FIrste of all I do make protestacyon, that in this boke myne intent is not that Benno the bysshope, which is deed many yeres ago / shulde eyther be iudged or els condempned. For he hath his iudge, lyke as al other haue / whiche haue departed frō this lyfe: of whome it is not laufull for any man to pronoūce or gyue sentence, oneles it be so, y t god hathe perauēture reueled it vnto hym. Fyrst by wordes, & afterwardes by sygnes / for we do onely here touche & rebuke y t lyuynge Satan, Satan. which nowe in this tyme (in which y t gospell is agayne rysen vp by the grace of god, & shineth all abrode) knoweth none other [Page]way howe to auenge hym selfe / than vnto the scornynge of god, and to the rebuke and sclaunder of his worde, to take vnto hymselfe suche maner disguysed apparayle / that vnder the name of Benno, (whiche forsothe wolde more gladlye haue rested in his graue) he myght suffre hym selfe with great ordynaunce of golde and syluer and with solempne and royall pompe to be consecrated and worshypped for a saynt. But the Ire and wrathe of god worketh this, and bryngeth it to passe, that those obstynate and blynde tyrauntes and pursuers (suche as is the Pope with his adherētes) which do not receyue, The Pope. no nor yet can suffre the gospell vnto theyr owne saluacyon: are compelled to beleue leasynges & great errours, and the disceytes [Page]of the deuyll, 2 Thessa. secundo. As Paule saythe vnto theyr greater condempnacyon. And I do this so moch the more gladly, and with more redy mynde, for that I do knowe of a suretie, y t it is nothyng pleasaunt nor acceptable to Benno (yf it so be that he is a saynt in very dede) to be canonised. Lyke wyse as it was neuer pleasaunt to any of all y e sayntes that they haue ben cōsecrated of y e Pope / Howe be it this same thynge (I meane to be canonysed) hathe chaunsed to very fewe of them. For these mere Papistical saintꝭ haue ben for y t most part of them no true chrystyans, specyally for this cause, that (as we do se commenly to come to passe) of this canonisacyon and consecracyon of sayntes, men do tourne them selfes from the grace of god and [Page]from the fayth & trust in Chryst: & do leane vnto y e merytes & suffrages of sayntes. And so moche goodes and ryches is bestowed vpon theyr temples, y t the worke of charyte towardes our neyghbour is well nere extincte / & that the sayntes are accompted & taken in the stede of god / and stones & stockes in the stede of our neyghbour / & of the sayd goodꝭ, Images. onely slowe belyes, & ydell swyne are fat fedde in the tēples, churches, and monasteryes. Nowe to the laufull & very sayntes, there can be nothynge more pleasaunt and acceptable: than that pure & vncorrupte faythe and lyuely & stronge charyte do indure & contynue amōge men. And for this cause god wold y t Moyses shuld be in suche wyse buryed, The Butyaff of Moyses. that no man shuld knowe his graue: lest [Page]els he myght happely in y t place be worshyhped, called vpon, and prayed vnto. Yea moreouer he dyd not suffre so moche as any honoure or worshyp to be gyuen vnto god in any certayne place appoynted, or by any spirytuall name, oneles he had cōmaunded it before his owne selfe. For whiche cause also Ezechias dyd breake the brasen serpent into peces, Esechias albeit that god had cōmaunded it to be made: because he dyd perceyue that y e Iewes wolde there set vp honour vnto god: though the false ꝓphetes also dyd often tymes crye, that it was done to the honour & glorye of very god, euen lykewyse as the Pope with his adherentes dothe nowe of this Benno. Howe moche lesse thā is it to be suffered now these dayes, that in the newe testamēt, [Page]in the clere lyghte of the gospell any maner honourynge or worshyppynge of god shuld be sette vp of any mans owne wyttes & deuocyon, besyde that onely honoure and worshyppe whiche he hathe cōmaūded in faythe & charytie, The true honourrynge of god. with y e oblacyon & offeryng vp of euery mans owne selfe, so as Paule dothe teche in the .xii. Chapitre to the Romanes. Fyrst to begyn at the hyghest, the matter went gaylye forwarde, y t that Satan was in Misnia aduaū syd & set vp by Adryan, Adryan the .vi. (whyles he lyued) his owne peculyer and specyall mynister and seruaunt / For albeit that he was accōpted & taken to be of a certayne good & cōmendable lyfe, (as the fame goeth of hym). Yet (as all suche maner Hypocrytes are wonte to be) he was the sorest enemy of all [Page]men vnto god and his worde / because I wyll not speke here, that at Bruxelles he suffered y t double murther to be done, and two martyrs to be made vnto Chryst and to be taken for very sayntꝭ, all thoughe he was ygnoraunte therof, Iohan & Henry vetye marters. and it was sore agaynst his wyll. For murther was commytted and done, as yf they had ben than heretykes, which in very dede they were not). For true christen men, & those in especyall whiche haue any admynistracyon in spirytual thynges? do neyther torment nor slee any mā: but they do onely (as Christ & Paule teacheth) eschewe the companye of wycked men, & beware of thē. And thoughe neyther I oughte nor yet can iudge, what maner ende he had at his deth: yet this doubtles I may iudge, that excepte [Page]he dyd amende before that he dyd departe from this lyfe, & dyd reuoke or repēt hym of such murther. And dyd with his hert vnfaynedly fauour our gospell: it is vndoubted, y e he is not free from dampnacyon. This mater no doubte of it is handeled in all poyntes after y e papistycall maner. Iohn̄ hus and Hierome of prage. For lykewyse as in the coū sell of Constance, Iohn̄ Hus, & Hierome of Prage, those verye sayntes & martyrs of god, were condempned and brente. Thomas de aquino the fountayne of all heresy.And on the other syde Thomas de Aquino the origynall fountayne and sprynge of all Heresye, the pestylence and (as his bokes do wytnesse) y e ouerthrower & destroyer of the gospell, was canonysed & made a saynt. Euen so nowe (yf god be pleasyd) our mayster Adrian doth at Bruxelles / he hath [Page] Adryan the .vi.brente those very sayntes, Iohn̄ and Henry: & nowe on the other syde maketh I wotte not what of Benno a saynt, nay rather the very deuyl. For this is the peculyare & propre worke of y e popes / they must nedes laboure aboute these thyngꝭ, that is to wytte, to rydde the very sayntes out of the worlde, and to auaūce & lyfte vp on hyghe counterfayte sayntes / to condempne the worde of god, & to establysshe theyr owne doctryne / & than saye afterwardes, that this thynge dothe tourne to the honoure and glorye of god & of his sayntꝭ, lykewyse as Christ dothe saye in the .xvi. chapitre of Iohn̄ whan he saythe.
