COnsiderynge the manifold and la­mētable errours wherw^t not the ignorant people on­lye, but also the learned (as they seme) haue bene seduced long as touchynge the blessed Sacramente of Baptisme. I thought it expedient therein to wryte my mynd. Trusting by that meanes to brynge a­gayne the blynd hertes of ma­ny vnto the ryght waye, and I doubt not but that the elect and chosen of God that know theyr shepeherdes voice,Iohn. x. i. Corhin. ii. and haue the spirite to iudge all thynges: shal easely perceyue whether this be comformable to theyr maisters voice, & shal [Page] hereby be monished to leaue theyr wāderyng in the darke and lothsome wayes whiche leadeth vnto deathe and to walke wythout stumblynge in the comfortable light whi­che bryngeth theyr conscien­ces to reste,Pha. iiii. and suche peace that passeth all vnderstan­dyng.

¶ One erroure is thys they put so greate confidence in the outward signe that wyth out discretiō they cōdempne the Infantes, whiche dye or they be Baptised vnto e­uerlastynge payne, an other is this. They cleaue so strōg­lye vnto the weake Cerimo­nyes that they thynke yf a dronken Prieste leaue out a [Page] worde as Volo say ye, or Cre­ [...]o saye ye forgette to putte [...]pyttell or salte in the chyl­des mouthe that the Chylde is not christened, yea so much giue they there vnto the beg­gerlye salte, that they wyll saye spyll not the salte, for it is oure christendome, and vse also to swere by it. Say­inge by thys salte that is my christendome. Alas what blyndenesse is thys, these two erroures are the principall that I dooe entende at thys tyme to confute. For when they are fallen: the other that are grounded on these muste neades decaye. Fyrste we muste marke three thynges in euery Sacrament to be cōsidered [Page] the signe, the signification and the fayth, whiche is gyuē vnto the wordes of God The signe in Baptisme is the ploungyng downe in the ma­teriall water and lyftyng vp agayne by the which as by an outwarde badge we are kno­wen to be of the nūbre of them whiche professe Christe to be redemer and Sauiour.

¶ This outwarde signe doth neyther geue vs the spirite of God: neyther yet grace that is the fauoure of God. For if thorowe the washynge in the water y^e spirite or grace were geuen: then shoulde it folowe that who so euer were bapti­sed in water shoulde receyue thys precious gyfte, but that [Page] is not so, wherefore I muste neades cōclude that this out­warde signe by any power or influence that it hath, bryn­geth not the spirite or fauour of God. That euery mā receyueth not thys treasure in baptisme is euidēt, for be it in case y^t a Iewe or an infidel should saye that he dyd beleue and beleued not in dede, and vpō his wordes were baptised in dede (for no mā cā iudge what his herte is, but we muste receiue hym vnto baptisme if he con­fesse oure fayth w^t his mouth al be it his herte be farre from thence) thys miscreant nowe thus baptised hath receyued this outwarde signe and Sacrament, aswel as the mooste [Page] faythfull man beleauynge.

Howe be it he neyther recey­ueth the spirite of God, ney­ther yet anye grace but ra­ther condempnation. Wher­fore it is euident that the ex­terior signe gyueth not thys gyfte whyche is also as cer­taine in al other Sacramen­tes,Note. yea in the Sacramente of the altare whyche maye be called a double Sacramente. For it is not onelye a remem­braunce that the natuall bo­dy of Christe was broken and his bloude shedde for oure re­demption as the Euangeliste do testifie, but also it is his spiritual bodye whiche is the congregation of the faythful as S. Paul testifieth: saying [Page] the bread which we breake is it not y^e partaking (y^t is to saye we y^t are partakers) of the body of Christ? For we (saith he) thoughe we be many yet are we one bread & one body, but for al that, the receyuynge of thys Sacramente giueth vs not the spirite of God neither yet his fauour: for the wicked receiueth it as wel as y^u good. Howe be it that receiuyng is to there dampnation. Wherfore it foloweth that the out­ward signe giueth no mā any grace. Moreouer if the spirite of God & his grace were boūd vnto y^e sacramētes, thē where the Sacramētes were mini­stred there must the spirite of grace wayte on & where they [Page] were not ministred should be neither spirite nor grace. But that is false, for Cornelius & al his housholde receyued the holy gooste before they were baptised.Actes .x. In so much y^t Peter sayed maye any man forbidde that these shoulde be baptised wyth water whiche haue re­ceyued the holy gooste as wel as we. And so he cōmaunded thē to be baptised, in y^e name of the Lorde, here maye we se that as the spirite of God lighteth where he wyl, neyther is he bounde to any thyng. Yea and thys ensample doeth well declare vnto vs that the Sacramentes are geuen to be an outwarde wytnesse vnto all the cōgregation of that grace [Page] which is gyuen before priuat­ly vnto euery man.

