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diff --git a/17678.txt b/17678.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ae844ee --- /dev/null +++ b/17678.txt @@ -0,0 +1,4044 @@ +The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Apology of the Church of England, by John +Jewel, Edited by Henry Morley + + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + + + + +Title: The Apology of the Church of England + + +Author: John Jewel + +Editor: Henry Morley + +Release Date: February 5, 2006 [eBook #17678] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) + + +***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE APOLOGY OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND*** + + + + + + +Transcribed from the 1888 Cassell and Company edition by David Price, +email ccx074@coventry.ac.uk + + + + + +THE APOLOGY OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. + + +BY +JOHN JEWEL, + +_Bishop of Salisbury_. + +CASSELL & COMPANY, LIMITED: +_LONDON_, _PARIS_, _NEW YORK & MELBOURNE_. +1888. + + + + +INTRODUCTION. + + +The great interest of Jewel's "Apology" lies in the fact that it was +written in Latin to be read throughout Europe as the answer of the +Reformed Church of England, at the beginning of Queen Elizabeth's reign, +to those who said that the Reformation set up a new Church. Its argument +was that the English Church Reformers were going back to the old Church, +not setting up a new; and this Jewel proposed to show by looking back to +the first centuries of Christianity. Innovation was imputed; and an +Apology originally meant a pleading to rebut an imputation. So, even as +late as 1796, there was a book called "An Apology for the Bible," meaning +its defence against those who questioned its authority. This Latin book +of Jewel's, _Apologia Ecclesiae Anglicanae_--written in Latin because it +was not addressed to England only--was first published in 1562, and +translated into English by the mother of Francis Bacon, whose edition +appeared in 1564. That is the translation given in this volume. The +book has since had six or seven other translators, but Lady Ann Bacon's +translation was that which presented it in Queen Elizabeth's time to +English readers, and it had the advantage of revision by the Queen's +Archbishop of Canterbury, her coadjutor in the establishment of the +Reformed Church of England, Matthew Parker. It was published, with no +name of author or translator on the title-page, as "An Apologie or +answere in defence of the Churche of Englande, with a briefe and plaine +declaration of the true Religion professed or used in the same." The +book was prefaced by a letter, "To the right honorable learned and +vertuous Ladie, A. B." [Ann Bacon] "M. C. wisheth from God grace, +honoure, and felicitie," where M. C. signifies Matthew Cantuar, Matthew +Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury, whom Lady Ann Bacon had made her judge, +and whose judgment, the letter says, her book had singularly pleased. + +Lady Ann Bacon was the second daughter of Sir Anthony Cooke, who was +tutor to King Edward VI. Sir Anthony gave to his five daughters a most +liberal education. His eldest daughter, Mildred, married Sir William +Cecil, afterwards Lord Burleigh, while Ann became the second wife of the +Lord Keeper, Sir Nicholas Bacon. Their father had made Mildred and Ann +two of the most learned women in England. + +John Jewel was forty years old when he wrote the "Apology." He was born +in Devonshire in 1522, on the 24th of May, at the village of Buden, near +Ilfracombe. He studied at Oxford, where he became tutor and preacher, +graduated as B.D. in 1551, and was presented to the rectory of +Sunningwell. At the accession of Queen Mary he bowed to the royal +authority, but he was a warm friend and disciple of Peter Martyr, who had +come to England in 1547, at the invitation of Edward VI., to take the +chair of Divinity at Oxford. On the accession of Queen Mary, Peter +Martyr (who was born at Florence in 1500, and whose family name was +Vermigli) returned to Strasburg, and went thence to Zurich, where he died +in 1562. Jewel, repenting of his assent to the new sovereign's authority +in matters of religion, followed his friend Peter Martyr across the +water, and became vice-master of a college at Strasburg. Upon the +accession of Elizabeth, in 1588, Jewel came back, and he was one of the +sixteen Protestants appointed by the Queen to dispute before her with a +like number of Catholics. + +In 1559 John Jewel was appointed a commissioner for securing, in the West +of England, conformity with the newly-arranged Church service, and he had +to see that the Queen's orders were obeyed in the churches of his native +county. Before the end of the same year he was consecrated Bishop of +Salisbury. He was most zealous in performance of all duties of his +charge. To his good offices young Richard Hooker owed his opportunity of +training for the service of the Church. Among Jewel's writings, this +Apology or Defence of the Church of England was the most important; but +he worked incessantly, and shortened his life by limiting himself to four +hours of sleep, taken between midnight and four in the morning. Bishop +Jewel died on the 21st of September, 1571, before he had reached the age +of fifty. + +H. M. + + + + +AN APOLOGY, OR ANSWER, IN DEFENCE OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND, + + +_With a Brief and Plain Declaration of the True Religion Professed and +Used in the Same_. + + + +PART I. + + +It hath been an old complaint, even from the first time of the patriarchs +and Prophets, and confirmed by the writings and testimonies of every age, +that the truth wandereth here and there as a stranger in the world, and +doth readily find enemies and slanderers amongst those that know her not. +Albeit perchance this may seem unto some a thing hard to be believed, I +mean to such as have scant well and narrowly taken heed thereunto, +specially seeing all mankind of nature's very motion without a teacher +doth covet the truth of their own accord; and seeing our Saviour Christ +Himself, when He was on earth, would be called the Truth, as by a name +most fit to express all His Divine power; yet we, which have been +exercised in the Holy Scriptures, and which have both read and seen what +hath happened to all godly men commonly at all times; what to the +Prophets, to the Apostles, to the holy martyrs, and what to Christ +Himself; with what rebukes, revilings, and despites they were continually +vexed whiles they here lived, and that only for the truth's sake: we, I +say, do see that this is not only no new thing, or hard to be believed, +but that it is a thing already received, and commonly used from age to +age. Nay, truly, this might seem much rather a marvel, and beyond all +belief, if the devil, who is the father of lies, and enemy to all truth, +would now upon a sudden change his nature, and hope that truth might +otherwise be suppressed than by belying it; or that he would begin to +establish his own kingdom by using now any other practices than the same +which he hath ever used from the beginning. For since any man's +remembrance we can scant find one time, either when religion did first +grow, or when it was settled, or when it did afresh spring up again, +wherein truth and innocency were not by all unworthy means, and most +despitefully intreated. Doubtless the devil well seeth, that so long as +truth is in good safety, himself cannot be safe, nor yet maintain his own +estate. + +For, letting pass the ancient patriarchs and Prophets, who, as we have +said, had no part of their life free from contumelies and slanders, we +know there were certain in times past which said and commonly preached, +that the old ancient Jews (of whom we make no doubt but they were the +worshippers of the only and true God) did worship either a sow, or an +ass, in God's stead, and that all the same religion was nothing else but +a sacrilege, and a plain contempt of all godliness. We know also that +the Son of God, our Saviour Jesu Christ, when He taught the truth, was +counted a juggler and an enchanter, a Samaritan, Beelzebub, a deceiver of +the people, a drunkard, and a glutton. Again, who wotteth not what words +were spoken against St. Paul, the most earnest and vehement preacher and +maintainer of the truth? sometime that he was a seditious and busy man, a +raiser of tumults, a causer of rebellion; sometime again, that he was an +heretic; sometime, that he was mad; sometime, that only upon strife and +stomach he was both a blasphemer of God's law, and a despiser of the +fathers' ordinances. Further, who knoweth not how St. Stephen, after he +had thoroughly and sincerely embraced the truth, and began frankly and +stoutly to preach and set forth the same, as he ought to do, was +immediately called to answer for his life, as one that had wickedly +uttered disdainful and heinous words against the law, against Moses, +against the temple, and against God? Or who is ignorant that in times +past there were some which reproved the Holy Scripts of falsehood, saying +they contained things both contrary and quite one against other; and how +that the Apostles of Christ did severally disagree between themselves, +and that St. Paul did vary from them all? And, not to make rehearsal of +all, for that were an endless labour, who knoweth not after what sort our +fathers were railed upon in times past, which first began to acknowledge +and profess the Name of Christ? how they made private conspiracies, +devised secret counsels against the commonwealth, and that end made early +and privy meetings in the dark, killed young babes, fed themselves with +men's flesh, and, like savage and brute beasts, did drink their blood? in +conclusion, how that, after they had put out the candles, they committed +adultery between themselves, and without regard wrought incest one with +another: that brethren lay with their sisters, sons with their mothers, +without any reverence of nature or kin, without shame without difference; +and that they were wicked men without all care of religion, and without +any opinion of God, being the very enemies of mankind, unworthy to be +suffered in the world, and unworthy of life? + +All these things were spoken in those days against the people of God, +against Christ Jesu, against Paul, against Stephen, and against all them, +whosoever they were, which at the first beginning embraced the truth of +the Gospel, and were contented to be called by the name of Christians, +which was then a hateful name among the common people. And although the +things which they said were not true, yet the devil thought it should be +sufficient for him, if at the least he could bring it so to pass as they +might be believed for true, and that the Christians might be brought into +a common hatred of everybody, and have their death and destruction sought +of all sorts. Hereupon kings and princes, being led then by such +persuasions, killed all the Prophets of God, letting none escape. Esay +with a saw, Jeremy with stones, Daniel with lions, Amos with an iron bar, +Paul with the sword, and Christ upon the cross; and condemned all +Christians to imprisonments, to torments, to the pikes, to be thrown down +headlong from rocks and steep places, to be cast to wild beasts, and to +be burnt: and made great fires of their quick bodies, for the only +purpose to give light by night, and for a very scorn and mocking stock; +and did count them no better than the vilest filth, the offscourings and +laughing games of the whole world. Thus, as ye see, have the authors and +professors of the truth ever been intreated. + +Wherefore, we ought to bear it the more quietly, which have taken upon us +to profess the Gospel of Christ, if we for the same cause be handled +after the same sort; and if we, as our forefathers were long ago, be +likewise at this day tormented, and baited with railings, with spiteful +dealings, and with lies; and that for no desert of our own, but only +because we teach and acknowledge the truth. + +They cry out upon us at this present everywhere, that we are all +heretics, and have forsaken the faith, and have with new persuasions and +wicked learning utterly dissolved the concord of the Church; that we +renew, and, as it were, fetch again from hell the old and many a day +condemned heresies; that we sow abroad new sects, and such broils as +never yearst were heard of: also that we are already divided into +contrary parts and opinions, and could yet by no means agree well among +ourselves; that we be cursed creatures, and, like the giants, do war +against God Himself, and live clean without any regard or worshipping of +God; that we despise all good deeds; that we use no discipline of virtue, +no laws, no customs; that we esteem neither right, nor order, nor equity, +nor justice; that we give the bridle to all naughtiness, and provoke the +people to all licentiousness and lust; that we labour and seek to +overthrow the state of monarchies and kingdoms, and to bring all things +under the rule of the rash inconstant people and unlearned multitude; +that we have seditiously fallen from the Catholic Church, and by a wicked +schism and division have shaken the whole world, and troubled the common +peace and universal quiet of the Church; and that, as Dathan and Abiram +conspired in times past against Moses and Aaron, even so we at this day +have renounced the Bishop of Rome without any cause reasonable; that we +set nought by the authority of the ancient fathers and councils of old +time; that we have rashly and presumptuously disannulled the old +ceremonies, which have been well allowed by our fathers and forefathers +many hundred years past, both