THe tyme shall come y e who soeuer dothe kyll you, shall wene that he dothe honoure and [Page]seruyce vnto god. Forsothe this theyr noyse shuld haue more worthy of sylence / and pope Adryan with those whiche do so buselye promote and set forward the canonysacyon of Benno, Pope Adryan. ought, (& not without great cause) to be hartely asshamed, yf there were but euen one lytle sparke of wysdome lefte in them, for that they haue not ben affrayed to put in wrytynge all those holy maners and examples of Benno, and to reherse them in the bulle, & openlye to publysshe them vnto the hole worlde, y e is to wytte, howe he dyd ioyne hym self to Gregory the. Gregory the .vii. Hēry the vii. Emperour. vii. and toke parte w t hym agaynst Henry the .vii. Emperour / and dyd excōmunicate the Marchion of Misnia and the Emperour also with hym / and than afterwardꝭ dyd ronne lyke [Page]a false traytour vnto the Pope / I wolde haue sayd went in pylgrymage to fulfyll his vowe. O howe worthy and semely a dede was this for a knyghte? For he ought of ryght to be called not onely by y e name of an holy bysshop: but also of an holy knight, & he were worthye to be dygged vp with golden mattockes and spades, that he myght be all togyther of redde gold. I wyll not here reherse nor brynge forth the hystoryes, whiche do effectually shewe or declare, howe holelye y e Gregorye the .vii. dyd demeane hym selfe towardꝭ Henry y e .viii. Hēry the viii. doutles full lyke a traytour and a false disceyuoure, yf a man do marke well y e fasshyon of hym. For he dothe prouoke the sone agaynst the father, & deposeth hym frō the Emperpall dignyte, [Page]and suffered hym at y e last to dye excōmunicate: and all onely for cause of worldly ryches, honour and tyranny / vnto suche maner Pope dyd Benno conuey hym selfe (as the bulle doth reporte & make bost of hym) & such a pope as this, he cōfyrmed and mayntayned in his peruersytie & wyckednesse. Neyther was there so moch wytte in that holy man as to perceyue y e the pope dyd wyekedlye and wrongfully, whiche dyd styrre vp the sōne agaynst y e father, to whome god had commaūded obedyence and honoure to be gyuen. But he is so desperatly blynde, that he dothe ioyne hym selfe vnto the pope, & dothe mayntayne & defende his parte, and togyther with hym doth excōmunicate the Emperoure and y e Marchion: where as he ought [Page]euen with the ieopardye of his owne lyfe to haue cryed agaynst the pope, and to resyste and with stande hym / I wyll not (I saye) make rehersal of those thynges. Themperour Henry. And let vs graunte, that Henry had an vniust cause, & the Pope a rightuous cause, (which thing for all that the hystoryes do denye:) yet doubtles this thynge can not be denyed, y e Ceasar embrasyd the faythe, whiche is accordynge to the worde of god. But (as I haue sayd) al this busynesse was onely for cause of money and ryches besydes this for honour and tyrannyes sake / for whiche thynges hethen men are wonte to stryue among them selfes / here in this thyng (I say) the pope dyd not Euāgelycally. For els he ought not to haue resysted that euyll, but to haue let [Page]that thynge go which wolde not contynewe as Christ doth openly teache in y e .v. chapitre of Mathewe. yea more ouer all though themperour had done any thing also agaynst the worde of god / yet for all that the Pope oughte to haue suffered / and as beynge the faythfull vycare of Chryste his lord, he ought rather to haue suffered dethe in the cause. But here the Pope not onely dyd resyst euyll, and dyd reuenge hym selfe: but also he dyd moch euyll and moche iniurye and vexacyons to his aduersary. For he dyd shede so moche blode, & he broughte in so moche discorde and de bate: that a man wolde euen abhorre to rede of it. And yet dyd he not cease nor take vp so, The Popesdede. vntyll he dyd spoyle the Emperour of his auctoryte / dyd spoyle hym [Page]and depryue hym of his Empyre, and of all his frendes, & also of all his honour / fynally of his body and lyfe, yea and (asmoche as in hym was to do) also of his soule. And with suche a Pope doth that holy man Benno conspire, whiche god wotte hath declared the gospell euen with doynge of miracles also. These are those excellent & noble vertues, for whiche he was iudged worthy to be dygged vp out of the grounde w e golden spades, ꝑaduenture to thentent that we also shulde lerne by his examples to kepe the gospell after the same fasshyon. And veryly I do suppose that this was the myracle & vertue of Bēno, which dyd most moue and styrre the see of Rome, and whiche was princypally accepted of it. For had not this ben [Page]aduēture he shuld haue lyen yet styll a great whyle in y e groūde. For who soeuer can worke suche a myracle that he can proue, and promote or sette forwarde the ryches, the pompe, the auctorytie, & the honours of the see of Rome, that man alone dothe more than yf he dyd rayse vp .x. deade men, yea & that though all the worlde in the meane season shulde perrysshe togyther with body, and soule, substaunce and honoure. But thou Benno a pleasaūt hypocryte vnto y e Pope, howe gayly well hast thou deserued to be canonysed: which couldest fynde in thyne hert to be partener with the Pope of so many horryble & abhomynable synnes agaynst y e gospell / and all cōmon reason: and to charge & burthayne thy selfe with them. But verely (as [Page]I do suppose) these vertues of Benno are but fayned & forged of the Misnianes to flatter the Pope with all, and to moue and styrre hym to consecrate and canonyse hym a saynte: because they knowe well, that the Pope hathe not a lytle delectacion and pleasure in suche maner tyckelynge / and is not a lytle gladde, The amhicyon and vayne gforyousnesse of y e pope. whan he hereth suche maner sō ges to be songen vnto hym. And for this cause therfore they dyd forthwith euen at y e begynnynge laye these vertues forthe before, all myracles: that by that meanes the Pope myght be taken & made fonde / and that all those other vertues & myracles beynge els vnparfyte, feble and of none efficacite or strength in compary son of those myracles of y e Misniās (alas for very shame) shuld [Page]be y e more acceptable vnto hym. Nowe yf it be so y t they do worke with lyes & false disceytes: who can from hensforth doubte, that the canonisacyon of this Benno is a mere disceyte of the deuyll? so that nowe not Benno, but the deuyll hym selfe vnder the name of Benno dothe suffre hym selfe to be extolled and magnifyed as a saynt. And yf these thynges be true & vnfayned: this one thyng I may boldly saye and affyrme, that Benno, yf he dyed hauynge knowlege hereof, and dyd not repente hym and be sorye for this synfull dede, was vndoubtedlye cast downe hedlonge into helle. For the gospell muste nedes be truely, exactly, & perfectly, kepte and fulfylled. The gospel is to be obserued & kepte.For Chryst sayth, who soeuer shall breake one of these leaste commaundementes: [Page]he shalbe called leaste in y e kyngdome of heuyns. Math. v.
