ALthough I haue once already in a publike as­semblie made open re­cantation and abiura­tion of my former er­rors (right Honorable, Worshipfull, and wel­beloued) yet because the place wherein it was done (notwithstanding publike) was more obscure then I could haue wished, as also the audience (consisting for the most part of yong persons) not altogether suffici­ent witnesses in so weightie a cause, I was the more willing againe at this time in more sufficient maner to publish my former act in this worthy assembly: choosing rather thereby to suffer some blemish in my credite (if the renouncing of errors may blemish my credite) then in any part to seeme negli­gent in discharging the duetie of a truely reformed Christian: whereby the worlde might iustly holde me in suspence, y^• Church [Page] of God remaine vnsatisfied, and mine owne conscience still reteine in it selfe sufficient matter of accusing & condemning her selfe. For I am of this opinion (vnder correction) that satisfaction in respect of the world (for to God we are able to yeelde no equalitie) ought to be in weight and measure, accor­ding to the offender his habilitie, euery way equall with the offence made; except the offended be content to remit, either in part or in all, the duettie growing from the offender. Which grace of remission, I assure my selfe to haue already obteined at God his hands, and the like (I hope) this Hono­rable and Christian assembly will this day afforde me, & consequently all those (which I humbly and heartily craue) to whome re­lation of my present deede shal come.

And for the further manifestation of my cause, may it please you to vnderstand, first, touching my fault, that I was sometime a Priest, brought vp in the English Semina­rie at Rhemes in the kingdome of France, a Colledge there erected and supported by the Pope & his complices, for the maintei­ning or rather reuiuing of his deuilish doc­trine, & damnable errors in this our Coun­trey, now for a good space raked vp in hel, & in this happy Iland almost extinguished.

[Page] To this mother of errors and nurse of I­dolatry did I repayre being from my child­hoode in some sort fostered with hers or the like poysoned milke. I omit to speake of my vnnaturall and vnduteifull departing my natiue Countrey without authoritie or leaue obteined from any Magistrate, for as our Sauiour Christ sayde,Iohn 3. qui mala facit, odit lucem, & non venit ad lucem, vt non arguantur opera eius, he that doeth euil ha­teth the light, neither commeth to the light, least his deedes should be reprooued. Euen so my cause being faultie in it selfe could not abide the touch of due examination, & there­fore put me in feare to depart by authoritie, but by stealth, which with great difficultie I performed.

Hauing studied sometime in the Vniuer­sitie aforesayd, I was made Priest, and af­ter some space was by the President of the Colledge sent into this Realme of Eng­land to winne soules (as they terme it, and as I then tooke it) to God: but had not God, whose mercies are aboue all his workes, plucked me backe with his mercifull hand, I had doubtlesse perished together with ma­ny soules of that profession on whome hee sheweth no mercie: but such is his great goodnes and infinite mercy towardes his [Page] elect, that euen in the depth of their sinne he can and wil raise them; the which is most euidently manifested in me, who neuer in my life gaue any regard to the true doctrine of Christ, though in some part I knewe it, but farre otherwise then I ought to haue done, & as it is in it selfe, because that from my youth I was led astray and blinded with the choking myst of Papistry, and was now come euen into the midst, & as it were per­fection of all error and blindnesse; insomuch that I did not now walke in the counsell of the vngodly, nor stand in the way of sinners, but in the highest degree of sinning, I sate established in the seate of the pestilent, whom it is farre more hard to raise and remooue then either him that walketh, or him that standeth: wherefore in me raised, that sate, the great mercie and wonderfull worke of Almightie God is more commended & more euidently set foorth then if I had but wal­ked, then if I had but stoode: the which (be­cause I wil be as short as I may) I leaue to the deuoute consideration of euery good Christian present, onely my selfe will say with the Prophet Dauid,Psalme 116. Quid retribuam Domino pro omnibus quae retribuit mihi? Calicem [...]alutis accipiam & nomen Do­mini inuocabo, What shall I render to the [Page] Lorde for all his graces and benefites bestow­ed vpon me? I will receiue the cup of saluati­on, and I wil call vpon the Name of the Lord.