¶ So is baptisme giuē be­fore the congregacion vnto him whiche before he receyue it hath other professed the re­ligiō of Christ, or els hath the word of promise,Note. by the which promesse he is knowen to be of the sensible congregacion of Christ & for this cause whē we baptise one y^t is come vn­to thage of descrecion we axe of him whether he beleue if he answere yea & desire baptisme then is he baptised so that we requier faith in him before he be baptised which is the gifte of God and comyth of grace and so it is an outwarde signe of hys inuisible fayth whyche [Page] before was gyuē hym of God. If an infāt be brought vnto baptisme whome hys frendes offer vp willynge to sanctifye and fulfil the comaundement and ordinaūce of God we en­quyre of his frendes before the cōgregaciō whether they wyll that theyr chylde be baptised and when they haue answe­red yea, then receiueth he baptisme. Here also went before the promise of God that he of his grace reputeth oure in­fantes no lesse of the congre­gation then the Infantes of the Hebrewes & thorowe bap­tisme doeth the congregacion receyue hym whiche was first receyued thorowe grace of the promyse, thus may we se that [Page] baptisme bringyth not grace but doeth testifye vnto the congregacion that he whiche is baptised had suche grace geuen hym before, so is bap­tisme a Sacrament, that is, the signe of an holye thynge euen a token of the grace and free mercye whyche was be­fore gyuen hym a visible en­sāple of inuisible grace which is done and giuen throwe the gentilnesse of God. By thys maye we perceiue how grosse theyr ignoraunce is whyche without discresion cōdempne the infantes that departe out of thys worlde not baptysed in oure materiall water. For if that water gyue no grace as I haue sufficienly prouid, [Page] why should they condempne more before that washynge thē after. Beside that the election of God is fre & foloweth not oure fayth but fayth foloweth the election as it is wri­tē. And there beleued as were ordeined vnto euerlasting life for they that are chosen from the begynnyng are no doubte chosen before they had fayeth,Actes .xiii. we ought not therfore to geue suche vnaduised iudgemente on these chyldren whiche by theyr age haue not yet harde our fayth, seinge Goddes ele­ction is hidde from our eyes.

¶ The childrē of Israel were a people whiche God had cho­sen from amonge al the naci­ons of the worlde and gaue [Page] thē circūsition for a token and memorial of y^t election, whiche circumsition was a figure of our baptisme & they thought that the gentiles whiche were not carnallye circumsisid had ben al cōdempned. But theyr opinion deceyued them, for there were also of the gentiles whiche althoughe they were not circumsisid outwardelye were electe of God and were spirituallye circūsisid whiche onely is the thynge that God regardeth as Paul testifieth seing he is not a Iewe which is a Iewe outwarde,Roma. ii. neyther is that circūsision any thyng which is outward in the flesh But he is a Iewe whiche is hidde wythin the circūsition [Page] of the herte, which is the cut­tynge of, of carnal desyres is the trewe circūcision, this circumcision was in pryce wyth God with the whiche the gentilles, as Iob were circum­cised, and in lyke maner may we say of oure baptisme he is not a Christen man which is washed with water nether is that baptisme whiche is out­ward in the flesh, but y^t is the very baptisme whiche God a­loweth to be baptised spiritu­ally in the herte that is to subdewe and wede out the bra­ches of synne that it raygne not in youre mortall bodyes and brynge them into bon­dage vnder it, of the whiche oure baptisme is but a signe [Page] and there are many I doubte not whiche are thus spiritu­ally baptised al though theyr bodyes toutche no water as there were gentils thus spiritually circumcised and yet neuer cut of the fore skynne of there priuye members