WHat maner thyng than do those Misnianes cōsecrate to vs for a saynt? doubtles a stronge and an erraunte thefe, & a bloode sheder / the cause of all the calamyties and myseryes of all Germanie / the enemye of the gospel, the felowe of Antichryst / to whome he dyd conueye hym selfe, and was made parte taker of his impietie and wyckednes. And this thynge may euydently be gathered of the hyghe and excedynge great boste, whiche is made in the bulle of our mayster Adryan, of that excellent vertue, The bull of master Adryan. and holynesse, whiche dyd shyne in Benno / what other thynge I beseche you is meaned by these wordes / we do cōsecrate hym for [Page]a saynt, which lyued contrary to the rule of y t gospell, what other thynge (I saye) is this, than to saye: We Misuianes are peuisshe, and vtterlye madde, whiche beynge distracte and besyde our selfes do not considre nor marke what is the very gospell selfe, or what is repugnaunt to the gospell / and whiche do make that thyng holy which we do prayse / and which do boste hym for this cause, that he dyd lyue & demeane hym selfe contrary to the gospell? But thus shall our woode prelates stumble and fall: which do persecute the worde of god. A lyke thyng and of the same forte is that noble and dely cate myracle, whiche also is bosted in that excellent and goodly bulle, not without the great wyckednesse & shame of Benno / & not of Bēno [Page]alone, but also of all them, which do make hym a saynt. For the bulle dothe boste, howe boldly & manfully Benno, for worldly ryches sake, The Marchion of Misnia. dyd rydde the Marchion of Misnia out of y e world, whiche had gyuen hym a buffet / and that same day tweluemonth after y t he was slayne, lykewyse as he had also before manased & thretened hym, that he wolde do. Here (god wotte) Bēno dyd well interprete that place of the gospell, and also expresse it in his lyuynge, where Chryst dothe saye: Mathe. v. do good vnto them that are noyous vnto you, and pray for them whiche do defame & pursue you.
BUt cōtrarywyse ī this bulle thou seest, that Chryst dothe with myracles confyrme and fortifye cleane contrary thynges to [Page]this doctryne, and with wordes dothe teache to suffre, and afterwarde with myracles doth compell the contrary, to be done. O worshypfull bulle, O goodly canonysers / whan wyll you ones be asshamed? but the bulle not contented so, The impietie & Bsasphemye of the Busse. nor thynkynge it ynough that it doth extolle such a blasphemye for a myracle, procedeth further forthe also / & maketh of Benno a god, whan it sayth: hereof it may easely be perceyued, that diuyne power was cōmunycated to that godlye mā. Almyghtye god ponysshe you, & forfende this, you most vngracyous & wretched blasphemours / For here by these wordes they wyll that the sayntes do worke myracles for them selfꝭ, and not Chryst alone, so as it is redde in the .lxxi. psalme, where it is sayd, [Page]whiche onely dothe worke great wonders.
BUt go to nowe, let vs graūt here agayne, that this grose and excedyng great lye was forged & ymagyned of good Bēno, to thentent to bowe and supple the mynde of y e Pope, & to tendre his herte. For y e holy see of Rome is more moued and styrred, and taketh more delectacyon & pleasure of prynces be in any place euyll entreated & sharpely handeled, whan they haue ben bolde to laye hande vpon spirptuall goodes: than of the hole worlde were made holye. And therfore they haue also heaped togyther, and repeted in so many legēdes and examples and bokes those thinges, whiche dyd appertayne vnto this matter: to thentente [Page]doubtles, that they myghte purchase and gette vnto them selfe plenty of goodes and pleasures in this worlde / & that they shuld not be constrayned to obserue & kepe or fulfyll the gospell. And yf this thynge be true: than (I saye) this agayne that Benno is none other wyse a saint, than are Annas & Cayphas: Annas. Cayphas. oneles peraduenture he toke repentaūce afore his dethe for his lyfe afore ledde / And they do not a lytle dishonoure and shame to Benno: whiche do boste and openly reaporte suche dedes of hym. For yf those thyngs be true, which they do carye about and boste in the bulle: than is Benno one of the deuylles sayntes. And yf they be but fayned thinges: than are they with theyr consecracyon & canonisacyon all togyther moued [Page]and styrred and ruled by the deuyll. For where it may be proued, that any mā hath not lyued accordynge to the rule and doctryne of the scrypture: without doubt that man can not be holy, neyther oughte he of ryght to be consecrated and canonysed for a saynt / no thoughe he dyd rayse vp all deed men, and dyd worke all maner myracles. The gospell. The gospel is more mighty & of more strēgth to condempne a man, than any maner sygnes and myracles are to make hym a saynt. For y e gospell can neyther erre ne lye: but myracles do often tymes deceyue, Suspecte myracles. as Paule hathe shewed vnto vs, wytnessynge that Antichryst shulde worke with false coūtrefayte myracles, that he myghte also begyle euen the verye electe persones / and as Moyses also [Page]doth wryte in the .xiii. chapitre of Deuteronomium, y t no credence shuld be gyuen to miracles, whā the thynge semeth to be agaynst the worde of god. For myracles ought to serue the worde, and to folowe it: & not to go before it, & to do preiudyce vnto it / wherfore it is necessary and must nedes be that eyther the doctrine of Bēno be approued, or els that his myracles, be of no wayght nor value, Myracles to be proued. as it is wrytten in the laste chapytre of Mathewe. Confyrmyng the worde y e they preached with sygnes & myracles folowynge / he saythe not with myracles goynge before, or els myracles apperyng w eout any worde. And moche lyke vnto these thinges, is that also, where it is said, that Bēno many yeres ago euen after his dethe, dyd for temporall [Page]goodes sake ponisshe Wyllyam Marchion / y t is to wytte beynge moued at the peticyon and prayer of a certayne mayster or prouost, Wyllyam the Marchion of Misnia. dyd stryke out the Marchions iye (as for the most parte holye are wonte to be gouernours of churches collegyate). For these noble prelates do all that euer maye be done for moneys sake, and for cause of ambicyon. This theyr ambicyon they wyll to be confyrmed & establysshed euen of the sayntes, that be departed out of this worlde. But this example came from the deuyll, as sure as god lyueth in heuen. For so that vncleane spirite is wonte to worke, and to do his busynesse by vysyons of deed folke, Wysyons of deade men. that he myghte make men madde, and to make them affrayed. This is [Page]vndoubted, & of a very suretye, that patryarches and kynges in the olde testament dyd somtyme