Hauing with great danger, by reason of a tempest that happened, passed the seas, and being arriued in England, I fell bustly to worke in my profession and calling, letting passe no opportunitie, but vsing all meanes that I could to become a worthy workman, (in deede a wastfull destroyer) in God his vineyarde. I forbeare to speake of the zeale I had, the paines I tooke, my dayes labors, my night watchings, &c. In all which I humbly confesse to Almightie God, and ac­knowledge before this worthy assembly, that I did nothing els but dayly more and more offend God, impugne his trueth, sup­plant his Church, and peruert his people, by labouring to seduce them from his true re­ligion into idolatry, and to bring them from their naturall & dutifull obedience towards their Prince, vnto the seruile yoke and bon­dage of the Pope, I meane, in perswading them to acknowledge his Papall dignitie, and vsurping supreme authoritie ouer all Kings and Princes of the world. Whereby beside the hatred of God, I incurred y^e high displeasure of my dread Soueraigne, and most gracious Queene, as also the penalties [Page] of her godly and most iust lawes made a­gainst such offenders. Notwithstanding I protest before the dreadful seate of the most Highest, that I neuer offended against her royall person, neither was I euer guiltie in platting any thing against the good estate of my deare Countrey, or consenting to any lewde practice in that behalfe: neither did I any thing touching my function in mat­ters of Religion of malice, as knowing and would not knowe, but wherein so euer I of­fended, it was of blinde zeale masqued and caried away with ignorance and error. And although I sayde before that I had some knowledge of the trueth, yet I tolde you it was but afarre off, it was but a superficiall and carnall knowledge. Who more rare or better read in the Scriptures then the Pha­rises? yet our Sauiour Christ tolde them, that they erred and knewe not the Scrip­tures: whereby wee are giuen to vnder­stand, that a man knowes nothing (knowe he neuer so much) except the Spirit of God doe further illuminate and quicken the vn­derstanding with his grace: for it is the spi­rit that quickeneth.

Thus haue I (though confusedly) con­fessed vnto you my guiltines and offence: it followeth, that I giue you to vnderstand [Page] the meanes which God vsed to restore me againe to life that was dead. But herein I feare to exceede (as they say) my compasse, in promising more then I am able to per­forme. For how can I declare and manifest that vnto you which I neuer knewe my selfe, surely I can assigne no meanes, but must say with our Sauiour Christ,Mat. 11. Ita pa­ [...]e, requoniam sic fuit placitum ante te. It is so, O father, because thy good pleasure was such. Wherefore let vs all be amased, and fall into admiration of God his workes, and with the Apostle Saint Paul crye out. O altitudo diuitiarum sapientiae & scien­tiae Dei! Rom. 11. quàm incomprehensibilia sunt iudicia eius, & inuestigabiles viae eius! O the deepenes of the riches both of the wis­dome and knowledge of God, how vn­searchable are his iudgements, & his wayes past finding out? and let vs confesse with the prophet Dauid,Psal. 118. A domino factum est istud, & est mirabile in oculis nostris. This is the Lord his doing, and it is marueilous in our sight. Maruailous in deede it might and would be in our sight, if I weare in a­ny reasonable measure able to expresse the secret working of God in my soule by his often holy inspirations, which I did often­times repel, not of malice, but of ignorance, [Page] taking gods holy motions for deuilish temp­tations: well did our mercifull Sauiour verifie, and more then verifie in me his owne saying: Ecce sto ad ostium & pulso: Behold I stand knocking at thy dore, but he not onely stood knocking, as one ready to goe his way, if he were not let in, but he perseuered knocking, he sate knocking as one that meant not to be wearied, as one that would not away, as one that would by force enter. O gracious God, what was I? what am I? nay what can I bee that thy high Maiestie shouldest be so mindefull of me? that I should bee in such reputation with thee?Psal. 21. Vermis sum ego & non ho­mo, opprobrium hominum, & abiectio plebis. I am a worme O Lord and no man, the reproch of men, and the outcast of the people. I say not of thy people O Lord but of all people, for in hearing thy voice I hardened my heart. Long was it or that I did heare, and when I heard, I was vnwil­ling to heare, I would not heare.