by good customs, and also in ages of more +purity; and that we have by our own private head, without the authority +of any sacred and general council, brought new traditions into the +Church: and have done all these things not for religion's sake, but only +upon a desire of contention and strife; but that they for their part have +changed no manner of thing, but have held and kept still such a number of +years to this very day all things as they were delivered from the +Apostles and well approved by the most ancient fathers. + +And that this matter should not seem to be done but upon privy slander, +and to be tossed to and fro in a corner, only to spite us, there have +been besides wilily procured by the Bishop of Rome certain persons of +eloquence enough, and not unlearned neither, which should put their help +to this cause, now almost despaired of, and should polish and set forth +the same, both in books, and with long tales to the end that, when the +matter was trimly and eloquently handled, ignorant and unskilful persons +might suspect there was some great thing in it. Indeed they perceived +that their own cause did everywhere go to wrack; that their sleights were +now espied, and less esteemed; and that their helps did daily fail them; +and that their matter stood altogether in great need of a cunning +spokesman. + +Now as for those things which by them have been laid against us, in part +they be manifestly false, and condemned so by their own judgments which +spake them; partly again, though they be as false, too, indeed, yet bear +they a certain show and colour of truth, so as the reader (if he take not +good heed) may easily be tripped and brought into error by them, +specially when their fine and cunning tale is added thereunto. And part +of them be of such sort as we ought not to shun them as crimes or faults, +but to acknowledge and profess them as things well done, and upon very +good reason. + +For shortly to say the truth, these folk falsely accuse and slander all +our doings; yea the same things which they themselves cannot deny but to +be rightly and orderly done; and for malice do so misconstrue and deprave +all our sayings and doings, as though it were impossible that anything +could be rightly spoken or done by us. They should more plainly and +sincerely have gone to work if they would have dealt truly. But now they +neither truly, nor sincerely, nor yet Christianly, but darkly and +craftily charge and batter us with lies, and do abuse the blindness and +fondness of the people, together with the ignorance of princes, to cause +us to be hated and the truth to be suppressed. This, lo, ye, is the +power of darkness, and of men which lean more to the amazed wondering of +the rude multitude and to darkness than they do to truth and light; and +as St. Hierom saith, which do openly gainsay the truth, closing up their +eyes, and will not see for the nonce. + +But we give thanks to the most good and mighty God, that such is our +cause, whereagainst (when they would fainest) they were able to utter no +despite, but the same which might as well be wrested against the holy +fathers, against the Prophets, against the Apostles, against Peter, +against Paul, and against Christ Himself. + +Now, therefore, if it be lawful for these folks to be eloquent and fine- +tongued in speaking evil, surely it becometh not us in our cause, being +so very good, to be dumb in answering truly. For men to be careless what +is spoken by them and their own matter, be it never so falsely and +slanderously spoken (especially when it is such that the majesty of God +and the cause of religion may thereby be damaged), is the part doubtless +of dissolute and wretchless persons, and of them which wickedly wink at +the injuries done unto the Name of God. For although other wrongs, yea +oftentimes great, may be borne and dissembled of a mild and Christian +man, yet he that goeth smoothly away, and dissembleth the matter when he +is noted of heresy, Ruffinus was wont to deny that man to be a Christian. +We therefore will do the same thing, which all laws, which nature's own +voice doth command to be done, and which Christ Himself did in like case, +when He was checked and reviled: to the intent we may put off from us +these men's slanderous accusations, and may defend soberly and truly our +own cause and innocency. For Christ verily, when the Pharisees charged +Him with sorcery, as one that had some familiar spirits, and wrought many +things by their help: "I," said He, "have not the devil, but do glorify +my Father: but it is you that have dishonoured me, and put me to rebuke +and shame." And St. Paul, when Festus the lieutenant scorned him as a +madman: "I," said he, "most dear Festus, am not mad, as thou thinkest, +but I speak the words of truth and soberness." And the ancient +Christians, when they were slandered to the people for mankillers, for +adulterers, for committers of incest, for disturbers of the commonweals, +and did perceive that by such slanderous accusations the religion which +they professed might be brought in question, namely, if they should seem +to hold their peace, and in manner to confess the fault; lest this might +hinder the free course of the Gospel, they made orations, they put up +supplications, and made means to emperors and princes, that they might +defend themselves and their fellows in open audience. + +But we truly, seeing that so many thousands of our brethren in these last +twenty years have borne witness unto the truth, in the midst of most +painful torments that could be devised; and when princes, desirous to +restrain the Gospel, sought many ways, but prevailed nothing; and that +now almost the whole world doth begin to open their eyes to behold the +light; we take it that our cause hath already been sufficiently declared +and defended, and think it not needful to make many words, seeing the +matter saith enough for itself. For if the popes would, or else if they +could weigh with their own selves the whole matter, and also the +beginnings and proceedings of our religion, how in a manner all their +travail hath come to nought, nobody driving it forward; and how on the +other side, our cause, against the will of emperors from the beginning, +against the wills of so many kings, in spite of the popes, and almost +maugre the head of all men, hath taken increase, and by little and little +spread over into all countries, and is come at length even into kings' +courts and palaces; these same things, methinketh, might be tokens great +enough to them, that God Himself doth strongly fight in our quarrel, and +doth from heaven laugh at their enterprises; and that the force of truth +is such, as neither man's power, nor yet hell-gates are able to root it +out. For they be not all mad at this day, so many free cities, so many +kings, so many princes, which have fallen away from the seat of Rome, and +have rather joined themselves to the Gospel of Christ. + +And although the popes had never hitherunto leisure to consider +diligently and earnestly of these matters, or though some other cares do +now let them, and diverse ways pull them, or though they count these to +be but common and trifling studies, and nothing to appertain to the +Pope's worthiness, this maketh not why our matter ought to seem the +worse. Or if they perchance will not see that which they see indeed, but +rather will withstand the known truth, ought we therefore by-and-by to be +accounted heretics because we obey not their will and pleasure? If so +be, that Pope Pius were the man (we say not, which he would so gladly be +called), but if he were indeed a man that either would account us for his +brethren, or at least would take us to be men, he would first diligently +have examined our reasons, and would have seen what might be said with +us, what against us; and would not in his bull, whereby he lately +pretended a council, so rashly have condemned so great a part of the +world, so many learned and godly men, so many commonwealths, so many +kings, and so many princes, only upon his own blind prejudices and fore- +determinations--and that without hearing of them speak or without showing +cause why. + +But because he hath already so noted us openly, lest by holding our peace +we should seem to grant a fault, and specially because we can by no means +have audience in the public assembly of the general council, wherein he +would no creature should have power to give his voice or to declare his +opinion, except he be sworn, and straitly bound to maintain his authority +(for we have had good experience hereof in the last conference at the +council at Trident; where the ambassadors and divines of the princes of +Germany, and of the free cities, were quite shut out from their company. +Neither can we yet forget, how Julius the Third, above ten years past, +provided warily by his writ that none of our sort should be suffered to +speak in the council, except that there were some, peradventure, that +would recant and change his opinion): for this cause chiefly we thought +it good to yield up an account of our faith in writing, and truly and +openly to make answer to those things wherewith we have been openly +charged; to the end the world may see the parts and foundations of that +doctrine, in the behalf whereof so many good men have little regarded +their own lives; and that all men may understand what manner of people +they be, and what opinion they have of God and of religion, whom the +Bishop of Rome, before they were called to tell their tale, hath +condemned for heretics, without any good consideration, without any +example, and utterly without law or right, only because he heard tell +that they did dissent from him and his in some point of religion. + +And although St. Hierom would have nobody to be patient when he is +suspected of heresy, yet we will deal herein neither bitterly nor +brablingly; nor yet be carried away with anger and heat; though he ought +to be reckoned neither bitter nor brabler that speaketh the truth. We +willingly leave this kind of eloquence to our adversaries, who, +whatsoever they say against us, be it never so shrewdly or despitefully +said, yet think it is said modestly and comely enough, and care nothing +whether it be true or false. We need none of these shifts which do +maintain the truth. + +Further, if we do show it plainly that God's holy Gospel, the ancient +bishops, and the primitive Church do make on our side, and that we have +not without just cause left these men, and rather have returned to the +Apostles and old Catholic fathers; and if we shall be found to do the +same not colourably or craftily, but in good faith before God, truly, +honestly, clearly, and plainly; and if they themselves which fly our +doctrine, and would be called Catholics, shall manifestly see how all +these titles of antiquity, whereof they boast so much, are quite shaken +out of their hands; and that there is more pith in this our cause than +they thought for; we then hope and trust that none of them will be so +negligent and careless of his own salvation, but he will at length study +and bethink himself to whether part he were best to join him. +Undoubtedly, except one will altogether harden his heart and refuse to +hear, he shall not repent him to give good heed to this our Defence, and +to mark well what we say, and how truly and justly it agreeth with +Christian religion. + +For where they call us heretics, it is a crime so heinous, that unless it +may be seen, unless it may be felt, and in manner may be holden with +hands and fingers, it ought not lightly to be judged or believed, when it +is laid to the charge of any Christian man. For heresy is a forsaking of +salvation, a renouncing of God's grace, a departing from the body and +spirit of Christ. But this was ever an old and solemn property with them +and their forefathers; if any did complain of their errors and faults, +and desired to have true religion restored, straightway to condemn such +ones for heretics, as men new-fangled and factious. Christ for no other +cause was called a Samaritan, but only for that He was thought to have +fallen to a certain new religion, and to be the author of a new sect. And +Paul the Apostle of Christ was called before the judges to make answer to +a matter of heresy; and therefore he said: "According to this way which +they call heresy I do worship the God of my fathers, believing all things +which be written in the law and in the Prophets." + +Shortly to speak. This universal religion which Christian men profess at +this day was called first of the heathen people a sect and heresy. With +these terms did they always fill princes' ears, to the intent when they +had once hated us with a predetermined opinion, and had counted all that +we said to be faction and heresy, they might be so led away from the +truth and right understanding of the cause. But the more sore and +outrageous a crime heresy is, the more it ought to be proved by plain and +strong arguments, especially in this time, when men begin to give less +credit to their words, and to make more diligent search of their +doctrine, than they were wont to do. For the people of God are otherwise +instructed now than they were in times past, when all the bishops of +Rome's sayings were allowed for Gospel, and when all religion did depend +only upon their authority. Nowadays the Holy Scripture is abroad, the +writings of the Apostles and Prophets are in print, whereby all truth and +Catholic doctrine may be proved, and all heresy may be disproved and +confuted. + +Sithence, then, they bring forth none of these for themselves, and call +us nevertheless heretics, which have neither fallen from Christ, nor from +the Apostles, nor