¶The .i. Chapter.

YE shal put nothyng to the word / which I commaunde you / ney­ther take aughte therefrō: Deu. 4. that ye maye kepe the commaundementes of the Lorde your god / whiche I com­maunde you.

You shall not doe any thynge / that Deu. 12. we do here this daye / euery mā what [Page] semeth him good in his own eyes.

What soeuer I commaunde you / that take [...]eade you doe onelye to the Lorde / and put nothynge thereto / nor take aughte therefrom. Ibid [...] in fine.

The Prophet / which shall presume to speake a worde in my name / which I haue not cōmaūded him to speake / or that speakth in the name of straūge gods / that prophete shall dye. Deu. 18.

Al the wordes of god are pure and cleane: Pro. 30. for he is a [...] vnto all them / that putte these truste in him. Putte thou nothyng vnto hys wordes / leaste he reproue the and thou bee found a lyar.

Heare not the wordes of the Pro­ph [...]tes / that preache vnto you and be­leaue you: lere. 23. for they speake the me [...] ­nyng of their own hartes / and not oute of the mouth of the lorde.

Whosoeuer teacheth and kepeth the same (speaking of his commaun dementes) shall be called greate in the kyngdom of heauen. Math. 5.

Whosoeuer heareth these my wor­des / Math. 7. [Page] and doth the same / shalbee likened vnto a wise man / that buildeth hys house vpon a rocke: and aboundaūce of raine fel / the fluddes came / the wīde blew / and bet vpon the same house / and it fel not / because it was groūded an the suer rocke.

This people draweth nye vnto me with their mouth and honoureth me with lyppes / howbeit their harts be farre from me / but in vayne do thei serue me / teachyng the doctrynes and preceptes of men. Math. 15.

Goe ye / and teachē all [...] / baptysing them / in the name of [...] &c: Math. 28 teachyng them to [...] what so euer I haue [...].

Goe ye into all the [...] / and preache my gospell to all creatures. Mark. 16.

He that heareth mi word / & beleueth in him that sent me / hath euerlasting lyfe / and shal not come into damnaci­on: but is escaped from death to life. Iohn. 5.

Searche the scriptures / for in them ye thinke ye haue eternal life / and thei art they / which testifie of me. Iohn. 5.

[Page] These are written / that you might beleue / that Iesus is Christ the sonne of god / and that (in beleuing) ye might haue life thorow hys name. Iohn. 20.

I haue spared no labor / but I haue shewed al the counsell of god. Actes. 20.

I haue obtained helpe of God / and continew vnto this day / witnessynge both to the small and to the great / sayinge none other thynges / then those which the prophetes and Moses did say should come. Acte. 26.

Fayth commeth by hearynge / hea­rynge commeth by the worde of god. Rom. 10.

What soeuer is not of fayth / the same is sinne. Rom. 14.

We be not lordes ouer your fayth: 2. Cor. 1. but helpers of your ioye.

Though we our selues / or an aun­gell from heauen / preache any other gospell vnto you / then that whyche we haue preached / let him be accursed. Gala. 1.

Continewe thou in the thynges / 2. Tim. 3. whyche thou hast learned / whiche al­so were committed vnto the / knowīg of whō thou hast learned them / and [Page] for as muche also as thou haste kno­wen the holy scriptures of a chylde / which are able to make the learned vnto saluacion / throughe the fayth / which is in Chryste Iesu. For al scrip­ture / geuen by inspiracion of God / is profitable to teache / to improue / to a­mende / to instructe in righteousnesse / that the man of god may be perfecte / & prepared to all good workes.

If any man speake / let hym speake as the wordes of god. 1. Pete. 4.

If any man come vnto you / and bryng not thys learning / receaue hym not into your house / neither bid him God spede. 2. Iohn epistle. For he / that byddeth hym God spede / is partaker of hys euyll dedes.

If any man shall adde vnto these thynges / god shall adde vnto hym the plages / that are wrytten in this booke. Apo. 22. And if any man shall minishe of the wordes of thys prophesye / God shall take awaye his part out of the boke of lyfe / and out of the holy citie / and frō those thynges / whiche are written in [Page] thys boke.

¶That the writinges of the olde fa­thers / without the written woorde of god / are not able to proue anye doctryne in religion.
¶The .ii. Chapter.

IReneus libro .ii. Cap. 46. Doctrine in religi­on, must be groū ­ded vpō the scrip­tures on­ly. To le [...] ̄e to the scriptures of god (whych is the certayne and vndouted trueth) is to buylde a mans house vpō a suer and stronge rock: But to leaue that / and leaue to ani other doctrins (what so euer they be) is to builde a curious house vpon the [...]hatteringe grauell / whereof the ouerthrowe is easye.

IDem in Epistola .72. we maye not build our faith vpō mēs tradiciōs Happy is he that soweth vpon the wat [...]r [...] where the Oxe and the Asse [Page] treadeth / that is / vpon that people whych onely foloweth the doctrine of both the testamentes / and not vpon the vayne tradycions of men.

TErtulliane in the prescryptiōs of heretykes. pa. 95. It is not lawfull for vs to fauoure any doctryne at oure pleasure / nor yet to chose what any manne hath brought in of his owne mynde.

We haue the Apostles of the Lorde for oure authors / whyche dyd not e­lecte anye thynge (that they woulde brynge in) of their owne heades: The A­postles taught nothing but that, whyche they learned of. but taught / faythfullye to all nacyons / that doctryne / that they had receaued of Chryste.

Therefore althoughe an Aungell from heauen / shoulde preache any other thynge / lette vs holde hym ac­cursed. Christe.

[Page] ANd a litle after he sayeth. The first point of belefe is, that after the gospell none o­ther thīg is to be beleued. There is no certē ­ty in that the scrip­ture defi­neth not. The law, the Pro­phetes, and the gospell, are the first doc­trines, ct therfore true. We nede to vse no curiositie after Iesus Chryste / nor make fur­ther searche after the gospell: for whē we beleue / we desier to beleue no more For first we beleue this / that there is nothyng els / that we ought to beleue.

IDem of the fleshe of Chryst pa. 20. agaynst Apelles / whyche saied that the Angels had a bodely substanc [...] / which thei toke of the [...]tres. Tertallian answereth / that there is no cer­tenty in thys matter / because the scripture declareth it not.

THe sae to Praxeas. Let thys be a generall rule / indifferently de­termyned before hande agaynst all heresyes / that that is true / what so euer is first: & that to bee forged / what soeuer cōmeth after. pa. 418.

ORigen in his first homily vpon Ieremy. Vle must nedes cal the holye scriptures to wytnes: for [Page] our iudgements and exposicious / with out these witnesses / are worthye no credite. Our wordes, with out gods wordes, are not to be be­leued.

IDem vpon Leuiticus / in his fyfte homilye. If the holy scripture doe not determine any thing / we ought not to admitte any other wrytyng for the stablyshinge of our doctryne: That, which cā not be proued by the scripture, leaue to god. but as for the rest / let vs leaue it to god.

THe same vpon the thirde chap­ter to the Romanes. After these as his custome is (meanynge by sainct Paul) he doth confirme / that he had sayd by the scriptures, geuing al­so an example to the preachers of the churche / that those thynges / whyche they speake to the people / should be armed and mayntained by the holi scriptures / and not spoken oute of theyr own iudgements. If Paul thought his auc­thorite For if he / being such and so great an Apostle / thoughte not the aucthorite of hys owne wordes to be sufficiente / excepte be teache those thynges, which he saieth / to be wryt­ten [Page] in the law and the prophets: ho [...] much more ought we litle ones to take heade / that when we teache / we vtter not our own mindes, but the senten­ces of the holy gost.

THe same vpon Mathew / in his 26. homily no man ought (for the stablyshing of doctryne) to vse any bokes / that be withoute the canonicall scriptures.

CIprian in the exposicion of the Crede / after that he hath re­hearsed the canonical bokes of the Bible / he sayeth. Al bokes which be not in the Ca­non of the Bi­ble, are called A­pocry­pha, and are not sufficient to proue any Ar­ticles of our sayth. These be they / whiche oure fathers haue included within the Canon / out of the whyche our fathers woulde the doctryne of our fayth to be certaine: neuertheles there be other bokes / which of our el­ders / were not called canonycall / but Ecclesiastical: as the boke of wisdōe / the bokes of Sirach / Tobie / Iudyth / Machabees / and other. All whyche bokes / they would haue to be redde in [Page] th [...] churche / but not alleged as of auc­thoritie to confirme any article of our fayth. Al other writinges thei called Ap [...]crypha / whiche they would in no wyse to be redde in the churche.

AThanasius against the gentyles. The holy Scriptures / being in spired from god / are sufficiente to all instruction of the trueth.

BAsilius in his boke of Ethikes / of his short definitions the. 26. Euery worde and dede / that maketh for the certentye and suertye of good men / and the confusion of them that be euill / must be confirmed by the testimony of Goddes scriptures. And those thinges / which either in our na­ture / or in the custome and maner of our life / are manifestly knowen / must we vse / to confirme those thynges / which we doe and say.

THe same in his short definitiōs the first questiō. Whether it bee lawful or expedient for a man to permit himselfe to do what he thinketh good / without the testimonie of the holy scriptures▪ [...] aunswere. [Page] Seyng that our sauiour sayth of the holy gost: he shall not speake of hym­selfe, but what soeuer he hath heard / that shall he speake: And of himself he sayeth the sonne can dooe nothynge of himselfe: And agayne / I haue not spo­ken of my selfe / but he whiche sent me gaue me commaundemente / what I shoulde say / and what I shold speake / and I knowe that hys commaunde­mente is eternall lyfe: therefore those thynges / that I speake I speake as the father sayd vnto me: who is he then / that wil runne into suche madnesse / that he dare once thynke onelye anye thyng of himselfe / seeing that he hath nede of the holy ghoste for his ayde / so that both in mynde / word and worke / he may be gided in the way of trueth / and that he must nedes walke in darknes / excepte he bee lightened with the sonne of righteousnes / oure lorde Ie­sus Chryste / whiche shineth vpon vs with hys cōmaundementes / as with bright beames? For the commaunde­ment of the lorde is cleare / and geueth [Page] lyght to the eyes. For of those thinges that are done / and commonly vsed a­mong vs, some are by gods commaū ­dement determined / and playnlye set forth in the holyscriptures / and some not expressed. No man can dis­pence with goddes law. Of those that be expres­sed by the scriptures / there is vtterlye no power geuen to any man (what so euer he be in the hole worlde) either to doe any thyng of those that be forbidden / or els to leaue vndone any thyng of them that be commaunded: Things, that be not com­maūded, be indif­ferent to be vsed, or not v­sed: but yet as charite re­quireth. seeynge that the lord hath once commaunded & sayd, whatsoeuer I cōmaunde you / that take heade ye doe &c. But of those thinges that are not expressed / the A­postle Paul hath geuen vs a rule / sayinge: I maye dooe all thinges / but all thynges are not expedient. I may doe all thinges / but all thynges edyfye not.

ISychius vpon Leuiticus. lib. 5. cap. 16. Searche no fur­ther then the gos­pell. Let vs / which woulde haue any thyng obserued of god, searche no more but that / whiche the gospell [Page] doth geue vnto vs.

CHrysostome vpon the. 24. cap. of Math. Homilia. 49. When you shall set the abominable desolacion stande in the holye place (that is) when you shall see vngodlye heresye (which is the armye of Anti­christ) stande in the holy places of the churche: In time of here [...]ie, there is no meanes to trye the truth and the true church of Christe from Antichrists churche, but only by the scripturs in that tyme let th [...] / whiche are in Iury [...]ye vnto the hilles (that is) let them / that be in Christendome / resort vnto the scriptures. For like as the true Iewe i [...] a Christian (as the Apostle sayth / he is not a Iewe / which is outward &c.) in lyke maner the very Iurie is Christianitie / the hilles ar the scriptures of the Apostles and prophetes. And why doth he commaunde all Chrystians at that tyme to resort [...] to the scriptures? for in thys time / sīce heresy hath preuayled in the churche / there can be none other profe of true Christianite / neyther can there be any other refuge for Christen men / (wyl­lyng to know the truth of the ryghte [Page] fayth) but onely vnto the holye scrip­tures. Beefore tyme / it was shewed by many other meanes / whiche was the true church of Chryste, & whiche Gentilite: but now there is no waye to knowe it. And why? for all those thynges / which pertayne to Chryst in dede / haue the heretiks in their Schisme: likewise churches / likewise the scriptures of god / likewise Bishops / and other orders of clarkes / and lyke­wyse Baptisme / and the Sacrament of thankes geuinge / and (to conclude) Chryst hym selfe. Wherfore / he that will knowe whiche is the true church of Chryste in thys so great a confusiō of thinges beyng so lyke: how shal he know it but only by the scriptures? It was also knowen / which was the true churche of Chryste / by their maners / when the conuersacion of Chrysten men (either of all or many / was holy / whyche was not amonge the hea­then. An hea­uy sayīg but ala [...] to true.

But nowe CHRISTEN menne are beecome lyke / or worse [Page] then the gentiles or heret [...]kes: yea and there is more continencye founde a­mongest them / then amongest Chry­styans. Therefore he / that wil knowe whiche is the true church of Chryst / wherby shal he knowe it / but onelye by the scriptures? The lord therfore / knowyng that so great a confusion of thyngs shold come in the later tyme / commaundeth that Chrysten men / that be willinge to knowe the ryghte fayth / shold flie to none other thīges / but onely to the scriptures. For if the [...] loke vpon any other thyng but onely the scriptures / they shalbe offended & perishe / not perceauing whych is the true churche: and so fall into the abominable desolacyon / whiche standeth in the holy places of the churche.

THe same in the vnperfect worke▪ Hath. cap. 7. Prechers most neyther adde nor take [...] frō gods lawe. Euerye preacher is a seruaunte of the lawe / which may neyther adde any thynge abou [...] the law of hys own mynd / nor wythdrawe any thyng after his ow [...]e [Page] vnderstanding: but preache that thing only / that is had in the law / as Salomon sateth / thou shalt adde nothy [...]ge to the worde of god / nor take aughte therefrom.

THe same of the holy gost / tom. They, that host thēselues of the holy goste with out scripture, be voide of the holy goste. 3 If you see any man saying that I haue the holy gost / and not spekyng the gospel / but his own: that mā speaketh of himselfe / and the holi gost is not in hym. And after. If any of thē therfore / which sayeth he hath the holy gost / and speaketh any thyng of him selfe / and not forth of the gospel / say: folowe my counsell / beleue hym not.

THe same in the. 7. of Math. Homily. 19. Vpon this texte: by their fruites ye shal knowe them. The fruites of man is the con­fession of his fayth / and the workes of his conuersacion. If thou / therefore▪ shalt see a Christen man / forth wyth consider if his confession agree wyth the scriptures / he is a true Christian: [Page] but if not / he is (as Chryste sayd) false. For so Iohn / whan he wrote his Epi­stell of the heretikes / sayd: not if anye come vnto you / not hauing the name of Chryst / bydde him not God spede: but if any bryng not thys doctryne.

THe same in the same place / the. 22. Cap. and▪ 42. Homilie. Heretiks oughte first to be cōuinced by the scripturs and after by reasō. Let vs first alledge the auctho­rite of the scriptures to the false for­gers / afterwarde let vs shewe them reasons: and to them / that aske for a­ny maner of purpose / fyrste let vs de­clare vnto them the reason / and after­warde the aucthorite / that we maye pacifie them with reason / and stablish them with aucthorite. For we oughte to confute false interpreters / and in­struct them that searche.

THe same vpon the last of the Romanes / vpon thys texte. To prech ani thing besydes goddes worde, is to sow sediciō and heresie. I beseche you brethren. He saith that dissensions and slaunders / that is to saye / heresyes / are broughte in of [Page] those / whiche brynge any thyng be [...] ­sydes the doctrine and learnyng of the Apostles.

THe same vpon the latter E­pistle to Timothe / the. 3. Cap. Al things may be determi­ned by the scrip­ture. There is nothyng that can not be determined by the scriptures / to re­proue / if it be to bee reproued (that is to saye) lyes: to correcte / and to teache in righteousnes. If it be nedeful (saith he) that any thyng should be corrected or instructed / that is to be made contynent and sober vnto righteousnesse / & to execute those thinges that be iuste: al that shall be geuen by the scripture / that the man of god maye be perfecte: the amendment (sayeth he) is prepared by the scriptures / that nothyng maye be lacking to that man / that walketh after god. The holi scripture cōtei­neth all thinges nedefull for our saluaciō

THe same vpō math. 22. Cap. Ho­milie. 4. Whatso euer is required for our saluaciō / is already cōtamed in the holi scriptures. He that is ignorāt / shal find ther what he may learne. He that is stubburne & a sīner / [Page] may finde there scourges of the iudgementes to come / the whiche he maye feare: he / that is troubled / maye fynde there the ioyes and promyses of euer­lastynge lyfe / through the beholdynge of the whyche / he maye bee styrred to good workes.

THe same vpō the. 2. of the Thessalo. 2. cap. Al things be plaine and cleare in the scriptures / & what things so euer be nedeful / be manyfest there.