At the length, when God had brought me to heare in some good measure, he taught me to consider of diuers things, the which for breuities sake I will omitte to speake of in this place: by consideration he bread in me a doubting of the estate of my [Page] soule: by doubting he wrought a desire of the cleare knowledge of his trueth, the which as then I had no meanes to atteine, but by the secret manuduction of his holy spirite, and the reading of holy scrip­tures: by bothe which, it pleased his heauenly Maiestie of his accustomed mer­cie, to reforme my strayed iudgement, and thus by little and little, he taught me as it were, the first rudiments of his true faith, and at the last he caused me absolutely to re­solue to come forth of Babylon. But such was the malice of the deuill the auncient e­nemie of mankinde, that seeing and enuy­ing this my resolution, he cast such a stum­bling blocke in my way, that for a whole yeeres space I was not able to moue it, much lesse to remoue it. This blocke in deede was heauy and very heauy, consisting of two woods, of life and of death. First, he layed before me the terror of death, the ri­gor of the lawes, and my iust desertes in transgressing the same: against this I oppo­sed my voluntary submission, presidents that had escaped the like danger, and haue before me occupied this place, and most of all, her Maiesties clemencie and most gra­cious mercie vsed towardes all, especially, to men of my coate and profession.

[Page] This part of his stumbling blocke being but a little stirred, he assaulted me present­ly with a second thing of no lesse importance then the first, which was mine owne estate in this maner: That admit my life were spared, yet I had not to looke for any liuing or maintenance, and hauing of my selfe none, I should by recanting, bring my selfe to pouertie and misery, and be of none ac­compt. Whereas now I wanted nothing I could wish for, and was reputed amongst the best. Against this I had nothing to op­pose, but onely an vncertaine hope (as I thought) of her Maiesties bountie, and the wisdome, and charitable care of her honora­ble counsaile, for the prouiding for of such manner of persons. Briefely after the de­uill had throughly wrought in me, the feare and vncertaintie of both life and liuing, therein he left me miserablie deiected, and wrestling, in so much that for a great space after I remained here and there in the coun­trey, for vpon this my resolution, I quite forsooke the chiefe place of my vsuall staye and abode: but could proceede no further, till at the last in place where I was, in my secrete chamber, word was brought me of the taking of one of my coate, whom I wel knew. These newes bread in me such a pre­sent [Page] feare, that from thenceforth I could not be in quiet. Wherefore with as much conuenient speede as might be, I prouided for my iourney towards London, whither being come, because I was in the place as it were a meere stranger, and being ac­quainted with no one to whom I durst im­part my minde in a matter so dangerous, I was (by reason of my feares aforesaid) con­strained to deferre my submission, vntill it would please God, either to offer me fit op­portunitie thereto by some one or other, or that he should endue me with sufficient cou­rage and fortitude to peforme my determi­nate purpose, the which at the length of his great goodnes he graunted me, but making me to knowe withall, that his honour and glory must alwayes be sought of me, whe­ther it be for my temporall auaile, or disad­uantage. Thus at the last he hath deliuered me from all mine enemies, for which great worke and mercie of his, what haue I, but with the prophet Dauid to say,Psal. 123. Benedictus Deus, qui non dedit nos in captionem dentibus eorum, anima nostra sicut passer erepta est de laqueo venantium, laqueus contritus est, & nos liberati sumus. Bles­sed be God which hath not giuen vs ouer for a pray vnto their teeth. Our soule is esca­ped [Page] euen as a birde out of the foulers snare the snare is broken and we are deliuered.

It followeth touching the a [...]iuration of those errors which once I held, but now de­test, that I speake somewhat. To stand vpō euery particular it is not my meaning, nei­ther doe I purpose to make any long dis­course vpon those poynts which I will touch: also I meane to speake but of a fewe things, because this time will not suffer me to handle many, neither these fewe as I would. If my order in placing the poynts handled seeme preposterous to the learned, I preferre their iudgements, and desire them to pardon my wants, and accept herein my dutifull labours.