yet from the Prophets, this is an injurious and a very +spiteful dealing. With this sword did Christ put off the devil when He +was tempted of him: with these weapons ought all presumption, which doth +advance itself against God, to be overthrown and conquered. "For all +Scripture," saith St. Paul, "that cometh by the inspiration of God, is +profitable to teach, to confute, to instruct, and to reprove, that the +man of God may be perfect, and thoroughly framed to every good work." +Thus did the holy fathers always fight against the heretics with none +other force than with the Holy Scriptures. St. Augustine, when he +disputed against Petilian, a heretic of the Donatists: "Let not these +words," quoth he, "be heard between us, 'I say, or you say:' let us +rather speak in this wise: 'Thus saith the Lord.' There let us seek the +Church: there let us boult out our cause." Likewise St. Hierom: "All +those things," saith he, "which without the testimony of the Scriptures +are holden as delivered from the Apostles, be thoroughly smitten down by +the sword of God's word." St. Ambrose also, to Gratian the emperor: "Let +the Scripture," saith he, "be asked the question, let the prophets be +asked, and let Christ be asked." For at that time made the Catholic +fathers and bishops no doubt but that our religion might be proved out of +the Holy Scriptures. Neither were they ever so hardy as to take any for +a heretic whose error they could not evidently and apparently reprove by +the self-same Scriptures. And we verily do make answer on this wise, as +St. Paul did: "According to this way which they call heresy we do worship +God, and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; and do allow all things +which have been written either in the law or in the Prophets," or in the +Apostles' works. + +Wherefore, if we be heretics, and they (as they would fain be called) be +Catholics, why do they not, as they see the fathers, which were Catholic +men, have always done? Why do they not convince and master us by the +Divine Scriptures? Why do they not call us again to be tried by them? +Why do they not lay before us how we have gone away from Christ, from the +Prophets, from the Apostles, and from the holy fathers? Why stick they +to do it? Why are they afraid of it? It is God's cause. Why are they +doubtful to commit it to the trial of God's word? If we be heretics, +which refer all our controversies unto the Holy Scriptures, and report us +to the self-same words which we know were sealed by God Himself, and in +comparison of them set little by all other things, whatsoever may be +devised by men, how shall we say to these folk, I pray you what manner of +men be they, and how is it meet to call them, which fear the judgment of +the Holy Scriptures--that is to say, the judgment of God Himself--and do +prefer before them their own dreams and full cold inventions; and, to +maintain their own traditions, have defaced and corrupted, now these many +hundred years, the ordinances of Christ and of the Apostles? + +Men say that Sophocles, the tragical poet, when in his old days he was by +his own sons accused before the judges for a doting and sottish man, as +one that fondly wasted his own substance, and seemed to need a governor +to see unto him; to the intent he might clear himself of the fault, he +came into the place of judgment; and when he had rehearsed before them +his tragedy called _OEdipus Coloneus_, which he had written at the very +time of his accusation, marvellous exactly and cunningly, did of himself +ask the judges whether they thought any sottish or doting man could do +the like piece of work. + +In like manner, because these men take us to be mad, and appeach us for +heretics, as men which have nothing to do, neither with Christ, nor with +the Church of God, we have judged it should be to good purpose, and not +unprofitable, if we do openly and frankly set forth our faith wherein we +stand, and show all that confidence which we have in Christ Jesu; to the +intent all men may see what is our judgment of every part of Christian +religion, and may resolve with themselves, whether the faith which they +shall see confirmed by the words of Christ, by the writings of the +Apostles, by the testimonies of the Catholic fathers, and by the examples +of many ages, be but a certain rage of furious and mad men, and a +conspiracy of heretics. This therefore is our belief. + + + +PART II. + + +We believe that there is one certain nature and Divine power, which we +call God: and that the same is divided into three equal Persons--into the +Father, into the Son, and into the Holy Ghost; and that They all be of +one power, of one majesty, of one eternity, of one Godhead, and of one +substance. And although these three Persons be so divided, that neither +the Father is the Son, nor the Son is the Holy Ghost, or the Father; yet, +nevertheless, we believe that there is but one very God, and that the +same one God hath created heaven, and earth, and all things contained +under heaven. + +We believe that Jesus Christ, the only Son of the eternal Father (as long +before it was determined before all beginnings), when the fulness of time +was come, did take of that blessed and pure Virgin both flesh and all the +nature of man, that He might declare to the world the secret and hid will +of His Father; which will had been laid up from before all ages and +generations; and that He might full finish in His human body the mystery +of our redemption; and might fasten our sins to the cross, and also that +handwriting which was made against us. + +We believe that for our sakes He died, and was buried, descended into +hell, the third day by the power of His Godhead returned to life, and +rose again; and that the fortieth day after His resurrection, whiles His +disciples beheld and looked upon Him He ascended into heaven to fulfil +all things, and did place in majesty and glory the self-same body +wherewith He was born, wherein He lived on earth, wherein He was jested +at, wherein He had suffered most painful torments and cruel kind of +death, wherein He rose again, and wherein He ascended to the right hand +of the Father, "above all rule, above all power, all force, all dominion, +and above every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in +the world to come:" and that there He now sitteth, and shall sit, till +all things be full perfected. And although the Majesty and Godhead of +Christ be everywhere abundantly dispersed, yet we believe that his body, +as St. Augustine saith, must needs be still in one place; and that Christ +hath given majesty unto His body, but yet hath not taken away from it the +nature of a body; and that we must not so affirm Christ to be God that we +deny Him to be man: and, as the Martyr Vigilius saith, that Christ hath +left us as touching His human nature, but hath not left us as touching +His Divine nature; and that the same Christ, though He be absent from us +concerning His manhood, yet is ever present with us concerning his +Godhead. + +From that place also we believe that Christ shall come again to execute +that general judgment, as well of them whom He shall then find alive in +the body as of them that be already dead. + +We believe that the Holy Ghost, who is the third person in the Holy +Trinity, is very God: not made, not created, not begotten, but proceeding +from both the Father and the Son, by a certain mean unknown unto men, and +unspeakable; and that it is His property to mollify and soften the +hardness of man's heart when He is once received thereinto, either by the +wholesome preaching of the Gospel, or by any other way: that he doth give +men light, and guide them unto the knowledge of God; to all way of truth; +to newness of the whole life; and to everlasting hope of salvation. + +* * * * * + +We believe that there is one Church of God, and that the same is not shut +up (as in times past among the Jews) into some one corner or kingdom, but +that it is catholic and universal, and dispersed throughout the whole +world. So that there is now no nation which may truly complain that they +be shut forth, and may not be one of the Church and people of God: and +that this Church is the kingdom, the body, and the spouse of Christ; and +that Christ alone is the Prince of this kingdom; that Christ alone is the +Head of this Body; and that Christ alone is the Bridegroom of this +spouse. + +Furthermore, we believe that there be divers degrees of ministers in the +Church; whereof some be deacons, some priests, some bishops; to whom is +committed the office to instruct the people, and the whole charge and +setting forth of religion. Yet notwithstanding, we say that there +neither is, nor can be any one man, which may have the whole superiority +in this universal state: for that Christ is ever present to assist His +Church, and needeth not any man to supply His room, as His only heir to +all His substance: and that there can be no one mortal creature, which is +able to comprehend or conceive in his mind the universal Church, that is +to wit, all the parts of the world, much less able rightly and duly to +put them in order, and to govern them rightly and duly. For all the +Apostles, as Cyprian saith, were of like power among themselves, and the +rest were the same that Peter was, and that it said indifferently to them +all, "feed ye;" indifferently to them all, "go into the whole world;" +indifferently to them all, "teach ye the Gospel." And (as Hierom saith) +all bishops wheresoever they be, be they at Rome, be they at Eugubium, be +they at Constantinople, be they at Rhegium, be all of like pre-eminence, +and of like priesthood. And, as Cyprian saith, there is but one +bishopric, and a piece thereof is perfectly and wholly holden of every +particular bishop. And according to the judgment of the Nicene Council, +we say, that the Bishop of Rome hath no more jurisdiction over the Church +of God than the rest of the patriarchs, either of Alexandria, or of +Antiochia have. And as for the Bishop of Rome, who now calleth all +matters before himself alone, except he do his duty as he ought to do, +except he minister the Sacraments, except he instruct the people, except +he warn them and teach them, we say that he ought not of right once to be +called a bishop, or so much as an elder. For a bishop, as saith +Augustine, is a name of labour, and not of honour: because he will have +that man understand himself to be no bishop, which will seek to have pre- +eminence, and not to profit others. And that neither the Pope, nor any +other worldly creature can no more be head of the whole Church, or a +bishop over all, than he can be the bridegroom, the light, the salvation, +and life of the Church. For the privileges and names belong only to +Christ, and be properly and only fit for him alone. And that no Bishop +of Rome did ever suffer himself to be called by such a proud name before +Phocas the emperor's time, who, as we know, by killing his own sovereign +Maurice the emperor, did by a traitorous villainy aspire to the empire +about the six hundredth and thirteenth year after Christ was born. Also +the Council of Carthage did circumspectly provide, that no bishop should +be called the highest bishop or chief priest. And therefore, sithence +the Bishop of Rome will nowadays so be called, and challengeth unto +himself an authority that is none of his; besides that he doth plainly +contrary to the ancient councils, and contrary to the old fathers; we +believe that he doth give unto himself, as it is written by his own +companion Gregory, a presumptuous, a profane, a sacrilegious, and an +antichristian name: that he is also the king of pride, that he is +Lucifer, which preferreth himself before his brethren: that he hath +forsaken the faith, and is the forerunner of Antichrist. + +Further we say, that the minister ought lawfully, duly, and orderly to be +preferred to that office of the Church of God, and that no man hath power +to wrest himself into the holy ministry at his own pleasure and list. +Wherefore these persons do us the greater wrong, which have nothing so +common in their mouths, as that we do nothing orderly and comely, but all +things troublesomely and without order; and that we allow every man to be +a priest, to be a teacher, and to be an interpreter of the Scriptures. + +Moreover, we say that Christ hath given to His ministers power to bind, +to loose, to open, to shut. And that the office of loosing consisteth in +this point: that the minister should either offer by the preaching of the +Gospel the merits of Christ and full pardon, to such as have lowly and +contrite hearts, and do unfeignedly repent themselves, pronouncing unto +the same a sure and undoubted forgiveness of their sins, and hope of +everlasting salvation: or else that the same minister, when any have +offended their brothers' minds with a great offence, with a notable and +open fault, whereby they have, as it were, banished and made themselves +strangers from the common fellowship, and from the body of Christ; then +after perfect amendment of such persons, doth reconcile them, and bring +them home again, and restore them to the company and unity of the +faithful. We say also, that the minister doth execute the authority of +binding and shutting, as often as he shutteth up the gate of the kingdom +of heaven against the unbelieving and stubborn persons, denouncing unto +them God's vengeance, and everlasting punishment: or else, when he doth +quite shut them out from the bosom of the Church by open excommunication. +Out of doubt, what sentence soever the minister of God shall give in this +sort, God Himself doth so well allow of it, that whatsoever here in earth +by their means is