the vniuersalle church which is called the communion and the felowshyppe of saynctis / the whiche addicion was made by holy fathers (for in Ciprians tyme was there no mencion of yt) by alle lyklyhod to declare the presumpcion of serten men / and of serten congregacions y^t rekened them selfe to be holy church. wherefore my lordes se welle to lest the holye goste haue prykkyd yov with this addicion / for yov haue alle wayes made youre selfe holy churche / yee and that with out any holynes. Now haue I [Page] declared vn to yov / what is holy church / that is the congregacion of faithfulle men thorow out alle the worlde: and where by she is holye / that is / by Christes holynes and by christes bloude / ād also what is the cause that she can not erre / by cause that she kepeth hyr selfe so faste to the worde of god / which is a parfyt and a trewe rule. [...]ow a mā may kno­we the ch­urche. Now must we declare by what sygnes and tokens that we may knowe that in thys place or in that place there be serten members of this holy church / for though she be in hyr selfe spry­tualle and cānot be perfytly knowen / by oure exterior senses / yet neuer the lesse we may haue serten tokens / of hyr spritualle presens / where by we may reken that in this place and in that place be sertyne of hyr members. As by a na­turalle example / though the soule of man in hyr selfe be spritualle and invisible yet may we ha­ue suer tokens of hyr presence / as herynge mo­vynge / spekynge / smellynge / with suche other. So lykewysse / where the word of god is trew­ly and perfytly preached with out the damna­ble dreames of men / and where yt is welle of y^e herars reseued / and also where we se good workes that doo openly agre wyth the doctrine off the gospell these be good and suer tokens whe­re by that we may iudge / that there be some mē of holy church.

As to the fyrste / where as the gospelle ys trewly p̄ched yt must nedes lyght in some mēs hartis / as the prophete wyttnesseth / my worde / shalle not returne a gayne to me frustrate / but yt shall doo all thynge that I wille / and yt shal prospere / Esaie. 55. in those thynges / vn to the whiche I dyd send yt.

Also. S. Paule saithe faithe cometh by he­ryng [Page lxvj] / and herynge cometh by the worde of god / Rom. x. and therfore yt is open in holye scripture that whan Peter spake the wordes of god y^e holye goste felle dovne on them alle.Actu. 10. wherfore yt ys o­pen that godes worde can neuer be preched in vayne / but some men must nedes reseue yt / ād there by be made of holy churche / though that men doo not know them neyther by theyr na­mes nor yet by their faces / for this worde is re­seued in to their hartes. The seconde token ys / that the reseuers of this word doo worke welle there after as.1. Tessa. 2. s. Paule declareth of his herars whan yov reseued of vs the worde where with god was preched / yov reseued yt not as the worde of men / but euen (as yt was in dede / ) the worde of god whych worketh in yov that bele­ue. So that if men doo worke after the worde of god yt ys a good token that ther be men off the churche / though that we (hypocrisye ys so subtylle and so secret) may be often tymes dys­seued by these vtward workes / but neuerthele­sse cherite iudgeth well of all thynges y^t haue a good outward shyne / and be not openly agenst the worde of god / but it is no ieoperdye though cherite be dysseued / for he is open to alle ieoper­dyes but faith is neuer disseued. Now to oure purposse / y^t where the worde of god is preched trewly / yt is a good & a perfyt token y^t there be some mē of christes church / this may be proued by chrisostimus wordes / they y^t be in Iudea let thē fle vp in to y^e mountayns / y^t is to say they y^t be in chrystendū / let thē geue thē selfe to scripturs. wherefore cōmandeth he y^t alle chrystened men in that tyme shulde flye vn to scriptures / for in that tyme in the whiche hereses haue op­teyned in to the church / there cā be no trew probacion [Page] of christendom nor no nother refuge vn to christen men willynge to know the verite off faith / but the scripturs of god. A fore by many ways was yt shewed which was the church of Christ / and which was the congregacion of gentilles / but now there is no notherway to know vnto them that wylle knowe which is the very trew churche of Christ / but alonly by scripturs. By workes fyrst was y^e church of christ knowē whan the conuersacion of christen men / other of alle or of many were holy / the which holynes had not the wykked men / but now christen mē / be as evylle or worsse thā heretikes or gentles yee and greater continencie is founde amonge them / than a monge christen men. wherefore he that wille knowe which is the very churche of christ / how shall he know but by scripturs on­lye / wherefore oure lorde consideringe that so grett confusion of thynges shulde come in the latter days / therfore commaundeth he that christen mē which be in christendom willynge to re­serue the stedfastenes of trewe faith shulde flye vn to no nother thynge but vn to scripturs for yf they haue respect vn to other thinges they shalle be sclandered and shall perishe / not vn­derstondyng which is the trewe church. &c̄.

These wordes nede no exposicion they be playne I nough they do also exclude all maner of lernynge sauynge holy scripture / wherefore se how yov can with honestie saue youre holy lawes / and defend them agēst Chrisostom. Moreover iff chrisostom complayne of the inconte­nency that was in his days / how wolde he cō ­playne if he now lyued and sawe the baudry & fornicacion / that is in the churche? Also he sen­dith [Page lxvij] men to scripturs that wyll knowe the ho­ly church / and not vnto the holy churche for in the churche were heresys / but not in scripture.

Also.Ephe. 2. S. Paule wyttnesyth the same sa­yng / yov are bylte a pon the foundaciō of the apostylles and prophetes / here haue you playnly that the very trewe church is grounded ye and foundyd of holy scripture / and therfore where so euer that the worde of god is preched / that is a good token that there be some men of chri­stes church. But now as to the frutes and workes of this church / she dothe alonly fetch out hyr maner of lyuynge / and alle hyr good wor­kes out of the holy word of god / and she fayny­th not nor dremythe any other newe holynesse or new invented workes that be not in scriptu­re but she ys content with christes lernynge ād beleueth / that christ hath sufficienly taught hyr alle maner of good workes that be to y^e honou­re of oure heuynly father. Therfore inuenteth she no nother way to heuen but followeth chri­ste only / in sufferynge oppressions and persecu­cions / blasphemynges and alle other thynges that may be layd vnto hyr / which as. S / Augu­stine saithe she lerned of oure Master Christe.Augustinꝰ Oure holy mother the church thorow out alle the worlde scattered for and longe / in hyr trewe hed Christ Iesus taught / hath lerned not to fe­re the contumelys of the crosse nor yet of dethe but more and more ys she strengthed not in re­systinge but in sufferynge. &c̄.

Now my lordes compare youre selfe to this rule of. S. Augustine / and lett vs se how yov cā brynge youre selfe in to the churche? or els to [Page] proue youre selfe to be holye? The churche suf­ferth persecucions (for as. S. Paule saith / they that wylle lyue deuoutly in christe must suffer persecusion) and yov withstond all thynges ād suffer nothynge / [...] Timo. 3. yov oppres every man ād yov wyll be oppressed of no man / yov persecute eve­rye man and no man may speke aworde agenst yov / no though yt be neuer so trewe / you cast everye man in preson / and no man may touche yov but he shall be cursed / yov compelle euerye man to say as yov say / and yov wylle not once saye as Christe saith / and as for youre holynes all the worlde knoweth what it is / for yt ston­deth in clothyng & in dekkynge / in watchynge & slepynge / in etynge and in drynkynge this mea­te or that meate / thys drynke or that drynke / in patterynge and numblynge these Psalmys or that Psalmys wyth out deuocyon. Bre­uely alle youre holynes ys in bokes / belles / can­delles / challeses / oyle creame watter / horses / houndes pallycis / and alle that is myghty and glorious in the worlde there on hange yov / there in glorie yov / there on crake yov / there on boste yov / ther vppon bylde yov. Is this the natures of the church? is this holynes? of whome haue yov lerned these maners? yov can not de­nye but these be truth / and yf yov wolde denye yt / alle the world ys wyttnes agenst you / yee & also youre awne factes and dedes / of whome haue yov lerned this holynes?Hilarius. cont. Arianos not of christe nor yet of his holy churche / but yov haue lerned yt of the Arians / that were the seruantes of y^e de­uylle / as Hylarius wryteth in these wordes / y^e church dothe threten / with banyshementes ād presonmentes / and she compelleth men to bele­ue hyr / whych was exiled and cast in preson / [Page lxviij] no whangeth she / on the dignite of hyr fel­lyshyp the which was consecrated / by the thretnynges of persecuters / she causeth prestes to flye that was in cressed by the chassynge away of prestes / she gloryeth that she is loued of the world / the which coulde neuer be christes except the world dyd hatte hyr. &c̄.

How thynke yov my lordes? doo not yov alle these thynges? that be layd to the Arians charge? youre awne frendes / ye youre awne cō sciens must nedes accuse yov of alle these thyn­ges / and yet wyll you be called christes childern I lay nothynge to yov / but y^e holye doctours lay vn to yov.

But lett vs se what.Barnardꝰ suꝑ can. s. 33 S. Barnarde saith on yov / they call them selue the mynysters of christ but they serue Antichriste / they goo gorgiously a rayed of oure lordes goodes / vn to whome they geue none honoure / and of these goodes cōmythe / the harlottes deckyng that thou seyst daylye / the game players dysgysynge / and kyn­ges aparrelle / of this commeth goulde in their brydylles / in their sadylles / and in their spurres so that their spurs be bryghtter than the aul­tres: of this cōmeth their plentuous wyne pre­ssys and their fulle sellers / bolkynge from this vnto that / of this commeth their tonnes of swete wynys / of this be their baggys so fyllyd / for suche thynges as these be / wyll they be rulers of the churche / as dekyns / arche dekyns / byss­hops / and arche bysshops. &c̄.

[Page]My lordes I had thought / to haue added cardinalles and legates abbottes and pryors / to haue made the company more holly / but I durste not. How thynke yov / of whome dothe he speake whane he saith bisshops and archebi­sshops? what holynes dothe he repreue / whane he speketh of gorgius araye / of harlottes dek­kynge / of game players dysgysyng / of goulden spurs / saddylles and brydylles? yf there were an .C. that dyd vse yt more than yov yet must yov nedes graunt y^t he spekyth of yov / he pas­syth me sore / in condemminge of youre holy or­namentes / for he calleth yov the seruantes off Antichrist / and youre holy ornamentes harlot­tes deckynge and game players dysgysynge / & he saith that yov are neyther the churche nor ol the churche / but the seruātes of Antichrist / how thynke yov by. S. Barnarde yt is tyme to condemne hym / for he speaketh agenst holy church and all hyr holy ornamentes / this dare I wel saye / that yf the beste christen man with in the royalme shulde preache these wordes of. S. Barnarde yov wolde not stycke to condēne him for an heretyke / but yov were wonte to call hym swett Bernarde / but my thynketh y^t he ys soure I nough in thys thynge / wherefore dispute the matter wyth hym y^t yov may come in to the churche / and not wyth me.

TO declare this matter oure scole men haue wrapped them sel­fe in suche doutes that they were neuer abylle to come out of them / nor yet to satisfye them seluys nor no good Christen­mans consciens: for alle that they wryte ys but dremys off their awne invencion / and as paule callythe them the doctryns of the deuille agenst the holy word of god / 1 Timo. 4 & wringynge ād wrestyng y^e blessed word of god to ther purposse / alonly consyderinge how they myght / by right or by wronge stablishe the auctorite of miserable men / not consy­deringe the intent of the holy gost which inten­dyd nothynge els in alle places of scriptur / but to opyn vn to vs christ / ād the losynge frō oure synne by him onlye The which thynge oure dremers / and inventers of alle subtille lyes dyd neuer perseue / nor neuer sought for / but by dispysynge the holy word of god / and stykkyng so fast to their awne corruptyd resons / dyd they faulle in to innumerable heresyes dyssencions and contencions / and brawlinges of wordis / ād scolding lyke harlo [...]tes / so that none of them coulde agre with a nother. where fore that saynge of the holy prophete may welle be veryfyed of them.

Psal. 80.My people haue not hard my voyce and Israell hathe takyn no hede vn to me / and there fore haue I lett them passe after the desyeres of their awne hertes / and therfore they shalle folowe [Page lxx] their awne invēciōs / thys is always y^e sore vēgeāce of God / whane we wil not beleue and reseue alonly his word / than dothe he lett vs passe / so y^t we cane do nothinge but erre. Not with stōdinge we are so blyndyd that we thyn­ke darknys lyght / and erroures verytye

This is opynly prouyd / by alle oure grett Clarkely scolemen / and that yt may be opyn to alle men / I wille recyte what they lerne of y^e keyes Duns and all his scolars saye that these keyes be nothynge els / Scotꝰ. 4. sent. di. 18 but an auctorite geuyn to pristes where by they geue sentence / that heuyn must be openid to this man and schyt vnto the other: so that heuyn is openyd and shyt at the sentence of the pryst / This is his lernin­ge▪ who coulde haue invented suche a doctryne / but the deuille hym selfe? who ca [...]e speke agretter heresy than this ys? who cane speke more o­pynly agenst christ and hys holy scripture? If the auctorite of the pryst be the keyes of heuyn / and cane opyn and shytte heuyn / than nede w [...] no nother thynge to oure saluacyon / but the auctoryte of the pryst / than can no man be sauyd with out the auctorite of the pryst / than cane there no prystes be damned / For they ha­ue the keys of heuyn / I thynke they wille not be so mad: as by their auctorite to shytt them selfe with the deuylle. Breuely what nede haue we of Christ and of hys holy worde / For the auctorite of the pryst is the keye of heuyn / but let me bryng theyr awne wordes that the matter may be playnerNicho. de orbel. d [...]. vtsupra.

The keye in thys purposse is takyn after y^e symilitude of a materiall keye whiche is y^e next instrumēt to shyt & to opyn a dore by where by [Page] we enter in to the howse So lykewise / the auc­torite to geue sentence that heuyn mvst be ope­nyd vn to this man / is called the keye. &c̄ / To vse many wordis in refellynge this damnable opiniō yt nedeth not / But agēst them all / I will set the auctorite of Saynt Hierom whose wor­dis be these / I shall geue the the keys of heuē Thys place / Hiero in M. c. [...]6. the Bysshops and the prystis not vnderstondynge haue vsurpyd vn to them som what of the pharisys pride / so that they thynke y^t they may condemne innocentis / and loosse them that be gylty / whan a fore god not the sentence of the pryst but the lyffe of the giltye is re­gardyd. &c̄. Here you haue playnly y^t y^e sentēs of the prist is not lokyd on / nor abyll to loose a sinner a fore god / Marke also that Saynt Hierō saithe you vnderstōd not this place. Moreouer I wold know of you all / where you can brynge me one exampyll in scripture / that the sentence of a prist hath losyd a synner / or bound a ryght­wise man / and yf it can not do this / than is there a nother thynge a boue the sentence of a prist Furthermore y^t youre auctorite shuld be y^e keyes of heuyn / it is agenst reason and agenst youre awne lernyng / for duns and also lyra of this same texte / Scotꝰ. 4. sen dist. 15 Quest. 1. Quodcū (que) ligaueris / do playnly declare / y^t youre key of auctoryte may erre / Now if it may erre / than is yt not the right key to the locke of heuen / for the right key can neuer erre in hys awne locke / wherefore at the most yow can make it but a pickelocke whiche belongeth to robbers and theuys only. Mo [...]eouer if thys were the key / than shulde we neuer be in suerte whether heuen were opened or not. First we haue no promysse nor no worde of god / made vnto this key / And agayne we can not know whā [Page lxxi] it openeth heuen and whan not / for it may erre after youre awne doctors and yf it chaunce for to erre than are not heuen gatys openyd / So y^t be this meanys we shall be all ways in doute / whether we by lossyd from oure synne or not. Vvherfor we must seke out a nother key that is the very trew key to the locke the whiche cannot erre / of the whiche we shall be in suerte and wyth out all doute / But ere we declare what thys key is / we wyll first shewe the nature and the propertye of this key.

Saynt Augustine saithe That must be callyd a key where by the hardnes of oure hartis are openyd vn to faithe / Aug. ser: 2. de sane. and where by the secrett­nes of myndes are made manyfest / A key yt ys (saithe he) the which dothe bothe opyn the con­syens to the knowlege of synne / and also inclu­dyth grace / vn to the holsomnes of the euerlast­ynge mistery. &c̄. This is the diffynicion of thys keye that we speke of after / Saynt Augustyne / Now compare youre power vn to this diffini­cyon / and see how they do agree. Fyrst what cā youre power doo (which you call youre key) to remoue a way the hardnes of the harte / and to brynge in faythe? Agayne what can youre key Iudge of the secretnes of mans mynde? Thirdly what can youre power doo to mans consciēs to make hym to knowlege his sinne? yee where by do yow know youre awne synne? by youre power? thā haue all pristis a like knowlege. Fynallye what grace dothe youre power include in him? y^t may brynge vs to euerlastynge Ioye? where fore you see y^t this diffinicion agreethe as well with youre keye / as Chalke and Chese.

There fore must we seke a nother keye / y^t hathe all these propertyes. This ys nothynge [Page] ellys / but the holy worde of god / wherby that we reseue faithe in to oure hartis as. S. paule sayth / Rom. [...]0. Faith is by heringe and herynge is by y^e wordes of god / ād for thys cause y^e holy prophete callyth it a lanterne saynge.Psal. 118. Thy worde is a lantern vn to my fette / and yt ys light vn to my pathys.Ibidem By thys worde do we reseue lyffe as y^e prophete saythe / Thy speache shall quickyn me Also the secrettys of oure hartys be opened by thys worde as. Saynt paule declarith saynge yf there come one that doth not beleue / he ys repreuyd by the word off all men and the secretis of hys harte are openyd / [...]. Cor. [...]4. By this worde also is declared vn to vs grace and euerlastynge lyffe as. [...]. Thy. [...]. S. paule saith / christ hath put a waye deth / & hathe brought lyffe and immortalite vn to light thorow the gospel / Thys is y^u thynge only where by y^t oure cōsciens is loosed and mad fre frō synne. Therfore saith the holy prophete there is muche peasse vn to them that loue the lawe of god / Psal. 118. ād there is no sclaunder vnto them / muche peasse ys nothinge ellis but remissiō of synnes / ye & y^t with out any doute / for he y^t is loosed by y^e word of god / that is / he that hath y^e open worde of god for him y^t his sinnes be for geuen him he cā not be sclanderyd / y^t is / there is nothynge can make him to doute / but though heuen & hell lyffe ād dethe do thretyn him / he is not offendid he ys not sclanderyd / but bydeth fast and kno­wythe suerly that all these thyngys must pery­she / but the worde of god bideth for euer / Vvherefore this ys the very keye that Iudgeth the thoughtis & y^e intentis of y^e harte / as. S. paule saithe:Hebre. 4. By this haue we also y^e very knowlege of oure sinne / as. S. paule declarythe to y^e Ro­maines / Roma. 3. bi this is also declared vnto vs grace / & [Page lxxii] also remyssyon of oure sinnes yf we beleue yt. Vvherefore thys must nedis be the very trewe keye as yow may see euydently thorowe out all scrypture and not youre bostyd and crakyd power / for there ys no suche thynge nor yet can be in man / that can loose the soule of man from hys synne. Vvherefore / it ys damnable and de­uelysh lernynge and commeth of the presumtuꝰ pryde of man to lerne that man hathe a power in hym / by the whyche power mans soule is bound or loosyd from synne / But thys is all that man hathe / he ys a minister / and a dyspensator of the heuenly worde of god / for whose sake ou [...]e synnes be remyttyd whan we beleue yt / and oure synnes be retayned whan we do dyspy [...]e yt / Therfore the blessed worde of god ys the very keye and in that ys all the might and powe [...] to losse oure synnes / and man ys but a mynyster and a seruant vn to thys worde thys may be proued / by oure Master Christes wordys where he saythe. Goo youre way in to all the worlde / and preche the gospell vn to all creatours / Matt vi. he that dothe beleue and ys baptysyd shal be sauyd / but he that dothe not beleue shall be dānyd Here maye yow playnlye see / That the apo­styllys he but minysters & seruauntis & haue no power but alōly ministracyō The keyes y^t they haue where bi they must lose mē & bind is y^e very word of god & therfore saith oure. M. christ he y^e beleueth shal be saued / & he y^t doth not beleue shal be dānid By this word did y^e holy apostles declare grace thorow chryst / ād lernyd mē to sett all their hope of saluaciō in christ only / by this worde did they lerne mē to knowlege their sinne / ād to seke for grace & ful & whol to hope remissiō & [Page] forgeuenes of their synnes bi christ only. Breuely by these keyes / is openyd all goodnes if they be reseuyd / And all goodnes is shett from vs yff we reseue them not Now where this keye ys resevyd by faythe there is all thyngis lossyd / y^t is / alle synnes be forgeuyn / and the conscyens is made fre. And where it commythe not in nor is not reseuyd by faithe / there alle thyngis be shit and bound.Actu. 2 Of this maner dyd the holy a­postlis bynde ād loosse whane they preched this holy worde of god vn to the people / As we ha­ue an opyn example of. S. Petter / that prechyd this holy worde / and at his prechyng y^e herars were prykkyd in their hartis / and askyd petter what they might do and he answerid them re­pent and be baptisyd everye one of yov in y^e name of Iesus for remyssyon of youre synnes ād yov shalle reseue the gifte of the holy gost / where fore as meny as reseuyd his worde were baptisyd. Here haue yov playnly / y^e very trew ma­ner of lossing from synnes / as the holy apostles vsed yt / that is whane the people beleuyd the worde y^t they preched / thā they declared how th­eir synnes were remittyd for christes sake & not thorow any pore that thei had / for thei were but ministers. But the very power was in the worde of god where by they were delyueryd from their synnes This is wel provid bi oure master christes worde where he saithe vn to them / goo and preche saynge / Matt. 10. That the kyngdō of heuyn is at hond / what is this the kyngdom of heuyn? not any power that is in man / But remission of synnes shalle be geuyn to them y^t reseue yov re worde / and not that reseue either youre po­wer or youre parsons and therfore followeth yt. In what housse yov enter / say first peace be [Page] with yov / and if the house be worthy / youre peace shalle come a pone the same / that is to say iff they reseue youre worde ād beleue it / thane shalle youre peace / that is the peace of the gospel­le whiche you brynge with yov / shalle geue thē quietnes of consyens and loosse them from alle synne. But if the house be not worthy / youre peace shalle returne to yov agayn & who so euer shalle not reseue yov nor wille here youre preachynge whan yov departe out of that hovse shake of the duste from youre fette / I say vn to yov it shalle be easyer for Sodom and Gomorra in the day of Iudgemēt than for that Cytie / what is this youre pece shalle returne a gayne? no thyng els but that they shalle not be perta­kers there of but shalle remayne boūd in their synne / And why? bi cause they reseue not youre persōs or your power nay trewly / but bi cause they here not youre prechyng / It is not to be douted / but that many men / by heryng the apo­stles prechynge the worde of god / were losyd from their syns and yet neuer spake with the apostlis. Vvhere fore the reseuynge of the wor­de / and not of y^u apostille lossithe vs from oure synnes / & for y^t cause y^e apostille did declare by their departynge from them y^t wolde not bele­ue the worde / that they remayned stille in their synnes / For as S. Marke sayth / youre deper­tynge shalle be a testimony agenste them / that is to saye a tokyn of their condemnaciō.Mar. 6. we haue also an opyn practys of S. Paule how he dyd bynde them that dyd not reseue hys prechynge to whome he sayth these wordis / Acto. 18. youre bloud a pone youre hedis I wille departe from hens in clennes vnto the gentilles.

Nowe haue yov playnly how the holy apostille [Page] dyd bynde and losse / and with what keye they dyd it that is by prechynge of the holy worde of god / And by cause this thynge shulde be done with out any error and that no man shulde doute in yt / Iona· 20. he gaue them the holy goste saynge these worde / whose synnes yov do for geue shalle be for geuyn and whose synnes yov do retayne shalle be retayned To these wordes addyth S. Luke Thane openyd he their wytte y^t they myght ōderstōde y^e scripturs / so y^t where S. Ioan saythe / Luc. 24. he gaue them the holy gost Luke sayth / he openyd there witte to vnderstonde scripture / yt foloweth in Luke Thus ād Thus is it writtyn that Christ must suffer dethe and ryse a gayn the thyrd day and that repentaun­ce / Luc. 24. and remission of synnes shulde be prechyd in hys name a mong alle nacyons. Nowe where S. Ioan sayth / whosse synnes yov do losse shalle be lossid &c̄. That sayth Luke in these wordes remissiō of synnes must be p̄ched in his name So y^t whosse synnes yov do losse shalle be losed is nothynge els but that yov mvst preche remyssion of synnes in my name / and as meny as reseue thys worde yov shalle losse them by thys worde ād as meny as do not reseue it yov shalle bynde them by that same word / That this is the sentence of these .ij. places it is opyn by that that they speke alle of one story and of that thynge that was done alle in one daye / Acto. 17. this doth also S. paule proue wel where he re­siteth y^e wordes of luke saynge / Christ must nedes suffer and ryse a gayne from dethe / ād thys Iesus is christ / here is it playne y^t S. Paule losyd mē from their sinnes by prechynge remession thorow christ so that yov haue opynly here the practis of the holy apostyls howe the dyd [Page] bynd and losse bi prechynge the worde of gode. They dyd bynde with the worde whane it was not beleued. They dyd losse by the worde wha­ne it was beleued Thus dyd they by one worde preche bothe saluacyon and damnacion but vn to dyuers mē / This vertue of the worde dothe S. paule declare in these wordes / 2. Corin. [...] we are vn to god the swete sauoure of christ bothe a monge them that are sauyd / and also amonge them whych peryshe / To the one parte are we y^e sa­uoure of dethe vn to dethe / vn to the other parte are we the sauoure of liffe vn to liffe. Vvhat is this sauoure nothyng els but y^e gospel / whyche is vn to one sauoure of lyffe that is nothynge els but lossinge and remyssiō of synnes And vn to the other it is the sauoure of dethe vn to dethe / that is occasion of byndynge & retenyng in synne / This dothe paule also declare in a nother place / 1. Corin. [...] The prechynge of the crosse is to them that perish folishenes. but vn to vs whyche are sauyd it is the power of god / what is y^e power of god? nothynge els but remyssion and losynge from oure synnes Vvhat is folyshenes nothynge els but they dispyse the gospel and rekyn it of no value and of no power / where fore they remayne bound in their synne. Thus is it declaryd that one worde of god worketh in dyuers men dyuers operacions / in y^e one yt workith lyffe that is remission of synnes / in the other workythe it dethe and is takyn for folyshnes / that is it declarythe them bound and retay­nyd in their damnable synnes and yet in hym selfe / he is of one goodnes & of one nature / but y^e diuersite cōmythe / of thē that be y^e reseuers. This may be prouyd by a naturall exāple / the dewe of heuyn commith doune indyfferently [Page] a pone alle grūde / but in y^e one it bryngyth forth good corne & swere frutes And in y^e other it bryngith forth nettilles & brōbilles / that be nothyng worth but to the fyer / Heb. 6. Thys example haue yov in the pystille to the hebrues for this same pur­posse / lykewyse by one worde do the holy apost [...] lle and chrystes mynysters losse and bynde / but this do they not by charmeynge covngerynge Iuglynge and whyslinge absolucions as yov doo / But by prechynge the holy worde of God whyche whane it is beleued dothe quyet and losse ovre consiens from alle synne / ād offereth it vs thorow christ only / But whā it is not beleued thā doth yt bynde vs & retayne vs in synne So that thys holy worde is the very trewe keye of heuyn / for by yt heuyn is openyd and shett.

Chriso. in M. c. 15. De doctr. christi. li. 1 c. 15. et. 18.Thys dothe Chrisostom welle prove in these wordes / The key is the worde and the kno­wlege of scripturs / where by the gatte of ve­ryte is openyd vn to men &c̄. S. Augustine do­the also witnes the same saynge. These keyes hathe he geuyn to the churche / that what she byndeth in erthe shalle be bound in heuyn / and what she losythe in erthe shalle be loused in heuyn / That is so say / who so euer dothe not beleue that hys synnes be forgeuyn hym in the churche / they be not forgeuyn hym: But he that dothe beleue / and averte hym selfe from hys synnes beyng with in y^e churche by that same faythe ād amendment is he made holle &c̄. Here haue yov opynly that by beleuinge the worde of god oure synnes be losyd / ād by vnbeleue be we boūd in oure synnes / but now must we ser­che to whō these keys be geuyn They may not [Page lxxv] allonly begeuen to Peter / for than Paule / and the two sonnes of thūder had thē not Nor they may not be geuen / Augustin in Ioan Trac. 124▪ to one more than to y^e other for Christ wasse indifferent and they were al his apostillis ād their confessyon was all one / wherfore no dout but these keyes were geuē vn to al Christes apostyllis vn to the wholl churche / as Saynt Augustyn dothe decare openly vppon Iohan.24. q. 1. Q [...]odcū ­ (que) This may be also proued by the wordis of youre awne law whiche be these / yf peter ha­ue power alonly to bynd and to losse than doth it not the churche / but if this be doune in y^e churche / than did petter whan he reseued the keyes / signifie holy churche / &c̄. Here haue you openly y^t peter had not alonly the keyes / but he reseued them in the name of the church wherefore they be longe to all christen mē / This dothe Origene well proue in these wordis. Tu es petrꝰ. &c̄.Origenes Suꝑ. M. Ho. 1. Thes wordes were spokē vn to peter / vn to all apostles vn to all maner of perfyte faithful mē for all they are petrꝰ / ād in all thē is byldyd the churche of chryst / and agēst none of them cā the gatis of h [...]ll preuayll Doste thou rekkyn y^t the keyes of heuyn were allonly geuen to peter / ād that no nother christē man dyd reseue thē? &c̄. Here is it clearly y^t all chrysten men be peter & all they haue reseued the keyes of heuen / ād hel can not preuayll agēst thē. S. August. doth also testifie the same in these wordis / wherfore the church / which is foūdid & groundid in christ / Suꝑ Io [...] Trac. 1 [...] ▪ c. 21. of him hath reseuyd in peter y^e keys of heuē / y^t ys / to say power to bynd & losse. &c̄. Thus is it playne y^t these keyes are geuē to the wholl churche of christ for hyr faith / and they be the cōmen tresure of y^e church & belonge no more to one man thā to another / but because y^t al mē cā not vse these [Page] keyes alle to gether / for that wolde make a confusion / ther fore dothe the churche that is y^e congregacion of faythefulle men commytte the ministracion of these keyes / that is of the pre­chyng the worde of god / vn to sertyn men whome they thynke moste abylle and best lernyd in the worde of god the whyche men thus chossen be but ministers of the commen treasure / and no lordis ouer it / for the churche may deposse them / that is she may take a way the opyn ād the commen mynystracyon y^t she commytted vn to them / if they vse it not welle / and than they be but as other christen men hauynge no commen offyce nor mynystracyon in the chur­che / where fore they may neyther preche / nor yet mynyster sacramentis opynly but as other christen men may do pryuatly / in their awne housys / or in other places where men be getheryd whyche wille here of christ / there I say bo­the they and alle other christen men / may speke and lerne christes worde / and declare it after the gyfte that is geuyn vn to them of god / and they that do beleue this worde thus prechyd bi christen men / be by the power of the keyes lo­syd from their fynne and bound if they beleue not. For al the church and everye parte of the churche haue power to execute these keyes / allonly that the opyn order be not brokyn / 1. Cori. 14. Thys dothe S. paule declare saynge / yov may alle interpretate scripturs but se that alle thyngis be done after an order / Nowe to kepe an order & that nothyng shulde be done after a confuse maner / therfore the church assigneth sertyn mē to be the opyn ād the commē mynysters of this tresure the whyche be but allonly mynysters / & no lordes / And of this cōmen tresure ād not of their priuatte tresure as S. paule saythe / lett a [Page lxxvj] man so rekkyn vs as the mynysters of chryst / 1. Co. 4 Item. 3. & dispensators of the mynistery of god / Also in a nother place / what is paule? what it appollo? but mynysters by whome yov haue beleuyd / Also S. Peter youre predicessor commandethe yov / 1. Pet. 5. y^t yov shulde not exercysse any dominion ouer y^e cōgregaciō / but geue example to y^e flocke Be not these playne scripturs how yov be no lordes but mynysters of Christes tresure / & yov leue y^e ministraciō & vsurpe auctorite. S. Peter whose successors you boste youre selues to be / commandeth yov y^t yov shuld vse no dominiō ouer y^e cōgregaciō / why do yov not succede him in this thing? yov shuld be alonly but ministers & keyeberers of these keys / In. M. c. 23. as Chrisostom pro­ueth in these wordes / y^e keyeberrars are prestes vnto whome is cōmitted y^e worde to teache ād to interpretate scripturs. &c̄. Here yov not how yov be but keyeberrars & teachers of y^e worde of god. This doth. S. Ambrose wytnes in these wordes / synnes be forgeuē by the worde of god whose interpretar is the deken. &c̄.li. de Cain et abell Marke that sinnes be forgeuē by y^e worde of god of y^t which yov be but interpretars. where is nov I pray yov youre lordly power? which you call y^e keyes of heuē / is not scripture & y^e practys of y^e appo­stles & the exposiciō of holy doctours opēly agēst yov? wille yov vsurpe a thynge / y^t is cōtrary to all these? I pray yov where fynde yov in all holy scriptur / but one y^t Peter or Paule did asoyle / after y^e maner of youre keyes. And yet no doute but they had y^e keyes / yee & also did vse them wherefore it is to me greet mervell / of whome yov haue lerned youre vsage / & where yov ha­ue gotten suche keyes. It maketh no matter to me though yov crye as you are wonte. Fathers Fathers / Counsels / Counsels / the church / the [Page] churche / For yt will not helpe yov / you see opinly / that I haue the holy worde of god / and oure Master Christ / which is elder thā oure fathers I haue also the practis of y^e holy apostillis that vnderstonde thys thyng better than all youre coūsellis / But let vs graūte y^t you haue fathers and counsellys for yow / That ys the next way to dysseue the churche of god / By whome can Christen men be disseued / but by suche men as be of auctoryte / and dignite of the world? This you know that men can not bedesseued by horsses / nor by caluys / but yt must be by men ād not by folyshe men (For who wyll regarde fooles) but by them that berekkened of wisdom and of reputacyon in the worlde / And not by one wyse man (for a nother wysse mā may be of as good reputacyon and wysdom as he) but yt must be by many / or ellis it can haue no shyne nor col­oure of excelency / yee and by suche a multytude y^t reason can not suspect / so y^t there ys neuer so great danger vn to y^e church of god / as whane all these thyngis come to gether / and therefore sayth y^e holy prophete / [...] Blyssed is y^e mā y^t follo­weth not y^e coūsellys of wylkyd mē / you know y^t coūselles cā be no smal thynge / nor no folishe thyng Nor the wykked men them selfe doo rekkyn yt for no smalle thynge but for the gretiste thinge / and the wysyst thinge / and the strongist that they can thynke or deuisse / and noo doute but it hath a fore reson and a fore all the world a grett apparens of no small wysdom / and is so stronge y^t euerie mā is cōpelled to reseue it / yee & also those mē haue auctorite / for as y^e prophe­te saith they syte in y^e cheyre / the which doth both sygnifie gret lernynge & also gret auctoryte / And yet saythe y^e prophet that blissed is he that [Page lxxvij] followeth not their coūsellis nor sitteth in their chayre? Now if these thingis coulde be iudged by comē reason or ellis they semed so euyl / that all y^e worlde coulde iudge thē what nede the holy gost to make so muche a doo or to wryte soo stronglye agenst them? ye ād to saye that blessid ys he that herys them not / where fore he must nedys speke of suche myschyffe and of suche falsehod / ād of suche errours as haue all those thingis for them that you brynge of you / That is fatherhod / wysdō / lernynge / Auctorite / Multytu­de / and long custom / The which thingis be able to peruerte any mā be he neuer so wysse or ne­uer so holy yf he styck not fast to y^e word of god only / and therfore saythe y^e prophete blessed ys he whose wyll ād meditacion is nyght ād day (y^t is continually) in the law of god / Vn to the which if all youre coūcellis / All youre fathers / All youre custōs / breuely all y^t you bringe for you be cōpared / thā shal we se whether it be trew ād of god or not / for of thē selfe they haue no truth / but be inuēciōs of corruptid reson) & persuasiōs of the deuell to peruerte the holy church of god.