Furthermore, if at the first I shall at­tempt to put the axe to the roote of the tree whereon the rest of the branches growe, I shall at once ouerthrowe both the one and the other, and because I will leaue my selfe more scope (though otherwise I could finde sufficient) I will beginne with some parti­cular branches and so descend to the bodie and roote: but whether I beginne at the toppe or in the middle it is no great matter, for my meaning is to destroy all, though not in all, yet in my selfe.

First therefore to speake of the worship­ping [Page] of Images, which the aduerse part holdeth for great pietie and religion, I can finde no warrant therefore in holy writ, but contrarily I finde it expresly forbidden, with fearefull curses therefore threatned: as in the second commandement of the first table it is forbidden in these wordes,Exod. 20. Thou shalt make thee no grauen Image, neither any similitude of things that are in heauen aboue, or in the earth beneath, or in the waters vnder the earth: thou shalt not bow downe to them nor serue them. Also when ye are come ouer Iordan, Numb. 34. &c. ye shal driue out all the inhabiters of the land be­fore you, and destroy all their pictures, and breake asunder all their images of mettall &c. That worshippers of Images are ac­cursed,Deut. 27. we reade in Deu. these words, Cur­sed be the man that shal make any carued or molten Image, which is an abominatiō vnto the Lord. Wisd. 13. Also in another place, Mi­serable, (which may import so much as to say accursed) are they, & among the dead is their hope, that call them gods which are the works of mens hands, golde, and siluer, and the thing that is inuented by arte, &c. Many other places I could alledge against the making and worshipping of ima­ges: but I will omit them, onely I will re­hearse [Page] vnto you the wordes of Tertullian vpon this matter,Tert. de Idol. & so I will passe further. God (saith he) hath forbidden an Image aswel to be made as to be worshipped &c. And a little after hee goeth forward in this sort, Some one or other to mainteine ido­latrie will say, Why then did Moses make the Image of the brasen serpent in the wil­dernes? Which obiection he answereth in this sort. One and the selfe same God hath by his eternall lawe forbidden any Image to bee made, and also by his extraordinarie and speciall commandement the Image of a serpent to be made: If thou be obedient to the same God, thou hast his lawe, make thou no Image: but if thou haue a regard to the Image of the serpent afterwards made by Moyses, then doe thou as Moyses did, make not any Image against the law, vnlesse God command thee as hee did Moyses. What neede we to stand vpon moe proofes herein? these I take for this time sufficient to con­firme the trueth of the matter: And herein I assent and consent to the true doctrine of Christ his vniuersall Church & affirme the doctrine of the Romane Church herein to be false and erronious, and therefore I vtterly renounce and abiure it.

Touching prayer for the dead, which ad­hereth [Page] to another absurditie like to it selfe which is Purgatorie, although out of the de­crees of Councels and olde Fathers many profes seeme to be deducted for the maintei­ning therof, yet in the whole processe of holy Scriptures, (which as the Prophet Dauid saith,Psal. 118. are lanternes vnto our feete, and lights vnto our paths) I finde no warrant for either of them, but contrariwise that they are both vaine and friuolous. As for example in the Reuelations it is said,Reuel. 14. Beati mortui qui in Domino moriuntur. Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord, for they rest from their labours, &c. If euery soule that dieth in the Lord bee blessed, then there are none that die in the Lorde in Purgatorie, where there is no blessednesse, (but accor­ding to their opinion) all miserie and ca­lamitie euen as in hell it selfe. Secondly it is said, that they rest from their labours. If then they rest from their labours, it must needes followe that they are not in Purga­torie, where (as they themselues say) are ex­treme labours, though not actiue yet passiue. Whereupon I inferre two things. First, that no saued soule goeth to Purgatorie, which is meant by those which die in the Lord, for euery one that dieth in the Lord by sufficient testimonie of this place is blessed, [Page] which cannot be but in possessing the vision and sight of God in whome onely the dead haue and enioy all blessednesse, the which none can haue and enioy, but onely those which are saued, as also rest from all, and all maner of labours which cannot bee had nor found in Purgatorie, being as I said before (according to the aduersaries opinion) a place of torment and vnrest, and this place of Scripture attributing both blessednesse and rest, and that immediately after their death to all that die in the Lord, that is the seruants of the Lord, it must needes be that euery such soule is in heauen & not in Pur­gatorie. Secondly, I inferre that there is no such place as Purgatorie, because there is no vse of nor for any such place. For all the creatures, things and places which God made, hee made them for some ende, vse and purpose: for he made nothing in vaine, and in all the Scriptures we neither finde men­tion made of Purgatorie, nor vse for any such place, which no doubt would haue bene done if the place had bene, and of such ne­cessitie as the aduersaries affirme it to bee, either by Christ himselfe, or his Apostles (who haue left vs written all things neces­sarie for our saluation) therfore I may safely conclude that there is no Purgatorie.