loosed and bound, God Himself will loose and bind, and +confirm the same in heaven. And touching the keys, wherewith they may +either shut or open the kingdom of heaven, we with Chrysostom say, "They +be the knowledge of the Scriptures:" with Tertullian we say, "They be the +interpretation of the law:" and with Eusebius, we call them "The Word of +God." Moreover, that Christ's disciples did receive this authority, not +that they should hear the private confessions of the people and listen to +their whisperings, as the common massing-priests do everywhere nowadays, +and do it so, as though in that one point lay all the virtue and use of +the keys: but to the end they should go, they should teach, they should +publish abroad the Gospel, and be unto the believing a sweet savour of +life unto life, and unto the unbelieving and unfaithful a savour of death +unto death; and that the minds of godly persons being brought low by the +remorse of their former life and errors, after they once began to look up +unto the light of the Gospel, and believe in Christ, might be opened with +the Word of God, even as a door is opened with a key. Contrariwise, that +the wicked and wilful folk, and such as would not believe, nor return +into the right way, should be left still as fast locked, and shut up, +and, as St. Paul saith, "wax worse and worse." This take we to be the +meaning of the keys; and that after this sort men's consciences either be +opened or shut. We say, that the priest indeed is a judge in this case, +but yet hath no manner of right to challenge an authority, or power, as +saith Ambrose. And therefore our Saviour Jesu Christ, to reprove the +negligence of the Scribes and Pharisees in teaching, did with these words +rebuke them, saying: "Woe be unto you Scribes and Pharisees, which have +taken away the keys of knowledge, and have shut up the kingdom of heaven +before men." Seeing then the key whereby the way and entry to the +kingdom of God is opened unto us, is the word of the Gospel, and the +expounding of the law and Scriptures; we say plainly, where the same word +is not there is not the key. And seeing one manner of word is given to +all, and one only key belongeth to all, we say, that there is but one +only power of all ministers; as concerning opening and shutting. And as +touching the Bishop of Rome, for all his parasites flatteringly sing +these words in his ears, "To thee will I give the keys of the kingdom of +heaven" (as though those keys were fit for him alone, and for nobody +else), except he go so to work, as men's consciences may be made pliant, +and be subdued to the Word of God, we deny that he doth either open, or +shut, or hath the keys at all. And although he taught and instructed the +people (as would God he might once truly do, and persuade himself it were +at the least some piece of his duty), yet we think his key to be never a +whit better, or of greater force than other men's. For who hath severed +him from the rest? Who hath taught him more cunningly to open, or better +to absolve than his brethren? + +We say that matrimony is holy and honourable in all sorts and states of +persons, in the patriarchs, in the Prophets, in the Apostles, in holy +martyrs, in the ministers of the Church, and in bishops; and that it is +an honest and lawful thing (as Chrysostom saith) for a man, living in +matrimony, to take upon him therewith the dignity of a bishop. And as +Sozomenus saith of Spiridion; and as Nazianzen saith of his own father, +that a good and diligent bishop doth serve in the ministry never the +worse for that he is married, but rather the better, and with more +ableness to do good. Further, we say, that the same law which by +constraint taketh away this liberty from men, and compelleth them against +their wills to live single, is the doctrine of devils, as Paul saith: +and, that, ever sithence the time of this law, a wonderful uncleanness of +life and manners in God's ministers, and sundry horrible enormities have +followed, as the Bishop of Augusta, as Faber, as Abbas Panormitanus, as +Latomus, as the tripartite work, which is annexed to the second tome of +the councils, and other champions of the Pope's band, yea, and as the +matter itself, and all histories do confess. For it was rightly said by +Pius the Second, Bishop of Rome, "that he saw many causes why wives +should be taken away from priests, but that he saw many more, and more +weighty causes why they ought to be restored them again." + +* * * * * + +We receive and embrace all the canonical Scriptures, both of the Old and +New Testament, giving thanks to our God, who hath raised up unto us that +light which we might ever have before our eyes, lest either by the +subtlety of man, or by the snares of the devil, we should be carried away +to errors and lies. Also that these be the heavenly voices, whereby God +hath opened unto us His will: and that only in them man's heart can have +settled rest; that in them be abundantly and fully comprehended all +things, whatsoever be needful for our salvation, as Origen, Augustine, +Chrysostom, and Cyrillus have taught: that they be the very might and +strength of God to attain to salvation: that they be the foundations of +the Prophets and Apostles, whereupon is built the Church of God: that +they be the very sure and infallible rule, whereby may be tried, whether +the Church do stagger, or err, and whereunto all ecclesiastical doctrine +ought to be called to account: and that against these Scriptures neither +law, nor ordinance, nor any custom ought to be heard: no, though Paul his +own self, or an angel from heaven, should come and teach the contrary. + +* * * * * + +Moreover, we allow the Sacraments of the Church, that is to say, certain +holy signs and ceremonies, which Christ would we should use, that by them +He might set before our eyes the mysteries of our salvation, and might +more strongly confirm our faith which we have in His blood, and might +seal His grace in our hearts. And these Sacraments, together with +Tertullian, Origen, Ambrose, Hierom, Chrysostom, Basil, Dionysius, and +other Catholic fathers, do we call figures, signs, marks or badges, +prints, copies, forms, seals, signets, similitudes, patterns, +representations, remembrances and memories. And we make no doubt, +together with the same doctors, to say, that these be certain visible +words, seals of righteousness, tokens of grace: and do expressly +pronounce, that in the Lord's Supper there is truly given unto the +believing the body and blood of the Lord, the flesh of the Son of God, +which quickeneth our souls, the meat that cometh from above, the food of +immortality, grace, truth, and life, and the Supper to be the communion +of the body and blood of Christ; by the partaking whereof we be revived, +we be strengthened, and be fed unto immortality; and whereby we are +joined, united, and incorporate unto Christ, that we may abide in Him, +and He in us. + +Besides, we acknowledge there be two Sacraments, which, we judge, +properly ought to be called by this name; that is to say, Baptism and the +Sacrament of thanksgiving. For thus many we say were delivered and +sanctified by Christ, and well allowed of the old fathers, Ambrose and +Augustine. + +* * * * * + +We say that Baptism is a Sacrament of the remission of sins, and of that +washing, which we have in the blood of Christ; and that no person which +will profess Christ's Name ought to be restrained or kept back therefrom; +no, not the very babes of Christians; forsomuch as they be born in sin, +and do pertain unto the people of God. + +We say, that Eucharistia, that is to say the Supper of the Lord, is a +Sacrament; that is to wit, an evident token of the body and blood of +Christ, wherein is set, as it were, before our eyes, the death of Christ +and His resurrection, and what act soever He did whilst He was in His +mortal body: to the end we may give Him thanks for His death, and for our +deliverance: and that, by the often receiving of this Sacrament, we may +daily renew the remembrance of that matter, to the intent we, being fed +with the [true] body and blood of Christ, may be brought into the hope of +the resurrection and of everlasting life, and may most assuredly believe +that the body and blood of Christ doth in like manner feed our souls, as +bread and wine doth feed our bodies. To this banquet we think the people +of God ought to be earnestly bidden, that they may all communicate among +themselves, and openly declare and testify both the godly society which +is among them, and also the hope which they have in Christ Jesu. For +this cause if there had been any which would be but a looker-on, and +abstain from the Holy Communion, him did the old fathers and bishops of +Rome in the primitive Church, before private mass came up, excommunicate +as a wicked person and as a pagan. Neither was there any Christian at +that time which did communicate alone, whiles other looked on. For so +did Calixtus in times past decree, "that after the consecration was +finished, all should communicate, except they had rather stand without +the church-doors; because thus (saith he) did the Apostles appoint, and +the same the holy Church of Rome keepeth still." + +Moreover, when the people cometh to the Holy Communion, the Sacrament +ought to be given them in both kinds: for so both Christ hath commanded, +and the Apostles in every place have ordained, and all the ancient +fathers and Catholic bishops have followed the same. And whoso doth +contrary to this, he (as Gelasius saith) committeth sacrilege. And +therefore we say, that our adversaries at this day, who having violently +thrust out, and quite forbidden the Holy Communion, do, without the word +of God, without the authority of any ancient council, without any +Catholic father, without any example of the primitive Church, yea, and +without reason also, defend and maintain their private masses, and the +mangling of the Sacraments, and do this not only against the plain +express commandment and bidding of Christ, but also against all +antiquity, do wickedly therein, and are very Church robbers. + +We affirm that bread and wine are holy and heavenly mysteries of the body +and blood of Christ, and that by them Christ Himself, being the true +bread of eternal life, is so presently given unto us as that by faith we +verily receive his body and his blood. Yet say we not this so, as though +we thought that the nature and substance of the bread and wine is clearly +changed and goeth to nothing: as many have dreamed in these later times, +which yet could never agree among themselves, of this their dream. For +that was not Christ's meaning, that the wheaten bread should lay apart +his own nature, and receive a certain new divinity: but that he might +rather change us, and (to use Theophylact's words) might transform us +into His body. For what can be said more plainly, than that which +Ambrose saith: "Bread and wine remain still the same they were before, +and yet are changed into another thing:" or, that which Gelasius saith: +"The substance of the bread, or the nature of the wine, ceaseth not so to +be:" or, that which Theodoret saith: "After the consecration the mystical +signs do not cast off their own proper nature; for they remain still on +their former substance, form, and kind:" or that which Augustine saith: +"That which ye see is the bread and cup, for so our eyes tell us: but +that which your faith requireth to be taught, is this: the bread is the +body of Christ, and the cup is His blood:" or that which Origen saith: +"The bread which is sanctified by the Word of God, as touching the +material substance thereof, goeth into the belly, and is cast out into +the privy:" or that which Christ Himself said, not only after the +blessing of the cup, but after he had ministered the communion: "I will +drink no more of this fruit of the vine." It is well known that the +fruit of the vine is wine, and not blood. + +And in speaking thus, we mean not to abase the Lord's Supper, that it is +but a cold ceremony only, and nothing to be wrought therein (as many +falsely slander us we teach). For we affirm, that Christ doth truly and +presently give His own self in His Sacraments; in Baptism, that we may +put Him on; and in His Supper, that we may eat Him by faith and spirit, +and may have everlasting life by His Cross and blood. And we say not, +this is done slightly and coldly, but effectually and truly. For +although we do not touch the body of Christ with teeth and mouth, yet we +hold Him fast, and eat Him by faith, by understanding, and by the Spirit. +And it is no vain faith which doth comprehend Christ: and that is not +received with cold devotion, that is received with understanding, with +faith, and with spirit. For Christ Himself altogether is so offered and +given us in these mysteries, that we may certainly know we be flesh of +His flesh, and bone of His bones; and that Christ "continueth in us, and +we in Him." And therefore in celebrating these mysteries, the people are +to good purpose exhorted before they come to receive the Holy Communion, +to lift up their hearts, and to direct their minds to heavenward: because +He is there, by whom we must be full fed, and live. Cyril saith, when we +come to receive these mysteries, all gross imaginations must quite be +banished. The Council of Nice, as is alleged by some in Greek, plainly +forbiddeth us to be basely affectioned, or bent toward the bread and +wine, which are set before us. And, as Chrysostom very aptly writeth, we +say, "that the body of Christ is the dead carcase, and we ourselves must +be the eagles," meaning thereby that we must fly high, if we will come +unto the body of Christ. "For this table," as