But my lordis lett vs go to reson / Tell me by youre honoure is it resonable y^t the holy churche of god / redemed with christes precious bloud / ād asolyd by him from all her synnes shulde be now bound vn to you ād to youre absolucy­on? ād y^t she shuld not be relesyd / but thorowe youre power? seyng y^t you be but ministers ād seruaūtis ordeyned of Christ vn to her profyte ād not to youre honoure? This will I declare by an example.

I put thys casse y^t there be a presoner bounde faste in chenys ouer the whiche you haue the custody and the kepynge after the kyngys commandemēt [Page] / now the kyngys grace saithe vn to you losse me that fellow / & lett hym go fre out of preson vnder this cōdiciō y^t he shall promisse to serue no prince but me only / what wyll you louse him or not / Can you or dare you kepe him lenger if you wolde / Or can you compell him to make any other cōposycion with yov / thā alon­ly to serue y^e kynge / yf you wolde kepe him len­ger in pryson dyd you not rūne in the kyngys displesure / & if he did promisse you any other cō posicion / were he bound ther to? Nay doutles. Moreouer in losinge of hym / what thynge doo you by youre auctoryte / ye what thinge do you at all but that you are mynysters vn to the kyngis cōmandemēt ād a seruāt to the poure fello­we. The ministracion ād seruyce ys yowars / But the auctorite is the kyngis of the whyche you haue neuer a crumme.

Take an other exāple / yf it wolde plesse the kingis grace to make any of you an embassatoure and geue you a cōmission and cōmandymēt / to fetche whom in to hys londe a banysshed mā vn to whom the kynges grace writteth his pardon wyth suche wordis and vnder suche cōdicyon as yt plesythe hys grace / Now this pardon delyuereth he to you / for to bere and to declare vn to the banisshed mā / Here wolde I know of you / what you can do for this banysshed mā more than ys wryttē in youre cōmissiō / Also what can you do agenst hym in these thynges that y^e kynges grace hath perdonyd him / yow can neyther adde nor take a way from the kyngys pardon / you can no more do but declare yt vn to y^e partye / And yf he reseue it than may he as law fully / and as frely come in to the londe as yow may / and you can not saye / by ryght that yow [Page lxxviij] haue by youre auctoryte dyscargyd hym or ge­uen hym any pardon of hys banyshement / but alonly yow haue delyuered and declared vn to hym / the kyngys pardon which whan he had reseued wyth the condysyons there in / than ys he dyscharged of hys banysshement / And yf he wil not reseue the kyngys pardon / Than can yow neither helpe him / in to the lond / nor yet discharge hym of hys transegressyon / but alonly yow leue hym / and declare vn to hym / ye and that by the kyngys wordes that he ys a banyshed mā and so shall remayne tyll he reseue the kyngys pardon / So lyke wysse the worde of god whe­re in ys pardon for all synners ys commyttyd vn to you to preche and to declare / whyche yff they reseue by faythe they are fre ād lousyd frō their synnes / but yf they do not they are bound not by youre auctoryte / for yow be but mynysters and seruantys / and can no forther goo than youre cōmyssyon / but by the auctoryte of god only / wherfore se well to youre conscyens how yow can dyscharge youre selfe a fore god that do so presumtuously vsurpe hys auctorite / of y^e whyche yow haue neyther word nor exampylle in scripture. Moreouer howe can you proue thys maner of absolucion. Ego ab soluo te auctoritate mihi ꝯmissa / for to be lawful / I pray you where was there euer any auctorite cōmyttyd vn to mā to take away sinne? There is no auctorite cōmittid vnto mā / but alonly ministraciō of y^e word / Now your absoluciō / maketh mēciō off auctorite ye & y^t with out y^e word / & agret meny of you vnderstōd not the worde. Duns saith / ꝙ absolucio sacerdotis / ē disposicio necessitās ad re­missionē culpe / how think you be these fete wor­des for a christē mā if your absoluciō be necessari [Page] than can not god take a waye synne wyth out yov / nor yov with out hym / but god and yov to gether take away sinne / whother wil yov now? wyll yov assend so hye / wyll yov be cheke mat­tes with god? I thynke shortly yov wylle also be godes / the phareses dyd rekken muche bet­ter of god than yov doo / for they sayd / that god only dyd absolue from synnes / and yov saye I doo assoylle / ye and that by auctoryte / so that yov farre passe the phareses / but let vs se what S. Augustine saith of suche men / meny synnes be forgeuen the / he prophysed of men that be to come.Luc. 7. Augus. li. Quinquaginta ho­meliarum. ho. 23. There were men to com that wolde say / I forgeue synnes I iustifye / I sanctifye / I ma­ke holle so manye as I baptyse wherefore the Iuys dyd better vnderstonde the remyssion off synnes than heretykes doo / for the Iuys sayd / what man is this that forgeueth synnes / and y^e heretyke saith / I forgeue / I make clene / I san­ctify. &c̄.

These wordes be playne ynough agenst yov / for you say we haue auctoryte to remytte synnes. And. S. Augustine saith yov be herety­kes for so saynge. yov can not deny / but. S. Augustine repreueth youre awne absolucion / whe­re in yov say that youre absolucion is requisite of necessite to remission of synnes the which is nothynge elles / but clearly denyinge of Christe of his blessed bloud and also of his holy worde / but yff we had grace we myght perseue y^t ney­ther yov / nor youre absoluciō / nor yet any thynge that yov doo were of god / for all that you do vs clearly done for monny and for no nother cause. Rekken one thynge that yov doo / as consernynge youre mynistracyon / but that yov wille haue mony for yt / not so muche as wasshyn­ge [Page lxxix] of a hepe of stonnes. where by haue yov gotten alle youre great possessions / but alonly vn­der the collour / y^t yov be Christes holy bisshops.Monye ys a mer­chaunte For monny you make whordom as lawfulle as matrimonye. For monye / stollen good shalle be better than heritage. For mōnny / you make vsery lawfulle merchandis. For mony / alle synnes be vertue yee and also haue grett perdon to thē For monny / yov sell man / wyfe / mayd and chil­de kynge and Londe. For monny you make as good merchandis / of womens preuytyes / as a goldsmyth dothe of gylted platte. yov wylle rekken that this is a shame for me to wrytte / but yt is more shame for yov to doo yt / and iff yov did not these shamfulle dedes I shulde haue none occasyon to make this shamfulle wrytinge / take yov away the cause and I wyll take a waye the wrytinge. yee yov are not so content / but you sell Christ yov selle the blessed sacramēt off his flesh and bloude / yov selle his holye worde / yov selle all other sacramentes / breuely yov sel­le / alle maner of thynge that euer he lefte in er­the to y^e comforte of mans solle / and all for monny / ye and not so content but yov make also molawes and mo statutes / and dyspence wyth thē for monny / and alle these thynges doo yov / by the auctorite of the keyes / that bothe open heuē and helle / and a mans coffer and also his pursse yee and sumtyme they losse the cotte from his backe. Oure master Christe saith vnto yov / yov haue reseued yt fre geue yt fre agayne / and yov geue nothyng fre / but I know youre answere yov wille say that yov sell not youre masse nor sacramentes nor the worde of god / but the laboure that yov haue aboute them. O thou deuylle whan wylte thou be with out an excuse / whan [Page] wylte thov graunte they selfe gylty? Telle meye y^t be with out shame / yf yov do selle but youre labour is it not sore and an vnlawfulle pry­se to selle yt so dere? what bisshop cā deserue by his labour a thousande pounde by yere / and yet some of them haue a great delle more / and la­bour nothynge at all. How dere wylle these mē selle their labour yf they shuld be tankerdebe­rars / they wold make watter derar than wyne / yee telle me what labour there is wyth in the royalme that is halfe so dere solde as their ydylnes ys? But yov bellygodes dyd not Christes appostles take paynys and labours / a bought the ministracion of the worde? and in fulfyllyn­ge of their office / more in one day than yov [...]oo in alle your lyuys / and yet was it not lawfulle for them more to reseue thane a lyuynge: for oure Master Christ saide / the worke man is wort­hy of his mette / Mat. 10 so that oure master wolde that they shulde reseue no more but necessarie / 1. Cor. 9· Also S. Paule saithe oure lorde did orden that they which preche the gospelle shulde lyue on the go­spelle / marke how he saith they that preche the gospelle / now which of yov all dothe preche the gospell / Hierom. not one and yet wylle yov enioye the­se innumerable possessions. Saynt Hierom sa­yth on his same texte / you must lyue on the gospelle / Chrisosto ad Ti. 5. but not be ryche / also Chrisostom saithe / I say boldly that the bisshops and prelates off the churche / may haue nothynge but meate ād drynke & clothe. &c̄. Here haue yov planly / that yf yov dyd laboure faith fully & truly in the go gospelle / yov coulde haue but a lyuynge there on / & no lordly possessions / but now do yow no­thynge in the worlde / but exercysse tyranny on thē that wold preche the gospelle / & make lawes [Page lxxx] & statutes / to destroye them / Chri. s. 6. de anathemate & the holye gospelle of god / so that Chrisostom speketh well of yov / Be holde I see men that haue no trew sence of holy scripture / yee they vnderstonde nothynge at all therof / & to passe ouer meny thynges (for I am a shamed to calle thē mad men / try fyllars & wranglars) they be suche as know not what they saye nor of what thing they speke / but alō ly be they myghtye & bolde to make lawes / & to cursse & condēne those thinges of y^e whiche they know no thinge at alle. &c̄. Be not these youre workes? who can saye / but that these wordes be spokē of yov? who maketh statutes & lawes but you? who curseth & cōdēneth but yov? how cane yov lay these thinges from yov? how can yov avoyd thē? so longe shal they be layd agēst yov / tylle yov cā brynge in one that is gyltye of thē / I tkynke y^t will be lōge / & yet wille yov ha­ue these greet possessions / & be also greet lordis doynge nothyng there fore at alle / but allonly play y^e parte of a bishop / as a Christemasse ga­me player / dothe of a kynge / & as a puppet which springeth vp & doune & crythe pepe pepe ād gothe his waye / so do yov make a countenaun­ce of greet holynes / & of greet perfecciō / but alle y^e world cā testify what yov do in dede. Moreouer you are more bounde to y^e gospell / thane all other men be in the world for there by haue yov all youre honoure / all youre ryches / alle youre lordly possessiōs / & if y^e gospelle were not / men wolde no more regarde yov / thane they do cob­lers / & yet deserue yov worste of all mē of y^e gospelle / wherefore I cane no more say vn to yov / but y^e wordes of oure. m. christ / wo be vnto yov hipocrites y^e which shyt heuē gates a fore ohter mē / and as. S. Luke saith / Mat. 23. Luce. 11 yov haue takē away [Page] the key of sciens / and neyther enter in youre selfe / nor yet suffer other y^t come to enter in / now lett me see / how alle youre keyes / and alle you­re power cane asoylle you from thys same woo that oure Master Christ dothe here lay vnto yov? This worde of god byndeth yov to euerlastynge dā nacion let vs see yf youre pykelocke cane opē this locke / than wyll I say that yov haue the keyes off heuen or els not. I thyn­ke yov may seke all youre clogge with keyes and fynde not one that wylle open this locke.

IN this article wyll we not dis­pute / what man may do by the commen influence geuen hym of god / ouer these inferior and worldlye thynges / as what power he hath in eatynge & dryn­kynge / in slepynge and spekynge / in byinge and sellynge / and in alle other sache naturalle thynges that be geuen of god indifferently to alle men bothe to good and bad: but here wylle we serche what strength ys in mā of his naturalle power / with out the sprete of god / for to wyll or to doo tho­se thynges that be acceptable a fore god / vn to the fulfyllynge of the will of god / as to beleue in god / to loue god after hys commandementes / to loue iustice for yt selfe / to take god for his father / to rekken hym to be mercifulle vn to hym to fete god lovyngely / with alle other thynges that men doo caule good workes / this is y^e thinge that we wylle serche to knowe.Iohan. 15 Now that he cane do nothing in these causis by his fre wille / oure Master Christ proueth yt in these wor­des he that a bydeth in me and I in hym / bryn­geth forthe muche frute / for with out me can yov doo nothynge / iff a man a byde not in me / he is caste out as a branche / and he shalle bur­ne. Here it is open that frewylle with out gra­ce cane doo nothynge I do not speke of eatynge and drynkkynge (though that be of grace) but nothynge that is frutefulle / that is merytorius that ys worthy off thanke / that is acceptable a [Page] sore god. For he that hathe not Christe in hym / ys caste out / this ys the fyrste frute of frewylle: than wydderth he / that is y^e seconde frute / this wytherynge helpeth hym nothynge to goodnesse / he must wydder lett hym doo his beste: than is he gathered & caste in the syer / this is y^e thyrd frute / what cane he in the fyer do / nothynge but burne / he cane not lye there as a thynge indyf­ferent / but he must nedes burne / ād he cane not come out of the fyer by his awne strength / lett hym intend as muche as he cane / his intencion cā not helpe hym / nor yet forther hym. So y^t alle the myght of frewylle whane he ys lefte a lo­ne / ys nothynge els but fyrst to be cast out / and seconde to wyther so decayeth he / thyrdly to be cast in the fyer / all this is worsse and worsse: fy­nally he burneth / this is worst of alle for here is he paste helpe / so that this is the strength that frewylle hath / to brynge hym selfe to vtter dys­truccyon. Nowe where wylle oure Duns men / brynge in their bonum conatum / they are so longe in bryngynge of yt in / that frewylle is brou­ght to the fyer and there cane he neyther saue hym selfe from burnyng / nor yet helpe hym sel­fe out / but to this my lord / of Rochester answe­reth in a serten place / that frewylle cane doo no good meritorius / sed tamen non oīo facit nihil / what is thys to saye but Nihil. yff he doo no good that is meritorius / nor worthy of thanke a fore god / I pray yov what doth he but Nihil oure disputacyon is / what goodnes y^t he cane do with out grace / and yov graunt / that he cane doo no goodnes / & yet yov say that he cane doo sumthyng / ys not this a worthy sayng for a bishop / for a doctour / y^t wille lerne other mē how to vse thē selfe with god / is not this a goodly saynge to proue that man hath frewille thereby? [Page lxxxij] but by suche vayne wordes / damnable blasphe­mus / dothe he deseue the symple people / and maketh thē beleue (by suche wordes as they vnderstond not) that they haue a naturalle myght and power to deserue heuen / & to doo all maner of goodnes. But lett vs se how.Suꝑ Io [...] nem trac. 81. S. Augustine vnderstondeth this text of. S. Iohan / Leste ony man shulde suppose that the branche of hym selfe coulde bryng forth / at the leste ways a lytelle frute / therfore saithe he not / with out me cane yov doo a lytylle / but with out me cane yov do nothyng / therfore whether yt be lytylle / or whe­ther yt be muche / with out hym cane yt not be done / with out whome ys nothinge done. won of two thynges must the branche nedes do / ey­ther a byde in the vyne / or els burne in the fyer yff yt be not in y^e vyne / thane is yt in the fyer. &c̄ My lorde where wylle yov brynge in here / youre somthyng that frewylle dothe. S. Augustine saith / with out grace cane frewylle doo / neyther lyttell nor muche / for yf she be not in Christ / she burneth in the fyer / calle yov that sumwhat? where be now Master Dunsys men with their bonū conatū / bonū studiū / & applicacionē ad bonū here must they nedes lye in y^e fyer / with alle their good intentes / with their good prepara­ciōs / & their holy disposiciōs. Also.2. Co. 3. s. Paule / we ar not sufficiēt / to thynke any thinge of oure selfe / as it were of oure selfe / but oure sufficiencye is of god / what is this y^t we are not abylle to thinke any thynge of oure selfe? what cane be a smaller thynge thā to thinke? & yet this smalle thyng cane we not do / it is also open y^t Paule menyth not of y^e thynkynge y^t cometh by naturall power / for y^t god doth not lett / but letteth it ꝓsede after his fyrst ordināce / as we haue open experyence in infideles / but here he speketh off [Page] suche a thynkynge as is acceptable / & thankeful a fore god / and therfore foloweth yt / god hathe made vs worthy minysters of the newe testa­ment / here ys it open that he speketh of that thinkinge / that is a singulare and a specialle gifte off god / and not of the commen gifte of natu­re / for that were nothynge / to the ministracyon of the gospelle.Barnard Lib. arbit. But lett vs see what. S. Bar­nard saith of this texte / what shalle we say? ys this allonly all the merytte of fre wylle that he doth alonly consent? yee doutles. Not that that same consent in the which is all his merytt / ys not of god / whane that we cane neyther thyn­ke (the which is lesse than to consent) any thyn­ge of oure selfe as though we were sufficient of oure selfe / these wordes be not myne / but the appostles the whiche geueth vn to god and not to his fre wylle / all maner of thynge that cane be good / that ys to saye / to thynke / to wylle / or to performe. &c̄.

Heare yov not that alle thynges / that cane be good. s. Barnard geueth to god? Now what strength hathe fre wylle / he cane neyther thyn­ke good / nor wylle / nor yet performe yt / what remayneth? I know nothinge but eyther yt is in­cluded in thynkynge / in wyllynge / or in perfor­mynge / and alle these begeuen to god. Also ou­re Master Christ sayeth shalle men gether grappys of thornys / Mat. 7. or fygges of brombylle busshys An evylle tre cane brynge forth no good frute. what menyth oure Master whan he saith / that grapys be not gethered of thornys? nothynge els / but that the frute must belyke the nature of the tre / & therfore saith he / an evyll tre / cane not brynge forth good frute / now cane yov not de­nye / but that frewylle with out grace is an evyl [Page lxxxiij] tre / ergo hys frute must nedes be evelle / he may well bryng forth frute / but yt shall not be good. Is not alle frewyls power declared in these wordes / he cā not / I pray yov what meanethe oure Master Christ in these wordes / he can not Christ said / he can not / & wylle yov say / he can?Mat. 12. also oure Master sayeth / yov adders byrdes / hov cane yov speke good thynges / seynge that yov be evylle / had not these men frewylle? and yet sayth oure Master they coulde not speke good thynges / yov rekken yt but a smalle po­wer / to speke good and yet as smalle as yt ys / frewylle cane not doo yt / he maye welle speke / but yt shall not be good / for how shulde he spe­ke good / that is evylle of hym selfe? how shul­de he doo good that knoweth no good? but ys the very enymye of goodnes / yee and as muche as lyethe in hym / he wolde there were no good­nes for yf he wolde there were goodnes / whye dothe he yt not / you haue also a commen pryncipyll / there is nothynge loued and desyred but y^t that is knowne / now how shulde frewyll flye from synne and desyer goodnes / and he kno­weth not which is very synne / and whiche not / As. S. Paule saith / by the lawe is the knowle­ge of synne / so blynde is frewylle / Rom. 3. that he kno­weth not synne to be synne nor vertue to be vertue / but iudgeth that thynge to be good that is evell and that thyng that is evylle to be good / for he is loste and hathe no trewe iudgement As. S. Augustine saith / what goodnes cane he doo that is loste / In E [...]he c. 29 except that he be delyuerd frō his misery? Cane he do any good by his frewylle? god forbyd / for man evylle vsyng his frewille / dyd bothe lesse hym selfe & also his frewylle / and as a man beyng a lyue / dothe kylle hym selfe [Page] / and whan he hathe kylled hym selfe / he cane not make hym selfe a lyue agayn. So lykewyse whan we doo synne by frewylle / and synne ha­the the victory / thane is frewylle clene loste / for of whom a man is ouer comme vnto hym must he be seruant / doutles thys sentence is of Pe­ter the appostle / the which seyng that yt is tre­we / I pray yov what maner of fredom cane a bonde seruant haue / except yt be whan yt ple­seth hym to synne. &c̄.

How thynke yov by this / yov defenders off frewyll / doth he not clearly saye that mā hathe lost his frewylle by synne? and cane no more do vn to goodnes / than a dede man cane do to ma­ke hym selfe a lyue agayn / yee he cane doo no­thynge but delyght in synne / calle you that a fredom?de verbis apost. s. 11. Call yov that bonum conatum? Call yov that a preparinge to grace? S. Augustine dothe declare / what goodnes that frewylle deserueth / with out grace saynge / o cursed frewylle wyth out god / we haue experience what frewille cane doo with out god / therfore are we miserable by cause we haue experience what frewylle ys abylle to doo wyth out god / beholde man was made good / and by his frewill was he made an evylle man / whan shal an evylle man by his fre­wyll make a man good? he beynge good / coulde not kepe him selfe good / ād now that he is evel shalle he make hym selfe good? whan that he was good he kepte not hym selfe good & now y^t he is evyll / shal he say I make mi selfe good? &c̄

Here haue yov the very strength of frewil­le / by his strength are we made miserable / and that dothe experience lerne and yet wylle yov boste frewyll. S. Augustine calleth yt cursed frewylle / and you doo call yt blessed frewyll / is not this a goodly fredom and greet power / to bringe [Page lxxxiiij] vs to this euerlastinge misery? This is youre bonum conatum / and facere quod in se est / & preparare se ad graciam with other damnable dremes that yov haue / whose conclusions are nothyng els but to bryng vs to damnacion / yov se. s. Augustines wordes be so playne that no man cane avoyd them.

Also. S. Paule saithe / Roma. 8 the wysdom off the fleshe ys enymy to god / yt is not subiect vn to the law nor cane be / for they that serue the fles­he / cane not plese god / and he that hathe not the sprete of Christe the same man is none off hys / for the selfe sprytte bereth wyttnes to oure sprete that we be the chyldern of god / here haue yov playnly / that the wysdom of the fleshe ys very ennymy agenst god / yov cane not say / but by wysdom he vnderstondeth the best thyng y^t is in man / for better than wysdom cane there nothyng be / and yet that is enymy to god for yt is but fleshe and alle that ys in man with out y^e spreet of god / and that S. Paule declareth whā he saith / he that hathe not the spreet of Christ / the same man is not Christes. Here is playne y^t wyl / reason / wysdō / harte or what so ever thing y^t is in mā is (with out y^e sprete of god) but fleshe & cane not be obediēt / he saithe not he wylle not / but he can not: he hathe no myght / he hathe no power / lett hym intend his best / doo all that lyeth in hym / with alle his myght & alle hys po­wer / & yet cane yt not plesse god / for yt is all but fleshe. But here Master Duns men wylle ma­ke a disticcion / & say that fleshe is taken here for fleshly desyers only and voluptuousnes / & not for the desyers of the solle / nor for the eleccion of the wylle / I wolde know of them / what par­te in man yt ys / that desyreth / or that co­uyteth [Page] this voluptuousnes / it is not the bonys nor y^e synowes / nor y^e fleshe y^t hangeth there on but yt is the hyest parte of man the verye soule of man / he is the ground and the auctor of alle concupisens / take away hym / and there remanyth no voluptuousnes / therfore. S. Paule decla­reth hym and his operacion / whan he calleth yt the wysdome of the fleshe / but I wolde gladly know / what they vnderstonde / by vnclene de­syers / and by voluptuousnes / iff they vnderstō de / evylle cogitacions / as aduoutrye / fornycaciō manslauter / thefte / covytusnes / dysseyt / vnclennes / blasphemy / pryde / follyshenes / yf they caulle these voluptuousnes / these be they y^t comme from the harte of man / and be chosen by the e­leccion of the wyll as oure Master Christ doth clearly declare Marc .vii. yee and y^t frō y^e very buttō of y^e harte / Mat. 7 cane they inuent any other vnclenly desyers than these? & these cōme not frō the bonys / nor from the synowes nor from y^e inferior parte of the harte / but from the verye grovnde of the harte / and these be alle his desyers / and other hathe he none of hym selfe. whe­re these dremers dreme they wotte not what / & speke that they vnderstond not / for alle that is in man / harte / soulle / fleshe / and bone. &c̄. wyth alle their workes / is but fleshe / except the sprett of god be there / euery man hathe a soule / but by that is he not Christes / for than infidels were Christes / but the sprete of Christe maketh hym Christes / and the sprete of god geueth wytnes to oure sprete that we be the chyldern of god / oure spritte geueth no wytnes to hym selfe / y^t he is Christes / for thane were y^e sprete of god frustrate wherefore lett oure spreet intende as welle as he cane / studdy hys beste / a plye hym [Page lxxxv] selfe to goodnes / after the vttermost of his power and yet is it but wysdom of the fleshe and hath no wytnes of god / ye it is but an enymy & yt must nedes be synne / for As. S. Augustyn sa­ythe / he that fedith with out me / De ver­bis dn̄i sermo. 50. fedythe agenst me. &c̄. Marke how be saithe agenst me / wherfore all that fre will can do with out gra [...]e is but synne / Marke also y^t Paule dyd wryte vn to the Iuys / ye & to y^e best of them which dyd sto­dye to do good workis yee ād that the best workis that were the workis of y^e law ād yet all the se he calleth but fleshe / and declaryth opynly y^t all these good workis coulde not helpe them / ād yet no doute but y^t y^e Iues did as muche as lay in their frewyll to do to come to y^e fauoure off god / and yet it ho [...]pe not for all was but wysdō of the flesh / and enymy to god / also. S. paul say the.Ro. 8. If you mortify the dedys of y^e fleshe by the spret / yow shall lyue / yow will not rekkyn that Saynt paule dothe Iudge y^e spret of god necessary / to kylle the desyers of the fleshe / y^t is of y^e synowes or of the bonis / or of any other thyng y^t is in mā by syde y^e sprett of mā / for that were but a small thynge yee it were but frustratt to sett the spret of god to kille these thyngis / for y^e sprete of mā can kylle them / yee and also rule thē / for after youre awne Philosophers / y^e spret of man / is the ruler ād the gyder of all the wor­kis / y^t be done by the body / wherefore the spret of god must be he / y^t shal kill the dysease of oure spret / the which is the most spirituall thynge in vs ād yet is it but fleshe a fore god / for yf there ware any power in him / hye or lowe / De ver­bis apostoli. s. 13. to kyll his desiers / thā were yt but voyd to call the sprett of god to helpe / but let vs here what. S. Augu­stine saithe on this texte / yf you mortify the fle­she. [Page] &c̄. Thow wylt say / that can my will do that can my fre will do. what will / what maner offre wyll? except y^t he gyde the thou fallyst / ex­cept he lyft y^e vpp thou lyest styll / how cāst thou thā do it by thy spret / seyng y^t the apostle saithe As many as be led by y^e spret of god / be the childerne of god / wilt thou do of thy selfe? wilt thou be led of thine awne selfe / to mortify the dedys of the felshe? what will it profyt the (for if thou be not voluptuꝰ with the Epicu [...]r / thou shall be proude wyth the stoykes) whyther thou be an Epicuer / or a Scoicꝰ? Thou shalt not be a mō ge y^e childern of god / For they y^t be gydid of the spret of god / be the children of god / not they y^t lyue after their owne felshe / not they y^t lyue af­ter their awne spret / not they y^t be led of their awne spret but as meny as be lede of the sprett off god / they be the chyldern of god / but here a mā will say / Ergo thā arewe rulid & we do not rule I āswere Thou both rulist & arte rulid / but thā dost thou wel rule if thou be ruled of y^e good spret / vtterly if thou wante the spret of god / thow cāst do no good / thou dost truly wyth out hys helpe by thy frewill / but it is but euyl done / vn to y^t is thi wil which is callid fre wil / & bi euil doyng is she mad a dānable boūde seruāte / whā I say with out the helpe of god thou dost nothinge I vnderstōd by it no good thing for too doo euyl / thou hast frewil / with out y^e helpe of god / though y^t be no fredō. wherefor you shall know y^t so do you goodnes / if y^e helping spret be your gyder / the which if he be absēt cā do no good at all. &c̄. My think this saing a lone wereable too cōfoūd yov all / if you wolde beleue. S. August. Mark how he saith with out the spret of god you lye still in sinne / let youre spret do the best [Page lxxxvi] he can / for they be not y^e chyldern of god y^t lyue after their awne spret / y^t are gydyd after their awne spret but after y^e spret of god for our spret can do no good at all / but euell yf the spret doo not lede hym / where is now youre bonū studiū youre bonꝰ conatꝰ / & applicacio ad bonū. &c̄. For your spret cā do nothing but euyll ād is of hym selfe but a dānable seruāt / what good can a dā ­nable seruāt do of him selfe? So that here haue you openly proued / that the frewil of mā / of his awne strength & of hys awne power can do no­thing but synne?