THe same vpon the. 2. to Timo [...]the. 3. ch. If there be any thīg nedefull to be knowen / or not to be knowen / we shal learne it by the holy scriptures: if we shal nede to re­proue a falsed / we shal fetche it from thēce: if to be corrected / to be chastned / to be exhorted / or cōforted / to be short / if aught lacke that ought to be taught or learned / we shall also learne it out of the same scriptures.

[Page] The same / Homily. 1. Titum. Like as the bedell cryeth open­ly to al thē that be in the court / so due we preache openly: A prea­cher must speake nothyng but out of gods mouthe. but on that condicion / that we adde nothynge / but preache only that thing / that we haue hearde. For the office of a cryar is to speake out those thynges that be com­mitted to him / and not to adde / chaūge or take away any thyng.

THe same vpon the latter Epistle to Timothe / the. 3. cap. Beleue him not, that speaketh without the scrip­ture. There­fore / neither ought ther to be be­leued at all / excepte they speake those thyngs which be agreable to the scriptures.

THe same vpon the. 20. cap. of Iohn Homilia. 89. He, that beleueth the gos­pel writ­ten, ne­deth be­leue no­more. But why did not the Apostles wryte all thyngs? Chefely / because of the multytude of them. More ouer they dyd cō syder / that he / which would not beleue these / woulde not beeleue more: but he that beseueth these / nede no more [Page] to attayne fayth.

THe same vpon Genesis the. 12. Homilie. The holye scripture expoundeth it selfe / and suffe­reth not the hearer to erre.

THe same in the same boke / the 21. Homilie. Not mās wisdome but the holi gost is the true ex­positor of the scripture Neither hath the scripture of God any nede of mans wisdome that it may be vnder­stande / but the reuelacion of the holy gost: that / the true meaning beyng sucked thereout / great aduantage maye growe to vs therby.

HIeronymus in the prologe of the bible to Paulme. nothing is of lyke aucthoritie wyth the holy scripture After he had recited the bookes of the new testament and the olde / he saith: I pray thee dere brother / among these lyue / muse vpon these / know nothing els / seke for none other thyng.

AGayne vpon the bokes of the olde and new testament: These [Page] writīges be holye / these bokes be soūde both in nomber and aucthoritie / ther is none other to be compared to these / whatsoeuer is besides these may in no wise be receued amōg these holy thīgs. Goddes word cutteth of al tradiciōs apostolik as they cal them, which be beside the same worde. we ought not to a­lowe ani mans doctryne wythout gods worde. the Apostles groū ded all their doctrine vpō the law and Pro­phetes.

AGayne vpon the firste. Cap. of Agge. All other thynges which they seke oute / and inuente at their own pleasure without the auc­thorite & testimonie of the scriptures / (as thoughe they were the tradicions of the Apostles) the sweord of god cutteth of.

AGayne in his litell commenta­ryes to the Galathians / vpon this place: condescend to no mā / this perswasion is not of god / which hath called you: thus he īterpreteth it: ye ought neither to consente to them / nor to me / without the worde of god.

AGaine vpō Math. the. 13. cap. vpō thys place: euery learned scribe. What so euer the Apo­stles preached / they cōfirmed it by the Oracles of the lawe and prophetes.

[Page] THe same to Minerius & Alexander. To build vpon a­ny doc­tours saying without scripture or reason a­greing to scripture, were to folow Pithagoras, ra­ther then Christe. Not accor­dinge to Pithagoras disciples / the opinion / geuen sentence vpō afore hand by the doctours / but the reason of the doctrine is to be wayed: but if any man / that is of a cō ­trary secte / doe murmure why I read their exposiciōs / vnto whose doctrīes I doe not cōsente: let hym know / that I willingly heare this of the Apostle: proue all thinges / but cleane to that which is good / and the wordes of our sauyour / saieng: be ye tryed bankers / and if any mony be counterfayted / & haue not the Emporours stāpe / nor be currante mony / refuse it / but that / that sheweth the face of Chryst in the cleare lyghte bestowe it in the purse of your hart.

THe same vpon Math. 23 cap. That whiche hath none aucthoritie of the scriptures / may as ease­ly [Page] be reiected / as proued.

THe same in the Psalme. 98. All [...]hat euer we speake / we ought to proue it by the scriptures.

THe same in the Psalme. 86. Be a mā neuer so holy, and neuer so learned after the apostles, yet his wordes, without gods word, are of none aucthori­te. The lord shal speak in the scriptures of the people &c. & howe shal he speake / not wyth words / but wyth scriptures of those princes that wer in it / that is / of the Apostles and Euangelistes. And marke what he saieth: of those princes that were in it / & not whiche are. So that (the Apostles except) what soeuer shalbe spoken af­terward / let it be cut of / and haue none aucthorite. Be a mā threfore neuer so holy / be he neuer so wel learned / after the Apostles he hath none aucthorite: for the Lord speaketh in the scriptures of those princes / that were in it.

AMbrosius of virgins lib. 3. ca. 1 We iustly do condemne al new thynges / whiche Chryste hath To teach that, as nedefull to saluacion which C [...]yst [...]ath not taught, is dān [...]le. [Page] not taught: for Chryste is the waye to the faythfull. If therefore we oure selues preache any thyng / that Chryst hath not taught / iudge that abominable.

THe same in the psalme. 118. The worde of god is the liuely meat of our soules / with the which it is norished / fedde and gouerned: the soule liueth only by the worde of god. ney­ther is there any thynge els / that ma­keth a reasonable soule to liue, but the worde of god.

THe same in his boke of Paradise / Cap. 12. By that / whych Eua added to the word of god (thou shalt not touche &c) we do learn how much this present lesson putteth vs in rememberaunce / that we ought to adde nothyng to the worde of god / yea though it bee for a good purpose. nothing is to be added to the word of god al­thoughe it be for a good purpose. For if thou put to / or take awaye any thing / it appeareth to bee a trāsgressiō of the cōmaūdemēt: for there ought nothīg to be added / although it sēe good.

[Page] THe same in the Epistle to the Galathians. Capit. i. As well, who precheth be­side the gospel as against it is accur­sed. Neyther (sayth the Apostle) if thei preach contrary: but if thei preach any thing besides that / that we haue preached / that is / if they adde any thing to it at al / [...]olde them accursed. Neyther doe I except my selfe / if I put to any thīg besyde that / which was preched afore.

THe same / in the same place. Euen the Apostles preching besides the gos­pel ar not to be beleued. He doth affirme the gospel / whiche he had preached vnto them / to be so firme and true: that althoughe it should chaunce themselues (that is to say / the Apostles) beeinge chaunged / to preache any other thinge / he teacheth that they oughte not to be heard.

AVgustine of the cōsēt of the E­uāgelistes. Christe made all to be written, that he wold we should reade. He that sēt the Pro­phets before his incarnaciō / the same sēt also his Apostles after his a­scēsiō / yea & by that māhod / whych he toke vpō him / he is the head of all his discipls / which ar mēbers of his bodi: therfore forasmuch as thei wrot those thīgs / which he shewed & taught thē / [Page] it ought not to be sayed that he wrote them not / seynge that hys members wrote that / which they knew by their head teaching them. we are as wel boūd to beleue that, which the Apostles wrote: as thoughe Chryst had writ­ten it with hys own hād For what so euer he would haue vs to read / both of his dedes and wordes / that commaunded he them to write / as his handes of his body. Whoso euer doth perceaue this felowship of vnite and agremente of members / ministering vnder one head in diuerse offices: he shall none other waies take that / that he readeth in the gospel (the disciples declaryng it) then if he had sene the very hād of the lord / which he bare in his own body / wry­ting it.

THe same to Vincēt against the Donatistes the .6. tom. pag. 116. Epistola. 48. The church is knowen by the scripture We therefore for this cause are certayne and suer / that no man ought to wythdraw himselfe frō the communion of al mē. And let none of vs seke the churche in our own righteousnes / but in the ho­ly scripture.

[Page] THe same to the Mandarens E­pistle. 42. Al that concer­neth true relygion, is contai­ned in the scripture. Al that euer oure el­ders made mencion of to be dōe towardes mankinde in times past / and delyuered to vs: all thynges also which we see / and delyuer to our posterite / whiche dooe appertayne to getting and maintaining of true rely­gion / the scripture of god did not passe with silence.

AGayne to the brethren in the wildernes. The worde written is in­oughe for oure saluacion Reade the holy scripture / wherin ye shal finde fulli what is to be folowed / and what to be auoyded.

THe same of nature and grace. lib. 1. Cap. 61. I owe my con­sente to the Canonicall scryp­tures / wythout any refusal.

THe same vpon Iohn .49. trea­tyse. Cap. 11. Not all thynges that the Lorde Iesus dyd / are [Page] writtē / as the same Euangelist wit­nesseth: for the lord both did and saied many thinges / that are not wrytten: but thynges were chosen oute to bee written / whiche semed sufficiente for the saluacion of the beleuers.

THe same againste Faustus the 23. lib. ca. 9. No man is bound to beleue farther then the holi scriptures teache. That whych Fau­stꝰ putteth forth vpō the byrth of mary / that she had a certayne priest to her father of the tribe of Leuye named Ioachim: because it is not canonicall / it doeth not binde me.

THe same of Baptisme againste the Anabaptistes. li. 2. cap. 6. Let vs not bryng deceytfull ba­lances / wherin we may weighe what we wil after our owne pleasure / say­ing this is heuy / this is light: The ba­lance to trye the trueth is the holy scripture but lette vs bring the diuine balances of the holy scriptures / as of the treasurs of the lord / and in it let vs weigh what is heuy / yea let vs not weigh / but rather acknowledge the things / that ar [...] weighed of the lord.

[Page] AGayne vpon Iohn the .46. treates. Thei that sit on moses seate, and teach their own doctrine, are not to be bele­ued. Sitting vpō the chaier of Moses / they teache the lawe of god: therfore god teacheth by them. But if they wil teach their own / hear thē not / do not after thē: for truli such men searche their own / but not these thinges / which are of Iesus Chryste.

AGayne in the .3. lib of the Chri­sten doctrine. Cap. Vlt. Howe much lesse the aboundaunce of golde / siluer / and clothynge / whyche that people brought with them for the of Egipt / is in comparison of the ri­ches / whiche afterwarde they had at Hierusalem / whiche aboue all other was shewed in kyng Salomon: so let al knowledge (which is in dede profy­tably gathered out of the bokes of the Gentils) be such / if it be compared to the knowledge of gods scripturs. Al euil is condemned by the scrip­ture, and all good thynges are there founde. For what soeuer man learneth without them / if it bee euil / there it is condem­ned: if it be profitable / there it is foūd. And seinge then euerye manne shall fynde all thynges there / whiche he [Page] hath profytably learned other where: much more aboundantly shal he find those thinges there / whiche canne no where at all els be learned / but onely in the meruelous dep [...]es / and won­derfull humilite of those scriptures.

THe same in his boke of nature and Grace / the 61. Cap. We may lawefulli dissēt frō all doc­trine, ex­cept the scryp­tures on­lye. We may lawe­fully sometyme dissente from other learnynge: but to the Catholyke learnyng euery man must geue place / euery man must subscribe / whether he be laye mannne / Priest / King / or Emperour.

THe same in his .2. lib. of the Christian doctrīe the .9. Cap. After that he hath nombered the Canonicall bookes / he sayeth thus. In al these bokes they / that feare god and are ta­med through godlynes / do search the [Page] wil of god. The first note of which la­boure and trauayle (as we sayd) is to knowe these bokes / and if as yet we cā not vnderstande them / yet lette vs by readyng get them in memory / or not to bee altogether ignoraunt in them. al things that con­cerne fayth, hope, loue, and good maners: are cōtained in the scripture Further more those thinges whiche be plainly contayned therein / whether they be preceptes of lyuyng / or els of beleuinge / are earnestly and diligentely to be searched: whiche / howe many the more euery man fyndeth / so much the more is he apte in his vnderstan­dyng. In these therfore / whych are e­uydently contayned in the scripture / are founde all thynges / whyche con­tayne fayth / maners of liuinge / hope and loue.

THe same of the vnite of the church .3. cap. not what we say, but what the lord, that must be heard. Let vs not hear: I say / thou sayest: but lette vs heare: thus sayeth the Lorde. There are / out of doubte / the Lordes bokes / to the aucthoritie whereof we both consent / we both beleue / we both [Page] serue. The church is knowen by the scriptures Let vs search the church there / let vs discusse our cause there.

AGaine in his seconde booke of Baptisme / againste the Dona­tists the .3. Ca. Who is he / that knoweth not / that the scripture ca­nonical is so contayned within his certaine bondes of the newe and olde te­stament / and is so to bee preferred a­boue al latter wrytynges of Byshops / that a man mai not at al either doubt or dispute of it / whether any thynge be true or right / that he is suer is writ­ten in it: We may doubt of all mens doctrine but not of holye scripturs. but the leters of al other Bi­shops / whiche are / or shalbe hereafter written besides the Canonicall scryp­tures / already confirmed / may be re­proued / eyther by more graue aucthoritie of other Bishops or learned mē / and by the wordes of euery man / that is better sene in the matter.

AGaine in his seconde booke of the merites and forgeuenesse of synnes. ca. Vlt. tom. 7. If gods scripturs can not discusse a matter in doubt let man neuer go about to discusse it Where [Page] disputacion is had of a doubtful mat­ter / if the certayne and cleare doctrīe of the scriptures of god do not help i [...]: mans reason ought to staye it selfe / no thing leanīg to eyther part. For thogh I know not how to expresse eueri one of these thīgs: yet I beleue suerli / that the scriptures of god should be moste plaine herein / if a man mighte not be ignoraunt herof wythout the losse of that saluacion / that is promised hym.

AGaine in his boke of pastors. Who fe­deth with the scrip­tures, fe­deth safely. Other therfore with vnwritten verites fede vn­trulye. He apoīted the hilles of Israell the authors of the scryp­turs of god / fede there that you maye fede safely. What so euer you hear out of that / lette it sauoure well to you / what so euer is besyds that / refuse it / leste you wander into cloudes.

Get you to the hilles of the Scrip­tures / there bee the pleasures of your hartes / there is no noysōe / hurtful or [Page] venemous thinges / no inconuenyente thynges / there be most plentifull pa­stures.

AGaine of Christian doctryne. 2. lib. Cap. 9. In the scripture are all thinges necessary for faith and good lyfe, which two suf­fice for saluacion In these thyngs that be plainly set furth in the scrip­tures / are founde all thynges / that contayne fayth and maners of li­uing / that is to wit / hope and charite. Then after a certaine familiarite had wyth the speche of the scripture of god / we must goe to expounde / and di­scus those thinges that be darke / that (to geue lyghte to darke speaches) ex­amples may be taken out of the more playne places / and some testymonies of places / beyng certayne / maye take a way the doute of the vncertayne sen­tences.

AGaine of the Christian doctrīe the .3. lib. Cap. 26. Dark places are to be expounded by plainer places. That is the surest way / to expound one scripture by another.

[Page] AGayne to Vincente the Dona­tist Epistola .48. This kinde of learning (speakynge of the olde wryters doinges) is not to bee redde with necessitie of beliefe / but with libertye of iudgemēt. And after. There (that is) in the holy scrypturs / it is not lawfull to saye / the author of this boke perceaued not the truth: If any mans saying or writinge cannot be pro­ued by plaine scripture or good reason, gathered of the sāe a mā mai alowe or refuse it, as him li­keth. but eyther that the boke is false / or the in­terpreter hath erred / or thou vnderstā dest it not. But in the workes of all them that come after / (which be con­tayned in īnumerable bokes / yet in no wyse to be compared to the most holy excellencye of the Canonicall scryp­tures) although in some of them bee founde the same trueth / yet the aucthorite is farre vnlike.

Therfore / if it fortune any thynge in them to be thoughte to dissente from the trueth / because they are not so vn­derstād as they be spoken: yet the rea­der or hearer / hath his free iudgemēt / so that eyther he maye alowe that / that pleaseth hym / or reiecte that / [Page] whiche offendeth him. And therefor [...] al such like (except they may be defended either by good reason / or by thē canonicall aucthorite / that it maye bee proued that they are so in dede / or may be so / because either it is ther dis­puted / or declared) if it displease anye man / or if he wil not beleue it / he is not to be blamed therfore.

THe same in the same place Epi­stola. 48. Gather not (my bro­ther) against so many / so cleare / & so vndoubted witnesses of the scrip­tures / sentences misunderstanded / oute of the writinges of Bishoppes / either of ours / or of Hilarie / or Ciprian Bishop and martyr of the church: for we must put a diuersitie betwixte this kinde of writing and the Cano­nical scriptures. The olde writers are not of suche aucthori­tie, but that we may deni them, if they dis­sent frō the holy scripturs. For these are not so to be red / as though a wytnes might be alledged oute of them so / that no manne myghte thynke otherwise / if [Page] they fortune to iudge otherwise / then the trueth requireth.

THe same to Ierome. I haue learned to geue thys reuerēce and honoure to those onelye writers / which be now called Canonicall / that I dare be bold to beleue / that none of them dyd erre any thyng at al in wrytynge? But if I fynde any thīg in those Scryptures / that semeth contrarye to the trueth: I doubt not / but that eyther the boke is false / or the interpreter dyd not attayne the thynge that was spoken / or els I vnderstande it not.

