AS it is necessarye that in the Churche of God & in the wall publike, and in euery of them there bee dy­uers degrees of estates, & as we also are moste assured that god hath so ordained for both of thē, as in his Churche Archbishops bishoppes, preachers, and mini­sters, And likewise in the weale publike, Emperoures, Kynges and maiestrates with other in­ferior officers to them: So it is also necessary that euery subiect doe reuerently honor and obeye them, as ordayned of God (and not as of men) for the gouerne­ment of both of thē. For as God hath appointed al other inferior creatures for mā, and to be obe­dient to man, so god most chefely would man to be obedient to his [Page] wil and comaundement. For as muche therefore as very many thinges be written, and putte in preceptes notably of singuler & well learned both to good ma­ners and to the order of mans life, which should stirre and en­ [...]lame vs to the ryght respecte of [...]iuing, Conducted and led by the autorities of Scripture as also by diuers other the fathers of Christes churche, yet not with­standing in these oure daies as experiēce doth shew vnto vs, we are far frō that good order whi­che made the lyfe of man better then it was, or els more vertu­ous. For we iudge nothing to be good, but that the opinion of vulgar people doth alowe: And we also iudge suche thinges, by whose degrees men haue ascended to heauen, voide and vaine, [Page] [...]y reason whereof it hathe so­ [...]owed that euer sithen this euill [...]aner of mynde hath cropen in [...]o the heads of some euel men, Noble men hath ben seduced, & [...]ysobediens of subiectes hathe [...]uche incresed, commen profit [...]ath decaide, Carnall affection [...]athe floryshed, priuate wealth [...]ath preuailed, & monsterous a­ [...]erice augmēted. For asmuch as [...] is so, considerynge in my selfe [...]e state of this wortht realme, [...]nd howe far the people therof [...]re altered and chaunged from [...]e order and condicion of good [...]uynge and obedience towarde [...]od and man, I thinke nothing [...]ore meeter at thys tyme to in­ [...]eat of, then of obedience, whi­ [...]e as S. Augustine saith, is the [...]other of vertues, or rather [...]e fountayne or welsprynge of [Page] al vertue. Obedience caused the sonne of God too dyscende from heauen in to the wombe of the virgin, and as it doth appere in the seconde of Genesis.Gene. ii. It was the first lesson that God taught our father Adam, when he sayd [...] vnto him: eatyng, thou shalt eat [...] of euery tree in the garden. But as touchyng the tree of knowe­ledge of good and euel, of it thou shalt not eate. And euen as god than spake vnto Adam, soo h [...] nowe speaketh vnto vs, saying [...] You shall obedientlye do accor­dinge to all that I commaund [...] you.Iere. xi. & [...]v. [...]xvi. And the Psalmes sayth: t [...] daye if ye heare hys voyce har [...]den not youre heartes, as your [...] fathers did in the wildernes. & In thys wyse GOD alwaye [...] did speake vnto his people fro [...] tyme to tyme by the mouthe [...] [Page] [...]ys holy Prophetes, and there­ [...]ore the Prophets of the old law [...]re properlye called the voice of GOD. And nowe in the time of [...]he newe lawe, whyche is the [...]ime of grace, the holye fathers [...]nd preachers, of Christes Ca­ [...]holicke churche, are also called [...]he Church & voyce of God: for Christ speaking to the fathers, & preachers of his visible & kno [...]ē church, whiche is his voice, [...]oth sai: who y^t hereth you hea­reth me.Ih [...]. iiii Thys church, the voice of God, teacheth all trueth, and this churche is builded vpon the stronge rocke whiche is Christ. Then for asmuch as we haue, a longe tyme, tourned oure eyes from the voice of the visible Ca­tholicke churche of God, and dis­obediently haue folowed the cursed and vnknowen churche of [Page] Sathan, whose prophets prech lies and vanities, leading soules into euerlastynge darckenes: it is meter therfore that we (why­che I feare do muche yet fauour the same) shoulde heare what Christe speaketh of that cursed church.mat. xxiiii Take hede sayeth Christ that no man deceiue you, for i [...] the perilous time, many fals prophetes shall come in my name, sayinge that I am Christe, and shal deceiue mani. Be ye not cō ­panions of them, sayeth saynct [...] Paule whyche throughe Ipo­cresy fashiō them selues like vn­to the Disciples of Christe.Ephe. v. For they who hath not the spirite of Christ, althoughe they preache [...] Christ, be not of Christ: therfore good countrey menne, whych a long time obstinately and dyso­bediently haue forsaken our mother [Page] the Catholycke Churche, let vs beware of that disceyte­full and dysobediente churche of Antichrist (Which standeth and is sette in the rotten marrysh of disobedience, where it maye not be seene by the lyght of the daye, but in the misty night of darck­nes) and obediently abidynge in the feare of God, folowe our lo­ [...]ynge mother the Catholycke churche,Iob. xx [...] for it is wrytten: he is [...]lessed that obediently walketh [...]n the feare of God:Psal. cxix. And agayn. The feare of God is the begyn­ [...]inge of wisdome, and worcketh [...]n mans harte humble obediēs. The lacke whereof amonge vs [...]ath been the only cause of oure [...]all from the vnitye of Christes churche, deseruing therfore, and for oure ingratitude, the greate displeasure of almightye God, [Page] whiche nowe wee finde, beynge daili scorged with mani, diuers, and sundrye plages not nedefull at thys tyme to be named or re­hersed. Yf wee therefore woulde open our eyes, to that ende, that wee, whyche nowe are noted throughe all the worlde for oure singularitie to be a people of al others most froward (against the true & knowen churche of god & our naturall Kyng, Quene, and Maiestrates) myghte see oure owne fautes,Ps. xxxii. who alonge tyme (as Dauyd sayeth), haue bene a laughing stocke to al other coū tries, and nacions, which aboue all other haue bene called Most victorious, and also a countrie Moste beautifull of all welthy commodites, planted wyth [...] most cuiyll and obedient people, and now, called most sedicious, [Page] rebellous and disobedient.