But now cōmithe the dānable reson & fleshely wisdō & will dispute & say if oure frewyll cā doo no goodnes / what nede god to cōmāde so meny good thingis? what ned god to geue those cōmā dimētis that he knoweth wel be impossible for vs? & if they be impossible what right is in him that dāneth vs for y^t thing y^t is impossible for vs to do / I answere o thou blind p̄sumtuous / & dānable reson / where haste thou lernyd of ony other creature to inquier a cause of thy makers wyll / or ellis to murmur / agenst the ordynance of thy lyuinge god / what hast thou to do / to re­quier a cause of his actis? he hath made y^t with out thy consent & coūsell & may he not sett law ys & ꝯmādemētis to rule y^t bi at his plesur with out coūsel? thou artworthy of none āswer / thou arte so presūtuꝰ nor there is no godly āswere y^t will satifyse y^t Neuer the lesse I wyll stope thy blasphemynge mouth / by thyne awne wysdom to thy gret shame. First thys thyng must thow graūte me / y^t thy god is Essencial goodnes / & is nothing but goodnes / wherfore he can commande nothyng / but y^t is good / Iust & rightꝰ / which thngys yf thou doo not or be not abylle to doo [Page] Thy maker may not lett his goodnes vndone by cause of thy naughtynes / or for thyne vn a byllnes / And if thou biste not abille to do those good thyngis that he commandyth the / There is no faute in the commander / nor yet in the commandimentis / wherfore than doste thou grudge agenste hym with out a cause? But yet wylte thou murmur and say how that he knoweth how they be impossible for the / Truthe y^t is he knoweth it / Than wylt thou say / wherfo­re dothe he command them to me? O thou pre­sumtuous creature it were suffycyently āswe­red to the to say that it is his plesur so to com­maunde what couldest thou say more / what occasyon haddest thou to murmur? what vrōg haste thou? But I wille go forther thy maker knowythe that they be impossible for the he kn­owithe also / thy damnable and presumtuous pryde / that rekkynest how thou canste do alle thyngis y^t be good of thyne awne strēgth with out any other helpe / and to subdewe thys pre­sumtuous pryde of thyne / & to bryng y^e to knowlege of thyne awne selfe / he hath geuyng y^t his commaundymentes of y^t which thou canste not complayne / for they be bothe righttus ād good And if thou complayne bi cause they be impossible for the / thane consyder thy damnable pry­de / that thoughtest thy selfe so stronge y^t thou couldest do alle goodnes / But what wylt thou nowe doo these commandimentis be geuyn and cannot nor shalle not be changyd to satysfyse thy presūtuus pryde / where of wilte thou now complayne? godes commādimentes be resona­ble / they be good / they be righttus / and they be laudable / shalle alle these thynges be dystroyd to satisfyse thy pryde / nay not so / But thou [Page lxxxvii] shalte rather remayne / with alle thy pryde vn­der the damnacion of these commandimentes / what sayst thou ther to? cāste thou avoyd this? canste thou say but this is ryght / canste thou saue thy selfe from danger / canste thou a voyde thy damnacion by alle thy carnalle wysdom? nay verely / for he that is thy aduersary is om­nipotent where fore say what thou wylt / So must it be / for it is godes ordināce whiche may not be chāgyd. But now wilte thou aske what remydy? no remydy but this wonly / to confesse thy wekenes / to confesse thy pryde / to know­lege thy vnabyllnes / to graunt that these commandymentes be lawfulle holy and good / and how thou arte bounde to kepe them / and to geue laude and prayse to god for them / and to go to thy mercyfulle maker with this confessyon / and to desyer hym that he wille helpe the / that he wille be mercifulle vn to the / y^t he wille strength the for thou arte to weke / That he wille geue the his spret / for thy spret is to fleshely / to fulfylle these spritualle commandementes and doute thou not but thou shalt fynd hym bothe mercy fulle and also gracious for he gaue y^u these commandymentes for that intent / secretly declaryng bothe thy pryde & also thy wekenes / y^t thou mightest seke ād calle vn to hym for helpe

Thys dothe S. Augustine declare welle in these wordis / de tempo. ser. 5.3 yf man do perseue that in the cō mandymentes / is any thynge impossible or els to harde / lett hym not remayne in hym felfe / but lett hym runne vn to god hys helper / y^t w­hich hathe geuyn his commandimentes for y^e intent / that oure desyer myght be sturryd vpe and that he myght geue helpe &c̄. Marke. S. Augustine saithe that the commandymentes [Page] be impossible vn to oure strēgthe / but we must calle to god for strengthe. The palagiōs did rekyn / that they had got a grett vyctordū whan they had made this carnalle reson / that God wolde commande nothyng that was impossi­ble / of thys reson dyd they glory ād tryumphe and thought that they must nedes haue some naturalle strengthe and power to fulfylle the commandimentes of god / seyng that god wol­de commande nothyng impossible to man. Off this same reason dothe my lorde of rochester and alle his scollars glory vnto thys same day But let vs see how S. Augustine answeryth them / D [...]li. arb. cap. 16. The palagions (saithe he) thynke that they knowe a wonders thyng / whan they say God wille not command that thyng the which he knoweth / that is impossibille for man to do / Euery man knoweth this / but ther fore dothe he commaunde sertyn thynges / that we cā not doo / Eccle. 12. by cause we myght knowe / what thyng we ovght to aske of hym / Faithe is she whych by prayer optaynyth that thyng that the law commandithe / breuely he that saythe / If thov wilt thou mayst kepe my commādimentes / In the same boke a littille after saith / he shalle geue me kepyng in my mought Playne it is that we may kepe the commandimētes if we wille / but by cause oure wille is prepared of god / off hym must it be askyd / that we may so muche wille / as wille suffice vs to do them / trouth it is / that we wille / whan we wille / but he mak­yth vs to wille that thyng y^t is good. Here haue yov p [...]ayne that my lord of Rochesters opynyon and the palagyons ys alle won / for they bothe do agre that the commandimentes of god / be not impossible to oure naturall strēgth [Page lxxxviii] But S. Augustine saythe they be impossible / And therfore be they geuyn that we shuld kn­ow oure wekenes / & also aske the strengthe to fulfille thē / For faythe bi prayer dothe optayne strengthe / to fulfylle / the impossible commandimentes of the lawe. Here haue you also / that god mouythe vs and causythe vs to be good willers / ād geuythe vs a good wille for els we wolde neuer wille / but eville. Here is also to be notyd / That the palagions ād oure duns men a gre alle in won / for they bothe say / that the grace of god doth helpe mans good purposse so that mā dothe fyrst intēd & purpose welle / & as duns saythe disposithe hym selfe by attricion to reseue grace / & thā god dothe helpe hym / but y^e trouth is contrary for there is no good purp­osse in mā / no good disposiciō nor no good intēt but alle is agēst goodnes / & clene cōtrary agēst alle thyng y^t agreyth with grace / tille y^t god of hys mere marry comythe ād geuythe grace ād chāgithe mās wille vn to grace / & geuyth hym a wille to wille goodnes / ye & that whā he tho­ught nothyng of goodnes / But dyd clearly re­sist all goodnes / Thys dothe S. Augustine prove in these wordes The pelagiōs saye / Ad bonif. li. 2. ca. 9. y^t they graūt how y^e grace dothe helpe every mās good purposse but not y^t he geuithe y^e love of vertue to him / y^t siriuyth agēste it This thyng do they saye as though mā of hym selfe wyth out the helpe of god / hath a good purpose & a good minde vn to vertu / bi y^e whiche merite presedynge a fore / he is worthy to be holpyn of y^e grace of god y^t foloweth after / doutles y^e grace y^t folow­eth dothe helpe y^e good purposse of mā / but y^t good purposse shulde neuer haue byn / if grace had not preceded / And though that the good study of man whan it begynnyth is holpyn of [Page] grace / yet did yt neuer begyn with out grace. &c̄ Here ys yt open / that the palagions graunte as muche of grace / as my lorde of Rochester dothe and alle his Duns men which lerneth that man may haue a good purposse / bonum studiū / and a good mynde / and a love vn to grace / off his awne naturalle strength / the palagions graunte euen the same / but here yov se hov. S. Augustine ys clear agenste them. But now lett vs here master Dunssys wordes / a synner may by the naturalle / 4. Sente. D [...]. 14. q. 2 and by the commen influence of god consider his synne / As a thyng that ha­the offended god / and as a thyng contrary to the lawe of god / and letteth hym from rewarde & bryngeth hym to payne / & by this menis may he hatte / and abhorre his syn this calleth he attricion where by there is a disposicion / or a merytt in man of congruence to take a way mor­talle synne / and this attricion is sufficient for a man / that shall reseue the sacramentes / et quod non ponat obicem / that is / that he haue no mor­talle synne actually in his wylle / this is sufficiēt and also a necessary way to reseue grace. &c̄. This is tentymys worse than the palagions saynges / for they graunt that man must nedes haue a specialle grace / to performe his good purposse / and Master Duns saith / that man may performe his attricion of his naturalle power / ye and this attricion of congruence / ys a dispo­sicion to take away mortalle synne with out a­ny specialle grace / I pray you master Duns off what congruence ys it? what hathe attricion deserued / that mortalle synne must be taken a­way for his plesure / what hathe he deserued / y^e grace must followe hym / Infideles may haue this attriciō (for yov graunt / that yt comyth of [Page lxxxix] naturall strength) and yet shall it not followe of congruence / that they must reseue grace / and also remissiō of their syns. Also had not Iudas thys attricion / whan he said / I haue synned / ād was sory for hys syn / and also repentyd hym / & knew well that he had offendyd god / ad also de­seruid payne And was no more willing so to do and had all y^u propertes y^t longeth to youre At­tricion / ad yet you se howe he did deserue of cō gruence grace ād remissyon of hys syns ye dyd not this attriciō bring him to extreme disperacy on / How can a mā with out a speciall grace / ab­hore his sinne / it is not possible but he must lo­ue sinne / so longe as he is y^e enimy of god / ye he wold there were no god to punishe syn / suche a plesur hathe he vn to syn / This is y^e nature off oure hartis / & that doth euery of vs feale / Though these hipocrittis lerne the cōtrary / but I say to thē y^e wordis of y^e prophet redite ad cor preuaricatores / grope in youre bosō hipocritis / & ther find you y^e mortall enimy of god which neither carith for godis displesur / nor yet for his sinne / & you say y^t he may haue a good attricyon / of hys naturall strength / and if thys attriciō be good / than may he do good a fore grace / so y^t we shall gether / grappis of thornis / and fygis of bryars / but what saithe. S. paul to youre good attricy­on / He saith y^t all thing with out faith is synne / you addersbirdis / is not this mā a fleshely mā? ād hath nothyng of y^e spret of god (for by youre awne lerning he hath but the cōmen in fluence) ād yet (shall he be sory y^t he hath offendyd god? shall he abhore his synne? Shal he dispose hym selfe of cōgruēce to grace? S. paul saith / y^e flesh lustithe cōtrary to y^e spret / and the workes of y^e fleshe be Aduoutry / fornicaciō / vnclēnes Idolatry [Page] / wytchcraft / hatred / wrathe / zele / sedycyon / Enuyynge wyth suche other / I pray yow how do these workys agre wyth you. e Attrycyon Call you thys abhorringe of synne? Calle yow this heuenes y^t he hath offendyd god? Be these youre good disposiciōs? be these your good preparacions vn to grace? Thynke you that these workys / do deserue of cōgruēce remissiō of mortalle synne? These be the best workis y^t a synner hath in his harte / or ellis. S. paul lyeth / wherefore it is not possyble but he must haue in his will actuall sinne / for he can wyll nothing but synne And therfore if he reseue the sacramentes wyth your attriciō / he reseueth thē to his dānaciō for a fore grace he is an vtter ennimy to god and to all his sacramentis wherefore god must of hys mere mercy mollyfy his harte / & geue him grace to wyll goodnes / or ellis he can neuer do it / As Saynt Augusti. dothe declare in these wordys / De predesti. ca. 8. The grace which is geuyn of y^e largenes of god preuely in to mēs hartis / can not be dispisyd off no maner of harde hart / For therfore is it geuē y^e the hardnes of y^e harte shulde be taken away wherefore whā the father ys herde with in / ād dothe lerne y^t we must come to hys sonne / Thā taketh he away oure stony harte / ād geueth vs a fleshely harte / & by this menys he makyth vs y^e childern of ꝓmys & y^e vessellis of mercy / why­che he hath p̄parid to glory But wherfore doth he not lerne al mē to come to christ? By cause y^t those y^t he lerneth / he lernyth of mercy / and those y^t he lerneth not of his iudgemēt doth he not lerne them. &c̄. Mark y^t. S. Augustine. saythe That there is no hardnes of harte y^t can resyst grace and Duns saythe / That there may be an obstakill in mās harte. S. Augusti. saith y^t grace [Page xciiij] fyndeth the hart in hardnes ād obstinacye / And Duns saith y^t there is a mollifyng y^t precedythe grace which he callith attriciō. S. Augusti. saith whā y^u father lernith vs with in / thā takith he away oure stony hartis / & duns saith that we cā do it by y^e cōmē naturall influēs that is we can disposse oure selfe of cōgruēs / Mark also how all mē / be not taught to come to christ / but allonly they y^t be taught / of marcy be taught: & yf it be of mercy / than it is not of congruens by attrici­on Breuely A greter heresy / more contrary to christ & his blessyd word can no mā lerne / ād yet must he be takē for a gret clarke / & a subtill doctour by cause he plesithe y^e fleshe / but shortly here haue I openly proued by inuincible scriptur and by doctours of gret auctorite that frewyll of hys naturall strength with out a speciall grace can do nothing but a byde in synne / Fayne Inuent / Excogitate / dreame / as meny holy purposys as you can / as meny subtylle distyncions as meny good attricions / as meny good apply­cacions as you can ād all they be but synne / tyl grace come / ye youre sleping / youre eating / youre drinkyng / youre almes / youre prayers / youre singing / your ringing / your cōfessing / your mū ­bling / youre murning / youre wayllinge / breuely all y^t you cā do is but hyppocrisy / & dubbille sinne a fore god tyll the tyme / that he of hys mercy chousyth you / for as he saith / you haue not chosyn me but I haue chosyn you.

Now wyll I declare a scripture or two that yow brynge to proue youre conatum and youre bonum studium / The fyrst place ys thys / God from the begenyng dyd ordyn man / and lefte him in the hondis of his awne coūselle / he dyd geue him his cōmādemētis / & his preceptis / [Page] yf thou wilt kepe y^e cōmādemētis / ād also kepe pesable faith / for euer thei shal kepe y^t I haue set afore the water & fyer strech thy hond to whych thou wilt / Of this place gether you / y^t mā may haue a good purpose a god intēt / a good mynd / to apolye him selfe to god of his naturall powre But this can yow not proue of this texte / for here is neuer a worde / of intēdynge / of studying / or of applyyng well / for yf yow wylle take the wordes off the texte as they sunde they rather proue that we may kepe the commandementis of god / ye ād also beleue in god / than ony other thynge / the whyche I am suere yow wyll not graunte / for than how coulde yow a voyde but that the phylosophers be sauyd / for no man cā deny / but y^t they dyd as much / as lay in their naturall power to come to god? Moreouer the palagyons brynge thys texte / too proue that man may do good of his natural strēgth / Now how wyll yow avoyde them? For yf yow deny that yt prouythe theyr opynyon (for the whiche the wordis sound most) than wyll they deny y^t yt prouythe youre conatum / and youre bonum studiū / of y^e which y^t texte spekyth neuer a word where for this text maketh nether for them nor yet for you / Playne it is / y^t the wordes of the texte sounde of kepyng and of beleuinge yf we will / & not of intēdinge / nor of studying wherfo­re it maketh not for your purposse / but let vs go to the text / God frō the begeninge dyd make mā / thes wordis be opyn of the creacion / of the first mā:Eccle. 16. he lefte him in the hondis of his awne counselle / These wordis / make nothyng for fre­will for here ys nothynge cōmandyd hym to do but allonly here ys sygnifyde that mā ys made Lorde ouer all inferior creatours / to vse them / [Page] at hys plesur / as yt is opyn. Genesys. 2. where that alle thynges were brought a fore Adam to reseue their namys / sygnyfiyng that they wer alle left vn to his vse and to his wille / and he was lorde ouer them alle / and none ouer hym / this was his kyngdū in the whyche he did rayne / and gouerne alle thyngis after his cōman­dimentes / but yet was it by the generalle influence / geuyn hym firste of god: he dyd adde hys commandimentes and hys preceptes / In these wordes is there no powre geuin vnto him / but here be geuyn hym commandimētes / wherby he must be orderyd and ruled / And not rule af­ter hys awne counselle / but after the counsel­le / and commandimentes of God / where fore bi these commandimentes / was there parte of hys fre dominacyon / and lordeschyp / that he had ouer the inferior thynges takyn a way / as where god commanded hym that he shulde not eate of the tre of knoulege both of good & evil / Now was it not fre for him to vse this tre af­ter hys awne wille but after the commādemēt of god / and what power he had / by hys frewille / to kepe this commandimēt the effect dyd declare. If thow wilt kepe the commandimentes here begynythe y^e doute but yet of these wor­des cane you not gether / that he had power to kepe them / nor yet that he might intēd to kepe thē / For it foloweth not / if thou wilt / ergo thou mayst / or thou maist intend / As it foloweth not If I wold / ergo I culde deposse yov / for yov wille lett this consequent / Also yov haue a ge­neral rule / Condicionalis nihil ponit / where fo­re these wordes If thov wilte kepe y^e commā ­dimentes geuithe no power nor strength to frewille / But this alonly followeth of this text / if [Page] man wille kepe y^e commādimētes / August. de li. arb. c. 16 thā they shalle kepe hym / but now where shalle he haue this wylle / that is not in his power / but loke of S. Augustine above resyted / ād there shalle yov fynd how mā cōmithe bi this wille / Also y^e wordes of the texte be not / yf thov wilte thou maist kepe thē or intēde to kepe thē / Nor they be not mā may kepe thē or intend yf he wille / But yf thou wilte kepe them / thā they shalle kepe y^t / w­here fore of these wordes cane yov not cōclude any power in mā For it foloweth not whā god saithe / do this / do that / here this / here that / kepe thys / kepe y^t / yf thou wilt here / yf thou wilt do this / yf thou wilte do y^t / That we cane do the­se thynges or cane intend to do thē / for god cō ­maūdeth vs to do al thynge y^t is good / ergo we be abille of oure naturalle strēgthe to do them? Than were the sprete of god frustrate / for the sprete of god is not geuyn vs / to geue cōmādimentes but for to geue vs strengthe / to fulfyl­le / and righttusly to vnderstond those thynges y^t be commāded vs. By the commādimentes is declaryd that thyng that we ought to do / & also they shewe oure wekenes ād imbecylite that we myght lerne to seke for a gretter strengthe and gretter helpe than is in vs / As. S. Augustine faithe in these wordes.Aug. de v (er)b. apost. s. 13. The law was geuyn that man myght fynd hym selfe / and not to make his syknes holle / but that by hys preachyng the syknes incresyd / the phisicion might be sou­ght. wherfore the law thretnyng / and not fulfillyng that thyng that he cōmandeth / makythe a man to be vndernethe hym / but the lawe is good if a man do vse it welle? By the law to know oure syknes and to seke godes helpe to [Page] helpe vs &c̄. Here is it playne / that the commandymentes of god geue vs no strengthe / nor yet declare ony strength to be in vs / but she­wythe vs oure duty and also oure wekenes / ād also moveth vs / and causythe vs to seke for der for strēgthe / So that these wordes si volueris / si feceris / si audieris / si emūdaueris / si vis / with alle other suche that be wordes of cōmā dimentes or wordes vnder a condycion / do no­thyng declare but what we are bound to do / ād what shalle folow if we do them / And as the wordes of the lawe do thretyn an yvylle ende for synne alonly for to fere evylle doars / and wykkyd persons from evyl / so do the wordes of promys stur vpe and quickyn good mēs hartes for to do welle and also comforte them that they shuld not dispare in aduersites / but nether these nor those geue vs any strengthe to do that that is commandyd but alonly they do declare / what paynis and what rewarde shalle folowe to the brekers / and the kepers of them.

A nother scriptur haue yov where as oure Master christ saithe / Mat.. 23. How of tyn wolde I ha­ue getheryd thy childern / and thou woldste not Here crye yov / liberū arbitriū. li. arb. For if they had no frewille what ned oure M. to say thou woldste not? First must we consyder that there are .ii. maner of willes in god / won is callyd his godly wille or his secret or vnscrutable wille / where by that alle thynges be made and orderd / and alle thynges be done. Of this wil­le no creature hathe knowlege what he ought there by to do or not to do / for as S. Paule saithe / it is inscrutable / and there fore it is suffici­ent for vs / to know there of alonly that there is an inscrutable wille.

[Page] [...]e. [...].The other wille in god is callyd a declaryd ād a manyfestyd wille / The whyche is declaryd and geuyn to vs in holy scripturs / This wille was shewyd vn to vs to the vttermost by oure Master christ the son of god / and therfore is it lawfulle / and also alle men are bound to serch [...] to know this wille and for that consideracyon was it manyfested vn to vs Thys wille dothe declare what every man is bound to do / and what everye man ys bound to flye / And bi this wille is offeryd vnto every man / those thynges that be of saluacyon / and by thys wille god wille haue no mā dāned / Now he that wille know this wille must go to oure Master christ in w­home as S. Paule saithe be alle tresurs of wisdom and sciens / So that he wille shew vs as muche as is necessary for vs to know / and as muche as the father of heuyn wolde we shuld know / Now to the texte / here speketh god that is incarnatyd that was sent to wille / to speke / to do / to preche / to be famylier with vs / to do myrakylles ye and also to suffer dethe for oure saluacyon / Now saithe he / I wolde haue getheryd my childern / that is to say I dyd preche / I dyd labour with alle diligence to conuerte the / I dyd myracles a fore y^e / ye I wept I wayllyd for thy sake / alle these thynges dyd I with alle other thynges that myght be to thy converciō and that belonged to god incarnate to do / but alle these thynges did not profite them / & whye? By cause they wolde not. In hym was there no faute / For there was nothynge vndon / that belonged to hym to doo / so that he was willing and yet dyd it not profite Ierusalem / And whi by cause they wolde not. But now why w­olde they not / by cause it was in their power [Page xCiij] to wille to consent and to wille not to consent / nay trulye / but by cause as Iohan saithe they culde not beleue / for he had blynded their yies / Ioan. [...] ād hardenyd their hartes / y^t they shulde not see with their yies nor vnderstond with theyr har­tes / So that they must nedes alōly wille not to consent / ād culd no nother wisse do but not cō ­sent / and yet were they neither cōstrayned nor compelled / nor wronge to it by violence / but frely they wold not consent / and yet had they the liberte of their frewille that was to be agenst christ and not to be with hym / for the liberte of frewille stōdeth not in thys that he may wylle thys thing / and also wille the contrary there of / But it stondeth in that that althyng that he wille or wille not is att his awne wille & ys not ther to constranyd but willeth it frely with out any compulsyon / and yet he can not chouse no nor wille not chose so to wille or so not to wil­le / So that there is a necessite immutable / but not a necessite of compulsyō or coaccion / now is it opyn that this place makythe not for yov for there was no power / nor none intent in th­eir frewille to consent vn to christ / but to wille the contrary and not to wille vn to him and alle was by cause they were blindyd and theyr hartes wer hardenyd / and therfore of their natural strēgth culde they no nother wysse doo / but varaye from christ no they wold nor desyeryd no nother wyse but to swarve from hym / But wherfore they wer blyndyd and wherfore they wer hardenyd that must yov inquier of y^e inscrutable wil / that plesyd hym so to leue thē the cause ther of I am suer he cane telle yov if he wolde / I am suer it is ryghtwyselye done / But now commit [...]e the blynde and fleshely [Page] reson and murmureth at this and asketh / why are we cōdēned for this? why dothe god punish vs for this / seyng we cane wylle no nother wysse / also he blyndeth vs / he maketh oure hartes hard that we cā not amend vs / and yt lyeth not in ou [...]e power with out his wyll / now why complayneth he of vs? why layeth he it to oure charge? here is nothing done but his will / we be but instrumētes of his wylle / and if we do not well why geuethe he vs not strength to doo better? Thou damnable reason who can satisfye the which rekeneste nothing to be well done but y^t y^t thou doste & that is dōne at thy coūsell. Thinkest thou not / that thou arte good & perfytt in thyne awne nature / & all y^t is in y^t is bothe well & ryghtwysly made? to this thou wylte answer yee / for thou wilt not cōdemne thy selfe nor no­thyng y^t is thyne / but now answere me to this / what hath made y^t so well / & geue y^e all this ryghtwysnes & all this goodnes y^t thou haste: thou must nedes say god / but what was the cause y^t thou arte so well / so ryghtwyse & so good made / seyng y^t thou deserued nothing / yee & alle these thinges / be done so welle & so ryghtwysly / that thou canste not complayne / nor amende thē / no nor yet devysse whiche way to a mend thē / now why dooste thou not murmur agenst god seyng that all thynge is done with out thy knowlege / ād also with out thy deseruyng / why dost thou not inquier a cause of hym? why murmureste thou not that he hathe made the so good and so ryght / seyng thou hadste nothyng deserued / but here wylte thou graunte / that god did all thing for the beste / why dooste thou not lyke wysse in other thinges / forthermore / thou must nedes graunt / that god thy maker / and the governer of alle thinges is most wyse / moste ryghtwyse / [Page xcviij] and most mercifulle and so wyse / that nothing that he doth cane be a mended / so ryghtwyse y^t there cane be no suspycion in hym of vn ryght wysenes / [...]o mercyfulle is he that he cane do no thing with out mercie / how thinkeste thou / wilte thou graunt these thynges off thy maker? thou must nedes graunt them. Now cōpare vnto thys rule / thy blyndnes that is wyth in the / thy induracion that is in the / thy peruerse wyll toward goodnes / and what cause haste thou to complayne? thov hast graunted that he doth all thynge ryghttusly / ergo thou haste no wronge / he dothe alle thynge mercifully / ergo thou arte in thy blyndnes and in thy hardnes better in­treted than thou haste deserued. Moreouer / thou beleuest that god is ryghtwyse / that god is wysse / and that god is mercyfulle / now faith is of those thynges that do not apere / nor that cane be proued by exterior causys / holde the fa­ste to this faithe / than alle thy fleshely reasons be asoyled / for whan god saueth so fewe men / and dammeth so meny / & thou knowest no cau­se why / yet must thou beleue that he ys mercy­fulle and ryghtwyse / this is faithe whiche yf yt coulde be proued by exterior causys / than were yt no nede to beleue yt / now yf thou beleue that he is mercyfulle good & ryghttus vn to the / w­herfore murmurste thou? But yet woldest thou know wherfore he indurateth y^e and blyndeth the and geueth the no grace to a mend / and vn to thy brother / y^t hathe no better deserued than thou haste / yee he hathe lykewysse evylle deser­ued as thou haste and yet he geueth hym gra­ce / and taketh awaye hys hardnes / and geueth hym a wylle to wylle alle goodnes / thys is not indifferently done as thou thynkest.

[Page]Fyrst I say to the thou haste no cause to com­playne / for thou haste no wronge / thov hast alle thynge that ys thyne / and nothynge ys taken from the / that belongeth to the / why doste thou complayne of this ryght? yee but yet saist thou that he geueth the one marcy ād geueth thother none / I answere what is that to the / is not his mercy his awne? Is yt not lawfulle for hym to geue yt to whome he wylle? is thy yie evyll by cause he is good?Mat. 20 Take that that is thyne and goo thy waye / for iff yt be his wylle to shewe hys wrathe / and to make hys powre knowen / over the vesseles of wrath / ordened to damna­cion / Rom. 9. and to declare the Ryches of his glory / vn to to the vessels of mercy which he hathe prepared and elected vnto glory / what haste thou there with to doo? what cause haste thou there off to complayne? yt is the wylle of god which can not be but welle and ryghtwyse / the which (as thou sayst) thou beleuest / wherefore leue of thy murmurryng and thy disputacion agenst god / and rekken that he is of his nature mercifulle / and hathe no delytte nor no plesure in thy damnacion / but beleue thou stedfastly / that if he she we his mercy / but vn to one mā in all y^e worlde that thou shalt be that same one man / & though an Angelle wolde make the beleue that alle the worlde shulde be damned / yet stycke thou faste to his mercy / and to his iustis that iustifye the / and beleue that the swete bloude of his blessed sonne can not be shed invayne / but it must ne­des iustify synners and so meny as stycke fast vnto yt / though they be neuer so blynded and neuer so hardened / for yt was shed alonly for them / yf thou canste thus satisfye thy selfe / thā dost thou welle / and thou arte doutles out off [Page xcv] iuperdy / but if thou wyllte not be content / but wyllte dispute and inquier causis of godes in­scrutable wylle / than wylle I stond by / and lo­ke on and se what vycterdomme thou shalt get I doute not but yt wylle repent the / and that he wyll conclude with the / on this maner: maye not I doo what I wyll? Now here haue I answered / to an intricable doute / that oure scolle men are wrapped in which wold knowe what is the cause of predestinacion / and of reproba­cion / Scotus. [...] sent. Di. 41. Duns beynge wrapped by twene carnalle reason / and the inuincible scripturs of. S. Paule / can not telle whether he maye graunt y^t the wylle of god is alonly the cause of eleccion or eis any merites of man precedinge a fore / he cō cludeth / that bothe the opinions may be defen­ded. Bonaventure blyndly concludeth that there may be a cause presedynge grace that deser­ueth yt.Bonaventure. So y^t in these vnfrutefulle questions which ingender nothynge but contencion haue they spent alle their lyuys / and for these thyn­ges be geuen vn to them peculyer namys / as Subtylle / and Seraphicalle / and Irrefrigable doctours / but agenst them alle I sett. S. Pau­le whiche toke intollerable labours to proue by inuincible scripturs and examples there of / that there was no cause but alonly the wylle of god and to proue this / he bryngeth an euydent exā ­ple of Iacob / and Esau / of the whiche Iacob was elect / and Esau reproved a fore they we­re borne / and afore they had done other good or bad Can there be a playner example? what meneth Paule in these wordes? whane they were neyther borne / nor had done neyther good nor bad / but that the eleccion of god myght stond? dothe he not clearly take away all maner of merytes [Page] bothe de congruo and also de condigno / & declareth alonly the wylle of god to be the cau­se? but here wylle the subtylle blyndnes saye / y^t god sawe a fore that Iacob shuld doo good ād therfore dyd he chousse hym / he sawe also that Esau shuld doo no good / and therfore he repel­led hym / yov blynd gydd [...]s / what wyll yov iudge of that that god sawe? how knowe you that he sawe y^t? These chyldern be vn borne / & they haue done neyther good nor bad / ād yet one of thē ys chossen & the other is refused. S. Paule knoweth none other cause but y^t wyll of god / & wyll you discusse an other? And where yov say y^t god did se afore y^e one of thē shuld do good I pray you what was y^e cause / or wherby saw he y^t he shuld do good? yov must nedes say / bi y^t y^t he wold geue hym his grace / ergo y^t wyl of god is yet y^e cause of eleccion / for by cause y^t god wolde geue hym his grace therfore god sawe y^t he shulde do good / & so shuld also y^e other haue done yff god wolde haue geuen hym that same gra­ [...]e / wherfore yov gyantes that wylle sub­due heuen and erthe leue youre serchynge off this cause / and be content with the wylle of god and doute yov not but the wylle of god / ys as rightwyse and as lawfull a cause of eleccion as youre merites can de. And doute yov not but. s. Paule (that toke so grete labours in this mat­ter) dyd se as farre in mans deseruynge as yov cane doo / Roma. 9. and yet he concluded with these wordes of scriptures / I wylle shew mercy to who­me I shew mercy / I wylle haue compassyon of whome I haue compassyon / so lythe yt not in mans wylle or runnynge but in the mercye of god. He saithe not I wylle haue mercy on hym that I see shalle doo good / but I wylle shew mercye to whome I wylle: he saith not I wylle [Page xcvj] haue compassion of hym that shalle deserue yt de congruo / Augustinꝰ suꝑ Ioan. Tract. 8 [...]. but of him of whome I wylle haue compassion, This dothe. S. Augustine well proue in these wordes / the disputacion of them ys vayne the whiche doo defende / the presciens off god agenste the grace of god and therfore saye that we were chossen a fore the makynge of the worlde / by cause that he knew a fore that we shulde be good / not by cause he shulde make vs good: but he that saith yov haue not chosen me saithe not that / for yf he dyd therfore chouse vs by cause that he knew a fore that we shulde be good / than must he also know a fore / that we shulde fyrst haue chosen hym. &c̄.

Here is it playne that the eleccion of god ys not by cause he sawe a fore that we shulde doo welle / but alonly the cause of the eleccion is his mere mercye / and the cause of oure doyng welle is his eleccion / and therfore. S. Paule sayeth not off workes but of callynge.

Now goo to yov subtylle Duns men with alle youre carnall reasons and serche out a cause of his secrett wylle. yff you did beleue that he were good / rightwise and mercyfulle yt were a­greet comforte for yov / that the eleccion stode alonly by his wylle / for so were yov suer that it shulde be bothe rightwyselye done & also mercyfully / but you haue no faith & therfore must yov nedes mystrust god / & of that falle yov to invēt causys of eleccyon of youre awne strengthe as one shulde saye by cause god wyll not of his ri­ght [...]usnes or of his mercye chousse vs we wylle be suer y^t we shall be elected / for fyrst wyll we inuent y^t the eleccion commeth of deseruyng & thā wylle we also dreme ser [...]en workes / y^t shall the­re vnto be a poynted of vs / so that the elec­cion & reprobacion stondeth all in youre hondes.

[Page]But now bycause that there be serten open places of scriptur / that geue wonly the cause / to god alonly of eleccion and also of reprobacion / therfore are you sore troubled / and cane telle no nother remydy / but alonly to studdy / how yow may wryng and wrest the open scripturs / to y^t forrefyynge of youre erroure and to the satis­fysynge of youre carnalle reason / so that in y^e the holy gost saithe / I wyll obdurate the harte of pharao / yov wyll take a pon yow / to lerne & to teache the holy goste to speke better / and to say of this maner / I wylle suffer Pharao to be indurated / but I wylle not doo yt / but my easynes my softenesse where by that I shalle suffer hym shalle brynge other men to repentaunce / but Pharao shall it make more obstinate in mallyce so that god dothe indurate (as yov say) whan he dothe not chastice a synner but she­weth sofftenes and easynes and sufferaunce to hym.Origen in per [...]arcon He is mercifulle whan he doth call a syn­ner to repentance by affliccion and scorgyng / so that induracion after youre exposicion / Glossa. roma. 5. is no­thynge elles but for to suffer evylle / by sofftenesse and by goodnes / to haue mercye is nothynge elles but to correct to scorge and to ponishe mē for their synnes: this is the exposicion of indu­racion after Origenen. S. Hierom / ād after youre commen glosse.Hiero. suꝑ Esaiam. S / Hieroms wordes be these god dothe indurate / whan he dothe not by and by castigate a sinner / he hathe mercye whan he doth call a synner by and by vn to repentaunce by affliccions. &c̄.

This is auctorite ynough as you thynke / what shulde yov serche any forther dyd not these men vnderstond scripture? is not this exposi­cion playne? this taketh away alle inconueniēs [Page xcvij] By thys exposycion / god ys not the auctor of euylle thys ys a clarkly exposycyon / Breuely Thys must nedes be the trewe exposycyon. wherefor it were better for you / to erre with. S Hierom / and with Origen than for to say trew with these new herytykis / so call you all them / that will reproue youre oldde blyndnes.