But all other authours / (be they neuer so excellente both in vertue and learnynge) I dooe so reade them / nor that I thynke it true that they wrot / beecause they thoughte so: We may not think al, that the old fathers did write, to be true. but bee­cause they coulde perswade me ey­ther by other Canonycall Scryp­tures / or by some probable reasons / [Page] a thyng not altogether abhorring frō the trueth.

THe same againste Cresconium agramarien. lib. 2. Capit. 32. Al mens writings ought to be wey­ghed by the canonical scriptures. I am not bounde to his aucthorite. For I doe not accoumpte Ciprians writinges as Canonicall / but weygh [...] them by the Canonicall scriptures: & that in them / which agreeth with the Canonicall scriptures / I alow to hys prayse / but that / that agreeth not / by hys fauor I refuse.

THe same to Vincent Victor. He con­fesseth many errours in his owne bokes [...] others also. I cannot / nor ought not to denye / that lyke as in myne elders / so also in my so many bokes / bee manye thynges: that by iuste iudgemente / (wythoute rashnes) maye bee repro­ued.

THe same in the prologe of hys booke of the Trinite. Beleue not his writings except thou be suer of them by the scriptures. Be not bounde to my writynges / as to the Canonical scriptures: but if thou [Page] fynde any thyng in them / which thou diddest not beleue / strayghte way be­leue it: in these that thou art not suer of / excepte thou certaynly vnderstand it / beleue it not certaynly.

THe same to Fortunate Epistola. 198. we ought not to esteme mans writinges further, then thei agree with the scripturs: but may refuse thē at our pleasures. Neyther ought we to alow the reasoninges of anye menne / what soeuer they bee / (although ther be Catholyke and laudable men) as the canonical scriptures / so that it shal not be lawfull for vs (sauinge the re­uerence that is due to those men) to reproue / and refuse any thynge in their writinges / if it chaunce that thei haue iudged otherwise then truethe is: the same trueth / by goddes helpe / beeynge vnderstande eyther of other men / or of vs. For I am euen suche an one in other mens wrytynges / as I woulde men should be in myne.

THe same in the same place. Let vs seke no further / thē is writ­ten of god our sauiour / leste a [Page] man would know more / then the scriptures witnesse.

CIrille lib. 6. Vnder­stande the word written, for they that learn of it, learne of god. Vpon Leuitie [...]s. There be two offices of a By­shoppe / to learne the scriptures of god / and by ofte readyng to digeste the same / or els to teache / the people: but let him teach those things which he hath learned of god / and not of his own hart or by mans vnderstanding / but those thynges which the holy gost teacheth.

THe same in Iohn. Cap. 6. He sayeth / by this we learne / that onely Chryste oughte to be fo­lowed as a master / and we must clene vnto him onely.

THe same in Iohn. cap. 20. al things pertei­ning to doctrine and good maners, are in the worde written, which is sufficiēte Not al thyngs / that the lord did / ar written: but those thyngs that the writers thought sufficient / as wel to good maners as to doctryne / that [Page] we / shining with a constaunte faythe / good workes and vertues / may come to the kyngdome of heauen.

FVlgence in his sermon of the confessors. In the worde of god is plentye for the stronge man to eate / there is inoughe for the child to sucke / there is also milke to drīke / wherewith the tender infancye of the faythfull may be nourished / and strōg meate / wherewith the lus [...]ye youth of them / that be perfect / may receaue the spirituall encresment of holy vertue. Note this holy fathers wordes, and print them in your hartes for euer. There / prouision is made for the sal­uacion of al men / whom the lord doth vouchesafe to saue: there is that / that is agreable to all ages: there is also that / which is mete for al states. Ther we learne the commaundementes / which we ought to do: there we know the rewardes / which we hope for.

GRegory in Iob. lib. 16. Cap. 28. He that prepareth himself to the office of a true precher / must neds [Page] fetchè the foundacion of his maters out of the holy scriptures. If prea­chers ought so then so ought all others: for they al are prepared to come to one ende by one ordinary rule. So that al that he sayeth / he muste reduce it to the firste beginning of goddes aucthorite / and in that staye the effecte of his sayinges. For as I haue sayd many ti­mes afore: heretikes when they studye to maintayne theyr frowarde doctrīe suerly they bryng forth those thinges / that are not cōtayned in the holy scriptures.

THeophilactus vpon this place of Paule / the laste to the Ro­maynes: I beseche you brethrē / marke them whiche cause diuision & geue occasion of euil / contrary to the doctrine whych you haue learned and auoyde them: for they that are suche serue not the Lorde Iesus christ / but their own bellies / and with swete prechinges and flattering wordes deceue the harts of the innocents: Here saith Theophilactus that they bryng in di-uisions and occasions of euill / whiche bryng forth any thyng besyde the doc­tryne [Page] and learnynge of the Apostles.

DAmascenus. lib. 1. cap. 1. Al that euer was deliuered bi the law / the Prophets / the Apostles and the Euangelistes: we receiue / acknowledge / and geue reuerence vnto them / searchyng nothyng besides them.

BRuno the in secōd to Timothe doutlesse the holy Scryptures are able to instruct thee to saluation. For euery scripture beeyng inspired from god / that is to saye / spiritually vnderstande after the wil of God / is profytable to teache them that be ignoraunte / to reproue (that is) to con­uince them that speake agaynste the fayth / to correct synners / suche as de­nye not them selues to bee synners: The scriptures on­ly are sufficiēt for matter of saluaciō. to instructe those that be yet rude and sī ple / to instruct (I say) in righteousnes / that they maye be made righteous by puttyng awaye their former instruc­tions [Page] of infidelite (I say) that he may be so taught / that / as muche as in the teacher lyeth / he / that is taught / maye be the perfect man of god: so perfecte / that he maye be instruct to doe euerye good worke.

BEda in the. 1. Epistle of Peter. Cap. 5. If any man speake / lette him speake as the words of god / fearyng least he say or commaunde a­ny thing besides the wil of god / or be­sides that / whiche is manifestly com­maunded in the holye scriptures / and be founde as a false witnes of god / or acommitter of sacriledge / or a bringer in of any straunge thynge from the Lordes doctrine / or els leaue oute or passe ouer anye thynge that pleaseth god / seeing that Chryste most playnly commaundeth the preachers of the trueth / concernyng them whom they had taughte / sayinge: If any mā speak, let him speake accordinge to the worde of god: ex­cepte he wil be called by these na­mes here expres­sed. teache them to kepe all thyngs / that I haue commaū ded you. Yea euen the same / whych he had commaunded and none other / and [Page] he commaunded hys preachers to cō ­maunde their hearers to kepe not sōe of these / but all.

ANselmus Bishop in his booke of virginitie. 24. Cap. We may not be­leue the generall faith, ex­cepte the same a­gre with goddes worde. Goddes lawe forbyddeth to folowe the steppes of the Catholyke or vniuersal faith any more / then the iudgemente of the canonicall trueth cōmaundeth to beleue. And all other Apocryphall lies / the good policies of the best lear­ned fathers / haue stablished in their decrees / vtterly to reiecte and to banishe them cleane / as horrible thoundrīges of wordes.

LYra [...]e vpon the laste Ca. of the Prouerbes. Like as in a mar­chauntes shyppe are caryed dy­uerse thynges / necessarye for mannes lyfe: so in the scripture are conteined all thynges / nedefull to saluacyon.

[Page] THomas of Aquine. The holye Scripture is the rule of oure fayth / wherevnto it is neyther lawfull to adde / nor take any thyng away. the truth of our fayth is contey­ned in the worde written. But the trueth of oure fayth is contayned in the holy scryp­tures diffusely and diuerse wayes / in some places darklye / and to trye oute the trueth of oure fayth by the scryp­tures / is required long study and exercise: to the which al they cannot come / that nede to knowe the trueth of the fayth / the more part wherof / beeynge occupyed wyth other busines / cannot attende to study. And therfore it was nedefull out of the sentences of holy scripture to gather some thyng into a shorte some / which should be set forth for all men to beleue / whiche is not added to the scriptures / but rather takē out of the scriptures.

SCotus in the prologe of sentences que. 2. Question. Whether know­ledge about nature / sufficient for a man in this lyfe / be sufficientlye sette [Page] forth in the holy scripture. The Question is not whether any thynges bee true that are not written / or whether god / sence the creacion and redempti­on of the worlde / hath done or sayd a­ny thyng / that is not wrytten / and re­ceyued of the Churche for the holye scripture: but thys is the questyon / whether the worde of god wrytten be sufficient for our saluaciō: or whether a Christen man be bounde to beleue any thyng / that cannot he proued bi the holy scripture. And thys graūted / that all thynges that may be gathered out of the scripture / and euery thyng that vpon any trueth graunted maye b [...] proued by a good argumēt of the scripture / doth pertayne to the holy scripture: this graunted I say / he conclu­deth that all thynges / necessarye for our saluacion / are fully conteyned in the holy scripture. ¶The schole authors call the staye of our faith / the trueth shewed of God / and conteyned in the Canon of the Bible.

¶That the general counsels / with­oute the worde of god / are not sufficiente to make articles of oure fayth.
¶The .iii. Chapter.

EVsebius in his ecclesiastical hi­storie. Thei wer gathered in the spirite of pride and enuy, and not in the spirit of meke­nes and loue. lib. 1. Cap. 8. The head rulers of the churche / forgettynge gods commaundementes / were infla­med one againste another wyth con­tencyon / zeale / enuy / pride / malice and hatred: so that they thoughte rather that they occupied the rome of tirānes then of priestes. And also / forgettinge Christian humilite and sincerite / they did celebrate the holy misteries wyth vnholy handes.

GRegorye Nazianzen to Proco­pius. Note these words diligentlye and for­get them not. Vndoubtedli I thīk thus if I must nedes wryt the truth / that al assembles of Byshoppes are to be eschued. For I neuer sawe good [Page] end of any synode / that did not rather bryng in euils / then put them awaye: for the lustes of stryfe and desyer / and of lordshyp reigne there.

AVgustine in his lib. 2. Capit. 3. agaynst the Donatists. Coun­sails are not of such au­thorite, that what so euer thei de­cree must be holdē for truth The coū sels / which are kept through e­uery region or prouince / wythout all clokinges / ought to geue place to the generall counselles / whiche are made of all Christendome: yea and the former generall counsels / oughte ofttimes to be reformed by the latter counsels / if any thynge in them dooe chaunce to erre from the trueth.

AVgustine against Maximinum the bishop of the Arrians. lib. 3 Ca. 4. But now neither ought I to alledge the counsel of Nice / nor thou the coūsel of Arimine / to tak aduaūtage therby: The scripture must trie all. for neyther am I bounde nor helde by the authorite of this / nor thou of that. Lette matter with matter / cause wyth cause or [Page] reason with reasō / trye the matter by the aucthorite of scriptures / not pro­per witnesses to any of vs / but indif­ferent witnesses for vs both.

GErson. Marke thys. We ought rather beleue the sayīg of any teacher / armed with the Canonycall scripture / then the Popes determynacyon.

THe same. Reade ye Papistes and be no longer ignorāte More tredite is to be geuen to a mā / that is singular­lye learned in the Scripture / bryngying forth catholyke aucthorite / then to the generall counsel.

PAnormitan in cap. Coūsails may and doe erre oftimes. Significasti. A simple laye man / bryngynge forth the scriptures / is to be beleued / rather then an hole counsel. For a counsell may erre / as it hath afore ty­mes erred / as did the counsell of Melchildense and Aquisgranum of con­tracting of Matrimonie. The coun­cel [Page] of Cōstance among other articles of Iohn Husband Hierome of Prage / vniustly condemned / condemned also this article for heresye: that the two natures (that is) the diuinite and hu­manitie be one Chryst / whych is a ne­cessarye article of our fayth / expressed in the Crede of Athanasius called qui cunque vult / where it is red: Read the Psalme. the right fayth is / that we beleue and confesse / that our Lorde Iesus Chryst the sōne of god is god and mā / and a litle after: lyke as the reasonable soule and the flesh is one man / so god and mā is one Christ: the same is also decreed by the counsell of Nice and dyuerse other ca­tholike counsels / and it is the doctrine of the churche at thys tyme. Finally it may be proued by the expresse word of god / and yet these malycyous cleargy were not ashamed to condemne the same for an heresy. Note here iētle reader / vnto what shameles and detesta­ble heresyes theyr Popishe / yea Anti­christian general counsels haue fallē / of the which they boast so much / that [Page] they cannot erre / and wherevpon chē ­fely they builde al their errours and heresyes. Moreouer the most part of the good lawes and Canons be in maner altogether abrogated and no wher kept: part wherof I shall expresse.

¶That nothyng can be proued by oracles of Angels / touchynge relygyon.
¶The. iiii. Chapter.

GEnesis .3. Sathan / beyng chaū ged into a serpēt / disceaued our first parentes: & in them cast al mankynde hedlynge into damnacion.

REgum .3. Vlti. I wil go furth / and bee a lyinge spirite in the mouth of all his Prophetes. ¶Reade the whole Chapter.

GAlat .1. Thoughe an angel from heauen preache any other gos­pell. &c.

THe .2. to the. Cor. ca. 11. Sathā himselfe is chaunged into an Angell of lyghte.

[Page] COlossi .2. Let no man make you hote at a wronge marke / by the humblenes and holynes of An­gels.

THe same .4. Cap. The spirite speaketh euidently / that in the latter tymes some shal depart from the fayth / and shall geue hede vnto spirites of error and deuyl­lyshe doctrine /

IOhn .4. Beleue not euery spirite: but proue the spirites / whether they are of god or not.

ACtes .16. A certayne damsel / possessed with a sprite that prophesied met vs: which brought her master and mistres much vaū ­tage wyth prophesieng. The same fo­lowed Paule and vs and cried / saying: these are the seruauntes of the moste high god: whiche shewe vnto vs the waye of saluacyon. And thys dyd she many dayes: but Paul / not content / [Page] turned about / and sayd to the spirite: I commaunde thee / in the name of Iesu Chryste / that thou come out of her. And he came out the same houre.

CIprian of the simplenes of pre­lates. The enemye (after the woordes of the Apostle) chaun­geth hymselfe into an Angell of lyght / and setteth forth his seruauntes / as ministers of righteousnes / affirminge nyghte for daye / death for health / desperacion vnder the cooler of hope / false fayth vnder the pretēce of faith / Antichrist vnder the name of Chryst: The de­uill de­ceueth man, be­cause he wāde­reth from the word written, and is not cōtēt there­with. so that whyles they counterfete the like things / thei make voide the truth with subtiltie. Thys (dearly beloued brethren) commeth to passe by thys meanes / that we resorte not to the original of the trueth / nor seke the head Chryst / nor kepe the doctrine of oure heauenly master.

CIprianus in his .4. treatesse of the vanite of Idols. Filthie spi­rites wanderyng abroade / beeīg [Page] drowned in worldly vices [...] after they haue shronken from heauenly vertue through worldly corrupcyon / beeynge them selfs destroyed / cease not to destroye other / and beyng infecte wyth euill / infecte other wyth the same. Spirites worke no good but euill. These inspire the hartes of the Pro­phetes / euer lappyng vp lyes with the truth / they trouble mens lyues / dys­quiet their slepes / drawyng their mē bers awry / hurt their health / prouoke diseases / to force mē to worshipping of thē: The de­uils mi­racles ar [...] to worke mischief. & this is the remedy of them whā they cease to hurt: Thei hurt most of all, when thei cease from hurtyng. neither haue they any other study but to cal mē backe frō god / and turne thē frō the perceauīg of true religiō / to their superstitiō / & seyng they be in paine thē selfe / to seke those to be companiōs of their paine / whom they haue made / through their error / partakers of their synne.