These thinges well considered what Englishe harte can but la­mente to see howe far we nowe are from the felinge of these our wealthy commodities: and also howe farre wee are in these out daies from that faythfull obedi­ence whyche was among vs in the tyme of oure wealth. Sence the which time many of vs haue not onely declared our selues in all our actes vnnatural and dis­obedient subiectes against oure moost vertuous Quene, Quene Mary, But also as I haue said against oure mother the catho­like churche. Wickedly deuising, Iestynge, and railinge againste al the holy Sacramentes of the same. Forgettynge that whiche God wold vs to do, seasyng not from these worckes whyche are [Page] euel,Gala. v. as whordome, aduoutrye, hatred, strife, dyssencion, sectes, and suche like. Whose reuenue & finall rewarde is euerlastynge dethe. And therfore the wise mā sayth: my sonne auoid euil & kepe thy selfe in the feare of God.Psa. xxxiii And the profite Dauid sayeth: tourne from euell & do good. But what sayeth our cursed & disobediente libertines? euē as Lucifer said among the Aūgels in heauen, perswadinge vs that they were the worthy pastors that oughte to syt in the seat of theapostels, fo­lowing therein the exāple of the proud & disobedient Lucifer, and gouerner of their cursed church, who proudly sayd: I wil ascend & be equal with the highest. For whose presumpcion & disobediēt mīd not he only, but al those aū ­gels that to him did consēt wer [...] [Page] cast down in to the dānable hel. And if god therfore did not spare his aungels, but for their trans­gression & disobedience did caste them forth of heauen,ii. Petr. ii. what de­serueth then man, whō god hath made lyke vnto hym selfe (& for whose sake hee garnyshed the whole earthe wyth all maner of pleasaunte thynges) and yet is disobediente against his Lorde God & his annointed? Sayncte Paule telleth vs,Ephe, v. the wrathe of God. Whiche is an horible say­inge, and yet it is most true, as by exāple: when God had made Adam a parfyte man, & set hym in the pleasaunte garden of Pa­radise, [...]ne. iii wherein was planted al manner of fruite delicyous too eate, he sayde vnto Adam: of all the fruit in the gardē thou shalt eate, one onely excepted, whiche [Page] deth in the middest of the gardē of that thou shalt not eat: if thou eate therof, thou shalt dy. There was laid before Adam the bles­sing and the curse.deutro. xi. The blessyng if he were obediente, the curse if he were not obediente:i, esdra, iiii so y^e god did set before hym good & euell, to chose of thē whiche he would, yet Adam for want of grace, at fewe woordes to hym spoken by his wife Eue, who before hadde conferred with the subtil serpēt, chose that was euil, and did eat of the fruite whereof God saide he should not eate: disobediently brekynge therby the wyl & com­maundement of his Lord God, whereby they bothe lost the ori­ginal innocency which they had at their creacion: & they whyche before were most precyous and pure in the sight of god, at now: [Page] become before god, hatefull and odious. Thus by y^e fals suggestion of the wily & dysobedient ser­pent, Man whiche was King & Emperoure ouer all, lost his so­ueraintie, and so being ouerthro wen was caste into thys vale of miserable wrechednes, and so became subiecte vnto death, sinne, and all other miseries and infir­mities. Sainct Paule therfore not forgetting the fal of Adam,Roma. v. writteth to the Romaynes, say­ing: through the disobedience of one man, many became sinners soo that dysobedience broughte sinne, and sinne broughte deathe vnto Adam and hys hole poste­ritie. Lyke wyse Cayne the first sonne of Adam hauinge a priuie hatred against his brother Abel maliciously slewe him contrarie to the will of hys Lorde God. [Page] And for so doing he was also ac­coursed of God, so that Cayne, for hys disobediēce, was wrap­ped by his euyll fact, in y^• chaine of his wickednes.