[Page] That praiers auaile not the dead (because I haue bene so tedious before) I wil only al­ledge one example out of Ecclesiastes.Eccle. 9. The dead (saith he) knowe nothing at all, and they haue no more portion for euer in all that is done vnder the sunne. If it bee so, then in praiers they haue no portion. If they haue no portion in prayers, then in vaine doe they pray for the dead. Thus wee see this their doctrine, both of praier for the dead and Purgatorie, to be false and superstitious, and therefore I renounce and abiure it.

Prayer to Saints as Mediatours be­tweene God and vs, I finde to derogate from the sole mediation of Christ by these testimonies of holy Scripture:Matth. 11. Come vnto me (saith Christ) all ye that are laden and wearie, and I will ease you. Also in another place,Ioh. 14. I am the way, the trueth and the life: no man commeth to the father but by me. 1. Tim. 2. And S. Paul to Timothie, There is one God, and one Mediatour betweene God and man: euen the man Christ Iesus, which gaue him selfe a ransome for all men, &c. In all which places wee finde no mention made of this or that Saint, but of Christ himselfe. Therefore this doctrine also as false and erronious I abiure and re­nounce.

[Page] Concerning the propitiatorie sacrifice of the Masse for the liuing and the dead, I af­firme that it is iniurious and derogatorie to the death and passion of Christ: for our ad­uersaries will haue Christ to be dayly offe­red both for the liuing and the dead. But S. Paul saith that Christ needed not to be dayly offered, or often times to offer for the peoples sinnes, as the Priestes of the olde law did,Heb. 8. for now saith he, In the end of the world he hath appeared once to put away sinne by the sacrifice of himselfe &c. And in another place hee saith,Heb. 10. That with one oblation hee hath consecrated for euer those that are sanctified &c. And S. Pe­ter saith,1. Pet. 3. that Christ hath once suffered for sinnes, the iust for the vniust, that he might bring vs to God. &c. Wherefore this one oblation of Christ I confesse to bee solely propitiatorie, and sufficient for my sinnes, and for the sinnes of ten thousand worldes, (if there were so many) and I abiure all o­ther propitiatorie sacrifices and oblations whatsoeuer as blasphemous and iniurious to this.

Moreouer I find in the olde Testament no mo Sacraments prefigured, and in the new no mo instituted by our sauiour Christ (who onely had power to institute them) [Page] then two: that is to say, the sacrament of Baptisme, and the Lordes supper: and the other fiue I finde to be made sacraments by the presumptious inuentions of men, ther­fore as their vaine institutions and fantasies I abiure & renounce them as sacraments.

