The mercy and fauour of God oure heauenly father, purchased to vs by the merites of our Sauiour Christe. Communicated to vs by his holy spirite. I. T. Wisheth to the gentle Reader.
THe thing that moued me to vndertake, to aūswere this sclaūdre (good frende) was not. That I either thought or iudged my self so wyse or so learned, as y e I could set it forth with such wysdom, or eloquenche: as so good a matter, and trewe cause requyred, or as yf some learned mā had vndertaken it: neyther do I write it, to thende it should be comen and receyued of all men, or haue free accesse into all places: but onelye to you my frend: and to that towne where ye presently habyte (the place of my birth and educacion.) As also for the excuse of those good m [...]r, of that towne, whiche in lyke maner with me haue abandoned & geuen ouer theyr rowmes, which men as in Greke and Latyn auctours they be ignoraunt. By reason whereof, they cā not explicate nor make knowē to you, the cause why they haue chosen this paynefull exyle: so they wishe you, and all other honeste men, to know and vnderstand: that neyther lightnesse, rashe wyll, or i [...]constancie, hath moued them there vnto, (as some of that towne, vntruely & agaynst theyr owne knowledge doe surmyse & [Page]blowe abroa [...]e.) But a good zeale groūded vp on Gods trueth, confyrmed by the opinion of all good and godly learned men: and that they might with the more pure conscience serue god in the congregacion of the godly, where Gods moste holy worde and Sacramentes are purely preached and ministred. In the which place as the Prophete Dauid saythe: It is better to dwel in a most poore degree, then to abyde in wealth and prosperous estate, among the wicked. Which mynd and good purpose of theirs, as a iuste excuse to satis [...]ye the mindes of good and godly men which principally they desyre. They haue earnestly desyred me, to make knowen and to put forth the same in writinge: and to adresse this Apologie to you: Knowig right well, that although for lacke of learninge and wysoom, I shall not be able to satisfye theyr expectacion, or set it forth according to the worthynes of the matter. For that I neuer haunted scoles or anye vniuersities. Nor neuer was brought vp in any other state then with them, as a most poore man and Souldiour, (simple and vnworthye) yet because they shall aswell perceyue my good wyll and preste seruyce towardes them, as charitie and our consuete familiaritie woulde, and compelleth me: as also for that my parte is in it participating, the life obloque and sclaundre with them. For that we haue wrought al one lyke facte, and attempted one entrepryse. These thinges wayed and proponed, I haue the more gladly graunted to ful fyll theyr requestes, praying you my frend of charitie to graunt me thus much fauour. That [Page]yf I ether shal write or pēne any thig y e agreeth not w t your mind, & the opiniō of other mē, not to cōdēne it at the first sight, because it maketh not for your purpose, but rather cōfarre it w t y e scriptures of God, the trew touchstone, which al mēs workes ought to be iudged by, & to the which I pray you submit your cōsciēce: & yf ye find y t it varie not frō y e sacred word of god, nor dissent frō the mynde of good & godly learned mē. Thē embrace it as a manifest trueth, desyring god y e father of al mercy for his sōnes sake Christ, in the worke of his holi spirite, to make you consent to it. And to testifye our doynges to be lawful and consonante to Gods gospell. Staying your opiniō with this our aunswere putting other men to silence by the same.
And now to come to the causes which ye proponed to mē in my house, saying: ye were sente frō many good honest & godly me, which not a litle merueled, y t I had set away into flaūders my wife & childrē: & much more that I my self was also delibered to folow. Wherin, as ye alledged, they iudged I wrought vnwisely & not according to knowledge, but rather preferred a wil more wilful, thē godli wise, knowig aswell my poore estate & litle riches w t my great family, as also y e inciuil nature of this naciō w t finale relief, saying: w tin a short time begging to ouer take me, for y e I nether had arte, faculte, or occupaciō to liue by. More y e if god should tourne y e impietie of this time, I should neuer be able to recouer the like rowme or office, & so al my life wāder in misery, which they as my very frendes much lamēted, with many other causes by you alledged, thereby to staye my iourneye. [Page]Which perswasiōs as to the fleshe, they semed harde and vneasi to be borne, and tollerated of any worldly man. So I for my parte do moste hartely praise God, whose good worke it was: they not abashed me nor altered my purpose, as ye my frende know right well.