For it is wrytten:Pro. v, the wycked & disobedient man, shalbe catched in his owne cursed deuycis, and also fast fetered in the bandes of his offēces, and so was this cur­sed Caine. Thus by disobediēce sinne so much encresed, that god repented the creacion of man, determining that he, for the pu­nishment of sinners, woulde de­stroye the whole worlde, and so God dyd (eayght persons) Noe his wife, his thre sonnes & their wyues, onelye excepted.Gene. xix. We do reade also that when Loth was commaūded to depart from Sodome with hys wife and daugh­ters, he was forbydden of God [Page] that he nor any of them shoulde loke behind theym, but shoulde go forwarde to that city whych God had a poynted him to euyll in: yet Loth his wyfe beīg sum­thynge lyke vnto Eue, the wyfe of Adam, contrary to goddes cō maundement dyd loke backe vp on the two cityes of Sodome & Gomorra, and she for her disobediēce was tourned into a pillar of salte, and soo remayneth for our example to this daie.Exo. vi. When Moyses also was sente by God vnto Pharao Kinge of Egipte, for the diliueraūce of the peculi­ar people of God, Pharao wold not heare hym: wherefore God saide vnto Moyses, I wyll harden Pharos hert, for that he is dysobedient vnto my voyce, and I wyll multiply miracles in the lande of Egipte, and so God did [...] [Page] ther eate breade nor dryncke water: therefore shall not thy bodye come into thy Fathers graue. And it came to pas that as he was goinge from Bethe­lem to Iuda, he was deuoured in the wai with a greuous Liō. Here mighte somethyng also be spoken of the great foly and dis­obedience that was in Achab, and howe obstinatlye he did re­fuse to heare the true Prophets of God, [...]i. [...]c. xvi [...] Doing euyl in the sight of God, more then al they why­che were before hym kynges o­uer Israel. For he thoght it but a small thynge too walke in the sinnes of Ieroboam, so that hee dyd more to prouoke God vnto wrathe, then all the kinges that before him werein Israel. Wee haue also a notable example of the Prophet Ionas,Ionas. iii who beyng [Page] called of God to go vnto Nini­ue to preach hys worde, and al­so to tel them in what short time their citie, if they dyd not repent them selues, shuld be destroyed, yet Ionas, not hauyng the hart of Moises, did flee frō the voyce and face of God, preparing hym selfe to go another way: but god preuenting him in his iorney, so ordained, that whē Ionas was vpon the Sea, there arose such a wonderfull tempest, that all y^t were in the shyp, thoughte that God had forsaken them. And vntyll the Prophete Ionas by the mariners was cast into the sea the tēpest seased not: and assone as they had throwen Ionas in­to y^e see, the weather was fayre and calme.

Anotable example, worthye of all christen mē to be noted, for y^t [Page] it teacheth vs that god doth not suffer anye one sparke of dysobe­dience in man to skape vnpony­shedde, althoughe the offence to some man maye seme but small, yea euen in those which god tenderly loueth as he did this good Prophete Ionas. Nowe as we haue hearde, by diuers exam­ples of scripture what dysobediente people were amonge the peculiar people of god: So it is to be asked whether the lyke example haue bene in practyse among vs of this realme or no? or whe­ther in these oure dayes there hath bene amonge vs, suche or rather the same māner of proud and dysobedyente people, which as before you haue harde, was amonge the peculyar people of God▪ dyd not our late pretensed bishopes, as Lucifer before had done, presume to sytte in Godes [Page] seate,apoca. x [...]ii. proudly speakinge against god, blasphemīg his holy name, dispisynge hys tabernacle, and holy sainctes that dwell in hea­uen, teaching in the Churche of God the wicked doctrine of Sathan, and as the Prophet saith,Daniel. xi. seaced not to vnhallow the saīc­tuary of truth, to put downe the dayely offeringe, and to set vppe the abhominable desolacion, whyche was the seasinge of the veneration of the body and blod of Christe in the blessed Sacra­ment of the aulter, & the takyng awaye oure holye fastynges, holye feastes, and holye pray­inge too Saynctes.Iere. xxiii. Thus these dysceytefull Prophetes, as say­eth oure Lorde, made speedye haste, but I appointed theym not, they Ranne a greate pase, [Page] but I sente them not: they prea­ched fast,Iere. xxii, but not out of my spi­rit: therfore wyth false title and corrupt entencion they haue en­tred, whose rewarde and Iud­gement shalbe euerlasting fier. Otherwyse, also, haue wee not had amonge vs such other lyke tēporal Lucifers, as cold not be contented and plesed wyth such estate and honour as theyr drad souerayne had called thē vnto, but rather desired, as Lucifer did, in their heartes to aspyre to the Imperiall state of this Re­alme? Agayne haue we had no Caimes trowe you y^• hath not let to seeke the bloude of iust A­ble, his brother? Maye it not be asked, howe many iust Ables in oure daies haue suffered, for the vnitye of Christes Catholicke Church in this Realme, the cru­ell [Page] deathe of Marterdome? I meane not here of those late He­retickes that latelye haue beene iustly burned for their heresies, as Hoper, Rogers, Ridlei, Latimer, & Crāmer, & such lyke: but I mene of those which haue suf­fered for the vnitie of the Catho­lycke churche of Christe, as dyd that holy father Docter Fysher sometyme Byshop of Roches­ter, and Sirre Thomas More sumetyme Chaunceler of thys Relme, Docter Powel, Fether­stone, Reinoldes, Rochester, Newdigat, w^t many other notable lerned mē after thē. How many Lothes wiues haue wee had in thys Realme, that haue not onely tourned their heartes frō the rules of obedience,Gene. xix but also haue tourned their hearts from y^• sincere fayth of the vniuersal & [Page] Catholycke churche of chryste, & from the true vnderstandyng of hys worde.