Chrysostom saith, "is a +table of eagles, and not of jays." Cyprian also, "This bread," saith he, +"is the food of the soul, and not the meat of the belly." And Augustine, +"How shall I hold Him," saith he, "which is absent? How shall I reach my +hand up to heaven, to lay hold upon Him that sitteth there?" He +answereth, "Reach hither thy faith, and then thou hast laid hold on Him." + +We cannot also away in our churches with the shows, and sales, and buying +and selling of masses, nor the carrying about and worshipping of bread: +nor such other idolatrous and blasphemous fondness: which none of them +can prove that Christ or His Apostles did ever ordain, or left unto us. +And we justly blame the bishops of Rome, who, without the word of God, +without the authority of the holy fathers, without any example of +antiquity, after a new guise, do not only set before the people the +sacramental bread to be worshipped as God, but do also carry about the +same upon an ambling horse, whithersoever themselves journey, as in old +times the Persians' fire, and the relics of the goddess Isis, were +solemnly carried about in procession: and have brought the Sacraments of +Christ to be used now as a stage play and a solemn sight: to the end, +that men's eyes should be fed with nothing else but with mad gazings and +foolish gauds, in the self-same matter, wherein the death of Christ ought +diligently to be beaten into our hearts, and wherein also the mysteries +of our redemption ought with all holiness and reverence to be executed. + +Besides, where they say, and sometimes do persuade fools, that they are +able by their masses to distribute and apply unto men's commodity all the +merits of Christ's death, yea, although many times the parties think +nothing of the matter, and understand full little what is done, this is a +mockery, an heathenish fancy, and a very toy. For it is our faith that +applieth the death and cross of Christ to our benefit, and not the act of +the massing priest. "Faith had in the Sacraments," saith Augustine, +"doth justify, and not the Sacraments." And Origen saith, "Christ is the +Priest, the Propitiation, and Sacrifice: which Propitiation cometh to +every one by means of faith." So that by this reckoning, we say that the +Sacraments of Christ without faith do not once profit these that be +alive; a great deal less do they profit those that be dead. + +And as for their brags they are wont to make of their purgatory, though +we know it is not a thing so very late risen amongst them, yet is it no +better than a blockish and an old wives' device. Augustine, indeed, +sometime saith, there is such a certain place: sometime he denieth not, +but there may be such a one; sometime he doubteth; sometime again he +utterly denieth it to be, and thinketh that men are therein deceived by a +certain natural good will they bear their friends departed. But yet of +this one error hath there grown up such a harvest of these mass-mongers, +the masses being sold abroad commonly in every corner, the temples of God +became shops to get money: and silly souls were persuaded that nothing +was more necessary to be bought. Indeed, there was nothing more gainful +for these men to sell. + +As touching the multitude of vain and superfluous ceremonies, we know +that Augustine did grievously complain of them in his own time: and +therefore have we cut off a great number of them, because we know that +men's consciences were cumbered about them, and the churches of God +overladen with them. + +Nevertheless we keep still, and esteem, not only those ceremonies which +we are sure were delivered us from the Apostles, but some others too +besides, which we thought might be suffered without hurt to the Church of +God: because that we had a desire that all things in the holy +congregation might (as St. Paul commandeth) "be done with comeliness and +in good order." But as for all those things which we saw were either +very superstitious, or wholly unprofitable, or noisome, or mockeries, or +contrary to the Holy Scriptures, or else unseemly for honest or discreet +folks, as there be an infinite number nowadays where papistry is used; +these, I say, we have utterly refused without all manner exception, +because we would not have the right worshipping of God any longer denied +with such follies. + +We make our prayers in that tongue which all our people, as meet is, may +understand, to the end they may (as Paul counselleth us) take common +commodity by common prayer, even as all the holy fathers and Catholic +bishops, both in the Old and New Testament, did used to pray themselves, +and taught the people to pray too, lest, as Augustine saith, "like +parrots and ousels we should seem to speak that we understand not." + +Neither have we any other mediator and intercessor, by whom we may have +access to God the Father, than Jesus Christ, in whose only Name all +things are obtained at His Father's hand. But it is a shameful part, and +full of infidelity, that we see every whore used in the churches of our +adversaries, not only in that they will have innumerable sorts of +mediators, and that utterly without the authority of God's word (so that, +as Jeremy saith, "The saints be now as many in number, or rather above +the number of the cities;" and poor men cannot tell to which saint it +were best to turn them first; and though there be so many as they cannot +be told, yet every one of them hath his peculiar duty and office assigned +unto him of these folks, what thing they ought to ask, what to give, and +what to bring to pass): but besides this also, in that they do not only +wickedly, but also shamefully, call upon the Blessed Virgin, Christ's +mother, to have her remember that she is the mother, and to command her +Son, and to use a mother's authority over Him. + +We say also, that every person is born in sin, and leadeth his life in +sin: that nobody is able truly to say his heart is clean: that the most +righteous person is but an unprofitable servant: that the law of God is +perfect, and requireth of us perfect and full obedience: that we are able +by no means to fulfil that law in this worldly life: that there is no one +mortal creature which can be justified by his own deserts in God's sight: +and therefore that our only succour and refuge is to fly to the mercy of +our Father by Jesu Christ, and assuredly to persuade our minds that He is +the obtainer of forgiveness for our sins; and that by His blood all our +spots of sin be washed clean: that He hath pacified and set at one, all +things by the blood of His Cross: that He by the same one only Sacrifice, +which He once offered upon the Cross, hath brought to effect and +fulfilled all things, and that for that cause He said, when He gave up +the ghost, "It is finished," as though He would signify, that the price +and ransom was now full paid for the sin of all mankind. If there be +any, then, that think this Sacrifice not sufficient, let them go, in +God's Name, and seek another that is better. We, verily, because we know +this to be the only Sacrifice, are well content with it alone and look +for none other: and, forasmuch as it was to be offered but once, we +command it not to be renewed again: and because it was full and perfect +in all points and parts, we do not ordain in place thereof any continual +succession of offerings. + +Besides, though we say, we have no meed at all by our own works and +deeds, but appoint all the means of our salvation to be in Christ alone, +yet say we not, that for this cause men ought to live loosely and +dissolutely: nor that it is enough for a Christian to be baptised only +and to believe: as though there were nothing else required at his hand. +For true faith is lively, and can in no wise be idle. + +Thus therefore teach we the people, that God hath called us, not to +follow riot and wantonness, but, as St. Paul saith, "unto good works, to +walk in them:" that God hath plucked us out "from the power of darkness, +to the end that we should serve the living God;" to cut away all the +remnants of sin, and "to work our salvation in fear and trembling:" that +it may appear, how that the Spirit of sanctification is in our bodies, +and that Christ Himself doth dwell in our hearts. + +To conclude, we believe, that this our self-same flesh wherein we live, +although it die, and come to dust, yet at the last day it shall return +again to life, by the means of Christ's Spirit which dwelleth in us: and +that then verily, whatsoever we suffer here in the meanwhile for His +sake, Christ will wipe away all tears and lamentation from our eyes: and +that we through Him shall enjoy everlasting life, and shall for ever be +with Him in glory. So be it. + + + +PART III. + + +Behold these are the horrible heresies, for the which, a good part of the +world is at this day condemned by the Bishop of Rome; and yet were never +heard to plead their cause. He should have commenced his suit rather +against Christ, against the Apostles, and against the holy fathers. For +these things did not only proceed from them, but were also appointed by +them: except perhaps these men will say (as I think they will indeed), +that Christ never instituted the Holy Communion to be divided amongst the +faithful; or that Christ's Apostles and the ancient fathers said private +masses in every corner of the temples, now ten, now twenty together in +one day: or that Christ and His Apostles banished all the common people +from the Sacrament of His blood: or that the thing, which they themselves +do at this day everywhere, and do it so as they condemn him for a heretic +which doth otherwise, is not called of Gelasius, their own doctor, plain +sacrilege: or that these be not the very words of Ambrose, Augustine, +Gelasius, Theodoret, Chrysostom, and Origen: "The bread and wine in the +Sacraments remain still the same they were before:" "The thing which is +seen upon the Holy Table is bread;" "There ceaseth not to be still the +substance of bread, and nature of wine;" "The substance and nature of +bread are not changed;" "The self-same bread, as touching the material +substance, goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the privy:" or that +Christ, the Apostles, and holy fathers prayed not in that tongue which +the people might understand: or that Christ hath not performed all things +by that one offering which He once offered: or that the same sacrifice +was unperfect, and so now we have need of another. All these things must +they of necessity say, unless perchance they had rather say thus, that +"all law and right is locked up in the treasury of the Pope's breast," +and that, as once one of his soothing pages and claw-backs did not stick +to say, "The Pope is able to dispense against the Apostles;" against a +council, and against the canons and rules of the Apostles: and that he is +not bound to stand neither to the examples, nor to the ordinances, nor to +the laws of Christ. We, for our part, have learned these things of +Christ, of the Apostles, of the devout fathers: and do sincerely, with +good faith, teach the people of God the same. Which thing is the only +cause why we at this day are called heretics of the chief prelates (no +doubt) of religion. + +O immortal God! hath Christ Himself, then, the Apostles, and so many +fathers all at once gone astray? Were then Origen, Ambrose, Augustine, +Chrysostom, Gelasius, Theodoret, forsakers of the Catholic faith? was so +notable a consent of so many ancient bishops and learned men nothing else +but a conspiracy of heretics? or is that now condemned in us, which was +then commended in them? or is the thing now, by alteration only of men's +affections, suddenly become schismatic, which in them was counted +Catholic? or shall that which in times past was true, now by-and-by, +because it liketh not these men, be judged false? let them then bring +forth another Gospel, and let them show the causes why these things, +which so long have openly been observed and well-allowed in the Church of +God, ought now in the end to be called in again. We know well enough +that the same word which was opened by Christ, and spread abroad by the +Apostles, is sufficient both, our salvation and all truth, to uphold and +maintain; and also to confound all manner of heresy. By that word only +do we condemn all sorts of the old heretics, whom these men say we have +called out of hell again. As for the Arians, the Eutychians, the +Marcionites, the Ebionites, the Valentinians, the Carpocratians, the +Tatians, the Novatians, and shortly all them which have a wicked opinion, +either of God the Father, or of Christ, or of the Holy Ghost, or of any +other point of Christian religion, forsomuch as they be confuted by the +Gospel of Christ, we plainly pronounce them for detestable and castaway +persons, and defy them even unto the devil. Neither do we leave them so, +but we also severely and straitly hold them in by lawful and politic +punishments, if they fortune to break out anywhere, and bewray +themselves. + +Indeed, we grant that certain new and very strange sects, as the +Anabaptists, Libertines, Menonians, and Zuenckfeldians, have been +stirring in the world ever since the Gospel did first spring. But the +world seeth now right well, thanks be given to our God, that we neither +have bred, nor taught, nor kept up these monsters. In good fellowship, I +pray thee, whosoever thou be, read our books: they are to be sold in +every place. What hath there ever been written by any of our company +which might plainly bear with the madness of any of those heretics. Nay, +I say unto you, there is no country this day so free from their pestilent +infections, as they be, wherein the Gospel is freely and commonly taught. +So