Secondlye ye alledged agaynst me the doynges of other mē, which ye named both good honest, and godly: and of an vpright pure conscience, which men obserued the ordre of thys tyme.
Thyrdely ye sayd that yf my cōscience were so strayght laced, as that I could not consente, to the putting of my name into the boke among others, you for your parte iudged it no synne, nor felte any repugnaūce of coscience for your so doyng, whérby ye iudged it no offence. And yf it were sinne, as ye sayde ye doubted, yet it was a light synne, and easy to be forgeuē saying: God must remitte greater offences, or els ye should neuer come in heauen.
Well, now my frend accordinge to my conscience & little knowledge, receyued frō Gods word: I wyll aunswere youre three causes alledged agaynst me. Prayinge you to accept thē in as good parte, as with an vnfayned harte & good mynde I doe adresse them to you.
And as to the fyrste cause which ye preferred to staye my goynge: whereas you & manye good men lamēted that misery should oppresse me, and that specially in a straunge land farre frō frendes. Where I should be compelled eyther to begge or labor, which I neuer had done nor was brought vp in such extremitie, wherfore [Page]they feared I should not be able to endure it. I aunswere them with S. Paul, I haue learned in what estate soeuer I am, there with to be content. I can doe all thinges thorough the helpe of Christ. I also saye with S. Paul, Phil. iiij. Rom. viij shall tribulacion, or anguishe, or persecucion: eyther hunger, or nakednesse: perill, or sworde, separate vs from the loue of God: Timo. vi Mar. viij More the same Apostle sayth: Godlines is great ryches, yf a man be cōtēt with that he hath, for we brought nothing into the world, and it is a playne case, that we can carye nothing out. What should it auayle a man to winne the whole world, & lose his owne soule: I most hartely reioyse in god, that I haue not receyued his gospell in vayne. For I had rather with Lazarus enioy a poore estate, Luke. xvi begging my bread in myserye w t a quiet cōscience: thē with dyues to wallow in welth, and for pleasure sake lose the lyfe euerlasting. Christ Iesus the alone Sauiour, Philip. ij. our Lorde & mayster, thought it no robberye, as S. Paule sayth, beyng very God, to take our nature vpō him, and for our sakes to become man in moste lowe degree. Who as a most pure pater [...] and godly example for vs to folow, walked in this vale of miserie, in great humilitie and poore estate, saying: y e foxes haue holes, Luke. ix & the byrdes of the ayre haue nestes: but the sonne of man hath not a place to put his head in. O my frend these places of Scripture are not written in vayne, but for our learninge: Roma. x [...] that we through pacience and comforte of the Scripture might haue hope. It is geuen vs as S. Paule sayth: not onely to beleue on Christ: but to suffre for [Page]his sake, yf Christ Iesus my Lord and maister walked in such poore estate, Wall I a wretched sinner, beyng but earth & wormes meat, hauig no certētie of my life, Rom. viij ij. Tim. 7. for a litle pleasure in this worlde lose y e life euerlasting▪ God forbid, remēbring y e yf we wil raigne w t Christ, we must suffre w t him. Now my frēde yf I & other men should doe as you & other do, what nede we to suffre w t christ: For yf, whē as y e gospel by god his special mercy, & auctoritie of the king is set forth, I thē embrace it as a truth in those daies there is no cause why I should suffre for y e gospel, as in y e time of y e godly Price king Toward y e sixt. Psal. lxvi Gapien. 3 Lcclesi. 2 But whē for our vnthākefulnes & wretched liuing, god doth take his gospel away frō vs, as it is come to passe in our lād at this day, to make trial of his elect according to this saying: As gold is tried in y e furneys, so god doth trie his elect, yf I then (as you & most men doe now i these daies) dissemble w t y e trueth, which before I embrased, cōfirming my selfe to y e impiete of this time. There is thē no cause why I should suffre w t christ, no mā wil lay any matter to my charge, yf externally I obserue y e law, and thē were these wordes of suffring w t christ in vayn, & the gospel such a trueth as I liste to make & applie it. Yf I shal perswade my self to please christ, & to be in fauor w t God, & yet wil not suffre w t christ. My frēde in mine opiniō it is not in our chose, to take vp christes crosse as we lift, & y e way we would: but as god our he auēly father in christ hath destined & appointed vs vnto: wel, let y e mā be ware which obserueth the ordre of this time, maynteyninge his owne doyng, & cōdēning other mē for not doyng