IN this parcell of scripture, good Chri­stian audience, and welbeloued brethrē, we haue three things worthie to be noted. The first is a caueat, warning, or watch word giuen by our Master Christ, whē [Page] he sayth, Cauete a falsis prophetis? Beware of false prophets. False teachers of mens traditions, Ro­mish Priestes, craftie seducers, he biddeth vs take heede of such de­ceitfull Iuglers. In the seconde poynt or cōma, he telleth vs their outward habit, by the which we may distinguish and know them from true Prophets, when as he saith, Qui veniunt ad vos induti ve­stibus ouium: Which come to you in sheepes clothing. In the thirde poynt, which is the shutting vp of the sentence, he sheweth vs their inward habit, Sed intrinsecus sunt Lupi rapaces: But inwardly they are rauening wolues, deuourers of the flocke. These three poyntes or diuisions will I handle, God willing, in order, as the text gi­ueth me occasion. Our auncient aduersary the serpent (derely be­loued in our sauiour Christ) was neuer more busie to seeke the de­struction [Page] both of body and soule, the time neuer more dangerous to fall, the people neuer so leude & prone to sinne and idolatrie, the Papistes neuer so vigilant to de­ceiue their owne countrymen, as in these our latter dayes, whereof Christ prophecied: neyther seeke they onely to spoyle them of their goods, but also to plucke them from the trueth and ready waye to saluation, vnto wicked errour and idolatrous superstition, and from the perfect path that leadeth to life euerlasting, vnto the lamē ­table way of endelesse torment & vtter destruction. Wherefore my brethren, if you haue the feare of God before your eyes, if you haue the loue of trueth dwelling in you, if you haue an especiall care to saue your soules, yeelde not to the serpentes perswasion, take heede of false prophets, cōsent not to the doctrine of Romish priests, [Page] the Popes Apostles: For sayeth one, Dum Romani sacerdotes quā maxime possunt, enituntur multa praedicare, quae saluti animarum cō ­uenire videantur, non pauca praedi­cant, quae ad perennem animarum perniciem ducūt: Whiles that the Romish priests endeuor as much as they may, to preache many thinges, which seeme to agree to the saluation of soules, then teach they not few things which tende to the perpetuall destructiō ther­of. The first point of their deuilish doctrine, in seducing the blinde and ignorant people, is this, To tell vs, that we leaue this article of our Creede vnbeleeued, Credo sanctam Catholicam Ecclesiam, I beleeue in the holy Catholike Church, if we acknowledge not the Romane church to be the ho­ly catholique Church. As though that were true. In the iudgemēt of all the learned and godly, the [Page] Catholique Church is dispersed ouer the face of the earth, not tied or vnited to any proper place as Rome, or person as the Pope. The Councill of Nice, in tyme past committed the charge of the Catholique Church, to three prin­cipall Patriarkes, Rome, Alex­andria, and Antioch, which after­wards came to Constantinople. Nilius in his booke de primatu Romani Pontificis, of the supre­macie of the Bishop of Rome, sayth, Quandoquidem quaedā pro­uinciae spectant ad ecclesiam Ro­manam, aliquae ad Episcopum Ale­xandriae, & aliquae ad Episcopum Constantinapolaeos, iam non magis subditae sunt Romano Episcopo, quam Romanus Episcopus subditus sit illis: Prima­cie by ly­mitatiō. Forasmuch as certayne countries are limited to y^e church of Rome, certeine to the Bishop of Alexandria, and certeine to the Bishop of Constantinople, they [Page] are now no more vnder him, then he vnder them. I gather by this Councill of Nice, which all Pa­pists of Rome do allowe, that the Church of Rome was not onely accompted Catholique, but also the Church of Alexandria was taken to be Catholique, & in like maner the Church of Antioch. I am certeine you wil not deny the Bishop of Rome euer heretofore to haue bene, & as yet to be Pope, therefore I inferre the Bishop of Alexandria, and the Bishoppe of Antioch to be Popes, & Christes Vicars, and so consequently to be three Popes, and three Christes Vicars. Haue you taught our English men so, y^t there be three Popes, & three Catholique chur­ches, and are you put in prison therefore? No, no, I know it is o­therwise. I take you to be hire­lings. Pope Gregory the xiii.Greg. 13. of that name, or rather by his right [Page] name, Hugo Bon compaignion, Hugh goodfellowe, hath brybed you with his money, that you should preach him to be Pope a­lone, and none other. Is this pre­tie stuffe, vt amor nummi esset ca­sus multorum, that the loue of mo­ney should be the fall of many? I will speake a litle more touching your Catholique church. Athana­sius saith, Roma est metropolis Ro­manae ditio nis, Rome is the mo­ther church (not of the whole worlde) but of the prouince of Rome. I wil not speake of En­glād, Ireland, Scotland, Frāce, Dēmarke, Polonia, Suetia, Bohoe­mia, of Germanie, Heluetia, Prus­sia, Russia, Lituania, Pomerania, Austria, Rhetia, Vallis, Tellina, &c. where the Gospel florisheth. But is your church y^e mother church? and hath your Pope gouernmēt and iurisdiction ouer the chur­ches in Asia and Affricke? It is [Page] well knowen that there is Chri­stianitie in Asia, Affricke, Arme­nia, Aethiopia, Cyprus, Constan­tinople and other places, where the Pope dareth not once peepe, for all his pontificalitie at Rome. And in respect of all Christian assemblies & faithfull members, wheresoeuer the church is called Catholique, that is meant vni­uersall. So that your church and all churches are to bee tried and knowen not by your erring coun­cils, canons, constitutions, de­crees and glosses, but by y^e word of God, which is the touchstone of trueth. Ireneus saith,Lib. 3. cap. 11. Colum­na & firmamentum ecclesiae est E­uangelium & spiritus vitae. The pil­lar and buttresse of the church is the Gospell and spirit of life.August. de vnitate Ec­cle. lib. 3. cap. 3. Au­gustine vnto y^e Donatistes saith, Sunt certe libri dominici quorum authoritati vtrique consentimus, vtrique credimus, vtrique seruimus: [Page] ibi quaeramus ecclesiā, ibi discutia­mus causam nostram: There are verely bookes of our Lorde, vnto the authoritie whereof eche part agreeth, eche part beleeueth, and eche part regardeth,Church to be sought in the scrip­ture. there let vs seeke for the church, and thereby let vs examine and trie our mat­ters. This I thought good to note here, least that any of this faithfull congregation should at any time be caried away with y^e bare name of your catholique churche. Nowe moreouer you seeke to proue your church by an­tiquitie, multitude, succession of person or place, none otherwise then false coyners, who will not haue their money knowē by the finenesse of golde, or by the touch­stone, but by the waight, by the sounde, by the coyne, and by the colour which they may easely counterfeite. Therefore they al­ledge antiquitie vnto vs, follow­ing [Page] that which was spoken vnto Iob by one of his friendes,Iob. cap. 8.8. Con­sule quaeso priscam aetatem, et com­para te ad peruestigationem maio­rum illorum: Aske for the auncient generation, and prepare thy selfe to seeke for the fathers.Iob. 32.7 Prouecti aetate loquentur, et annosi notam facient sapientiam: Dayes shall speake, & the multitude of yeeres shall teach wisedome. To whom I could answere by Iob himself, euē in y^e verse next following,9. vers. Ma­gistri semper sapientes non sunt, ne­que senes omni tempore intelligunt Iudicium. The masters are not al­waies wise, neither do y^e olde men alwayes vnderstād Iudgement. Profectò spiritus ille in mortali, 8. vers. et afflatus omni potentis efficit eos in­telligentes: It is y^e spirit of God, & not yeres, that ought to speak in man.August. ad Pet. Diac. cap. 34. If antiquitie should pre­uaile, why then (I pray you) is the Church compared to a litle [Page] Barke or Ship, which the more she is vpon the sea, the more shee leaketh: vnto a house, which with age decayeth & falleth to ruine: to a Citie and the policie of it, which is corrupted from tyme to time, if it be not brought backe to the first institution: & to a mans body, whereunto yeeres do bryng all kindes of euill: to be short, age is euen as sickenesse it selfe to the most healthfull and temperate body in the world. I say thē that antiquitie alone ought to make vs thinke, y^t in the Church there is a great sicknes, and much fil­thynes, & that euen for this cause alone, without any longer con­futation, it is requisite to bring a broome to purge it, and to call for a Physition. So farre is it off, that for these things a man should mainteyne your Churche to bee pure & holy, as you do. Further­more I demand, how you wil an­swere [Page] vnto Saint Augustine, entreating vpon the threescore and fourth Psalme, who sayth, That Ierusalem began by Abel, and Babylon by Cain. The pro­mise was made by Isaac, and the bastardise by Ismael. Who were the elders? If antiquitie were a marke of the trueth, how woulde you haue answered vnto y^e Iewes, who tolde Christ that they were the children of Abraham,Iohn 8.33. who was the first father of the belee­uers? They had their Genealo­gie from the creation of the fyrst man, they did alledge the coue­nants that were made betweene God & them. Notwithstanding, Christe being sent vnto them ac­cording to these promises, vnder the shadowe of this antiquitie, they maliciously called hym the carpenters sonne, a Samaritane,Matth. 13.55. Iohn 8.48. Marke 1.27. one that had the deuil, & a prea­cher of Noueltie. And there is [Page] great likelyhood, y^t if some of you Papists had bene thē there, seeing at that time they vsed y^e selfe same arguments, you would haue hol­pen to haue crucified him. Fur­thermore, what wil you answere vnto the Greeke Churches, the Armenians, Ethiopiās, &c. foun­ded by the Apostles, and as olde as the church of Rome, yea and elder too, seeing that the Church of Christ, as we knowe, tooke her beginning from the East to the West? If antiquitie be a marke of holines and puritie, they are ho­ly and pure: and if they bee holy and pure, then the latin Church in comparison of them, is moste vnholy and impure. If they bee Heretiques and impure, then it followeth that antiquitie is not a marke to proue the holines or ve­ritie of the Church. Howe then? shall we reiect antiquitie? nay ra­ther, we imbrace it with all our [Page] hearts, so that it bee agreeable to Gods worde. Tertullian de Vir­ginibus velandis, saith, Consuetu­do initium ab aliqua ignorantia vel simplicitate sortita, in vsum per suc­cessionem corroboratur, & ita ad­uersus veritatem vendicatur. Sed Dominus noster Christus veritatē se, non consuetudinem cognomi­nauit. Viderint ergò, quibus nouum est, quod sibi vetus est. Haereses non tam nouitas, quàm veritas reuincit. Quodcūque aduersus veritatem sa­pit, hoc erit haeresis, etiam vetus cō ­suetudo: Custome either of sim­plicitie, or of ignorance, getting once an entrie, is inured & streng­thened by succession, and then is defended against the trueth. But Christ our Lorde calleth himselfe trueth, and not custome.Ioh. 14.6. Let them take heede therefore, vnto whome the thing seemeth newe, that in it selfe is olde. It is not so much the noueltie of the [Page] matter, as the trueth that repro­ueth an heresy. Whatsoeuer sauo­reth against the trueth, is an he­resie, be the custome thereof ne­uer so olde. Victi ratione opponunt consuetudinem, quasi consuetudo sit maior veritate. Beyng ouer­come with reason, they defende themselues with custome, as though custome were better thē the trueth. We may not prescribe of custome, but wee must ouer­come with reasō. Custome with­out trueth is the mother of error. Istud non est curandum quod ali­quis ante nostrū tempus fecit, sed id precipue nobis curae debet esse, ꝙ a Christo factum est. Non est imi­tanda nobis hominum consuetudo, sed dei veritas expectanda: That is, We must not regard y^t which any other hath done before vs, but we must regarde that which Christ hath done, which is before all. For we must not followe the [Page] custome of men, but the trueth of God. Againe he saith,De seipso ad Pompeian. epist. 9. Mos sine ve­ritate, est vetustas erroris. Et dixit dominus, Ego sum veritas: & nō lo­quutus est Dominus, Ego sum con­suetudo: Custome without trueth is an old error. And y^e Lord hath said, I am the trueth, and not, I am custome. Ignatius sayeth,Ignatius ad Philadelph. Canon. con­suetud. dist. 11. Quem non audire est manifesta perditio: Whome not to heare is manifest perdition. See then howe the most auncient sende vs alwayes to learne the trueth of him, which is most ancient of all. Thus much briefely touching antiquitie or custome. Nowe let vs come to multitude. It is sayde expressely,Exod. 23.2, Exodus. 23. Ne insistito vestigiis potentiorum ad mala: Thou shalt not folowe a multitude to do euil. Also, Mat. 7. Lata est porta, & spatiosa via quae ducit in exitium, multique sunt qui ambulāt per mediū eius. Wide is y^e [Page] gate, and broade is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Cō ­trariwise, Luke. 12. Ne time, ô par­ue grex, nam visum est patri meo dare vobis regnum: Feare not, my litle flocke, for it is my fathers will to giue you a kingdome. Moreouer, wee see how that all the worlde was brought to one Noah, and afterwardes came to Abraham, then God chose one people of Israel, the least (as it is sayd) of all peoples, and finally of all peoples the least parte, that is to wit, Christendome: which for this cause he calleth a litle flocke, so farre forth, that S. Augustine saith, That y^e Church was some­time in one Abel, & in one Enoch. August. super Psalm. 