LActātiꝰ institucionū li. 2. ca. 15. corrupt & dāned spirits strey ouer al the world / & seke for ease [Page] of their destruction / thorough the de­structyon of men. The de­uils vexe both bodye ct soule, to cause mē to seke to them for help, and so to be worship­ped as god. They therefore fill al the worlde wyth snares / fraudes / and errours / the whiche because they be fine spirits / and can not be percea­ued / conueye themselues into mens bodyes / and beyng secretlye hyd wythin the body [...] trouble health / bryng sicke­nes / fraie men with dreames / vexe mens myndes with sweate / that thorow these harmes they may force mē to runne to them for helpe. The cause of all whych discea [...]es / is darke to thē that be ignoraunte in the trueth: for they thynke they profyte whan they cease from hurtynge / which can doe nothyng but hurt. But they / whych haue shrunken backe from godes ser­uice / because they be enemyes and trāsgressours of the trueth / goe about to chalenge to themselues the name and honour of god: not because they desi­er any honor [...] (for what honour can the damned haue) nor that they shold hurt god / who cannot be hurt: but to hurte men / whom they goe aboute to [Page] draw away from the worshyppe and knowledge of gods true maiesty / least they shoulde attayne immortalytye / whyche they haue lost thorowe theyr own malice. So they couer all wyth darknes / and compasse the truth with claudes: Sathan worketh miracles by Ima­ges, and hereof sprin­geth the worshipping of Images. so that they can not knowe their lord / nor their father. And that they maye easely allure menne / they hide themselues in the churches / and are at hande in al sacrifices. Yea ma­ny tims they work miracles / through whiche men / beyng astonyed / do geue to Images the fayth of the godheade. Here of it commeth / that a stone was cut in sander with a rasure by a sorcerer: and that Iuno of Ve [...]a answered / that she woulde goe to Rome: & that a shyppe folowed the hande of Clau­dia: and that Iuno beyng robbed / and Proserpina of Locrēse / and Ceres of Milet / toke vengeaunce of those / that had commytted sacriledge: and Hercu­les of Appius / and Iupiter of Atimus and Minerua of Cesar. Hereof also it commeth / that a serpente delyuered [Page] the Citie of Rome from the pestilēce / beyng brought from Epidaure. The de­uils speke in Imags as thogh thei wer gods. But chefely they deceaue men in their oracles and answers / whose Iuglynges vngodly men cannot discerne frō the trueth. Therefore they thynke / that Empiers and victories / ryches and lucky chaunces of thinges / are geuen of them: thoughe deuils prophesi truly of thynges to come, yet all is but dys­ceite, to make mē to wor­ship thē. and to bee shorte / oft tymes common welthes to be deliuered frō present daungers at their beck / which daungers they both declared by their answeres / and beeyng pacyfyed wyth sacrifice / turned away. But all these be but deceites: for seyng they knowe before the disposicion of god / because they were his ministers / they thruste them selues into these businesses / so that what so euer thynges eyther be done / or haue bene done of God / they mighte seme cheflye to dooe or haue done it.

And so ofte as any goodnesse is cō ­mynge at hande to any people or Ci­tie / accordynge to Gods appointmēt / [Page] they promyse that they wyll doe it / ey­ther by miracles / dreames or reuelacions: if churches / if honours / if sacry­fices / be geuen to them. The whyche thynges beeyng geuen / whan that chaunceth that nedes muste bee: Sathan vnder pretence of dead mēs soules de ceaueth thē, that lyue: and leadeth them in­to Idola­trye. they get to themselues greate worshyppe. For this cause bee temples vowed / for thys cause be newe Images halowed. And so ofte as perilles be at hande / for some foolyshe and lyghte cause / they fayne themselues angrye: as Iuno towarde Varre. But these be the deceites of them / that lurkynge vnder the names of the deade / intende to plague them that be aliue. Wherfore / wheras that daūger / that is at hand / maye bee auoyded: they woulde seme that they / beeynge pacified / haue tur­ned it awaye.

And if it cannot be eschewed / thys they doe / that it myghte appeare to chaunce for the contempte of them: and so they purchase to thēselfes great authorite, & feare amōg mē that know [Page] them not. Some men wil saye / why doth god then suffer these thynges / neyther doeth he succoure so euill er­rours? That euil thynges may fighte wyth good / that vices may be contra­ri to vertues / that he may haue some / whom he may punish / and some whō he may honour.

STapulensis vpon the .2. Epystle to the Thessa. 2. Ca. Maruayle not of counterfayte Aungels / and of the subtilty of Sathan / resemblyng hymselfe to Christ: Subtil Sathan say­neth himself to be Christ ct worship­ped as god. seing we read a like thīg in the historye of Heraclides / of a Moōke called Valēt. The deuil (saith he) chaunging himselfe into the lyke­nes of our sauiour / came to hym by night with a company (as he fayned) of a. M. Angels: holdynge burnynge lampes in their hādes / and with a fre­ry charet / in the which he fayned oure sauiour to sit. How shal we then knowe any cer­tayne trueth by appa­ricions. Then one of them stept forth and sayed thus vnto hym: come forth out of thy [...]ell now / and doe no­thyng els but when thou seest him cōe [Page] a farre of / make hast to bowe downe thy selfe and worshyppe hym / and so strayght way returne againe to thine own house. Then he went forth oute of his house / and beleuing that he had sene that godly offices of heauenly ministers / and all shininge with fierie lampes / and Chryste (as he thought) hymselfe not past a furlong of / fel flat vpon the grounde / and worshypped him / whom he beleued to be the lord. Thei that beleue visions often wor­ship Sa­than for Christ. See here howe this fearfull and fo­lyshe Moonke Valēt / leauynge very Chryst / worshipped Chrystes enemy: and in steade of the trueth / a coun­terfet Antichryste and Sathan.

¶That apparitions of the deade be vnsuffycyente to proue trueth.
¶The .v. Chapter.

DEuteronomyum .18. When thou art come into the lande / [Page] whiche the lorde thy god geueth thee / see that thou folowe not the abomi­nacions of those nacions: let ther not be found among you any one / that maketh his sonne or daughter to gooe through the fier / or that vseth witchecraft / or a chuser of dayes, and that regardeth the flying of foules / or a sor­cerer or a charmer / or that coūselleth with spirites / or a sothesayer / or that asketh the trueth at thē / that be dead. For the lord abhorreth al these: & for suche abominacions / the lord thy god doth cast them out / before thee. But the lord / thy god, hath not suffered the so to doe.

ESai. 8. And if they saye to you / axe counsell at the sothesayers / witches / charmers & coniurat [...]: then make them thys aunswere: is there a people any where / that asketh not counsell at his God? Read the place. shoulde men roonne vnto the deade for the liuing? If any manne wante lyght / lette him [Page] loke vpon the lawe / and the testymo­nye / whether they speake after thys meanyng.

LVke .16. Read the Chapter If they heare not Mo­ses and the Prophetes / neyther wyl they beleue / if one arise frō death.

LActancius in his institucions lib. 2. Cap. 2. He laugheth theyr foolish­nes to scorne. The rude sort thīk that mens soules walke aboute the graues / and reliques of their bo­dyes.

CHrysostome in his .4. Homilie of Lazarus. That thou mayest knowe / that the doctrynes of the scriptures / and Prophetes / are of more force / then if they that be raysed frō death shold tel any thīg: the scrip­ture ought to be bele­ued ra­ther thē the testi­monye of the dead: for it is gods owne word, and the other oft times the deuils. consider this / that whosoeuer is dead / is a ser­uaūt. But what the scripturs speak / the lorde himselfe speaketh: therfore though a dead mā arise / yea although an angel cōe down frō heauē / yet chiefly we ought to beleue the scryptures. [Page] For he / that is master of Aungels / and lord of the quicke and the dead made them. If dead men should come again from thence vnto vs / the deuil might haue brought to vs false doctrines: and that very easely. For he myghte haue shewed of ten tymes gostes / and haue subornated men / that shold coū terfet death and burial / and within a whyle after shew thēselues / as thogh they were raysed agayne from death / and through them to perswade the people so begiled / what so euer hym lyst. For if now [...] when no suche thyng is done in dede / yet dreames sene of many men in their slepe / as thoughe it wer of them that are departed hēce / haue deceyued / destroyed / and ouer throwen many menne: muche more it should haue chaunced / if the thynge had bene done in dede / and gotten cre­dite in mens mindes / (that is to say) if many of the dead had returned a­gaine to lyfe / that wycked deuil wold haue wroughte innumerable deceits / and brought muche fraude into the [Page] life of men. The dead neuer re­turne af­ter the death to tel their state that be dead. And for that cause God hath shut vp that waye / neyther doth he suffer any of the dead to come a­gaine hether to tel what is done ther: lest he by that meanes should brynge in al his wiles and subtilties. For whē ther were Prophetes / he styrred vp false Prophetes: when the Apostles wer / false Apostles: when Christ ap­peared / he raysed false Chrystes: whā [...]ounde doctryne was broughte in / he brought in corrupte doctrine / sowing [...]ockle euery where. But God / from whom nothing is hidde / hath [...]ropped his way to those snares / and he fauouring vs hath not suffered that any sōe at any tyme should come from thēce hether / to tel what is there done to a­ny men lyuing / teachyng vs that we shold rather beleue the scrypturs / thē all other thinges. The scripture is to [...]e bele­ued a­boue all thinges.

THe same in Math. Cap. 8. Ho­milie .2.9. I wil not denye / but that men haue bene kylled of [Page] cursed charmers and sorcerers: It is not the soule of the dead that saith I am such a mans soule, but the devyl counterfeteth the dead to deceue the liui­ng: for soules departed the bodie can not walke her on earth. but that dead mennes soules worke wyth them / how shal they make me beleue that? because thou haste heard dead mens soules many times crye / I am the soule of such a one. Yea but these wordes procede out of the fraude and deceit of the deuil. For it is not the dead mans soule / that sayth this / but the deuill that sayneth thys / that he maye deceaue the hearers. For these ought to be taken as olde wyues fa­bles / the wordes of liars / and fraye bugges of children: neyther canne the soule / beyng departed from the body / walke in this earth. For the soules of the righteous are in the hand of god / and the soules of synners ar streight / after their death / caried awai. Which is manifest by Lazarus and the ryche man. The lord saieth also in another place: this day shal they fetche away thy soule. The soule therfore / after it be departed from the body / cannot wā der here amongest vs. It may be pro­ued [Page] by maniscripturs / that the souls of the ryghteous cannot wander here after their death.

For Steuen sayd / Lorde receiue my spirite. And Paule desyered to be losed from the bodye / and to be wyth CHRISTE. Of the Patriarkes also the Scripture sayth / he was laid vp wyth his fathers / he dyed in a good age. And that the soules of sinners canne not tarye here with vs / harken to the ryche manne / what he sayeth: consyder what he asketh / and obtayneth not. But yf mens soules myghte bee conuersaunte here / he woulde haue come as he desyered / and haue certified his brethren of the tormentes in hell.

Of the whiche place of Scripture it is manyfeste / that after the depar­tynge from the bodye. the soules are caryed into a certayne place, from whence they cannot returne at their pleasure: but loke for that terrible day of Iudgement.

[Page] HIerome in the .8. Ca. of Iere­my. If you doubt of any thīg (sayeth the prophete) knowe that it is written / that those nations / whiche the lord shal scatter before thy face / shal harken to dreames and soth­sayers: but the Lord thy god hath cō ­maunded thee not so to doe / but if you wil know thynges that be doubtful / geue yourselues rather to the testimonies of the law & the scriptures. But if your congregacion wil not searche the worde of the lorde: they shall not haue the lyghte of the trueth but shal wander in darkenesse of errors. You ought to knowe thys / that euery na­cyon asketh counsell at theyr owne gods / and enquireth of the deade for the health of the quicke: but god hath geuen you the law for youre helpe / so that you may say / the soothsaying of the heathen / which deceiue their wor­shippers / is not lyke ours: whyche is spoken oute of the lawe / without any coste.

[Page] SAīct Augustine also saith / that the spirite of Samuel / which the woman sorcerer raysed to Saul / was not the soule of Samuel / but the deuil / which appeared in Samuels likenes / for to deceiue Saul: this doeth he proue both by euydente scriptures / and stronge reasons.

¶Neyther are miracles able to proue our fayth
¶The .vi. Chapter.

EXodus .7. 8. The wise men / and inchaunters of Pharao / turned their roddes into serpentes / and the waters of Egipt into bloode: and made all the whole lande to swarme with frogges / through their sorceries.

DEuteronum .13. If there aryse among you / a Prophete / or a dreamer of dreames / and geue [Page] thee a signe or a wōder / and that signe or wonder / which he hath sayed / come to passe / and then saye: let vs got af­ter straunge goddes / which thou hast not knowen / and let vs serue them: Harken not vnto the wordes of that Prophet / or dreamer of dreames. For the lord thy god tempteth thee / to wete whether ye loue the lorde your God / wyth all youre hartes / and all youre soules.

IEremye .23. Beholde here am I▪ sayeth the LORDE / a­gaynste those Prophetes that dare prophesye lyes / and deceyue my people wyth their vanities and miracles▪ whom I neuer sent / nor cō maunded.

MAth .7. Many shal saye to me in those dayes / LORDE / [Page] haue we not prophesyed in thy name? haue we not caste oute deuils in thy name? and then it shall bee answe­red them: I neuer knewe you / de­parte from me you children of ini­quite.

MAth .12. An euyll and froward generacyon saketh a sygne / and there shall no sygne bee geuen to them / but the signe of Ionas the Prophete.

MAthewe .24. There shall a / rise false CHRISTES / and false Prophetes / and shal shewe greate miracles / and won­ders / in so muche that / if it were pos­syble / euen the verye electe shoulde bee disceaued: Mar. 13. but take you hede / bee­holde / I haue shewed you al thynges before.

[Page] THessa .2. The commyng of that wicked one (meanīg Antichrist) shalbe after the working of S [...] than / with all lyenge power / signes and wonders / and wyth al dis­ceit of vnrighteousnesse of them / that shall peryshe: beecause they receaued not the loue of the trueth / that they myght be saued. And therefore God shal sende them stronge delusyōs / that they myght beleue lyes: that all they myght be damned / which beleued not the truth / but had pleasure in vnrighteousnes.

ACtes .8. Simon Magus / an in chaunter / by his wonders be­witched the Samaritans.

ACtes .13. Elimas the sorcerer had of long tyme deceyued the Antiochians. Read the stories.

IRene lib .1. Telleth of a certen Iugler / called Marke / whiche in the sacrament [Page] of thankes geuing wonder­fully deceaued the simple people. For he so chaunged the coloure of wyne / that it appeared vtterly to be bludde: and a litel wine so increased through his Iugling / that the chalyce was fyl­led / and ranne ouer. By this example ye maye iudge of the po­pishe mi­racles. By this Iugling it is playne inough / that those myra­cles / that be alledged of many men for the real presence in the sacrament of the alter / doe not confyrme their er­ror / but be very delusions of the deuyl or of his iuglyng ministers.

CHrysostome in his .4. 9. Homilie vpō the .24. of Math. True Christiās work miracls profitable to the seers: but the wicked without profit at all Afore time it was knowē which wer true Christen men and which false by miracles. but how were the false knowen? Because they could not worke. such or lyke miracles / as true Christē men did: but they wroughte vaine thinges / making men to wonder / but bringing no profit at al. But the Christians did miracles / which not onelye brought wonders / but also profyte: & [Page] by these they were knowen / whyche were true Christians / and whyche false. But now workyng of miracles is vtterly taken awaye. Yea coūterfet miracles are rather founde amonge them / that be false Chrystians: as Pe­ter declareth in Clement. Antichriste shal haue full power geuen him / to worke great miracles.

THe same in his first oracyon a­gaynste the Iewes / vpō thys place of Deutero .13. If there a rise among you a Prophete or a drea­mer of dreames &c. That / that he saith (sayeth Chrysostome) is thys: if any Prophete saye / I can rayse a dead mā and geue syghte to a blinde man / obey me / let vs worship deuils / let vs do sa­crifice to Idols: God sufferth wicked men to worke miracles for the tryall of the faythfull moreouer if a man speake thus / that he can geue the blīd his syghte / rayse the dead [...] yea though he doe these thynges: beleue him not. for the Lord trieng thee suffereth him [Page] to doe them / not that he knewe not thy mynd / but to geue thee occasyon of tryall whether thou loue God in dede.

THe same in Iohn Cap. 2. The faithfull nede no mira­cles. for signes are gyven to the vnbelevers .1. Corin .14. In the ende of the .22. Homilie. Ther be some doubtles now a daies / that aske why men worke no mira­cles now. If thou be faithful / as thou oughtest to be / if thou loue Christ / as he shoulde be loued / thou nedest no miracles: for signes are geuen to vnbele­uers and not to the faythfull.

AVgustyne agaynst faustus the Manachee. lib. 15. Cap. 5. The Scriptures / that be stablyshed and sette forth by so greate au­thorite / ye despice: miracles you work none: which though you did / yet we woulde beware of you / by the Lorde instructing and teachinge vs / saying: there shal aryse false Chrystes &c.

[Page] THe same of the citie of god li. 20. Cap. 19. The presence of Anti­christ shalbe after the workynge of Sathan / with all lyinge po­wers / as a fore. For then shall Sathā be let lose / and by him Antichrist / with all his power / shal worke meruelous­ly but lyingly: of the which miracles it was wonte to be doubted / whether they be called lyinge signes and won­ders for thys cause / that he shall de­ceaue mans senses with visions / so that he semeth to do the thyng that he doeth not in dede / or els beecause the­same / although they be true miracles and not counterfet / yet they draw mē to beleue that thei can not be done / but by the power of god: whereas me [...]ne knowe not the power of the deuyll: chefely seing that how greate soeuer power he hath / he hath receued it. For when fier fel down from heauen / and with one dashe destroyed s [...] greate a­familie wyth so many heardes of cat­tayll of holy Iob / & a sodayne whirle winde / ouerthrowing his house / slew [Page] his children: these were no disceaua­ble visions / but for euery one of these it is sayed: they shall be beegiled with signes and wonders / that shall de­serue to be begiled / for so much as thei haue not receyued the loue of the trueth / that thei might be saued. Nei­ther did the Apostle / feare to saye and adde: god shal sende them strong de­lusyons / that they should beleue lies. For god doth sende these thynges / be­cause he suffereth the deuyll to dooe them: he in dede bi his iust iudgemēt / although the deuill doeth it of a wyc­ked and malicious purpose.