the [Page]same, & yet wil say: he is gods seru [...]t. Truely I wil not cōdēne hi, for God shal be his iudge: But surely I thinke he might aswell saye there were no god, for god is none otherwise knowē & honored of him, but as his fleshly wyll list to knowe & serue him, not captiuating his iudgemēt to y e word of god, by y e which word god is truly serued & worshipped & not pleased as we imagine. Mat. xvij We are cōmaūded to harkē to y e voyce of christ & to heare him, which sayth: he y e wyll be my disciple let him forsake himselfe, & take vp his crosse & folow me. Now yf y e mā which wil liue [...] al securite & pleasure of this life, whē God maketh trial of his church, wil nether suffre w t him, Mat. xvi. nor take vp his crosse & folow him & yet wil say he hath right in his doyng, surelye this place may be verified of him. Not al they which say, lord, lord shal entre into y e kingdō of heauē, Iames .i. Roma. ij. but he y e doeth y e wil of my father which is in heauē: not y e hearers of y e law, but y e doers shalbe iustified. Christ sayth: Zroade is y e way that leadeth to destructiō, & many go in therat, but narow is y e way y e ledeth to saluaciō, Mat. vij. Luke. xiij & few ther be which find it. Christes flock is b [...]t a litle flock. The cause my frēd, why it is but litle & the narrow way not foūde out, is: because y e of our nature we are sinful, & delight in y e corrupcion thereof, pleasing our selues w t corruptible thīges, not delighting in heauēly misteries, for flesh & bloud is not capable of heauēlye knowledge. Therefore hath God geuen vs ouer to a lewde mynd, perswading oure selues to be in the righte, when as manifestlye we are in the wrōg, according to the saying of S. Paul, Roma. i. whē as they knewe God & dyd not worship him an god, the lord gaue thē ouer to their own lustes [Page]And because that whē we had y e light of Gods Gospel among vs, we embraced not, nor walked in the same. Therefore hath God suffered darkenes & errour to ouerwhelme vs: & yet we wyll saye, we are in the right, & may dissemble for the time, saying: God knoweth our hartes. My frende be not deceyued: God requyreth y e whole mā withall our powers to serue him according to the fyrst cōmaundemente, Exod. xx. Mat. xxij. where it is writtē. Thou shalte loue the Lorde thy God withal thy harte, soule, & mynd, & withall thy powers. How we obserue this precepte when as we prostrate our selues before an Idol partaking with the vngodly: the Lorde at the last day shal reuele & make openly knowē. It is like as yf a maried womā should submit her body to the vse of another mā: & when her husbande layeth the offēce to her charge, she aūswereth: husband be not angrie for my so doyng, for although I abandoned my body to that mās vse yet I reserued my hart wholy to you. My frēd I thinke there is no man, beynge of any godly knowledge, could digest that aunswere of his wyfe, or take it in good parte: but condemning her as an aduoutresse would repudiat and forsake her. And shal we perswade oure selues to please God, Exod. xx. Deut. vi. beyng a ialouse God (as the scripture calleth him) who requyreth of vs y e whole man to serue him withal: when as we geue the greater parte of his creacion to the seruinge of Idols, saying: God knoweth & hath my harte. Well God deale w t vs according to his greate mercy, & geue vs an hart to repēt & knowledge our offences, least we perishe in our sinnes: for [Page]as God is mercyful, so is he iust. Christ saith: Luk. xiiij Math. x. Luke. ix. he that setteth more by father or mother, wife, childrē, landes, riches, or coūtryr, then by me, is not mete for me, nor worthye to be my disciple. Reade the whole Chap. in Luke, & examen what the buylding of the towre signifieth. Ye haue heard often taught & preached, that, he y e wyl professe the Gospel in tyme of prosperitie should cast accompt w t him self, what may happen to him for the same, in the dayes of aduersitie. Or els in vayne hath he begon to buy lde, and shalbe called a foolishe buylder. I thinke there be a great many of honest & good men in that towne, which in times past haue bene feruent Gospellers, and yet at this daye loue the trueth, sorowing in their hartes the impiete of this tyme. That yf it were not for feare to lose theyr liuinges, riches, & countrie: & to become poore in a straunge land, would folowe & seke Christ in the wildernes: Apoca. xij searching with paine to seke out the narowe way. But alas so colde is oure loue to Christe, which hath so dearelye bought vs, that we could be cōtent to loue him so that we lose not by him. But these doubtes to tast miserie, poull vs from