128. Where­fore multitude ought rather to be presumption, then a marke of the true Church. Forasmuch also as man by nature is alwayes [Page] more prone to euill, then to any goodnes, if multitude shoulde take place, then Paynims should be happier then we be, for y^t they surpasse in nomber. For whereas there is one that beleeueth in Christ our Sauiour, you haue a thousande that beleeue him not. What a multitude is there of Turkes, of Iewes, and other in­fidels? Also in Noah his tyme, what a multitude there was y^t would not acknowledge God, nor folow his commandements, nor giue credit to Noah his prea­ching, but with one consent con­spired against him, mocked him, & his religion, Gen. chap. 6. The Samaritanes were more in nō ­ber, then they of the tribe of Iu­da. And in Iuda and Israel, the multitude of the idolaters was the greater. For the Prophet E­lias made his complaint, that he was left alone, & that all the rest [Page] had forsaken their liuing Lorde, and giuen them selues to idola­trie: and as you may reade in Ie­remie 4.1. King. 22.6, 13, 24. There arose vp 400. false Prophets, who swarued from Gods lawe, and folowed their owne imaginations, against one good Prophet Micheas. And the Prophets crie,Ierem. 18.18 Omnem popu­lum seductum fuisse, a regibus vs­que ad Sacerdotes & Prophetas: That all the people were decei­ued, euen from the Kings, to the Priestes and Prophets. In the Church of Christ also, nomber & multitude shall haue as small roume: for euen at the beginning thereof,Esa. 53.1. Ioh. 12.38. Rom. 10.16. it was sayde, Who hath beleeued our word? and to whom hath the Arme of the Lorde bene reueiled? Anon after the death of our Sauiour, the Scholemen hold, y^t for one instant, the church stood in the Virgin Mary alone. In the time of Arrius, almost the [Page] world throughout, was of y^e Ar­rian heresie, and fewe besides A­thanasius, with fiue of his com­pany, professed the true fayth.Theod. lib. 2. cap. 16. Wherefore the Emperour of the Arrians sayd, That foure or fiue persons with their Athanasius, woulde trouble the peace of the world. To whom Liberius the Bishop of Rome answered, That his solitude or fewnesse did not a­ny whit diminish the worde of faith. As for the declining estate of the Church, wee are giuen to wit, That when y^e sonne of man shall come, before whose cōming Antichrist shall seduce the world, Neque fides, Matt. 24.12, 37. neque charitas inuen­ta erit in terra, & isti dies erunt tan­quā dies Noah & Lot: There shall neither faith nor charity be found on the earth, and those dayes shal be as the daies of Noah & Lot, &c. The Eclipse then of this Moone shalbe as it were vniuersal, al the [Page] whole earth being put betweene y^e Church & the sunne. And there­fore if we shall finde no other di­rection in such darknes, then the multitude, we shall haue no part with that litle nomber. So much for multitude, whereof the Pa­pists make great account. Nowe will I speake a litle of Successi­on, which you, my brethren, take to bee a very substantiall argu­ment of the trueth. But Christ saith in the 23. of Matthewe, In cathedra Mosis sedent Scribae & Pharisaei: By order of Succession, the Scribes and Pharises sit in Moses chaire. Annas and Cai­phas touching Succession, were aswel Bishops as Aaron and E­leazar. Of Succession S. Paul saith to the faithfull at Ephesus, Scio quod post discessum meum in­trabunt lupi rapaces, ex vobis ipsis exurgent viri peruersa loquentes: I knowe that after my departure [Page] hence, rauening wolues shall en­ter and succeede mee, and out of yourselues there shall (by Suc­cession) spring vp men speaking peruersly. Therfore S. Hierome saith, Non sanctorum filii sunt, qui tenent loca sanctorum: They bee not alwayes the children of holy men, that (by succession) haue the places of holy men. Notwith­standing the Pope himselfe will say, as it is before alledged, In Pa­pasi desint bona acquisita per meri­tum, sufficiunt quae a loci praedeces­sore praestantur: If the Pope want good things by his own merits, the good thinges which hee hath (by Successiō) of Peter his pre­decessor, are sufficient. And the glose vpon Petrus fecit Papas hae­redes bonitatis suae: Peter made y^e Popes, heires of his goodnes by Succession. And againe, Papa recipit a cathedra sanctitatē. The Pope receiueth his holines by [Page] succession of his chaire. Such affiance sometime had y^e Scribes and Pharises in their succession: therefore they sayde,Ioh. 8.33, 53. We are the children of Abraham. Vnto vs hath God made his promises: art thou greater then our father A­braham?Iohn 9.29. As for Christ, we know not from whence hee came, or what can he shewe for his succes­sion? And when our Sauiour went about to reforme the abu­ses and errors, they sayde vnto him,Matt. 21.23. Iohn 2.18. By what power doest thou these things? and who gaue thee this authoritie? where is thy succession? Vpon which wordes Beda saith,Beda in Matth. 21. Intelligi volunt diabo­li esse quod fecit: They woulde haue the people vnderstand (for that he had no solemne successi­on) that al that he did was of the deuill.Cyrillus Ca­rena in Luc. 39. And Cyrillus frameth their words in this sort, Tu ortus ex Iuda, commissos nobis fasces v­surpas: [Page] Thou beeing of the tribe of Iuda, (and therefore hauing no right vnto the priesthoode) ta­kest vpon thee the office that is committed vnto vs. Likewise Chrysostom imagineth y^e Pha­rises thus to say,Chrysost. in Mat. Hom. 39. Tu de sacerdo­tali familia natus non es, Senatus tibi hoc non concessit, Caesar non donauit: Thou art not of y^e house of priests, the Councill hath not graunted it thee, the Emperour hath not giuen it thee. Thus to mainteine themselues in credit, (for that they had succession, and continuance from Aaron, and sate in Moses chaire) they kept Christ quite out of possession,Matt. 23.2. and sayd vnto him then, euen as you my brethren saye nowe vnto vs, Who euer taught vs this perni­tious doctrine before? what or­dinary succession of persons, and vocation haue we? what Bishop admitted vs? who confirmed vs? [Page] who allowed vs? Therefore (good christian hearers) let not these the Papistes great wordes much abash vs. The Scribes & Pharises in the like cases vsed the like language long ago. But let me aske you a question. Howe can you shewe any demonstrati­on or probabilitie, that the succes­sion of your church is lawfull? If there were any church that could alledge succession of persons, it were the church of the Iewes, for they were of the house of Aa­ron, from the father to the sonne, and besides them none might sa­crifice. Moreouer to them it was promised, that they should conti­nue so for euer. And in deed, when the Prophets exhorted them to reformation, they had no other thing in their mouth, but this, Lex a Sacerdote non peribit, neque consilium a sapiente, neque ver­bum a propheta: The lawe shall [Page] not perish from the priest; nor the counsell from the wise, nor the word from the Prophet. But the spirit of y^e Lorde answered them, Quomodo dicitis, Sapiētes sumus, Iere. 8.8. & lex Iehouae penes nos est? vtique ecce ad falsitatē operatur stylus, ad falsitatem operantur legis periti: fe­cerúntne sapientes vt erubescerent? consternatíne sunt & capti? ecce verbum Iehouae spernunt, eccuius rei sapientia inesset eis? Howe say ye, We are wise, and the lawe of the Lord is with vs? For it is in vaine, that the pen is made, and that there is a scribe: wise men are confounded, and seeing that they haue reiected the worde of the Lord, what shalbe their wis­dome any more? In like maner when the Iewes boasted to Ie­sus Christ, that they were of the seede of Abraham,Iohn 8.44. I know it wel (saith he) but the deuil is your fa­ther. And in very deede this suc­cessiue [Page] and hereditarie wisdome crucified Christ, and reiected sal­uation offred vnto them, as also this self same successiō (although it be only pretended) worshippeth Antichrist, and interteyneth her owne perdition. Moreouer I de­mande what these alledgers of succession would haue answered to the Arrians, Samosetans, Nesto­rians, &c. who had their begin­ning continued from the first Bi­shops euen to themselues, and namely to Nestorius and Samose­tanus, both which were lawfully called to y^e patriarchal churches, the one to Constantinople, and the other to Antioch? Also, what will you answere to the successi­on alledged by al the Greeke and east churches? To be short, to the reformed churches of England, Dēmark, Swethē, a great part of Almaigne, through all which there is at this daye this succes­sion [Page] from Bishop to bishop, from Pastor to Pastor? If you wil al­ledge the Popes succession, wee deny it you, & it is another que­stion. If simply succession, you haue lost your cause. If your doc­trine, then we gaine this poynt, y^t the simple succession of persons without y^e succession of doctrine, is nothing worth. With this sen­tence of Pope Adrian the fourth, I end to discourse any further of antiquitie of persons, Succedi­mus, non Petro in pascendo, sed Ro­mulo in parricidio: We succeede, not Peter in feeding, but Romulus in killing. And so is it truely: for you shall haue no Pope, that tea­cheth the people howe to liue in the true feare & loue of God, but such an one as persecuteth and killeth the Christians, that chere­fully embrace, and comfortably receiue the glad tydinges of the Gospell. Thus being comman­ded [Page] to instruct the ignorant, and to feede them with the heauenly word of God, he practiseth tyran­nie against them. Wherfore this is an euident signe (that if wee should seeme to grant, (which in no case is to be graunted) the suc­cession of Peter vnto your Bishop of Rome) that he doeth farre de­generate from the diligence of Saint Peter, who had more care to saue soules, then to become riche & famous in the face of the earth: yea, to haue all men subiect vnto him, euen Emperours and kings to kisse his foote. Your Pope do­eth alter from the doings of S. Peter, for Saint Peter neuer warranted to any man the pos­session of heauen for monies sake: but your Pope, like a good ped­ler, setteth all things to sale, and he that bringeth most, shal in hea­uen beare the greatest swaye. Wherefore these wordes of Bapti­sta [Page] Mantuanus are true, speaking of the vnhappie state of Rome:

Amongst vs in Rome, churches, priestes, altars, masses, crownes, fire, incense, prayer, and heauen are set to sale, yea God himselfe a­mongst vs may be had for mony. Budaeus sayth, Sanctiones Pōtificiae nō moribus regendis vsui sunt, sed, (propemodum dixerim) argentariae faciendae autoritatem videntur ac­commodare: The Popes canons serue not nowe to guyde mens liues, but, (if I may so say) they serue rather to make a banke, & to get money. Bernard of Clunice sayeth thus, Roma dat omnibus omnia dantibus. Omnia Romae cum pretio: Rome giueth all things to them that giue all thinges. All things at Rome wil passe for mo­ney. Yea euen in the Popes own [Page] Decretals, you shall find it noted thus, in sexto de elect. & electi po­testat. fundamēta in margine, Roma est caput auaritiae, ideo omnia ibi venduntur: Rome is the head of al couetousnes, & therfore al things there are set to sale. Yea Thomas Becket himself (whom you call a saint, (& whose festiual day about Christmas time you keepe with great solemnitie,Gul. Neub. lib. 2. cap. 15 & 25. & a fewe of his bones you keep in such reuerēce, y^t God himselfe is not honored so much) whē for his wilfull disobe­dience, & treason cōmitted against his prince, he had fled for ayde and succour to Rome, and sawe that nothing woulde be wrought there without mony) wrote thus thereof to the Bishop of Menze, Mater Roma facta est meretrix, & prostituta est pro mercede: Rome our mother is become an harlot, and for money and meede layeth her selfe to sale. To be short, you [Page] know that our fathers long si­thens were wont to say, Curia Romana non captat ouem sine lana: The court of Rome wil not take the sheepe w^tout the fliece.Iohn 2. Matth. 21. Christ sometime thrust such byers, sel­lers, brokers and coarsers out of the Temple: but contrariwise, you haue receiued in byers and sellers, and thrust out Christ, and so haue turned the house of God into a denne of theeues. Saint Paul sayth thus vnto the people of Ephesus, Argentum & aurum nullius concupiui: I haue desired no mans golde or siluer. Vpon which wordes, in the glose it is noted thus, Per hoc lupi cognos­cuntur, qui talia concupiscunt: Hereby they y^t desire such things, are knowne for wolues. Saint Hierome saith,Hierom. 1. quaest. 