THe same of the vnite of the churche. Cap. 16. Let thē shewe their church / if they can / not in the sayinges and in the fame of the Affricanes / not in the determinaciōs of their bishoppes / not in any mans reasonynges / not in false sygnes and wonders (for agaynst all thys we bee warned and armed by gods word) but [Page] in the thynges appoynted in the law / spoken afore by the Prophetes / in the songes of the Psalmes / in the voyce of the shepeharde himselfe / and the prea thynges and paynefulnes of the Euā gelys [...]s / that is in the authorite of the bokes Canenical: Al doc­trine ought to be tryed by the ca­nonicall in plaine sense: and not by wordes, that be darke, doubtful or figuratyue. but not so that thei may gather and rehearse those thīgs / that be spoken da [...]kely and doubtful­ly and figuratiuely, whych euery man may vnderstande as he lyst after hys own mynd. For suche thynges cannot be vnderstanded and expounded rightly / except those thynges / that be verye playnlye spoken / bee perceaued before wyth a constante fayth. Let him not saye thys is true / beecause I saye it / or because my companyon saith thus / or these my companions / or these our Byshoppes / Clarkes / or laye menne: Miracles shewed at the tombes of saintes proue no doctrine. or els / it is true / because such miracles did Donatus / Pontius / or what soe­uer other: or els because men praye at the tombes of our dead menne / and be [Page] heard: or because these and these thīgs chaunced there: or that thys brother of ours / or thys syster of ours sawe suche a vision: ether wakyng / or sle­pynge in hys dreame / sawe suche a vysyon or syght: Visions seen ey­ther in dreame [...] or being awake cā not make any doctryne away with these. Either they be faynyngs of lying men / or the wonders of deceytfull deuyls. For eyther they are not true / that are spoken: or if any miracles bee done a­monge Heretykes / we ought the more to take hede of them / beecause that when the Lorde had sayed there shold come some / that by workyng diuerse myracles shoulde deceyue / if it were possyble / the verye electe: he added / and earnestlye settynge foorth the thyng sayed: behold / I haue tolde you before.

Whereof the Apostle / admonishing them / speaketh playnlye: that in the latter tymes menne shoulde departe from the faythe / geuynge hede to spirites of errour / and doctrynes of deuyls. Further more if any man bee [Page] heard praying at the tōbes of hereti [...] he receueth / whether it be good or euil not for the merite of the place / but for the merite of his desyer. Men be heard at the tom­bes of heretikes and yet is not their doctrine true. For the sprite of the lord / as it is wrytten / filleth the whole world / and the earnest eare heareth all thynges / and many be heard of god when he is angry / of whō the Apostle sayth: he had geuen them vp to their hartes desier. And god to ma­ny / whom he fauoureth / geueth not what they woulde / that he maye geue them that whiche is profytable: wherfore saith the same Apostle of the stīge of his flesh / the messenger of Sathan (which he said was geuen hym to buffet him lest he should be exalted aboue measure by the greatnes of reuelaci­ons) for the whiche I prayed the lorde thrise / that he would take it away frō me / and he sayed vnto me: my grace is sufficient for thee / for my strength is made perfect through weaknes. Doe we not reade that many mē wer hard of god himselfe in the hyghe places of Iurye? which highe places neuerthe­les [Page] so displeased god / that kings which destroyed them not were blamed / and kynges that destroyed them wer praysed. But thys ought to be vnderstāde / that the desyer of him / that praieth / is more worthy or of more strength / thē the place of prayer: The de­uill wor­keth mi­racles in the temples and Idols of the gētils although their religion be false an detesta­ble. but of false vysiōs let them reade what is written / both that Sathan doth chaunge himselfe into an Angell of light / and that their dreames haue deceyued many mē: let them also heare what the heathen tel of their temples and godes / wonder­fully eyther done or sene / and yet ne­uertheles the gods of the heathen be deuils / but the Lorde made the hea­uēs. Therfore many mē be heard and after many diuerse sorts / not only ca­tholyke Christians but also panimes / and Iewes and heretikes geuen to di­uerse errours & supersticions: doubt­les they ar heard eyther of deceitfull spirits / which neuertheles do nothing except they be permitted of god hygh­ly and vnspeakeably / iudging what is mete to be geuen to euery man / or els [Page] of god hīself either for the punishmēt of malice / or the cōfort of miseri / or for the admonishmēt of eternal saluaciō. Menne ought to prou [...] thēselfes to be the true churche by none other me [...] nes, but by the scripturs only. Neyther miracles nor agre­ment of Bishops in doc­tryne proue a­ny thing in religi­on. But to that eternall saluaciō cōmeth no mā / but he that hath the head christ Yea & no mā cā haue the head Christ / which is not in his body the churche. which church / lyke as the head it self / we must know in the canonical scrip­turs / & not to seke it in diuers rumors & [...]p [...]niōs of mē / not in factes, sayīges & sights &c. Let al this sort of them be chaffe / & not geue sētēce afore hande a­gaīst the wheate / if thei be the church▪ but whether thei be the church / let thē shew none other wais but bi the cāonical bokes of the holi scripturs. For neither doe we saye that men oughte to beleue vs / because we are in the catholyke church of Christ / or because Op­taiꝰ bishop of Miliuet / or Ambrose bi­shop of Miliane / or that innumerable other bishops of our cōgregaciō doe a lowe this doctrine that we kepe / or be cause in churches of our cōpaniōs it is preached or els because that throughe the whole world in those holy places / [Page] wher our cōgregaciōs resorte / so ma­ny wōders ether of hearings / or of healynges be done: so that bodyes of martirs / being hid so many years / (whyche if they wil aske / thei may learne of many) were shewed to Ambroser or that at those bodyes a certaine mā / beeing many yeres blynd / wel knowen to the whole citie of Miliane / receiued hys eyes & his sight: or because he beyng in a dreame dyd [...]ee / or he beeyng rapt in spirite did heare / eyther that he [...]old not goe to the part of the Donatistes / or that he should depart from theyr opinion. What so euer suche thynges be done in the catholike churche / the church is not therfore proued catholik because these be dōe in it. The lord Iesꝰ himself / whē he was risē frō death / & offred his own body to be see with the eies / & hādled with the hāds of his Apostles / lest thei shold thē thīke thēselfes to be deceiued / he rather iudged that thei ought to be stablyshed by the wit­nesses of the law / prophets & psalmes shewīng those thinges to be fulfilled in him / that wer spokē so lōg before: so he [Page] set forth his churche / biddinge repen­taunce and forgeuenes of synnes to be preached in his name / through al nacions / beginnīg at Ierusalē. That these thynges bee wrytten in the lawe and Prophetes / himselfe witnesseth: thys is set out by worde of mouth. These are the doctrines / these are the stayes of our cause. we reade wrytten in the Actes of the Apostles of sōe faithfull men / that they searched the scripturs whether they were so. What Scryp­tures I pray you / but the Canonicall of the lawe & the Prophetes? to these are ioined the gospels / the Apostles E­pistles / the Actes of the Apostles / and the Apocalypsis of Sayncte Iohn. Searche all these / bryng foorth some plaine thing / wherbi you may declare that the churche hath remayned only in Affricke: or that thys (whyche the Lorde sayeth shall come to passe: This gospell shalbe preached to al the world for a testimonye to all nacyons) shalbe verified of Affricke. But brynge out some what / that nedeth none inter­preter: [Page] you may not be conuinced that the thynges / which is spoken of ano­ther matter / you goe about to wreste to your purpose.

CHrysostome of the contricion of the hart. Not mi­racle workers but the com­maun­demente kepers, ar called blessed of Chryste. Christ promised not that he woulde rewarde at the latter day them / that worke sygnes & wonders / but them that kepe his cō ­maundementes / saieng: come you blessed childrē of my father / receaue that kingdome / whyche was prepared for you from the beginning of the world He said not because you did miracles / but because I was hongrye &c. he shal also cal them blessed / not that wroght miracles, but the humble and meke in hart.

LIril in Iohn lib. 7. Cap. 13. To work miracles maketh no man holy: nor to worke no mira­cles hin­dereth his holy­nes, To worke miracles maketh not a man one whit more holy / s [...]īge that it is also common to euyll men & abiectes / as the Lorde hymselfe also [Page] witnesseth: mani shal sai to me in that day &c. And contrary wyse workyng of no miracles hindereth not a mans holynes. For Iohn wrought neyther signe nor miracle: and yet was thys no derogacion to his holines. For among the children of wemen ther was none greater then he.

SAbellic vpon the lyfe of Celestine. Thys would be put amōg the appariciōs of the dead. Sathan counter­fetteth Moses. Almost fiue hundreth yeares after Chryst the deuil / taking vpon him the person of Moyses / shewed himself visibly in the sight of the Iewes / that dwelt at Candie: promisinge that he woulde brynge them agayne into the land of promyse / where Ierusalem stā ­deth / dry foted / the waters standyng on eyther syde in maner of a wall / as when the children of Israell were brought out of the land of Egipt. Ma­ny of the Iewes rashli geuing credite to these Iuglīgs / and enterynge into the sea / were ouerwhelmed with the [Page] waues thereof: excepte a fewe / the whyche at laste / beeynge warned of their vanite / became Christians.

¶Custome also is of no strēgth in thys case of prouing a religion.
¶The .vii. Chapter.

EXodi .23. Folowe not the multitude to doe euill.

LEuiticus .18. The Lorde cōm­maūdeth the Israelytes not to folowe the custome of the Egipcyans nor the Cananites. Reade the chapter.

EZechyell .20. Walke not in the statutes of youre forefathers / and keepe not their ordinaun­ces: and defyle not youre selues wyth their Idols.

[Page] REgū .4. ca. 17. Vnto thys day they kepe their olde customes / they feare not God nor do af­ter hys customes / ordynaunces and lawes.

THe same. They dyd not hear­ken vnto the Lorde: but dyd after their olde custome.

I Eremye .9. They folowed thē wic­kednes of their owne heartes / and serued straunge godes / as their fa­thers taught them.

TErtullian of virginite or pray­ses. Custome for the most part / taking his beginning eyther of ignoraunce or simplicite / in processe of tyme waxeth strong by vse: and so it is alledged agaynst the truth. What­soeuer smelleth agaynste the trueth / that is heresye / yea though it be olde custome.

[Page] CIprian vnto Cicilie lib. 2. Epi­stola .3. There is no cause / why (deare brother) that any manne should thynke the custome of some men oughte to be folowed. If any mā haue thought that only water ought to be offered in the chalyce: we muste fyrste aske whom they folowed: and that Chryste only ought to bee hearde the father witnesseth from heauen / saieng: this is my wel beloued sonne / heare hym. Wherfore if only Chryste ought to be heard / we ought not to re­garde what any mā afore vs thought to be done / but what Christ / which is before / did first: neyther oughte we to folowe the custome of man / but the trueth of god.

THe same to Iulian. of the bap­tising of heretykes in vaine do some men / when they be ouer­come with the truth / alledge custome agaynste vs: as though custome wer greater / then the trueth. Sainct Au­gustine [Page] hath the same.

THe same to Pompus agaynste Steuens epistle. Custōe / with out truth / is an olde errour: for the whiche cause / lette vs leue cu­stome and folowe the trueth.

CHrisostome vpon Genesis .29. Homilie .59. For if the coūsell be good and profitable / yea though it be not custome / kepe it: but if it bee hurtful and noysome / caste it awaye. For if we wil be wise and care for our saluacion / we may leaue of an euyll custome and bryng in a good custome: and so shall we geue no small occasyō to thē / that come after vs / to chaunge the same / & haue the rewarde of those thyngs / that be done of them.

IErome in his preface to Iob. Olde custome is of such force / that vices / whiche many men them selues cō ­fesse / please them through it.

[Page] THe same the .9. Cap. Neither ar the errours of our fathers / nor out elders / to be folowed: but the authorite of the Scriptures: and the cōmaundementes of god / that teacheth vs.

AVgustine of one only Baptime lib. 2. Distinc .8. Cap. Vhen the trueth is once knowen / let cu­stome geue place to the trueth. For who doubteth, but custōe ought to geue place to the manifeste trueth?

THe same in the sameplace. Let no man preferre custome a­boue trueth & reasō. For truth and reason doe euer exclude custome.

GRegorius to Guelmunde the Byshoppe .2. Distinct. Sicon­suetudo. If thou chaunce to lay custome agaynst me / thou must take heede what the lorde sayeth: I am the way / the truth and the lyfe. He did not say: I am custome / but the trueth.

[Page] NIcolas the Pope to Ignatyus the reuereute Byshoppe .8. Distinc. An euil custome is no les to be auoyded / then an hurtefull cor­rupcyon: whiche excepte it be plucked vp the soner by the rootes: it wyl bee taken of the vngodly for a lawe.

¶Reasons agaynste vnwrit­ten verites.
¶The .viii. Chapter.

THe olde testamente was suffi­cient for the Iewes: and why shall not bothe the newe and olde suffice vs?

CHriste and the Apostles proued al their doctrynes / by the law and Prophetes. What an arrogancye is it then in vs / to teache anyethynge / whiche we can neyther proue by the law / the Prophetes / the Apo­stles / [Page] nor the Euangelistes.

THe deuill / when he tempted Chryst / was not so farre past al shame to perswade any thynge wythout the testimonye of the scriptures: althought he dyd (as hys deare children / the papistes / do) falsely alledge them / wrest them from theyr true meanyng to a contrarye sense / and also cut of that / whiche shoulde make against him / or declare the true meaning of the scriptures.

THis word (vnwritten verites) is a new terme lateli inuēted / & now here heard or red amōg the olde wryters: of which thei could not haue bene ignoraunt / if ther had bene any such thing / nedefull to saluacyon.

AL contēcion / which the olde fa­thers had with heretikes / was for the scriptures: whiche here­tikes [Page] partly denied / as Marciō / Mālcheus & Faustus: partly they wrongly expunded: but for thyngs / whych are not conteined in the scriptures / they neuer accused any man of heresye.

IF there were any worde of god besyde the scripture / we coulde neuer be certeine of gods word: and if we be incertayne of gods word / the deuill myghte brynge in amonge vs a newe worde / a newe doctryne / a newe fayth / a new churche / a newe god / yea himselfe to be god / as he hath already done in the popysh kyngdōe. For thys is the foundacyon of Anti­christes kyngdome / to settle hymselfe in gods temple / whyche is the hearte and conscience of man: of hym to be feared and worshypped / as thoughe he were god himselfe.

If the churche and the Christyan fayth did not staie it selfe vpon thē worde of god certayne / as vpon a suer and strong foundacion: no man coulde know whether he had a ryght [Page] faith / and whether he wer in the true churche of Chryste / or in the synagog of Sathan.

IF we be bounde to beleue certaīe thinges / delyuered from the A­postles by word of mouth only / wythout writyng / as thei wold make vs beleue (but what those thynges bee no man can tel): It shold hereof folow / that we are bound to beleue we wote not what

WYthout fayth it is not possible to please god: and fayth cōmeth by hearyng of gods word. Ergo where gods worde lacketh / ther can be no fayth.

ALmightie god / a fore he gaue to Moses the law writtē of the .x commaundements) wherin he fully taught the true worshippinge of him) as it wer a preservatyue agaīst a plage or a poisō to cōe: gaue thē this no table lessō, worthy alway to be had in memory: you shall adde nothīg to the words &c. and agaīe he oftē times repeteth the same sētēce both in the law [Page] and the Prophetes / in the gospels / & the Epistles of the Apostles. And be­cause his people shold neuer forget it Saynct Iohn cōmaundeth the same in the last wordes of all the new testa­ment / threatning terrible plages (that is) the losse of his euerlastyng Ioies of heauen / and the payne of eternal fier of hell / to al them / that eyther put to or take aughte from the worde of God.

¶Scriptures alledged by the Pa­pystes for vnwrytten verites / wyth answers to the same.
¶The .ix. Chapter.

WHere .ii. or .iii. be gathered in my name there am I in the myddest of them. Math. 18. But Christe can not erre: Argu­mente. for he is the trueth it selfe: ergo thei [Page] cannot erre in their Sinodes / conuo­cations / and generall counsels / beeyng gathered together in hys name.

CHrist said / when .ii. or .iii. Answere be ga­thered in my name &c. and to be gathered in hys name / is in our assembles to seke his onely glorye and not ours / to doe all thynges by his prescript word. Math. 7. For not eueri one that sayeth vnto me / Lorde Lord / shall en­ter &c. As witches / charmers / necro­mansers / and coniurars / vse theyr wycked artes / all in the name of God and Christ: Acres. 19. and yet is not Christ with them. For the .vii. sōnes of Sceua / the chief Priest of the Iewes / wēt about to cast out euyll spirited in the name of Iesus / whom Paule preached: but yet Chryste was not with them / but the wycked spirite / whyche wounded them / and draue them awaye naked. Moreouer all forgers of wyles / counterfetters of false instrumentes / and iudges geuyng false sentences / in the [Page] ecclesiasticall lawe / they beginne wyth this glorious titel: in the name of god / Amen. Therfore sprang this old pro­uerbe / in the name of God begynneth al mischief: and yet Christ is with nōe of these / though they pretende to dooe al these thinges in hys name. Christe saith also / many shal prophesie in my name / and cast out deuils & worke mi­racles in my name / and then wil I cō fesse to thē / that I neuer knewe you [...] Reade Euscbius and Athanasius / and you shall there see / what pride / contencion / hatred / malice / enuy / and desrer to beare rule / reigned in the counsels of the cleargi at those daies / not much past .iiii. C. Math. 7. yeres after Chryst. What thynke you they woulde saye / if they saw our counsels / where the Romish Antichrist triumpheth? no doubt / that though an Angell from heauen preach any other &c. A repli­cacion. Here you wyll replye agayne: Christ saith where .ii. or .iii. ar gathered &c. Now in euery counsell are not onelye .ii. or .iii. learned and godly men / but many. Ergo they can­not [Page] erre. Answere I graunt that in euery gene­ral counsel be many good men / which doe not erre / nor are deceiued: and yet it foloweth not that the whole coun­cell cannot erre.