¶ Furthermore the chi [...]dren of the vncircūcision are of the people & congregacion of God aswell as y^e Hebrewes childrē vnder the lawe were mēbers of there congregacion I take y^e cōgregacion of God in this place euē somewhat largely y^t is for al thē y^t are thought or coūted to be mēbers of Christ as it is taken mathewe .xiii.Mat. xiii. where Christ cōpareth it vn­to a nette whyche receyueth [Page] bothe good fishe and euil and againe Math. xxv.Math. xxv. where he likeneth the kyngdom of hea­uen that is to say the congre­gacion of God vnto .x. virgēs of the whyche .v. were wyse & v. folyshe but I speke not in this place of the electe sancti­fyed and inuisible congregacion, whiche is without spotte and wrinkyl and onelye kno­wen vnto God whyche hath chosē her before the foūdaciōs of the worlde were layed ney­ther is it to be estemed but y^e God is as mercyfull vnto vs which are of y^e spiritual Israel, as he was vnto carnal Is­rael. S. Iohn, saynt Paule, and such other were they not beinge infantes of the congregaciō [Page] of God electe in Christe Iesu before the creacion of y^e worlde, howebeit in theyr in­fācy thei nether had faith nor yet knewe any thinge of this electiō, Mathew, zacheus, & the thefe and marye magda­len were they not lyke wise so chosen yet they them selues knewe it not vntill they were lightened of the holy gost and drawen vnto Christe by the heauenly father nether kno­weth anye man of an others election but euerye man may knowe his owne thorowe his fayth and wil that he hath to fulfil the law of god. Of this sensible cōgregacion of Christ was Iudas, yea & al the other which after forsoke Christ, nether [Page] wiste the apostles but y^e Iudas had bene of the electe sanctitifyed and inuisible congregacion of Christ aswell as Peter or Iohn so y^t oure iud­gement recoūteth al faythful & chosē y^t seme to be, but christ knoweth them that are hys and them that shall forsake hym.

¶ Nowe is theyr an opinion rysen among certeine whiche affirme that children mai not be baptised vntill they come vnto a perfecte age, and that because they haue no faithe but verely me thynketh that they are farre frome the me­kenes of Christ and his spirite whyche when chyldren were broughte vnto hym receyued [Page] thē louingly & imbrased them in his armes Mathew .ix.Mat. ix. & when his disciples blamed the bryngers he cauiled them vnto hym sayeng, suffer children to come vnto me and forbed them not, for of suche is the kingdome of heauē luke .xviii.Luke .xviii. And albeit they haue no faith but are onely of y^t Inuisible congregacion that is w^t oute spotte or wrinkyll: yet as I haue said they haue a promise aswell as the children of the Hebrewes, by the which they are of the uisible congregaci­on whiche thing only is testi­fyed in theyr baptisme. So it appeareth that these men are ignoraūte what baptisme is. For oure baptisme dothe not [Page] testyfy that we are of that pure congregacion whiche were chosen & sanctifyed in Christe before the worlde begā which haue theyr names written in the boke of lyfe of the which it is not possible y^t one shoulde perishe for then were it false testimonie: seing many which are baptised fal afterward in­to perilous heresies and vtter disperacion whiche bryngeth thē vnto death euerlastynge. And as for fayth if they haue none when they are baptysed let thē pray vnto God togyue it thē afterwarde for the lacke of fayth hurteth not the sacrament but the sacrament maye be aswel ministred vnto a mi­screaunt as to a faithful, if he [Page] say that he hath fayth or haue any promyse of God but thys mater will I passe ouer for I truste y^e englishe vnto whome I wryte this haue no suche o­piniōs. Now will I proceade with y^e seconde poynte of this sacrament whiche is the signi­fication. The significacion of baptisme is discribed of Paul in the .vi. of the Romaynes.Roma. vi. y^t as we are plounged bodily in­to the water. Euen so we are deade and buried with Christ from synne and as we are lyf­ted agayne oute of the water. Euen so are we rysē w^t Christ from oure synnes y^t we might hereafter walke in an newe cōuersacion of lyfe, so that these two thinges, that is to be plūged [Page] in the water and lifte vp agayne, do signifie and repre­sēt the whole pithe and effecte of baptisme that is the morti­ficacion of oure olde Adam and the rysynge vpe of our [...] newe man. What is the old [...] Adam? verely euē that by natural inheritaunce is plante [...] thorow Adams fal in vs as t [...] be vnfaythful angry enuiou [...] couetous, slouthful prowde [...] vngodlye these & suche othe [...] vses, where with oure natur [...] is venimed, oughte we wit [...] al diligence to cute of and m [...] tifye that we maye daylye [...] more pacient liberal and m [...] cyful accordinge to that ou [...] baptisme doth signifie In s [...] moche that a Christen ma [...] [Page] life is no thinge els saue a cō­tinual baptisme, which is be­gonne whē we are dipped in the water & is put in cōtinu­al vre & exercise as longe as the infection of sinne remay­neth in our bodies whiche is neuer vtterly vāquished vn­tyll the houre of death, and there is the greate Golias slayne wyth his owne swerd, that is death, whiche is the power of synne, & the gate of euerlastyng lyfe opēeth vnto vs, and this is Paule to be vnderstande. Galathians .iii.Gala. iii. where he saith. Al ye that are baptised haue put Christe on you, that is you haue promi­sed to dye wyth Christe as toutchyng your synnes and [Page] worldly desyres passed and to be come a newe man or crea­ture or mēbre of Christe, this haue we al promised vnto the cōgregation and is represen­ted in oure baptisme. But a­las there are but fewe which in dede fulfyll that they pro­myse or rather that the Sa­crament promiseth for them. And for thys cause it is cal­led of Paule the fountayne of the new byrth and regene­ration. Tite. iii.Tite. iii. bycause it signifieth that we wyll in dede renounce and vtterly forsake our olde lyfe and pourge our membres from the workes of iniquitie thorowe the vertue of the holy gooste, whiche as the water or fyre doth clense [Page] the bodye: Euen so doth it purifie the hert from al vncleannesse, yea it is a comon phrase in scripture to call the holye goste water and fyre, because these two elemētes expresse so liuely his purging operation.