1. lib. Nunquam diuinatio. Quia Prophetae pe­cuniam accipiebant, prophetia eo­rum facta est diuinatio: For that the Prophets fel to taking of mo­ney, [Page] therfore their prophecy was become a soothsaying, that is to say, it was of the Deuill, and not of God. This I saye, that ac­cording to your dealing, hee that is poore, is not like to go to hea­uen, but y^e rich is sure to be saued. Nowe you alledge succession of places, not farre vnlike to the Iewes, who will inclose orbem in vrbe, the whole worlde in one citie: but we see that God hath chosen many out of Ierusalem, & the Church is not tyed therunto, & God hath suffred by his righte­ous will, many Christiā churches to be turned into the tēples of the Turks, as that of Ephesus, foun­ded by S. Paul, & S. Iohn, & that of Bonne in Barbarie, where Saint Austin preached, &c. And further it is sayde there expresly, Glossa communis in eum versiculum, A­pocal. 12.8. &c. that y^e Church of God for a long time, by reason of [Page] the persecution of Antichrist, shal retire herself into the wildernes, as the common glose it selfe doeth expounde. If euer there were church that might alledge succes­sion of place, it was Ierusalem, for of it was said,Deut. 12.11. 2. Sam. 7.10. 1. King. 8.29 Dominus in hoc Templo in aeternum habitabit: The Lord wil euermore dwell in this house. Also, [...]. King. 21.7. Psal, 132.14. Elegi [...] hanc domum, vt nomen meum [...] in perpetuum maneat: I haue chosen this house, to the end that my name may dwell there for euer. And therefore the Priests had no other answere to al the Prophets that reprooued them, but this, Templum Domini, Iere. 7.4. Templum Do­mini: The Temple of the Lorde, the Temple of the Lorde. But see what the Lorde himselfe answe­reth vnto them, Ite (sayth he) ad locum meum in Shiloh, vbi habita­uit nomen meum a principio, &c. Go, and see Shiloh, I haue cho­sen [Page] it from the beginning for my house: nowe see what I haue done vnto it for the wickednes of my people, I wil do euen so to the place, which I haue giuen vnto you, and to your fathers. But if you will that I dwell there, a­mend your wayes, & turne from your euil deedes. Now therefore I say, if God hath forsaken his owne Temple, for the iniquitie of the Priestes, euen then, when he had none besides erected in the whole worlde, must we tye our selues to the church of Rome, or to any other place, where all the clymates of the world are equal­ly his temple? I can not but mar­uaile, why any of our countrey men shoulde take the church of Rome, to be the mother church of all churches, and the same to be an article of our faith. We are not expresly commanded by the word of God, to acknowledge y^e church [Page] of Rome, Caput mundi, the head of the worlde: neyther is it expres­sed in holy scripture, that we are condemned, if we beleeue not at all the traditions of men: but the Scripture manifestly doethEsay 29.13. Matth. 15.3. Colos. 2.8. for­bid vs to beleue them. If you can find one only text of the scripture, that willeth and commandeth vs to beleeue in the Romane church, as hauing prerogatiue ouer all churches the world throughout, I will be on your side to y^e death. But no such place, I am certain, you can shewe in the whole Bi­ble, that the Romane church is y^e holy Catholique Church, which all men (of what countrey soeuer they be) must acknowledge to be chiefest. It is not sufficient to claime succession of place, it beho­ueth vs rather to haue regard to the succession of doctrine.Bernard. in Concil. Rem Bernard sayth, Quid prodest, si canonice eli­gantur, & non canonice viuant? [Page] What auaileth it, if they be chosē in order, & liue out of order? So sayeth Saint Augustine contra Donatistas, August. lib. 6. 1. q. 3. Vo­catur canes. Ipsum characterem multi lupi & lupis imprimunt: The outward marke, or right of a Bi­shoppe many giue to wolues, and be wolues them selues. There­fore the auncient father Ireneus giueth vs this good counsell, Eis qui sunt in ecclesia praesbyteris, obe­dire oportet, qui successionem ha­bent ab Apostolis: qui cum episco­patus successione charisma verita­tis certum, secundum beneplacitum patris acceperunt: It becommeth vs to obey those Priestes in the church, which haue their successi­on from the Apostles, and toge­ther with the succession of the Byshoprickes, according to the good wil of God the Father, haue receiued the vndoubted gyft of the trueth. Saint Cyprian be­ing likewise charged for dissen­ting [Page] from his predecessours, an­swereth thus,Cyprian. lib. 2. Epist. 3. Si quis de anteces­soribus meis non hoc obseruauit & tenuit, quod nos dominus exemplo & magisterio suo docuit, potest sim­plicitati eius venia concedi: nobis vero ignosci non potest, qui nunc a Domino admoniti & instructi su­mus: If any of my predecessours haue not obserued and kept the same that our Lord hath taught vs both by his example and com­mandement, his simplicitie may be pardoned: but we (if we doe the like) can hope for no pardon, being now admonished & instruc­ted of our Lorde. Compare y^e vse & order of our churches (my bre­thrē) with y^e Primitiue church of God, and you shall easely see the right of our succession. S. Cypri­an sayeth, (ad Pompeium contra Epistolam Stephani) Si canalis aquae quae copiosè priùs & largiter profluebat, subitò deficiat, nonne ad [Page] fontem pergitur? &c. Hoc & nunc facere oportet Dei sacerdotes prae­cepta diuina seruantes, vt in aliquo si mutauerit & vacillauerit veritas, ad originem Dominicam & Euan­gelicam, atque Apostolicam tradi­tionem reuertamur: & inde surgat actus nostri ratio, vnde & ordo & origo surrexit: If the pipes of the conduyte, which before ranne with aboundance, happen to faile, doe wee not vse to search to the head? &c. The Priestes of God keeping Gods commande­ments, must doe the same: that if the trueth haue faynted or fayled in any point, wee returne to the very originall of our Lorde, and to the tradition of the Gospel, & of the Apostles, that from thence wee maye take the discretion of our doings, from whence the or­der it selfe and originall first be­gan. Thus much touching suc­cession of place. Now I exhorte [Page] you brotherly to be reconciled to the true church of God, I meane the Church of England, wherein you finde not so many idolaters, Necromancers, heretikes, adul­terers, Sodomites, churchrob­bers, periured persons, mankil­lers, Runnagates, mōsters, Si­cophants, Clawbacks, slaunde­ring tongues, scribes and phari­ses, as you may easely finde in the church of Rome. Boast not of the succession of your Pope. S. Paul sayth,Rom. 10.17. Faith cōmeth (not by succession, but) by hearing, and, hearing commeth (not of legacie or inheritance frō Bishop to Bi­shop, but) of the worde of God. They are not alwayes godly, that succeede the godly. Manas­ses succeeded Ezechias, and Ie­roboam succeeded Dauid the Prophet. By succession, y^e Turke this day possesseth and holdeth the foure great patriarchal Sees [Page] of the church, Constantinople, A­lexandria, Antioch, and Hierusa­lem.Dan. 9.25. Matt. 24.15. Mar. 13.14. Luk. 21.20. By succession, Desolation shal sit in the holy place, and An­tichrist shall preasse into y^e roome of Christ. Thus much (welbelo­ued brethren) touching succession of place. Now I will speake a li­tle in confutation of your forged myracles, wherewith you seeke to oppugne the true church of Christ, and defende your wicked church of Antichrist, polluted with all maner of detestable ido­latrie and cursed superstition. There are two maner of myra­cles,Miracles. the one true, the other false. Myracles are counted false, when either they be not that which they seeme to bee, or if they be, they are not supernatural, but are done by vertue of nature, and that, the Angels either good or bad, three maner of waies may bring to passe. For sometime the [Page] force of nature which they best knowe, they accommodate to the matter, of which coniunction with efficient causes folowe the effects, and that suddenly, which effectes are of the beholders, thought to bee myracles. The de­uils knowe, that frogs, wormes, or serpents bee ingendred of pu­trefacted and rotten things, so that there be put heate in certain degrees, in consideration where­of, (seeing that it is not a hard thing for them to do these things which by nature maye bee wrought) it is y^e easier to deceiue the weake of beliefe. And by this meanes S.August. de Trin. lib. 3. Augustine thought (as he writeth in his third booke of Trinity) Pharaos Magicians sometime to haue done the same. Moreouer the coniunctions of the spirits, of bloud and of hu­mors, do much disquiet mens bo­dies, from whence proceede the [Page] sights or visiōs of things, which are in those things conserued in y^e same motion, before they come into the phantasie or imaginatiō: and by the same reason and or­der wherewith the spirit is trou­bled, it ioyneth them together, which thing appeareth in such as be Phrentique. Wee are not bound of necessitie to beleeue all such myracles whatsoeuer, with­out exception. Alexander of Hales sayeth, Par. 4. quaest. 53. Mem. 4. ar. 3. solut. 2. In sacramen­to apparet caro, interdum humana procuratione, interdum operatione diabolica: In the Sacrament it selfe there appeareth flesh, some­tyme by the conueyance of men, sometime by the woorking of the deuill. Likewise saith Nicholaus Lyra, Lyr. in 14. Dan. Aliquando in ecclesia fit ma­xima deceptio populi in miraculis factis a Sacerdotibus, vel eis adhae­rentibus propter lucrum: Some­time [Page] euen in the church the peo­ple are shamefully deceiued with feigned miracles, wrought either by the Priestes, or els by their companions for lucres sake. Mi­racles be not euermore vndouted proofes of true doctrine: therfore Saint Augustine saith vnto the Manichees, Miracula non facitis, Aug. lib. 13. quae si faceretis, tamen ipsa in vobis caueremus: You woorke no my­racles, and yet if you wrought a­ny, at your hands we would take heede of them.Iere. 23. The Prophet Ie­remie saith, Seduxerunt populum meum in mendaciis suis, & in mira­culis suis: They haue deceiued my people by their lyes, and by their myracles. Aug. in Ioan. tract. 23.13. saith, Contra istos (vt sic lo­quar) mirabiliarios cautum me fe­cit Deus meus, dicens, In nouissi­mis temporibus exurgent pseudo­prophetae, facientes signa & porten­ta, vt in errorem inducant (si fieri [Page] potest) etiam electos: praedixi vobis. Ergo cautos nos fecit sponsus, quia & miraculis decipi non debemus: My God hath warned me to be­ware of these myracle mongers, saying, In the last dayes shal rise vp false prophets, working signes & wonders, to y^e end (if it be possi­ble) to bring the elect into error: beholde, I haue forewarned you. Therfore y^e bridegrome hath wil­led vs to beware, for we may not be deceiued, no not by miracles. S. Chrysost.In Matth. Hom. 49. saith, In fine tēporis cōcedēda est potestas diabolo vt fa­ciat signa vtilia, vt iam ministros Christi non per hoc cognoscamus, quia vtilia faciūt signa, sed quia om­nino haec signa non faciūt: In y^e end of time power must be granted to y^e deuill to worke profitable mira­cles, y^t then we cānot know y^e mi­nisters of Christ, by y^t they worke profitable myracles, but by y^t they worke no myracles at all. S. Au­gust. [Page] sayth, Non dicat, Ideo verum est, quia illa vel illa mirabilia fecit, vel iste vel ille, aut quia homines ad memorias mortuorum nostrorum orant, & exaudiuntur: aut quia illa vel illa ibi contingunt, &c. Remo­ueantur ista vel figmenta mendaci­um hominum, vel portenta fallaci­um spirituum: Let no man saye, Therefore it is true, for that this man or that man wrought this or that myracle, or for that men make their praiers at the tombes of our dead, and obteine their de­sires, or for that these miracles be wrought there, &c. Away with these things, they may be either the iuglings and mockeries of deceitfull men, or els illusions of lying spirits. Againe saint Chry­sostome saith,In Matth. Hom. 49. Per signa cognosce­batur qui essent veri Christiani, qui falsi: Nunc autem signorum opera­tio omninò leuata est, magis autem inueniuntur apud eos qui falsi sunt [Page] Christiani: In olde tyme it was knowne by myracles, who were the true Christians, and who the false: but nowe the working of myracles is taken quite away, and is rather found among them that be false christians. Neither is the Gospel of Christ preached this daye vtterly without myra­cles. The blinde see, the dombe speake. Your idols are fallen. Your great Babylon is come to ground. These thinges my bre­thren, (if you haue eies to see) are no small miracles. Saynt Chry­sost. sayth,Chrysost. in. 1. Cor. hom 8. The conuersion of the worlde is a miracle. Saint Aug. De verbo Domini secund. Matth. Serm. 18. sayeth, Modo caro cae­ca non aperit oculos miraculo Do­mini, & cor caecum aperit oculos sermone Domini: Now a dayes the blind fleshe openeth not her eyes by the myracle of our Lorde, but the blinde heart openeth his [Page] eyes at the worde of our Lorde. And againe,Ibid. Modo aures corporis surdae non aperiuntur: sed quàm multi habent clausas aures cordis, quae tamen (verbo Dei penetrante) patescant. Nowe a dayes the deafe eares of the body be not o­pened: yet many they are, that haue the eares of their heart shut vp: which eares notwithstan­ding are opened by entring of the worde of God. Therefore I may rightly saye to you with other wordes of Saint Augustine de ciuitate Dei, Lib. 22. ca. 8. Quisquis adhuc pro­digia vt credat inquirit, magnum est ipse prodigium, qui mundo creden­te non credit: Whosoeuer yet re­quireth myracles to bring him to the fayth, is himselfe a great my­racle, who seeing that the world beleeueth, remayneth still in vn­beliefe.Matt. 27.4 [...]