Haue wee not also hadde a­monge vs, Chore, Dathan and Abyram, whyche dysobedyen­tlye haue gathered theyin selfes together agaynste Moyses and Aron, taking vpon thē, to bring in to the churche of God a newe deuised seruīg of god, newly in­uēted of thē selues, instructinge the multitude to dispise and for­sake their trewe Moises and A­ron, and to folowe them as sent of God to teache? O vnhappye and Cursed dyscyples of Anty­christ how haue you bewitched y^• people of this worthy realme y^t many of vs (to cōforme their heresies) had rather at this day burne and dye wyth the dyuill, then to ryse wyth Moyses and lyue with Christe. [...] Heare some [Page] wil aske what is meaned by our forsaking Moises, [...]unswer [...] I answere, y^t our forsakinge of Moises, was when we (by the false perswasiō of Chore, Dathā, and Abiram, disobediently fell from our mo­ther stay & coūceller of our faith the Churche of Rome, & so were deuided frō y^e flocke & vnitie of y^e Catholyke church of god, & our forsakynge or puttinge Aarō to silence was when oure faythful and obedient bishops were per­secuted and imprisoned for the Catholicke faithe, as was the good Bishop Athanasius amōg the Arriens, whiche was of thē most persecuted for hys constant fayth, if we therfore wil marke what enormities folowed af­ter oure forsakinge the Aposto­lyke churche of Rome, we shall finde so manye in number of thē as before hath not bene seen, [Page] and namely among those of the Clergye. For did not oure newe holye Bishoppes marrye horishe wiues, I had almost said other mēs wiues, did they not besides turne godly fastīges to riotous feastinges: & deuoute praier to leude pratling, calyng chast mē Sodomites, & turned obediēce to vnlaweful lybertie, and then vnlawful liberty brought forth Rebelliō, euen in the beginning of al euel:Edward the .vi. In y^e time of king Hē ­ry of famous memory. Also in y^• time of king Edward the sixte, what disobedience of lawes: what rebellion, what Sedicion was in this Realme, we all do knowe. And it folowed, y^• when god had takē frō vs the worthy younge kynge,Rebellion agaynste the quene. dyd not vnlaw­full libertye disobedyently de­uise, woorke, and goo aboute moste traytrously, to destroye & [Page] take awaye the ryght tit [...]l and enterest whyche oure vertuous Quene Mary, moste iustly had to the princely kingdom of this her realme, but God who hateth the proude & presumteous, my­raculouslye gaue them in to the handes of her hyghnes, and her grace for that victory had, pray­sed God and sayd with Dauyd: oure Lord is my helper and his mightye arme hath exalted me.Psa. x [...]vii. Thē immediatly afterward her highnes as the humble hande­maidē of God, sowght for Moy­ses the chefe seruant of the ser­uantes of God in earth, & dely­uered Aron forth of prison, And also opened the mouthes of hym and them which before were closed together by sharpe & blud­die lawes, streyghtly commaundyng them, to open and declare vnto her people, the trechery, [Page] craft, and falshod of those deceitful prechers, which had seduced and led her people from faith to infidelitie, from vertue to vice, and from a godly vnitie to sedicious rebellyon.Another Rebellion But whē the impacient children of disobediēce, heard that theyr baneketing tables, with theyr newe inuented religion and straunge seruinge of god, shuld vanish & fal down, they could no lēger tary, but as the fyer breaketh forthe of the furnes, semblably blustering & freting, proudly came with ba­ners displaide againste the lor­des anoynted their dread suffe­rayne lady, who before they had seen and knowen to be brought to this princely Kingdome euyn by great miracle & high proui­dence of god onelye, and not by dent of swerd, and onely by godly wisedome, & not by worldlye [Page] polycie had y^e victorye of her enmies, which had ben to thē a suf­ficient example. As longe ther­fore as we wer within the goodly fold of obedience, to our mo­ther the catholyke churche, we like obediēt subiectes, quietly obeyed the lawes and ordynaunces of our princes. Thus as you haue heard as wel by diuers examples of holy Scriptures, as in this our present tyme, howe god leueth not vnpunished any one which to his will and com­maūdement is not obediente, & also as ye haue heard of the fall of thē, so must we vnderstande of our fal frō the vnitie of Chrystes church. It is necessary therfore sū thinge to speke of y^e holie fathers, which walked ī a most parfit order of obediēce, as first in the time of the law of nature we do reade y^t Abrahā among y^e [Page] ebrues for his great vertue was reuerenced, obeyed & had in gret honour: and Abraham also, ha­uing then no prescribed law, honoured Me [...]chisedecke not that he was so commaunded of god, But that nature led by grace stirred and prouoked him to ho­noure the saide Melchesedech,Gene. xiiii whō God had called to hygh actoritie, and Abram also of hys owne free wyll dyd geue vnto Melchesedech, y^e seruaūt of god, the tenth part of that spoile why the he had gotten in his victorie againste the kinges. Which wyll was accompted to hym a lawe, and wrought that worke in him by grace. Abraham being yet free and not vnder the law, did shew vnto vs a great example of our obedience, in obseruynge of the law, which as then was neyther [Page] maunded nor yet written: but onely by goddes singuler grace inspired in the hearte of man. Then it folowed that when the tyme was come that the holyeExod. xi [...]i, xiiii. Prophet Moises was comman̄ ded by god to bryngforth of the lande of Egipt hys peculier people, and after the lawe was geuen, he led and gouerned them: and also after the lawe receyued they were gouerned, without a kyng, vntyll the time of Samuel the Prophet, In whose tyme the people beeyng desierous to be lyke vnto the Gentylles, cal­led vnto Samuell and sayde: let vs haue a kyng that he maie go before vs to battayle. Samuell this heryng them wente to oure LORDE and sayde:i. S [...]. viii. Lorde thy people cryeth vpon me too haue a kynge, and God sayde to [Page] Samuel heare the voice of the people in all that they saye vnto the, for they which are desirous to haue a kinge, haue not caste thee away, but me, that I should not reigne ouer them, but this thou shalte say vnto them, that they, there wyues, sonnes and daughters, menseruauntes and women seruauntes, oxe, asse, and all other theyr goodes and cattels shall bee at their kinges will and commaundemente.