folowing poore Christ. So frayle is our lyfe, & such a lumpe of synne & corrupte tabernacle, we are wrapped in. That seyng the best waye & knowing y e better parte, we can not chuse it, nor walke in the same. I pray God this sentence be not verified vpō vs. Luke. xij He that knoweth his maysters wyll & doeth it not, shalbe beaten with many strypes. By many tribulacions must we entre into the Kingdō of heauē. Christ sayth: Luke. ix. he that putteth [Page]his hand to the plough, & loketh backe, is not mete for the kingdō of heauē. mat. 24. x. It is not ynough for vs to haue begon in the knowledge of Christ, oneles we perseuer & folowe him to the end. Closing our dayes in his peace, which peace of Christ is better in a beggers bosome, at the howre of death, thē a mountayn of gold to a ryche mā with a troubled consciēce. Christ sayth: my shepe heare my voyce: now my frēd, because the voyce of oure shepeherde Christ, Iohn. x. is not to be heard in that towne where ye dwell. Therefore I & other men of that place, haue abandoned our lyuinges & vocaciō, to seke oure shepeherd christ that we might heare his voice and participate his sacramentes purely ministred according to his holy worde, & in y e place to our great comforte to prayse him: where, to our great consolaciō we now remayne. In the which companie how ioyfull it is to be amōg. The Prophete Dauid describeth in the lxxxiiij Psalm, Psal. 84. which I most hartely requyre you, not onely to reade, but diligentlye to marke & examin, what the Prophete meaneth in the same, & by th [...] place to iudge whether we haue righte in our doyuges, or are iustely to be condēned, O my frend in that towne where ye presentely inhabite, the gospel of Iesus Christ hath bene moste plenteously preached & purely taught y e space of seuen yeares. Mat. xiij. Mar. iiij. And yf there shoulde no good groūd appeare after so much & long sowinge of so good sede, to bring forth encrease of good corne, it mighte well be called a cursed place, & an yll soyle. I saye this my frend, yf al mē of that town, which were called gospellers [Page]should obserue y e ordre of this vnhappye tyme, submitting thē selues to this vngodly religiō. What a cause of triumphe should the papistes haue to reioyse: perswadig & blowing abrode no trueth or religion to be trew, but onely that which they now teache & set forth, because all mē obserue the same. But for because they see a noūbre of good & godly learned mē w t the losse of their liues, & spilling of their bloud, to testifye it an vntruth. As also a great noūbre of honest mē of good cōuersacion doe departe theyr countrey, leauing their riches & liuinges: some of thē beginneth to doubt, whether his religiō be a truth or not. Other which are of the worst sorte of papistes, & that most setteth forth this religion, be ashamed to make greate boaste of their doctrine: for that in y e tyme of the gospel, lyke dissemblers & hipocrites, they gaue place to the trueth, and would in no wyse suffre for theyr religiō. And nowe they seing men to dye and suffre penurie in a straūge land, it maketh them poul back their to much boasting of their religion, so that by this meanes it appeareth most playne to him that hath but halfe an eye, that the gospel is a moste manifeste trueth and pure religion, in that men suffre for the same, which is promysed to all them, ij. Tim. i [...] that wyll lyue godly in Christ Iesu. These causes my frend & many other, moued me with other mē to vnder take this painful iourney, & greuous exyle. Examen the boke of genesis, & pōder wel y e doyng of y e old Patriarke Iacob, who forsoke no smale substaūce & riches beside y e comodite of his coū trey & dwelling place, Gene. 43. onli as y e scripture sayth [Page]Because of famyne that occupied y e soyle and land where he dwelte, and in much payne and great trauayle in his olde dayes w t a greate familie drew into Egipte, a people in maners & condicions, not agreeyng with his nature. Yf our father Iacob dyd vndertake this long and painful iourney, to seke meate for the body: cō sidre my frend, how much more we that are called Christians, & which haue professed Christ, ought to seke for the fode of the soule, which is the preaching of Gods holi word & participacion of his holy Sacramētes: by the which we waxe strong in fayth, pacience, & all good workes, Mat. iiij. as Christ our mayster sayth: Man shal not lyue by bread only, but by euery worde y e procedeth oute of the mouth of God. Christ commaundeth by Esay the Prophet, Esay. lij. saying to his people: Away, away, get you out from thence, and touche no vncleane thing. Ieremie in another place