¶ Now haue we expounded the signification of baptisme whiche signification we may obtayne onely by fayth, for if thou be baptised a thousande tymes wyth water and haue no fayeth it auayleth the no more towardes God, then it doth a gose when she ducketh her selfe vnder y^e water. Therfore if thou wylt obtayne the profit of baptisme thou muste haue faith, that is, thou must be surely persuaded that thou [Page] art newly borne again not by water onli but by water & the holy gost, Iohn. iii.Iohn. iii. & y^u art be­come the child of god thy sin­nes not imputed to y^e, but for geuē thorow the bloud & pas­sion of Christ according vnto the promise of god. This faith haue neyther the deuyls nei­ther yet the wycked. For the wicked can not beleue the re­mission of their synnes, but fal vnto vtter desperation & make God alyer as much as in thē is. For they beleue not the testimony which he gaue his sonne, & this is that testi­monie, that al which beleaue on him haue euerlasting lyfe Iohn. v.Iohn. v. And y^e deuils cā not beleue it, for they haue no promise [Page] made vnto them. Thus thorow Christes bloud, wher of oure baptisme hath his ful strēgth & vigour, are we regenerate & made at one w^t the father. For by oure first & na­tural birth, we are y^e children of wrath. Cphes. ii. & the ene­mies of God. Ro. vi.Roma. v.