And Samuell dyd speake vnto the people as GOD hadde commaunded hym,1. Samuel ix. and chose them a kyng oute of the house of Cis, whose name was Saul And Samuel before the whole multytude, called hym the Lordes annoynted, beecause he was made holy vnto the Lord. Here is to bee noted, gentle [Page] reader, the greate loue and kyndnesse that God had to his people to kepe them in awe and feare, and howe mercifullye he did show vnto thē by the mouth of hys Prophete Yf necessitie required to serue for a common welth their king according to god hys appoyntement by hys Scriptures whom he had or­dayned to be their head and gouernour. For as euery one body hath one head whiche by witte and reason gouerneth the hole partes of the same bodye: so GOD gaue vnto hys people beyng but one whole bodye a head to rule and gouerne them as one bodye, and that they as particuler partes of one bodye and members to one heade shoulde bee gouerned by [Page] that heade, in case lyke: So god gaue them a kinge to bee theyr heade to reygne ouer them, and that they as obedient subiectes should truely serue & obey him: For it is written: [...]ro. viii, throughe me kinges do raygne, throughe me Councellers make iuste lawes, and throughe me princes beare rule, and iudges of the earth ex­ecute iudgement.

Who therefore that wyll call to mynde the noble hystoryes of princes, and also haue in memorye the famous tyme of theyr regymente, and the prosperous estate of the weale publicke, it is necessarye for him fyrst to be­hold the order that god almigh­tye hath put generally in al hys creatures, and most chieflye to the estate of mākinde, for whose vse, all other creatures, as I [Page] haue sayed, were ordayned of god. And like as in the inferior creatures, there are diuers pro­perties of natures, wherby one excelleth another, [...]o in man like wise appereth that God geueth not vnto euery one lyke gyftes of grace of nature: but to some more to some les, as it liketh his high deuine maiestie. It is therfore of a cōgruēce, & according vnto reasō, y^e like as one excel­ [...]et hanother, so should y^e estate of y^e person be auasiced in degre, or place to the aduaūcement or ex­cellency of y^e cōmon weale. For like as y^e angels be highest exalted in glory, & as in this world they which excel or surmount in vertue & vuderstanding are called to high honour, by gods pro­uidence: so god hath appointed here, kinges and mai [...]strates, [Page] vnto whom he hath geuē aucto­rite to rule & gouerne the weale publike, for asmuch as the said persons excellīg in knowledge whereby other be gouerned: be ministers for the only profite & commodity of them which haue not like auctoritie oughte to be set in a more high place thē the resydew wher they may se & al­so be seen, that by the beames of their excellētwit & vertue shewed thorough y^e glasse of auctori­tie other y^e inferiors may be di­rected to y^e way of al vertue & obedience amōg which inferiors also behoueth for to be a disposycyon & order of reuerēce & specyally to kinges wherof ꝓcedeth y^e dew obediēce amōg subiectes For this, wher al thinges be cō men,Hebru. xxi ther lacketh good order, & where order lacketh, there is neither reuerence nor yet dewe or hūble obediēce, & where is no [Page] true obedience there al thynges is odyous, & vncomelye, so y^e in euery thyng an order is to bee obserued and had: for wythout de we order may nothing be sta­ble or long parmanent. And also it maye not bee called a due or­der oulesse it contayne in his degrees high & also base according vnto y^e merite or estimacyon of the thinges y^t is ordered. For as good order is y^e septer of euery [...]yngdom, so is the obedyence of [...]ubiectes y^e assured seate orplace of prices. What shal I nedehere [...]o resite for exāple y^e noble histo [...]ies of the pagāt prices whose [...]ubiectes as we may read were [...]o obediēt y^t what soēuer lawesAugustus vespacian­us Antony [...]rcus Alexāder. [...]roclamaciōs or other ordinan­ [...]es by thē set forth ordeined or [...]euised were of thē most obediēt [...]y obserued and kepte, and not onely for feare & rigoure of the [...]awe then, but also and moste [Page] singlary of loue, and for those vettues which they dyd perceyue & know to be in theyr kinges and maiestrates. And in case this o­bedyence among the pagant people, came of loue and for vertue sake only, and not by the rygore of the law, what iust cause haue we then nowe in England to be more trew obedyente subiectes vnto oure moste vertuous kinge & Quene, whose vertues at not hid, but do shyne as a lyght and example to al the world & whose loue towardes vs their subiec­tes is such, that it is heuynes to eyther of them, to heare that the leaste of vs shoulde peryshe.