that if they weigh the very matter with earnest and upright +advisement, this thing is a great argument, that this same is the very +truth of the Gospel of Christ, which we do teach. For lightly neither is +cockle wont to grow without the wheat, nor yet the chaff without the +corn. For from the very Apostles' times, who knoweth not how many +heresies did rise up even together so soon, as the Gospel was first +spread abroad? Who ever had heard tell of Simon, Menander, Saturninus, +Basilides, Carpocrates, Cerinthus, Ebion, Valentinus, Secundus, +Marcosius, Colorbasius, Heracleo, Lucianus, and Severus, before the +Apostles were sent abroad? But why stand we reckoning up these? +Epiphanius rehearseth up fourscore sundry heresies; and Augustine many +more, which sprang up even together with the Gospel? What then? Was the +Gospel therefore not the Gospel, because heresies sprang up withal? or +was Christ therefore not Christ? And yet, as we said, doth not this +great crop and heap of heresies grow up amongst us, which do openly, +abroad, and frankly teach the Gospel. These poisons take their +beginnings, their increasings, and strength, amongst our adversaries, in +blindness and in darkness, amongst whom truth is with cruelty and tyranny +kept under, and cannot be heard but in corners and secret meetings. But +let them make a proof: let them give the Gospel free passage: let the +truth of Jesu Christ give his clear light, and stretch forth His bright +beams into all parts: and then shall they forthwith see how all these +shadows straight will vanish and pass away at the light of the Gospel, +even as the thick mist of the night consumeth at the sight of the sun. +For whilst these men sit still, and make merry and do nothing, we +continually repress and put back all those heresies which they falsely +charge us to nourish and maintain. + +Where they say, that we have fallen into sundry sects, and would be +called some of us Lutherians, and some of us Zuinglians, and cannot yet +well agree among ourselves touching the whole substance of doctrine: what +would these men have said, if they had been in the first times of the +Apostles and holy fathers, when one said, "I hold of Paul;" another, "I +hold of Cephas;" another, "I hold of Apollo;" when Paul did so sharply +rebuke Peter; when, upon a falling out, Barnabas departed from Paul; +when, as Origen mentioneth, the Christians were divided into so many +factions, as that they kept no more but the name of Christians in common +among them, being in no manner of thing else like unto Christians; when, +as Socrates saith, for their dissensions and sundry sects they were +laughed and jested at openly of the people in the common game-plays; +when, as Constantine the emperor affirmeth, there were such a number of +variances and brawlings in the Church, that it might justly seem a misery +far passing all the former miseries; when also Theophilus, Epiphanius, +Chrysostom, Augustine, Ruffine, Hierom, being all Christians, being all +fathers, being all Catholics, did strive one against another with most +bitter and remediless contentions without end; when, as saith Nazianzen, +the parts of one body were consumed and wasted one of another; when the +east part was divided from the west, only for leavened bread and only for +keeping of Easter Day; which were indeed no great matters to be strived +for; and when in all councils new creeds and new decrees continually were +devised. What would these men (trow ye) have said in those days? which +side would they specially then have taken? and which would they then have +forsaken? which Gospel would they have believed? whom would they have +accounted for heretics, and whom for Catholics? And yet what a stir and +revel keep they at this time upon two poor names only of Luther and +Zuinglius? Because these two men do not yet fully agree upon some one +point, therefore would they needs have us think that both of them were +deceived; that neither of them had the Gospel; and that neither of them +taught the truth aright. + +But, good God, what manner of fellows be these which blame us for +disagreeing? And do all they themselves, ween you, agree well together? +Is every one of them fully resolved what to follow? Hath there been no +strifes, no debates, no quarrels among them at no time? Why then do the +Scotists and the Thomists, about that they call _meritum congrui_ and +_meritum condigni_, no better agree together? Why agree they no better +among themselves concerning original sin in the Blessed Virgin? +concerning a solemn vow and a single vow? Why say the canonists, that +auricular confession is appointed by the positive law of man: and the +schoolmen contrariwise, that it is appointed by the law of God? Why doth +Albertus Pighius dissent from Cajetanus? Why doth Thomas dissent from +Lombardus, Scotus from Thomas, Occamus from Scotus, Alliacensis [ed. 1564 +Alliensis] from Occamus? And why do the Nominals disagree from the +Reals? And yet say I nothing of so many diversities of friars and monks; +how some of them put a great holiness in eating of fish, and some in +eating of herbs; some in wearing of shoes, and some in wearing of +sandals; some in going in a linen garment, and some in a woollen; some of +them called white, some black; some being shaven broad, and some narrow: +some stalking abroad upon pattens, some barefooted; some girt, and some +ungirt. They ought, I wiss, to remember, how there be some of their own +company which say, that the body of Christ is in His Supper naturally: +contrary, other some of the self-same company deny it to be so. Again, +that there be other of them, which say, the body of Christ in the Holy +Communion "is rent and torn with our teeth:" and some again that deny the +same. Some also of them there be, which write that the body of Christ is +_quantum_ in the Eucharistia; that is to say, hath his perfect quantity +in the Sacrament; some other again say nay. That there be others of them +which say Christ did consecrate with a certain Divine power: some, that +he did the same with His blessing: some again that say, He did it with +uttering five solemn chosen words: and some, with rehearsing the same +words afterward again. Some will have it, that, when Christ did speak +those five words, the material wheaten bread was pointed by this +demonstrative pronoun _hoc_: some had rather have, that a certain _vagum +individuum_, as they term it, was meant thereby. Again, others there be +that say dogs and mice may truly and in very deed eat the body of Christ; +and others again there be that steadfastly deny it. There be others, +which say, that the very accidents of bread and wine may nourish: others +again there be which say, how that the substance of bread doth return +again. What need I say more? It were overlong and tedious to reckon up +all things. So very uncertain, and full of controversies, is yet the +whole form of these men's religion and doctrine, even amongst themselves, +from whence it did first spring and begin. For hardly at any time do +they well agree between themselves: except it be peradventure as, in +times past, the Pharisees and Sadducees; or as Herod and Pilate did +accord against Christ. + +They were best, therefore, to go and set peace at home rather among their +own selves. Of a truth, unity and concord doth best become religion: yet +is not unity the sure and certain mark whereby to know the Church of God. +For there was the greatest consent that might be amongst them that +worshipped the golden calf; and among them which with one voice jointly +cried against our Saviour Jesus Christ, "Crucify Him." Neither, because +the Corinthians were unquieted with private dissensions: or because Paul +did square with Peter, or Barnabas with Paul: or, because the Christians, +upon the very beginning of the Gospel, were at mutual discord touching +some one matter or other, may we therefore think there was no Church of +God amongst them. And as for those persons, whom they upon spite call +Zuinglians and Lutherians, in very deed they of both sides be Christians, +good friends and brethren. They vary not betwixt themselves upon the +principles and foundations of our religion, nor as touching God, nor +Christ, nor the Holy Ghost, nor of the means of justification, nor yet +everlasting life, but upon one only question, which is neither weighty +nor great: neither mistrust we, or make doubt at all, but they will +shortly be agreed. And if there be any of them which have other opinion +than is meet, we doubt not but ere it be long they will put apart all +affections and names of parties, and that God will reveal it unto them: +so that by better considering and searching out of the matter, as once it +came to pass in the Council of Chalcedon, all causes and seeds of +dissension shall be thoroughly plucked up by the root, and be buried, and +quite forgotten for ever. Which God grant. + +But this is the most grievous and heavy case, that they call us wicked +and ungodly men, and say we have thrown away all care of religion. Though +this ought not to trouble us much, whilst they themselves that thus have +charged us know full well how spiteful and false a saying it is: for +Justin the martyr is a witness, how that all Christians were called +[Greek text], that is, godless, as soon as the Gospel first began to be +published, and the Name of Christ to be openly declared. And when +Polycarpus stood to be judged, the people stirred up the president to +slay and murder all them which professed the Gospel, with these words, +[Greek text], that is to say, "Rid out of the way these wicked and +godless creatures." And this was not because it was true that the +Christians were godless, but because they would not worship stones and +stocks which were then honoured as God. The whole world seeth plainly +enough already, what we and ours have endured at these men's hands for +religion and our only God's cause. They have thrown us into prison, into +water, into fire, and imbrued themselves in our blood: not because we +were either adulterers, or robbers, or murderers, but only for that we +confessed the Gospel of Jesu Christ, and put our confidence in the living +God; and for that we complained too justly and truly (Lord, thou +knowest), that they did break the law of God for their own most vain +traditions; and that our adversaries were the very foes to the Gospel, +and enemies to Christ's Cross, who so wittingly and willingly did +obstinately despise God's commandments. + +Wherefore, when these men saw they could not rightly find fault with our +doctrine, they would needs pick a quarrel and inveigh and rail against +our manners, surmising, how that we do condemn all well-doings: that we +set open the door to all licentiousness and lust, and lead away the +people from all love of virtue. And in very deed, the life of all men, +even of the devoutest and most Christian, both is, and evermore hath +been, such as one may always find some lack, even in the very best and +purest conversation. And such is the inclination of all creatures unto +evil, and the readiness of all men to suspect that the things which +neither have been done, nor once meant to be done, yet may be easily both +heard and credited for true. And like as a small spot is soon espied in +the neatest and whitest garment, even so the least stain of dishonesty is +easily found out in the purest and sincerest life. Neither take we all +them which have at this day embraced the doctrine of the Gospel, to be +angels, and to live clearly without any mote or wrinkle; nor yet think we +these men either so blind, that if anything may be noted in us, they are +not able to perceive the same even through the least crevice: nor so +friendly, that they will construe aught to the best: nor yet so honest of +nature nor courteous, that they will look back upon themselves, and weigh +our fashions by their own. If so be we list to search this matter from +the bottom, we know in the very Apostles' times there were Christians, +through whom the Name of the Lord was blasphemed and evil spoken of among +the Gentiles. Constantius the emperor bewaileth, as it is written in +Sozomenus, that many waxed worse after they had fallen to the religion of +Christ. And Cyprian, in a lamentable oration, setteth out the corrupt +manners in his time: "The wholesome discipline," saith he, "which the +Apostles left unto us, hath idleness and long rest now utterly marred: +everyone studied to increase his livelihood; and clean forgetting either +what they had done before whilst they were under the Apostles, or what +they ought continually to do, having received the faith they earnestly +laboured to make great their own wealth with an unsatiable desire of +covetousness. There is no devout religion," saith he, "in priests, no +sound faith in ministers, no charity showed in good works, no form of +godliness in their conditions: men are become effeminate, and women's +beauty is counterfeited." And before his days, said Tertullian, "O how +wretched be we, which are called Christians at this time! for we live as +heathens under the Name of Christ." And without reciting of many more +writers, Gregory Nazianzen speaketh thus of the pitiful state of his own +time: "We," saith he, "are in hatred among the heathen for our own vices' +sake; we are also become now a wonder, not only to angels and men, but +even to all the ungodly." In this case was the Church of God, when the +Gospel first began to shine, and when the fury of tyrants was not as yet +cooled, nor the sword taken off from the Christians' necks. Surely it is +no new thing that men be but men, although they be called by the name of +Christians. + + + +PART IV. + + +But will these men, I pray