. Whereas the Pharises said of Christ, Let him now come downe from the crosse, & we will [Page] beleeue him. Saint Hierome in Matth. 27. sayth vnto them, Eti­amsi de cruce descenderet, similiter non crederetis: Yea, although he shoulde come downe from the crosse, yet would you not beleeue him. But it were a worlde to be­hold the glorious countenance of your myracles, your crosses can speak,Popish miracles. your idoles can goe, your i­mages can light their own lāpes, your holy water is able to calme the sea, to chase away myce, & to make barren women to cōceiue. If you doubt hereof, cōferre with Master Cope,Dial. 1. Pag. 18. whome (as I thinke) you knewe aliue, & were present at his burial at Rome in y^e English Church: you knewe him a Canon of S. Peters church at Rome, and one whom Cardinal Hosius greatly esteemed. But now both Hosius and Cope are dead. Conferre also with that worthy Prelate the Bishop of [Page] Verona, your holy father Lypo­manus. I am sory, welbeloued, that you are so readie to approue your myracles with false reasōs, and vnstable grounds: howbeit such religion, such myracles. Saint Hierom sayeth,Ad Algasi­am. Mendaci­um Antichristi Christi veritas de­uorabit: The trueth of Christ shall deuoure and consume the falsehood of Antichrist. The hea­then had their deuilish myracles in the temple of their false gods, & in effect true, as may appeare by all their histories. Reade Ti­tus Liuius in many places.Et M. Cic. 1. Diuinat. Si­mon Magus, who would be ac­knowledged as Christ, wrought miracles. So much touching your miracles. Touching reuela­tions & visions, which are a kind of myracles, wee haue the playne text which decideth this matter: Cum surgens in medio tui Prophe­ta, somnians somnium, ediderit ti­bi [Page] signum aut prodigium, (quamuis eueniat signum illud aut prodigiū, quod praedixerat tibi) dicendo, Se­quamur deos alienos, quos non no­ueras, & colamus eos, &c. If there shall arise (sayeth the Lorde in Deut. 13.) amiddest thee a Pro­phet or a dreamer of dreames, and that the signe or myracle which he hath tolde thee come to passe, & thereupon woulde turne thee away to strange gods, &c. thou shalt not heare him, &c. There are then both Prophets and visions true in effect, and yet false in their ende, and the tryall of them (as wee may see by this text) is the doctrine. Likewyse when Saynt Iohn (to the ende to keepe vs from false prophets) exhorteth vs to proue the spirits,1. Iohn 4. and by and by he addeth, Hereby shal you knowe the spirit of God, Euery spirite that confesseth that Iesus Christ is come in y^e flesh, is [Page] of God, &c. that is to say, Proue the spirits by the doctrine which they preach. Therefore Saul & Caiaphas haue prophecied, but (as Saynt Augustine sayeth) as Balaams asse once spake,August. lib. 2 ad simpli. quaest. 1. & yet for all that, they might haue once spoken the trueth: for the deuill himself (to colour his lying) some­times speaketh the trueth. Howe weake (my brethren) your reue­lations be, and howe small credit ought to be giuen therunto, there is no man but shoulde know. At Rome you haue them that re­ceiue reuelations daily, as for ex­ample: A poore man there is in the citie of Rome (of whome I doubt not but you haue heard) who maketh men beleeue, that our blessed Lady, with her garde of heauenly mayds, saluteth him, and hath conference with him dayly. This man is no otherwise then a Saynt counted among [Page] the Iesuits. The Pope hath him to pray for him, the people regard him as a holy holy man. This man helpeth the citizens, to bring the wood from Tyber syde to their houses: of his gaine hee re­serueth nothing else, but y^t which is sufficiēt for meat, drink & cloth: y^e rest he giueth to y^e poore. Father Hieronimus Iesuite, repetitour of the Logiciās in the English Se­minarie at Rome, reported that there was there dwelling, an old woman (I wil not otherwise cal her, for I deale gently & mildely w^t you) which would (as he sayd) tell him euery thing that hee had done in his life time, and when he came to her house at any time, she would tell one of her maydes (not hauing seen him) that there was such a felowe comming vnto her house. She also foretolde him, y^t he shoulde become a Iesuite. Hee reported in like wise, how y^e Pope [Page] in diuers matters cōsulted w^t her. He praised this womā out of mea­sure, & sayd how she was greatly in fauor with God, who reuealed such hiddē & secret mysteries vn­to her. He cōmended thereby the happie state of Rome, that there shoulde be such in y^t city, as were worthy to receiue these reuelatiōs & visions: he counted her a Saint. No dout, if one y^t I knew at Cow­bridge in Wales, in the Towne where I was borne, had bene there, they would haue taken him as a Saint, and familiar felowe with Christ. For, (whē he was a­liue, as he wandred the countrey) he made men beleeue, y^t he woulde tell them their fortune, what thinges had before chaunced in their time, & thinges that shoulde happen afterwardes euen vnto their dying day. But this man (as he was wont to saye) tooke his reuelations frō the Pharies: But [Page] the Romanists affirme, that their reuelations come from God, or from some Angell or Saint of heauen, where as in very deede, if a man had the straight exami­nation of them, I am perswaded they would confesse, that they haue their reuelations from the Phairies, or frō the deuill, as the other had, whereof mention is made. Moreouer, there was a rich man in Lombardy, that had y^e like reuelations, but farre more excellent then the other: vpon consideration whereof hee solde all that he had, and gaue it to the poore frankly. For it was reuea­led vnto him in a vision by Christ & his Apostles, and the same also confirmed with the bodyly pre­sence of our blessed Lady, that he should be Pope of Rome, and should trāslate the See of Rome into the citie of Hierusalem. This man, not able to reade, presumed [Page] to preach, and gathered vnto him twelue Apostles, who (at his cō ­mandement) preached in like­wise. They had many folowers, and such as beleeued him, so much the sooner, for that he told them, that hee had receiued a re­uelation. He was presented be­fore Cardinall Bromeo Cardinal of Milaine, who examined him: and when he had tolde this visi­on, he was dismist, and sette at libertie. They counted not this man an heretique, for crediting such false reuelations, making himselfe Christ, & choosing to him self twelue Apostles. Oh my bre­thren, deceyue not your selues, & seeke not to deceyue others that meane you no hurt. It is but in vaine to swim against y^e streame. It is not wisdome to mainteyne an error knowē. I am sure your consciences are burnt with hoate yrons, speaking and mayntey­ning [Page] lyes in hypocrisie. Oh giue not your selues ouer into repro­bate & wilful mindes, despise not the wisdome of God within your selues. Seeke not to be offensiue and grieuous to any which bee of the Church of Christe. Doe what you can, Gods trueth is mightie, & shall preuayle. Dagon shal fal down headlōg before the Arke, the darknes shal flee before the light, & the more fiercely mās wisedome shall withstande, the more glorious shal God be in his victorie: the more you doe falsely slaunder the faithfull and true meaning ministers of God, the greater shal their reward bee in the heauenly kingdom of Christ. If you take my conuersion to the true church, to be outwardly and not inwardly, and the same to be spotted with hypocrisie, I may bee sorye, not for my selfe, (as though I were such a one as you [Page] take mee to be, for GOD kno­weth it is nothing so, his name be praised therefore:) but for your rashnesse in iudging that which you knowe not. It is God that is the searcher of mens heartes, and none other. If I recanted, eyther for feare of punishment, or for prefermentes sake, you mought count me then (if it were so, as it is not) to be farre worse then a Turke or Pagan, who neuer receiued the trueth. Howe can I be a Protestant outward­ly, and a Papist in heart, with a minde to be saued? You knowe, that according to your owne pa­pisticall lawes, no man dare in cōmon assembly deny the Popes authoritie, and afterwardes to name himself the member of that church of Rome. I am sure that no man is a true christian, which with his lippes doeth professe Christ, and with his heart doeth [Page] flatly denye him. As I doe ac­knowledge that there is a God, a Trinitie in vnitie to be woor­shipped, who hath most glorious­ly beautified the heauens, most plentifully enriched the earth, most Angelically created man, who hath ordeyned the heauen to mayntaine life and light, the earth to succour and sustaine na­ture, all creatures liuing in land and water, to supply his wants, nothing to be reckened & named, which he hath not most libe­rally giuen vnto man, as appoin­ting him lord and soueraigne, but them his vessels and seruants. Against hunger, (lest we shoulde famish) he hath prouided nou­rishment, against thirst, (lest we shoulde perish) he hath ordayned sauoury liquors. Against colde, (lest we should die in our naked­nesse) he hath giuen vs clothing. As I acknowledge the omnipo­tencie [Page] of God, and confesse the vnmeasurable greatnesse of his goodnes & loue towardes man: so do I verily, from the very bot­tome of my heart, detest your Po­pish religion, & embrace the vnde­filed trueth of Christes Gospell. I cal God to witnesse, that what I haue already spoken with my lippes, that doe I establish in my minde. I beseech you all, (such as haue forsaken the Pope) some­times to praye for mee, that it would please God to make me a profitable member of his church, and stedfast in the faith of Iesus Christ, euen vnto y^e end of my life. So much for Antiquitie, Mul­titude, succession of persons or place, miracles and reuelations. God of his mercy graunt you, my brethren, true repentance. Nowe good Christian audience, and welbeloued brethren, I will speake a worde or two touching [Page] the images, which Papistes al­low, and haue in their churches. The scriptures in sundry places plainely forbid any image to bee made. The Lorde warned the people of Israel,Deut. 4.15. that they should remēber that they sawe no image in the day that y^e Lord spake vnto them in Horeb, out of the mids of the fire.Isa. 40.18. And in Isaiah, Cui assi­milabitis Deum, aut qua similitudi­ne illum exprimetis? To whome then wil you liken God, or what similitude will you sette vp vnto him? And againe, the Lorde con­firmeth the same,Isa. 44.9. to the 19. saying, Quis au­debit effingere Deum, aut fusile aut sculptile facile, quod nihil prodest? Who hath made a god, or molten an image, that is profitable for nothing? Beholde, all they that are of the fellowship thereof, shal be confounded, for the workmen themselues are men: let them all be gathered together, and stande [Page] vp, yet they shal feare, and be con­founded together. I can not a li­tle maruayle, that among you, my brethren, (I meane the Pa­pistes) that Dominicke Asotus, writing vpon the Epistle to the Romanes, the first chapter,Rom. 2.21. durst so boldly affirme, that in the same commādement of God, the Chri­stiās were not forbidden to make images, representing the fourme of man: for (sayde hee) the lawe there onely maketh mention of birdes, of fourefooted beastes, & of creeping wormes, whereas in very deede they are strayghtly charged not to make the images of male or female. Moreouer it is expressed in the Psalme,Psal. 115.4, 5, 6, &c. Os ha­bent, & non loquuntur, pedes ha­bent, & non ambulant, aures habēt, & non audiunt, nares, & non odo­rantur: They haue a mouth, and speake not, they haue feete, and walke not, they haue eares, and [Page] heare not, they haue noses, and smell not. The Carpenter is bla­med in Isaiah,Isaiah 44.13, 14. which of one part of the hewen tree, maketh an i­mage, of the other parte he ma­keth fire, and vpon the same he baketh bread, he carueth and la­boureth much, that he may ex­presse the similitude of a man. By all these places it doeth manifest­ly appeare, that the images of men are vtterly forbidden, which are instituted to a religious end: And yet you (though you knowe that all maner worshipping of images is forbidden by expresse testimonies of the holy scripture) must haue them forsooth, (as you say) for bookes vnto such as can not reade. What thinke you in making the image of God the fa­ther, and God the holy Ghost? You knowe God is a Spirite:Iohn 4.24. whereof it followeth, that you can not expresse his forme, with [Page] lineaments, with paintings and colours. It is writtē,Iohn 1.18. 1. Tim. 2.16. 