It is therfore necessary yf wee wilbe called Christiens, y^• than we be not worsser then the he thē or pagantes, whom nature mo­ued to be obedient: & otherwyse [Page] we Christians are of god com­maunded, and by nature moued also, to obeye our king & maie­strates. For he moste Ientelye sayeth vnto vs: yf ye loue me do al that I commaund you. This loue and obediēce that god here commaundeth vs to haue, hath ben of vs neglected by the false entisementes of the late Eritical libertines.Ephe. v. Sainct Paule ther­fore warneth vs of thē, saying: lette no man deceiue you with vaine wordes, for the indignation of god commeth vpon all dis­obedient children. For like as y^e woulfe sucketh the bloude of lambes, so likewise disobediēce deuoureth the state of euery cō ­mon weale. Let euery subiecte therfore according to the minde of Saincte Paule, submit hym selfe vnto the auctoritie of the [Page] higher powers, for there is no power but of god onely. Who so euer therfore resisteth y^e power he resisteth the ordinaūce of god and he y^t resisteth the ordinaūce of god, striueth against god, and sainct Peter also doth saye sub­mit1. Peter▪ ii. your selues vnto the Kynge as vnto your chiefe gouernour, and also vnto them that are sent of him for the punishment of euil doers, for so is the wil of God. as we haue exaumple of kynge Dauid who being perfecuted of king Saule neuer resisted ney­ther vsed any force or violence against hym,Ie. xxxiii. but was to him obedient as to hys liege lorde and kyng, and therefore our Lorde sayeth by the mouth of his holy prophete, I wyl bryng forth vnto Dauid, my seruaūt, y^e braūche of rightuousnesse. Let vs therefore, [Page] good contreman, folowe the examples of Dauid, Abrahā and Iob, with other the obedi­ent seruauntes of God, as here of late we haue folowed the euil examples of the children of dis­obediēce to the great displeasure of almightie god, and dispised al thinges y^t were good, although we haue many speciall graces by the receiuing of the Sacra­mētes of the Churche: yet there hath ben among vs that hath reiected the holesome and comfortable Sacramente of confessiō, not considering the benefites y^t we receyue by it whiche God had ordayned in his church, as­suring vs therby, to receyue the forgeuenes of sinnes. For christ oure sauiour speaking vnto hys ministers of his Churche,Math. xvi saith in this wise: whose synnes ye [Page] remitte shall bee remitted: And whose sinnes ye retayne shall be retained.Mat, xvi. And therefore the psalmist swetely singeth.Iohn. ii.

O Lorde I haue receaued thy mercye in the myddest of thy Churche,Psa, xiviii here some obiec­cion of oure Swinglians wyll saye vnto me that then GOD cannot forgeue synne but with the consente and auctorytye of his Churche. To that I may aunswere, that GOD canne of hys absolute auctoritie, but he hath ordeyned thys Sacra­mente to bee applied to manne that he myghte bee ordered at the Mynysters hande by goddes woorde, and receyue hole­some counsell: for God coulde haue instructed Paule goyng to Damasco and not to haue [Page] sente hym to holye Ananias, but GOD woulde not dooe so,Actes. ix. but sente hym to Ananyas, not for any variablenesse that was in GOD, but that god woulde that Paule whom he then hadde called to be a mini­ster of hys Churche shoulde there bee knowen, that GOD hadde lefte powre and auctori­tie in hys Churche, and that the holye ghoste shoulde bee geuen to all people by layinge on of handes by the holye fa­thers and ministers of Christes Church, for as CHRIST hadde made thys promyse to hys Churche beefore he cal­led Paul, so he performinge the [Page] same promyse before made vn­to his churche, saynte Paule to Ananias, at whose handes he receaued baptisme and the holi-ghost: and by the same promyse and auctoritie do we receaue in the church of god, at the handes of his mynysters, the forgeue­nes of our sinnes.Iohn. ii.

And saynte Paule also spea­kinge to the holy fathers at E­phesus,Actes .ii. saide vnto them, take hede vnto your selues, and to al the stocke, amonge whome the holye gost hathe made you ouer seers, to rule y^e church & flocke of god, the whiche he hath pur­chased with his bloud. Marke here, good countremen, how er­nestly saynt Paule speaketh of the auctoritie of the church, cal­ling them ouerseers and rulers of the company and faythefull, which christe hath purchased w^t [Page] his bloud: & furthermore, I am sure saith saint Paule, of this, that after my departinge shall greuous wolues enter in amōg you, not sparinge the flocke, and also of youre owne selues shall menne aryse, speaking peruerse thinges to draw disciples after them. Haue not good contremē the like Wolues entred among vs in this realme? Grafting in the vyneyard of our lord, thor­nes and brambles, & also draw­ing christes members from the true obedience and discipline of their mother y^• catholike church As of late manye hath rysen a­monge vs in this realme, and especially that presumpteous he retike Iohn Bale,Bale. who hath taken no [...]inale trauaïle to hinder through his abhominable here­sies, the glory of Christes gos­pel. [Page] As it doth appeare by diuers and sundry bokes by him made, and speciallye in his boke intiteled the vocacion of Iohn Balle to y^e bishoprike of Ossery where he not a litle triumpheth of hys daungerous trauailes whyche he had in the same, not shaming to compare himselfe with holy saincte Paul in troubles, in la­bours, in perill of shipe wracke, in perill of the sea, in perill of false brethrē, in peril of pirates, robbers and murtherers. Thus whilest he is comparing himself with the holy Apostle lyke a mad harehead begynneth to say why shoulde I shrinke or bee ashamed to boste as the Apostle hath? who as it appereth in the seconde to the Corinthians (sai­eth he) dyd boste of hys labours perils and