Iustification is an other great poynt, which the aduersaries make to consist of two partes, that is to say, of Faith, and of our owne woorkes and merites: but the Scriptures allowe not workes as causes, and reteine only faith as the instrumentall cause of our iustification: for the Apostle saith,Rom. 3. There is no difference, all haue sin­ned, and are depriued of the glory of God, & are iustified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Iesu &c. And it followeth in the same Chapter, Therefore we conclude that a man is iusti­fied by faith without the woorkes of the law &c. And in another place he saith, By grace ye are saued through faith, and that not of your selues: it is the gift of God, not of workes, lest any man should boast him­selfe: whereby it is euident that mens me­rits auaile not to iustification, and therfore this doctrine of the aduersaries, together with the rest, I renounce and abiure.

As for the authoritie of princes in mat­ters [Page] Ecclesiasticall, (for in Temporall I knowe no doubt) had not Iosua, Dauid, Salomon, and other Kings and Rulers, power to commaunde and intermeddle in causes Ecclesiasticall?Iosh. 3. Did not Iosua cō ­mand and appoint the Priests and Leuites how and in what manner they should carry the Arke of God? and by warrant from Gods owne mouth, direct and gouerne them in the bearing thereof ouer the wa­ters of Iordan? Did not God often times manifest the disposing of holy things to the Kings rather then to the Priests? which in no case he would haue done, if his will had bene that they should haue had no dealings in such kind of causes. As for the examples of Dauid & Salomon, because the wordes of text are too long to recite, I referre the Christian audience to the perusing of these places of scripture, viz. 1. Chron. 13. 15. & 16. chap. the 7. 8. and 9. Chap. of the third booke of Kings according to some transla­tions: according to other some, the first booke. By these and diuers other testimo­nies both of the olde and new Testament, I haue sufficient warrant to acknowledge not onely the right and authoritie of my dread soueraigne in causes Ecclesiasticall within all her Maiesties Dominions, but [Page] also of all Christian kings and Princes in their proper landes and Realmes, and the contrary doctrine (as ful of lurking poyson) I renounce and abiure.

And here I will ende with the Pope, as the roote and body from whence & where­on all branches of errors and superstitions do grow: but because I haue already plain­ly declared vnto you his grossenesse, or ra­ther impudencie in doctrine, I shall haue lesse occasion to stand vpon himselfe, for by the fruite we are to iudge what the tree is. It is impossible,Mat. 7. saith Christ, that a man should gather grapes of thornes, or figs of thistles: euen so it is impossible that a man should draw vertuous and wholesome doc­trine forth of an infected fountaine, such an one as the Pope is, who seeketh his owne glory, and mainteineth his glory by his owne doctrine, neglecting or rather con­temning both the glory & doctrine of Christ. Whose insolent pride and vsurping autho­ritie ouer all Christian kings and Princes, as also his deuilish madnesse in opposing himselfe against God and his Church, by sowing the seede of false doctrine in the hearts of people, make me to confesse him to be that abomination of desolation sitting in the holy place, which was prophecied by [Page] Daniel,Dan. 9. and mentioned of our Sauiour Christ himselfe in S. Matthewes Gospel.Mat. 24. Wherefore, as an infectiue poyson, and creeping canker, I loath, detest and abiure him, renounce his authoritie, & from hence­foorth vtterly reclayme from the whole heape and masse of all his confused errors and deuilish opinions whatsoeuer, aswell those hereafter to bee inuented and publi­shed, as those already by him & his taught and authorised.

Also I denie that he hath any power, au­thoritie or iurisdiction ouer our soueraigne and gracious Queene Elizabeth, or ouer any of her Highnesse subiects and liege people, either in causes Ecclesiasticall or Temporall, and in defence of this doctrine in particular, as also of all the poyntes of true religion taught in this Realme, and by her gracious Maiestie aucthorised, I now my selfe and whatsoeuer from hence­forth I shalbe able to performe. And I am heartily sorie that euer I offended (in pro­fessing the contrary) my merciful God, my dread Soueraigne, & my deare countrey.

First therefore with penitent heart & pro­strate soule before the tribunall of the Al­mightie, I desire his diuine Maiestie for his mercies sake, and for his onely some Iesus [Page] Christ his sake, to regard mee at this present with his merciful eyes, and from henceforth to guide and protect mee with his mightie hand, that I may alwaies rest vnder the sha­dow of his wings, and at the dreadfull day of his iudgement, that he impute not vnto mee my grieuous sinnes and transgressions, but that he wil burie them in the sacred and pre­cious wounds of his deare Sonne, and couer them with the vaile of his holy mercies.