Now haue you well defendyd the matter. Now ys youre cause well proued / Nowe must the holy gost chāge his wordes / for he hath new scole masters / ād where he was wonte to say / I haue hardened Pharos harte Nowe must he say / Pharo hathe hardenyd hym selfe / by my softenesse and by my easynes / but I haue not do­ne it / But yet I pray you / My goodlye masters how wolde yov satisfyse a weke consyens that styckis faste to the worde of god and reknythe y^t y^e holy gost / knoweth well what he shal speke ād wil speke nothing with out a gret cause / but y^t that he speketh shall be so well spokē y^t you cā not a mend yt / How think you? ys yt sufficyent to say to this pore man / Orygen and. S. Hierō saye so / holde thou thy pece / be thou cōtēt with their exposyciōs / serche thou no forther yt doth not be come the to know it but now will he laye to youre charge / That this thing is openly writen in scripture / and the wordis of Moses and of paul be playne therfore you must answer to them / and yt shalle be as lawfull for hym too know the mynd of holy scrypture as the expo­sicion of. S. Hierom or of Orygen. Scripture saithe playnly / That god dothe indurate pha­ros hart / & not pharo his awne hart It is a new gramer to say / I wyll indurate pharos harte / that shal be as muche / as pharo shall indurate himselfe thorow my sofftenesse & paciēs / by this [Page] rule shall Anaxagoras phylosophye come in place / that shal make of euerye thyng what we wil And where as scrypture saythe / Saull / Saull / why doste thou persecute me / Shalle be as mu­che to say / As why sufferest thou me to be perse quutid / Also the father of heuen / sent his wonly sone in too the worlde / shall be as muche to say as he suffered hys sone to be sent / Soo that we shall expounde all placys of scrypture / too oure awne purposse / and not to loke what ys the sentens off holy scrypture nor yet what the mynde off the holy gost ys / but what exposycyon wyll plese vs best / and what wylle best serue / to ou­re carnall mynde. Forther more yf god do har­dyn mens hartys whan he suffereth / and whan he ys softe and shewythe mercy / thā did he har­dyn the hartys of the Iuys whan he brought them out of Egypt in too wyldernes / than did he hardyn them / whan he brought them out off the captiuyte of babylon / than hardenythe he al the worlde whom he suffereth in gret softenesse / and mercy / Also after youre exposycion / he was mercyfulle to Israell whan he sent them in too babylon / for there dyd be chastyn them and by afflyccyons prouokyd them to repentance / Ly­kewyse y^e father of heuen had no mercy on the world / whan he sent hys sone / for of that he gaue men an occassyon off induracyon / But whan he dammy the synners / than by youre rule hath he mercy on them / for he chastiseth and ponysheth them for their synnes this ys youre rule off induraciō / and no mā may say agenst yt / but y^t Misereri may not sygnyfye to geue grace / nor to remytt synne / but to chastis ād to scorge / and by paynes prouok to repētaūce / and Indurare / shal not signifie to hardin / but to suffer ād to be [Page xcviij] pacient ād to be mercifull / & not to chastys. But you subtylle Masters / how was god mercyfull vn to pharo / by sofftenesse ād by sufferāce whō he chastysyd so sore / with ten plages / and with suche plagys as Moses meruelyd of / Call you that softenes? was y^t sufferynge of pharo was y^t an occasyon of Induraciō / by paciēs / Esines and by sufferaūce? God send his aduersaries of y^t pacyens / and of y^t sufferance / I pray you how coulde god chastice him more & yet at every pla­ge he saith I wil indurate pharos hart wherfor pharo had none occasiō of induraciō by sufferā ce & paciēs of god but rather by his scorging / wherefor here must be an other sence in these wordis thā you do mak / & we must seke out an other wais to know how god doth work induraciō in mennes hartes (suche wordis do the holy gost vse therfore dare we speke them) And how he is the doar bothe of good ād euyll and yet alle thyng y^t he dothe ys well done.

Fyrst yow must nedys graunt / that after the faule of Adam / the puer nature of man was corruptyd by synne / where by / we be all wyc­kyd / and borne (as Paule saythe) by nature the chylderne of wrathe / and as dauyd saythe we are all conceyued in sinne / Not withstōding of thys corruptyd nature / dothe god make all mē bothe good & bad / Those y^t be good / be good by his grace / those that be bad / be bad of corruptid nature & yet god hath mad thē Neuer the lesse by nature they are of y^e same goodnes ād no better than natur is / y^t is to say euyll / but yet y^e creaciō of god & his workemāship is good though y^t thing be euil in it selfe / yet is godis work a for him selfe good though al y^e world say y^t nay / now god of his infinit power doth rule ād gyde [Page] all maner of men bothe good and bade / and all men by hys infynyte power are moued vn to operacions / but euerye man after hys nature / As after youre awne Phylosophy / Primū mo­bile / by the reson of hys swyfte [...] mocion caryeth all y^e inferyor thyngis wyth hym / & sufferth no­thyng to be vn moued / not wyth stondynge he mouythe all their awne naturall coursse / So lykewyse god of hys infynite power letteth no­thing to be exemtyd frō him but all thyngys to be subiect vn to his accyon ād nothyng can be done by them / but by hys pryncypalle mosyon so that he worketh in all maner of thynges bo­the good and bade / not changyng their nature mouing thē alonly to worke after their nature: so y^e good worketh good & y^e euyll worketh euyll & god vsithe thē bothe as instrumētis & yet doth he nothyng euyll but euyll be done allonly tho­row the evyl mā / god workyng by him as bi an instrumēte: take an exampel A mā doth sawe a bloke with and euyll sawe / The whiche ys no­thyng apte for to cutte well / & yet must yt nedis cutte at the mouyng of the mā though it be ne­uer so euyll for the mā in mouing dothe not chā ge the nature of the sawe neuer the lesse the accion of the mā is good ād cōningly done but the cutting of y^e sawe is after his natur / solikewise god mouith these euil īstrumētis to workyng & suffereth thē not to be ydyll / but he chāgithe not their nature wherfore their operaciō is a frute cōuenyēt for their corruptid natur but yet there is no faute in godis mouīg. Here haue you now how god workis all thingis in al mē both good & bad but now let vs go to y^e induraciō of thē y^t he euyll: thus is it / first they be euyll of nature & can abyde nothynge that ys good nor yet suffer [Page xcix] any good to be done. wherfore whan god y^e auctor of the goodnes dothe ony thynge or saythe ony thynge vn to them / than ar they more and more / sorar and sorar contrary vnto god and to alle his workes / for of their nature they are so corrupted / and can not agre to the wylle of god nor to ony thynge that is good / but whan it is offered them eyther in worde or dede / than blas­pheme they / thā withstonde they with alle their myght with alle their power than ar they pro­voked of their corupted nature / to more mysc­hyffe and more / and alle ways herder ād herder: as for an example / whane the blessed worde off god is preched vnto them that be wykked / to whome god hathe geuen no grace to reseue yt / thane ar they nothing a mended / but more indurated and alle ways harder and harder / and y^e more the worde of god is preched the more obstinate are they / the more myschyffe intende they / than alle their studdy / than alle their wysdum / than alle their labour / than all their myght / thā alle their power / than alle their crafte and sub­tylty / than alle their fryndes that they cane make in heuen and erthe / is nothynge elles but to oppresse the worde of god / yee and they thynke alle to lyttylle for the more yt is preched / the more they grudge and y^e wodder be they / after this maner was the harte of Pharao indurated whane that the worde of god was declared vn to hym by Moyses / and he had no grace to reseue yt / than the more that Moses labored in y^e worde / the more sturdyar was he in withstondinge of yt and alle ways harder and harder / this is also euidently sene in the corrupt nature of mā for the more a thynge is for bydden hym / the more desyerth he to do yt / but what nede me to [Page] goo in to Egypt too fetche an exampylle to pro­ue thys / loke of oure bysshops / yf they be not opynly induratyd and blyndyd / ād so blyndyd that no man ys abyle too defende them by any reason or lawe / and therfore they take them sel­fe to violence / and oppression as pharo dyd whych be the ryght sygnes and tokyngis of indura­cyon / for the more the worde of god ys preched and the veryte ys declared vn too them the more sturdyar and obstynat be they agenste yt / and all theyr studdy / all theyr wyttys / all their counsellys / all theyr crafte and myschefe / with all glosyngis and lyinge / ād wyth blaspheminge of god and hys prechers / ys nothyng ellys / but to kepe the worde of god vnder / ād to with stonde that veryte / whyche they knowe in their consyens must nedys goo forthe / though alle y^e world wold say nay / And therfore wil they here no mā / nor reason with ony mā / but euen say as pharo dyd / I wyll not lette the popylle goo / but yf they were not induratyd / and the very enimys vn to y^e verite they wold at y^e leste ways here theyr poure brothern of cherite and know what they coulde say / and yf they coulde prove theyr sayng to be trewe / than yf they had the loue of the veryte as they haue but the shado­we / they wolde geue Immortal thankis to god and with great mekenes and with a lowe spret reseue the heuenly veryte and thanke theyr brethern hartely / that they warnyd them of suche a damnable waye nowe in good tyme and se­son / but they haue noo loue too the veryte nor yet fere off god nor regard too the danger off theyr soule / For they be chyldern off induracy on and off blasphemy / and there fore the more yt ys preched the more are they obstynate [Page C] Thys ys the very induracyon that god worketh in mennes hartes where bye they be the chyldern of darkenesse

HOw cane antichryst be better knowyn / than be this tokyn y^t he condemnithe scripturs and makythe it heresy and hye treason agēst the kynges grace for lay men to rede holy scripture As thovgh it were alōly a po­ssession and an heritage of sertyn men that be markyd allonly with exterior sygnys / and the trouth to say with the tokyn of the beste / as with shauyn crovnys / longe gownis / and baners a boute their nekkys / thei y^t haue these tokyns be the heyres of holy scripture / and maye rede it at their plesur / though th­ey vnderstonde as muche there of as a popen­gaye / but holy scriptur / that is sent vs from heuyn / yee and that by the sone of god / to dystro­ye alle heresys / This holy scripture shalle ingē der in laye men heresy / If this be not the doct­ryne of Antichrist I knowe not his doctryne. Telle me what cane be more contrary to christ / thā by violence to oppresse holy scriptures / and to condemne them as vn lawfulle yee and as heresy / for sertyn men to rede / and to say y^t there be sertyn secrettes in them that belonge not for lay men to knowe / And y^t this thynge shalle not be denyde (for I know they be slyber y^t I haue to do with & there is no holde of thē) therfore wille I recyte an opyn Acte that alle the worlde dothe remēber

My lorde of london Opynly at paulis cros­se was not a shamid with intollerable blasphemys [Page Ci] to condemne the holy testamēt of christ Iesus hauyng for hym / but a damnable collour ād a dedly reson of the devyl / That was how there were in the transelacyon so meny heresys y^t alle the worlde knoweth that it was abhomy­nable and a dedly lye / though it were a lordly lye / but suche probacions doth god alle ways lette thē haue / y^t be agenst his holy verite / but let vs graunt y^t that translacion was so false / why did not yov there take a pone yov opynly for to amend it and to sett forthe truly y^e holy testament of christ. yov must nedes graunt that there is an holy testamēt of his in erthe (except yov wille deny christ as I dought not but that yov wille in effect) where is it? whye haue we it not? If that wer not it / whye do not yov sett the very trew testament out / yov were reddy to cōdemne an other mans faithefulle labor ād diligence / but yov had no cheryte to amend it / yov thynke alle ways to disseue the worlde w­ith youre holy hypocrysy / men be not so blynd but that they cane welle Iudge / If yov hade condemnyd that testament allonly by cause off errours / yet at the lest ways yov shulde bothe of cheryte / and also of dutye haue set forthe the trew texte / and than wolde men haue thought / that yov condemned the other by the resō of errours. But men may now euydently se y^t yov dyd not condemne it for errours sakes / (for how shulde they iudge erroures that be soo vnlernyd) but alonly by cause that the verite was ther in / the which yov coulde not abyde that men shulde knowe / and that dyd y^e processe of youre sermon and also youre tyranny y^t dothe folow wel proue / but mi lord I say to yov / ād to all youres if yov do not amend it [Page] shalle be to youre euerlastyng damnacyon / for god wille not take thys rebuke at youre hon­de / Esa. 62. remember that he hathe sworne (by the mo­vght of his prophete) hy his ryght honde ād by the might of his strengthe that he wille defen­de this cause / Be not these lordly wordes / of y^e eternalle god / thinke yov to make hym for sw­orne?Heb. 10. Remember how the holygost thretyneth yov in another place saynge / yf a man dyd dysspysse y^e lawe of Moses / he must with out any mercy dye / howe muche more are they worthy of ponishement / that do trede the sone of God vndernethe their fete / and dyspise the bloud of hys testament / how thynke yov ys not this opynly agenst yov / That cōdemne not alonly ch­rist but also his blessed worde / and alle that lon­gythe to hym / Take a way christes word / and what remanythe bi hynd of chryst? nothyng at alle. I pray yov my lorde to whome was thys worde fyrst preched? to whome was it writtyn? allonly to prystes & not vn to lay men? ye was it not writtyn to alle the worlde? yes truly / wh­ere by wille yov conuerte a turke or an infidelle / not by holy scripture? whan they be conuerted / what wille yov lerne thē? what wille yov geue them to rede / any other thyng than holy scripture? I thynke nay. Now wille yov ma­ke youre awne cūtrymen / youre awne citysins youre awne subiectes yee youre awne brethe­rn / redemed wyth christes blessed bloud worsse them Iuys / and infidelles? But their is no re­son nor no bretherhod / nor no chrysten cheryte that cane moue yov / or that cane helpe yov / for yov are so blynded and so obstinate agenste chryst / that yov had rather alle the worlde shulde [Page Cii] peryshe / thane his doctryne shulde be brou­ght to lyghte / but I do promisse yov / if god do spare me lyffe / ād geue me grace / I shalle so set it out / if yov do not revoke it that it shalle be to youre vtter s [...]ame and confusyon / fynde y^e best remedy that yov cane / I do beleue stedfastly / that god is myghttyar than yov / and I doo rekkyn and faytheffully beleue / y^t yov are ten tymys worsse thane the grette Turke for he regardeth no more / But rule & dominyon in this world And yov are not there with content / but yov wille also rule ouer mens consyens yee ād oppresse christ and his holy word / and blasphe­me and condemne hys worde / was it not a ho­ly covnselle / of the chanseler of london to con­selle a sertyn merchāt / to by Robyn hoode for his seruātes to rede? what shulde they do with vitas patrȳ / and with bokes of holy scriptur? Also the same Chanseler sayed to an other mā / what fyndest thou in the gospel but a story? w­hat good canst thou take there out?

O lorde god where arte thou why slepist thou? why sufferst thou this blasphemy? Thov hast defēded thy prophetes with wilde fier frō heuē / And wylte thov suffer thy wonly sone and thy heuynly worde / thus to be dyspysyd? and to be rekenyd but as a story of Robyn hoode? Rysse vpe good loorde / Rysse vpe / thy enemys do preuaylle / Thy enymys do multiplye / shewe thy power / defend thy glory It is thy con [...]u­mely and not oures? what haue we to do with it but alonly to thy glory? venge this cau [...]e or thy enymys shalle rekkyn yt not to be [Page] thy cause / O thou eternalle God though ou­re synnes haue deseruyd thys / yet loke on thy name / yet loke on thy veryte / Se howe thov arte mockkyd? Se how thou arte blasphemid / ye and that by them / that haue takyn on thē to defend thy glory / But now heuynly father / Seynge that thou haste / so suffered it / yet for the glory of thy name / geue some man streng­the to defend it / or els shalt thou be clearly ta­kyn out of the hartes off allemen. where fore most gracious lorde / of thy mercy and grace I besech the / That I may haue the strengthe to defend thy godly worde to thy glory and honour / and to the vtter confusyon of thy mor­talle enymys / helpe good lord helpe / and I shalle not fere a thovsand of thyne enymys / In thy name wille I begyn to defend thys cause. Fyrst commyth thy faythfulle seruant Mo­ses / trewe and Iuste in alle thy workes / and he commandythe faythefully and trewly / and with grett thretnynges that man / woman and chylde shuld dilygently rede thy holy worde / Sayng / Sett youre hartes on alle my wordes the whych that I do testyfye vn to you thys day / That yov may commāde them vn to yovre chyldern / to kepe / to doo / and to fulfylle al­le thynges that be wryttyn in the boke of thys lawe / Marke howe he commaūded them / to lerne their chyldern alle thynges that be wryttyn in thys boke / Deu. 32. and so to lerne them that they myght kepe and fulfylle alle thynges that were wryttyn in the boke / Moses ma [...]e nothyng of secretnes / and wille yov make secretes ther in? how shalle men fulfille those wordes that they know not? how cane men know the very [Page Clij] trewway of god and haue not the worde of god is not alle oure knowlege ther in? The prophe­te saith / thy worde is a lantern vn to my fete & a lyght vnto my pathys / he calleth yt a lantern and lyght yee and that vnto alle men / Psal. 118. and yov calle yt but a story / darkenes / and a thyng of secretnes yee and occasion of heresy? how cane y^e occasiō of darkenes geue lyght? how cane a lantern be a thynge of secretnes / how cane y^e ve­ryte of god be occasyon of heresy?Psal. 1 the holy pro­phete saith / blessed is the mā that setteth his delectacion in the wylle of god / and his meditaciō in godes law nyght and day / here saithe y^e spret of god / that men be blessed / that studdy y^e worde of god / and yov saye that men be heretykes for studdying of yt / how dothe the sprett of god & yov agre? Also.Ephe. 6 s. Paule commaundeth vs to reseue the helmytt of helthe / and the swerde of the sprett / the which is the worde of god / I praye yow to whome dothe he here speke? to pry­stes wonly? howe meny of youre prystes dyd he knowe? ye was not this pystylle wrytten to the wholle churche of the Ephesians? And did not they rede yt? were not they lay men / & why shall not oure lay men reade that they red? Moreo­uer dothe not Paule calle yt the swerde of the sprett / is it not lawfulle for lay men to haue the sprett of god? Or is the spret of god not fre but bound alonly to yov? Also. S. Iohan saithe / yff any man come to yov and brynge not this doc­trine reseue him not in to youre housse nor yet salute hym / here the holy goste wolde we shulde haue no nother doctrine / but holy scriptur / and yov wylle take yt alonly from vs. Forthermore thys was wrytten vn to a woman and to her chylderne and yow wylle that nother man / wyfe [Page] nor childe shalle rede yt / but yff we shulde re­seue youre prystes in to oure housys / after this rule / I thynke we shulde not be gretly combe­red wyth them / for there are fewe of them that haue this word / also oure Master Christ saithe vnto the pharesys / serche yov scripturs for in them yov thynke yov haue eternalle lyffe / oure Master sent the pharises to scripturs and yov for byd christē men to rede thē / who had a worsse sprete thane they / & yet they iudged better off holy scripturs than yov do / for they iudged to haue lyffe in them and yov iudge to haue here­sys in them so that yov be tentymys worsse to scripturs / [...]. Tim. 3 thā euer were they. Also Paule sayth all scripture geuen by inspiracion of god is profitable to teche to īproue / to informe / to instruct in ryghttusnes / that the man of god may be perfyte / and prepared vnto alle good workes / yov wyll not deny but scriptur is geuen vs of god? ergo after. S. Paule yt ys profitable to lerne wyth and yov say yt ys damnable and good to lerne heresys with. S. Paule saithe yt is good to improue heresys / and yov say yt ingenderth heresys. S. Paule saithe it is good to informe / and to instruct Ryghttusnes / and yov say to in forme heresys. S. Paule saith that the man off god may be perfytt by yt / and yov saye that the prystes alonly shalle haue yt / so that yov play overthwart with. S. Paule in alle thynges. Also. S. Paule saithe / yov may alle interpretate sc [...]iptur / one by one / that alle men may lerne / & alle men may haue comforte / but lett youre wy­uys kepe sylence in the congregacion / marke how that alle men may prophesy which. S. Augustine [Page Ciiij] dothe declare. For interpretatyng scrip­turs / ergo yt belong [...]th not allonly to prystes / Also he saith that wemen must holde their pece / which he nede not to commaunde yff they were vn lerned. Forthermore he wylle that wemen shalle lerne of their husbondes at whome / how shall their husbandes lerne them yff they be vnlerned them selfe? Also.Tim. 3.2· s. Paule geueth testimony of Timothy that he was lerned in holy scri­pturs / from his chyldehod / the which were abylle to instructe hym vn to saluacion by faithe y^t is in Christ Ihesu / here yov not how Timothe was lerned in holy scriptures a fore he was ey­ther prest or bisshop yee beyng but a chylde? the which as. s. Paule saith / ware abyll to instruct hym / and yov say they be abylle to condeme mē is not this clene contrary agenst. S. Paule are yov not a shamed? what workes shal Antichrist doo more contrary to christ than these be? lette alle christen men wrytte the dedes of Antichrist and they must alle agre in this that he shall condemne scriptur / but that shall he not doo / with out some collour of ryght / ād of holynes / & yov cōdeme it hauynge no collour nor no shaddow of holynes / but alonly reason of fleshelynes / ād of starke madnes / thynke yov if the grete Tur­ke wolde reseue suche reasons as youres be / ye and a grete delle better agenst hys makomett / that he coulde rayne so longe as he hath done?

Nay doutles / ād yet yov loke to be a lowed agenst Christe / the ryght sone of god (yee and that of Christen men) which coulde not be hard agenst makomytte.

[Page] Mar. vlt. Mat. vlt.Also oure Master Christ commandeth his apostles that they shuld preche the gospell vn to alle creaturs / and as Matthew saithe / that they shuld teche men to kepe alle maner of thing y^t he had commanded them / Marke that the gos­pelle / must be preached to alle maner of men not to prystes wonly / the appostles must also lerne men to kepe alle thinges of the gospelle which they can not doo with out they know thē / now yff these thynges that the appostles dyd lerne shulde ingender or be any occasion of heresys / than the holy appostles were occasion by their doctrine of heresys / yee and that at the commā [...]ement of oure master Christ / what nede the appostles to lerne vs any thynge that myght be occasion of heresy? were we not in heresy a fore they came? were we not alle disposed of oure nature vnto all maner of myschyffe / and yet after youre lernynge they come and lerne that thing that is occasion of heresy / but of youre consiēs are yov not a shamed / thus damnablye / to blas­pheme the heuynly worde of god thus shamfully to condemne godes word? thus presumtuously to vndertrede the gyfte of the holy gost yee & that vnder the pretence of holynes / and of chri­stendom / as though you did fauore Christ / wyl yov make Christ an auctor of heresy? and that vnder the name of holynes / wylle yov by youre holynes / and youre damnable hypocrisy / condē ­ne oure Master Christ / the auctor of alle goodnes? But breuely yf yov wold teche nothynge / but that that oure master christe hathe lefte to be taught / we shulde not haue so meny hereti­kes as we haue / for now men be none heretikes for spekynge agenst scripture (for yov graunte that mē speke scripture) but for spekynge agēst [Page Cv] youre lawe / for that cause be they made herety­kes / ād by that be they prouyd heretykys / now lett euery christen man Iudge in his consyens yf this be right or lawfull Is not thys a meruelus thynge / lett a man lyue in fornycacyon / in whordum / in thefte / in murder / drunkonshyp in extorcyon / in brybery / breuely in all maner of myschyffe / and yow wyll haue nothyng too doo wyth them / yow wyll scaselye repreue hym / yee he shall be a great officer vnder nethe yow and gretly in youre fauoure / But lett a man come and preache the very true gospell of Chryst ād there by reproue youre damnable lyuynge / and thā begyneth he to be an heretyke and yt shalle coste you great laboure yf you make hym nott an heretyke in dede / And yet haue you nothyng that you can reproue in hym as consernynge hys lyuing / But alonly that he prethithe the gospelle / Is not thys a meruelus heretyke? whose lyuyng you must nedes graunt to be good / And also you can not proue / but that his lernyng ys of Chryst / but allonly that yt plesythe you not / no yow dare not take in hond to proue yt false / but allonly by vyolynce you wyll condemne yt / Thynke you that god wyll thus suffer? remenber what he saythe by the holy prophet / Thow hast repreuyd y^e vnfaythefull peopylle / Psal. 9. ād ha [...]e distroyd the wykkyd / ād takyn a way their [...]a­me for euer / The lorde hath preparyd hys troune of Iudgement / Doute you not but he shalle shortly reproue you / his Troune ys set / and to the Iudgement must you come where you shall neuer be able to defend this cause / but you must peryshe for euer But here will you say that you preche the gospell to the peopylle / and that is y­nough for they nede not to haue yt in ynglyshe [Page] I answere I pray you whā was there any law that euer men were bounde to kepe / but that yt was geuen them in writing / I will not say that you doo not teche thē the right gospell / for yow know it not / But how are they able to bere away that thing y^t they do but here / And yf they may here it of you why may they not also rede it? But loke on. S. Luke that wrotte his gospel that men might know / for a certayne those thingis y^t they were in formyd of. Moreouer why did the apostle wryte / yee and y^t vnto lay men / seyng that they were so dyligent in preching I dare boldly say as you be? But lett vs see how lay men were for biddyn to rede holy scripture in the apostyllis tyme?Acto. 17. The nobelyst of thessalonia / whiche reseuyd the worde serchyd the scryptours dayly whether those thingis that Paule prechyd were so or not / here haue you playne y^t lay men serchyd scriptours too know whither paulys doctryne were trew or not / ād also how they rede dayly scriptours / And now come you and say that lay men shall rede noo scriptours but allonly reseue them of youre prechynge / what yf you preche lyes (As yt wyll be prouyd too youre face y^t you do) shall it not be lawfulle for them to serche scryptours / but to lerne youre lyes?

Here wyll I resyte how a gret prelatt of christys churche (the fyrst letter of hys name ys Doctour Allen) dyd interpretate ād declare sertyn placys of scryptour / Doctuor Alē expoū deth scry­pture. to the gostely instruccyon of Chrystys churche as all men may Iudge

The fyrft place was this A thre folde cable ys harde to breke / by thys threfolde cabylle / he vnderstod / the Reuerent father in god my lorde [Page Cvi] Cardynalle / The fyrst fould was / That he was an ynglyshe man borne / the whyche was a strō ge thynge and harde to wyth stonde / The seconde foulde was that he was legate and that not after the commen maner / but legatus a latere / that ys spronge out of the blyssyd syde yf oure holy father the pope / This wasse a stronge foulde and coulde not be lyghtly brokyn. The thir­de foulde / he was a lorde and that of the kingis counsell / Thys was a stronge foulde / and all these thre to gether dyd make so strong a cable that no man wyth in the realme myght breke yt or wythstonde yt. I was sore a frayd that he shulde haue reknyd the nobylle and the Ryalle bloud that thys threfolde cable dyd spryng out off / than had yt byn so stronge / that the stron­gyst Oxe in the buchers stalle coulde not breke it. This exposycyon dyd I here and satt by him therfore I can testyfye it the better.

The Seconde scrypture was thys from syon shalle come out a lawe / and the worde off god from Ierusalem / Thys dyd he expounde on thys maner / The commandemēt of the most reuerent father in god lorde Legatte / ys Come from hys hye palys / and from hys noble grace hyther vn to you.

The thryd scrypture / was thys Sumite Psalmū et date timpanū / thys dyd he expoūde on thys maner / I haue done my visitaciō / now geue me my mony How thynke you by thys holy Doctor / ād this prelatte of Chrystes churche hathe he not welle declared holy scryyture / Is he not worthy too be beleuyd? Vvhat rea­son were yt that laye men shulde serche scryp­turs than might they reproue this noble prelat [Page] what order ware that? yt were ryght yf he we [...] well seruyd that he had a threfolde halter too stretche him in / But by suche doctours as these be must the poure peopyll be rulyd and yf they wyll serche for the veryte them selfe / than must they be heretykes by cause they wyll not beleue these holy fathers / Act [...]. 18. But lett vs procede in oure matter agēst these blasphemers of godes word Priscilla and Aquila dyd expound vn to Apol­lo which was a grett lernyd man the perfyt vnderstondyng of scripturs / These wer lay ꝑsons and yet were they so lerned in scryptours that they were able too teche a grett doctour / And now laye men may not rede scrypturs Thys was alowyd by petter / ād paule / But their successoures wyll condeme yt as heresy.

Act [...]. 8.Also Enuchus that was the tresurar vn to y^e Quene of y^e Ethiopians dyd rede Esay the prophet / The whiche he vnderstode not / tylle god sent him Phillip to declare yt vn to hym / This was a lay man / And also an Infydell ād yet was not for biddyn of god to rede scripturs But rather holpen to the vnderstonding of thē and now wyll you forbyd chrysten men / to rede holy scriptours / that are sworne vn to them ye and also to defende them vn to dethe?

Also. Saynt Paule saythe Let the worde of god dwell in you plēteuosly / [...] [...].3. S. Paul wolde that lay men shulde lerne the worde of god / ye and that plentuusly / and you commaund that they shall haue nothyng of yt. How stondeth youre nothynge / with. Saynt Paules abūdāte Abundātly / and nothyng / be for a sunder / But thus do you all ways a gre with. Saynt Paule [Page Cvij] and with holy scrypture / And yf you wolde say playnly in wordis that youre dedys do decla­re openly / than were we in no doute of yow / for all the worlde wolde take you / as you be takyn a fore god / y^t ys for the Antichristis that the worlde loketh for / Neuer the lesse doute you not / but god shall declare yt openly at hys tyme / to your vtter confvsyon and damnacyō / for doughtles yow neyther holde wyth Christ with holy doc­tors / not yet with youre awne law / where they be agenste you / but all thes must be expoundyd and wronge vn to youre carnalle purposse or ellys you make yt heresy / But thynke you that the father of heuyn (whiche for the grett tender loue / that he had to mans soule sent hys wonly sone to redeme yt / and also to geue yt a lawe to lyue by out of hys awne mougth) shall thus suffer yt to be loste thorow youre hypocrysy / ād hys godly word to be ouer tredyn for the mayntaynynge of your worldly Glory? naye douteles for yf yt were possybylle / that he coulde moore regarde youre pompe and pryde than mans solle and hys godly worde / yet were yt vnpossyble that euer he shulde so dyspysse / the swet bloude of hys blyssyd sone swet Iesus / where fore loke a pon youre charge.

But to oure purpose / Augu. a [...] fratres. s 38. S. Augustine is openly agenst you in these wordys. My brothern rede holy scrypture in the whiche you shall fynde what you ought to holde / and what you ought to flye / what ys a man reputyd wyth out ler­nynge? what ys he? Is he not a shepe or a gotte? Is he not an Oxe or an Asse? Is he any better than an horsse or a mule the whych hath no vnderstondynge. &c̄.

[Page]Here S. Augustyn movythe men to rede holy scripture And yov commāde them not to rede it S. Augustine sayth They shall know in them what to do / and what not to do / and yov say they shalle lerne nothyng there out but he resys. S. Augustyn saythe a man with out ler­nyng of scripturs / is no better than a brute be­ste / ar not yov god fathers that wille make all youre chyldern no better thā bestes / Also Athanasyus.In ep [...]s. ad Ephe. c. 6. If thov wilte that thy chylderne shalle be obediēt vn to the / vsse them to the wordes of god But thou shalt not saye that it belongyth alonly to religious men to studdy scripturs / but rather it belongythe to euery christen man and specially vn to hym / that is wrappyd in y^e busynessis of this world / and so muche the mo­re / by cause he hathe more nede of helpe for he is wrapped in the trubbilles of the world / therfore it is gretly to thy profyte that thy chyldern shulde bothe here and also rede holy scripturs / for of them shalle they lerne thys commandyment / honour thy father and thy mother &c

These wordes be playne ynough agenste yov / They nede no exposiciō / And the doctoure is of auctorite wherfore answere yov to hym.In Gen. c. [...]. ho. 28. Also Chrisostū that was a byssope as welle as yov be / condemnythe youre sentens opynly saynge. I beseche yov that yov wille oftyntimis come hyther / and that yov wylle diligently here the lesson of holy scriptur / and not allonly whane yov be here / But also take in youre hondes w­hane yov be at home the godly bibles / and re­seue the thyng there in wyth grett studdy for there by shalle yov haue grett vantage &c̄.

[Page Cviij]These wordes be so playne that I cane adde notyng to them / wolde yov that we shulde take yov for bysshops and for holy fathers / y^t be so opynly agenst scripture / and so contrary to holy doctours / that wille I neuer do whylle I lyue / I neuer loke to see other Antichristes than yov / And so wylle I take yov tylle I se almyghty god cōuerte yov. Also y^e same doctor saithe.In Mat. c. 1. hom. 2. Vvhyche of yov alle that be here / (if it were requiryd (coulde say won psalme with out y^e boke or any other parte of holy scriptur / not won doubtles But this is not alōly y^e worste / but that yov be so slow and so remisse vnto spritualle thynges / and vnto deuillishenes yov are whottar than any fyer / but men wille de­fend this myschiffe with this excuse / I am no religious man I haue a wyfe and chylderne / and a hovse to care for / This is the excuse w­here with yov doo (as it were with a pestelēce) corrupt alle thynges for yov do rekkyn that y^e studdy of holy scriptur belongythe alonly vnto religius men / whane they be muche more necessary vn to yov than vnto thē &c̄. Here may yov se that youre damnable institucion was in the hartes of men in chrysostūs days / & how they wolde rede no scripturs / but yov se he cō demmyth it / ād callithe it a pestilens / & wille yov now bryng it in agayn? If yov had but a lov­sy statute of youre awne agēste me or an other man / yov wolde caulle vs heretykes / But yov neither regarde chrystes holy worde nor holy doctours nor yet any other thynge that is agē ­ste you. But lett vs se what youre awne lawe sayth to this / Di. 38. Si iuxta. If christ (as paule sayth) be the power and the wysdom of god / thane to be ignoraunt in scrypturs / is as muche as to [Page] be ygnorant of Christ. &c̄. Here haue yov playnly that to take away scripturs from lay men / ys as muche as to take away christ from them / the which no doute / but that yov doo intend in youre hartes to doo / and that thinge god kno­weth and youre workes doo declare yt the whiche god shalle venge full stratly over you / also in an other place / 7. sinod. c. Oēs et. di. [...] I wylle sett my meditacion in thy iustificacions / and I wylle not for gett thy wordes / the which thing is exidyng good for alle christen men to obserue and kepe. &c̄. Here ys a counselle of youre awne that hathe admytted that alle christen men shalle studdy holy scripture. And wylle yow now condemne yt? Is their neyther scripture of god / nor practys of christen men / nor exposycion of doctors / nor youre awne lawe / nor yet any statute of counselles y^t wylle hold agenst yov? yov be meruelus giantes / how shall a man behaue hym selfe to handylle wyth yov / yt is not possible to ouer come yov / for yov wylle admyt [...] nothynge that is agenst yov. But yet wyll I not so leue yov / but I wylle fyrst de­clare yt manifestly / that yov be contrary to christe / In prohe. In Epist. ad Ephes. Li. 1. and to alle holy doctours. S. Hierom / repreueth yov very sore in these wordes. O Paula and Eustochium / yf there be any thyng in this lyffe that dothe preserue a wyse man and dothe persuade hym to abyde wyth a good wylle in y^e oppressions and the thravlledoms of the world I do rekken that specially yt is the meditaciōs and the studdy of holy scripture seyng that we doo dyffer from other creaturs specially in that that we be resonable and in that that we cane speke / now is reason and alle maner of wordes conteyned in godly scriptur / where by that we may lerne to know god and also the cause wherfore [Page Cix] we be created / wherfore I doo sore marvelle / that there be certen men the whiche geue thē selfe / to slouthefullnes / and sluggyshnes ād wille not lerne those thinges / that be good / but rekken those men worthy to be reproued / that ha­ue that good mynd. &c̄. Marke how that this was wrytten to two wemen / that were lerned. Also he rekneth nothyng better / than to studdy holy scriptures / he also meruelyth / that serten wylle neyther studdy scriptures them selfe nor yet lett other men studdy them / It is well kno­wen / that these wordes prycke no men but yov / and yov be so slothefulle and so geuē to volup­tuousnes / that yov youre selfe wyll not studdy scriptures nor yet suffer other mē to studdy thē but yf yov doo studdy them / it is to diffene youre symple & pore brother there by / and to mayn­tayne youre abhominable lyuynge / with wre­styng and wryngynge of them: other profite cō meth there none of youre studdy / as all the worlde knoweth. For you may not preche / but whā yov haue damnablye cōdemned christes blessed worde or els by vyolence / made some of youre poore brethern heretikes / than come yov wyth alle youre gorgius estate / pompe and pryde / to out face christ and youre symple brother / wyth youre outward damnable pryd a fore the face of the world / but my lordes / leve of youre fasynge and youre brasyng / for oure lorde whose cause we defend agenste yov / wylle at length not be out fased Remember how the holy gost pra­yth agenst yov saynge / iudge them lorde / Psal. 5 that they may falle from their cogitacions / expelle them lorde for they haue prouoked the / dought yov not but this holy sprett wylle prevaylle a­genste yov / though god suffer yov for a sesonne [Page] yet hathe he tyll this day defended hym selfe & his godly wordes agenst all the proude crakynges of the world / and thynke yov that he wylle nowe take a faulle at youre honde? nay nay / he shall fyrste thrust yov out hedlynges that alle y^e worlde shall take example by yov / this is my beleue. For that word that yov haue condemned doth thus lerne me / wherefore iff yov do not re­uoke the condemnacion of the newe testament / and ordeyne that alle christen men may rede holy scriptur yov shalle haue the grettest shame y^t ever men hade in this worlde for yov ar neuer abylle to defend yt by no menys / nor by no po­wer that is in erthe / and if alle power in erthe wylle withstonde yt / he shalle rather bryng thē alle to duste and raysse vpp of stonys newe ru­lars. yov wormys meat / yov stynkyng carrion yov nurryshement of helle fyer / how dare yov thus presume agenste youre god omnipotent? whether wyll yov flye to a voyd his danger? heuen and erthe / watter and fyer / sone / mone / and starrys / saynctes and angelles / man and childe / be agenst yov and holde yov a cursed. what tho­ugh y^e deuylle laffe on yov for a seson / Remem­ [...]er the ende / but god geue yov his grace / that I losse not my labour a boute yov.