For in councels the more parte is taken for the whole / & shynges be there determined and ordered / not by rea­son / learnyng / and authoritie of the word of god: but by sioutnes / wisful­nes and consent of the more part. In those counsels / where be mo euill and wicked men / then good & godli / it commeth often tymes to passe / that iniquite hauing the vpper hāde / the greater part ouercōmeth the better: & yet the good mē nothererre / nor cōset to these errours concluded by the wicked and the more part / but resist and speake a­gaīst thē to the vtmost of their power not without great daūger of their li­ues / yea & sōetimes it costeth thē their liues in dede / as it is now daily sene.

THe Scribes & the Pharisees sit vpō Moses seate / Math. 23. The. 2. argumēt what soeuer thei bid you do / that do / but after [Page] their workes doe not: for thei say and doe not. Here (they saye) it appeareth playnly / that Chryste commaundeth vs to obeye the heades of the church / how euill soeuer theyr lyues be.

FIrst let them loke well what maner menne they make them selues / that is / Scribes and Pharises the greatest enmys of god / persecutors and murtherers of hys Prophetes / of the Apostles / and of Christ himselfe / and so Antichristes. The first answere. Secondly Moses seate is not hys of­fyce or authorite / but his doctryne: & therfore saith S. Augustine / that seat / which is his doctrine / suffereth them not to erre: The se­cond answere. and in another place / they sitting in Moses scate teache the law of god / therfore god teacheth by thē. But if they wyl teache their own doctryne / beleue them not: for suche seeke their own and not Iesus Chrystes: & Chryst hiddeth vs beware of the leuē of the Pharises / and then the disci­ples knew that the spake not of the le­uen [Page] of bread but of their doctrynes / althoughe they sat in Moses seate / if they wyll nedes contende / the dignite or office of Moses / to be Moses seate / and yet erred shamfully in their doc­tryne.

BEholde / I am wyth you al the dayes vnto the worldes ende: the forth argumēt Math. 28 thys promyse was not made to the Apostles only (for they dyed short­ly after Chryste) but to the churche. Ergo the churche cannot erre.

I Beseche thē to beginne a litell a­fore / and they shall playnely heare Chryst hymself vnlose this knotte. Answere The words before ar these in Marke: goe and preache my gospell to euerye creature / and in Mathewe: goe and teache all people / baptysinge them in the name of the father / of the sōne &c. teachynge them to obserue all thyngs / what soeuer I haue cōmaunded you: and lo / I wyll be wyth you vnto the [Page] worldes ende. Here you may see this promyse of Chryst / I wilbe wyth you &c. is not absolute or vniuersall / but geuen vnder a condiciō (that is) if you preache my gospel truly / if you baptise rightly / if you teach the baptised to do all thynges / that I haue commaunded you: lo / then I wyll be wyth you vnto the worldes ende. But if you teache any other gospel / or baptise otherwise / or bydde them doe any other thynge / aboue that whiche I haue cōmaunded you: you haue no promyse of god / but the curse / that Paule threatneth: thoughe we or an Angell from heauen preache &c.

I Haue yet many mooe thynges to say vnto you / but you cānot beare them away nowe: The. 5. argumēt Iohn. 16. howbeit whē he is come / which is the sprite of trueth / he wil leade you into all trueth, Here you may see / (saye the enmies of gods trueth) that Chryste taughte not all thyngs himself / but left many things [Page] to be taught to the disciples / by the ho­ly gost after his death.

CHriste saied not / I haue many thyngs to say / which I wil not tel you now / but which you can not beare now. Answere That is / you can not perceiue or vnderstande them nowe: and thus Christ himselfe expoundeth these words / the cōforter / which is the holi gost / whō my father wil sēd in my name: Iohn. 14. he shal teache you al thinges / & put you in rememberaunce of all things / that I haue sayd vnto you / & no newe or other thynges. For chryst sayeth playnly that he hymselfe had taughte them all before / sayinge: Iohn. 15. all thyngs / that I haue hearde of my fa­ther / haue I opened vnto you.

Moreouer our Sauiour in plaine wordes sheweth what thynges those were / that his disciples coulde not vnderstande / although he manye tymes tolde them the same before. Beholde / sayeth he / we gooe vp to Ierusalem / Luke. 18. [Page] and all shalbe fulfilled / that are wryt te [...] by the Prophetes of the sonne of mā. For he shalbe delyuered to the gē tyls and shalbe mocked / and despite­fully entreated / and spitted on / & whē they haue scorged him / they wyl put hym to death / and the thirde daye he wil rise againe: and they vnderstode none of these thynges. For these say­inges wee hid from them so / that thei perceaued none of the thynges / that were spoken: although he spake to thē in most playne teruis. And the cause / why they perceaued not his so playne speache / was thys. They were yet carnal / and vnderstode the prophesies of Chrysts kyngdome carnally / thinkīg that Chryst shoulde reigne at Ierusalem like a mightie conqueroure / and subdewe all the Gentyles vnder the yoke of bondage to the Iewes / so that the Iewes shoulde be Lordes and ru­lers ouer all the world for euer. Math. 20 And therfore Iames and Iohn asked a peticiō of Iesꝰ by theyr mother / that they / her two sonnes / myght sit the one on [Page] his right hande / and the other on hys left hand / in his kingdome: and when he spake of his death / Peter toke him aside and rebuked him saying: Master fauour thy selfe / thys shall not happē vnto the / to whom Chryst sayd / go after me Sathā. Math. 16 These be the thynges / that the disciples could not then beare or vnderstande / but thought that he had spokē some allegorie / ridle or dark speache vnto thē: but after his resur­rection / he opened their wittes that they mighte vnderstande the Scryp­tures / and sayd vnto them:thus it is wryttē / and thus it behoued Chryst to suffer. And to the two / discipls goyng to Emaus / he expounded Moses / the Prophetes and all the scripturs / that were wrytten of hym. And after the ascensiō the holy gost appeared to thē in fierie tonges / and fylled them with all knowledge / & they began to speake with sondrye tonges / as the holy goste gaue them vtteraunce: and then they vnderstode the Scryptures perfect­lye.

[Page] MAnye other tokens did Iesus / which are not written in thys boke. The. 6. argumēt Iohn. 20. Agayne / there are many other thyngs / that Iesus did / whych / if thei were written / I suppose / the worlde should not be able to conteyne the bokes / that should be wrytten.

SAinct Iohn speaketh not here of faith and charite but of miracles / the knowledge wherof is not necessary for our saluacion / as his wordes folowing doe declare: Answere these ar writtē / that you mighte beleue / that Iesus is Chryst / the sonne of God / and in beleuing may haue lyfe in his name. And what is more required or desiered of a Christian / then to enioye euerlasting lyfe? that ought to be our whole study and endeuour / to that ende ought we to applye all our myndes / wordes and workes and prayers.

STande fast brethren / and kepe the ordinaunces / that ye haue 2. Thess. 2 argumēt learned either by our preachīg [Page] or by our Epistle. Of these words thei gather / that Paule taughte diuerse things to the Thessalonians by word of mouth / without writing: which neuerthelesse he commaunded them to obserue and doe.

I Graunte that Paule taughte many thīgs by word of mouth which he wrought not in his Epistles to the Thessaloniās. Answer. But how that they proue / that the same thinges be neyther writtē by him in ani other of his Epistles / nor in any other place of the hole Bible? For what argumēt is this? it is not written in this place or to those persons / ergo it is not written in the scripture at al. For the shortnes of one Epistle / or of one sermon / cānot sufficiētly cōteine al thinges necessary for our saluaciō: & therfore be ther so many bokes of the scripture that what so is omitted and not spok [...] of in one place / or els darkly spokē of / mighte bee writtē plainly in another place. And for this cause S. Paul writeth to the Colossiās▪ sayīg: whē thys [Page] leter is redde wyth you / cause it also to bee redde to the Laodicians. And reade you also the Epistle written frō Laodicia. And Sainct Paul wryteth of himselfe / suche as we are in our absence by leters / such are we in dede be­ing presēt. 2. Cor. 10 Moreouer Paul speaketh not here of doctrynes of fayth and charite / whiche euer continew wyth­out chaunging / adding or minishyng / but of certayne tradicions / obseruacy­ous / ceremonyes and outwarde rites and bodelye exercyces / whiche (as he sayeth) is litell worth to god warde / but to be vsed for comlines / decent or­der and vniformite in the churche / & to auoyde schisme: whych ceremonies euery good man is bounde to kepe / lest he trouble the common order / and so breake the order of charite in offendīg his weake brethren / so long as they be approued / receyued / and vsed by the heades and cōmon consente. But they and euery one of such ceremonyes / as be neyther sacramentes / nor commaū ­dementes of fayth and charite / may be [Page] altered and chaunged / and other set in their places / or els vtterly takē away by the authorite of Prynces / and o­ther their rulers and subiectes in the church. Yea also the tradycyōs / made by the Apostles in ful counsel at Ierusalem / may be / and already are / takē awaye: Actes. 1 [...] as to abstayne from thynges offered vnto Images / from blood and strangled / ar no where kept. And this of Paule / that a man should neyther praye nor preache capped / or with his head couered / is also cleane aboly­shed.

¶Doctors to the same pur­pose wyth theyr auns­wers /
¶The .x. Chapter.

TErtullian of the croune of a sol­dier. Argu­mente. He reciting many tradicy­ons [Page] (as to reneūce the deuil / his pōpe and his Angels afore Baptisme / to dip the childrē thrise in the foūt / to geue it pappe of hony and milke first thing after baptime / and not to wa [...]e it in a whole weeke after / to offer both at the day of the buriall and birth / on the sō day neyther to fast neyther to praye knelyng / nor also frō Easter to whit­sontide / crossinge of our foreheades / with diuerse suche lyke) saith: If thou require a law of these and other suche disciplines / there can be no pretence of a law for them out of the scriptures. But thou shalt either perceaue by thy selfe / or learne of some other / that per­ceaueth it: that custome being author / confirmer / conseruer and obseruer of fayth / shal maintaine and defende the cause of this tradicion and custome of fayth.

BY the scriptures before alledged Ans [...]ere it is euidentlye proued / that all thyngs / requisite for out salua­cion / [Page] be set forth in the holye bokes of the bible / and that it is not lawful to put any thyng therto / vnder payne of euerlastying damnacyō. The same Ter­tulliā also / as it is afore rehersed / saith that there is nothyng els / that oughte to be beleued after Chrysts gospel ōce published. Vnder­stande here as necessary to saluaci­on. Yea all the olde authors / a thousande yere after Christ / and lyke­wyse / almost / all the new / affyrme the same: and would not haue vs credyte their sayīgs without the profe of gods worde.

Why shoulde we then beleue Ter­tullian agaynst so playne Scripturs / agaynst the old fathers of the church / and also contrarye to his owne say­inges? Yet here wyll I gentlye interprete hym / so as he maye bothe agree wyth the Scriptures / wyth the olde authors / and also wyth himselfe. Tertullyā speaketh here / not of doctrines of fayth / hope / and charyte: but of tradycions / outward gestures / rites & ce­remonies / which he not necessary for [Page] our saluacyon: but be ordayned for a decente order / and conformite in the churche / as is playnly shewed in the answere to Saint Paul in the Epy­stle to the Thessaloniās. And that he speaketh of such rites and ceremonies it is euident. For all those that he re­hearseth be mere ceremonies / and few of them kept at this day: which nomā myghte haue altered or abolyshed / if they had bene necessarilye to be kept / vnder payne of damnacion.

CIprian to Pompeius agaynste Steuēs Epistle. Argu­mente. It is of no lesse authorite that the Apostles de­lyuered by the instructyon of the ho­ly gost / then that which Christe [...] him­selfe delyuered.

CIprian speaketh not here of tradicions vnwritten / but of such thynges / as the Apostles dely­uered in their writings: Answere as the gospels [Page] and Epistles / like as Paule sayeth: I deliuered you that I receiued of the Lorde [...] whiche thing he wrote to thē. But if thei wil nedes vnderstand him of thynges delyuered by the Apostles wythout wrytyng: then answere him as Tertullian.

ORigen. Argu­mente. In obseruaūces of the church / there be diuerse thīgs which al men must nedes do / and yet the reason of them is vnkno­wen to all men. And he reciteth in maner the obseruaūces that Tertullyan doeth / and after he concludeth: Who can certenly tell the cause of all these thinges?

THe answer / made to Tertulli­an / wyll serue Origen here. Answere

A Thanasius vpon the .2. Epistle to the Thessa. Cap. 2. vpon this place: Argu­mente. State et tenete. Hereby [Page] it is playne / that Paule delyuered many thynges wythoute the scripture / not written in his Epistles / but by worde of mouth only. And these are worthy no lesse faith / then the other. Therfore I doe iudge the tradycion of the churche to be a thyng / worthy to be credited: so that if any thyng be deliuered by it / make no farther searche [...].

CHrisostomꝰ in the .2. Epistle to the Thessa. Cap. 2. argumēt Stande fast brethren / and kepe the tradiciōs &c. Hereof (sayeth Chrysostome) it is playne / that Paule deliuered not all things in his Epistles / but also many thynges without writing: and as wel those / as these / ar worthi of like faith. Wherefore we iudge the tradicion of the churche worthye of credite: it is a tradicion / searche no farther.

EPiphaniꝰ against heresyes. [...]rgumēt li. 2 to mo .1. Agaynst those that call thēselfes Apostles .1. cor. 11. 14. 15 [Page] We must (saith he) vse tradicions: for all thynges can not bee perceyued by the holy scripture. Wherfore the holi Apostles haue set furth vnto vs some thynges by the worde of god / and sōe thynges by tradicions / as the Apostle sayth: as I haue deliuered vnto you / thus I teache / and thus I haue deliuered in all churches / and thus you re­mēber by what meanes I haue prea­ched vnto you / except you haue bele­ued in vayne.

ANswere these .iii. authors lyke as Tertullyan is answered: Answere sa­uing that they alledge S. Paul for their purpose / but clearly wrested from his true meaning / as it shal easely appeare to euery indifferēt reader / that is not blinded of malice to resyst the truth / as they may plaīly perceue by the answere made to S. Paule a­fore. And wheras they say / that thīgs / geuen by woorde of mouthe / are as well to bee beleued / as those / that bee [Page] wrytten: they meane that they are worthy of lyke credite wyth tradycy­ons written. For neyther of both ar of necessite to saluacion: but may be chaū ged / and taken awaye by common consent / as it is afore sayd.

BAsile of the holy goste. Cap. 27. Of those doctrines / that ar preached in the churche / we haue sōe deliuered vs by writing / and agayne / some we haue receiued by the tradicions of the Apostles in mysteri that is in secret: both haue lyke strengthe to godlynes / nother doth any mā speake against these / whatsoeuer he be / that hath but meane experience what the authorite of the churche is. For if we (lyke fooles) goe about to reiecte the customes of the church / which ar not written / as thynges of small weyght: we shall condemne those thyngs / that be nedeful for our saluation in the gospell. Yea we shall rather cut short the true preachyng of fayth to bare name. [Page] and he rehearseth like tradicions / as Tertullian did.

IErome againste the Luciferians. Although there were no authori­te of the scriptures at all / yet the consent of the whole worlde / in thys matter / shold haue the force of a law. For many other thynges / whiche are obserued in the Churche by tradiciō / haue obteyned the authorite of a law written: as to dyppe the head thrise in baptisme: and when they are chryste­ned / to geue them first pappe made of milke with hony / for a signification of their infancie: on the Sondaye / and all Whytsone weake / not to knele at their prayers.

AVgustine vpon the wordes of Basile. Some of the ecclesiasti­call institucions we haue rece­ued by writinges: some through tradicions from the Apostles / appro­ued by successiosn: and some vse hath [Page] alowed / being strengthned by custōe. Vnto all which lyke vsage and lyke affectyōs of godlines is due. of which who wil doubt / though he haue but small experiences in the scriptures? For if we set out mynd to regard light lycustomes of the churche / delyuered vs from our elders without the scriptures: it shall easelye appeare to them that loke earnestly theron / how great losse Christen religion shall suffer. And he reciteth the same that Ierome doeth / wyth diuerse other.