troubles in the gos­pell. [Page] And the lyke laboure and perilles had I in my Iorneye with no lesse trouble then he had from Ierusalem to Rome, sauing that sayeth he we loste not our ship, and in the .vii. lefe and on the lefte syde he sayeth, I wryhte not this for that I would receiue prayse thereof, But that I haue done it also to declare my most earnest reioice in the same god, which by grace hath called me, by persecucyon hath tried me, and of fauoure hath most wōderfully deliuered me. Here Frier Bale beginneth craftely to perswade with the poore Christians that GOD hath deliuered him frō peril of death by miracle as thoughe he were called of god in these daies to set vp a light in his churche: [Page] but as that notable here tyke terinthus did labour to put oute of the Churche of God the true lyght of the gospell in the time of the holy apostle Saint Iohn so doth that shameles freer la­boure and trauaile all that he may, lyke a false disciple, to put forth himselfe & to tread downe in these our dayes the true light of the gospell wherefore freer Bale where you saye that god wōderfully hath deliuered you we Christiens would that you did vnderstande that we take your deliuerance from perils of your enemyes to be lyke as the common barratours doe stande by the highe waye syde to take and rob the true manne of hys goodes and after doth flee from towne to towne to saue them­selues. So doe we well vnder­stande [Page] you to be a notable here­tike a postata and runagate whereby you are compelled of necessite to runne with y^e thefe or murtherer frō Citie to Citie and from contrie to contrie for the assuraunce of your lyfe, but ondoutedly If you had been as you saye a true disciple of Christ and as felow lyke with Sainct Paule as you wryght your self to be, when you by chaunce of wether were dryuen into Do­uer rode woulde lyke as Paule did at Philippus haue set youre fote on lande & preached ChristeActes .xvi. but contrary wyse as you haue writtē in the xl. lefe of your boke and on the lefte syde you were more desirous to sette youre hande to a bill of fyfty poundes more thē you were able to pay to that ende you myghte be set [Page] on lande in flaunders, for that ye might [...]aue spedye trauayle to the rest of your viperous brethren in Germany, wheras ye saye you wer receaued with as muche reioyce of your myracu­lus deliueraunce (as you termeI [...]. xxviii it) as was sainct Paule at Api­phorum of the Catholycke and christē brethren, thus this mad frantike fryer Bale in the myd­dest of his proude bostinges, & praisinge him selfe, dothe saye. If Helias, that wether driuen runnagate remayne nowe in a foren lande, I pray thee gentyll reader marke here, how he hit­teth here the nayle on the head, & of a false lying frier is becom in this one point a true tale tel­ler, naming him selfe▪ Helias, w^t this addiscion, that wether dri­uen [Page] runnagates, so hathe he brought hymselfe from the fel­lowship of saint Paule to be as he is, a runnagate, and fel­lowe with the vnplacable ene­mies of Christes Churche, and companion with Cerinthus the enemye of trueth. And in the conclusyon of hys Booke the. xliiii. leafe and on the lefte syde also, he hathe diuers compary­sones, betwene the prophetes, apostles, and the Churche of Englande, and these are hys woordes. What shall I saye more? Iohn Baptist is nowe derided in the prison, and Iesus the sonne of God is grenned at vpon the crosse, but contrarye wyse in Englande, mayster Bale, Iohn baptist is now deliuered forth of pryson. And Ie­Iesus [Page] the sonne of god is truely worshipped vpō the crosse, and moreouer he sayeth: Paule in Athens is hissed at, the poore apostles are slyly laughed to scorne But nowe in Englande praised be our lord Iesus Christ, Paule is truely preached, & the Apost­les receaue theyr dew honoure, and last of al he saith, Iohn the sonne of zebede is sent into Pa­thinos, whiles Cerinthus, Menander, and Hebion play the heretikes at home. But otherwise I say, Iohn zebed is now receaued forth of Pathinos in to England, and Cerinthus, Menāder and Hebyon, who triumphed in Englande while Iohn was in Pathinos, are nowe fledde in to Germany to play the prophets of heretikes there. The reste of Bales trachery I will omit at [Page] this time & returne to my mat­ter. Saint Iohn speakinge of the notable heritike Cerinthus doeth saye to his disciples, beware that you bath not your sel­ues in bathes, wherin Cerinth­us the enemy of truth hath wa­shed himselfe, lest by thē you be infected with his vntruth, it is good for vs therfore (good cun­trymē) that we whom god now hathe called from the bathes of Cerinthus, do run with all our minde, and with al our heart, in to the lap of oure mother the catholike churche, who with her swete bathes wil wash & clense vs from al these wicked errors whiche we haue learned of this wicked church of Sathan, and then shal we receue such heuēly moysture as shal bring forth in vs vnmouable obedience, saint [Page] Paule sayeth, vnhappye is that grounde and nerest to the curse of God, whiche when it recea­ueth heauenly moystures, doth bringe forthe none other thinge but thornes and wedes: there­fore to auoide this great threatninge of Saynt Paule, let vs y^• now are called by gods deuyne grace, learn of Christ to be obedient, who suffred for vs, leuīg vs an example y^t we shoulde fo­lowe his steppes, in whom was no sinne, he was obediēt to Io­seph his supposed father, and to Mary hys naturall mother, he also who was king of al, obedi­ently payed tribute to Cesar for him & Peter. Also this most absolute or ground of all vertues, gaue vnto vs one notable example of obedience, at the time of his passion, what tyme he suf­fered [Page] the Iewes to beate, and scourge him, and specially whē he was brought before the wic­ked Iudge Pilate,Iohn .ix. who