you, think nothing at all of themselves, while +they accuse us so maliciously? And while they have leisure to behold so +far off, and see both what is done in Germany and in England, have they +either forgotten, or can they not see what is done at Rome? or be they +our accusers, whose life is such as no man is able to make mention +thereof but with shame and uncomeliness? Our purpose here is, not to +take in hand, at this present, to bring to light and open to the world +those things which were meet rather to be hid and buried with the workers +of them. It beseemeth neither our religion, nor our modesty, nor our +shamefastness. But yet he, which giveth commandment that he should be +called the "Vicar of Christ," and the "Head of the Church;" who also +heareth that such things be done in Rome, who seeth them, who suffereth +them (for we will go no further), he can easily consider with himself +what manner of things they be. Let him on God's Name call to mind, let +him remember that they be of his own canonists, which have taught the +people that fornication between single folk is no sin (as though they had +fette that doctrine from Mitio in Terence), whose words be: "It is no sin +(believe me) for a young man to haunt harlots." Let him remember they be +of his own which have decreed, that a priest ought not to be put out of +his cure for fornication. Let him remember also how Cardinal Campegius, +Albertus Pighius, and others many more of his own, have taught, that the +priest which "keepeth a concubine" doth live more holily and chastely +than he which hath a "wife in matrimony." I trust he hath not yet +forgotten that there be many thousands of common harlots in Rome; and +that himself doth gather yearly of the same harlots upon, a thirty +thousand ducats, by the way of an annual pension. Neither can he forget, +how himself doth maintain openly brothel houses, and by a most filthy +lucre doth filthily and lewdly serve his own lust. Were all things then +pure and holy in Rome, when "Joan a woman," rather of perfect age than of +perfect life, was Pope there, and bare herself as the "head of the +Church:" and after that for two whole years in that holy see she had +played the naughty pack, at last, going in procession about the city, in +the sight of all the cardinals and bishops, fell in travail openly in the +streets. + +But what need we rehearse concubines and bawds? as for that is now an +ordinary and a gainful sin at Rome. For harlots sit there now-a-days, +not as they did in times past, without the city walls, and with their +faces hid and covered, but they dwell in palaces and fair houses: they +stray about in court and market, and that with bare and open face: as who +say, they may not only lawfully do it, but ought also to be praised for +so doing. What should we say any more of this? Their vicious and +abominable life is now thoroughly known to the whole world. Bernard +writeth roundly and truly of the Bishop of Rome's house, yea, and of the +Bishop of Rome himself. "Thy palace," saith he, "taketh in good men, but +it maketh none; naughty persons thrive there, and the good appayre and +decay." And whosoever he were which wrote the Tripartite work, annexed +to the Council Lateranense, saith thus: "So excessive at this day is the +riot, as well in the prelates and bishops as in the clerks and priests, +that it is horrible to be told." + +But these things be not only grown in ure, and so by custom and continual +time well allowed, as all the rest of their doings in manner be, but they +are now waxen old and rotten ripe. For who hath not heard what a heinous +act Peter Aloisius, Pope Paul the Third's son, committed against Cosmus +Cherius, the Bishop of Fanum; what John, Archbishop of Beneventum, the +Pope's legate at Venice, wrote in the commendation of a most abominable +filthiness: and how he set forth, with most loathsome words and wicked +eloquence, the matter which ought not once to proceed out of anybody's +mouth! To whose ears hath it not come, that N. Diasius, a Spaniard, +being purposely sent from Rome into Germany, so shamefully and devilishly +murdered his own brother John Diasius, a most innocent and a most godly +man, only because he had embraced the Gospel of Jesu Christ, and would +not return again to Rome? + +But it may chance to this they will say: These things may sometime happen +in the best governed commonwealths, yea, and against the magistrates' +wills: and besides, there be good laws made to punish such. I grant it +be so: but by what good laws (I would know) have these great mischiefs +been punished amongst them? Petrus Aloisius, after he had done that +notorious act that I spake of, was always cherished in his father's +bosom, Pope Paul the Third, and made his very derling. Diasius, after he +had murdered his own brother, was delivered by the Pope's means, to the +end he might not be punished by good laws. John Casus, the Archbishop of +Beneventum, is yet alive, yea, and liveth at Rome, even in the eyes and +sight of the most holy father. + +They have put to death infinite numbers of our brethren, only because +they believed truly and sincerely in Jesu Christ. But of that great and +foul number of harlots, fornicators, adulterers, what one have they at +any time (I say not killed, but) either excommunicated, or once attached? +Why! voluptuousness, adultery, ribaldry, whoredom, murdering of kin, +incest, and others more abominable parts, are not these counted sin at +Rome? Or, if they be sin, ought "Christ's vicar, Peter's successor, the +most holy father," so lightly and slightly to bear them, as though they +were no sin, and that in the city of Rome, and in that principal tower of +all holiness? + +O holy Scribes and Pharisees, which knew not this kind of holiness! what +a Catholic faith is this! Peter did not thus teach at Rome: Paul did not +so live at Rome: they did not practise brothelry, which these do openly: +they made not a yearly revenue and profit of harlots: they suffered no +common adulterers and wicked murderers to go unpunished. They did not +receive them into their entire familiarity, into their council, into +their household, nor yet into the company of Christian men. These men +ought not therefore so unreasonably to triumph against our living. It +had been more wisdom for them either first to have proved good their own +life before the world, or at least to have cloaked it a little more +cunningly. For we do use still the old and ancient laws, and (as much as +men may do, in the manners used at these days, all things are so wholly +corrupt) we diligently and earnestly put in execution the ecclesiastical +discipline: we have not common brothel-houses of strumpets, nor yet +flocks of concubines, nor herds of harlot-hunters: neither do we prefer +adultery before matrimony: neither do we exercise beastly sensuality: +neither do we gather ordinary rents and stipends of stews: nor do we +suffer to escape unpunished incest and abominable naughtiness, nor yet +such manquellers as the Aloisians, Casians, and Diazians were. For if +these things would have pleased us, we needed not to have departed from +these men's fellowship, amongst whom such enormities be in their chief +pride and price. Neither needed we, for leaving them, to run into the +hatred of men, and into most wilful dangers. Paul the Fourth, not many +months sithence, had at Rome in prison certain Augustine friars, many +bishops, and a great number of other devout men, for religion's sake. He +racked them and tormented them: to make them confess, he left no means +unassayed. But in the end how many brothels, how many whoremongers, how +many adulterers, how many incestuous persons could he find of all those? +Our God be thanked, although we be not the men we ought and profess to +be, yet, whosoever we be, compare us with these men, and even our own +life and innocency will soon prove untrue and condemn their malicious +surmises. For we exhort the people to all virtue and well-doing, not +only by books and preachings, but also with our examples and behaviour. +We also teach that the Gospel is not a boasting or bragging of knowledge, +but that it is the law of life, and that a Christian man (as Tertullian +saith) "ought not to speak honourably, but ought to live honourably; nor +that they be the hearers of the law, but the doers of the law, which are +justified before God." + +Besides all these matters wherewith they charge us, they are wont also to +add this one thing, which they enlarge with all kind of spitefulness: +that is, that we be men of trouble, that we pluck the "sword and sceptre +out of kings' hands;" that we arm the people: that we overthrow judgment +places, destroy the laws, make havoc of possessions, seek to make the +people princes, turn all things upside down: and, to be short, that we +would have nothing in good frame in a commonwealth. Good Lord, how often +have they set on fire princes' hearts with these words, to the end they +might quench the light of the Gospel in the very first appearing of it, +and might begin to hate the same ere ever they were able to know it, and +to the end that every magistrate might think he saw his deadly enemy as +often as he saw any of us! + +Surely it should exceedingly grieve us to be so maliciously accused of +most heinous treason, unless we knew that Christ Himself, the Apostles, +and a number of good and Christian men, were in times past blamed and +envied in manner for the same faults. For although Christ taught "they +should give unto Caesar that which was Caesar's," yet was He charged with +sedition, in that He was accused to devise some conspiracy and covet the +kingdom. And hereupon they cried out with open mouth against him in the +place of judgment: "If thou let this man escape, thou art not Caesar's +friend." And though the Apostles did likewise evermore and steadfastly +teach, that magistrates ought to be obeyed, "that every soul ought to be +subject to the higher powers, not only for fear of wrath and punishment, +but even for conscience sake;" yet bare they the name to disquiet the +people, and to stir up the multitude to rebel. After this sort did Haman +specially bring the nation of the Jews into the hatred of the king +Assuerus, because, said he, "they were a rebellious and stubborn people, +and despised the ordinances and commandments of princes." Wicked King +Ahab said to Elie [Elijah] the prophet of God, "It is thou that troublest +Israel." Amasias, the priest at Bethel, laid a conspiracy to the prophet +Amos' charge before King Jeroboam, saying, "See, Amos hath made a +conspiracy against thee in the midst of the house of Israel." To be +brief, Tertullian saith, this was the general accusation of all +Christians while he lived, that they were traitors, they were rebels, and +the enemies of mankind. Wherefore, if now-a-days the truth be likewise +evil spoken of, and being the same truth it was then, if it be now like +despitefully used as it was in times past, though it be a grievous and +unkind dealing, yet can it not seem unto us a new or an unwonted matter. + +Forty years ago and upward, was it an easy thing for them to devise +against us these accursed speeches, and other, too, sorer than these; +when, in the midst of the darkness of that age, first began to spring and +to give shine some one glimmering beam of truth, unknown at that time and +unheard of: when also Martin Luther and Hulderic Zuinglius, being most +excellent men, even sent of God to give light to the whole world, first +came unto the knowledge and preaching of the Gospel; whereas yet the +thing was but new, and the success thereof uncertain; and when men's +minds stood doubtful and amazed, and their ears open to all slanderous +tales; and when there could be imagined against us no fact so detestable, +but the people then would soon believe it for the novelty and strangeness +of the matter. For so did Symmachus, so did Celsus, so did Julianus, so +did Porphyrius, the old foes to the Gospel, attempt in times past to +accuse all Christians of sedition and treason, before that either prince +or people were able to know who those Christians were, what they +professed, what they believed, or what was their meaning. But now, +sithence our very enemies do see, and cannot deny, but we ever in all our +words and writings have diligently put the people in mind of their duty, +to obey their princes and magistrates, yea, though they be wicked (for +this doth very trial and experience sufficiently teach, and all men's +eyes, whosoever and wheresoever they be, do well enough see and witness +for us), it was a foul part of them to charge us with these things; yea, +seeing they could find no new and late faults, therefore to seek to +procure us envy only with stale and out worn lies. + +We give our Lord God thanks, whose only cause this is, there hath yet at +no time been any such example in all the realms, dominions, and +commonweals, which have received the Gospel. For we have overthrown no +kingdom, we have decayed no man's power or right, we have disordered no +commonwealth. There continue in their own accustomed state and ancient +dignity, the kings of our country of England, the kings of Denmark, the +kings of Sweden, the dukes of Saxony, the counts palatine, the marquesses +of Brandenburg, the landgraves of Hesse, the commonwealth of the +Helvetians and Rhaetians, and the free cities, as Argentine, Basil, +Frankfort, Ulm, Augusta, and Nuremberg; do all, I say, abide in the same +authority and estate wherein they have been heretofore, or rather in a +much better, for that by means of the Gospel they have their people more +obedient unto them. Let them go, I pray you, into those places where at +this present through