cryeth, Ierem. li. saying: Flee away from Babilon, euery man saue his lyfe. O my frend do ye thinke that the word of the spirite of God, speaking so earnestly & with such vehemence, by the [...] [...]nouthes of those holy men: to cōmaūde vs to auoyde the cōpany of Idolaters, is written in vayne & to no purpose. Truely in my simple iudgement, & as my conscience testifieth to me (ruled by Gods holy spirite) They ar written specially for our dayes, that we shoulde be without al excuse, whē as God shal lay & make open euery mans dedes. ij. Cor. vi. S. Paul hath the lyke saying: Come out frō amonge them, & separate your selues frō them, saith the Lord: reade out the Chap. and note the wordes well. And lette [Page]your conscience witnesse with you, who hath y e right. It is a thig very difficile to touche pitch, Eccl. xiij. and not to be defyled. I wylknitte vp the first parte of your matter obiected against me with this cōclusiō. The. viij. Chap. to the Romains, and so consequentely all the whole Scripture through, doth teache these two poinctes. That fyrst, God the father in his free mercy by hy [...] sonne Christ hath chosen vs, withoute any deseruing on oure partes, accordinge to this sayinge: Those which he appoynted before, them also he called: & which he called, them also he iustified: which he iustified, them also he glorifyed. Secondly, he dyd it to this ende: that as the scripture sayth: they might be made like to y e Image of his sonne, in suffring with him. Now my frēd, yf we wil pers [...]ade our selfes, to be chosen in Christ: and wyl not suffre with him, and yet thinke to raygne with him. I pray God we beguyle not our selues.
To come to the second part, In that ye layd agaynste me the doynges of other men, which being both good and godlye obserued the order of this tyme. Laying to my charge, why I shoulde be more precyse and scrupule of conscience, then other men they beyng godly.
To that sayinge I aunswere. The doynges of men, is no presidente for a Christen man to folowe, how good soeuer they be called, onles they dyrecte theyr wayes, according to Gods holy worde. Howbeit folowing the counsayle of S. Paule. I wyll reporte well of them, as Christen charitie, woulde to iudge the beste in hid thinges. Therfore for that I can not know [Page]with what mynd they do it, I muste folow the admoniciō of the Apostle, to thinke wel of thē. Onely this I know, & am not ignoraunte of, & by experience do proue & taste in my fraile life and corrupt nature (which is altogether sinneful) that terrour of lawes maketh vs to stoupe and decline to thinges, sinning agaynst knowledge, for the preseruacion of this vncertayne life, & keping of our goodes. O that we would remembre this saying: i. Petri. i. All fleshe is as grasse, & all the glorie of man is as the flowre of grasse, which sentence wel wayed would kepe vs frō dissembling in that thing whereof our cōsciēce accuseth vs: & to the which my harte in no wise can agree to consent. Mat. xvi. Christ sayeth: who soeuer shal lose his life for my fake, shal find it. More I am a ialous God, Exod. xx. that cannot suffre my honour to be geuen to any other, nor no part therof. The Lord in these wordes doeth accommodate him selfe to vs, as oure weake nature can know him. Our fleshe is in no one cause so sone moued or prouoked to wrath, as in that fighte that may styrre vs to ialowsye, which offence we can almost by no intercession or sute skantly remitte or pardon. And God which seeth al our doynges, & before whose presece al thiges are open, beholdeth howe we dissemble w t hys loue makinge familiar frēdship & league w t his enemies. Wel these wordes I am a ialous god, require in vs an vpright pure, vndefiled couer saciō, lest by our dissimulacion we prouoke the lord to anger. i. Petri. i. O my frend y e god which in hys mercy hath so dearely bought vs (not with corruptible gold or syluer, but with his moste holy & precious harte bloud, requyreth of vs our whole mā, w t mind & cōuersacion to serue him, [Page] [...]ccording to this saying: [...]e holy, Leuit. xix i. Petri. 