fyght and handle weapons: but that was onely for the worde of god, & for his peoples cause, by the testymony of scrypture. But it pleaseth our lordes of Misnia & the blynde see of Rome, to call all that myracles, what soeuer doth fortifye & mayntayne temporall honoures and ryches / yea moreouer I do thīke this thyng also in a maner to be but a forged & fayned thynge, (lykewyse as al the myracles are well nere, which are rehersed in all y t bulle) that the Pope with the Misnianes by suche maner leasynges & erroure wolde put good Benno to martyrdome, that not onelye they myght haue a confessour of Benno, Benno a martyr. but also a martyr. For yf [Page]he was a good & vertuous man, it is vndoubted that they do put hym vnto greatter punisshemēt, than euer was any martyr put vnto. For with what contumely & rebuke coulde he be more foule blotted & stayned, than this that he is sayde to haue lyued otherwyse than the gospell dothe teache / and that those vysyons are ascrybed vnto hym, whiche euen the deuyll hym selfe is wonte to handle? Howe moche more wysdome than shuld it haue ben for you, O you worshypfull Misnianes, to haue kepte you styll at home with your Benno & suche maner myracles? And I wolde coūsayle you, and aduertyse you to be more ware and more wyse hereafter, and not to contynewe & holde on with ouer many suche folysshe and peuysshe thynges [Page]to dyshonoure & blaspheme god. For here you do se, y t youre bostynge, eyther is but forged and vntrue: or els doubtles y t Benno is dampned. And yf it be so, that you do holde on with obstynate myndes to ronne hedlonge, and to mayntayne and defende your lyes, or so open & many feste vyces of Benno: than am I innocent from your bloode, and from the bloode of all those, which do take parte with you. It myghte seme y t you haue hytherto mocked ynough & more thā ynough / and that it is tyme ones to take vp with suche thynges. And the other miracles are so vayne, and so nothing worthe and very tryfles: that the thynge is worthye to be petyed because I wyll not speake here, that blynde men are soone and easely begyled, & they [Page]whiche are redy to tell and here lyes. For who I pray you wolde not laugh at this, that the belles which were halowed of Benno, do dryue away tempestes of wether? as who shulde saye y t other belles coulde not do the same, or as thoughe the deuyll, whiche coniured into a glasse doth suffre hym selfe to be sent awaye agayne, coulde not brynge in, & chase awaye a tempest, that so by the permissyon & sufferaunce of god he may deceyue wretched men. For yf euery thynge y t is rare, ought the same forthwith to be a myracle comen from heuen: than shulde there neuer any false myracle be done any where. Of whiche sorte is this also, that Bēno went beyonde Albi, & was sene in this place & that place, bothe at one tyme. Who knoweth, I [Page]pray you whether this were Bē no, or els some deuyll? For howe many tymes hathe the deuyll played suche prankes? For howe harde a thynge, or howe great a maystrye shall it be, thynke you, to the deuyll, The prynce of this worlde. whiche is prynce of this worlde, to make feble, or to bewytch any man y t is his owne all redye throughe vnbelefe in Chryst, and afterwarde to bydde and cōmaunde hym to be ledde vnto some saynte, where he may be delyuered and rydde from his dysease or euyll? And than this thynge streyght wayes shall be ascrybed god wotte, vnto y t saīt. But O good lorde, howe vncircumspectelye & vnwysely do we al thinges? Howe rasshely & vnaduysedly do we ronne on forthe as it were certayne blynde men? Howe pyteouslye dyd the deuyll [Page]deceyue saynte Gregorye in his dyaloges? Saynte Gregory. For there is in euery place so moche plentye of suche maner iuggelyng castes and deceytes, whiche he hath exercysed, & yet doth exercyse, that I coulde of them make tenne other suche sayntes, as Bēno is / who agayne can sufficyētly proue, that the holye fountayne was broughte forthe by Benno: sauyng onely that the comon opynyon goeth so aboute of it? For a man may fynde many lyke thyngꝭ / the nature and origynall cause wherof is straunge and vnknowen / of which sorte there are many thinges at Rome. Brieffely, who soeuer wyll descrybe and ymagine y t good lyfe of an holy bysshop: He ought of necessyte to brynge forthe the wordes and doctryne, Sygnes of true holynesse. wherin he was excellēt. And also [Page]faythe, charyte and the crosse of persecucyon whiche was layde vpō his backe for his doctrynes sake. These thynges onely are the true tokens of an holy man / But nowe this bulle saythe in dede, that Benno dyd preache: but what he dyd preache, or what he dyd vtterly beleue, it maketh no mencyon at all / neyther is there so moche as any mencyon at al made of charyte, and of the crosse / onely it speketh of his ceremonyes, & howe that in great angre he ranne away & afflycted and vexed certayne men for the goodes of the churche. Besydes this there is caryed aboute tales of certayne spirites and phantasyes or ymagynacions of vncertayne and fayned myracles, whiche shulde nede moche more probacion, whether they dyd chaūce [Page]accordynglye and verely or not, than this, whether Benno be a saynte or not. But this thynge myght easely be perswaded vnto me, that Benno in dede was a good man, but yet was in many thyngꝭ seduced and deceyued of the Pope: Benno sedused and begyled. and yet neuerthelesse at the laste throughe the vnmesurable mercy of god was saued in lyke maner as it hathe chaunsed to Bernarde, & to very many other electe & chosen persones. But that he dyd suche myracles, or wrought suche folysshe wonders as the bulle doth assygne & ascrybe vnto hym: I suppose no man shall proue / or at the leaste wyse yf he can proue it: thā they do make Benno the chylde of dampnacyon, and heyre of helle / for asmoche as his lyfe is cleane repugnaunt and contrary to the [Page]gospell. Wherfore, as for my parte, I wolde gyue counsayle, y t no man shulde be any whytte moued or styrred with this consecracyon or canonysacyon: but rather that good Benno shulde be lefte quyete and in rest to the iudgement of god, which aboue dothe knowe what is done with Benno, and what condycyon & state he is in / For these myracles do proue nothynge at all. More ouer euen his very doctryne also semeth to haue ben cleane repugnaunt & contrary to faythe, charytie, and the crosse / what neded than this so great canonisacyon of hym: syth it forceth lytle, whether he be made a saynte or not. For euery mā may be a chrysten mā, & saued, all thoughe neyther Bēno, neyther yet any other mā were made a saynt: (to passe ouer [Page]and speake no worde here that it can not be, but y t lucre is soughte here in this thynge. I aste of