Secondly, I beseech my soueraigne and gracious Queene to pardon my ignorances, presumptions, and whatsoeuer besides I haue offended in, eyther against her or her Maiesties godly lawes & proceedings: with bended knees beseeching her Highnesse to accept of my humble and voluntarie submis­sion, and to admit me again into the number of her Maiesties loyall subiects, and from hencefoorth I vowe vnto her Maiestie my true seruice and duetifull obedience.

Furthermore, I craue pardon of all men in generall, whom I haue any wayes scan­dalized, and offended: but most especially those whome by erronious doctrine I haue mislead, praying heartily to God that they al may be so sincerely cōuerted as my selfe am.

Lastly, I humbly beseech this honoura­ble & Christian assembly to pardon my con­fessed [Page] crime, and to accept mee as a member of your mystical body, vnder our head Iesus Christ. And for that I doubt not but that your deuout mindes are readily mooued thereunto, I wil omit to vse any further in­stigation therein, but will leaue the matter wholy to the motion and working of Gods holy spirit in all men.

To conclude, for as much as I haue bene credibly enfourmed by some, and haue fur­ther found it extant in writing, that some in this our Realme and in other places haue promised, sworne, subscribed, and for a time vsed the holy Sacraments in the Church deceitfully, against their owne conscience, minding hereby first vnder the externall cloake of religion to corrupt and subuert secretely Gods true religion within the Church, and afterward when time hath ser­ued, became open enemies and persecutors of the same, vnder vaine hope of the Popes dispensation deuised against the worde of God, to his great confusion and their double condemnation at the day of iudgement: be­ing willing for mine owne part, so farre foorth as in me lieth, to take away all suspi­tion of such hypocrisie, dissimulation and double dealing with God and his Church, I protest before the dreadfull Maiestie of Al­mightie [Page] God, who is the searcher of all hearts, that my heart and minde doe fully agree with my vttered speaches. Moreouer that I haue not, nor euer had any dispensati­on, Bull, or any maner of facultie, for any such purpose. Also that I haue not bene mo­ued to this present act by any constraint or rigor vsed, or for any worldly respect or hope of gaine, or other sinister cause whatsoeuer, but onely by the meere perswasion of consci­ence, through the knowledge and loue of Gods true religion begun in my heart by the holy Ghost, the profection and perfection whereof, I leaue to the mercifull working of his diuine power, to whome with the Fa­ther and the Sonne, be all honour, prayse, power and dominion nowe and for euer, Amen.

God saue the Queene.

I There standing before the dreadfull throne of almigh­tie God and the face of the present congregation hum­blie confessed my selfe to haue bene for the space of these fiue yeres last past a traitour to God, an enemie to his holy Church and Gospel▪ a pro­fessor of the errors, and deuilish opinions of papistrie, and consequently a rebellious tra­tour to my Soueraigne prince and deare countrie.

Howe that about fiue yeres past I depar­ted my natiue countrey, and went into for­raigne landes beyonde the seas, without the leaue or authoritie of any Magistrate: wher­by I incurred the danger of the lawes pro­uided and instituted for the same cause.

How that being beyond the seas I suffred my selfe to be perswaded by the counsaile of [Page] lewd and seditious men to take vpon me the gawling yoke, and ouerswaying burthen of popish priest hoode: and for that cause I went into the kingdome of France to the Vniuer­sitie of Rhemes, where I studied certaine yeres, & was then made priest, & shortly after was by the President of the English Semi­narie Colledge at Rhemes sent into Eng­land to the ende and intent to withdrawe the peoples heartes from the true seruice of God and their dutifull obedience towardes their prince, vnto the pernicious and damna­ble errors of papistrie, and the tyranical sub­iection and slauerie of the Pope: Whom to­gether with diuers of his antecessors & suc­cessors, I acknowledged to be that cōtinuate whore of Babilon, and that antichrist whom Saint Iohn hath most liuely painted foorth and described in his Reuelations.