THese .iii. Answere authors / and all that make for the same purpose / bee answered before in Tertullian. For not one of those thyngs / that they make mencion of / are necessary for our saluacion: and many of them are now taken away: and the reste / whiche yet remayne (as to dippe the childe thrise wholly in the water: to hallowe the water / oyle / and creame: or to crosse it in the forthead) are not of necessite to saluatiō. For Iohn Baptised in Iordā [Page] and the Chāberlaine of the Quene of Ethiopia was Christened in the commō streame / & chrildrē in daūger of life are Christened of the midwife / or sōe other womā / without any of these ceremonies: & yet thei wil not deni that al these baptismes be good / & alowed of god. In Spaine also thei dippe the child but once / as it was decreed in the coūcell of Tollet. And I am suer / they wil not say that al the Spaniardes / so many yeres / haue wanted a thing ne­cessary to saluatiō in their baptisme. God also regardeth not our outward bodely gesture in oure praiers: but he beholdeth the fayth / & earnest desier of the hart of him that prayeth / wher soeuer he prayeth / & what soeuer hys outwarde bodely gesture be.

THe sāe agaīst Cresconi a gramariē li. 1. c. 33. to . 7. argumēt Although we haue no certaine exāple of thys matter in the Canonical scripture: yet neuertheles / the truth of the sāe scriptures in this matter is retained of vs / whē we do that / that the hole church [Page] aloweth. Which churche the autho­rite of the scriptures commend. And for as muche / as the holy scripture cā deceiue no man: whoso feareth to be deceiued with any dark speaking of it / let him aske counsel at the church ther in / which withoute any doubt the holye scripture doeth shewe.

THe answere is easye. Answere. Austen was more circumspecte. thē to thīke that any doctryne might be proued by vse and custome without the scripture. For baptysme of infātes he bringeth in this text, except a man be borne agayne of water and the ho­ly gost / he cannot be my disciple. And because the Donatists (like as the Anabaptistes do nowe) wrest this to them / that be of [...]eres of discretion: against thys exposiciō / he allegeth the maner of the churche in christenynge of In­fantes.

By the which he proueth / that the churche hath all waye taken this sen­tence: except a man be borne againe / to [Page] be spoken also of infantes. What ma­ner of argumente shoulde thys be of Austen [...] The exposition of the scryp­ture / and the vse of the Sacraments / may be iudged by the custome vsed in the holye churche alwaye: ergo the church may make a newe sacrament / and ordeine any newe Article of oure fayth without the scripture. By the sētences before cited of Austē himself / it may be easely iudged. I also graunt that euery exposiciō of the scripture / wherein soeuer the olde / hole & true churche dyd agree is necessarye to be beleued. But oure controuersye here is / whether any thynge ought to be be leued of necessite / without the scrip­ture.

THe same against the Epistle of Fundament Cap. 5. tomo. 6. argumēt I would not beleue the gospel / but that the authorite of the churche moueth me. Ergo (say they) what soeuer the church saith / we must [Page] nedes beleue them / as wel as the gos­pell. This argumente is naughte. For the testimonye of the churche is but as a publicke office of a record / as the exchequer / the court of the rolles / the office of a recorder / or a regester of all Christendome: in whiche office menne maye searche and haue / of the keepers of such offices / the true copies of such lands / or other moueables / as be due to them by the lawe. And yet may nether the Regesters / Recorders / Stc­wardes of courtes / or towne clarkes put to / or take awaye any thing from the firste originall writinges / no nor the iudge himselfe.

But all thynges oughte to be iud­ged by those writings. So likewise we beleue the holy Canon of the byble / because that the Primitiue churche of the Apostles / and eldest wryters / & nexte to their time / approued them in their regester: that is / in their wry­tinges / whyche partlye sawe them / & partlye hearde them of the Apostles. And more receue we not / because these [Page] olde fathers of the firste churche te­stifie in their bokes / that there was no more then these required to be beleued as the scripture of god. And yet were these wrytynges no lesse true / afore they were alowed by them / thē sence / Christe witnessing and saying: I seke no witnesse of man.

AVstine to Cassulane. argumēt In these thynges / wherein the scripture of god hath determined nothīg / the custome of the people / and our elders ordinaunces / oughte to be holden as a law: and the trāsgressors of the customes of the churche at like wyse to be punished / as the breakers of gods law.

Of which thinges if thou wylte dispute / and reproue one custome by another: there shal aryse an endlesse strife. He repeteth also this sentence manye tymes: that what so euer is vniuer­sally obserued & not writtē in the scripture / nor ordained by general coūcels: is a tradiciō come from the Apostles.

[Page] ANswere him as Tertullyan: & yet of all other authors he is most playne / that nothing is of necessite to saluacion / besydes the Scriptures of God. Answere But let vs graunt for their pleasures / that those customes / whiche they speake of / bee tradiciōs Apostolyke: yet they bee no longer nor other waies to be obserued / then the tradiciōs Apostolike writtē. Which / as is before fully proued / mai (and are already) be both chaunged / & clearly taken awaye. And as concer­nyng custome it is playnlye proued / that it is not to be receaued agaynste the Scrypture / trueth / or reason.

THey sai moreouer that the perpetuall virginite of our Lady is to be beleued of necessite / as Ciprian / Chrisostome / Ierome / Am­brose / Austen / and all other speakyng therof say. But this is not founde in the scripture: ergo there is some thīg to be beleued that is not written in the [Page] Scripture.

THe minor / that is to say / that thys is not written in the scripture / is false. Answere For firste none of the old authours / that rehearce tradiciōs of the Apostles vnwrytten / make mencion of the perpetual virginite of our ladye / to be one of them: but they rehearce only diuerse cerimonies / or bodelye gestures / and suche rites vsed in Baptisme / prayers / holy dayes and fastynges / which (as I haue manyfestly declared) are not necessary to saluacyon. But the most part of them are cleane taken away / and the contrarye commaunded / and vsed by the vniuer­sall churche. Moreouer all the sayed authours proue her perpetuall virginite by thys texte of Scripture.

EZechiell. 44. Thys doore shalbe styll shutte / and not opened for any man to goe thorowe it: but [Page] only for the Lord god of Israel / yea he shall goe thorowe it / els shal it be shut still. For if these / and suche other fa­thers / had not iudged her perpetuall virginite to haue been wrytten in the scriptures: they woulde neuer haue iudged it to haue bene a thing to be be­leued vnder payne of damnacyon.

Sainct Ierome also calleth Heluidiū a rashe / and an vngodly man: because that he taught / that our Ladye hadde other children by Ioseph after Christs birth / which doctrine he coulde not proue by the scriptures of god. In like maner we cal al them / that preache a ny doctrine in the church without the Authorite of gods worde / both vngod­ly / rashe and wicked members of An­tichrist.

ARgument. argumēt Yet they bring forth to maintaine their errour the Baptisme of infantee / which (they say) is not contained in the scriptures: and yet this is to be obserued vpō paine of dānaciō / of the said childrē Ergo there is sōe thyng to be done of [Page] necessite to our saluacion / that is not contained in the scriptures.

ON what a gappe these men open both to the Donatistes & to the Anabaptists / that deny the bap­tising of infantes. Answere For if it were not writtē in the worde of god / no manne ought to beleue it or vse it. And so the Donatistes & Anabaptistes doctryne were true / & outs false. But in dede the baptisme of infaūtes is proued by the playne scriptures. Firste by the fi­gure of the old law / which was circū cisiō. Infātes in the olde law were cir­cūcised: Ergo in the newe lawe they ought to be baptised. Againe: Infātes pertaine to god / as it is said to Abrahā I wil be thy god / & the god of thy sede after thee. Gene. 17 Christ saith also: suffer children to come to me / for of such is the kingdome of heauen. Math. 19. And agayne: see that ye despice not one of these lytle ones: Luke. 19. for their Aūgels in heauen al­wayes behold the face of my father / which is in heauē: for the sōne of māiscōe to saue that / that is lost. And agaīe [Page] Paule sayth / that youre children art holy nowe. 1. Cor. 7. By these and many other playne wordes of Scripture it is e­uidente / that the Baptysme of in­fantes is grounded vpon the holye scriptures.

FVrthermore the churche / saye they / hath chaunged the Sab­both daye into the Sondaye / whych Sabboth was commaunded by God / and neuer man found fault there at. argumēt Seeyng thē that the church hath authorite to chaunge Goddes lawes: muche more it hath authorite to make newe lawes necessarie to sal­uacion.

THere bee. 2. partes of the Sab­both day. One is the outward bodely reste from all maner of labour and worke: and this is were ceremoniall / and was taken awaye with other sacrifices and ceremonies [Page] by Christ at the preaching of the gos­pell. The other part of the Sabboth day is the inwarde rest or ceassing frō sinne / from our own wils and lusts / and to do only gods wil and commaū dementes.

Of this part speaketh the Prophet Esai. Esai. 56. He / that taketh hede that he vn­halow not the sabboth day / is he / that kepeth himselfe that he doe no euyl: and they that hold greatly of the thing that pleaseth me / and kepe my coue­naūte / vnto them wil I geue an euer­lastyng name / that shall not peryuse. And moreouer the same Prophete sayeth. Esai. 58. If thou turne thy feete from the sabboth / so that thou doe not the thing / which pleaseth thy selfe / in my holy daye: Then shalte thou be called vnto the pleasaunt / holy and glory­ous sabboth of the Lorde / where thou shalte be in honor / so that thou do not after thine own imaginacions / nether seke thine own wil / nor speake thyne owne wordes. Then shalt thou haue thy pleasure in the Lord, whiche shall [Page] carry the hyghe aboue the earth / and fede thee with the heritage of Iacob thy father: for the Lords own mouth hath spoken it. This spirituall Sab­both / that is / to abstayne from synne and to doe good / are all men bounde to kepe all the dayes of their life / and not only on the sabboth day. And this spirituall sabboth may no man alter nor chaung / no not the whole church. That the vtter obseruinge of the sab­both is mere cerimonial / sainct Paul writeth plainly: as that the holy daies of the newe mone and of the sabboth daies are nothinge but shadowes of thinges to come. To lanuarye epist. 119. The bo­dely rest on the sabboth day is figura­tiuely to be kepte.

And that the outwarde bodely rest is a mere cerimoniall precept S. Au­stine also affirmeth / saying that amōg all the ten commaundements / this only / that is spoken of the sabboth / is cō ­maūded figuratiuely: but al the other commaundements we must obserue playnly / as they be cōmaunded / with out any figuratyue speche.

[Page] IErome also to the Galathians. 4. accordyng to the same / sayeth: leste the congregaciō of the people / with out good order / shoulde dimmishe the faith in Christ: therfore certaine daies wer appointed / wherin we should cōe together / not that that daye is holy­er / then the other / in whiche we come together: but that what soeuer day we assemble in / there might aryse greater ioye by the sight of one of vs to ano­ther. To the perfite Ghristiā al dayes be lyke and eueri day is good fri­day, eueri day is Easter day, and we eat [...] hys fleshe al­wayes.

But he / that wil answere wittelye to the question propoūded / affirmeth all the dayes to be lyke / and not that Christ is crucified only on good fridai and riseth only on the sōday: but that euery daye is the daye of the Lordes resurrectiō / & we eate his flesh alwaies. But fastinges and comminges toge­ther / wer ordeined of wise men for thē that geue thēselfes rather to the world then to God: that cannot / yea for thē / that wil not come there at all / there to make their sacrifice of praiers to god / in the face of all the people.

[Page] Herby you may easely perceaue / that the church hath not chaunged the speciall part of the sabboth / whiche is to cease from vice and sinne: but the ce­rimoniall part of the Sabboth only / whiche was abrogate / and taken a­way / with other cerimonies of Moses law / by Chryst at the full preachīg of the gospell. In place whereof the churche hath ordayned the sonday for causes afore sayd.

¶The Papystes obiectyons with answers vnto them.
¶The .11. Chapter.

MOreouer they boast thēselfes of the certētie of their doctrīe and proue it to be true / by the long continuance therof and luckye prosperite of their kyngdome: argumēt and [Page] their aduersaries doctrine to be false / by the persecucions / plages / myseries / and afflictyons / which they dayly suf­fer for their doctrines sake.

IF the trial of true religion shoulde rest vpon antiquite of tyme / or vpō worldly prosperite: Answere thē should the gentyls / and pagans / haue a great ad­uauntage of vs Chrystians: and their religion should be better then ours / by the restimonies of our owne scrip­tures. For idolatrye and wor [...]ipping of false gods and their image [...] was vsed long before the law of god / writtē and geuen to Moses / in which errors and idolatry the heathen continewe vnto thys day / in great prosperite & wealth vnder most victorious Emperours and Princes: whereas the true churche of Chryst hath been most miserablie affllicted / from tyme to time: first vnder the Egiptiās / after by the Philistines / Cananites / Pheresites / &c. then by the Babilonians / Assiri­ans / [Page] Medes / Persians / Sirians / and Romanes / both subdued / conquest and led awaye captyues. And last of all (by the turke and the pope / the .ii. hornes of Antichrist; the true church of christ hath been mostcruelly persecuted vn­to death / with prison / famine / water / fier / fagot / and sworde / these .vii. or viii. yeares last past. Which Turke & Pope / although they be mortall ene­mies the one to the other / yet as He­rode / Pilate / the Bishops / Scribes & Pharisees / although they were vt­ter foes ech to other / conspired agaīst iunocent Christ / causeles condemning him to death on the crosse: In lyke maner / I say / the Pope and the Turke do fully agree in this one poynt / to persecute and murther Christ in hys faythfull members. For as the sonne can not be withoute hys brightnesse / nor the fier without his heat: so can­not the true churche of God / be long without the crosse of persecucyon / as witnesseth S. Paule: al they that wil [Page] liue godly in Iesus Chryste shal suffer persecucion. And our sauiour Christ sayeth plainly / that his kingdome is not of this world.

For if they persecute me (sayeth he) they shal also persecute you: Christes bage. & Chryste geueth not to his Apostles earthlye peace in this world / but peace and quietnesse of conscience / ioyned with persecucion. For if the wicked persecuted Christ himselfe / shal they not also persecute hys seruauntes? And if they so handeled Christ / being the liuely tre [...] / what thinke you shall they doe to vs / his withred braūches? And as the true churche of Chryste can neuer be long wythout persecution: in lyke maner can the false churche of Sathan / and Antichriste / neuer ceasse from persecutynge / as it appeareth throughe oute the Historyes of the whole byble. Of the tyrannye / and crueltye of Anti­christ in persecutyng of Chrystes true church / prophesied Daniel lōg before: Dani. 7. speaking of the Empire and regiment [Page] of Rome. The mark to knowe antichrist by, is to preuaill (by persecucion) a­gainste gods e­lect saints Daniel. 8. And the marke of the true churche is to be per­secuted of Anti­christe. The .4. beast (saith he) shal­be the .iiii. kyngdome / whyche shal be greater then all other kyngdomes: it shall deuoure / treade downe and de­stroye all other landes / he shal speake wordes agaynst the higheste of all▪ he shal destroye the sainctes of the moste highest / and thinke that he can chaūge tymes and lawes: & agayne he saieth of Antiochus / which was a figure of Antichrist: there shall aryse a king vn shamfast of face / he shalbe wise in dark speakyng / he shalbe mightie and strōg / but not in his own strēgth / he shal destroye aboue measure / and all that he goeth aboute shall prosper in hys hande: his hearte shall be proude / he shal slaye the stronge and holy people / and through his craftines falseheade shall prosper in his hande / and manye one shall he put to death in his weal thynes: he shall stande vp agaynst the Prince of Princes / but he shalbe slain without hande. Of the tyrannye and prosperous successe of antichrist in slaying of the sayuctes of god / and the re­warde [Page] of them that bee slaine for the witnes of gods trueth / speaketh also sainct Iohn in the .vi. Chapter of his Apocalips / vnder the openyng of the iiii. Read the places. and .v. seales: and in the .xvii. chapter / he lyuely setteth foorth the Pope in his own colours / vnder the person of the whore of Babilon / being dron­ken with the bloud of saynctes: poin­tyng as it were with his finger who thys whore of Babilon is / and the place wher she shal reigne / saying: the woman / whiche thou sawest / is that greate citie / which reigneth ouer the kyngs of the earth. Now what other citie reigned at that tyme or at any tyme since vnder the Christian kings of the earth / but only Rome: Wherof it foloweth Rome to bee the seate of Antichrist / and the Pope to be verye Antichrist himselfe. I could proue the same by many other scriptures / olde wryters & strong reasons. But for as muche as Rodulphe Gualter hath writtē herof a notable worke in Latē / & now of Laten translated into Eng­lishe [Page] by I. O. I remit the reader to his boke / wherin he may be fully satisfied herof. Of the prosperite and securite / that the false churche hath in worldlye pleasures / vsynge the same with al gredines & voluptuousnes of carnal lustes / with the wicked deuices of tiranny against Christ and his true members / wherwith the vngodly daily persecute and murther gods electe for his trueth / wyth the rewarde also of them that suffer for the same truth sake: it is most playnly wrytten in the ii. Read the Chapters and .iii. Chapters of the booke of wisdome.