all, yf it be so, that for all these thynges whiche we haue hytherto recyted, yet thou arte not perswaded good louynge reader: at the least wyse the very bulle it selfe, (yf I be not begyled) wyll perswade the, in whiche the Pope hym selfe doth confesse & graūte, that he hym selfe with his adherentes dyd make theyr prayers vnto god, y t he wolde not suffre them to erre in this busynesse. Here I beseche, se and consydre thyne owne selfe, howe the pope dothe lye vnto vs: The false lye of the Pope. and howe throughe ouermoche desyre and study to begyle other mē he doth begyle his owne selfe. For yf he do pray, that god wyll not suffre hym to erre in declarynge & publysshing [Page]of Bēno to be a saynt: Howe can he, I beseche you, be assured and out of doubt? Howe can he ꝓue, that his prayer was herde, and his peticyon graunted? What aungell dyd appere to hym, & shewe hym this thyng, that he myghte be assured of it? But some suche thynge it muste nedes haue ben, seynge that he dothe here prescrybe a newe artycle of the fayth: which thynge to do, is as laufull to hym, & as moche auctoryte he hathe to do it, as I haue to cōmaūde heuen and y e sonne. On the other syde agayne, whan he reporteth and recyteth so ofte, that by the myracles he was certyfyed and assured of his holynes: wherfore I praye you dothe he aske counsayle of god, concernynge that thynge, whereof he was all redye [Page]assured? doste thou not thynke, that this is to tempte god, and to scorne hym: whan thou doste aske & desyre to knowe a thynge, which thou haste perfyte knowlege of all redy? But after this fasshyon and maner the deuyll is wonte to shame hym selfe / for lyes can not agre nor stande togyther, but they muste nedes alwayes impugne theym selfes. Lykewyse as this our pope, The incō stancye of the Pope. whiche whā he goeth about to worke most holylye and wyttely, calleth vpon god, and desyreth to be certifyed: and in so doynge sheweth hym selfe to be in doubt and vnassured, where as yet before he hath concluded it to be certayne and vndoubted, & also wylleth it to be taken for vndoubted / nothynge pceyuyng nor markyng, that whyles he prayeth & desyreth [Page]to be certyfyed, he dothe acknowlege and confesse hym selfe to be vnassured and in doubt. It is therfore certayne & vndoubted that he dothe lye, eyther whā he doth praye, or els at the leaste whan he dothe make his saynt. And he lyeth loude and with full mouthe, as the comen sayeng is / For he dothe but onelye make a countenaūce and semblaunce of prayer: and in verye dede dothe mocke and scorne god. Howe be it in that he doth praye as vncertayne, he prayeth truthe. But agayne on the other syde he lyeth whan he saythe that he is certyfyed & assured by myracles. For asmoche than as this matter is handeled and done by mere deceytes and lyes / by blyndyng of mennes iyes, and subtylte: it remayneth, that thou, who soeuer [Page]thou art, do beware of this newe Idole, whiche vsurpeth & taketh vpon hym the name of Benno / whome yf thou wylte not cōfesse and acknowlege for a saynte, at the leaste wyse let it greue the, y t we do comenlye so folysshe and so chyldysshely abuse deed men, We abuse deed men. that by them we do caste downe hedlonge the wretched kynde of men into myschiefe / what shall Bēno do, yf we do vse his bones and his relyques to Idolatrye, for cause to wrast out money frō men, to y e destruccyon of so many soules? wherfore as concernyng these thyngꝭ, let this suffyce that hathe ben spoken hereto of vs.
Nowe let vs speke of the verye ryght and true canonysacyon, & whiche is the sure, vndoubted, & holsome consecracyon and makynge of a saynte. Fyrst of all it [Page]is to be consydered and marked, that the scripture doth make but small mencyon, or els none at all any where of sayntes y t are in heuen: Sayntes in y e scrypture. but onely of those sayntes & holy men that are conuersaunt & abydynge here in erthe, as saynt Paule doth wryte to the Romanes in y e .xii. chapytre. Gyue pte of your goodes to releue the necessytie & nede of sayntes. And in the .v. chapytre. of y e fyrst epystle to Timothe. yf she shall haue wasshed the fete of sayntes.
ANd to make an ende ī fewe wordes, Paule in all his epystles calleth them sayntes, vnto whome he wryteth / shewynge y t euery chrysten man in his lyfe is a saynt. But the Papistes do knowe no saynte sauynge onely those whiche are in heuen: and [Page]whome they do dayly sette in heuen: and for this cause doubtles they do not vnderstāde the scryptures, and do depyse and haue in contempte all the verye sayntes of god. yf than we wyll make our lyfe to agree with the rule of the scrypture: we ought to bryng awaye our selfes from y e sayntes whiche are in heuen, & to tourne our selfes vnto them that are in erthe / we oughte to extolle these sayntes, and these we oughte to honoure. This thynge, no doubt of it, is pleasaunte and acceptable vnto god, whiche hathe also cōmaunded the same. For as cō cernynge them that are departed out of this worlde, he hathe gyuen vs no commaundement at all: wherfore it is not acceptable nor pleasaunte vnto hym, what soeuer it be, Idolatry that we do bestowe [Page]vpon them / For this maner Idolatrye hathe ben inuented of men, because this thynge dothe brynge in some lucre / as other men before me haue sufficyently declared, and haue largely treated of all this matter. For hytherto I haue wrytten no specyall thynge as yet of the veneracyon of sayntes, (which thyng also certayne of my bokꝭ do wytnesse) all thoughe it be imputed to me, and layed to my charge, as though I had ben y e authour and fyrst begynner. And who soeuer hath ben the authour by the pleasure & wyll of god, of a suretye he dothe not mystyke nor displease me, neyther dothe it greue me to beare ꝑte of another mans dishonoure and rebuke / to passe ouer in the meane season, that I do not coueyte to chalenge another [Page]mans wrytynges for myne, but I do acknowledge (as ryghte is) y t god dothe also worke some thynge by other men, because I wyll not seme to do y e busynes of y e gospel, all my selfe alone. It is euydente therfore, howe many thynges, and howe great coste & labour is necessarely required to the makynge of sayntes as touchynge theyr bodyes: The honour and worshyppynge of sayntes, mēcyoned in the scripture. & agayne on the other syde howe easye and howe redy a thyng that true worshippyng of sayntes is / which is spirytuall, y t is to wytte suche as Paule doth wryte to the Romanes in the .xv. Chapytre. whan he saythe.
Gyue parte of your goodes to the necessyte of sayntes / & agayne preuente eche one of you another with honoure / agayne lette euery man esteme another man [Page]at more than he dothe esteme his owne selfe.