But now lett me a soylle youre carnalle reasons that yov bryng for yov. The fyrst is this euyll men doo take an occasion of heresy out of scripturs / wherefore yt is best they haue yt not / I answere lyke wyfe good men doo take an oc­casion of goodnes there of ergo y^e people ought to haue yt / but wylle yov condemne alle thyn­ges where by men doo take occasion of evylle? Than must yov fyrste put out youre awne yies for by them take yov occasyon to see meny idylle [Page Cx] thynges: yov must also dystroy youre hondes youre fette youre tonge / and alle that yov haue for these do yov mysse vse very often / yov must also distroy youre awne hartes wherby yov haue not alonlye occasion of evylle / but yov doo thinke evylle in very dede / yov must also destroye alle fayre wemen / for of them take yov sore occasions of evylle / yov must also burne alle your goodes and destroy alle youre richys / for of them mē take occasion to be theuys and yov to be proude / yov must also distroye all winys / for of them men take occasion to be drunken / yov must distroy alle mettes / for they geue men occasion of gluttyny / yee yov must distroye the marcy of god / of the which evylle men take boldnes in their myschyffe / breuely what is there soo good a thynge but that evylle men cane ta­ke an occasion of evylle / yee and that of Christe him selfe / as.1. Corin. 1. S. Paule saith which vnto to the Iuys is offence / and vnto the gentylles occasiō of folyshenes / and yet for alle this yov maye not dystroye Christ / but he must remayne stylle and so lyke wyse y^e gospelles / for though y^t the evylle man (which wyl neuer be good) reseue of it occasiō of evyll / yet there be meny thousandes y^t reseue there by their saluacion. Now be cau­se y^e spyder gethereth poyson of y^e good herbis / it were no reason therfore to dystroy alle good herbys.Mar. 1 [...] A nother of youre reasons / there be sertē sentences in scripture y^t do not belōge for everye mā to know / as oure. M. Christ faith / vnto yov is it geuē to know / y^e mysterys of y^e kyng­dō of heuē / vnto thē is it not geuē I āswere w­home mene yov whā yov say / vnto yov it is geuē / yf yov mene y^e aposles & alonly their succes­sors thā may not yov rede holy scriptur / for yov [Page] be not the successors of the appostles / by my lor­de of Rochestes auctoryte / but yff yov mene the christen people / that haue the sprete of god / as oure Master Christ ment than be yov excluded for yov haue not the sprytte of god as the effect dothe declare / ergo yov may not rede scripturs marke also that oure Master saithe vn to yov yt ys geuen / as who saith if yt were not geuen yov shulde no more haue yt thane other men.

Now howe cane yov proue that the vnder­stondinge of scriptur is geuen to yov? but now to y^e texte oure master Christe speketh here of y^e sprytualle / and y^e ryght vnderstonding of holy scripturs / which is the gyfte of god wonly / and he speketh not of studyyng or redynge of ho­ly scripture / for yov haue in y^t same place / howe that meny dyd followe hym / and heare his pre­chynge but yet they vnderstonde hym not / therfore this texte maketh derectly agenste you ād youre workes doo declare that yov be the he­rars and reders of the worde of god but the vnderstondynge is not geuen yov. But now wyll my lorde of Rochester say / that yov haue y^e ve­ry vnderstondyng as holy doctours had yt / for though that scripturs in them selfe and of their awne nature be playnest / ād beste to be knowē yet be y^e holy doctours playnest vn to vs / whe­refore he that wyll vnderstonde scripture must fyrst lerne to vnderstonde the doctours / & they shall brynge hym to the trew vnderstondynge of holy scripture / or els he must erre. I answere o my lorde doo yov wryte this with a saffe consyens? thynke yov that yov cane discharge youre consyens a fore the dredfulle face of Christe with this tryflynge distynccyon / Quedam sunt nociora nobis / et quedā nociora natura / I pray [Page Cxj] yow yf yow wylle proue that god were wyse / wold yov be gyne to proue yt at youre wysdō? yf yow wolde proue that god were a lyue wold yov proue yt by that that yov be a lyue? if yow wolde persuade a man to beleue that there is a gode / wolde yov lerne hym / that he must nedes beleue yt / by cause that there be creaturs? these thinges be best knowen vnto yow / and yf yow wold proue that a man hath a trew sens of scripturs / wylle yov proue yt / by that that he hath y^e sense of y^e doctours? what if y^e doctors had takē a false & a contrary sense / this case is possible wold yov therfore saye y^t y^e sense which the mā hathe takē out of scriptur is false? But I pray yov my lorde / after this rule / how culde mē / vnd (er)stond scripturs / in Peter and Paules days w­hane there were no doctours.Scotꝰ. [...] Sent. di. 3 q. 3 But after youre awne lernyng / that same sciens which must proue the principylles of other sciēces is fyrst knowen / actualiter / dystynkly / now be all the pryn­cipalles of alle other doctours proued trew by holy scriptur / ergo there is no saynge nor expo­sicion of holy doctoures that cane be perfytly knowen except that scripture be fyrst knowen / this is youre awne dyumyte ye cane not deny yt / wherefore if yov wille proue that yov haue the verite you must proue yt / by cause yov ha­ue the sence of holye scriptur / and not the sence of holye doctoures but douteles I haue grete mervelle / that my lorde of Rochester / is neyther ashamed of man / nor yet afrayd of the venge­ance of god that thus tryfylythe with holy scripture.

Besides this yov haue an other baulde rea­son / the Cytye of London hathe serten previleges and secret counsels / yt were no reason that [Page] alle men shulde know them / this was my lorde of Londons reason at Paulys crosse / whane he condemned the newe testament. I Answere my lorde say of your consciens / dyd yov not speke these wordes to plesse my lord y^t mayre of London and his brethern / but I praye yov is thys a lyke symylitude of the serten counsels of men the which must be kept secrett by cause they be counsels / And of the holy scripturs the whiche were brought in to this world not to be kept secrett but to be preched openly / as oure Master Christe commandeth / preche the gospelle to alle creaturs / heare yov to alle creaturs?Mar. vlt. lett these men haue yt (for alle these be of the counsell) ād kepe yov yt from the ressydue / furthermore ou­re Master saithe in a nother place / that that I haue shewed yov in secretnes / preche yt on the tope of the housse. Also. S. Paule saith / the gos­pell is declared openly thorow prechyng and in an other place god hathe brought lyffe and im­mortalyte / Ti. 1. 2. Timo. 2 Ioan. 3 Mat. 5. vnto lyght thorow the gospelle / also oure master calleth yt the lyght of the worlde / now who will sett (as he sayth) a lyght vnder a busshell / and not rather openly that alle men there by may be lyghtened? wherefore my lorde youre symylytude ys verye for vn lyke / and iff yov were not a lorde yt ware worthy to be dyspised / but douteles yt may be welle thou­ghte that yov ware at a sore exigent / whan yov were cōpelled to proue this thinge with so baulde a reason / who wolde haue loked for so sym­ple a reason in so ernyst a matter of so wyse a man / of so grete a doctour / of so worshypfulle a father / and of the bysshop of London / yee and of hym that ys called a nother Solomon / nor withstōdinge suche an haltyng symilytude dyd [Page Cxij] he neuer lerne in the prouerbes of Salomon / but yt had byn a better symylytude / of the kynges proclamaciō / which is proclaymed y^t all mē myght know yt and also kepe yt and noo man ys bounde to kepe yt / tylle yt be proclamed / lyke wysse the gospelle was geuen for to be pro­clamed / and everye man is bound to kepe yt / wherfore yt must nedes be proclaymed to everye man / and vn to yov my lord I be seche god that yov may be won of them of whome yt ys spoken. To yov ys yt geuen to knowe the mysteryes of god. Amen. ☜

TO this article we must note y^t there be two maner of mynys­ters or powers: won ys a tem­poralle power / the other is cal­led a spritualle power / the temporalle power ys commytted of god to kynges / Dukes / Er­lys / Lordes / Barrons / Iud­ges / mayrys / shryuys / and to alle other mynys­tres vnder them / these be they that haue won­ly the temporalle swerde / where by they must order alle the commen welthe with alle wordly thynges longynge there vnto / as the disposiciō of these wordly goodes / who shal be ryght ow­ner and who not / the probacion of mens testi­mentes / the orderyng of paymentes and custōs the settynge of alle maner of taskes and forfyt­tes / the correccion of alle transgressions / where by the commen welthe / or any priuate person / is dysquieted or wronged / as correccion of The­uys / murderars / harlottes baudes / sclanderars wranglars / extorcioners / brybers / vserars / fal­se byars and sellars / and of alle other thynges where vnto be longeth any outward orderinge or any corporalle payne / in thys power ys the kynge cheffe and fulle ruler / alle other be miny­sters and seruantes as. S. Paule dothe decla­re saynge / lett euerye soulle be subiect and obe­dient vnto the hye powers. &c̄.

Roma. 13. 1. Pet. 2.Also. S. Peter / be subiect vn to the kynge as vn to the cheffe hede / eyther vn to rulers as [Page Cxiij] vn to them that are sent of the kynge for the ponyshement of euylle doars.Roma. 13 Vn to this pow­er muste we be obedyēt in all thynges that per­teyne to the minystracion of this present lyffe and of the commen welthe / not allonly (as paul saith) for a voydyng of ponishemēt but also for dischargynge of oure consciens / for this is the will of god. So that yf this power cōmāde any thinge of tyranny agenste ryght and law (Alle ways prouidyd that it repugne not agenst the gospell nor distroye our faith) oure cherite must nedis suffer yt / for as paule saithe / 1 Cor. 13 Mat. 6. Cherite suff­erth all thyng / Also oure Master christ / if a man stryke the on the won cheke / turne hym y^e other / for he doth exarcisse tirāny / but ouer these wo­rldly goodis / and these present thingis ād ouer thy corporall boddy / which Christē men do not alonly not regarde but they dispisse it / Neuer y^e lesse yf he cōmande y^t any thinge agēst ryght or do y^e any wrōg (As for an example cast y^e in pre­son wrongfully) yf thou canste by ōny resonable and quiet menys / with out fedyssion / in surreccion / or breking of the cōmē peace saue they selfe or avoyd his tirāny thou mayst do it with good consciens / As yf thou wert in presonne yf thou couldest a void with out any sedisiō thou mayst lawfully do it / ād thy consciens is fre so doinge and thou dost not synne / nor offend the lawe of god / as paulle saithe / 1. Cor. 7. If thou mayst be fre vsse yt / but in no wysse (be yt right or wrong) mayst thou make any resistence / with swerde or with honde but obey except thou canste a voyd as I haue shewed the / but yf the cause be right / law­full / or prophitable to the commen welth / thou must obey / and thou maist not flye with out sinne / That men haue fled from the tiranny and y^e [Page] wronge of this power we haue yt openly / 4. Reg. 6. 3. Reg. 19. Act. [...]. idē. 9. & .14 in dyuers placis of scriptours / As of Elezy that fled frō the tyrāny of y^e kyng of Siria / Also Helyas fled from the tyrāny of kyng [...] has / also Saint Peter fled out of presonne / And. S. Paul [...]e out of the City of damascum / and out of Iconyū as it is open in the Actis of the apostyllis / so y^t agenst this power (though thou haue wronge) mayst thou not make any corporall resistaunce / but allonly a voyde by flyynge / or ellys kepe y^e thing that ys cōmandyd the. But if it be right / and to the ꝓphyt of the cōmē welthe / thou must bothe fulfylle it and also abyde.

But now will there be inquierid of me / this casse / yf it plesse the kyngis grace to cōvēine the New testament in ynglyshe and to commande y^t none of his subiectis shall haue it vnder hys displesure whether they be boūd to obey this cō maundemēt or no? to this wil I answere / That I do beleue / y^t oure most noble prynce hath not [...] forbyddyn / that christen mē may haue chrystis testament whether yt be in lattyn / in ynglyshe / frenche / douche / grek / or Ebrew / for chrystes ve­ryte / is all whom in all tongis / And as his gra­ce knowyth yt wer very vnresonable that any man shuld eyther counsell / or for byd hys grace that he shulde knowe or rede / the testament off the Most noble prince hys father in the whyche is allonly geuen / and [...]misyd worldly goodes / which as sone as they be geuen / be reddy to de­key and to perysh / and yf (I say) thys be vnre­sonable / and vnright / how muche more were yt vnresonable to take away from vs oure father of heuyns testament. whosse legasy and promysys do as for excelle / y^e legasys of the noble prynce hys father / as god dothe excelle man. But [Page Cxiiij] what shulde I make meny resons to proue vn to hys grace that thynge to be lawfulle / That the father of heuen hathe sent vs / from whom commythe nothyng but goodnes / yee ād it was not sent by man / by Angell / or by saynt / but by the wonly sone of god / bothe god and man / ād dylygently declared by hym to all the worlde / Not vn to the Pharysys alone / but vn to all maner of people / and that to the houre of hys dethe / and also there of toke his dethe / and nott yet so cōtent / but sent his gloryous apostillis to declare and to lerne thys godly worde thorow all the worlde. And by cause the mynystracyon of this worde requyered a greter strength than was in any naturall man / therfore also gaue he them his eternalle spret / to stablyshe thē / to cō ­firme them / and to make them strong in all thingys that there myght be nothing desyeryd / too the declaracion and settyng out of this worde.

Now who coulde fynd in hys harte / That ys a trew subiect and regardythe the honoure of oure noble prynce and the saluacyon of hys soule / eyther to thinke that his grace wolde cō ­demne yt / or elles to moue hym to condemne y^e thynge / that commythe from heuyn ye ād that from the father of heuen / and sent and lerned bi hys eternall sone which hathe selyd yt wyth ys most precius bloude / and [...]o commandyd hys gloryous apostillis to preche yt / And confirmed it wyth so meny mirakylles and dyd also geue / to the confirmynge and the writinge of yt / The gloryous consolatour the holy goste / so that yt is opē / y^t the father of heuē did not send this go­dly word with a small diligēce / or as though he [Page] caryd not whyther yt shulde remayne in erthe or not / But so hath he declared thys holy worde wyth suche a prosses / That heuyn / erthe and helle shulde know that yt ys hys worde / and y^t yt ys hys wylle that alle men shulde haue yt / and that he wold defend it / and be enymy vn to all them that wold ouerpresse it. wherfore lett thē y^t be cappitall enymys vn to his grace bothe in harte and in dede susspect that of his grace & moue him vnto it / for doutles I wil neuer do it for I dare boldly say / That the deuyll of helle whych is enymy vn to his grace / bothe of body and soule wyll moue him vn to no nother thing but allonly so to condemne godes worde / and Thys thyng dothe hys grace know well / and therfore I dought not but that he hath ād also wyll a voyde the danger theroff. Neuer the lesse yt may pleasse god to take so gret vengeance for oure abhominable synnes that after hys gracis days / he may send vs such a tyrāt / That shall not allonly for byd the Newe testament / but also all thynges that may be to the honour of god yee and that peraduentur vnder suche a collour of godes name / That all men shall rek­kyn none other but that he is godes frende.

Thys wyll be a gret scorge / ād an intollera­ble plage / the father off heuyn off hys infynyte mercy defende vs frō suche a terryble vengeā ce:Roma. 1. for yt ys the grettyst plage that can come in erthe (as. Saynt Paule dothe declare to the Romans) whan that godis veryte ys condemnyd in godys name and men be so blynde that they can not perseue yt / for they be geuyn in to a peruerse sens / this plage neuer cōmith / but yt is a tokyn off euerlastynge reprobacion / our moste [Page Cxv] marcifulle redemer Christ Iesus / defend vs frō [...]t amen. But if it come that we must nedes suf­fer this plage / how shalle christen men vsse thē [...]elfe to this Prince that wille so condemne godes worde? My lordes y^e bisshops wolde deposse him with shorte deliberacion / and make no consyens of it / They haue deposyd prynces for lesser causys than this is a gretdell. But agēst them wille I alle ways laye Christes facte / and his holy Apostles / and the worde of god / who­me christen men must alonly folowe / Therfore the kynges commandiment muste be consyde­rid on this maner / yf the kynge forbyd The new testamēt / Or any of christes sacramentes / Or the prechyng of the worde of god or any o­ther thyng that is agenst christ vnder a tempo­ralle payne / Or els vnder y^e payne of dethe: mē shalle fyrste make faithefulle prayers to god / ād then diligent intercession vn to the kinges gra­ce with alle due subiecciō / That his grace wol­de relese that commandimēt. If he wille not do it / They shalle kepe their testament with alle other ordinance of christ / and lett the kyng exercysse his tyranny (if they can not flye) and in no wisse vnder the payne of damnaciō shalle they withstonde hym with violence but suffer paci­ently alle the tyranny that he layth on thē bothe in theyr boddys ād goodes / ād leue the vē ­gance of it vn to their heuynly father which hathe a scorge to tame those bedlams with whane he seyth his tyme. But in no wisse shalle they resyste violentlye / nor they shalle nor deny christes verite / nor yet for sake it a fore y^e prince les [...] they rūne in the danger of these wordes / he y^t denyithe me and mi worde a fore men / I shalle deny hym a fore my father in heuyn / And lett [Page] not men regarde this matter lightly and thyn­ke that they may geue vp their testamentes ād yet not denye christ / for what so ever he be that geuithe vp his testament as a thyng worthy to be condemnyd / he doth a fore god deny chryst / Though his testamēt be peraduenture (he not knowyng) false and vn truly princyd / or vntruly transelatyd / yet vnto hym is it a trew testa­ment / and therfore shalle he not delyuer it to a­ny that wille condemne it as vnlawfulle. But this shalle he do / If any man that is lernyd do fynde any taute there in he shalle be glade to a mend that faute / but not to suffer in any wysse for that or for those fautes the holle testament to be condemned as vnlawfulle. for if that shulde be sufferd / than shulde we haue no testament for there is no testament that is so trew / but eyther there be fautes in dede / orels mē by cauylacyons may invent that there be fautes / for this dare I say boldely / That the new testament in ynglyshe is tentymys truar / thane the oolde translacyon in lattyn is / in the which be meny places y^t do want whole sentensys / 1. Cor. 15. Mat. 20. Act. 20. 1. Tim. 6. and meny places / that no man cane defend with out heresy / as this texte / Non omnes immutabimur / Also this / Sedere ad dexteram meam vel sini­stram non est meū dare vobis / Also thes places wante / Commorati sumus trogilij / Seiungere ab is qui huiusmodi sunt / with meny other places more / that noman can say but they be euy­dently false / and yet we may not burne oure bokes for alle that / but kepe them and a mend thē Nor they shalle not goo a bought / to deposse their prince / as mi lordes y^e bysshops were wonte to do / but they shalle boldely confesse / y^t they haue y^e verite & wille there by abyde / and alōly [Page Cxvi] shalle they pray to their heuynly father to change y^e harte of their prynce / y^t they may lyue vnderneth hym / after christes word / & in quietnes as paule exhortithe vs saynge / 1. Tym. 1. I exhorte that prayers supplicaciōs / peticions ād geuyng off thākes / be had for alle men / for kynges & for all y^t are in preheminēs y^t we may lyve a quiet ād a pesable lyffe in alle goodnes & honesty Thus shalle men be haue thē selfe towarde their prynce & in no wisse shalle they denye christes worde / or graunte to y^e burnynge of their testamētes / but if y^e kynge wille do it bi violence they mvst suffer it / but not obey to it by a gremēt / Thys may be prouyd by y^e exāples of the apostles w­hā y^e hye prystes of y^e tēple cōmādyd Peter ād Iohan / Act. 4. &. 5 y^t they shuld no more preche & teche in y^e name of Iesus / But they made them answere it was more ryght to obey god thā mā. Also y^e pharisys came and cōmanded oure master Ch­rist / in herodes name / That he shulde departe from thens / or he wold kylle hym / but he wol­de not obey but made them answere to Herod with a gret thretnyng / Go telle y^e wolfe / be holde I caste out deuylles and I make men holle thys day & to morrow / Luce. 13. And y^e thryd day am I consumed / neuer the lesse I must continue this day to morrow ād the nexte daye &c̄. So y^t he lefte not y^e ministraciō of y^e worde / nether for y^e kynges plesur nor yet for fere of dethe. Also we haue opynly / Dani. 3. that y^e thre chyldern wolde not o­bey to y^e cōmandiment of kyng nabuchodono­sor / by cause it was agēst y^e worde of God / ly­kewyse we haue an exāple / where as y^e kynge darius commandyd y^t no man shulde axe any peticyō / Danie. 6. eyther of god or mā with in y^e space of xxx. days but of hym only / Not with stondyn­ge Daniell went in to his hovse / and thryse in [...] [Page] [...] [Page Cxvi] [Page] a daye made hys prayers to god of Ierusalem / for the which thyng he was put in to the denne of liones / y^e whiche he dyd obey as in suffering of the payne but not in consentyng to the vnryght commandement / So that Christen men are bound to obey in sufferyng the kynges ty­ranny / but not inconsentyng to hys vn lawfulle commandiment / alle ways hauynge a fore theyr yies / Mat. 10. the confortable sayng of oure M. christ Fere not them that kylle y^e boddy / which whā they haue done they cane no more doo / 1. Pet. 3. Also S Petter / happy are ye if yov suffer for ryghttusnes sake / neuer the lesse fere not / thovgh they seme terebille vn to yov neither be trublyd but sanctify the lord god in youre harte. And let thē not fere but that their father of heuyn hathe care for them / And shalle delyuer them / And also brynge his godly worde vn to lyght whā yt sh­alle plesse hys eternalle wille / agēste the whyche no tyrante is abylle to wyth stond But whane the tyrātes thynke them selfe most suer of the vyctory / and be alle reddy prouydyd to burne Susanna / Dani. 13. thā shalle he reyse vp a danielle that shalle caulle a gayne the sentence of the lecherous prystes / And whan Ioseph is solde in to E­gypt / and there cast in prison than wille he make him lorde ouer alle Egypt yee and also ouer them that solde hym.Genes. 37. et. 39. He brengeth also to passe that proud Aman be he neuer so grett in the kynges fauoure shalle be hangyd on hys awne gallowes / that he made for mardocheus the Isralyte / Also whan Pharao hathe commandyd vnder payne of dethe to destroye alle the men chyldern of Israel / Than cane he fynd the menys to saue Moses ye and that on the watter:Exod. 2. where as alle the power of Egypt coulde not [Page Cxvii] saue the kynge / yee and he norryshyd hym in y^e kynges hovse / at the kynges cost ye and by the kynges doughter / Dyd pharao supposse thys? or was there any counselle of Pharaos that coulde preuaylle agenste this? was there any wysdom or tyranny in the erth that was abil­le to extincte moses? nay verely. Furtheremore whā Israell hath byn in egipte .iiij.C. yerys in grett captiuite and thraldū / yet agenst Phara­os wille kepith he hys promis and deliuereth them and makyth watter fyer and erthe to serue them / and whan alle Israel was in dispayre and pharao y^e tyrant was reddy to sucke bloud Than shewed oure God his myghtty power. what can Israell thynke whan he hath the red see a fore hym / And pharao with alle his might and power after hym / and of euerye syde a grett mountayne / what hope hathe he by mans myght / by mans power / by mans wysdom / by mans pollisy / for to be deliueryd? none at alle. But a fore Israelles carnalle yie alle thing ys in extreme dysperacyon.Psal. 2 But now you prynces that Iudge the erthe lerne and take hed / here cōmith the god of Israell / whō all Egypt hath dispysyd / skornyd mokkyd and cō ­demnyd and sheweth hys myght where as no­thyng can helpe but he wonly / and where the tyrantis rekkyn to be most suer of victordū / Act. 12. there bringyth he all theyr malys too an ende. And whā herod hath peter in preson faste bound in chenys / and of euery syde of hym a sodyare and kepers sett at the preson dore euerye man in his offyce watchyng that peter shall not escape (for herod in tendeth the day folowyng too brynge hym forthe to wonderynge and also to dethe) Than agenst herodis wyll / a boue all his might [Page] a boue alle his wysdum and polycy / notwyth­stondinge alle the sodyar [...]s and gaolars of the preson / cometh the power of oure eternalle god and ledeth Peter thorow the fyrste and the se­cond warde / yee and the brason gate must wyl­fully open / and lett Peter out / whome oure lor­de god wolde delyuer. Shortly / what shulde I brynge meny examples to proue godes power and to declare how the trouth of god and hys childerne be alle ways in persecucyon / but the ende is all ways glory vnto them wherfore this won example / of oure Master Christe shalle be sufficient to stablish and to confirme alle febyl­le hartes / and also to molyfye alle stonye har­tes / and fynallye to confound / the violent tyranny of mortalle tyrantes which be but stubbilles keye and duste / and in a moment be brought to a lumpe of stynkyng carryon / consyder oure master Christe which is the very trew sone of god / Mat. 27. &. 28. and god him selfe and yet ys he crucyfyde and put to dethe / as a sedicious person / as a male­factor as a theffe / as a traytoure / yee and as an heretyke / he is layde also in the graue and a grete stone a fore the dore / and sodyars that were not of the commen sorte / but of the Romayns / be sett dylygently to kepe the graue wyth al­le the polycy and wysdum that the bysshopes coulde devysse / and alle that he shulde not rysse vpp agayne acordynge to hys worde / but alle this could not helpe for the powre of god wold not be lett / hys veryte coulde not be proued false / hys worde coulde not be oppressed / but wha­ne the tyrantes thought to make theyr try­umphe off vyctorye / than were they most over­cumme / for yt ys neyther watter nor fyer / see nor Londe / heuē nor erthe / dethe nor helle / that [Page Cxviii] cane let god to defende his chyldern / or to bring forthe his godly word to lyght / and to kepe his eternalle promysys / Therfore let Christen mē not fere to kepe the worde of god and faste there by to abyde / and not to deny yt for any ty­ranny / for the day shalle come whane it shalle be gretly to their glory / And Sodom / and Go­mor shalle be more easelye handlyd / than suche prynces / that do persecute the holy worde off God. Now is it clear made that we can not re­syst this temporalle power in no wysse by vyolence / but if we haue wrong either we must do the thyng that is commanded vs or els flye / but if any thyng be commanded vs that is a­genste the worde of god where by oure faythe is hurt / that we shulde not doo in any wysse: but rather suffer persecucyon and also dethe. But agenst this power goythe not oure Arty­cle for it commandeth nothyng as consernyn­ge the consyens / but alonly as consernyng the orderynge of worldly thynges and there fore / it mynistreth a temporalle payne over the bod­dy wonly and there wyth contēt / wherfore we wille now speke of the other power whych mē calle spiritualle.

Fyrst here is to be notyd that thys is no power Nor none auctorite worldly / but al ōly a mynystracyon of the worde of God and a spiritualle regement / prechyng the gouernynge of the soule and the mynystracion of the sprett hauyng nothyng to do wyth the exterior Iustes or ryghtwisnes of the world ād therfore hathe it no power bi ryght & lawe to make any statutes or lawys to order the world by / but alonly faythe fullie & truli to p̄che & to minister y^e word of god there bi īstructīg y^e cōsyēs of mā nothīg [Page] addyng there to / nor takyng there from but as S. Paule saith / 2. Tim. 3 to abyde in those thynges that they haue lerned / Rom. 16 and that be commytted vn to them / for. S. Paule (as he hym selfe saith) dur­ste speke no nother thynge but those thynges which Christe had wrought by him / for he cur­seth hym be he man or angell that precheth any other gospell / Gala. 1. Hiere. 23 than he had preched / therfore the prophete commandeth vs that we shulde not here the wordes of those prophetes which dysseue vs / for they speke visyons of their awne hartes and not out of the mought of god / and yet speke they in the name of god / wherfore these mē so longe as they speke wonly the worde off god / so longe are they to be harde / as christ him selfe / after that saynge he that hereth yov he­reth me / Luce. 10 Mat. 23. Suꝑ Ioā. Trac. 46. also what so euer they saye vn to yov syttynge in the chayre of Moses doo yt / on the which texte speketh. S. Augustine / By syttyng in the chayre is vnderstonde y^e lernynge of y^e lawe of god / and therfore god dothe teche by thē / but yf they wylle teache their awne doctrine hare yt not / doo yt not / for suche men seke that y^t ys theires and not Christes. &c̄.

These wordes be playne agenst alle them y^t preche any thynge but the lawe of god wonly / wherefore yff these mynysters wyll of tyranny aboue the worde of god make any law or statu­te / yt must be consydered after two maner awayes / fyrste whether yt be openly and derectly a­genst the word of god and to the dystruccion of the faith / as that statute is where by they haue condemned the new testament / and also forbydden serten men to preche the worde of god ha­uynge no trew cause agenste them / but alonly their malicius susspeccion / also that lernyng w­here [Page Cxix] by they lerne / that workes doo iustify: mo­re ouer that statute where by they bynd mē vnder the payne of damnacyon to be assoyled of them / these statutes I say with other lyke men are not bound for to obey nether of cherite (for here is faith hurt which geueth no place to cheryte) nor yet for a voydyng of sclander / for the worde of god may not be a voydyd / nor yet ge­ue place / vn to sclander for than shulde yt ne­uer be preched / but it must be faste stucke vn to and the more that men be offended with alle ād the styffer that they be agenste yt / the more openly and planlye yee and that to their faces / that make suche statutes must we resyst them with these wordes / Act. 5. we are more bound to obey god than man.

This is well proued / by Hylarius wordes / Hylarius in Matt. cano. 14. alle maner of plantes that be not planted of y^e father of heuen must be plucked vpp by the rootes / that is to say the tradicions of mē / by whose menys / the commandimentes of the lawe be broken / must be destroyed / and therfore calleth he them / blynd gydes of the way to euerlastyn­ge lyffe / because they se not that thyng they promys / and for that cause / he saith / that bothe the blynde gydes and they that be led shall faule in to the dyke. &c̄. Marke that alle tradicious of mē which are agenst godes law must be dys­troyed / therfore lett everye man take hede / for yt longeth to their charge / for bothe the blynd gydes and also they that be led shalle falle in y^e dyke / yt shalle be none excuse / for hym that ys led to saye that hys gyde was blynd / but lett them here the word of god by his holy prophe­te walke not in the preceptes of youre fathers nor kepe not their iudgementes / Ezech. [...]0. but walke in [Page] my preceptes / and kepe my iudgementes. The other maner of statutes be whan serten thyn­ges that be called indifferent be commanded as thinges to be done of necessite and vnder the paynes of deedly synne / as for an example to eate fleshe or fyshe this day or that day is indifferēt and fre / also to goo in this rayment / of this col­lour or that collour / to shaue oure hedes or not / a prest to were a longe goune or a shorte / a gray fryar to were a gray cote or a Russett / a whytte fryar to were a whytte or a blake / a preste to marry or not to marrye / an heremyt to haue a berde or not / these with alle other suche outwarde workes / be thynges indifferent and may be vsed and also lefte / now if the bisshops will make any lawe or statute that these thinges shalle be determynatlye vsed so that it shalle not be lawfulle for vs to leue them vn done / but that we must presyssely doo them and not the cōtra­ry vnder the payne of dedlye synne / here must they be with stōded and in no wyse obeyd for in this is hurte oure faith and lyberte of christendome where by we ar fre and not bound / to any exterior worke / but fre in alle thynges and vn to alle men at alle tymys and in alle maner / excep­te yt be in suche a cause where as brotherly cheryte / or the commen peace shuld be offended therefore in all these thinges be we fre ād we must withstonde them that wylle take thys lybertye from vs wyth thys texte of scripture / we are bought with pryce we wyl not be y^e seruātes of men / 1. Cor. 7. this texte is open agenste them that wylle bynd mennes conscyens vn to synne in those thinges that Christe hathe lefte them fre in / off this we haue an euydent example of. S. Paule [Page Cxx] the which wold not circumcise Titus whan y^e false brethern wolde haue compelled hym there vn to as a thynge of necessyte vnto whome.Gala. 2. S. Paule gaue no romthe as consernynge to be brought in to subieccion. s. Paule dyd not with stonde them / by cause that circumsicion was vnlawfulle or myght not be vsed of christen men / but by cause that they wolde haue compelled hym vn to yt as vnto a thinge of necessyte / that thinge wolde not. S. Paule suffer / for that was agenst the liberty that we haue in Christ Iesus as he saith here planly. wherefore we be not alō ­ly by christe made fre from synne / but also ma­de fre in vsynge alle maner of thynges that be indifferēt / and vnto them we cane not be bound as vnto thynges of necessite as on the frydaye to eate fyshe / and there vnto be bounde in con­sciens vnder the payne of dedly synne / in thys we may not obey for yt is agenst the worde off god not be cause / it is evylle to eate fyshe (for in tyme conuenient and whane thou arte disposed yt is good) but by cause that they wylle in this thyng bynde oure consciens and make that thinge of necessite / that god hathe lefte fre.