By these scriptures now rehersed it appeareth most plainly / that worldly prosperite of the Pope and his clargy proue not the trueth of their doc­tryne: nor yet persecutyon of Goddes true preachers / and other faythfull people / argueth their doctrine to bee false. But if thou wilt nedes knowe where the true churche of Chryst is & where the false / and not be deceyued: herin take this for a plaine and ful an­swer / [Page] that wheresoeuer the worde of god is truly preached without addiciō of mans doctrines and tradiciōs / and the sacramentes duly ministred according to Christs institucion / ther is the true church / the very spouse of god / Christ bēig the head therof. But how many / and who of that nomber / that heare the word of god / and receiue the sacramentes / be gods elect and church and true mēbers of Chryst / is knowē to god onelye. For the Lorde knoweth who he his / and no man can tell / of an other man / whether he be worthy loue or hatred / although their works seme neuer so holy and gloryous afore men / so great a wytch is Ipocrisie.

LAst of al / to make all coke suer / and to maintaine their Idola­trye besyde / yea and also contrarye to the worde of GOD / as itruo­cacion and prayinge to Saynctes / worshyppyng of Images & reliques / with pilgrimages / and offerynges & argumēt [Page] the sacrifice of the masse / for the quick and the dead / and pardons to delyuer dead mens soules from purgatory / holy breade / holy water / ashes / palms and suche other baggage: they alledge reuelacions of Aungels / of our Ladye and other sainctes / and dead mennes soules appearyng to diuers men and wemen / bidding them to cause certen masses / trentalles / pilgrimages / and offering to Images and reliques / of this and that saincte / to bee done for them / and they shoulde be delyuered from the fier of purgatorye / where the paynes be greater (say they) than mans wit can comprehende. And whā suche masses / pilgrimages with of­fringes to suche sainctes reliques and images be done for them / they appear to the same persons agayne / sayinge / that by suche meanes they be deliue­red out of purgatory into the eternal ioyes of heauen: they tel also of many wonders and straunge miracles / to proue their doctrine / in all these a­fore sayed thynges / to be true. And because [Page] they haue great profyte and ad­uaūtage therby / they (counting gains godlynes) haue fylled all theyr bookes with suche vanites and lyes: of which some be so fonde / & so directly againste gods glory / that the most earneste pa­pistes (hauing either learnyng or wit) be ashamed of thē. Yea and the pope himselfe hath cleane put them out of gods seruice / vsed in the churche of Rome: and yet must we reade them / beleue them as necessarye articles of our fayth / or els burne therfore lyke heretikes.

BY thē manifest and plaine words of the Scriptures / and the con­sent of the most auncyente au­thours before written / it is euydente / that neither the visions of Aungels / apparitions of the dead / nor miracles nor all these together ioyned in one / are able or sufficient to make anye one newe article of our fayth / or stablyshe any thyng in religion / wythout the expresse Answere [Page] wordes of god: because that all such thyngs (as is before proued) may be / yea and haue been (throughe gods permission for oure sinnes and vube­lefes sake) done by the power of the deuill hymselfe / or fayned and coun­terfeited of hys lyuelye members / Monkes / and Friers / with other such hipocrites.

But what shal sathan nede to tell oracles / vse visions / shew apparitiōs / or worke miracles now a daies? what should he nede to toyle herin himself? or why should he not / like a gentle mā / take his ease in his inne? seing his subtil seruaūtes Monkes / Friers / Nōnes and other Pope holye hipocrites / can and doe counterfeit such thynges day lye / and from their beginning hath dō diligently: par [...]e whereof I shall re­hearse. Iohn sleidane. About fourtene yeares paste at Orleāce in Fraunce the Profestes wife died / willing to beburied at the friers in the same citie / without pōpe or other solemnite cōmonly vsed at burialles. Wherfore the friers / fearinge [Page] to lease a great pray / if this shoulde be suffered to enter into the heades of the people / caused a younge frier to speake in a vawte in a womās voice / many people hearinge it: & sayd that she was the soule of the Profests wife condemned in hell for contemnyng of the suffrages of the holy churche / commaunding also her body to be cast out of Christian buriall. But the profeste so boolted out the mater / that the yōg frier confessed the place and the ma­ner of his speaking: and all the friers were openly punished for that fault / in the common market at Orleance. But let vs come home to oure owne realme of Englande. About .xxx. yers paste in the borders of wales / wyth­in a Priory called Lymster / there was a younge woman called the holy maide of Lymster: whiche / as the fāe was / lyued onely by Aungels foode / and was enclosed wythin a grate of Irone. Vnto whom certain daies / when the Prior of the place sayede masse / the thirde parte of the hoste [Page] went hanging in the ayer (by miracle / as it semed) from the aulter / wher the Prior massed / into the maids mouth: whiche thing broughte the people in­to a great opinion of holynes in her / and caused great pilgrimage to be ther vsed. But when the Lord of Burga­uenny, with his brother sir Edward [...]euel and diuerse other ientle men & ientle wemē / came to trye the trueth her of: thei caused the doore to be ope­ned / and strayghte wayes the dogges fought for bones / that wer vnder her bedde. Whervpon they / searching far­ther / founde a priuye doore / whereby the Prior myght resort to her and she to hym / at their pleasures. And then the confessed that she made (as it wer) .ii. fine thredes of her own heres sīg­ly tyed together wyth fyne knottes: and then made a bigge hole with a bed kin / thorowe the corner of a quarter of the hoste / and fastened one ende of the sayed heere to the corporas / where the sayed Prior sayd masse / and the other ende to her own bedde / [Page] wherein the laye: & tyed the other heer faste to the quarter of the hoste / and wrapped the other ende aboute her own finger. And whē the Prior had receiued his porcion of the hoste / she wōde vy the threde (wherto the hoste was tyed) vpon her fingers / and so cōueyed the ost into her mouth. Thys both the Prior and she confessed / and dyd open penaunce for the same. To Sainct Albans / about .xxviii. yeares past / came a mayde / crepyng vpon her knees and lening vpon .ii. short staues enquiring after Sainct Albās bōes / affirminge that she shoulde bee made whole and goe vpright / so sone as she should come to the place / where saīct Albans bones were. In token wherof an Aungell had deliuered her a keye / wherby she should certenlye knowe where his verye bones were. And when she passed thus throughe the streates of Sainct Albans creping on her knees till she came to Sainte Al­bans shrine / after she had made her prayers deuoutly there / she toke out [Page] the key of her purse / whiche she sayed an Angel had deliuered to her: and thē she stode vpright & opened the shrine with the sayd key / and then kneled a­gayne to pray and to geue thankes to god and sainct Albāe for her healing & geuing her strēgth to walke / whiche was borne lāe. And by & the mōkes would haue had it rōge for a miracle: but some wiser men thought it mete to trye the matter better & to examine her further / before they tēpted to rīge a miracle op̄enly. And vpon her exa­minacion / the sayd that she had bene lame from her birth: declarynge both her [...]inred and place / where she was borne.

Vpon whiche confession she was cōmitted to a nōnery called Sopwel / there to ta [...]y vntil messengers / which they streight way sente furth / myght returne and testifie the trueth. And so she dayly and holyly visited saynct Albans shrine. But the night before the returne of the messengers she was conueyed awaye and neuer hearde of nor [Page] seen after. And the messengers decla­red to be lies al that euer she had said: for there was neuer none borne lame / nor of her name / where she sayed she was borne.

A straunge thinge it is / to heare of the wonderful traunces & visions of mistres A [...]ne Wētworth of Suffolk / whiche tolde many men the secretes of their hertes / which they thoughte no man could haue tolde but god on­ly: she cut stomagers in peces & made them whole againe / & caused diuerse men / that spake agaynst her delusiōs / to goe star [...]e mad. Al which thynges were proued and openly by her con­fessed to be done by necromancy & the desceit of the deuill.

But yet Elizabeth Barton / telled the holy mayde of Cou [...]top streat in kēt / passed al other in deuelish deuises. Elzabeth Barton. For she could (when she life) O diuil­ishe illu­sion. faine her selfe to be in atraunce / disfigure her face / draw her mouth awrye toward the one eare / faynynge that she was thus tormented of Sathan for the [Page] synnes of the people / & deliuered from his power by our blessed lady of Courtop streat / and by her led into heauen / hell and purgatory: Reade more of herin her boke set forth in print and in Halles cronicle. and there saw all the ioyes and paynes of those places / and toke vpō her to prophesy of thīgs to come / and of the kyngs death. This instrumente of the deuill drewe into her confederacie both of heresy and treason / holy monkes of the Charter house / obstinate (they woulde be cal­led) obseruaunt Friers of Grenwich / nice Nōnes of Sion / blacke monkes (bothe of coules and condicions) of Christes churche and sainct Austyns of Canterbury / Knightes / Squiers / learned men Priestes and many o­ther: of which sort (whether they wer blīded by her or els of their own mere malice and ypocrisie dissembled the matter) some / by d [...]e profe made a­gainst them / were iustlye condemned / both of heresy and treason / and suffe­red wyth the saict Elizabeth Bartō / accordyng to their demerites: & some / acknowledginge their own offence / [Page] wer delyuered by the kynges pardon. This wicked woman caused a letter to be made by a monke of Sainct Austins of Canterbury in golden letters / feining the same to be deliuered to her by an Angel frō heauen. A letter forged as thoughe it had come frō heauen. This mōster was conuented both beefore William Warhā / Archebishop of Cāterbury / and Thomas Wolsey / Cardinall and Archebishop of Yorke. Who eyther because that generacion of the cleargy hath alway defended idolatrye and supersticion / or beecause she knewe to much of their incontinency and other wickednes of liuing (for she threatned them with eternall dānacyon / except thei repented and amēded their liues) Bishops euer haue been bolsterers of idolatry. they clearly discharged her wythout finding of any fault in her at al. But when the matter came to be examined by Thomas Craumer / Archebishop of Canterbury / and Thomas Cromwel / then master of the rolles: they so handeled the matter / that they foūde out the whole nest of that conspiracy: wherin was disclosed the whole nomber [Page] of those confederates / their bokes of heresye and treason / the authors & wryters of the same / and of the letter feyned to be sent frō heauē. Al whose detestable factes / as well of idolatry / heresy and also of treason / wer so wittely and learnedly by Goddes worde conuinced at canterburye by Doctor Hethe / now chaunceler of Englande / (she being present and openly confes­sing the same) and also by another lerned mā at Pauls crosse: that the most part of them / whiche were beefore by her seduced / did then vtterlye abhorre her shameles and abominable factes. what a crafty poynt of legerdemaine was plaid about the beginning of king Edwardes reigne by a Pryest? which being at masse pricked his own finger and caused it to drop vpon the ost / perswading the people that the oste bled of it selfe by the miraculoꝰ workyng of god / for to make the worlde beleue the body of Chryst to be as really and naturally in the sacramēt / as he was born of the virgin Mari his mother. A nota­ble mira­cle. [Page] For the which hein [...]us fact / proued a­gainst him and also by him confessed / he did open penaūce at Pauls crosse. I wyll rehearce one sermon / made in Quene Maryes beginning by a mo­mysh Mōke / & so leaue of their vayn & wicked lyes. A new vpstert precher / being sōe time a mōke of Chrysts church in Cātorbury / stept into the pulpit in saynct Paules church / saying that the very body of christ is realli & naturally in the sacramente of the aulter: Christe prouedre alli in the hoste by 2. horses, the deuil sp [...]aking in one of them. yea by gods body is it / quoth he: & because that nether oth nor periury can proue a good argumēt / he proued the same by three notable miracles. The first of an horse / refusing to eat wafers so lōg / as their cakye god was amōg thē: the. 2. by the deuil speaking in the likenes of an horse / being cōiured of a Prieste by gods body to tel what he was: and the 3. a maide of Northgate parish in Cā terburi / who he said in pretēce to wipe her mouth kept the ost in her hādker­cher. And whē she cāe hōe / she put the sāe īto a pot close couerd & spitted ī an [Page] other pot: and after a few dayes she / loking in the one pot / founde a lytle young prety babe / about a shaftmond long / and the other potte was full of gored bloud. Here is goodly pulpit matters to proue new articles of our fayth. For if the Priestes / that tolde the stories of the 2. horses / or the maid that sayd that the bread was turned into a litle childe / or the monke / that preached these shameful blasphemys / or the deuill himselfe / who is father of lies / could lye / speakyng in the horse or in any of them: then doe all these foresaid miracles proue nothinge his purpose, But O mercyfull God / in what a miserable state were we thine afflicted mēbers / if it wer true / which they say / being both enemyes to thee and to vs also for thy truethes sake? For we shold not onli suffer extreme miseries / as losse of our goods / good names / & the cōpany of our dere frēds in our natiue country: but also burne as heretikes in this world / if we came in their cruell handlyng / & also burne [Page] eternally in the vnquencheable fire of hell / if their cruell curses myght take effect. Wherefore we yelde thee most harty thākes / O father of al mercies / and to thy sonne Iesus Chryst our sauiour: whiche haste promysed for hys sake and in his name thy kyngdome of heauen to al them / which suffer per­secucion for thy righteousnesse sake. How shal we then knowe true visiōs of Angels from false / true apparitiōs and miracles from counterfayte / but by the scripture of god? which is the rule / and true measure / where wyth we must try all thynges as S. Iohn sayeth: beeleue not euerye spirite / but proue them / whether they be of God. For manye false Prophetes are gone out into the world. Herby is the spi­rite of god knowen / sayeth he: euerye spirite / whiche confesseth that Iesus Chryst is come in the fleshe / is of god &c. Whoso euer therfore sayeth / that there is anye thyng / that pacifieth the wrath of god or obtaineth his fauour and forgeuenes of synnes / but onelye [Page] Christes death and passiō: he denieth Christ to be cōe a sauiour in the flesh. Wherfore these Angels / saincts / souls of the dead / and miracles / tha [...] alowe worshipping of sainctes by inuocaciō and prayinge to them / the sacrifice of the masse for the quicke and the dead / worshipping of images / pilgrimages / offeryngs to holy reliques / to forgeue synnes or to delyuer the deade oute of purgatory: denye Christe to be come an only sauiour by hys fleshe. For theī make all these to be sauiours frō purgatory / or at the least / coadiutores to helpe him in that office of saluacyon and deliuering those soules frō sinne and the paynes due for the same: and so they cannot be of God but of Anti­christ. Thus I haue plainly / fully and truly without fraud of cloking or co­loure of rhetorike and darke speache / to blind the eies of the sīple people / answered to al (that I remember) which the Papistes doe or can alledge / either by writing / preaching or reasoning / for the defence of their vnwrittē verites / [Page] wherevpon they builde so many dete­stable idolatries and heresies: and the same answers / if they be aptly applied and placed by a discret and witty rea­der / wil suff [...]ce for the answere to all that euer they haue or can bryng furth for the maintaining of their vnwryt­ten and vncertayne verites.

And yet I wyll not be so much wed­ded to myne owne witte or will / but that if they be able to answer so plainly and trulye to the Scriptures / authors and reasons rehersed by me / as I haue done to theirs / and to proue their doctrine of vnwrytten very [...]es by as playne cōsēt both of scriptures / aunciente doctours / and as pithy ar­gumentes / as I haue done myne / and sette it forth in prynte to the iudge­mente of the whole worlde / as myne i [...]: I shal not onely acknowledge mine ignoraunce and erroure / but I shall gladlye returne into Englande / recāt myne heresyes / openlye submyttynge myselfe to such discipline & correctiō / as they shall thynke mete fo: myne [Page] offences. But if thei refuse to answer my boke by writing / & v [...]ing their olde trade burne both my boke and the readers therof: let them knowe thei shal doe nothyng but cut of the head of hibra. For for euery heretike (as you cal them) which you shal burn / wil arise many faythful and cōstāt Christiās. For except the grayn or corne of wheat dye / it remaineth alone: but if it dye / it bringeth forth much fruite. Where­fore I most hartely beseche the father of heauē of his infinite mercye (if you be not indurat in your heartes wyth that synne / which is irremissible and shal neuer be forgeuen in this worlde nor in the worlde to come / and resyste the holy gost impugning the trueth of god of you knowen / and defendynge & maintaining wicked doctrines / which your consciences beare recorde to be idolatries and heresies) that he wyll mollifie your stony heartes / and geue you fleshy heartes: yea rather spirituall and godly hartes to worshyp him truly in spirite / accordyng to his god­ly [Page] wil / expressed in his holy word written. And I exhort al you / which feare god & be desierous to saue your owne soules / to flee from this whore of Babilon and from al her detestable ido­latries and heresies / not builded vpon the sure rocke of gods infallible word written but vpon the qualin [...]re of vnwrittē verites: Which is Rome. whervpon whatsoe­uer is builded furthwith eyther sin­keth or quite ouerthroweth. And stāde thou fast and stay thy fayth / whervpō thou shalt builde al thy workes / vpon the strong rocke of gods word / writtē and conteined within the old testamēt and the newe: which is able sufficiētly to instruct thee in al thinges nedeful to thy saluacion / and to the attaīmēt of the kyngdome of heauen. To the whiche I beseche the almightie father of heauen of his infinite mercy and goodnesse / and by the merytes of his only sonne / oure sauiour & redemer Iesꝰ Christ / throgh his holy sprite in vs / bring vs all.

Amen.