THis onely is to worshyppe sayntes duely to y e glorye & honoure of god. For in asmoche as we are y e tēples of god, euery mā ought to submytte hym selfe to his neyghboure, and to worshyppe god in that tēple / to gyue place vnto hym / to loue hym / to deale kyndly and louyngly with hym / and yf he may at any tyme, to prouoke hym vnto better thin ges. Nowe these thyngꝭ are not done (I suppose) with shouelles or spades couered with syluer, nor yet w t gylte rakes. And wold god those men whiche do consecrate and canonyse Benno with the other sayntꝭ, wold here gyue eare vnto me, & wold suffre them selfes to be monisshed with these [Page]wordes: Tell me who knoweth, whether these thynges be true or not? Doubtles this thynge can not be denyed, that al that costly ordenaūce, and all that expence, and all that labour with the honoure and veneracyon, & brefely what soeuer such maner thynge shall be bestowed in Misnia, is neyther so wel bestowed nor is so acceptable vnto god: as it shuld be yf any man dyd gyue vnto a poore chrysten man a dyner or a garmēt. Ye y t thynge is rather vn pleasaunte vnto almyghty god & is honourynge of the deuyll: and this thynge is spirytuallye acceptable to god, and hatefull to the deuyll. For god hath commaunded this thinge, and the other thynge he dothe not knowe at all. Howe many thousandes of ducates, dost thou suppose or [Page]thynke, that Benno hathe cosre, besydes that he shal cost in tyme to come: with whiche (beynge cast awaye euery one of them before god, not without his great indy gnacyon & angre) so many very sayntes myghte haue ben holpen and fedde / doste thou not suppose, that god with his aungels wyll tourne them selfes vnto that place, where some good man the same day had pytie and compassyon of some chrysten mā beynge in necessytie or afflyccyō: and wyll leaue Misnia behynde theyr backe, where Bēno is tour mented and afflycted: I wolde haue sayd is made a saynt? whā shall we ones begyn to be wyse? Howe often tymes shall we nede to repete one thynge? why doste thou not euen by comen reason lerne, whether it is better to do [Page]almes vpon poore sayntes that are a lyue: or els vpon this, that some man that deed is myght be made a saynte, whiche hathe no nede at all of suche humanytie & kyndnes? And yf it be better and more profytable: to bestowe it vpon poore lyuynge creatures: why are we suche nygardes & so scase in layeng forth of our money here in this thynge: A folysshe and dysordred liberalytie. and so prodygal & lauysshe in the other thynge? But certaynely the iudgementes of god are vpryght & ryghtuous / that is to wytte, that where it dothe greue vs to bestowe tenne florence frelye & for nought vpon the very sayntes, which thynge shulde be most acceptable and pleasaunte to god: that there the deuyll shuld make vs so madde with the spiryte of Gedynes, and shulde so handell [Page]vs that we do not doubte wastefullye to bestowe golden spades and rakes, yea and otherwhyles a thousande florēnes vpon deed mennes bones, and besydes this to seche and purchase vnto our selfes al kynde and maner of calamytie and indygnacyon. But wretches haue neyther delyte to here these thynges, neyther to be leue thē. But be it so / yet doubtles it can not be auoyded, but y e we must nedes ones here & haue experyence of it: thoughe we do neuer so moche put of from morowe to morowe / We do seche shame, and therfore we shal also fynde shame and rebuke, whiche verylye is euen nowe at hande. Besydes this (to adde this also) though those thynges also were true, whiche are reported of the sygnes and myracles of Benno, [Page]and that the sayd myracles were of effecte & wrought of god hym selfe by Bēno, though these myracles (I saye) were wroughte euen for the gospell sake, so as Chryst dothe promyse in the last chapitre of Marke: (which thīge in very dede can neuer be ꝓued) yet for all that, we oughte not so folysshely, so rasshely, nor with so madde a begynnyng to leape forthe so hastelye to consecrate & canonyse sayntes. For such maner sygnes & myracles thoughe they do neuer so moche declare the holynesse of a mannes lyfe / before the workynge of them: yet can they not assure vs & put vs out of doubt, whether y e same man dyd cōtynewe stedfast and holye also in his deth or els not. The iudgementes of god. For asmoche as the iudgementes of god are hydde & vtterlye [Page]meruaylous and dredefull / For he hym selfe sayth in the .vii. chapytre of Mathewe.
Many men shall saye to me, lorde haue we not in thy name caste forthe deuylles & wrought many myraclas? And than I shall answere vnto theym. Go from me you workers of iniquitie.
THese forsoth are farre greater & more sure & vndoubted myracles, than are those, whiche Benno hathe wrought / and Chryste also dothe acknowlege them: yet for all that he doth cō dempne the persones by whome they were wrought. To the same effecte and purpose. Moyses also dothe wryte in the .xiii. chapypytre of Deuteronomium, that god dothe permytte and suffre [Page]myracles to be wrought by false prophetes, to thentent to tempte and proue his people. False prophetes. Wherfore it maketh nothynge to the purpose, though any saynt do worke myracles after his deathe at his graue / For who knoweth whether god doth proue vs and trye our faythe by those myracles, y e holy man ī the meane season beynge condempned at the tyme of his dethe. Lykewyse as were thē false ꝓphetes in theyr lyfe tyme. But in especyall this is a suspecte thynge, whan those myracles are wroughte to thende, that throughe theym holye lyfe in dede may be cōmended: but not that the faythe and worde of god maye be confyrmed. And suche for the moost parte are all the myracles of this Benno, of which there is nothynge that [Page]dothe appertayne to the confyrmacy on of the word of god, but onelye to his ceremonyes, his prayours / to y e gloryes & bostes of the churche of y e Misnianes / and fynally to the pompes and auctoryte & power of the church of Rome / Do you not thynke it to be an excellente myracle, that Balaam (as it is wryten in the. Balaam. xxiiii. chapytre of Numeri) whether he wolde or not was cōpelled to preache the worde of god, and to blysse the chyldren of Israell? Was it not also a meruayle that Saul dyd prophecye amonge the prophetes? 1. Regū. & Saul. dothe it folowe therfore, that they muste nedes be sayntes: yf the holye ghoste dyd speake or dyd worke suche maner thynges by them? Wherfore before thextreme iudgement no mā ought of chrysten [Page]men to be iudged & called a saīt, as saynte Paule dothe teache in the .iiii. chapitre of the fyrst epistell to the Corinthianes whan he saythe.
Do not iudge any thynge before the tyme vntyll y e lorde shal come, whiche shall brynge to lyghte the thynges that are hydde in darkenes.