In this danable businesse aforesaid I con­fessed y^t I had laboured for the space of two yeeres, cōmitting dayly more and more high treason against God, & my Souerainge and most gratious Queene: affirming that w^tout all doubte I had obstinatly died in that wic­ked & damnable estate (as many of my coate and profession had done before) if by Gods will I had bene apprehended in any search or by any other meanes before the grace of [Page] God had lightened the blindnes of my vnder­standing, which by his holy prouidence and tender mercy was in due time powred, and that aboundantly, into the festered woundes of my gasping soule. For being forcibly tou­ched with the diuine finger of Gods holy spi­rite, I began to reuiue, and manifestly to see my desperate estate and deuilish madnesse.

Then was I taught by Gods holy spirite and the reading of holy Scriptures, that I ought to be subiect and obedient to my so­ueraigne prince.

That mans iustification and righteous­nesse commeth not of himselfe by his owne merits, but that it is the free gift of God through faith in Iesu Christ.

That praying to Images is flat Idola­trie.

That praying to Saintes, Purgatorie, mens traditions and such like, are damnable errors, and derogatorie to the honor of God.

That in Christs holy supper we doe eate his flesh and drinke his blood spiritually through faith, not grosly and carnally as be­fore I helde.

That the dayly offering vp of Christ in the masse is damnable, and derogatorie to the death and passion of Christ.

Lastly, I confessed my selfe to be heartily [Page] sory for hauing herein so highly offended God, my Soueraigne, and the world, hum­bly crauing pardon for the same.

And there I did from the bottome of my heart & soule abiure and renounce the Pope and al his tyrannicall power & iurisdiction, abhorre and detest the masse, and al the heape of his wicked errors and damnable opinions whatsoeuer, as wel those which I haue not here mentioned, as those which I haue here touched, & by testimonies of holy scriptures briefly confuted. And with all reuerence of soule and sinceritie of conscience, I then did, now doe, and for euer (by Gods grace) will embrace the true faith and wholsome doc­trine of Iesus Christ.

This done, I desired the people to say for me the Lords prayer (which they did) to the ende I might easely obtaine of God truely to bee inserted into his mysticall body, and made a liuely member of his holy Church, that I might bee a woorthy partaker of his heauenly table, and that I might hereafter faithfully walke all the dayes of my life in the true light of his holy Gospel.

Moreouer I then certified the assembly, & do now by these presents verifie, y^• I vn­dertooke not this present matter either con­strayned, or for feare of torture, (the Magi­strates [Page] well knowing y^t mans faith is not to be wrested by violence) or for the auoiding of any displeasure, or for hope of fauour, or for any sinister cause whatsoeuer, but simply and sincerly for y^• honor of God (who hath wroght in me this wonderfull worke) for the edify­ing of his Church, & satisfying of the world.

This clause I openly protested to y^e peo­ple after my speech, being demanded by the preacher aforesaid in the pulpit thereof, as al­so of this, viz. that I had receiued neither frō y^e pope, nor frō any of his agents nor any mā, no dispensatiō, licence, bull, or facultie to dis­semble my conuersion, neither that I euer (as yet) heard of any such thing to haue bin gran­ted, & if there were, I acknowledged my sim­plicitie to be such, that I was not accompted a man sufficient to haue so prodigious a mat­ter committed to my trust and charge.

This is the sūme & effect of my speaches to the people. And whatsoeuer I then said, I do presently confirme in and vnder myne owne hand writing: And if this my present acte, and that which I haue already perfor­med seeme not sufficient to the eies and iudg­ments of the wise to testifie the sinceritie and true meaning of my inward repentant soule, I am further readie dutifully to perfourme whatsoeuer (within my power) shall be de­maunded [Page] at my handes, and am willing to spende my life for my Soueraignes safety and my countries good, against whome I haue so vn­duetifully and vnnatural­ly rebelled.