1. Ioh. 4.12. that no mā hath euer seene God. Why then, if he can not be seene, or if he pos­sesse inaccessible light, howe can he be pictured? or howe should a picture make him to bee seene? Moreouer, God is vnmeasura­ble and infinite, but the thinges which are paynted, grauen, or molten, are measurable & finite. Likewise, Images are made of men, that the absent, after a ma­ner may be thought present: but God is euery where, neyther is he absent from any thing. It is written in the Psalme,Psal. 139.7, 8, 9. Si ascen­dero in coelum, tu illic es. There­fore it behooueth vs, not to make God present, with images, seeing he is alwaies present, & to al men. The image should with apt simi­litude expresse y^t which is to be re­presented. Howe doeth the image of God the father rightly & truly [Page] represent him, whereas he hath no beginning? The images are made by man, and haue a begin­ning. Who can set forth the quan­titie of God and his wonderfull woorkes, howe he is neuer idle, but euermore doing that which tendeth to the saluation of man? Contrariwise, images sleepe, and doe nothing at all. Moreouer God is altogether wisedome and knowledge: whereas your ima­ges feele nothing, and vnder­stande as much. Saint Paul sayeth,Actes 17.29. that we must not thinke the Godhead to be like golde or siluer, or stone grauen by arte. God that made the worlde and all thinges therein,Actes 7.48. seeyng that he is Lorde of heauen and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with handes, neither is worship­ped with mens hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he gi­ueth to all life and breath, and all [Page] things. Fortunate doe I thinke those stones to be, whereof ima­ges are made, and put vpon your popish altars, because they are had in such reuerence and honor amongst you, whereas other stones not vnlike vnto thē, lye in y^e streetes, are troden with feete, and spet vpon.Papistes obiection. You obiect vnto vs the authoritie of the Scrip­tures, and say, It is lawfull to paint God in the forme of man: which you seeke to proue by the vii. of Daniel,Dan. 7.13, 22. I behelde (sayeth the Prophet) till the thrones were set vpon, and the ancient of dayes did sitte, whose garment was white as snowe, and the heares of his head like y^e pure wooll, his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheeles as burning fyre. In Ezechiel, speaking of God,Ezech. 1.5. is expressed the figure of man. Isa­iah sayeth,Esay 6.1. that he sawe God sit­ting vpon a Throne. Moses also [Page] with the Seniours sawe God, when hee sate in his Throne or tribunal seate.Exod. 33.20, 23. And in the mount he sawe God in the forme of man departing. Seeing these things nowe vttered were seene of the Prophets, why then is it vnlaw­full for vs to paint God with co­lours and karuing?Anſwere. I answere thus vnto your obiection, The diuersitie of bodily members, which is ascribed vnto God in the holy Bible, hath shewed in a mysterie, that the Diuine nature should take vpō it y^e humane na­ture, and likewise it signified my­stically, that God should take vp­on him fleshe, and become man. Yea (to let this answere goe) I say, it was the goodnesse of God, wherewith he so applyed himself vnto our infirmity, that whereas we could not vnderstand his na­ture, GOD appeared so in the sight of man, as though hee had [Page] bene man himselfe. By his eyes hee described prouidence, by his armes, strength, by his handes, workemanshippe, by his no­strelles, wrath, and many things of like sorte. And whereas you say that it is lawfull for vs (for the expressing of God) to vse the like lineaments, colours, and caruings, it followeth not. To GOD there is no lawe giuen which hee ought to obserue, ney­ther are all thinges lawfull to men, which he iustly and rightly hath done.Exod. 7.5. God reuengeth him on his enemies,Gen. 22.2, 10 hee giueth com­maundement to the father to kill his sonne,Exod. 11.2. and he willeth the He­brues to take with thē the goods of the Egyptians: which thinges if men should doe or commaund, they could not cleare themselues of a great offence, committed a­gainst God. The Lorde hath deli­uered a law to men, and to him­selfe [Page] hath hee giuen no lawe: for seeing that hee is the Authour of the lawe, hee may thereof except what he lyst. Wherefore it is to be graunted, that hee hath done nothing without considerati­on and infinite iudgement. I woulde gladly bee briefe: there­fore I refer you to the chapters which speake against Images. Reade Exod. 20.4. Leui. 9.4. Num. 33.52. Deut. 4.15. Psal. 115.4. Psal. 135. Esa. 40.18. Ierem. 10.5. Ezech. 6.6. Heb. 2.18. Wis. 13.10. Baruc. 6. Act. 17.42. Rom. 14.3. 1. Cor. 5.11. 1. Cor. 6.6. Gal. 5.19. Iohn 4.5, 21. You see, my brethren, in howe many places the scripture doeth forbid vs to haue images, yet you will haue them, though God say nay, if your holy father the Pope doth allow them. Let vs see now what the auncient Doctors and graue fathers haue sayd by your images.Tertul. in lib. de Ido­lolatria. Tertulliā in his booke of [Page] Idolatrie, sayeth, God hath for­bidden an image as well to bee made, as to be worshipped. As far as making goeth before wor­shipping, so farre is it before that the thing be not made, that may not be worshipped. Some man will saye, I make it, but I wor­ship it not, as though hee durst not worshippe it for any other cause, but onely for that same cause, for which he ought not to make it: I meane, both wayes procure Gods displeasure. Nay rather thou worshippest y^e image, thou giuest the cause to other to worshippe it. Some one or other that maintaine idolatrie, wil say, And why then did Moses make the image of the brasen Serpent in the wildernesse?Num. 21.8. The olde ido­laters founde out and vsed the same, aboue fourteene hundreth yeres agoe. One & the same God, hath by his generall Lawe both [Page] forbidden any image to be made, and also by his extraordinarie & speciall commandement he hath bidden an image of the serpent to be made. If thou be obedient to the same God, thou hast his Lawe, Make y^u no image: but if thou haue a regard to the image of the Serpent that was made afterwarde by Moses, then doe thou as Moses did, Make not a­ny image against the law, vnlesse God commaunde thee, as hee did Moses.Origen. libr. 7. contra Celsum. Origen sayth, We make no image of God, as knowing him to be inuisible, & w^tout bodie. Againe he sayeth,Ibid. lib. 4. contra Cel­sum. The minde of the Lawe was this, that they shoulde in all thinges so behaue themselues, as the trueth requi­red, and that they shoulde beside the trueth, counterfeite nothing, representing the shape of a man or woman.Cyprian in lib. de Ido­lorum vani­tate. Cyprian sayth, Ima­ges were first drawen, thereby [Page] to keepe the countenance of the dead in remembrance, vpon occa­sion whereof, thinges grewe at length vnto holinesse, that at the first were taken onely for solace. Againe,Ibid. tract. 1. in Deme­trian. what doest thou bowe thy captiue bodie before foolish images, & earthly counterfaites? God hath made thee vpright: and whereas all the beasts of the earth are depressed in shape, ben­ding downe to the groundward, thou hast a loftie state towardes heauen, and to God thy counte­nance is erected. Then looke vp thither, thither cast vp thine eies, seeke God aboue, that thou maist want hell belowe: lift vp thy doubtfull heart to hygh and hea­uenly thinges. What doest thou throwe thy selfe with the deuill, whome thou seruest, into the pit of death? Clement sayth,Clement to Iames the supposed brother of our Lord. The de­uill by the mouth of other, is wōt to bring forth such words, We to [Page] the worship of the inuisible God, worship the visible images. And this is most certeinly false. For if you will truely worship Gods I­mage, you should (by being bene­ficial vnto man) worship the true image of God in him. What ho­nour of God is this, to runne a­bout the counterfeites of timber and of stone? and to worship the shapes that are without soule, & despise man, in whom is the true shape of God? Arnobius in his eight bookes against y^e Gētiles: We neither worship, nor wish for crosses: you that consecrate wod­den gods, peraduenture worship your wodden crosses, as partes of your gods. If you had not this image, should Christ be ignorant that he were serued of you? Will you thinke that there is no honor done him? Then doeth he receyue your seruings and worshippines by certaine traynes, by other put [Page] in trust, & before he, to whome the worship is due, haue any feeling of the matter, you doe your sacri­fice vnto the image, and send him but the scrappes from another mans boorde. And what can be deuised more iniurious, slaunde­rous, & vncourteous, then to ac­knowledge one God, and make thy sute to any other thing? to hope for helpe of God, and powre out thy prayers to a senselesse i­mage? Is not this (as the Pro­uerbe sayth) to haue a quarrell to Alfonsus, & fight with Ferdinan­do? and where thou seekest for ad­uise of men, to aske the sentence first of porkelings, and of asses? Is not this an errour? Is it not properly a madnes, in trembling wise to make thy humble sute to a thing that thou madest thy self? And whereas thou doest knowe, and art assured, that it is thine owne workemanship, the fruites [Page] of thine owne fingers, to fall gro­ueling vpon thy face before it? Very children knowe, that your images haue eyes, and see not, mouthes and speake not. Where­fore then doeth the holy Ghost so often teach vs, and admonish vs the same thing in the Scrip­tures, as if we knewe it not? For that the very shape and proporti­on of a man set aloft, after it once beginneth to bee adored and ho­noured of the multitude, it bree­deth in euery man that most vile affection of error, that although he find there no naturall mouing or token of life, yet he thinketh some god or godly thing is with­in it, and so being deceyued, part­ly by the forme that he seeth, and partly by the waye of authoritie and credite of the authors & ma­kers of it, whome they take to be wise, and partly also by the exam­ple and deuotion of the people, [Page] whome they see obedient to the same, he thinketh that the image being so like a liuing bodie, cā not be without some liuing thing vn­derneath it. Lact. sayeth in plaine wordes, Non est dubium, quin reli­gio nulla sit, vbicunque simulachrū est: Out of all doubt, there is no religion, wheresoeuer there is an Image. S. Aug. speaking of the image of God the Father, sayeth thus, Tale simulachrum Deo fin­gere, nefarium est: To deuise such an Image of God, it is abomina­ble. Theodorus the Bishop of An­cyra saith, Sanctorum imagines & species ex materialibus coloribus formari minimè decorū putamus: manifestum enim est, quod vana sit huiusmodi cogitatio, & diabolicae deceptionis inuentum: We thinke it not conuenient, to paynt the images of saintes w^t materiall or earthly colours: for it is euident, y^t it is a vayne imagination, & the [Page] procurement of y^e deceytfulnes of the deuil. To like purpose writeth Epiphanius, Estote memores dile­cti filii, nec in ecclesias imagines in­feratis, neque in Sanctorū coemite­riis eas statuatis, sed perpetuò cir­cumferte Deum in cordibus vestris. Quin etiam neque in domo com­muni tolerentur. Non enim fas est Christianum per oculos suspensum teneri, sed per occupationem men­tis: My deare childrē, be ye mind­ful, that you bring no images in­to the churches, & that you erect vp none at the burials of the Saints, but euermore cary God in your heartes, nay, suffer no images to be,Marke wel no not in your pri­uate houses. For it is not lawfull to leade a Christian man by his eyes, but rather by y^e studie or ex­ercise of his minde. For this cause Epiphanius sayth, The superstiti­on of images is vnfit for y^e church of Christ. It is a worlde to see, [Page] how welfauouredly, and howe towardly touching religiō, these men agree with the fathers, of whom they vse to vaunt. They bee your owne good, and yet you see, how they speake against your images. If time should permit, I were able to recite many such places out of the fathers, in con­futation of your worshipping such vaine images. You doe not onely allowe images to be had in churches, but also you cause them to be deuoutly and reuerently ho­noured, and that with the same honour that is due to God him­selfe. One of the Bishops of the council of Nice sayth, Venerandas imagines recipio & adoro, & id perpetuò docebo: I receiue and worship y^e reuerēt images, & this wil I teach. Another saith, Sacras imagines perfectè adoro. Qui verò secus confitētur, eos anathematizo. I do perfectly adore the holy ima­ges, [Page] and I accurse all them that hold the contrary. Another saith, Non sunt duae adorationes, sed vna, ipsius imaginis, & primi exempla­ris, cuius est imago: There be not two kynds of adoration, but one, which is as well due to the image, as to the paterne of the image. Saint Augustine sayth, Sic omninò errare meruerunt, August. de consensu E­uangel. lib. 2. cap. 20. qui Christum & Apostolos eius non in sanctis codicibus, sed in pictis pa­rietibus quaesierunt, nec mirum, si a pingentibus fingentes decepti sunt: So were they worthy to bee de­ceiued, that sought Christ and his Apostles, not in the bookes of holy Scripture, but in paynted walles. Neither may one mar­uaile, if the feyners by Paynters were deceiued.In Epist. Io­an. Episcop. Hier. The old father E­piphanius sayth, It is a horrible wickednes, and a sinne not to be suffered, for any man to set vp a­ny picture in the church of the [Page] christians, yea though it were the picture of Christ himselfe: yet you store all your Temples, and eche corner of them with paynted and carued images, as though without them religion were no­thing worth. Thus (good brethrē) you see both scriptures & fathers against you. Forsake then your worshipping of images. Nowe will I speake a litle, after what maner they worship images at Rome. I haue seene, and so haue you, that on euery altar in Rome, there are set vp either Idols or images. In S. Peters church, they haue the