SPirytually syth we do know that Chryst and Paule haue prophecyed before, that in these laste dayes so goodly & so gaye painted myracles shuld be done, that euen the verye electe & chosen persones, yf it were possyble, shulde be begyled. We ought to haue good opynyon of sayntes. Nothynge dothe lette, but that we may of a symple and a playne mynde accompt them for sayntes, & iudge of thē as one chrysten mā ought [Page]to thynke and iudge of another chrysten man: But it is in no wyse to be receyued or suffered, that we wyll be as sure of it as of an artycle of the faythe and hange vpon it, so as the pope tyrannously with his Benno dothe requyre: sauynge onely peraduenture of those whome god in scrypture hathe declared and pronounsed to be sayntes / of whiche sorte are the patryarkes, the prophetes, the apostelles, and the dyscyples. I do with a good wyll beleue, that Elysabeth whiche was buryed at Magbrughe is a saynte. I beleue the very same also of Augustyne, of Hierome, of Ambrobrose, of Bernarde, & of Frauncyske: but yet so that I wyll not leane and grounde vpon this belefe, [Page]and defende it to the dethe. For the certentie and the groundewarke of our faythe oughte to be fetched at the scrypture, The certentye of our fayth. and to be taken out of it. And excepte it be expressyd ī the scrypture: neyther y e Pope, no nor yet any Aungelles haue any power to make so moche as onelye one artycle of the faythe. But hytherto we haue spoken suffycyentlye agaynst the deuylysshe worke: Nowe it remayneth to speake somwhat besydes, agaynst the deuylysshe wordes / to thentente that the sayde worke may be sette forthe to the comen people as it were in a table, and so at the laste be dyspraysed. For I am not ygnoraunt, what maner sermones shall be made euery where throughe out Misnia, [Page]and with what crafte they shall mocke and begyle the people, to make them sette moche by theyr Idole, and to open theyr purses wyde vnto blyssed Benno / that is to wytte to the profyte and be hofe of theyr owne belye / wherfore here I do faythfully & with a chrysten mynde (as I am boū den to do) exhorte and monysshe all men, as many as shal be present at suche sermones: that they do not consydre onelye the outwarde apparaunce and the dysguysed face of the thynge, but rather the thyng it selfe / and the verye foundacyon and groūde / I can gesse well ynoughe what maner roten foūdacyon of scripture they wyll laye vnder theyr deceytefull and false buyldyng, and suche one dothe the bysshop of Misnia begynne to bost euen [Page]nowe in his wrytynge, theffecte wherof is this. Laudate dn̄m in sāctis suis. That is to say, prayse you god in his sayntes. These laudes and praysynges doubtles they do stretch out very farre bothe in lengthe and bredthe, affyrmynge also that this is laudynge and praysynge of god in his sayntes, yf they be canonysed and called vpon by the prayours of men. But thou who soeuer thou arte whiche doste here these sermones, I praye y e thynke, yea & knowe thou for a verye certentie, that thou herest a lye, & the prynce and father of al lyes, whose propretie is to paruerte y e scryptures & the worde of god. For this place maketh agaynst the in asmoche as it is taken of the olde testament, whā not onelye no saynt was yet in heuen & [Page]prayed vnto, but also it was cō maunded, that god onely shulde be called vpon and onely prayed vnto, as hym selfe dothe wytnesse in the. xlix. psalme sayenge.
Calle vpon me in the daye of trybulacyon, and I shal delyuer the / and thou shalte honour me.
ANd therfore he wylleth also it to be preached of hym, that he is the sauyour of men, as it is wrytten in the .iiii. chapytre of the fyrste epystle to Timothe / and he doth also wytnesse in the xxxv. psalme hym selfe to be preserued bothe of men and also of beastes. Wherfore helthe & saluacyon ought to be asked and de syred of none other, sauyng onelye of hym. Moreouer this place of y e serypture dothe not speke of holye men or of holy women, [Page]but rather of holye places / for thus it is redde after the verytie of the Hebrue texte. Laudate dominum in sancto vel in sanctuario suo, that is to say / prayse you the lorde in his sanctuarye or in his holy and deuoute place: Lykewyse as it is wrytten in y e .xix. The place of the psalme. Laudate dominum in sanctis eius, is declared & expounꝭded. psalme. Emittat tibi auxiliū de sancto / y e is to say, helpe mought he sende the from his holy place, and agayne in the .xxi. psalme. Tu autem in sācto habitas, that is to say, thou dwellest in a holy place.
ANd lykewyse in many other places which are easy to be foūde here and there in the scrypture. And in these wordes he wylleth vs to expresse & fulfyl the maner of honouryng of god, whiche was exercysed and vsed [Page]in the olde testament by the Leuites and syngynge men with songes and belles, as it is wrytten in the fyrste boke of Paralipomenon the .xv. chapitre. Syth than it is so, y e nowe in the newe testamente there is no place appoynted vnto vs of god, but we our selfes are the temple of god, as Paule wytnesseth in the .iii. chapytre of the fyrst epystle to y e Corinthians / and Chryste hym selfe also in the. iiii. chapytre of Iohn̄ dothe take awaye all prescripte and determynate places, whan he sayth. The tyme shall come whan you shal worshyppe the father neyther here in Hierusalem, but in spiryte & trouthe.
THese wordes therfore must be vnderstāde now in these dayes of a spirytuall sanctuary, [Page]so that Laudate dominū in sancto suo, is asmoche to saye, as amonge vs, and in the congregacyon and companye of Chrysten mē / wherfore it can not be wrested nor applyed to the canonysacyon of sayntes, or to the callyng vpon them by prayour. And yf bycause of this place it myghte be proued and cōcluded, y e sayntes are to be canonised or prayed vnto: than by the same reason belles, symballes, taberettes, & harpes, shulde be made sayntes & prayed vnto. For it foloweth in the same psalme.
Prayse the lorde in shrylle soū dynge symballes, prayse hym in harpes and organes.
GO to than nowe, yf thou dost prayse god in these musycall instrumentes: praye also [Page]vnto them, & make them sayntes / as that Misnicall & Episcopall wrytte dothe teache vs by this place of the scrypture. Laudate dūm in sanctis suis. For I lyste not here to reherse, leste I myghte seme to tedyous, howe those men for the most parte are not wonte to prayse god in his sayntes, which do honour sayntes and do praye vnto them: but contrarye wyse do farre dyshonoure and blaspheme god / For they do put theyr hope and theyr truste in y e sayntes / which thyng what is it els, than to forsake the faythe / to denye god / and to set vp the sayntes for an Idole? of whiche mater we haue suffycyentlye treated in another place They allege also that place in y e xv. chapitre of Iob. Voca et ad aliquem sanctorum conuertere / that [Page]that is to saye. Call, The place of Iob, is evpouned and declared. and tourne the to some of the sayntes.
FOr those papistes are so blyn de and so folysshe hardy that yf it happen them to fynde this worde, sancti, in any place: therof they wyll forthwith confyrme and establysshe the veneracyons and merytes of sayntes, euen as ryghtfully as they go aboute to proue purgatorye, yf in any place they do fynde this worde fyre or this worde purgatorye / or els to proue holye water, yf they may fynde this worde water in y e scrypture. But as for this place of Iob, vnderstande it thus, that Elyphas dothe reproue the good mā Iob of synne euen for this cause, that god had punysshed hym / for he saythe.
Call, I beseche the, euen one [Page]and loke about vnto some of the sayntes.
AS who shulde saye / God neuer punysshed any holy mā / neyther cannest thou shewe that euer any of the sayntes hathe ben afflycted, whiche waye soeuer thou do tourne the. But seynge that god dothe punysshe the so sore: it is vndoubted that thou arte no holy mā, but a wycked and a synfull man. Here I beseche the consydre howe gayly they haue wrested these wordes to the veneracyon of sayntes. They haue no cōsyderacyon nor no regarde in the worlde vnto any maner thynge, but what soeuer they haue thought and put posed ī theyr owne mynde: there is no remedye but that y e thynge muste nedes strayte wayes for [Page]theyr pleasure be contayned in the scrypture. The thyrde place is the .xx. chapytre of the prouerbes. It is ruyne and destruccion to a man for to deuoure a saynt, and afterwarde to seche vowes / the wordes in laten are these. Ruina est homini deuorare sanctum, et postea querere vota.