Therfore speketh Paule agenst them in these wordes / In the latter dayes serten men shall swarue frome the faythe applyng them selfe to the spretes of errours / 1. Tim. 4. and doctryns of the de­uylle / for byddynge maryage / and to absteyne from mettes / that god hathe created to be rese­ued of faithfullmen with thankes / for alle crea­turs of god be good / and nothinge to be refused y^t ys reseued wyth thankes / marke how Pau­le saythe / nothynge ys to be refufed that may [Page] be reseued with thankes thys is openlye agen­ste them that wylle forbed other fyshe or fleshe this day or that day as a thynge vn ryght for a christē man to eate for as. S. Paule saith mea­te dothe not commend vs vn to god.1. Cor. 8. Also in an other place the kyngdom of heuen is nother meatt nor drynke / Rom. 14. therfore they doo vn ryght to bynde oure consyens in suche thinges / and to thynke vs vnfaythefulle by cause we obserue thē not. Nowe lett oure holy hypocrites of y^e charter housse loke on their consciens / whiche rekken to by and to selle heuen / for a pece of fyshe or fleshe but they rekken yt no vyce to lyue in hatered / ranker / and malys / and neyther to serue god nor their neyboure but with suche an hypocrites seruyce as they haue inuented off their awne hypocrisy / and not reseued of god / they thynke yt a greate perfeccion to absteyne from befe and mutton / and to eate pyke / tenche gurnarde and alle other costly fyshys and that of the dentyyst fascion dressed / but a pece of grosse beffe may they not touche / may they not smelle for than they losse heuen and alle the merites of Christes bloude. Is not here a goodly fey­ned hypocrisy? a fore the worlde yt shyneth bryghte / but compare yt vn to Christes scripture & there cane not be a gretter balsphemy / for here in they clearly damne Christ and his ordinance and make that of necessite that Christe lefte as indifferent / agenste these holy hipocrites wryt­teth. S. Paule saynge / we ought not to be led with the tradicions of mē / Colo. 2. that saye touche not taste not / handylle not / whiche thinges peryshe with vsynge of them and are after the commandementes and doctryns of men / which thinges haue the symylitude of wysdom in superstici­cyous [Page Cxxi] holynes & humbylnes in that they spare not the boddy ād do the fleshe no worshyp vn to hys nede. Here is clearly condemnyd all su­persticiousnes and feynyd holynes that mē haue inventyd in eatyng or drincking / in touch­yng or in handeling / or in any other suche thinges not that we may not do thē / but that we do them as thynges of necessite and rekkyn o­ure selfe holy whan we do them / and to synne dedly whan we do them not / this is by the dā ­nable institucions of men / The whiche S. Au­gustine condemneth in these wordes / The apostle saythe / Touche not / hādille not &c̄.Ad paui. Epi. 59. By cause that those men by suche obseruacions were led frō y^e verite / by the which they were made fre / where of it is sprokyn the verite shalle deliuer yov / It is a shame (saith he) and vnconuenient and farre from the nobillenes of youre liberte (seyng yov be the boddy of christ) to be disseuyd with shaddowes ād to be iudgid as sinners if yov dispysse to obserue these thynges / where fore lett no man evercome yov (seyng yov are the boddy of chryst) that wille seme to be meke in harte in the holynes of angelles ād bringyng in thynges which he hathe not sene &c̄. Here haue we planly that those thynges w­hich be of the inuencion of man do not bynde oure consciēs though they seme / to be of neuer so grett holynes and of humbillenes and holy­nes of angelles as paule saythe.Col. [...] where fore let them make what statutis they wille / ād as mvche holynes as they cane devysse / Invent as muche godes seruyce as they cane thynke / & lye that they haue reseuyd it from heuyn / ād that it is no lesse holynes than angelles haue / ād set there vn to alle their mandamus / remandamꝰ / [Page] excommunicamus / sub pena excommunicacio­nis maioris / et minoris / Precipimus / Interdi­cimus / et sub indignacione dei omnipotentis / et apostolorū petri et pauli ligamus / with alle other suche blasphemis / that they haue (for douteles if their belly were rippyd / there shulde be nothyng found but blasphemis of god and of his holy word / detraccions / Oppressions / Con­fusyons / damnacyons of their poore brethern / Other good haue we none of thē / lett alle Christen men answer to this of their conscyens if it be not trewe) And yet are we fre in oure cōscy­ens / and alle these cane neyther bynd / nor damne oure consciens / for we are fre made thorow christ / And in consciens not bounde vnder the payne of dedly synne / to nothyng that man ca­ne order or sette / excepte it be conteynyd in ho­ly scripture / Epi. ad ro propo. 72. But in boddy we are bound to euery man. This doth S. Augustyne proue in these wordes. Seyng that we be made of soule ād of boddy / as longe as we do lyve in this temporalle lyffe we must vsse / to the norysheyng of this lyffe / these temporalle goodes Therfore muste we of that parte that belongythe to this lif­fe be subiect vn to powers / that is / vn to men that do minister worldly thynges with some honour / but as consernyng that parte / wherby we beleue in god and be callyd vn to his kyng­dum we ought not to be subiect vn to any mā y^t wille peruerte that same thyng in vs / that hathe plesyd god to geue vs to eternalle liffe &c̄

Here is it playne / that we in conscyens by christ be made fre / and nothyng cane bynd vs vn to synne but his worde wonly. Nowe is it [Page Cxxii] clearly opyn y^t if any power in heuyn / or erth commaund any thyng agenst godes worde / or to the distruccyon or mynyshynge of the same no man maye obey in any caue vnder the pay­ne of damnacion / for godes veryte is not in different to be left or not to beleft. Agayne if man commande any thyng to be done that may be done in tyme and place cōvenient / If he wille bynde vs vn to indifferent thynges as vn to a thyng of necessite / than shalle we not do it / not bi cause it is eville to do / but that it is damna­ble to be done as a thyng of necessite / Neuer y^e lesse if any of these thinges be commandyd of the byshopes as burdyns and as thynges in different thane shalle we kepe them in tyme ād place conuenient / as where I may by them serue my brother / or edyfye hym or doo hym any good or that it maye be vn to hym anye me­nys to come to the verite / neuer the lesse at a nother tyme / whane I am in place conuenient w­here I shalle not offend my broder nor ingen­der no sclaunder nor any dysquietnes in the cō men welthe / Ther may I frely with out any charge of conscyens and with out alle maner of synne breke the bisshopes commandyment / For it is but as a burdyn of a tyraūte / that is layd on vs / and neyther helpyth to the incre­syng of godes honour nor to the edyfyynge of oure brethern / And they them selfe kepe them not. Of these speketh oure master Christ / They bynde grevous and intolerable burdyns and lay them on mens neckes / Mat. 23. but they them selfe wylle not wons set their lytle fynger to them As for an example To ette fleshe on the fryda­ye is forbodyn by the bysshops / now if they compelle the to it as vn to a thyng necessary [Page] and with out the which thou canste not be sa­uyd than shalte thou not do it vnder the pay­ne of synne / But if they wille haue y^e kepe this as a thing of congruens / and as a thing y^t may be an exterior mene to mortify y^e boddy / or an outwarde shyne of holynes / and vn to this he will compelle the by outwarde paynes / thys thyng shalte thou do of thy cherite / by cause thou wilte not breke y^e outward order / nor make any disquietnes for those thynges that neyther make the good nor yet condemne the a fo­re god / 1. Cor. 8. for as S. paule saithe / if we eate nether are we the better / Nor if we eate not are we y^e worsse / Alleways prouidid that in these in dif­ferent thinges thou nother sette confydēce nor holynes / nor yet offende thy weke brothers cherite / for there in though thou be fre in thy selfe and the thyng is also indifferent to the yet of cherite frely makest thou thy selfe seruant to alle men As S. Paule sayth Vvhan I was fre from alle thynges yet dyd I make my selfe a seruant that I might wynne meny men / Note that he alleways speketh of weke brethern (and not of obstinate and of induratyd persons / ag­enst whome thow shalte alleways with stond an defend thy liberte as he dyd) he is thy weke brother that hathe a good mind & beleuithe the worde of god / 1. Cor. 9. neuer the lesse he hathe not that gifte to perseue as yet this liberty to vsse indifferent thynges frely with thākes The­re fore faithe and cherite must be thy gyde in al these thinges & folowing thē thou cāste not erte.

IF men had stucke to the open scripturs of gode / and to the practys of christes holy church and to the exposicion of old doctours as yt dyd be come chri­sten mē to doo / than had yt not byn nedefulle for me to haue taken these paynys and laboures in thys cause / nor yet to haue layd to theyr charges those thynges y^t Antichrist dothe wonly / but now seyng that they wylle doo the open dedes of Antichrist / they must be content that I may also geue them his name / and that alle the world may openly know / that Antichrist dothe rayne in the worlde (yee and that vnder the na­me of Christ) I wylle here sett yov forthe an acte of his which whā it is compared to our Ma­ster Christes wordes I doo not dought but alle trew christen men wylle iudge yt to be of the deuylle as it is in very dede / though that the chyldern of the worlde doo iudge yt other wyse.

This do I say of an acte / that the coūselle of constanciēs did make agenst the most holy and glorius sacrament of oure eternalle god Iesus christ. where in the won kynd of this most bles­sed sacramente was condemned as vnlawfulle for laye men to reseue / & that euerye man maye know / by what auctoryte they did it / and what thing did moue thē to condēne so blessed and so glorious an ordināce of oure lorde Iesus christ / [Page] here wylle I wryte their awne wordes whiche be these / The wor­des of the counselle & determinacion of Antichrist as thys custome for avoydynge serten sclaunders and parrelles was resonably brou­ghte in notwithstondinge in the begenynge off the church this sacrament was reseued of chri­sten men vnder both kyndes / and afterwarde yt was reseued alonly vnder the kynde of bre­de / wherefore seyng that suche a custom off the church / and of holy fathers resonably brought in and longe obserued muste be taken for a law the whych shall not be lawfulle to repreue / nor with out auctoryte of the churche to change yt at amans plesur / wherfore to saye that yt is sa­crilege / or vnlawfulle to obserue this consuetu­de or lawe / muste be iudged erronius / and they that doo pertinaciter defende the contrarye off these premissis / must be restrayned as heretikes & grevously ponysshyd by the bysshoppes or their officialles / or by them that be inquisitores heretice prauitatis which that be in kyngdoms or in prouinces / in these men that doo attempte or presume any thynge agenst this decre shalle men procede agenste them / after the hollye and lawfulle decreys that be invented agenst here­tykes and their fauters / in to the fauour of the catholycalle faithe. &c̄.

Now wylle I exhorte alle christen men in y^e glorius name of oure myghty lorde Iesus chri­ste (which is bothe their redemer & shall be their iudge) that they wylle indifferently here thys artykel discussed / by the blessed worde of oure Master Christe Iesus whiche wasse not alonly of god / but also very god him selfe / and all that he dyd was done by the counselle of the whol­le trynyte / ād not alonly by his / by whose counselle [Page] all counsels bothe in heuen and erthe must be ordered / and that counselle that is contrary to yt whether yt be of Saynct Angel or of man must be a cursed and iudged to be of the deuyll / though they be neuer so myghty / neuer so welle lerned / and neuer so meny in multitude / for the­re is no power / no lernyng / nor yet no multitu­de nether in heuen nor in erthe / nor no iuperdes nor no sclanders that may iudge Christe and his holly worde / nor that they maye geue place vnto / wherefore yff I cane prove by open scrip­turs / of oure Master Christe / and also by the practes of holly churche / that this counselle / ys false and damnable / than lett alle christen men iudge which of vs must be harde and be beleued eyther the counselle hauyng no scriptour ye cō ­trary to alle scripture / or els I that haue the o­pen worde of god / and the very vse and practes of the holye appostles and of holye churche / Christe is of god / and that no man douteth / but the holye counsell though there were fyve thousaddes bisshopes there in muste proue them selfe to be of god by y^e word of god & by their wor­kes the whyche they cane not doo iff they be contrarye to Christe and hys blessed worde.

Moreouer Christe is not trew vnder a con­dicion by cause that men doo a lowe hym / for though alle the worlde were agenst hym / yet were he neuer the lesse trewe / but the counselle ys not trew but allonlye vnder this condicyon by cause yt dothe agre wyth Christes holy worde / and of yt selfe yt hathe no veryte / but ys off the devyll yff yt vary from Christ. A fore y^e dreed­fulle trone of god shalle the counselle be iud­ged by Chrystes holye worde / and Chryste shalle not be iudged / by the decre off the [Page] counsell but he shall be the counsels iudge / and yf christes worde condemne the counselle who shall approue yt / who shall prayse yt / who shall defende yt? The temporalle swerde / nor y^e mul­titude of bisshopes nor interdiccion / excommu­nicacion nor cursynge / cane than helpe. where­fore lett euerye trew christen man loke on thys matter indifferently / it is no tryflyng with god nor with his holy worde / for god wille remayne for ever / and his holy worde must be fulfylled / & yff we wille not fulfylle yt / he shall caste vs dovne to the depe pytt of helle / and make of stonys men in oure stede that shalle kepe his worde / yt ys no lyghte thing / for yt lyethe on the saluaciō and damnacion bothe of boddy ād soulle / from the whiche we can not be delyuered / with these glorious wordes / Concilium / Concilium / Pa­tres / Patres / Episcopi / Episcopi / for alle these may be the minysters of the deuylle / ye though they were angels / therfore wons agayne / I do monyshe and exhorte in the glorious name of the lyuynge god / and in the swet bloude of chri­ste Iesus all trew christen men / to take hede w­hat they doo agenste christes holy worde which is their eternalle god / their mercifulle redemer and shall be also their myghty and glorious iudge. Nowe lett vs examen the wordes of the coūsell. Fyrst of all the counsell graunteth that in the begenyng of the churche / alle christen men were housled vnder bothe kyndes / now wold I know of the counsell of whome the church had reseued this maner: of christe? or hys holy appostles (as doughtles she did) than what auctoryte had the counselle to change the institucion of christ / and of his holy appostles / and also y^e vse and practys of holy churche / was not the fyrst [Page Cxxv] churche of god? Dyd she not kepe Christes institucion? dyd she not fulfyll christes worde? Dyd not the holye appostles lerne hare so? and now shalle the counsell of constanciens fyrste condē me Christ and his blessed worde / and thane the lerninge of Christes holy appostles? and also the longe vse and practes of christes blessed ch­urche / with out any scripture / with out auctorite or with out any speciall reuelacion from god but alonly for avoydyng of serten perelles? yee and not content alonly to condemme these thinges but vnder the payne of heresy to condemne them / this is to sore a condemnacion of christes open word and of that thing which they graūt that the church did vse at the begenyng.

Forthermore the counselle saith that holy fathers and the churche did bringe in this cus­tom to housseile laye men vnder won kinde / are yov not a shamed of these wordes? Dothe not youre consciens pryke yov thus openly to lye? ye of Christ and of his holye churche? Chrystes worde is openly agenste yov / and yov graunte that the vse of the church was also other wyse / and as for holy fathers here maye yov se what they saye to it / but yov are the chylderne of the kingdum of lyis / ād doughtles if yov bring not forth the holy fathers that make for yov / yov shall not allonly be taken for abhominable and open lyers / but also for shamfulle and detesta­ble sclanderars bothe of holye churche and also of holye fathers.

But it is no wōder for Antichrist must declare hym selfe openly to be agenst Christ and yet is he neuer with out an excuse / and a shaddow of holynes / where by he maye blynde the poore [...] [Page] [...] [Page Cxxv] [Page] people / but what excuse had he here in the counsell to condemme Christes worde? That they myght avoyde serten sclanders and perylles & bycause that there is no boddy with out bloud. Be not these lawfulle causys to condemne christes open worde / yee and that vnder the payne of heresy? Is not thys a new maner of lawe to make that he that wylle not obeye a statute made agēst godes worde which he is bounde to obey vnder payne of euerlastinge damnacion / allonly for a voydynge parelles to be condem­ned for an heretyke? Breuely by this reson may they condemme alle holye scriptur / by layynge iuperdys and perylles there to / they may con­demme alle the creaturs of god / for there maye be peryll in vsynge of them alle. But what nede meny wordes to proue this counselle to be of y^e deuylle? for yf that be not of the deuyll that ys contrary to christ / and hathe no excuse for it but alonly to avoyd perelles / I can not tell what is of the deuyll? I am suer Antichrist shalle neuer be with out some carnalle excuse / for yf he wyll deny christ to be both god and man / he shall haue stronger carnalle reasons for hym than the counselle hathe for this / but thys matter must not be iudged by carnalle reasons / yt is godes worde that is a boue alle creatures / wherefore lett vs goo to the scripturs as a suer ancore to ouercome Antichrist with alle his carnalle rea­sons. Fyrst oure master Christ whan he dyd in­stitute this blessed sacrament did vse these wordes / take yt and eate yt thys ys my boddy. &c̄. Lykewyse takynge y^e challyce he gaue thankes and gaue yt vn to them saynge / Matt. 26· Mar. 14. [...]uce. 22. drynke alle off this / this is my bloude of the newe testamente the which shalle be shed for manye in to remis­syon of synnes / these be playne wordes drynke [Page Cxxvj] of yt alle / he that saythe alle excepteth no man / forthermore he knew that there myght be iuperdys in the reseuyng of yt and yet he saith drynke of yt alle / for yt ys my bloude that shall be shed for the remission of synnes.

Now was it not shed for lay mens synnes? why shall they not than drynke of yt? The master and the lorde sayth drynke there of / & shalle the miserable seruant withstonde his commandiment / ye command the playne contrary & saye drynke not there of?

But now commeth my lorde of Rochester (whiche perseueth that the counsell is conuicte in that that it cōsenteth that the whole church in the begenynge did reseue this sacrament vnder both kyndes / and yet forbyddeth that same thinge (and saithe to mayntene this error) that Christ spake these wordes drynke of yt alle / alō ly to his appostles for there were no nother mē there but the appostles / and therfore they must alonly drynke there of. I answere. My lorde yf this thing were alonly lawfulle vnto the appo­stles / how wylle yov dyscharge the primatyue churche / In the which were thosse men y^t christ mynisterd this sacramēt vnto / yee & the selfe mē dyd mynyster yt vnder both kyndes to the wh­olle congregaciō acording to this commādimēt drynke of yt all / dought not but they vndersto­de christes will as well as you in this cōmandymēt. But in y^e waye of cōmunicaciō lett vs graunte you / that to y^e appostles this was wonlye sayde / how wil yov thā discharge your awne p̄ ­stes frō dedly synne? y^e which reseue it vnd (er) both kindes / & yet be they nother apostles nor succes­sors of thē / but after youre awne lernyng y^e bis­hops alonly be their successors / & the prestes do represent .lxxij. disciples / shall they in this thing [Page] represent the appostles / and in absoluyng from synne but the discyples? But [...]ett vs se forther in youre for fetched reason / telle vs how and by what auctoryte (youre hye polytyke rule sa­ved) that yov dare geue eyther of these kyndes to the laye men seynge they were both alonlye geuen to the appostles / for even by that aucto­ryte that yov haue power to take awaye the won kynde / by that selfe same haue yov power to take away the other / for they were both ge­uen at wons and indifferentlye to the reseuers so that as meny as reseued the won reseued al­so the other / and to them that he said take and eate thys / this is my boddye / to them he sayd / drynke alle of this. &c̄.

Now if yov may thꝰ take awaye the partes of the sacramentes at youre plesur y^t consequēt shalle be that incontynvans alle the sacramen­tes shalle be dystroyd / ād Christes worde sett at nought. wherefore my lorde thys blasphemous evasion wylle not helpe yov / but such shamfulle solucions must they vse that wylle be agenst y^e open worde of god / amend youre consciens my lorde / for yf yov doo not remember the teryble wordes of the prophete / he shall shake his swerde and bend his bowe and make yt alle reddye and there in hath he prepared the shotte of de­the / and hys arrowys for to burne / this is no smalle threttenynge nor lyghtely to avoyd.

But lett vs se what the scripturs saye / that whiche I gaue vnto yov I reseued of the lorde / marke. S. Paules wordes how he reseued thys thynge of the lorde. &c̄.

[Page Cxxvij]The lorde Iesus the same nyght in the whyche he was betrayyd / toke brede and than­kyd and brake yt and sayde / Take ye and ette thys ys my boddy whyche ys brokyn for you this do ye in the remembraunce of me / After the same maner / he toke the Cuppe & said this cuppe ys the New testament in my bloude this doo / as ofte as you drinke in the remem­brance of me / for as o [...]tyn as you shall ette thys bred and drinke thys cuppe / you shall shew the lordys dethe tyll he come / Mark diligenly how Saynt Paulle declarythe how the lorde Iesus Christ dyd institute thys blissed and comforta­ble sacrament / in bothe kyndes / and in both kyndys dyd minister it hym selfe and not that allonly / but also annectyd thys cōm [...]ement to alle Christen people which muste re [...]ue yt. This do as oftyn. &c̄. ye and this cōmand [...]mēt ys geuē after the sacramēt is ministerd in both kindys / Theachyng vs that in bothe kyndys the lorde hathe institute thys sacramēt to be reseued / and also that they that so reseue yt not / breke thys cōmandement of the lorde / This do as often. &c̄ Thys cōmādemēt. Saint Paule did not lightly let slype / but he knew that it was the ordinaunce and the cōmandement of the lorde / and also knew that won Iote or tyttylle of his wordys / shulde not / nor ought nor can not be lett slype / wyth out perrell of the soulys of them that so lyttylle makys on his worde [...] And therefore he durste not / nor wold not (And yet he had as gret auctoryte as the counsell of cōstanciens) let slype or transepose the institucyon and cōmande­ment of the lorde / but wholly and fully / wyth al diligence he wrotte those wordys vn to all the wholle cōgregacyon of the Corinthyanes / not [...] [Page] to the ministers or pristis allonly but to y^e wholle congregacion that is as well to the ministers of the worde as to laye men ād also the cōtrari / for he saythe whan you come to gether / ād that you maye perseue y^t he spepis indifferently / he there repreuithe thē y^t tarryed not for pore mē / And also these wordes be playne / who soo euer shall ette of this brede ād drinke of thys cuppe worthely. &c̄. Now vnto this wholle congre­gacion (I dought not but by the spreat of the lorde which sawe be fore this dānable errour to be institute of Antichrist ād his very ād allonly mynisters) he sayde drinke you / ye and to repre­ue ād manifestly to declare this opyn errour / he addithe this word / Cuppe / signifiynge and tea­cheynge that christes ordinance is not to reseue the bloude in y^e boddy wonly / but to reseue the bloude (after his institucion) by it selfe out of y^e cuppe / lest they shulde be found corectours and blasphemers of the holy institution and cōman­dymēt of the lorde / Of whom. S. paule reseuyd this cōmandemēt / and of no counselles. Now what christen man can dought but oure Master christ to whom all thing is bare and opyn bothe thingis present and also to come knew that there was bloud in hys awne boddy / Also Saynt paul his scolare which lerned this lesson of him was not ingnorant y^t there was bloud in his body / And yet firste oure. M. christ geuithe his bloud a lone by it selfe out of y^e cupp / ād his diligēt scolar knowing y^t doctrine of his. M. dyd y^e sa­me regarding his masters doctrine & p̄ferryng it by fore his carnall reson which knew that there was bloud in euery body / but his .M. doctryne taught him y^t his .M. kepte not his blud in his bodi / but for vs / lost & dāned parsons for oure innumerable detestable (ād a boue all capassyte to [Page Cxxviij] declare) dānable and abhominable sinnes / Bra­ke his boddy & shed his bloud there out plētuusly & there with made sacrifice ād satysfacciō for all our synnes as. S. Iohā saithe / The bloud of Iesus chryst clenseth vs from alle sinne / also we are santifyde by the offerynge off the body off Iesꝰ christ wons for all / now y^t all christē mē whych be santifide by y^e offering of thys boddy / 1. Ioan. 1· ād by sheding y^e bloud out of this boddy / shuld all ways haue bothe those partes in remēbrance / Hebre. 10. he accordyng as the bloud was deuyded frō the body for all sinners indifferently y^t wil come vn to christ And a cordynge to hys masters institu­cyon and cōmandement / ministerde thys sacra­ment and also ordened yt to be ministred to all men / The body / by it selfe and y^e bloud by it sel­fe / That they might all way not remember alō ­ly that oure sauyour christ offerd his boddy for vs / but also shed out of that same body his most precius bloud and therfore sayth. S. paule (as his Master chryst taught him) As often as you shall ette thys brede and drink this cuppe / you shall shew the lordes dethe tylle he come. Now my lordys come to youre counselles. Christ and Saynt Paull defendythe thys thynge partinacyter (as yow calle yt) that ys stytfy and strongly wyll they a byde by it and wyll nott reuoke it / wherefore after the decre of youre Counselle they be condemned for heretykes. I can no mo­re say but god helpe them for there is no reme­dy with thē but they must nedis to the fyer / for they wyll not be abiured in nowisse / it is a pittyus case that .ii. so good men as these be / wyll be thus openly agenst the decre of the holy counsel ye and agenst so meny and so noble fathers / ād so gret clarkis the which knew this matter (as ye saye) as wel as they / & it is not to be thoughe [Page] that the holy gost wolde leue so menny excelent and holy fathers / and gret doctours of dyuinite / and so meny noble prynces and wisse men of the world / And be wyth these .ij. poore mē wh­ych be of no reputacyon in thys worlde / wherefore my lordes procede agenst them after the holy decreys that he inuentyd agenst heretykys / styck not for their namys for it is neyther christ nor paulle that can hurte you / yow haue also cō demned ther lernyng and preuaylyd agenst thē why shulde you not cōdemne them as well / you be lordes / and you haue the strēgthe ād the wysdum of the worlde wyth you and as a sertyne doctor of lawe sayde / they haue no man to holde wyth them but a sorte of begers and dyspysyd persons of the world / wherfore spare them not / be bolde / Implete numerum patrū vestrorum / All tyrans be not yet deede. But now whā you haue cōdemned them / yet haue you as muche to doo as euer you had:De consecia. di. 2. [...] c [...]perimꝰ for youre awne law is opē ly agenste yow in these wordes. Vve vnderstō de that sertyn men reseuyng alonly the porcion of the blessyd boddy / do abstayne from the cha­lys of the holy bloude the whych doughtles (seynge I can not telle by what superstycyon they are lerned to abstayne) lett them eyther reseue the whole sacrament or elles let them be forbyddyn from the whole sacrament / for the dyuision of won and of the same mystery cane not be done wyth out grett sacrylege. &c̄.

How thynke you by these wordes? be they not playne that all men shall eyther reseue both kyndes or none / here haue you a nother herety­ke / for he Iudgeth and sayth that it is sacrilege (which is openly agenst youre counsell) to reseue yt in won kinde. But peraduenture you will [Page Cxxix] say this law was wryten to pristes I answere To whom so euer it was wryten it maketh noo matter for these wordis be playne / The diuysyon of won mistery cā not be done with out gret sacrilege / These wordis be not spoken of y^e persons that shall reseue yt / but of the deuydynge of the sacrament / who so euer shall reseue yt / yt is sacrylege to deuyde this thing / answere yow to that. Marke also that youre awne law callythe yt supersticion to reseue but won kynde ād no dought they that dyd reseue yt so wher blindyd by this damnable reason of youres y^t the­re ys no boddy wyth out bloude / and yet he calleth yt supersticion. But let vs see what youre glosse sayth on this texte / yt ys not superfluusly (sayth he) reseued vnder bothe kyndes / for y^e kind of bred ys referryd vn to y^e fleshe / ād y^t ky­nd of wyne vn to y^e bloud / The wyne is y^e sacrament of bloud in the which is the seatte of the solle / and therfore it is reseuyd vnder bothe kindes to sygnifie that Christ did reseue bothe boddy and soule / and that the pertakynge there off dothe profyte both boddy and soule. wherefore if it wer reseuyd alonly vnder won kynd it shulde signifie that it dyd profyte allonly but won parte. &c̄. How thynke you dothe this glosse vnderstonde it of pristes wonly? haue lay men no soules? May not this sacrament profite thē bothe body and soule? Marke also y^t he saythe it is not superfluusly nor with out a cause rese­uyd vnder bothe kyndes. Also an other lawe / De cōsec̄. di. 2. c. cum frāgimus. Vvhan the hoste is brokyn and the bloud shed out of the chalys in to the mouthys of faithfull men / what other thynge is there signyfid but y^e immolacyō off oure lordes boddy on the crosse / ād the sheddyng of his bloud out of his side. &c̄.

[Page]Here is it playne that the bloud is geuyn out of the chalys and not out of the boddy / and in to faythefulle mēs mowthis and not allonly in to pristes mowthis.De cōsec̄. di. 2. c. Siquociens­cumꝙ. Also an other lawe / if y^t the bloud of christ be shed for remyssion of syns (as oftyn as it is shede) thane ought I lawfu­lly for to reseue it. I which do alle ways synne muste alle ways reseue a medecyn &c̄. Here youre awne lawe saythe / that the reseuyng of the bloud is a medycinealle ways to be reseuyd of thē that synne: yov wille not denye but that laymen synne. where fore shulde they not than reseue a medecyn for their synne? yov may perseue that this is not alonly spokyn of pristes but of synners.Ad Corneliū Papā. Furthermore S. Ciprian say­the Howe do we reache or howe cane we provoke men to shed their bloud for the confessyō off christes name if we do deny them the bloud off chryst whan they shalle go to batylle? Or how dare we able them vn to the victordum of marterdum / if we do not fyrst by ryght admitt thē to drincke the Cuppe of oure lorde in the cōgregacyon &c. Here is Cyprian opynlye agenst yov which wille that as meny shalle reseue the blo­ud of christ as do confesse the name of christ yee ād that out of the cuppe & not out of the boddy Also S. Ambrose sayth to the Emperor Theodosyus / Ecclesia­stica hist. how shalte thow lyfte vpe they hon­des out of y^t which dothe yet droppe vn ryght­wise bloud? how shalte thov with those hōdes reseue y^e boddy of god? with what boldnes wilte thou reseue in to thy mought y^e Cuppe of y^e pr [...]cius bloude seyng y^t thorow the wodnes of thy wordes so gret bloud is shed wrongfully &c̄ Marke y^t y^e maner was in S. Ambrose tyme y^t lay mē shulde reseue the blessid bloude of christ ye and that out of the cuppe seuerally / and not [Page Cxxx] out of the boddy wonly / where fore my lordes se to youre conscyens how yov cane dischar­ge youre selfe a fore the dredfulle trone of christ Iesus / for makyng this detistable and damna­ble statute agenste y^e heuynly worde of god / ād agenste the vsse of holy churche ād contrary to the exposycion of alle holy doctours / It were to gret a thyng for yov so p̄umtuously to breke the statute of youre mortalle prince how muche more of youre immortale god whiche wille not be a voydyd with a carnalle resū nor with condēnacyō of heresy / nor yet with sayng there be Iuperdes perrelles and sclandres / for these pr­oude crakes cane not there excuse yov nor yet helpe yov. for I dought not but the grett Turke hath as good resons for hym as these be & also as provd crakes as yov haue / thovgh peraduēture he vsythe thē not so hipocritly agēst god omnipotēt as yov do / but yet it wille not helpe hym / where fore now moste excelent and graci­ous prince I do with alle meknes / with all due subyeccyon admonyshe and exhorte youre moste noble grace / ye and the father of heuyn do­the opynly commaund yov vnder the payne of hys displesur / and as yov wille a voyde the danger of eternalle damnacyon / and also by the vertu of christes blessyd bloud ād as yov wille reseue remissiō frō al yovre synnes thorow the merittes of his glorious bloud / That you do defend with alle youre myght Christes blessyd worde ād hys swet bloude / & his holy ordināce / & suffer thē not so lyghtly to be oppressyd & tro­dyn vnder y^e fote / youre grace may not consy­der in this cause the multitude / nor the dygnite of mē / for yow be as good as y^e beste of thē / but youre grace must consider that it is god omnipotentes [Page] cause / it is christes cause / it is the worde of god / it is the bleued bloude of Chryst that is ouer trodyn / it is y^e ordynance y^t commyth out of heuen / and not out of coūsellys ye ād geuyn by god hym selfe / and not by mans auctoryte / And now shall youre grace suffer this thyng so lyghtly to be broken by cause men do invente a carnall reason agenste it? the devylle was ne­uer wyth out a reson / but that prouythe not the cause agenste godes worde. Kynge Saul had no smalle reson for hym / 1. Reg. 15 whan he dyd saue Kinge Agag and the best shepe and oxen to offer to god / was not thys a resonable cause / to saue y^e bestys to godes honoure and to offer thē vp vn to god? was it not a goodly shyne to saue y^e kinge rather than to kylle hym / what man wil re­kyn it euyll to saue a mā? what mā can iudge it evyll to saue bestis / ye and that the best to offer them to god? was not god best worthy? was not thys a good consyderacion? was not this a good intent? Fynallye yt ys ten tymys better than the reson of the counselle ys / ād yet Saull wyth all his good reson / with all his good deuocyon / wyth all hys good purposse / wyth all hys [...]atte bestys ys repellyd of god for euer and alle by cause he stucke to his good intēcion and left the cōmandement of god / Sum men wyll think it but a lyghte thyng whether they reseue the blessyd bloud by yt selfe or ellis with y^e boddy / but as lyghte as they thynke yt yet ys it godes worde yet is it Chrystis ordynaunce / yet did y^e apostles obserue yt / yet dyd the holy church so fulfyll yt / And yf the worde of god were awaye by reson yt were but a lyghte thyng to bapty­se in watter or in wine / but y^e worde of god ys open y^t it must be done with watter and not in [Page Cxxxi] wyne and yet there is no cause why but y^e worde of god. Moreouer by reson it was but a light thyng to say / zacha. 9. Mat. 20. Be glad thou doughter of Syon be holde they kyng cōmyth to the syttyng on an asse ād on hare foole this saing by reson is not alonly Symple / but also foolyshe to say that a kynge shall come rydyng on an Asse yee and on a borowyd asse and there of to make so muche a doo as though yt were a notable thynge / who wold not now mocke a kyng yf he dyd soo ryde / not with stondynge all thys these be the wordis of god / ye and also fulfyllyd in very de­de of oure Master Chryst in hys awne proper parson.Luc. 2. Moreouer by reson / yt was but a mad tokyn that the sauyour of the worlde christ Ie­sus was borne / to say you shall fynde a younge chylde wrappyd in clouttes and layde in a crybbe / what ys thys to purposse? what ys thys to proue that the sauyoure of the worlde ys borne wyll not reson mocke thys? whan wyll reason be persuadyd by this token that Messias (whō all the prophetes and all the patryarkes haue promysyd so many hunderd yerys a fore (was now borne and yet thys tokyn came from heuē yee and by the mynystracion of angelles and y^e sheperdys dyd beleue the worde / Breuely by re­son what be all the artykylles of the faith? where ys Christ? where is remyssion of sinnes? where is the lyffe to come? Reson mocketh all these thinges but yet they be trew / by cause allonly y^e worde of god speketh thē. wher for most noble & excellent prince / loke on the worde of god ād not of blinde reson and saue y^e honoure there of / for it shall saue youre grace at your most nede. Furthermore I do exhorte ād require wyth alle ho­nour ye ād I do cōmāde in the vertue of chryste [Page] Iesus and his blyssed worde All dukes / all Er­ryllys / all lordis / all maner of estattes hye and lowe that wyll be christen men / Io. 6. that wyll be sa­uid by the vertue of Iesꝰ Christis blessed bloud that they doo se thys ordynance of the god of heuen obserued too the vttermoste of thyer power ād whā so euer that they wyll be housh­ed that they reseue the blessyd sacrament vnder bothe kyndes / and at the lest desyer yt with all their harte of theyr currates & so desier it y^t they may be dyschargyd a fore the immortall god off heuyn which wyll not be mokkyd nor avoydyd wyth a damnable reson / but what so euer thing there be that ys agenst the holly worde of god / and the glorius ordinance what collour so euer yt bryng wyth yt of holynes lett yt be a cursed and reknyd of the deuell / This doth. S. Cypry­an lerne vs sayng / what thyng so euer yt be y^t ys ordened by mans madnes / where by the ordinance of god is violatyd / yt ys whoredum / it is of the deuell and it is sacrilege / where fore flye frō suche contagiusnes of mē ād a voyde theire wordes as a canker and as pestilence &c̄.