Finally baptisme is an ordi­naunce institute of god (& no practise of mās imaginacion) put in vse in Christes tyme & after his resurrection cōmaūded to be ministred vnto al y^t beleue, whether thei were Iewes or gētils.Mathews the last. For Christ saith to his apostles. Go ye & teach al nacions baptising them in the name of the father,Math. xi viii. and of the sonne, and the holy gooste. [Page] Wherfore althoughe it seame neuer so exterior a thinge, yet oughte it to be had in greate price and much reuerence be­cause it was commaunded of God to be done. Beside that it is an outwarde signe or wyt­nesse vnto the cōgregation of the inuisible promise geuē be­fore by grace vnto euery pri­uate man and by it doeth the cogregation receyue hym o­penly to be counted one of thē whiche was firste receiued by faith or thorow y^e grace of the promise it putteth vs also in remēbraūce y^t we aduertisyng the kindines of God & our promise in baptisme maye learne to dye and mortifie oure rebellyng members otherwise, gy­ueth [Page] it no greace nether hath any secret vertue as we haue sufficiently proued and ther­fore is he sore to blame that so vnaduysydly cōdēpneth these Infantes iudgynge hys bro: ther whiche is in Gods hande yea & peraduenture baptised in Christes bloud for Goddes election is vnknowne to mā. Now wil I endeuour my self to ouer throwe and vtterlye putte out the seconde erroure which hath longe reigned and seduced manye and that is of them whiche so stronglye steke vnto the weke ceremonyes. Cōcerning the ceremonies of baptisme ye and all other, we muste behaue oure selues wy­sely as charite teacheth vs se­kynge [Page] the profytte of manye that they maye be saued we muste consyder that we haue oure conuersacion with men in this world of the which the moste parte knowe not God. Some are yonge some weke, some peruerse and some styffe necked and obdurat vnto the yonge ceremonies, whiche al­thoughe they bee not noy­some vnto the fayth nor con­trarye to the worde of God, yet wyll it be harde to fynde suche. They are good & expe­diēt (as milke) to leade y^e yong tenderly into the more perfite knowledge of god. The secōde sort are y^e weke vnto whō in al thīges it behoueth vs to haue respecte and beare theyr infir­mities [Page] by charite for their sake actes. xv.Actes. xvi. dyd Paule circum­cise timothe yea and for theyr sake he had lyuer to captyue his liberty & neuer eate fleshe nor drynke wyne thē to offēde one of them, the thride kynde of men are perfitte I meane not so perfyt y^t they are cleane with out sinne hauing no rē­nauntes of olde Adam assay­lynge them for suche are there none but only Christe but I cal thē perfit which haue per­fit knowledge in y^e vse of thinges which know, y^t what soe­uer entreth into y^e bealy defi­leth not the mā,Math. xv. which knowe that al such thynges be pure vnto them that are pure Tite i.Tite. i. which know that if we eate [Page] we are noting the better or if we eate not we are nothing y^e worse .i. Corhinthi. viii.1. Corhi. viii. these are fre betwne God and theyr cōscience & may vse althinges howbeit they are yet bounde as concerninge theyr neigh­boure which is weke and hath not the knowledge, yea boūde vnder the payne of synne to abstayne from woundinge of their conscience for he sinneth agaynst God y^t woundeth another mans conscience .i. Co­rinth. viii.i. Cor. vii. the fourthe kynde are selfe willed and obstinate which put confidence in such indifferent thynges. For I thynke them not nedefull vnto our saluacion. Thē ough [...] we to resist in the face & no [...] [Page] to yelde an yenche vnto them as Paule giueth vs ensample which wold not for theyr pleasure circumcyse Titum but vtterlye resisted theyr obdu­rate ignoraūce. If thou make this deuisiō, thou shalt know howe to be haue thy selfe to­wardes al men, but now it is mete that we shewe the which are y^e ceremonies of baptisme ¶ The Ceremonies of bap­tisme are easlye expressed if thou knowe whate the sub­staunce of it is and howe the apostles ministred it & where maye we haue that better ex­pressed then actes. viii.Actes. viii. where Philip baptised the Eunuch chāberlaine to y^e quene of Cādace, this Eunuch did knowledge [Page] y^t Iesus was the sonne of God whiche is the signe of our fayth and desired baptis­me and Philipp at the next water they came to, washed him in the name of the father and of the sonne and of the holy goste there wyl no man de­ny but that, that baptysme was as full and as good as oures and yet was there ne. ther fonte nor holy water, candell, Creame, oyle, salt, godfa­ther, or Godmothers, or any other, popatrie. Wherfore we maye conclude that al these thynges are but ceremonyes that is to saye exterior thyn­ges whiche make baptisme nether the better nor worse of a myte, thus saye I not to haue [Page] these cerimonies y^t wāt iudgement, disanulled whiche are not noysome to oure fayeth, for feare of offending y^e weake but onelye that thou mayest knowe howe to vse them, as indifferent and to put no con­fidence in thē. For thē should they hurte and vnquiet oure conscience, if thorowe negli­gence or other wise any thing were vndone, and so shoulde they be an occasion to plucke vs from Christe, whiche were institute for a meane to bring vs vnto him. Therfore y^e Se­niours and ministers of the congregations oughte to in­structe theyr flockes to take these thīges indifferēt, which neyther saue nor dāpne whe­ther [Page] they be done or vndone.