said vnto him: knowest thou not that I haue power to crucifie thee: and haue power also to lose thee? Christe our sauiour mekely an­swered and sayd: thou couldest not haue power at all againste me except it were geuen the frō aboue. Therfore S. Paul doth say, ther is no power but of god the people that be are ordayned of god, & who that is of god wil obey the power and ordinaun­cis of god, as christ here for our example was obediēt vnto Pylate, whose power was of god, and yet he was a wycked iudge much more we christiās hauing thys example of oure sauyoure christ ought of our boūdē duties [Page] to be obedient to our most ver­tuous King, Quene, and maie­strates, euen as Sainct Paule sayeth for consience sake and also for Christes sake,Ephe. vi. who for vs became lyke vnto men and was founde in his apparel as a man he h [...]bled himselfe and becamePhilip. ii. obediente vnto the death, euen the death of the crosse, Let vs therfore good contremen folo­wyng the example of Chryste put from vs our wilfull disobe­dience wherein we haue obste­natly continued along tyme, by the perswacion of a rable of pernicious heretikes, & heare what Saincte Paule sayeth.i. timo. iiii, In the latter daies some shal goe from the true faith of Christes churchii. timo, iii and shal geue hede to the spirite of errour, and to the teachinge of the deuil & his apostles, & in [Page] another place he sayth also, that before the comminge of Ante­christii. The. ii. there shalbe a notable dis­centiō, and departing from the fayth of the catholycke churche, through disobedience, and is it nor euen so now with vs: what a notable dyscencion, hathe bene in this Churche of Englande, what departinge from the true fayth of the knowen churche of God, what sectes, what diuer­sitie of opinions is yet amonge vs? For that we will not heare the voice of god, nor our mother the catholicke churche, but styll wyll runne after diuelysh Pro­phetes of that cursed or malingnaunt churche of Sathan, who dyd pretende as it did apere vnto the symple and vnlearned, a­special fauour vnto gods word, colourynge and payntyng their [Page] heresies, with the swete senten­ses of the Scripture peruersly vnderstāded leading vs therby to euerlasting dampnacion.Iere. v, Let vs therfore pray with the Pro­phet, and saye: Lorde turne thou vs to the, and then shal we be turned. And vndoughteles shalbe opened vnto vs, the abhominacion of their false and cur­sed preachinges who did repute thē selues to be the church catholycke condēpning al other good & verteous men, that wer of the vnyuersal and knowen churche of god, not to be of the church of god, as did the Nouacions in Rome, the Arryens in Grece, & the donatistes in Affricke. And now in our time the Luterians and Swyngliās in England:The fa [...]le of the H [...] ­retikes. Further more if there were no Scriptuures, as there are plentie, [Page] to perswade vs y^• these oure Luterians and Swinglians, were not the true disciples and followers of Christ, yet the myraculus distruction and fall of them, wer a sufficient proufe vnto vs, that they wer not of god: but the onelye disciples of Sa­than. For in what estimacion were they in this realme? How were they exalted and had in honoure? haue not their doctrine bene receaued and followed? I nede not much to speake therof, for it is not vnknowen to vs. What state they were in among vs, and how malyciouslye they brought to pas, that the holye sacred temple, & house of pray­er (wherin god was of his faithful people) honored and serued, was so by thē defaced and dis­guised, that of that sacred tem­ple, [Page] they made a Speluncke or denne of Heretykes. Also if we wolde not the inconstancie that was in them, & the variete of order that was in their religiō, it were a notable testimony al­so that they wer not of god. To speake much of the end of them I wil not, but onely of that ex­ecrable man Cranmer, which whē he vnderstod that he sholde die, hūbled hym selfe to the Ca­tholike church, and showed him selfe to bee repentant, and sory for his sedicious and euyll doc­trine, whiche he before hadde taught & set forth in this church of Englande. But what maner of repentaūce it was that he thē had and howe he humbled hym selfe you shall here.ii. reg. xxi. In the .iii. of the Kinges we reade y^t Achab when he heard the thonderinge [Page] thretninges of god for his ydo­latrye, for a time repented and humbled himselfe, and it conty­nued not longe: but that he did fall to his olde accustomed ydo­latrye agayne, likewise Cran­mer as I haue saide repentid, & humbled himselfe to the Catho­like church, & shortly after with Achab,Ioh. xvii returned to his shame­full heresies. Agayne Iudas also repented that he had betraied his master Christe, but the fru­tes of repentance followed not in him, and therfore Christ speaking of him saith: father al those which thou hast geuen me haue I kept and none of them is lost but the one childe of perdicion, that the scrypture might be ful­fylled, Cranmer likewise repented his heresies, not simply and vnfaynedly, but craftely & sub­telly vnder the cloke of ypocrisy [Page] hauing a certain trust therby to auoid present death thē at hand wherefore good contremen as this wretched man haue chosen parte with Iudas and Achab, so doth his euill and miserable ende declare him to be a detestable heretike and a disobediente member of Sathan, and foras­much also as we by him haue ben seduced and led into diuers and sondry errors, so is it moste necessary that we lyke obediēt subiectes and faythfull Christi­ans doe abhore and detest hys h [...]nouse and vnsauery doctrine, remembryng alwayes that as by the disobedience of the firste man Adam we were made the children of wrath, so by the obedience of the seconde Adā which is Chryst we are reconciled and made the children of God, then [...]