These wordes be playne of all maner of mē of what estate what dygnyte / or of what honoure so euer they be and what collour of holynes so euer they bring with them / wherefore in thys present wrytyng I do coūselle and exhorte alle trewe chrysten men to take hede what they doo the worde of god is so playne in this matter y^t they can desyer it no plainer / it is no chyldes game to trifill with godes worde / god wyll not be trifylyd with nor yet mokkid. But now to hel­pe pore mē y^t be vnlerned I wyl a soyll sertin of their dānable resōs / the first is we wil not geue it vnder y^e kinde of wyne lest y^t there shuld by ne­gligens [Page] eyther of the pryst or of the reseuer falle any droppe on the grounde. I answere oure .M chryst dyd know that suche a chanche might co­me / you can not deny yt (except you wyll saye y^t he was not god / as you wold not gretly stycke to do yf you might haue mantynens) ād yet not wyth stondyng dyd he institute yt in bothe kyndes / Answere you to this. More ouer why doo not by this reson youre awne prystes abstayne from the wyne seyng that thys perrell may also chāche thē as your cautellis of the masse do gra­unte / Also yf it be a resonable cause y^t you shall not kepe christes ordinance / by cause of a voy­dyng of parelles than may you take a waye all the wholle sacramēt to a voyde perrelles / for in reseuyng of it in the kynde of brede / is Iuperdꝰ leste their remayne any crumme in y^e reseuers tethe / This reson is as good as youres so that now all the sacramēt in both kindes is taken a waye. Forthermore / if you will a voyde all perrelles thā may you geue this sacramēt to no mā for you can not tell who is in dedly synne & who not / for you know not their hartis & it were a sore perrell ād gretly more Iuperdye to geue y^e puer body of christ Iesꝰ in to a foull soule thā y^t a drope of blude by negligēs shuld faull on y^e ground / for there fallith but a drope & here is y^e wholle boddy in a foullare place than y^e groūde is. Also y^t may be avoyded with good dylygēce ād wisdū of y^e prist / but y^t y^e sacramēt shal all wais be reseuid in to a puer cōsciēs there is no diligē ­ce of y^e prist y^t cā make it. How think you now? now is all y^e wholl sacramēt and christes blessed ordinance clearly taken a waye and all for a voydyng Iuperdis and perrellis / thus triffylle you with christis holy worde / yee and that in youre gret ād holy coūselles. Other resons my lorde [Page] of Rochester bryngeth that be worthye of noo solucion / for he doth but mocke and scorne and triffylle with goodes worde / Io. 6. he bryngeth y^e myrakylle of the fyue louys where there is no mē ­cyon made of wyne / Ergo lay mē must be housselyd in won kynde / ys not this madnes? whatt meane these men that neyther fere god nor yet be a shamed of man? what is this to the purposse? Christ dyd a myrakylle of fyue louys where is no mencyon made of wyne? what ys thys too the sacrament? yff the brede signyfyde won parte of the sacrament what signifide the .ii. fyshis and the he ye that was there these .ij. thynges must nedis signify the other parte. Also laye mē dyd touch this brede. Moreouer in an other place / chryst geuythe allonly wyne / Ergo the sacrament must be reseuyd in the Kinde of wyne allonly off the lay mē. Be not these good­ly argumētes ye & that of bisshops? yt were madnes too answe­re too them

IF men had the very trewe faithe in Christ Iesus that belongeth to Christen men to haue / this article were open of it sel­fe with out anny forther pro­bacion / for yf men dyd beleue fyrst that Christ were god and omnipotent / and myghty to geue alle thinges: secondarily that he were merci­fulle / gracious / and lovyng towarde vs / and so lovynge y^t we culde desyer nothing of him but y^t he wold geue it vs / if mē (I say) had this faith and this loue towarde Christe / they wolde goo no forther but to hym only they wolde make in vente / and devyse no mediators / but faithefully reseue hym (acordyng to the scripturs) for their wonly mediator / sauior and redemer / and bele­ue and knowe suerly / that they coulde axe no­thing so grett in his name but that they shulde reseue it / so that he wolde him selfe geue yt and there vn to is abyll. Also by this faith they shulde perfyttly know / that they coulde not be so vnworthy but he of his only and mere marcye ys abylle and also wolde make them worthy to reseue their peticions / so that if men had faithe they shulde perfytly know that they had nede of no more than this won Christ that they shulde nor ought not seke to no other mediator / ey­ther to optayne any thing / or els to make them worthy but shulde know and confesse both in worde and dede / that Christ alonly is abylle y­nough yee and so myghty and so mercyfulle / y^t all other fayned and invented mediators of mē [Page] be vyle / fylthy and abhominable of them selfe / to be cōpared to hym. If this faith (I say) wa­re prynted in y^e hartes of men / thā what shulde they or could they desyer more thā this won mediator Iesus Christe / what coulde they haue y^t of him & by him they coulde not optayne? truly nothinge y^t they coulde ryghttully axe / as alle scripturs bere wyttnes. But now lett alle these makers of new godes cumylate thē selfe to gether on a hepe / & shew me but won place ye won Iote / or won example in holye scripture y^t euer mē dyd pray to saynctes? or wō y^t entered in to heuē by saynctes prayers? christe assended (as y^e scripturs be playne) in to heuē by his awne po­wer / now wolde I know of these new godma­kers by whose power ād helpe y^t the fyrste sayncte came in to heuē / saye not by y^e intercession of saynctes for I wyll say than y^t there wer no­ne in heuē / nor bi his awne holines for thā dyed christ in vayne / & yf he came by christ wōly? why may he not alone helpe vs thyther? hys power is not wekyd / hys marcye is no lesse towarde vs than yt was towarde him. Now here yov se alle the causys that brought the fyrste saynte to heuē / & these causys be sufficiēt yee and alonly a lowed of the scripturs of god / ergo they be also sufficient for vs / yf we wylle beleue the scripturs of god. But now to declare & make thys matter open I will resite the wordes of the scripturs / fyrst I wille speke of images / of whome spekith Moses these wordes.Exod. 20 Deute. 5 Thou shalte ma­ke y^e no grauē ymages nor similitude of any thi­ng y^t is in heuē aboue or in erth by nethe / or in watters vnd (er) y^e erth / thov shalte nether honour nor worshyp thē. Be not these wordes playne agenst all maner of images or similitudes? for if [Page Cxxxiiij] sayntes be in heuē or in erth / or vnd (er) y^e erth / here be their fygurs excepted other to be honoured or worshupped: & marke that he excepteth bothe honoring & also worshypynge / now what cane yov geue to ymages y^t is neyther honour / nor worshyp? It maketh no matter to me / whether yov call yt latria or dulia / if it be eyther honour or worshypp thā is it agenst scripture / & if it be neyther / thā is it nothing but avoyd name inuē ted of youre insaciable couytusnes to disseue symple mē with and to heepe innumerable goodes to youre selfe / for yf yov had no more profit [...] by ymages thā yov haue deuociō to thē / than shulde they be sone lefte dovne / who hathe sene a precius offering of a prest geuē to any image? but we se dayly howe ye robbe images of other mens oblaciōs. But lett vs returne to oure purposse / Duns on this texte saith / Duns 3. distin. 9▪ y^t by yt was yt forbyddē to make ymages a fore y^e incarnacion of christ. &c̄ Now must yov prove where they be a lowed syns y^e incarnaciō ād shew with manifest scripturs where this texte is cōdēned in the new testamēt or els it stondeth faste agēste yov after youre awne. M. Duns / whome yov dare not denye. Also the prophete / a mā did plante a pinaple tre / & the rayne did noryshe it / Esa. 44. & ther off was made a fyer vn to mē / he toke of it & wer­med him / & burnt yt & baked bred there with / ād of y^e other parte he made him a god / & did honour yt / & prayd vnto yt saing / delyuer me for thou arte my god / marke y^e processe of the prophete / fyrst y^e mā plāted this tre / than he burnte parte of yt & baked brede with it / & of the other parte he made him a god whō he honoured & worshy­ped / marke also if all these be not trewe and fulfyll [...]d of youre ymages / of the won ys made youre god whiche yov do honour / and of whō [Page] yov desyer to be delyuered / sum from dethe / sum from syknes / sum from pestilencie / sum frō po­verte / sum from theuys / sum from yvylle fortune / sum from hangynge / sum from drovnynge / and sum to saue yov from the tothe ake / sum to saue your horsse / sum your pyges / ād sum to helpe your wymē with chylde / with many other thinges more / so that for everye thing that yov wyll desyer you haue a god to aske yt of / now of y^e other parte is made a payre of gaullous / is not this trew? is not this plaine? of what other thing in erthe cane the sayng of the prophete be veryfyd but of youre images? and if yt maye be veryfyd of an hundred other thinges yet ys yt also trewe of youre ymages and vn to them a greyth most peculiarly / the prophete speketh not of won thyng only but of alle thinges that be lyke / now delyuer youre godes if yov cane / they wille not be delivered with the answere y^e doctour Rydley dyd wons make vn to me / that there was no mā so blynd nor so mad or foolys­he for to honour y^e stocke & the stone y^t stondeth a fore them / but they refer the honour to that thinge y^t the image dothe represent / I answere good Master doctour / I pray yov telle me won thynge / what dyd Cicero with alle the holle se­natours of Rome? dyd they not honour that same thinge that stod a fore them (and yet as yov say) they did referre yt vn to y^e thing that was there by represented these men were wyse men and as well lerned in their tyme as yov / ād yet yov see (for lake of knowlege of the trouth) they honoured stockes and stones / I am suer yov wylle not excusse them from ydolatrye yee and that by cause they dyd honoure the stoc­kes and stonys / and not alonly for honourynge [Page Cxxxv] of the thyng that was represented.3. Reg. 12. Also what dyd Roboam whā he dyd sett vp .ij. goldē caul­uis in bethell and sayd to the people Go no more to Hierusalem be holde thy godes Israell. Vvas not thys done to the honour of god? for they were not so mad (as ye say) to thynk that those caluys were goddis / but they dyd honour them in the honoure of god and that was well declared in theyr sacryfice which was none other / but suche as god had cōmandyd in the lawe / Ergo after youre rule they myght lawfully ho­nour these calues referring it to god / They had also a gret Collour for them / for all the olde fathers dyd always offer to god Caluys / as Abraham with meny other which oblacyon was ac­ceptyd of god / where fore they myght well thynke that god wolde be honouryd in the Imagis of caluys. Now what thynge can you lay to thē where by you wylle proue that they honouryd their stockys and their stonys and there caluys but those same thyngys shall also be layd vnto you ād vnto youres to proue that you doo like wysse honoure youre stockis and youre stonys. Fyrst you runne from place to place to seke thē which is a token that you do honoure the stoc­ke or stone / for there haue you nothing of y^e say­nct more thā in an other place sauyng wonly y^e stocke and stone. Now whan you haue founde them than praye you a fore them / And y^t wyth knelingis / and knokkingis / ād shakynge of youre hedis and lokinge deuoutly & pituously / than kisse you their fete or theyr showis (for they be seldō bare foted lest they shuld haue y^e murre or couffe by y^e reson they be not vsed to coulde as you may se by their smokid scoliōs fac [...]s hādis ād fete with all y^e place where they stonde) and [Page] wype youre napkyns and rubbe your bedes on thē ād licke thē with your tongis ād lay youre yi [...]s on thē / Than see you lighttis a fore thē / ād thā offer you to thē (Though in y^e .M. doctour your person is nothyng gilty) gret oblacyons so y^t they shyne in gold & syluer ād preciꝰ stones ye and not thus cōtent / but also ꝓmisse to vysyt that stocke wons a yere if god and y^e good saint send you ly [...]e and helthe. &c̄. I pray yov is note this honoringe of the stocke ād stone? what did Cicero. with all y^e romans to their stockis? and stonis? what dyd roboam to hys Caluis yf this be not honoryng / defyne me what honoryng ys what more exterior honour can you deuyse thā thys ys? ād yet you do say that you honour no stockis nor stonys / but wordly shame and inuincyble scrypturs haue brought you to make this damnable evasyon by cause you se men nowe waxe wysse in the lorde / by the whyche they see clearly youre false dissimulacyon and hypocry­se / but yf you were the trew honorars of god as yow be secret hipocrytis / you wolde not make thys damnable evasyon to stablyshe / vpp holde and mayntayne youre Idolatry / nor yet suffer (so muche as lay in you) any thinge to be done that hath any collour or shaddowe of holynes that myght be an occasyon of Idolatry / but by cause you be hypocrytes and vnsacyable belly godes you care not (soo yow maye disseue the sympille people and lede them with blinde shadowes there by to fylle youre offerynge boxis ād chestes to mayntayne youre vnsaciable carnall [...]ppytytes) how y^e honoure of god be sauyd / or how your pore brothers cōsciēs be disseued / thīk you that thys ys ynough to say that no man ys so mad nor so folyshe as to honoure y^e stockes [Page Cxxxvj] and stonys / And yet to suffer and dayly a fore your yies to see / so gret exteryour honoure geuē vnto thē / That no tonge cā expresse nor hart cā deuysse more / yee yf yow wyll beleue youre subtylle Duns they geue vn to them (as I shalle well prove by hys diffyncyon) honour which is callyd Latria the whyche latria after youre owne lernyng ought to be geuyn to god wonly. Thys saithe Duns / Latria is callyd an extery­our honouryng or a boddyly seruyce. &c̄.

Now yf y^t be trew / yt followeth that they geue that honoure to stockes and stonys that wō ly pertaynythe to god / which do any exterior honoure (whether yt be offeryng of cādelles or kis­syng of their showys or any other thynge) too them / Make yow the cōclusion / for I nede nott to say that they do Idolatrye. For thermore / This worde latria (where with yow disseue the sympylle people) is a greke worde and after. S Augustyn yt sygnifithe no more but seruyce / the which yow can not deny but that you geue too youre stockis and stones / conclude now this proposicion after .M. subtyll doctor Duns dyffynyciō I pray you / for I haue no lesure. Thinketh your doctorhed y^t y^e childern of Israel with th­eir hie prist Arō coulde nott haue made this pop holy excuse y^t they were not so mad nor so follyshe as to honour y^e goldē Calfe / but rather to refere y^e honour to y^e lyuing god / they had a good collour for thē for they knewe none other god nor saint but him / & yet this excuse was not lawfull nor coulde not be a lowyd whā Moses cam with y^e word of god / Marke also what he was y^t made this Calf / not a fole nor ignorāt parson a monge the people or won off none auctoryte / But the moste wysyste eloquenste and chefe a monge them / yee he was that tyme the verye [Page] hed of the churche or congregacion. Also note y^t intente which was to kepe the peopille to ge­ther in good order / he also made a calfe with the which thyng alle their fathers had plesyd god in doynge sacrifice with them / so that they myght welle thynke that it myght be accepta­ble to god to be honouryd in y^e image of a calfe by fore any other image / but alle these colours be nakyd by fore the worde of god. Breueli wolde yov alowe that the people shulde geue that same honour to me that they geue to youre stockes and stonis? And vnder the same colloure that it shulde be in the name ād honour of god (yov cane not say but I am as good as youre best stockes and stonys: and if they be the Image of sayntes ād represent sayntes after youre faynynge / I am the Image of god and represēt hym so longe as I beleue in hym acordyng to the holy scripturs / And if a connyng and an artificialle grauer made them / god made me. And I haue .ij. thynges a boue thē which alle you­re caruers / and yov with alle youre distincciōs can not geue to youre stockes nor stonys / That is I am a liuynge creature / and youre stockes be dede: I am creatyd to lyue with the euerla­stinge god and youre stockes be made to the fyer) I am suer yov nor no man wille alow it. But there is won marvelus wonder That if the beste and most holy of alle youre new Go­des ye won that dothe myracles every day were takyn out of youre hondes and sette a gay­ne in the caruers & his makers house he shulde be no better thane a stocke or a stone / nor coul­de do no myrakles ye if he wer prayd never so muche / noo not somuche as if the housse were & fyer to saue eyther the housse or hym selfe. [Page Cxxxvij] Also yt is not lawfulle so longe as he there stondeth neyther to praye to hym nor yet to offer to him whiche offering wolde bothe helpe the poore man his wyffe chylderne and seruantes / but lett them suffer yov to take thys wormye god in to youre hondes agayn / and than ys he lord [...] ouer all the worlde / than maketh he ryche men and poore men / than maketh he men blynd / and blynd to se agayne / than maketh he lame men wholle / than maketh he wemen with chyld / ye [...] and also bringeth them welle to bed. Then ex­pelleth he deuylles / than telleth he thinges to come / thane rulethe he in heuen and erthe and in watter / breuely he defendethe bothe kynge and kyngdom / Is not here a sudden mutacion / and alle is by cause he hathe gotte him a new Master and a new place. O yov hypocrites thynke yov that men be so blynde that they cane not se thys falsed yov wolde make them blynde in de­de the which wold make them to honoure stoc­kes and stonys yee and that in the name of an other thing the whiche also they knowe not / w­hiche of yov alle hath sene oure ladye or any o­ther saynt where by you may lerne to make hare symylitude? and yf yov haue nothing to laye for yov / but bycause she was a woman / thane is youre Image as muche the symilitude of an harlott of the stuys the whiche berythe alle the shape that belongeth to a naturalle woman as well as oure lady / nothwithstondinge that ou­re blessed lady ys a virgyn and the other a strū pet / yet in exterior formis and shapes that may be sene and iudged by senses be they alle won / ye and youre ymage in alle exterior sygnis is a grete delle more lykker vn to an harlott / than to a puer and a blessed meke virgyn / and yet ar [Page] yov not a shamyd with these damnable shaddowes / bothe to priuate god of his honoure ād also compelle youre simpelle brethern to this shā fulle idolatrye. If yov wille loke youre selfe & see clearly youre idolle in a puer mirrour / rede the .vi. chapter of Baruch / Baruc. 6. where in you shalle fynd these wordes / * Their stockes be pulyshed of the carpenter / * and they be gilded and silue­red / * but they be false and can not speke / How thynke yov haue not youre images these pro­perties?* Their godes haue goldyn crounys on *their hedes from whome the prystes dothe ta­ke *a way golde and syluer and spend it on thē selfe / * They geue also of it vn to their strumpit­tes and decke their harlottes / * and whan they haue takyn it a way from their harlottes / * than decke they there with their godes agayne / wherefore know that they be no godes. Be not alle these thynges fulfilled on yov? do not yov ta­ke a way their oblacions and there with maynteyne youre pompe and pryde / and decke also youre harlottes?* say not nay for alle the worl­de wille condemne yov for opyn lyers / * the matter is so playne.* Their godes haue a septer like a man / and lyke a Iudge of a londe / but they cane not slee hym that offendeth them / where fore fere them not. Doth not thys agre with youre godes? Note how bolde y^e prophet is which dare crake with youre godes and saythe how that they can not hurte their enymys / where fore he biddeth vs that we shalle not fere them / Now if yov thynke that this be not spokyn of youre godes (not with stonding that none of these thynges they be voyde of) go to thē and [...]rye but remēber y^t yov crye a loude for they be very thicke of heryng or peraduentur they [Page Cxxxviij] be gone forthe attoune and occupide Therfore I say crye & whope aloud / and byd them if they be godes or wille haue any honour y^t they wil­le now avenge them selfe of theyr enymys / If they cane do notyng / thā wille we lay vn to thē this mocke of y^e ꝓfyt & will not fere thē.* They haue a swerde in their hande / and an axe / * but they cā not delyuer thē selfe frō batylle nor frō * theuys there fore tere thē not / * A ryghtwyse mā is better that hathe none Imagys for he shalle be fre from obprobriusnes.* How thynke yov haue not youre godes alle these tokyns? how many theuys haue yov hangyd for robbyng of youre godes? but youre godes neuer sauyd thē selfe from theuys. Moreouer / why make yov so suer lockes and so suer dorys yf youre godes be abille to kepe youre godes? I thynke yov fere not their rūning a way. Fur theremore why kepe yov so grett bandoges / yf your godes be abylle to saue their godes frō theuys? But my thynke y^t bādoges be myghtyare thane youre godes & also yov truste more to thē / for they defend bothe you ād youre godes. yov dūme stockes where is alle youre reson? where is all youre wyt? where is alle youre wisdū? where is alle youre pollycy? where is alle youre godly faythe that you ought to haue in the god of he­uyn? Are you not a shamyd thus grosly to dis­seue men? yee and with those thynges which you cane neither defend with scriptur nor yet with any reson / but peraduenture you wille say that y^e prophet speketh here of idolles and not of Images. I answere / I pray you what calle yov Idolū? is it not as muche as imago ī latin which we call ī inglish an image but we wil not vary for y^e name let vs go to y^e ꝓꝑtis / haue not [Page] youre Images all these propertis that the pro­phet laieth to these thinges which you cal idoles can you say nay? can you proue y^t cōtrary? Doth not experience lerne vs that they be all won? Now what matter ys yt what name you geue them whan y^e propertis and y^e very thynge ys all won. Moreouer the prophete Dauyd dothe defyne an Idolle wyth these propertis / Fyrst it hath yies and can not se / yt hath a nosse and can not smell / it hath a mought and can not speke / yt hath erys ād cā not heare / it hath hondes and can not fele it hath fete ād can not goo. &c̄-

Now which of all these propertis hath not youre Idollis? what wyll you make now of thē The prophet dauyd maketh an Idolle of that thyng / that hath these propertes and wyll yow make a god and a helper of them? will you pray to them / will you offer to them? will you runne from place to place to seke them? There ys no distinccion / there is no subtylty that cane helpe you: for more reuerens more seruice more honor More cultus dulie maye you not do to youre Imagis than the prophet wolde that we shulde do to Idollis for they be won in all ꝓpertis ād condicions. And as for youre mirakels that you defend them by / they be but elusyons of y^e deuil in ventyd of youre owne Imaginacion and contrary to the worde of god vnto the gret blasphemyng of the ōnipotent god of heuen / for myra­kyllis be neuer done of god that any man cane proue of suerty but all only to the magnyfyyn­ge and declaracion of his blessyd worde / As for all other mirakillis may be suspected to be done of the deuell / by the sufferance of god / to the probacion of oure faythe and specially whā they be agenste the open worde of god / Thys may be [Page Cxxxix] proued by the wordis of moyses / Deu. 13. if there a rysse in y^e myddis of the a prophet or amā that saithe I haue sene a vysyon / and shall tell the a fore a sygne and a wonder / and that thyng that he tolde the do also come to passe / Now yf thys man say vnto the lett vs go and follow strāge godes which thou knowyste not and lett vs serue thē / thou shall not here the prophet nor the dremers wordes / for god doth proue you that yt may be open whether you loue hym in all youre harte & in all your solle or not. Be not these wordis opē agenst all maner of mirakellis? yee and agenste prophettis whose prophecie is trewe and yet by cause he wyll drawe the hartes of the peopylle vnto other thyngis by syde god ther fore shalle he not be harde / youre Imagis be not here exceptyd. Forthermore what signyfythe thys y^t god wll haue all oure hartes ād all oure soule if god h [...]ue all than can youre Images haue no parte But marke how god dothe proue oure faythe w [...]th suche myrakylles so y^t he wolde y^t neyther huen nor hell / Saynt nor mirakelles / Prophet trwe nor false shuld drawe our hartis frō him or frō his worde / but alonly to styck fast to him werfore lay for youre Idolles what you cane / fyst they be no godis / Secondarily they cā no mre do (if they do so muche) but do mirakilles an tell you a fore of those thynges that be too co [...]e / and yet all thys can not helpe for it is opē ly genste the worde of god and we may not here hem. Furtheremore agēst your Idolles wil I [...]tte the brasyn serpent of whom it is wryttē that yt dyd mirakylles so openly that no man can deny it / yee ād y^t by the worde of god which dyd also stonde many hunderd yeares tylle the p [...]ople did to it so muche as they now do to youre [Page] godes / that is they dyd offer sence and other oblacions there to ād therfore was it distroyid. not with stonding it was institutyd of god / and so be none of youre idolles wherfore mirakillis can not helpe. Also among the turkes be myra­kelles done as they thynke / and yet that prouy­the not their sect to be lawfull I will tell you of a mirakylle that is written in their lawe / On a sertyn tyme there was a controversy by twene the prestes and y^e religious men whiche of them shulde haue / the oblacions off the people / The prestes layed y^t they ware best worthy by cause they wer ministers in the temple and seruantis to the godes and nyghte ād day toke payne for the people / The frears layd for them y^t they were the succession of all their holy fathers and by their prayers and merrytes was the kynge and all the people kept / and the londe defended frō all evell with many other thynges more / Br [...]uely this matter was deferryd of bothe partes to the sentence of the kyng the which had thou [...]ht to haue geuē sentens with the prestes. but [...]hā the fryars knew yt / they came to the kynge [...]nd desyered hym that he wolde deferre the sent [...]ns vij. days and see what the godes wolde sh [...]we for them / The nyght a fore that y^e kynge sh [...]lde geue sentence / was he cōpelled by nature t [...] go to y^e preuy which whā he cā there y^e preuie b [...]ake & he felle in & there was he crying by y^e spac [...] off an houre tyll he was so wery y^t he culde n [...] more / & no man culde come to him for y^e pallys [...]as lokkyd / Thā suddynly appered vnto hym a relygius man with a glorius light saing vnto [...]ym / Now where be they y^t thou woldest haue geuē sentence with al? are not they well worthy of y^e oblacions that can not helpe y^e out of danger? [Page Cxl] But now mayst thou se what we may do with the godes for the and all thy londe / ād with this the kynge wyth out payne or hurte was taken out of the preuy and layd agayne in his bed o [...] he wyst yt / and the day followyng gaue he sen­tence that the religious men shulde haue the oblacions.

How thynk you was not here an open my­rakylle? and was it not done on the kynge the which had vnderstondyng and reson / it was an open matter whan he was in the preuye and y^e preuye broken and he layde agayne in hys bede wyth out any hurte / thys passed mans power / but what wyll you proue of thys myrakylle? all youre godes to gether cane not do a more open myrakylle than thys ys.

But lett vs see what y^e doctors saye agenst youre godes / Clemēs writteth these wordes / Libro. 5. ad Iaco. we do honour vysible Images to the honoure off the invisyble god / y^t which is a false thynge but if you will honour y^e image of god in doing wel to mā in him shall you honour y^e trew image of god / where fore if you wil truly honour y^e image of god / we wil open y^t thyng vnto you y^t ys off trouth so that you must do well vn to man the which is made vnto y^e Image of god / geue him honour and reuerence / Geue hym mett whane he ys hungery / Geue hym drynke whane he ys thursty / Clothe hym whane he ys naked / serue him whan he ys syke / Geue hym lodgeyng whā he ys a strāger / and whane he ys in preson my­nyster too hym necessarys / thys ys the thynge that shall be countyd to be geuyn god trewly. what honoure ys thys off god too runne a bought folishlye to stony and woddy Images and [Page] to honour as godis ydille and deed fygurs / and to dyspysse mā in whom ys the very trewe Image of god. wherfore vnderstonde you that thys ys the suggestion of the serpent that lorkythe wyth in / the whiche dothe make you beleue y^t you be deuoute whane you do honour in sensy­ble thinges / And maketh you to beleue that you be not wyckkyd whan you hurte sensyble and resonable men. &c̄.

How thynk you? doth not thys dāme the worsshyppyng of Imagys / yee though yt be in y^e honour of god. He sheweth you also that there ys no nother trew Image but man / whyche of you all goo a pylgrimage to that Image? whyche of you all do offer to that Image wh­ych of you all do honour that Image? you londlepers / you inventers of new godes / you Ido­laters / what say you to this? how cā you avoyd thys? ys not thys a greable wyth scrypturs? And yet this Image do you dyspysse / This image cast you in preson / this Image do you stocke and chayne / and whyppe from toune to tovne / wyth out any cause / Thys Image dyeth in the streates a fore youre dores for hunger and col­de and you runne to walsyngam and to Ipse­wyche with gret pompe and pryde to honoure youre deed shadowes / yt were better for you to burne those Idolles and to warme thys trewe Image of god there bi / for this Image was made vnto god wonly and all youre dumme godis ware made for this Images sake. wherefore it commeth of the deuylle / that you for sake thys very trew Image and lepe to youre worme etē goodes / yee you haue burnte meny a pooreman for spekyng agenst these dūme Idolles / but tell me whan all the Bysshops in ynglond did vexe [Page Cxlj] or trubble any man for speking or for doing / ye or for distroyyng this very trew Image of god they had rather dystroy it them selfe / thā it shulde be vndistroyd / Let y^e kinges bokes be serched thorow out the Realme and there shalle be noo small number founde of these Imagys that be trubbled and vexed and caste in preson for try­fylles ye and vtterly vndone by the bysshopes and by their prystes and yet wyll they be the honourars of Images ye and that and to the ho­nour of god and of al holy saynctes / is not this agenst al reson / is it not agenst all wisdom? ye is yt not agenst nature? and yet no man may telle yt.

Also the same doctoure in an other place / Clemēs in eodē libro Vvhat thyng is there so wykked & so vnthankfull? as to reseue a benyfyte of god and to geue thankys vnto stockes and stonys / wherefore wake and vnderstond youre helthe. &c̄.

How thynk you are you not vnthankefulle vnto god of whom you haue reseuyd all thynge and for them you thanke youre worme etten godes? furthermore. S. Augustin saith / de vera re li. ca. vl [...]i. Let vs not loue any vysyble spectakylles leste by arrynge from the verite / and by louynge shadowes we be brought in to darkenes / let vs haue no deuo­ciō to oure phantisis / it is better to haue a trew thyng what so euer it be than all maner of thinges that may be fayned at oure awne plesur. &c̄ Be not youre Idolles visyble spectakillis? Be they any other thynges than shadowes / ād yet yow will loue them and honour them / Answere to Saynt Augustyn. you Infydelles haue nott we a lyuyng god / and will you brynge vs from hym to deed stockys? Also Saynt Hierome / Super Dau [...] ▪ Be it knowen vn to the Kynge. &c̄. the propertyes [Page] of the wordes be to be marked that he saithe / we wylle not worsshyppe thy godes nor yet ho­nour thy ymage for neyther of bothe be come y^e seruantes of god to doo. &c̄. here haue yov that neyther worshypyng nor honouring belongeth to ymages.