And if they perceyue the peo­ple cleaue to sore to them, thē ought they to seke out a time conuenient, and to abrogate or alter those cerimonies or elles they can not escape the wrathe of God. For they that seke health in suche cerimo­nies are fallen frō grace and treade vnder theyr fote the bloude of Christe: vnto theyr condempnation. But theyr bloude shall be required at your handes, whiche better shoulde haue instructe them. And as concernyng the abro­gation or alteration▪Ezechi. xxxiii. of cere­monies we haue a Godly en­sample of the Sabaoth. The Sabaoth was institute and [Page] cōmaūded of God to be kepte of the chyldren of Israel.Exod. xx. Deut. v. Notwythstanding because it was a signe or a ceremony and did signifie vnto thē that it was God whiche sanctified them wyth his spirite, and not thē selues wyth theyr holy wor­kes.Exod. xxxi. And because also that all ceremonies and shadowes ceased whē Christ came. So that they might be done or left vndone indifferently. Our forefathers, which were in the be­gynnyng of the churche, dyd abrogate thys Sabaoth to the entent that men myghte haue an ensample of christen libertie and that they myght knowe that neyther the kee­pyng of the Saboth nor of a­ny [Page] other daye is necessary ac­cording to Paule.Gala. iiii. Ye obserue dayes, tymes and monethes I am afrayed of you that I haue laboured in vayne to­wardes you. Howe be it be­cause it was necessarye that a daye shoulde be reserued in the whiche the people mighte come to gyther to here the worde of God they ordeyned in the stede of the Sabbaoth which was saterday the next day folouing whiche is Sonday and although thei might haue kepe the Saterdaye w^t the Iewes as a thing indiffe­rent: yet dyd they muche better to ouerset the daye to be a perpetuall memorye that we are fre and not bound to any [Page] daye but that we may do all lawful workes to the pleasure of God & profyt of our neigh­boure and it were at this ty­me very expedyent yet ones agayne to ouer set our Sabbaoth which is the Sonday (because the ignorante people do coūt it as necessary) vnto the mondaye or tewysday For we are in maner as supersticious in the Sonday as they were in the Satterdaye, yea, & we are moche madder. For the ie­wes haue the word of God for theyr Satterdaye sithe it is the Seuenth daye and they were commaunded to keepe the Seuenth daye solempne. And we haue not the word of god for vs but rather against [Page] vs for we képe not the seuēth day as the iewes do. But the first whiche is not cōmaūded by Goddes lawe but Paule byddeh that no man Iudge vs as concernynge holy daye meates and suche other exte­ryourLollo. ii. thynges yea and in no wyse wil he y^t we obserue thē coūtynge them more holy thē other daies. For they were institute that the people should come to gether to here God­des worde, receyue the sacra­mentes and gyue God than­kes. That done they maye re­torne vnto theyr howses & do their busines aswel as any o­ther daye. He that thinketh y^t a mā synneth which worketh on the holy daye, yf he be weke [Page] or ignoraunt ought better to be instruct and so to leaue his holde. But if he be obstinat & perseuer in his sentence, he is not of God, but of the deuill, for he maketh synne in suche as god leaueth fre. According to this ensample wold I that oure ceremonies were altered because as I haue sayed) the people seke helth in them.

And what vilany can they do more to Christes bloude?

¶ And as concerning godfa­thers & godmothers they pro­mise for theyr godchildrē that they shall mortifie the rote of synne which spryngeth in the bodeis and subdewe theyr lu­stes vnder the lawe of God.

They promise also that they [Page] wyll instructe and brynge vp theyr godchyldrē in the fayth of Christe: whiche office per­teineth vnto theyr parentes, for they are commaunded of God to teach theyr chyldren.Exod. xiii. Deut. iiii.v. So that the parentes should be other alone, or at the leaste the chiefest Godfather. But now a daies the fathers may not be suffered to knowe any thynge them selues. Howe shoulde they then instructe theyr chyldrē. They keepe the scripture and worde of God from you, and beare you in hande that it is herisie. Alas howe longe wyl you lacke vnderstandynge: perceyue you not yet that they would kepe you in darkenes because you [Page] shoulde not espye theyr priuy practise and slightly conuey­aunce? Are you so made y^t this blessed worde which made the euyl good, wyl make the good euyll? thynke you that thys holsome medicine whiche hea­leth all infirmities is nowe chaunged into such a nature that it wil poyson you? Are ye so simple and chyldyshe to surmyse that this godly doctrine whiche discloseth al hipocrisie and confoundeth all heresies shoulde make you to erre and fal into heresies? I pray God geue you eyes to se, eares to heare, and open your hertes that you may perceyue what his pleasure is. For surely ig­noraūcie shall not excuse you [Page] (as EzechiellEzech. iii.xxx. speakyng in the person of God) sayth vnto the curates. Thou sonne of man, I haue made the an ouerseer vnto the house of Israel, thou shalte heare the worde of my mouth and shalt shewe it thē frome me. If I saye vnto the wycked thou shalt suerly dye & y^u shew hym not, nor exhort him to turne from his wicked way that he may liue: then he shal dye in his wickednes, but I wyll require his bloude at thy hāde. Yea, and if the rightuouse turne from his rygh­tuousnes and do iniquitie: he shal die although thou shewe it hym not, he shall dye in his synne, but I wyll require his bloude at thy hande. Take [Page] hede you curates vnto your charge, and let no man excuse hym selfe tho­rowe igno­raunce.