image of S. Peter in brasse, holding out his finger to blesse them as they passe by: be­fore the which image the people fall downe, and make their pray­ers vnto it, kisse his foote, and touch it with their Beades. I would aske you once again, why they paynt God the Father, and [Page] God y^e holy Ghost. Euen because lay men (when they see God to haue a body) shoulde thinke God the father, & God the holy Ghost to be men, as we be. Their priests in Italie for the most parte are altogether vnlearned. I deman­ded of some of these Italian priestes in the Italian tongue, whether God the father and God the holy Ghost had bodies. They answered, Yea. Wel then, seeing their priests are ignorant in these thinges, you may perswade your selues that the simple countrey­men are likewise ignorant. Fa­ther Pais reader of scholasticall diuinitie at Rome, in the Romane colledge (beeing demanded of Doctor Allen) whether it was as lawfull to worship the thing that represented, as well as the thing that was represented by the Image: This graue & lear­ned Father answered, it was [Page] lawfull to worship the tymber, whereof the Image was made. If this be not idolatrie, that a mā should worship that thing which is more fit for the fire or for some other purpose, then to be worship­ped, thē there is no idolatrie wor­thy to be named at al. Thus much briefly touching images. God giue you a heart to conceiue the trueth. You worship y^e pillar vp­on the which the cock crew, whē Peter denyed his master Christe. Why do you thus? What, doe you make the cocke a saint? The Ro­manes haue made them a cratch or manger, representing the oxe & the asse, & also the byrth of Christ, to the which workmanshippe of man, they fal down and worship. Can you shewe me a reason, why you shoulde kneele before these stones, or why you shoulde kisse them, and touch them with your beades? What, haue you canoni­zed [Page] the oxe and the asse Saints, & doe you saye in your Letanies, Sancte bos, & Sancte Asine orate pro nobis: Saint oxe and Saint Asse, pray for vs? Why do ye wor­ship the thirty pence, which Iu­das tooke to betray his master Christ? What, doe you count the thirty pence holy Reliques, for y^t Iudas had them, or for that they came from y^e chief priests? What, do you make Iudas the traytour a Saint, or y^e chiefe priests of the Scribes and Pharises holy mē? The reliques of Saints are wor­shipped, as bones &c. they fall downe likewise on their knees before them, they crye vnto them, they touch the boxe with their beades, they see not the bones be­ing wrapped in silke, and put in a boxe, or in the altar, in boards, or in Christal. The beades touch not the bones, but the outward boxe. The priest may beguyle the peo­ple, [Page] putting in the boxe the bones of a dead horse, or the head of a foxe, in stead of y^e Saints bones: for the people seeth not what is in the boxe, or wrapped in silkes. Why doe the poore men for their asses bring offrings to stations, as candels, torches, and such like? And why do the poore Romanes bring their asses to Churches, & cause the priestes to say a fewe prayers ouer them, and sprinkle holy water vpō thē? Belike, they thinke to get a roome or place in heauen for them, & s to ryde vpon Asses in heauen, or else to get in­dulgences of the Pope for their asses. In deede they are (as the Prophet Dauid sayth) sicut equus & mula quibus non est intellectus: Psal. 32.9. They are like horse & mule, who haue no vnderstanding. If I should recite all those Idolatrous practises, which I haue seene at Rome, a whole day were not [Page] sufficient to tell them: but by these few things layd downe, you may gather the rest to be as bad, or ra­ther worse. Now I will speake a litle of the wickednesse of Rome, which you count holinesse, and make our Englishmen that were neuer there, beleeue so. First I wil begin with your Cardinals, the pillars of your Church. Haue they not beautifull boyes, with whom they commit the sinne of Sodom,Gen. 19.5. as I haue heard by the Romanes, and by a Gentleman who serued to Cardinal Sforsie, who trauayled by land with me, from the citie Ancona to Venice? Haue not these yong Cardinalles pretie wenches in their palaces, whom in the day time they cal ei­ther their sisters or cousins, & in y^e night time make them either their bedfelowes or cōcubines? And do you not knowe, howe that there was a yong Cardinall a Prince, [Page] burnt at Rome not long since, by a common queane of the stewes, & toke from her the french disease, wherwith he dyed miserably? Do not your priests at Rome, with­out shame & punishment, openly in the sight of all men goe to the stewes? I haue seene them with mine eies, (as I walked y^e streets) embracing the Queanes. O if a minister heere in England should commit such abomination, and scape vnpunished, howe woulde you cry out against him and a­gainst the Magistrates! Yet to see your owne priests so to doe, & your Magistrates to suffer it, you holde your peace, you seeme to al­lowe it. What shall I speake of your Monkes? Was there not at Rome a whole monastery of such as beare a siluer crosse in their hands, & are apparelled in blewe, full of women, that went in habit of those monkes, and were they [Page] not spied at the last, and escaped vnpunished? Be these the holy mē that haue renounced the world, and haue vowed chastitie? Now of the lay men, because I will not stand to discourse vpon euery thing that I recite. How doe the citizens liue? Was there not late­ly a great rich citizen, that had a place to the which resorted many yong Romane Gentlemen, who committed the sinne of Sodom one with another, and were they not spyed out at the last, and did not they all scape punishment, ex­cept one poore man which dyed for all? And did not the Romanes saye, that he dyed wrongfully, for that the sinne of Sodom was but a tricke of youth? Count you me that a light offēce,Gen. 18.20. & 19.13. that cryeth vp to heauen to God for venge­ance? Moreouer, haue not y^e Ro­manes sixe streetes full of Curti­zants, and harlots, who pay a [Page] yeerely tribute to the Pope? And be there not throughout al Rome Queanes, who lay out of their windowes carpets, and their gownes, which is a signe to them that passe by, that there they may haue a woman for money? At Shrouetide, what horrible abu­ses are there practised at Rome without punishment! Doe not men go in womens apparell, and women in mens apparell? The Gentlewomen out of their win­dowes throwe rosewater, which is a token to them that passe by, that there they may defile their bodyes one with another. What murther is there, insomuch, that no mā can sit in his wagon with­out daunger of his life? These words of Petrus Bembus are true, Roma est sentina pessimorum ho­minum: Rome is the sinke of pe­stilent varlets. I would not for a great deale of money, but that I [Page] had seene Rome: otherwise I should haue stood in doubt, lest I had misreported ought of them, but what I sawe, y^t speake I, and testifie, and cry with Mantuan,

Ye y^t desire to liue godly, depart frō Rome: for when al things are lawful there, it is not lawful to be honest. Peraduenture nowe, you wil say y^t the Pope is a holy man. Although I am indebted vnto him 50. or 60. li. in money, yet wil I not, neither can I but speake the trueth of him, vnlesse I should sinne, (which God forbid.) Hath not this Pope, at his hauen citie Ancona, prised & taken away the marchandize of the Turkes mar­chants, for that one of the Turks had offended one of his seruants? The Pope perceiuing the mar­chandize to bee of great valewe, tooke an occasion thereby to de­priue y^e marchants of their mar­chandize. [Page] The emperour of the Turks wrote a letter to y^e Pope, desiring him to restore the goods againe to his marchants: y^e Pope refused so to doe. Wherefore the Christian marchants were in like sort dealt withal at Constantino­ple. At Macerata, the Pope put a County out of his possession, and gaue it to his own sonne Iames, whom (of a begger) he hath made a Marques, able to spend by the yeere, thirty thousande crownes, and is richly maried to a Dukes daughter: He gaue the countie for his possession, not halfe so much as it was worth. There was also a monke, who came from the In­dians, who at Venice refused a hundred thousand crownes, for two precious stones which hee brought with him, who thinking to please this Pope now liuing, & to get a greater rewarde, presen­ted the precious stones before this Pope Gregorie, who taking the [Page] gemmes or precious stones, in steade of reward, committed the Mōke to prisō, alledging nothing against him but this, that hee for­sooke his cloyster, or monasterie. Master Alet (whom you know) hath reported this to bee true: for he knewe this sayd Monke, as he reported to two Gentlemen of y^e North that had byn at Hierusa­lem, and to mee, and to three other scholers. Thus much tou­ching his iniquitie. Nowe I will not speake of the Popes pontificalitie, howe hee is caryed on mens shoulders, how the peo­ple kneele before him, howe the trumpets sound, how y^e ordināce or double canons are dischar­ged, and howe the people cry out, Viuat papa Gregorius: (Let our dissembling Antichrist) Let Pope Gregory liue and reigne ouer vs. You faine (my brethren) y^t there is a purging place for the soules [Page] after this life, wherein they abide and suffer the selfe same punish­ment which is in hell, and are in no better case (to speake of the tor­ments) then they of hel. But here­in they are farre happier then the damned, for that they of purga­tory are sure to be saued, and they of hell, are sure neuer to finde end of their miserable condition. You say, that such as be in purgatorie, may be released, and deliuered to heauen, by the praiers and dirges of such as be on earth. That there is such a place named as Purga­torie, you seeke to proue by the Scriptures. First out of y^e booke of y^e Maccabees, where it is read, that good and profitable it was to pray for the dead. From hence you go to Zacharie the Prophet, where it is said in the ninth chap­ter, Eduxisti vinctos tuos de lacu, in quo non erat aqua: Thou hast deliuered thy prisoners out of the [Page] dungeon wherein there was no water. Also in Ecclesiastes the 4. De carcere atque catenis interdum quis progreditur ad regnum? Who at any time commeth from prisō, and frō fetters vnto the Crowne? You alledge the Psalme, Transi­uimus per ignem & aquam, nosque in refrigerium eduxisti: We haue passed both fire and water, and thou hast brought vs to a refre­shing place. Out of the newe Te­stament you bring this place, where it is said, that the sinne of the holy Ghost is not forgiuen, neither in this worlde, neither in the world to come. Ergo (say you) in this life sinnes are forgiuen, & also in the life to come. And out of Saint Matthewe you obiect, Take him, and binde him hand and foote, and cast him into vt­ter darkenes, and there let him stay vntill hee hath payde the vt­termost peny. Ergo (say you) he [Page] meaneth Purgatorie. Also you obiect the historie of Lazarus and the rich glutton. You al­ledge moreouer this place of the Apocalypse, where it is sayd, that nothing impure and defiled with sinne, shall bee admitted to that holy citie of the Lorde. And you thinke that these wordes of S. Paul doe serue to your purpose, that al knees must bowe to God, that be in heauen, in earth, and vnder the earth. Finally, you bring foorth this place of the A­pocalypse, that euery creature in heauen, in earth, and vnder the earth giueth prayses vnto the Lord. You thinke that these, and such like places of Scripture doe make greatly for your purpose. But it is knowen, that amongst you Papists there be diuers opi­niōs touching purgatorie. Some say that it is a true opinion, and an article of our fayth, to teach, [Page] and beleeue, that there is a pur­gatory: Others there be, who not so firmely and constantly affirme the same, but they either suspect, or thinke y^t there is such a place. First, I will shewe, that Purga­torie belongeth not to any article of our faith, neither is it a necessa­rie thing to bee credited. Se­condly, I will declare, whether the suspition and opinion of pur­gatory standeth with reason, and is iust. I answere vnto them, which say it is a necessary opini­on, and an article of our fayth, to acknowledge that there is a pur­gatorie: If it were a certaine and firme article of our faith, it should then most euidently so appeare out of the testimonies of the scrip­tures. For we do not descend in­to their sentēce, which be fathers, or will make men the authors of the matters of religion. It should be a reproch vnto the holy Ghost, [Page] if we should perswade our selues, that whatsoeuer they write, doth tend to our saluation, and that the saluation of our soules doeth stand vpon their wordes. What thing soeuer apperteyneth to our saluation, the same by the vertue of the holy Ghost is expressed in the Scriptures. Saint Paul to Timothie saith,2. Tim. 3.16, 17. that the whole scripture is giuen by inspiration of God, and is profitable to teach, to conuince, to correct and to in­struct in righteousnes, that the man of God may be absolute, be­ing made perfect vnto all good woorkes. If you doe contende to set foorth any good woorke, or any thing necessary to be credi­ted, which may not be confirmed