HEre in y e stede of this worde deuorare they do rede deuotare, to thentent that so (yf god be pleased) y e auctoryte of sayntes shulde be establysshed. But the true texte, & as the Authour left it, is this Laqueus est homini exprobrare rem sacrā et post ea vota q̄rere. That is to saye it is a stumbelynge stocke & sure & vndoubted destruccy on to a mā to corrupte & pollute holye thynges and holye wordes, and than [Page]afterwardꝭ to desyre to be accōpted holye because of his ceremonyes, sacryfyces, & workꝭ. As for exāple, y e Papistes, whiche whan they do psecute y e worde of god, & what soeuer thynge els is holy ī very dede: yet neuertheles they do in y e meane season say masses, & do many good dedꝭ, thynkyng nothyng at all to chaunge theyr wycked state of lyuynge, & ones to make an ende to destroye and deuoure holy thyngꝭ. But nowe whan they are broughte to that poynte that they can not by the auctoryte of scripture ī any wyse proue y e sayntes are to be prayed vnto, or to be accompted for medyatours, but cleane cōtrary the scrypture dothe proue & fortyfye that there is none other medyatour or intercessoure, than that onely medyatour & intercessoure [Page]Chryst Iesu, Chryste. as Paule doth teache ī many other places, but spirytually in y e .iii. & .v. chapi. to the Romanes, & in the .ii. chap. of the fyrst epystell to Timothe, they yet (as becōmeth valyaūte men) do not gyue ouer theyr hold, but do sech some way, by which they may escape out, & put by y e scriptures frō thē selfꝭ. For this word mediator (say they) is taken two maner wayes / one waye it is taken for a satysfactory mediator / or a satisfactor. Another waye it is taken for an intercessorye medyatour or an intercessor. Nowe to speake of a satysfactory mediator or meane, there is but onely one / that is to wytte Chryste, whiche hathe satisfyed for vs / but the sayntes (after theyr myndes) shall be accompted intercessorye mediatours. Nowe yf [Page]any man do aske of them, where these thynges are had in y e scryptures, than forthwith they lay agaynst vs the auctoryte of holye churche, The churche. that is to wytte of theyr owne selfꝭ, whome y e holy ghoste doth not suffre to erre any thyng at all. These men (saye they) are of this opynyon and do thynke thus, ergo it is thus: (howe be it yf they shulde playe the fooles thus in theyr scoles, it shulde be called petitio principii) whā they ought to proue that sayntes are mediatours, whiche the scrypture dothe in no place teache. But yet neuerthelesse they procede forthe on / & euen as thoughe the mater were nowe proued and knowen for vndoubted, they do of theyr owne brayne ymagyne two kyndes or sortes of medyatours. Therfore whan thou hearest [Page]any such maner thyng: thou mayste well knowe the wolfe by his voyce. The holy ghoste. For y e holy ghoste teacheth nothyng, which is not prescrybed in y e scrypture / as Chryst saythe.
He shall teache you al thynges and he shall brynge into your remembraunce all thynges, what soeuer I haue sayd vnto you.
ANd so at lengthe it shall be made open and manyfest, y t this tragedy whiche is played concernynge Benno in Misnia is played onelye by mere lyes & deceytes, of the deuyll bothe in wordes and also in dedes / wherfore loke thou that thou do take hede to thy selfe, and thinke thus in thy mynde / thoughe we do graunte also these thynges to be true and vndoubted, yet that not [Page]withstandyng syth it is a thynge not greatly profytable, and whiche thou mayste be without full well, se that thou do kepe thy money to the releuyng and helpyng of thy chyldren and of poore folkes, whiche haue pryncypallye nede therof / and vpon whome it shal be best bestowed. But nowe moche more thou oughtest to do this, sythe it is euydent and vndoubted, that this thynge is not onely vnprofytable, but also falsely fayned, deceyteful & playnly deuelysshe / yea cōsydre and loke well vpon the fasshyon of them thyne owne selfe (yf thou wylte) whiche yf they dyd any thyng at all vnfaynedly and hartelye entende and seche the hououre and glorye of god & of sayntes: without doubt they shulde fynde mo than two thousande occasyons [Page]by whiche they myghte succoure and releue theyr neyghboure / of whiche euery one shulde be syxe hundred tymes more cōmendable, thā all that pompe & royalte wherwith Benno was trāslated and made a saynt. But nowe seynge that they dyspysynge theyr neyghbour and nothyng regardynge his necessyte, are all togyther set vpon this thynge: euery man may easely perceyue y t they are blynde & madde, and by the canonisacyon of Benno do seche theyr owne profyte and glorye, & thy money. How be it I do hope, that they are come after y t tyme, Prouerbes. (as it is cōmenly said in the prouerbe) and that they haue all in vayne spredde a nette before the byrdes iyes, as Salamon sayth in the fyrste chapytre of the prouerbes. But yf thou wyll worshyppe [Page]sayntes duelye, & prayse them worthelye: thou shall do thynge as farre forthe as the ensamples of scryptures shall teache & prescrybe vnto the, The forme & maner of worshyppyng of sayntꝭ. of whiche scriptures thou mayste se after what maner the grace & the benefytes, whiche haue ben gyuen of god vnto the sayntes, are propowned and layed forthe before god, whether it be in peticyon, or in thankes gyuynge, or els in complaynte / as for example. Moyses prayeth in the .xxxiii. chapitre of Exodi, whā he sayth.
Remembre Abraham, Isaac, and Iacob, to whom thou haste sworne. &c. And Salomon in the .xxxi. psalme / lorde remembre Dauid, and all his calamytie. And Chryst vpon the crosse sayd that verse of the .xxi. psalme.
Our fathers haue hoped in the [Page]and haue ben delyuered. But I am a worme. &c. And in the .xlv. psalme. O god we haue harde with our eares, and our fathers haue tolde vs the worke, y t thou haste wrought vpon them.
ANd in many other places of the scrypture / here thou seyste that no saynte is prayed vnto / but that god is praysed in them, whiche dyd promyse vnto them such maner benefytes, and hathe fulfylled his promyse: to thentent that he wolde monisshe and teache vs, that suche maner grace ought with all confydence to be asked and hoped of hym alone / vnto thobtaynyng wherof that faythfull and onely mediator is suffycyent, yea & more than suffycyent / that is to wytte, Iesus Chryste of all sayntes moost [Page]holy. To whome onely, with the father, & the holy ghoste, be prayse & glorye for euermore. Amen.