1. ij. Cori. vi for I am ho [...]: be not partakers with y e vngodly: for what [...]ncorde hath Christ with Belial [...] or howe a [...]reeth darkenes with light: Now thy frende [...]amen these wordes well, & iudge whether it [...]e the acte or parte of him, that would [...]e repu [...]d & taken for a perfect Christen man, to com [...]unicáte & be partaker with ydolaters, and to [...]ire his [...]a [...]e into the boke among them, to y e [...]reat sclaundre of Gods Gospell. In that the [...]apistes may triumphe, that all me (and speci [...]lly such as were called Feruent gospellers) do [...]mbrace and folow the order of this vnhappy [...]yme: whereby they boas [...] & glorie their reli [...]ion to be most trew. On the other part, consy [...]e how ye wound & offende the conscience of [...]our weake brother, not yet growen to ful per [...]ection of knowledge, who hath his eyes open [...]pon you, who seyng you to do the same, thin [...]eth it a lawful acte, & so ye are the cause of his [...]all. S. Paul sayth: when ye sinne agaynst the [...]rethren, & wounde their weake conscience, i. Cor. viij ye finne agaynst Christ. Reade the Chapt. yf S. [...]aul had that mynde in lawfull thinges: that [...]ather then he would offend the conscience of [...]is weake brother, he woulde neuer [...]ate fleshe while he liued, how much more my frēd ought [...]e to haue a conscience to offend your brother, [...]n an vnlawefull thinge: We be to him sayeth [...]hrist: that offendeth one of these little ones. It were better for him to haue a mylstone tied [...]t his necke, & so cast into the sea. Luk. xvij. Cal to youre remembraunce, & digest well the worthy commendacion geuē to Elea [...]a [...] in Gods boke called [Page]the Bible. That were as his frēdes moue with peuishe pitie (hauinge no taste of an vp right conscience) perswaded him for the sau [...] garde of his lyfe to eate swynes fleshe, 2. Mac. 6 whic [...] in no wise he would do, for that it was again [...] the law [...] of God, & his conscience. And wh [...] his frendes perceyned that for no perswasio [...] he would not eate it, they earnestly oportun [...] and counsayled him to make a countenaūce, a [...] though he had eaten some, which dissimulaci [...] Elēazar knowing it to be against Gods wo [...] aswel fearing the yll president & example, th [...] might grow thereof to other men: beyng yo [...] weake, and vnperfect in Gods worde, as al [...] remembring his honorable lyfe, good conue [...] sacion & old age, would in no case make coun [...] nannce to eate, nor vse any such dissimulacio [...] but rather presar [...]ed to dye, thē he would co [...] terfect suche hypoc [...]isie. Loke & reade the ter [...] calling for wysoo & knowledge to God. Co [...] ming to the boke with a pure my [...]de, & ye sha [...] easely perceaue, whether the obseruers of th [...] tyme walke in that puritie of lyfe, whiche [...] ch [...]fely requyr [...]d in him, that in time past ha [...] bene called a gospeller. There is another no [...] and lesson in Eleagar to be marked▪ that wh [...] his frendes pa [...]aiued the constancie and pu [...] mynde of him that he would in no case cōsen [...] to theyr perswasions & counsayl: they conu [...] ted theyr amytis▪ & frandyship into malice. S [...] yf that El [...]ar had consented to that unpiet [...] they had had a goodly close to maynteyne a [...] coloure theyr between to be good, with thy saying: Lo, such a man doth dissemble, who [Page] [...]oth good & learned: and so they woulde haue [...]ustifyed theyr doynges to be lawefull by hy [...] example: which Elear [...]r [...]ercey [...]ing, constant [...]y to the death, withstode that coloured conscience, and vnpure mynde of theyrs. My frende I wryte this because some men of that towne wyll reporte euyll of me and other men which [...]e gone awaye, not for that they can laye anye wictednesse or vngodlye conuersacion to oure charge (God be glorified therefore,) but only of an yll mynd: because we wyl not consente to [...]heyr doynges, and ioyne with them in obser [...]inge the ordre of this religion. Well, let them [...]ay what they lift. [...] God from whom no secrete [...]s hyd, & which knoweth the hartes of al men, [...]an iudge with what conscience we haue abandoned our vocacions, & countrey: & howe glad we would be to haue theyr good wyl & cōmen [...]acion, doyng also as they d [...], so we knew and were assured to please god. But thus much for [...]n aunswere to the second poyn [...]: I woulde yf [...] pleased God, I had sufficient learning and [...]ype knowledge in his holy word, [...] by the same [...]o argue their [...]oynges. But this much I write and thinke, that yf they be good men fearinge God, and of a good conscience, as ye saye they [...]e, which obserue the ordre of this ty [...]e, (and [...]rnely I thinke they be so a greate noumbre of [...]hem,) then I say they haue a pricke of conscience, which [...]estifyeth to them, theyr doynges [...]o be vnlawfull. And which before God with [...]eares and sorowe of harte they doe dewayle, [...] [...]ot standinge in defence of theyr doynges, as [...]e my frende doe, which in my [...] [Page]d [...]th agrauate▪ the offence before God [...] man.