by the scriptures, I would take that to be neither good, nor profi­table, if the Scriptures doe not plainly allow the same. We must not beleeue your wordes to bee [Page] true, whereas you say, The Apo­stles haue not taught all things, which touch the saluatiō of man. This wil I graunt in politicall, but not in spiritual matters, that it should be true, which you saye, that all things are not conteyned in Scriptures, which belong to the gouernement of a common weale. But to proue that y^e scrip­tures wrote sufficiently touching our soules health,Tertul. de praescrip. Tertullian in libro de praescript. sayth, Foelix ec­clesia cui totam doctrinam Apo­stoli cum sanguine profuderunt: Happy is that church which hath receiued the whole doctrine con­firmed with the bloud of the A­postles. Our sauiour Christ saith, Quae audiui a patre meo, omnia feci nota vobis: Those things which I haue heard of my father, I haue reuealed vnto you. Moreo­uer, that I may returne to my matter, often it is doubted of [Page] Purgatory. The Greeke church in the councill of Florentine long stoode in doubt. And the common places of the scripture, which are brought foorth, to proue this opi­nion, let them expound them no otherwise then the proper and lawfull interpretation doeth re­quire, and there shall then bee left no place to proue Purgatorie. Saint Cyprian in his first trea­tise against Demetrian saith thus, After we be once departed out of this life, there is no more place of repentance, there is no more ef­fect or working of satisfaction, life is here either lost or wonne. Euer­lasting saluation is here prouided for, by y^e due worshipping of God and the fruites of fayth. Saint Augustine saieth, de ciuitate Dei. lib. 21. cap. 13. Quidam nullas poe­nas nisi purgatorias volunt esse post mortem: Some men wil haue no punishment to be after death, but [Page] onely the paynes of Purgatory. Euen in Pauls time there were some,1. Cor. 15.29 that being aliue, were bap­tized for the dead. And by the Council of Carthage. 3. canon 6. it appeareth, there were some y^t vsed to thrust the sacrament into the mouth of the dead body, mea­ning thereby (as it maye bee thought) to procure some reliefe of the soule: The words be these, Placuit vt corporibus defuncto­rum Eucharistia non detur. Concil. 3. Can. 6. Di­ctum est enim a domino, Accipite, & edite: Cadauera autem nec acci­pere possunt nec edere: We thinke it good, that the Sacrament be not giuen to the bodies of y^e dead. For our Lorde sayeth, Take and eate: but dead bodies can neyther take, nor eate. These were aunci­ent errours in olde time, as it is easie to be seene. As for the fanta­sie of purgatorie, it sprang first from the heathen, and was recei­ued [Page] amongst them in that time of darkenesse, long before the com­ming of Christ, as it may plainly appeare by Plato and Virgil. Plato in Timaeo. Virgil. Aeneid. 6. in whom you shal finde described at large, the whole common weale, and all the orders and degrees of Purgatorie. Saint Augustine de ciuitate Dei, lib. 7. cap. 7. sayeth, The olde heathen Romanes had a sacrifice, which they called, Sa­crum purgatorum: A purgatorie Sacrifice. You will say, The A­postles of Christ haue taught vs purgatorie, (not by any worde that euer they wrote, but) by tra­ditiō. This is as true, as that S. Peter sayd Masse in Rome with a golden Cope, & a triple crowne, vnlesse perhaps some man will thinke, whereas S. Paul sayth, Homines priuati veritate, existimā ­tes quaestum esse pietatem: They be men voide of trueth, thinking [Page] that their gayne is godlinesse: or whereas Saint Peter sayth,2. Pet. 2.3. Per auaritiam fictis sermonibus nego­ciantur de vobis: Through coue­tousnesse, by feyned talke, they make sale of you: that by these words, they gaue vs warning of the very fourme and doctrine of your purgatorie: for better au­thorities then these be y^t I recken, you can lightly finde none. And whereas you tell vs out of some heathenish fantasie, that sinnes can not be washed away, but by long space of time, and payne in purgatory, Saint Cyprian saith, In eodem articulo temporis, cum iam anima festinet ad exitum, & e­grediens ad labia expirantis emer­serit, poenitentiā clementissimi Dei benignitas non aspernatur, nec serū est, quod verum est: In that very moment of time, euen when the soule is ready to passe, and is euen at the lippes of the partie ready [Page] to yeelde vp the spirite, the good­nesse of our most mercifull God refuseth not repentance, & what­soeuer is truely done, is neuer too late. Saint Chrysostome sayeth, Latro in cruce, neque vno die opus habebat. & quid dico vno die? Ne­que breui hora: tanta est Dei erga nos misericordia: The thiefe on the crosse needed not so much as one daye to repent himselfe. What speake I of one day? No, he nee­ded not one houre: so great is the mercy of God toward vs. Saint August. Epist. 80. sayeth, If any man depart hence without repē ­tance, Imparatum inueniet illum dies Domini, quem imparatum in­uenerit suae vitae huius vltimus dies: Him shall the daye of the Lorde finde vnprouided, whom the last daye of this life findeth vnproui­ded. Saint Ambrose sayth in his booke de bono mortis, Qui hic non accipit remissionem peccatorum, [Page] ibi non erit: He that here in this life receiueth not remission of his sinnes, shal not be there. And S. Hierome in Lamentationes Ierem. lib. 1. cap. 1. Thou shalt not goe foorth thence, vntill thou haue payed y^e last farthing, sayth thus, Significat semper non exiturū esse, quia semper soluat nouissimum quadrantem, dum sempiternas poe­nas terrenorum peccatorum luit: Christes meaning is, y^t he shal ne­uer come out, for that he must e­uermore paye the last farthing, whyles he suffereth euerlasting punishment for his sinnes com­mitted in this worlde. So sayeth Saint August. de sermone Do­mini in monte, lib. 1. Donec soluas nouissimum quadrantem, miror, si non eam significat poenam quae vo­catur aeterna: Vntill thou pay the last farthing, I maruaile, but it meaneth that payne, which is called euerlasting. Hereby, my [Page] brethren, I thinke it may partly appeare, that you maintaine your paynted fyre and paper walles, with painted authorities and pa­per reasons. Verely the Christian people of the East church of God, which sometime was as great & as famous as the Church of the West, notwithstanding they be­leeued in God, and his Christ, & knewe there was both hell & hea­uen: yet in your Purgatory they had no skil. One of your Doctors saith, Alphonsus de haeresibus lib. 8. de indulgentiis. Vsque in hodiernū diem Purgatorium non est a Graecis creditū: Vntil this day, of the Gre­cians, or of the East church, Pur­gatory was neuer beleued. Ther­fore you can not iustly say, y^t your fantasie herein was euermore ac­compted vniuersal, or catholique. Augustine in Psal. 85. in deede sometime sayeth, There is such a certaine place, sometime he deny­eth [Page] not but there may bee such a one, sometime he doubteth: some­time againe hee vtterly denyeth there is any at all, and thin­keth that men are therein decei­ued, by a certaine naturall good will they beare their friendes de­parted. But yet of this one er­rour hath there growen vp such a haruest of those massemongers, that the masses being sold abroad commonly in euery corner, the Temples of God became shoppes to get money, and silly soules were borne in hand, that nothing was more necessary to be bought. In deed there was nothing more gainefull for these men, then to sell masses for the dead. Your owne Roffensis sayeth, Nemo nunc dubitat Orthodous, an pur­gatorium sit, de quo tamen apud priscos, vel nulla, vel quam raris­sima fiebat mentio: sed & Graecis ad hunc vsque diem non est credi­tum, [Page] quamdiu enim nulla esset cura de purgatorio, nemo quaesiuit indul­gentias: No Catholique man nowe doubteth of Purgatory, wherof notwithstanding among the auncient Fathers, there is eyther no mention at all,Marke well. or very seldome, yea euen vntill this day the Grecians beleeue it not, for so long as there was no care of pur­gatory, no man sought after par­dons. So much for Purgatory. Nowe I thinke it not amisse (my brethren) somewhat to speake a­gainst your praying for the dead. First I wil disproue your praying for the dead by scriptures. Then after, I will confute the same by the authoritie of the Doctours. To beginne with Scriptures, I cite the 2. of Samuel 12.22. While the childe was yet aliue, I fasted and wept, for I sayde, who can tell, whether God will haue mercy on me, that the child [Page] may liue? But nowe beeing dead, wherefore shoulde I nowe fast? Can I bring him againe any more? I shall goe to him, but hee shall not returne to mee. Psalme 49.7. A man can by no meanes redeeme his brother, hee cannot giue his ransome to God, so precious is the redemption of their soules, and the continuance for euer. Ecclesiastes 9.5. The dead knowe nothing at all, ney­ther haue they any more reward, for their remembrance is forgot­ten, and they haue no more porti­on for euer, in all that is done vn­der the Sunne. All that thine hande shall fynde to doe, doe it with all thy power: For there is neyther worke, nor inuention, nor knowledge, nor wisedome in the graue whither thou goest. Al­so 1. Thessalon. 4. I woulde not haue you ignorant, brethren, con­cerning them which are asleepe, [Page] that you sorrowe not euen as o­thers which haue no hope:1. Thes. 4.13. for if we beleeue that Iesus is dead, & is risen, euen so them which sleepe in Iesus, will God bring w^t him. Wherefore comforte your selues one another with these woordes. Thus much for scripture. Nowe will I alledge the ancient testi­monies of the Fathers.Cypr. serm. de mort. Cyprian in his sermon of mortalitie sayth thus, Seeyng that we knowe, that our brethren, which bee de­liuered out of this worlde, by the hande and calling of the Lorde, are not lost, but sent before: wee must not here take on vs blacke gownes, syth that they haue al­ready there put on whyte gar­ments: we must not giue occa­sion vnto the Paynims, that they may deseruingly, and by good ryght blame vs, or lay to our charge, that we doe lament, and bewayle them, as perished and [Page] lost, whome wee doe affirme to liue with God, and so to proue with the testymonies of our hearts, and breake the same faith that we doe professe and set forth by our communication & talke. Againe hee in his first treatise a­gainst Demetrian, When we bee once departed out of this life, there is no more place of repen­tance, there is no more effect or working of satisfaction, life is here eyther lost or wonne, euer­lasting saluation is here prouided for by the due worshipping of God, and the fruites of faith: then we shall bee without the fruite of repentance, & griefe of payne. In vaine shall weeping bee, & prayer shal be of no force or effect. Augu­stine in his first booke and 12. chapter of the time:August. De temp. Therefore all these thinges, that is to wit, the looking vnto the corpes, or caring [Page] for it, the conditiō of the burying, and the pompe of the funerals, are rather for the comforte of the liuing, then for the ayde and helpe of the dead. If costly and preci­ous burying doe profite the vn­godly, vyle burying, and none at all shall hurt and hinder the god­ly. The multitude of seruants did in the sight of men make ex­cellent and glorious funerals vn­to that rich man that was all clo­thed in purple: but the ministe­ry of Angels made much more excellent and noble funerall in the sight of God, vnto the poore silly creature that was ful of skabbes, blaynes and sores: for they did not lay him in a tombe of marble, but did cary him into the bosome of Abraham. Likewise in his fyrst treatise vpon the Epistle of Iohn, Whereof doe Schismes come? Hereof they come, when men say, We are righteous, we [Page] doe pray, we doe obteine. Hie­rom in his 13. quest. and 2. chap. We knowe that in this worlde wee can be helped one of ano­ther, eyther with prayers, or with counsell: but after wee bee once before the iudgement seate of Christ, neyther Iob, Da­niel, nor Noah be able to pray for any body, but euery man shall beare his owne burthen. The councill of Toledo. 3. cap. 22.23. qu. 2. cap. qui diui. We doe bidde & commaunde, that they which de­part out of this life by the diuine calling of the Lorde, bee caryed foorth to their graues, onely with Psalmes: for we doe altogether forbid y^e same prayer of funerals, that they be wont to sing com­monly for the dead. Item senten. 4. distinct. 45. Neque. Hee that prayeth for a Martyr, doth wrōg vnto the Martyr. Against pray­ing for the dead, I thought it [Page] sufficient to speake thus much. Nowe I will speake a worde or two of praying to Saintes. First the Scripture forbiddeth it: for it is written, Psalme 80.11. Giue vs help against trouble, O Lord, for vaine is the helpe of man. Psalme 115.17. The dead praise not the Lorde, neyther they that goe downe into the place of si­lence. Esay 63.16. Doutlesse thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of vs, and Israel knew vs not, yet thou, O Lord, art our Father, and our Redee­mer. 1 Nowe for the fyrst. If the helpe of man bee in vayne, why then do you pray vnto Saintes? And, If the dead praise not the Lorde, to what ende then should they be prayed vnto? If Abrahā and Israel (who were counted holy in the sight of God) knewe not of them that were in earth, shall wee thinke that other [Page] Saintes haue preeminence a­boue the rest? No, no, we deceiue our selues, and the trueth is not in vs. Iere. 15.1. Though Mo­ses and Samuel stoode before mee, yet mine affection coulde not bee towardes this people. Thus sayeth the Lorde, Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh fleshe his arme, and withdraweth his heart from the Lorde. Ezechiel 14.14. Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Iob were among them, they shoulde deliuer but their owne soules by their righteousnesse, (sayeth the Lorde) yet I am the Lorde thy God, which brought thee from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no God but me, for there is no Sauiour besides me. Esther 14.3. O my Lorde, (thou onely art our King) helpe me desolate woman, which haue no helpe but thee. Matth. 11.28. [Page] Come vnto mee all yee that are weary & laden, & I will ease you. Iohn 14.6. Iesus sayde, I am the way, and the trueth. No man commeth vnto the Father, but by mee. To the first. If Gods 1 wrath kindled against his peo­ple coulde not be pacifyed at the intercession of Moses and Sa­muel, who were Saintes, howe can you perswade your selues, that Saint George or Saint Gregory, or any other Saint may be heard of God praying for you? To the second. Here is com­mination 2 of God pronounced a­gainst them that put their trust and confidence in man. But you put trust & confidence in saintes, who interpretiuely bee men. Ergo this curse toucheth you. These holy men, Noah, Daniel, and Iob can doe no more but saue their owne soules, they can not with their prayers procure the [Page] saluation of other mens soules. These three were Saintes, and in fauour with God, as others be, they had the viewe of the glo­rious maiestie of God as others haue: Ergo I inferre, If there coulde no helpe be found in them, then you may be assured, no helpe is to be founde in others. To the 3 thirde. God telleth vs there is no other Saluation besides him, but you (my brethren) hope to bee saued through the clemencie of your Patrones that be Saynts: wherefore I conclude, that you breake the commaundements of GOD, when hee sayeth that none can saue you, but hee alone. 4 To the fourth. The desolate woman tooke GOD onely to bee her king, (& not some Saint or other) her shield, her buckler, her defence, her comforter & hel­per. In this her distresse & neede, she ranne not vnto some Saint [Page] to craue helpe at his handes, but vnto God himself, who was most ready to graunt her requestes. Therefore you are much to bee blamed, that you will not follow the allowable exāples of others. To the fift. Christ biddeth vs,5 when wee are driuen to anye straights, or are grieued w^t any kinde of troubles, to make our praiers vnto him, and not vnto Saints, for he maketh no menti­on thereof: and hee promiseth that our petitions shall be accep­table in his sight. Seing that of his bountifulnes hee willeth vs to come vnto him, why come you not to him, why goe you vnto o­thers? O stubburne and froward generation, O vnthankfull, and disloyall subiects! You will not come when as you are bidden, you wil not receiue Gods gentle­nes of himself offred, but seeke to craue of his seruants, against his [Page] 6 will and pleasure. To the sixt. Christ telleth vs, that no man can come to y^e Father but by him. If no man can come to the Fa­ther, but by Christ, Ergo in vayne do you then make your prayers vnto Saints. Act. 4.12. Neither is there saluation in any other: for among men there is giuen none other name vnder heauen, wherby we must be saued. Rom. 10.14. How shall they cal on him, in whom they haue not beleeued? Iames 1.5. If any of you lacke wisdome, let him aske of God, which giueth to al men liberally. Euery good giuing, and euery perfect gift is from aboue, and cōmeth downe from the father of lights. You see in these places of scripture God telleth vs playnly, we cānot be saued (by any other, neither by this Saint nor that Saint) saue onely by Iesus Christ. Thus much out of the [Page] scriptures. Now let vs see what the Doctors speake against your praying vnto Saints. First I wil begin with Augustine in his second booke and 8. chap. against the Epist. of Parmenian. Saint Paul maketh not himselfe a me­diatour betweene God and the people, but requireth that they pray all one for another, being all the members of Christ. If Saint Iohn would saye, This haue I written vnto you, that you sinne not, and if you sinne, you haue me your mediatour before God, and I will intreate for your sinnes, as Parmenian (the heretique) in a certaine place, made the Bi­shop a mediatour betweene God and the people: what good and faithfull christian man could a­bide him? Who would looke vp­on him, as the Apostle of Christ? or rather who would not thinke him to bee Antichrist? Also vpon [Page] the 108. Psal. All praier, y^t is not made vnto god by Christ, not on­ly doth not put away sin, but also is turned into sinne. Item in his 3. booke of freewil. Wee are not cōmanded to goe to any creature y^t we may be made blessed, but to the creator & maker of al things, of whom (if we be perswaded o­therwise then y^e trueth is) we are deceiued w^t a damnable error. Itē in his booke of y^e spirit & the soule, 29. cha. The soules of thē that are dead, are there where they do not see, neither heare what thinges are done, or chaunce in this life: Such is their care for the liuing, that they know not what we do, euen as our care is for the dead, that wee knowe not what they doe. Item, in his tenth treatise vpon Iohn. My mother whome you haue called blessed, therefore is blessed, because she hath kept the worde of GOD, and not be­cause [Page] in her the word was made fleshe. Item, in his booke of the remission of sinnes, the 14. chap. The Apostle said truely, Bee you folowers of me, as I am of Christ He neuer durst saye, Bee you iu­stified of mee, as I am iustified of Christ. None is iust, but Christ iustifying. Therefore he sayd, He that beleeueth in him that iusti­fieth the vngodly, his fayth is counted for righteousnes. Who is so bolde therefore to saye, I iustifie thee, which may not bee said of the Saints, but of the holy of holiest, y^t said, Beleeue in God,Ioh. 14.7. beleeue also in me? Againe in his first treatise vpon the Epistle of Iohn: From hence commeth schismes, when men say, We are righteous, we make holy the vn­holy, we doe iustifie the wicked, we doe pray, we do obtaine. Item in 84. treatise vpō Iohn. Though we dye brethren for brethren, yet [Page] the blood of no Martyrs is shed for the forgiuenesse of sinnes, which thing Christ hath done for vs. Ambrose vpon the 1. chapter of the Romanes: But we obteine Gods fauour, from whome no­thing is secret, as knowing what euery man is meete to haue, wee neede no spokesman, but a de­uout minde, for whatsoeuer such a one speaketh vnto God, God wil answere him. Chrysost. in his 2. hom. of the woman of Canaan: Tell mee woman, sith thou art a wicked and sinfull woman, how durst thou go vnto him? I know (sayth shee) what I do. Beholde the wisedome of the woman, she prayeth not vnto Iames, she en­treateth not Iohn, she goeth not vnto Peter: shee did not get her selfe to the company of the Apo­stles, shee sought for no mediator: but for all these things, she tooke repentance for her companion, [Page] which did fulfill the roome and place of an aduocate: and so shee did goe to the high fountaine. Item in his sermon of going for­ward of the Gospel: There is no neede of a Porter, of a Mediator or minister, no neede of Aduo­cates with God, nor of any run­ning, and gadding about for to speake fayre vnto other: for al­though thou be alone, and with­out an aduocate, and praye vnto God by thy selfe, thou shalt ob­teyne thy petitions. Cyrill in his booke of right faith: He was ta­ken vp into heauen: but as God he is shewed to graunt the petiti­ons of them that worship him, if they make their prayers in his name. For why is it more meete to giue Saints their asking, and to graunt them their petitions, then for him, which is onely by his owne nature, & truely God? Leo Bishop of Rome, in his 81. [Page] Epistle: Although the death of many Saintes hath bene preci­ous in the sight of the Lorde, yet the killing of no Innocent, hath bene the propitiation for the worlde. The righteous receiued, but gaue no crownes, and out of the valiantnes of the faithful are grauen examples of patience, not giftes of righteousnesse. For their deathes were euery one singuler to himselfe, and none of them did by his ende paye the debt of ano­ther, forasmuch as there is our Lord Christ, in whom all are cru­cified, all dead and buryed, and raised vp againe. Erasmus in his booke called the Preacher: If a­ny man lacke wisedome, let him aske it of God, and not of the Saints. So much against pray­ing vnto Saintes. Here in the first parte of my declaration, I haue (as you knowe) declared a true report of the wickednesse of [Page] Rome: I beganne with the Car­dinals liues, proceeded to the Priestes, Monkes, and citi­zens, and ended with the Pope. Seeing you know these reportes to be true, for your owne saluati­on returne to the trueth. Bee not obstinate and frowarde in your false opinion. You are courteous­ly and gently intreated, yet are you neuer the better, but rather the worse, like Frogs that keepe a great crooking & sturre against the light of the Sunne: so do you against the glorious and comfor­table beames of Christ his Gos­pell. Be satisfied with trueth, and abuse not the mercifull lenitie of our gracious Soueraigne, lest that the Lordes discipline be re­stored, which shall restraine your spreading poyson, and auoyde the hazard whiche otherwise should happen, not onely to the church of God amōg vs, (which [Page] might not thriue amidst such pe­stilent & cōbersome weeds) but e­uen to the endāgering (which the Lorde of glorie turne from vs) of this florishing common weale, & her Maiesties most royal person, crowne & dignitie. Your malici­ous & cursed practises, as cocatri­ces, haue brought forth & hatched great dangers to y^e cōmon weale already. If you should be set at li­bertie, without recantatiō escape vnpunished, winked at, fauoured and spared: greater mischiefe shal insue your treasonable practises, to y^e ruine and desolation of this blessed lande, which God of his mercie turne awaye from vs. What pestiferous bookes haue our English fugitiues thrust foorth vnto vs, defacing Gods holy trueth, the Queene her roy­all Maiestie, many of her hono­rable counsell, and sundry of her louing and faithfull Subiects? [Page] Haue thei not also procured Anti­christ, Pope Pius Quintus, to excō ­municate our Redoubted Soue­raigne, & al thē that cōtent them­selues, christianly & quietly to liue vnder her gouernment? But an vnderserued curse hurteth not. A­bout Midsōmer last was twelue-month, they renued these bulles of excommunication, graūted by this Pope Gregory, vnder the co­lor & name of Pius Quintus publi­shed. There were fiue hundreth copies printed at Rome, as two of you (my brethrē) can verifie the same, and how they were publi­shed, as I heard at Rome, in the Englishe Seminarie at Rhea­mes, and were put fast to pillars in the citie. These Bulles of ex­communication were scattered throughout all Italie, Spaine, & parte of Germanie. In these buls of excōmunicatiō, (forsooth) they haue discharged (if their dis­charge shoulde bee credited) her [Page] highnesse Subiects from their loyaltie & obedience to her Ma­iestie, their natural Prince. Haue not their Bulles pronounced her Maiestie to be no lawful Queen, whom God hath placed ouer vs? Haue not their attemptes bene the seede of rebellion? and haue they not caused, and doe cause to this day, many to practise secret­ly her graces destruction?The loyaltie of Papists. One of your Readers in Diuinitie posi­tiue, I am certayne, before two hundreth scholers, and not so fewe, as one of you may testifie the same, most impudently and deuilishly spake, that it was law­full for any man of worship in Englande, to giue authoritie to the vilest wretch that is, to seeke the death of our soueraigne Queene. But God who hath defended her, still preserue her: And then let K. P. who threat­neth, and Antichrist, Pope Gre­gory [Page] an Italian borne in the citie of Bolonia, who prouoketh, ioyne their powers together: yet shee shall preuayle, to their shame, & to her honour. Father Pais a Spa­niard borne, reader in scholastical diuinity in y^e Romane colledge at Rome, said in y^e presence of three hundreth scholers at least, these were his woordes, Bona Papae voluntas trita & manifesta est, & eius crumena parata, sed R. P. aut metus subtrahit, aut potestatis defe­ctus vetat, vt suū in Angliam exer­citum ducere non audeat. That is, the Popes good will is tried and knowne, and his purse rea­dy, but K. P. either feare with­draweth, or power forbiddeth him that hee dare not venter, to bring his Army of Souldiers into Englande. But least that I be too tedious to my hearers, of this first part I wil make an end, [Page] beseeching you my brethren to become loyall and faythfull to your naturall Prince, forsaking your superstitious Idolatrie and cursed religion, your pompous glorie, and prowde hierarchie, and thus much for the first part.