But now to the worshypynge of saynctes / which hathe a greter shadowe of holynes than these dumme godes haue / In primis yov say y^t saynctes must pray for vs and be medyators to god for vs that by them we may be abylle to reseue oure peticion / this is Rychardes opynyon de media villa / there cane not be a thynge inuē ­ted by the craffte of the devylle that maye be a greter blasphemy or more derogacion to christe and his blessed bloude than this is / for if saync­tes be necessary to be mediators for vs than is Chryste vnsufficyent: for philosophers dyd ne­uer put two causys where as won was suffy­cient / and yf any thynge be geuen vs of god for saynctes sakes than be not alle thynges geuen vs for Chrystes sake the which is planly agenst saynt Paule saynge / god for vs alle hathe geuē his sone / Roma. 8. and shalle he not geue vs alle thinges with hym? lett euerye christen man iudge what a blasphemy that this is. But let vs proue that Chryste ys alonly oure medyator. S. Paule sa­yeth / there is won medyator by twene god and man the man Chryste Ihesus the whiche hathe geuen hym selfe for the redempcyon of all men / marke that he saythe won medyator by twene god and man. where there is but won there can not saynctes come in▪ Moreover saynctes be men / ergo they muste haue a medyator for thē selues / & than they can not be medyators [Page Cxlij] for other mē. Furthermore the medyator bytwene god and man is called christ Iesus / now is there any saynct that hathe thys name? yf there be none that hathe the name / than is there none that cane vsurpe this office / with out blasphemyng of Christ. Furthermore he hathe redemyd vs wonly with out the helpe of saynctes / and why shalle he not be wonly mediator with out sayntes / is not redempcion the chefe acte of a medyator? Also the holygost saythe / he shalle be callyd Emanuel the which is as mu­che to say as god with vs / Esa. 7. what is this God with vs / is he with vs but as won mā is with an other? and as my cote is wyth my backe? nay / he is an other ways with vs / That is to redeme vs / to saue vs to kepe vs / to defend vs from alle eville / yee and is with vs / that ys he is on oure syde / he holdeth with vs / he speketh for vs / he excusythe vs / he maketh oure cause good / breuely he optenithe allething for vs. Of what saynct can this be spokyn? what do saynctes now for vs? Also S. Ioan saythe / If a mā doo synne we haue an aduocate by the father Chryst Iesus / 1. Ioan. [...]. what is this he is oure aduoca­te to the father? and here be none assygnyd but Chryst Iesus / and by hym haue we wonly re­myssyon of oure synnes

Now what shalle saynctes obtayne for vs? what shalle they desyer for vs? yf oure synnes be remytted / than hathe the father of heuyn no dysplesur agenst vs / what shalle they than pray for vs? Also Saynt Paule saythe / The spret off god makithe entercessiō mightyly for vs with myghtty desyers / y^t cā not be expressed [Page] wyth tonge. Marke how the sprete of god desyereth and prayth for vs / and that no mā shuld rekken that we had nede of other mediators he saythe that he prayth myghttylly for vs / and with grete feruency that yt can not be exprssed. Now is not he abylle to optayne all thinges for vs and hathe taken this office on hym for vs? yt were doughtles a grete rebuke to hym / that saynctes shuld be set in his stede / & ioyned with him in his office as though he were vnsufficiēt / yov thinke to doo saynctes a grete honoure w­hane yov make them godes / and sette them in Christes stede / but yov can not doo them a gre­ter dyshonour nor displeasur / for they wylle be but saynctes / and no godes yee and that by christes helpe and not by their awne.Roma. 8. Also. S. Paule saithe / Christ syttyth on the ryght hond of y^e father the whiche dothe also pray for vs / marke that he praythe for vs / cane the father of heuen deny any thinge of his prayer? Doth not he as­ke alle thinges necessarie for vs? And as scrip­tur saithe he is oure wysdum / 1. Cor. 1. he is oure iustes / he is oure satisfaccyon / and oure redempcyon made of god. Now what restythe for saynttes to aske? what wille you desyer more than wys­dum / iustice sanctificacion / and redempcion alle these hathe Christe opteyned for vs / yee and he allonly ther vn to was ordeyned of god / which of alle the saynctes cane say that but he? and iff alle saynctes and alle the worlde wolde say the contrarye / yet he hym selfe standeth faste agen­ste them alle and condemmeth them for lyars & blasphemars saynge / no man commeth to the father but by me / note these wordes. Fyrste he saith / Iohan. 14 no man. &c̄. Ergo as meny as euer shalle comme to the father of heuen be here conteyned [Page Cxliij] than addeth he / but by me / be not alle saynctes / alle youre feynyd mediatores with merites and alle other thinges clene excluded in this worde / but? wherefore it is plaine that what so euer he be that maketh any other mediator or gothe a­bought by anye menys seme yt neuer so holye but by christ wonlye to cōme to the father of heuen / fyrst he dyspysythe christ / and if he dispyse christ he dyspysythe also his father which hath alowed hym wonly to be oure mediator & waye to him as it is wrytten I am the way wonly to the father / Iohan. 14▪ therfore lett them be suer that seke any other way or any other mediator but christ alonlye to heuen that they (acordynge to the worde of the verite which can not lye) shall ne­uer comme there / but as meny as truste in hym wonly / lette them not dought but they shall not allonlye opteyne to comme to heuen but also what so ever they desyer by syde in hys name acordynge to his awne promisse and worde w­hich can not dysseue vs / what so ever (saith he) yov aske in my name the father shalle geue yt yov. Marke these wordes / what so ever / and y^t we shulde runne to no nother he addeth also / Iohan. 1 [...] in my name. Here is nothing excluded / but all thinges frelye be geuen vs / and that for his names sake: not for no saynctes name / not for none of oure holynes or merites / but for christes name / now what is it to runne from this swette pro­misse of oure moste lovinge sauior redemer and wonly mediator Iesus christ to saynctes / to o­ther workes / but a playne and an euydent tokē of oure infidelyte / of oure vnthankefullenes / ye that we thinke him vn trew and wille not full­fylle his promysse / yee that he is not abylle to do yt and to make hym a lyer and vntrue in hys [Page] worde. Also. S. Paule sayth. He hath geuē his wonly sone for vs / how cane yt be that he shall not geue alle thynges with him? Marke he sa­ythe with him and not with saynctes / he sayth alle thinges and not serten thynges / he that sa­yth alle excludeth not the totheake and leuythe yt to. s. Appolyne. &c̄. but he excludeth nothinge.

Now yow infidelles and mystrusters of christe / what wylle yov haue of the father of heuē? or what cane youre hartes desyer that Christ is not abylle to obtayne for yov? yff yov beleue hym abylle / It ys his office and there vnto wō ­ly apoynted of the father and none other / yee alle other be excluded with manyfest scripturs. Moreover wylle yov or be yov se folyshe to aske a thynge of won that hathe yt not to geue / nor can not geue yt / ye hathe nede of yt him sel­fe / and leue him that hathe abundance / yee and that hathe made and open proclamacyon that frelye with out golde or siluer or any marchan­dysse wylle geue the selfe same thynge so as meny as come and aske of hym what so ever they be / now the lorde hathe not allonly godnes but he is alle goodnes hym selfe / Luc. [...]8 and all sayntes haue synned and nede of his godnes and he hathe made thys proclamacion by his blessed & euerla­stinge worde that who so euer commeth vn to hym shall haue of his godnes abundantly / now wylle yov leue hym and goo to the saynctes y^t whych if they eder had any goodnes they reseued yt of the father as.Iaco. 1. S. Iames saythe alle good gyftes comme from the father of lyghte / marke howe he sayth alle good gyftes. But he­re haue yov a dystynccion y^t onlye god is good of his awne nature / and saynctes are good by receyvinge goodnesse of him / welle to doo yov [Page Cxliiij] a plesur I wylle a lowe youre dystynccyon to be good / for of it cane yov make no more wyth alle youre subtyltye but that saynctes haue no more goodnes than they haue reseued. Now y^t goodnes that they haue reseued was for them selfe wonlye / yee and they cane geue none of yt to yov / for they reseued yt not for yov but for them selfe / yee and no more than was necessary for them and that but allonly of mercye as it is opē in Mathewe in the parable of the fyve wysse virgyns and the .v. follyshe / where as the wysse virgyns had not so muche oylle to lend the folyshe virgyns as wolde kyndylle their lam­pys / finallye they had nothing at alle that they coulde spare them / and yet were they wysse virgyns / and yet were they saynctes / and yet were they admytted to enter in to heuen. Furthermore doo yov not openlye agenst god whane yov desyer any thing of saynctes whether it be pro­sperite / welthe / helthe remission of synnes / or in aduersites cōsolacions / or cūfortes or any other thing seyng y^t scripture wonly knowlygyth all these thinges to be reseued of him / & that he is y^e wonly geuer of thē / Psal. 119. yee & that all y^e prophytes & fathers in all their tribulaciō cryyd allonly to hym as Dauid testifyth of hym selfe in these wordes / whan I am troubled I wyll crye vnto y^e lorde & he wylle helpe me / he cryyd not to no saynt neyther yet desiered any sainte to speke to god for him / but saith I wyll crye vnto y^e lord / yee & he doughttyd not y^t he wold not here him by cause he was a mā & a synner but faithefully said he will helpe me / as he testifyth in a nother place sayng / Psal. 120. my helpe is of god y^t hath made heuē & erth. Now wil yov runne frō god & aske of sayntes cōfort ꝓsperite / helth or welth or other [Page] thyng seynge it belongythe a lonly to god to geue / seyng he alonly is the fountayne and auctor of all goodnes and not sayntes whych haue no more but theyr parte and y^t that is geuen vn to them. Also oure Master christ techyng all crea­turs to pray bydoythe them not to goo to any o [...]her thyng / but allonly to the father of heuen / he makythe no mencion of sayntes / no not soo muche as to be a meane by twene them and the father / but cōmandythe them that pray to pray them selfe to the father / The whyche thynge I dought not but he wolde haue done yf he wol­de that there shulde haue byn other medya­tours or geuers of any goodnes. Moreouer ys not thys a mad maner of prayer that men vse to oure lady / O oure father which arte in heuen halowed be thy name. &c̄. Thus do you lerne mē to mocke oure lady whan yow lerne thē to saie oure ladys sauter. you Infydelles and mok­kers both of god and mā are you not a shamed of these open blasphemys? Doute you not (yff you call not for grace to the lorde that you may a mend yee and that shortly) but god shall straytly a venge this blasphemy on you / he hathe suffered longe and no dought but of his infyny­te marcy / Not with stondyng I wyll neuer be­leue that he wyll muche lenger suffer seynge y^t he hathe brought so graciously his glorious ve­rite in to the worlde and that so openly / and so clearly that you can not deny yt nor withston­de it neither by reason nor by lerninge but youre awne consciences be confunded and marked with hott yerens / not with stonding you perse­cute it by tiranny to the incresse of your damnacion / oure lord be mercifull vnto you. But now that you may be knowen what you be whane [Page Cxlv] yov disseue y^e people with these wordes fathers fathers: holy doctours holy doctous I shalle resyte sertyne of youre fathers ād doctours saynges y^t yov may be knowē not allonly oppyn lyars and blasphemers of god and his blessed ād eternal worde / but also of his holy sayntes ād fathers vn to whome he hathe reuelated by y^e scripturs his verite.August. de vera relig. cap. vlti. First S. Augustine saythe these wordes / let vs haue no deuociō in honou­ryng of deed men / for if they lyuyd welle they may not be countyd for suche men as to desyer suche honours / but they wille that god shalle be honouryd of vs by whose lyghtnyng they reio­ysse that we ar made companyons of there glory / wherfore sayntes must be honouryd by fol­lowyng them / but not honouringe them of de­uocyon &c̄. Be not these playne wordes? S. Au­gustyne was a father and a doctoure / And he saythe y^t sayntes wylle not be honoured of vs / but that god shalle be wonly honouryd Secondarylye we may folow their good lyuyng and so honour them / but in nowyse to pray to thē or honoure them of deuocyon / It foloweth in S. Augustyne where fore we do honour them by love or cheryte but not by seruyce / nor we bylde no tēpilles vn to them / for they wille not so be honoured of vs / for they know welle that we (if we be good) be the tempilles of god / wh­erefore it is welle wryttyn / that man was forbyddyn of y^e Angell to worshyp hym but allonly to worsshyp won god vnder whome the an­gelle was also a seruant &c.Apoca. 19. &. 22. Cane yov desyer a­ny playner wordes than these? we can no mo­re do but love sayntes of cheryte but in no wysse to serue them / we may also bylde no tempil­les to the honoure of thē / Marke also how he [Page] bryngeth scripture for hym how the angelle of God wold [...] not be honoured of man / how cane yov avoyd this sayng of S. Augustyn and his example of scripture? Also Chrisostomus say­the on this texte / Mat. 15. tom 6. ho. de profec. e [...]ange. woman thy faythe ys grett / doste thou see this woman which was vn worthy / but by hare perseuerance was made wor­thy? wilte thou lerne also that we praiynge vn to God in oure awne persons do more profyte than whan other men doo pray for vs / Thys woman dyd crye / and the dyscipilles came and prayd hym y^t he wolde spede hare for she cry­ythe on vs / but to them he answeryd I am not sent but vnto the shepe which ar peryshed of the house of Israel. But whan she came hare selfe and dyd perseuer cryyng and saynge / yes lorde / for the whelpes doo ette the crummys that falle from their masters tabylles / Thane dyd he geue hare the benyfyte and sayd be yt vnto the as thow wilte. Duste thov not see how he dyd repelle hare whane other men prayd for hare? but whane she came her selfe and cryyde / he dyd graunte hare. Vn to them he sayd I am not sent but vn to the shepe / But vn to the woman he saythe be yt vn to the as thou wylte. &c̄

Here yov not playnly how we doo soner obteyne oure peticyon of God oure awne sel­fe than by any other mydlers? marke also how the apostylles dyd pray for thys woman and they were repelled / Chri. To. 6. ho. de ꝓfectu euā ­geliorū. and she was harde. Also the same doctor writteth these wordes / we ha­ve no nede of patrons a fore god / nor nede of muche prossys to speke fayre vn to other men [Page Cxlvi] but though thou be a lone and wantest a patrone / but prayst god by thy selfe yet for alle that shalte thov haue thy desyer / God dothe not so lyghtly gravnt whane other men praye for vs / as whane we pray oure selfe yee though we be fulle of synnes &c̄ / be not these wordes playne / that we haue no nede of patrons? but God hearyth vs soner whan we pray in oure awne persons / than whan othermen praye for vs / wherfore they that make other mediators than onlye Christ / dothe mustruste Christ and beleuithe that he is not omnypotent God / nor mercyfulle lorde / and there fore flye they vnto thys sayncte and vn to that saynct trustyn­ge to fynd more mercy at their handes than they coulde fynde at Chrystes / but a trewe Chrysten man leuythe hys fantesye / Exod. 20. and re­membereth these wordes of holy scryptur He­are thou man I am thy God / and therfore he setteth alle his truste / alle his confydens / alle hys beleue / alle his hope / Alle his harte on hym wonly / and yf he wille haue any thynge necessary to boddy or soule of hym he askythe yt alonly as the prophet Dauid lernythe vs sa­yng / I wylle pray vn to the lorde and in the mornyng thou shalte here my voyce / Psal. 5 what is thys in the mornynge but shortly / quycly th­ov arte so mercyfulle that thou wylte not prolonge the tyme but shortly here me / and therfore whane I am in any dystresse of boddy or soule to the I calle for delyuerance and truste to obtayne yt on the wonly / For thou lorde / psal. 4. thou haste sett me in thy hope wonly.

[Page]Thus dothe euerye good man pray and truste in god / for he takythe hym not allonly for hys god but also for his mercyfulle god / yee and for his father which wille deny hym nothyng / but contrary wisse do the infidelles ād the faynyd christenmen / for they mistruste hym ad rekkyn hym to be a tyrant and a terrible and a ferfulle Iudge / which lokythe for muche intercession / & that regardithe parsons / and therefore runne they hyther and thyther / to seke an other mediator / to seke an other helper / to seke a nother diliue [...]ar than chryst: for with hym be they not satisfysyd / ye they rekkyn hym to be so provd ād so statly and so cruelle and so hye that they da­re not speke first to hym nor desyer hym for th­ey clearly mystruste him / that is the summe there of. And for that cause seke they to this saynt and to that saynct / and desyer of won Rychys of an other helthe / of won they wille be holpyn to heuyn / of an other they wille be delyueryd from helle Of won they wille haue frendsshyp in thys world / of an other longe lyffe / of won they wille be sauyd from syknes / of an other they wille be made wholle / and alle this is by cause they mistrust Chryst and rekkyn that he is eyther not abylle / or that he wille not optayne these thynges for them / This is the very ground of their hartes / lett them lye with their mouthis what they wille / and of thys are they compellyd to flye from chryst. Is not this ma­kyng of meny godes? S. Paule saythe that in covytusnes is Idolatry / by cause that mans harte is of hys godes / how muche more is here Idolatry where as mans faythe / hope and truste ys set soo muche of creaturs Trevth it [Page Cxlvii] is that saynctes be holy / and worthy to be belovyd in christe and for chryst / but yet be they but creaturs / and no godes. I loue them as welle as yov doo and praysse and magnyfy them / but wherfore? by cause they haue chryst in thē which is the auctor of alle goodnes whych yf he were a way / I wolde spitte at them and disspisse them / But I do not make them Chryst (that is my sauyour / my redemer / my cōforter my trust and my hope) by cause that Chryst of his mercy and of hys grace dwelleth in them / but I seke alonly to hym that hathe made thē holy and hathe also allonly power bothe me ād alle men lyke wysse to make.

VVhere fore dere brethern / yf yov wille be Christes / make hym alonly youre mediator ād your intercessor to the father of heuyn / and al­le thynges that yov desyer / desyer them in hys name wonly Make hym first youre frende ād than haue yov alle saynctes on your syde / For they can not chosse but be youre frendes. wh­erfore set alle youre truste hope and confydence in Christ wonly ād dyrecte alle youre desyers / alle youre peticions / alle youre prayers vn to hym wonly. And as for sayntes yov shalle lo­ve them / fauoure them and magnyfy them ād praysse them for godes sake and to godes ho­nour / and where they lyued welle after Chry­stes worde there in shalle yov followe them / But in no wysse shalle yov beleue / hope / or tru­ste in them / or make any prayers vn to them or desyer any peticyon off them: nor theyr ly­uynge shalle be any rule to lyue by forther thā they followed the word of Chryst / for yov be [Page] callyd chrysten men of chryst and not of saync­tes.

But now wyll I answere too theyr carnall reasons / Fyrst they haue a law whose wordes be these Christen men do not call worshupfull Images godes / nor they do not serue them as godes / nor thy sett no hope of theyr saluacyon in them / nor they doo not loke for off them the Iudgement that ys too come / But they doo worshyp them / ād affectually pray vn to thē in remembrans and recordacion of the fyrst frutes but they do not serue them nor yet any other creature wyth godly honoure. &c̄.

Lett euery Chrysten man consyder well in hys conscyens the wordes of thys lawe / and calle also too remembraunce what god ys hym selfe / that ys too say howe omnipotent he ys / howe lyberalle he ys / how mercyfull he is how gracyous he ys vn to vs / And than I thynke he shalle welle perseue / that thys decre ys ney­ther made wyth faythe / wyth lernynge / nor yet wyth reason / but an opyn blaspemye agenst god and a great mystrustynge of oure mercy­fulle Master Chryst Iesus / Breuely there ys nothynge / but an hepe of blynde and vnfayth­fulle woordes in ventyd too be gyle sympylle men there by

To the fyrst worde venerabiles / Vvhat fa­ythe / what lernynge / what reason wyll that Images shulde be Iudged worthy veneracyon (thys dothe the lattyn worde / venerabiles sygnyfye) seynge they be but Deffe / dumme [Page Cxlviij] and deed / what reason ys yt than too calle them venerabiles? Master Doctour Rydley wylle say that noo man ys soo made too wor­sshyp and too honoure the stocke and the stone / and yet hys awne lawe callythe them venerabiles / that ys as muche too say as worthy too be worsshiped and honoured / Calle you them won thynge by name and rekken them vn worthy in dede? It foloweth / Chrysten men calle them no godes / what nede these wordes? All the worlde knowythe that they be noo godes in dede / But than why calle you them venerabiles?

Forther more I wolde know of all my Ma­sters the lawyers why they be suche blasphe­mers of god / suche infydelles / and suche mor­talle enymys vn to god / as to suffer / yee and to compell sympylle men / to geue too those stoc­kes and stonys suche exteryor honoure as be­longythe wonly too god seynge you calle them noo godes? Vvhat maketh yt matter for the name soo longe as you geue them the very thynge? Assygne you what exteryor worsshyppynge and honourynge belongythe to god / or that wee may doo or cane doo too god / and I wyll proue that yee compelle men to geue that same too youre stockes and stonys / and yet you thynke youre selfe suffycyently dyschargyd / by cause that men calle them noo goodes. It folo­weth / They sett noo hope in them. Than what nede men too praye vn to them? what nede mē to aske peticyons off them? what nede men to offer vnto thē. what nede men to vowe to thē. what nede men to runne to them barefottyd an bareleggyd / and to kysse them and lycke them? do they aske y^t thing of thē which they haue no [Page] hope to reseue by them / than doo they mocke them / It foloweth but they praye vn to them & worsshypp them / how thinke yov by thys? yov saye they be no godes and yet men praye vnto them and worsshyp them / adde to this that the lattyn worde sygnifith as muche as to aske forgeuenes of them / and fullye and affectuallye to pray to them / iff this stond with faith / and with the honour of god / lett everye Christen mā iudge / but how stondeth yt with youre decre whe­re in yov calle them no godes? this is as muche to saye as yov be very hypocrytes and dyssem­blers with god and man / for yov say won thin­ge in wordes and compelle the people to do the contrary in dedes / that is to honour them as godes / is not this contrary to these wordes of scripture / thou shalte honour thy lorde god and serue him wonly. Marke the holy gost saithe thou shalte serue god wonly.Matt. 4. Here is the selfe lattyn worde / adorare / that youre decre hath / scriptu­re wylle yt shall alle wonly be geuen to god / ād yov wylle geue yt to youre worsshypfulle yma­ges / marke also the occasion that oure Master Christ spake these wordes / the deuylle requye­red that he shulde falle dovne and honour him / he requyered no faith / nor no hope on hym nor yet that he shulde make any prayers or desyer any peticion of him or lycke or kysse his fote / or make any oblacion to him / but allonly to faulle dovne / and so with exterior seruyce to honour him / but oure master said that that belongeth alonly to god and neyther to the deuyll nor yet to youre worsshyppfulle ymages / now saye of youre consciens doo not yov that same thynge to youre stockes and stonys / that the devylle rerequyred of oure master Christe? how cane yov [Page Cxlxix] avoyd this? but now cōmeth youre glosse with a distinccion and wille lerne oure Master christ how that he shall honour the deuyle and excusse him with an idylle and a damnable distincciō whose wordes be these / there is cultus latrie / Glossa de conse. Di. 3. c. vene­rabiles. w­hich includeth .iij. thinges in him: loue / multitu­de of sacrifice / and veneracyon this belongeth wonly to god saith he / ther is an other worsshippinge which is called dulia / and this hathe but won thing in him that is veneracion / and it ha­the neyther loue nor multitude of sacrifice in yt and this belongeth to alle creatures. &c̄. Vvhat be these but an hepe of ydylle wordes wyth out any sentens invented of the devylle to dys­seue symple men by. Here say yov that cultus latrie which includeth loue / multitude of sacrifice / and veneracion belongeth to god wonly / tell me of youre consciens are yov not a shamed off these wordes? Fere yov not the vengeance off god? that thus mocke and tryfylle bothe wyth god and man? There cane be nothing more agē ste yov than these wordes be / for fyrst doo yov not loue youre images and youre sayntes? Se­condarilye doo yov not offer to them? calle yov that no sacryfyce? ye it is so muche that yov ca­ne hāge no more on them / Thyrdly do not yov geue veneracion vnto them yee and that with alle youre hartes / or els be yov hypocrites and dyssemblars / so y^t yov geue to youre stockes & stones cultum latrie / which by youre awne dis­tynccyon be longeth to god wonly / how cane yov now avoyd idolatry? Now to the seconde parte of youre dystynccion / yov say y^t yov do to saynctes and to alle creaturs the worshuppyng of dulya / which is with out loue / and with out the multytude of sacrifice / what call yov thys? [Page] what mene yov by this? what worshyppyng is thys that is with out love / and with out sacri­fice / is not this open hipocrisy to honour a thinge outwardly and neyther to loue yt nor to fauor it inwardly / nor yet to offer any sacrifice vn to it / Matt. 27. this is nothing els but open mokkynge & I may well compare yov vnto the wykkyd Iuys that chrouched and kneled vnto christe / but they dyd yt neyther of love nor fauoure but of mokkage as yov doo honour youre sayntes ād ymages. This commeth all ways to them that wylle mocke and tryfylle with godes holy worde / that whane they thynke to a voyde yt with a damnable distynccion / than is yt most agenste them so that alle christen men may see / that the hande of god is here.De media v [...]la 4. sēt Also an other bald reason yov haue which is of Master Rychard / yf sayntes whane they were here and not confyrmed in grace did of their cheryte praye for vs / ergo now must they pray muche more seyng they are now confermed in cheryte. &c̄.

Is not this a goodly baulde reason to caste at a bisshoppes cure? Howe cane he proue this? what scripture hathe he for hym? I heare welle his carnalle reason but I heare no probacion I wylle make hym lyke reason. The saynctes w­hane they were here dyd of their cheryte clothe naked men and fede the hungery and gaue drinke to the thursty / and vysytted them that were in preson / ergo much more nowe for they be confyrmed in cheryte and these be dedes of cherite.

Lykewyse. S. Paule whane he was here dyd of his cherite wryght pystylles to declare the veryte / ergo now must he muche more wry­ght / so that where a fore he wrotte but won py­stylle [Page Cl] now muste he at the lest wryte thre / or els he is not confyrmed in cheryte / and I thinke he dyd neuer a greter dede of cherite / than now to write a pistle and to declare his awne pystilles for alle the world is at variaunce / for vnderstondinge of them. yov blynde gydes who hath ler­ned yov to declare where in the cherite of saynctes dothe stonde? who hathe geuen yov auctorite to geue a dede of cherite vnto sayntes that scripture dothe not geue / wherefore is it a dede of cherite for won to praye for an other? is the­re any other cause than that the holie goste so declared it in his worde / wherefore that is che­rite in this lyffe that the worde of god byddeth yov do and as for the workes that cherite shall haue in an other lyffe yt belongeth not to yov to iudge forther than the worde of god.

Also yov haue an other reason / god sheweth myrakles in this place and in that place to the honouringe of this saynct and that saynt / ergo we must lykewyse honour them. I answere as to youre myrakles though I haue answered to them afore / yet wille I adde this vn to yt / that god is no god of supersticion nor that fauoreth won place more than an other / or that hath any affection to this place more than to that / whe­refore this is youre supersticion invented of y^e devylle / for god wille neyther be honoured in y^e mountayne nor yet in Iherusalem / Iohan. 4 but in mens hartes / and as to youre myrakles the grete go­des diana did also myrakles as yov maye rede in scriptur / Act. 19. cōsyder hare honour y^t scriptur speketh of / & cōpare it to y^e honoure of youre yma­ges & yov may se they do agre. Furthermore Apollo / Castor / Aesculapius ād such other did also [Page] grete myracles as storys do make mencion / and also manye men whiche were bothe wysse welle lerned and also men of as grete reputacion and honour as yov be / ye and men of grete holynes doo bere wyttnes of the same / ergo by thys re­son we must also honour them. Also an other reson you haue out of Iob / Cōverte thy selfe vn to some of the saynctes / Iob. 5. of this yov conclude y^t we must pray vnto saynctes. I answere of this yov maye conclude that yov be blynde and dul­le assys and vnlernyd stockes / peruerters / te­rars / rentars of holy scripture / I praye yov w­hat sayntes dyd the olde fathers know a fore Christes cummynge? whome did they rekkē to be in heuen afore Chrystes assencion? why dyd they desyer so sore his cummyng if they beleued that they shulde haue assended vppe to heuen? But this is the sentence of that place / Elephas reproued Iob and saithe that he is not godes seruant / and therfore god ponysshed hym saithe he / and to proue this he biddeth Iob call to memorye alle holymen and seruantes of god and rekken won yf he cane amonge them alle who­me god dyd so ponishe / wherefore he concludeth that Iob is not the seruant of god but a folis­he mā (which in scriptur is the enymye of god) whome god shalle slee in his wrath / thys is the sentence of that place.

Psal. 150Fynallye yov haue an other reason / yov shalle prayse god in hys sayntes / ergo saync­tes must be honoured. I answere is not thys a good consequente? I must praysse god in be­rys and apys ergo berys and apys must be worsshypped? adde that it foloweth in the texte yov must praysse god in timbrelles in orgens and in [Page Clj] pypys / Ergo after youre consequent Timbrel­les orgens and pypes must be worshypped / but if you wer lerned in scripturs / yov shulde fynde an other sentence in the holy psalme than thys is for the very trewe texte is Laudate dominum in sanctitate sua / Preyse god in hys holynes / but lett vs graunt that he saithe preysse god in hys sayntes do not you knowe that scripturs saye blissed is god in all his gyftes / out of thys can not follow that we shall worsshyp and pray to godis giftes but god shall be praysyd and honoured in all hys gyftes / as in saynte man and Angell. A nother reson yov haue of a similitude Lyke as a man can not come to the speche of a kynge but that he must haue serten mediators (as dukes Erlys ād suche men as be in fauour betwene hym and y^e kyng that may intret hys matter / So lykewysse a fore god / I answere / you infydellis ād mystrusters of god / what will you make of god / wyll you make him a fleshe­ly and a carnall stocke fulle of passyons and off affecions? Vnto a mortall prince you make me­diatours be cause he knewe not youre harte ād by cause he ys more affeccionat to won mā thā to an other / and by cause he Iudgeth after y^e sy­ghte of his yie / and after the percyalnes and af­feccyon of his harte / But so dothe not god / but alonly of mere marcy and grace / But to youre similitude / you can not haue no dukes to speke for you except you geue them rewardes or excepte they haue a carnall affeccion to you / Ergo by youre similitude you moste lyke wysse doo too sayntes.

But Saynt Ambrose answereth clearly to thys dānable reason of youres Sayinge / ad. ro. c. 1. Men [Page] are vonte to vse this myserable excusaciō / that by these thīges may we come to god as we may come to the kynge by Erlys I answere we doo covme vnto the kynge by the menys of dukes and Erles by cause that the kyng is a man and knoweth not to whome he maye committe the commen welthe / but vn to god (from whome nothinge cane be hydde / he knoweth alle mens merites) we nede no spokeseman nor no mediator but alonlye a devoute mynde. &c̄. Here are yov clearly answered of saynct Ambrose to youre carnalle reson.De consec Dis. 3. c. ꝓ­latum. Item an other reason out off youre law / that ymages be vnto vnlerned men that same thinge that letters and wryttynges be vnto them that be lerned / that they may there by lerne what they ought to folowe. &c̄.

Iff youre ymages be no more to vnler­ned men than wryttynges be to lerned men ergo they maye no more doo to them thane lerned men doo to their letters / wolde yov suf­fer lerned men to come and knele / and offer to my boke and sette vpp candels a fore yt and make vowys to come yearlye there vnto? and to desyer peticions a fore my boke of those sayntes that be wrytten therin? Se how youre aw­ne example maketh agenste yov and alle thinge that I cane bringe. wherfore if there be any grace in yov / or if there be any shame in yov of the world / for christes sake leve of this false lernynge and collorynge of ydolatrie. For yov do not wonlye dysseue youre symple brethern / but yov doo also blaspheme the in mortalle god of heuē / whych doughtles wylle avenge shortly this re­buke on yov yff yov doo not amende whosse violence and myght yov are not abylle to withstond / wherfore I exhorte yov in the blessed name [Page Clij] of Christe Ihesus that yov repent in tyme / and take apone yov to lerne the verite / whyche is / how god is wonly to be honoured / & wonlye to be sacrifysed vn to / he is wonly to be prayd vnto / of hym wonly must oure peticions be as­ked / yt is he wonly that geueth welthe and prosperyte / and he wonly must delyuer and comforte vs in alle aduersytes / 1. Timo. 1. and he wonly must helpe vs out of alle dystresse vnto whome as. S. Paule saithe be allonly glorye and honour for ever. Amen.

Now moste excelent and nobylle prynce I haue here after the poore gyfte that god hathe geuen me sett out vnto youre grace serten arti­cles which though they seme at the fyrste syghtte to be newe yet haue I proued them openlye with y^e euerlastynge worde of god and that not wrong nor wrested after my lyghtt brayne / but after the exposicion of clearkly doctoures yee & that of the oldest and of the best. wherefore most excelent prynce moste humbly and mekly I be­seke youre grace / that I may fynde so grete in dyfferencye at youre graces hande as that the bysshoppes shalle not condemne thys boke af­ter the maner of their olde tyranny / except they cane with open scriptures and with holy doctores / refelle yt as I haue proved yt.

But I wold yt shuld plese youre grace to call them alle a fore yov / and to command as meny as wylle condemne this boke every won of thē seuerallye wyth out others counsell to wryght their cause why they wylle condemne yt and y^e scripturs where by they wylle condemne it and to brynge them alle to youre grace / and youre grace may iudge by twene bothe partys. [Page] I doo not doute but they wyll brynge you­re grace meruelous probacions and such as were neuer harde and if .iij. of them agre in one tale (if they be devyded) lett me dye for yt / and that youre grace shall well se / the father of heuen and his moste mercyfulle sonne Iesus Christ kepe youre grace in honou­re to hys pleasure and glorye. Amen.