To aunswere the thyrde poynte, in that y [...] make it so facill and light, beleuing it to be no [...] sinne, saying▪ The Lorde must remitte greate [...] offences. Well, I pray God ye presume not to [...] much in his mercy, for he is not mercy full, bu [...] to them that repent, theyr wickedues. I coul [...] somewhat more by the scriptures dilate & approue the same, as vnlearned as I a [...]but the [...] fewe leaues areynoughe, to hym that hath [...] good conscience▪ The Byble sayeth there is [...] waye which semeth right vnto a man, but th [...] ende of it leadeth to destructiō. Deu. 5.12 Ye shall not [...] euery one of you, y e se [...]eth right in your owne eyes, but that which [...]gumaund you, sayeth [...] the Lord: because thy sy [...]e is forgeuen thee [...] Be no [...] therfore without [...] [...]are, Ecclesi. v neyther heap [...] one synne vpon another. And saye not: tu [...]e the mercye of the Lorde is great: he shall for [...] geue me my sinnes, be they neuer so many. Fo [...] lyke as he is merciful, so goeth wrath frō hyn [...] also, Esaye. v. & his indignacion cometh down vpō syn [...] ne [...]s. Wo be to them, that call euyll good, and good euyll, which make, darkenes light, & ligh [...] darkenes: that make sowre s [...]ete, and swet [...] sowre. Now my frend, yf ye may doe y e which ye cōmit without offence, thē ye haue scriptur [...] to assure & warrant youre d [...]ynge. Or els you nor no mā [...]ls, (be he neuer so wel learned) ca [...] defend the same, but to be sinnefull. For sain [...] Paul [...] say [...]h: Roma. 14 Whatsoeuer is not of faith, tha [...] same is synne. Reade the. x [...]. and .xix. Psalm o [...] Dauid, iudge your selfe by them. And wher [...] [Page] [...] be [...]wene sinnes of [...] the [...]. Kem [...]b [...], [...] [...]sau sought [...] [...]eares, and found it not: Iusti [...]. [...], least ye prouoke the Lord. [...]. Lu. xviij. The Publican confessinge his fawte [...]: but the Pharise, iustifying him [...] ▪ was condemned. The Prophete Dauid [...] [...]salmes desy [...]eth God to par [...] [...] of those which fall of frayltie, [...] for vengeaunce, to fal vpon [...] [...]folde, which synne of obstina [...] I pray▪ God the father of al mercy, & Lord [...] consolaciō for his mercy sake in the bloud [...] his sonne Christ, to make you withal them, [...] in this tyme of imp [...]ete fall through frail [...] and for feare [...]f lawes in the noumbre of [...] man, which▪ [...] xxxij. Psalm speaketh of. [...] thus an end [...] ▪ according to my one talente [...] Fare well in the Lorde Ies [...] withall [...] that vnfay [...]edlye call vpon the name of [...] Lorde.
And thus my frende I ende this [...] & [...]ple wryting, praying [...] [...]not to [...] with the same. And yf ye [...] in it, whiche agreeth not with youre [...]nion, and wherein ye thinke I erre & straye [...] the scriptures, aduertyse me [...]nd I shall [...]ste gladly reuoke and recante the same. But [...] fynd that it agreewith the word of God, [...] I pray you c [...]ase to saye or thinke our do [...] to be yll, beyng a [...] & aduocate for [...] to all good men: which through ignoraunce [...] all sinesterly reporte of our goynge awaye. [Page] [...] quiet my conscience;, and assure my [...] then the sclaundērous [...] table [...]