God's goodness the Gospel is taught. Where is there +more majesty? Where is there less arrogancy and tyranny? Where be the +prince more honoured? Where is the people less unruly? Where hath there +at any time the commonwealth or the Church been in more quiet? Perhaps +ye will say, from the first beginning of this doctrine the common sort +everywhere began to rage and to rise throughout Germany. Allow it were +so, yet Martin Luther, the publisher and setter forward of this doctrine, +did write marvellous vehemently and sharply against them, and reclaimed +them, home to peace and obedience. + +But whereas it is wont sometime to be objected by persons wanting skill +touching the Helvetians' change of state, and killing of Leopoldus the +Duke of Austria, and restoring by force their country to liberty, that +was done, as appeareth plainly by all stories, for two hundred and +threescore years past or above, under Boniface the Eighth, when the +authority of the "Bishop of Rome" was in greatest jollity; about two +hundred years before Huldericus Zuinglius either began to teach the +Gospel, or yet was born: and ever since that time they have had all +things still and quiet, not only from foreign enemies, but also from +civil dissension. And if it were a sin in the Helvetians to deliver +their own country from foreign government, specially when they were so +proudly and tyrannously oppressed, yet to burden us with other men's +faults, or them with the faults of their forefathers, is against all +right and reason. + +But O immortal God! and will the Bishop of Rome accuse us of treason? +Will he teach the people to obey and follow their magistrates? or hath he +any regard at all of the majesty of princes? Why doth he then, as none +of the old bishops of Rome heretofore ever did, suffer himself to be +called of his flatterers "lord of lords," as though he would have all +kings and princes, who and whatsoever they are, to be his underlings? Why +doth he vaunt himself to be "king of kings," and to have kingly royalty +over his subjects? Why compelleth he all emperors and princes to swear +to him fealty and true obedience? Why doth he boast that the "emperor's +majesty's is a thousandfold inferior to him:" and for this reason +specially, because God hath made two lights in heaven, and because heaven +and earth were created not at two beginnings, but in one? Why hath he +and his complices (like Anabaptists and Libertines, to the end they might +run on more licentiously and carelessly) shaken off the yoke, and +exempted themselves from being under a civil power? Why hath he his +legates (as much to say as most subtle spies) lying in wait in all kings' +courts, councils, and privy chambers? Why doth he, when he list, set +Christian princes one against another, and at his own pleasure trouble +the whole world with debate and discord? Why doth he excommunicate, and +command to be taken as a heathen and a Pagan any Christian prince that +renounceth his authority? And why promiseth he his "indulgences and his +pardons" so largely to any that will (what way soever it be) kill any of +his enemies? Doth he maintain empires and kingdoms? or doth he once +desire that common quiet should be provided for? You must pardon us, +good reader, though we seem to utter these things more bitterly and +bitingly than it becometh divines to do. For both the shamefulness of +the matter, and the desire of rule in the Bishop of Rome is so exceeding +and outrageous, that it could not well be uttered with other words, or +more mildly. For he is not ashamed to say in open assembly, "that all +jurisdiction of all kings doth depend upon himself." And to feed his +ambition and greediness of rule, he hath pulled in pieces the "empire of +Rome," and vexed and rent whole Christendom asunder. Falsely and +traitorously also did he release the Romans, the Italians, and himself +too, of the oath whereby they and he were straitly bound to be true to +the "emperor of Greece," and stirred up the emperor's subjects to forsake +him: and calling Carolus Martellus out of France into Italy, made him +emperor, such a thing as never was seen before. He put Chilpericus, the +French king, being no evil prince, beside his realm, only because he +fancied him not, and wrongfully placed Pipin in his room. Again, after +he had cast out King Philip, if he could have brought it to pass, he had +determined and appointed the kingdom of France to Albertus King of +Romans. He utterly destroyed the state of the most nourishing city and +commonweal of Florence, his own native country, and brought it out of a +free and peaceable state, to be governed at the pleasure of one man: he +brought to pass by his procurement, that whole Savoy on the one side was +miserably spoiled by the Emperor Charles the Fifth, and on the other side +by the French king, so as the unfortunate duke had scant one city left +him to hide his head in. + +We are cloyed with examples in this behalf, and it should be very tedious +to reckon up all the notorious deeds of the bishops of Rome. Of which +side were they, I beseech you, which poisoned Henry the Emperor even in +the receiving of the sacrament? which poisoned Victor the Pope even in +the receiving of the chalice? which poisoned our King John, king of +England, in a drinking cup? Whosoever at least they were and of what +sect soever, I am sure they were neither Lutherans nor Zuinglians. What +is he at this day, which alloweth the mightiest kings and monarchs of the +world to kiss his blessed feet? What is he that commandeth the emperor +to go by him at his horse bridle, and the French king to hold his +stirrup? Who hurled under his table Francis Dandalus the duke of Venice, +king of Crete and Cyprus, fast bound with chains, to feed of bones among +his dogs? Who set the imperial crown upon the Emperor Henry the Sixth's +head, not with his hand, but with his foot; and with the same foot again +cast the same crown off, saying withal, "he had power to make emperors, +and to unmake them again at his pleasure"? Who put in arms Henry the son +against the emperor his father Henry the Fourth, and wrought so that the +father was taken prisoner of his own son, and being shorn and shamefully +handled, was thrust into a monastery, where with hunger and sorrow he +pined away to death? Who so ill-favouredly and monstrously put the +Emperor Frederick's neck under his feet, and, as though that were not +sufficient, added further this text out of the Psalms, "Thou shalt go +upon the adder and cockatrice, and shalt tread the lion and dragon under +thy feet"? Such an example of scorning and contemning a prince's +majesty, as never before that was heard tell of in any remembrance; +except, I ween, either of Tamerlane's, the king of Scythia, a wild and +barbarous creature, or else of Sapor king of the Persians. + +All these notwithstanding were Popes, all Peter's successors, all most +holy fathers, whose several words we must take to be as good as several +Gospels. If we be counted traitors which do honour our princes, which +give them all obedience, as much as is due to them by God's word, and +which do pray for them, what kind of men then be these, which have not +only done all the things before said, but also allow the same for +specially well done? Do they then either this way instruct the people, +as we do, to reverence their magistrate? Or can they with honesty +appeach us as seditious persons, breakers of the common quiet, and +despisers of princes' majesty? + +Truly, we neither put off the yoke of obedience from us; neither do we +disorder realms; neither do we set up or pull down kings; nor translate +governments; nor give our kings poison to drink; nor yet hold to them our +feet to be kissed; nor, opprobriously triumphing over them, leap into +their necks with our feet. This rather is our profession; this is our +doctrine: that every soul, of what calling soever he be--be he monk, be +he preacher, be he prophet, be he Apostle--ought to be subject to kings +and magistrates; yea, and that the Bishop of Rome himself--unless he will +seem greater than Evangelists, than the Prophets, or the Apostles--ought +both to acknowledge and to call the emperor his lord and master, which +the old Bishops of Rome, who lived in times of more grace, ever did. Our +common teaching also is, that we ought so to obey princes as men sent of +God; and that whoso withstandeth them, withstandeth God's ordinance. This +is our showing, and this is well to be seen, both in our books and in our +preachings, and also in the manners and modest behaviour of our people. + +But where they say we have gone away from the unity of the Catholic +Church, this is not only a matter of malice, but, besides, though, it be +most untrue, yet hath it some show and appearance of truth. For the +common people and ignorant multitude give not credit alone to things true +and of certainty, but even to such things also, if any chance, which may +seem to have but a resemblance of truth. Therefore, we see that subtle +and crafty persons, when they had no truth on their side, have ever +contended and hotly argued with things likely to be true, to the intent +they which were not able to espy the very ground of the matter, might be +carried away at least with some pretence and probability thereof. In +times past, where the first Christians, our forefathers, in making their +prayers to God, did turn themselves towards the east, there were that +said, "they worshipped the sun, and reckoned it as God." Again, where +our forefathers said, that as touching immortal and everlasting life, +they lived by no other means, but by the "flesh and blood of that Lamb +who was without spot," that is to say, of our Saviour Jesus Christ, the +envious creatures and foes of Christ's Cross, whose only care was to +bring Christian religion into slander by all manner of ways, made people +believe that they were wicked persons, that they "sacrificed men's flesh, +and drunk men's blood." Also, where our forefathers said that before God +"there is neither man nor woman," nor, for attaining to the true +righteousness, there is no distinction at all of persons, and that they +did call one another indifferently by the name of sisters and brothers: +there wanted not men which forged false tales upon the same, saying that +the Christians made no difference among themselves either of age or of +kind, but like brute beasts without regard had to do one with another. +And where, for to pray and hear the Gospel, they met often together in +secret and bye places, because rebels sometime were wont to do the like, +rumours were everywhere spread abroad, how they made privy confederacies, +and counselled together either to kill the magistrates or to subvert the +commonwealth. And where, in celebrating the holy mysteries after +Christ's institution, they took bread and wine, they were thought of many +not to worship Christ, but Bacchus and Ceres; forsomuch as those vain +gods were worshipped of the heathens in like sort, after a profane +superstition, with bread and wine. + +These things were believed of many, not because they were true, indeed +(for what could be more untrue?), but because they were like to be true, +and through a certain shadow of truth might the more easily deceive the +simple. On this fashion likewise do these men slander us as heretics, +and say that we have left the Church and fellowship of Christ: not +because they think it is true--for they do not much force of that, but +because to ignorant folk it might, perhaps, some way appear true. We +have, indeed, put ourselves apart not as heretics are wont, from the +Church of Christ, but as all good men ought to do, from the infection of +naughty persons and hypocrites. + +Nevertheless, in this point they triumph marvellously--"that they be the +Church, that their Church is Christ's spouse, the pillar of truth, the +ark of Noah;" and that without it there is no hope of salvation. +Contrariwise they say, "that we be renegades; that we have torn Christ's +seat;" that we are plucked quite off from the body of Christ, and have +forsaken the Catholic faith. And when they leave nothing unspoken that +may never so falsely and maliciously be said against us, yet this one +thing are they never able truly to say, that we have swerved either from +the Word of God, or from the Apostles of Christ, or from the primitive +Church. Surely we have ever judged the primitive Church of Christ's +time, of the Apostles and of the holy fathers, to be the Catholic Church; +neither make we doubt to name it, "Noah's ark, Christ's spouse, the +pillar and upholder of all truth;" nor yet to fix therein the whole mean +of our salvation. It is doubtless an odious matter for one to leave the +fellowship whereunto he hath been accustomed, and specially of those men, +who, though they be not, yet at least seem and be called Christians. And, +to say truly, we do not despise the Church of these men (howsoever it be +ordered by them now-a-days), partly for the name's sake itself, and +partly for that the Gospel of Jesus Christ hath once been therein truly +and purely set forth. Neither had we departed therefrom, but of very +necessity, and much against our wills. But I put case, an idol be set up +in the Church of God, and the same desolation, which Christ prophesied to +come, stood openly in the holy place. What if some thief or pirate +invade and possess "Noah's ark?" These folks, as often as they tell us +of the Church, mean thereby themselves alone, and attribute all these +titles to their own selves, boasting, as they did in times past which +cried, "The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord;" or as the +Pharisees and Scribes did, which craked they were "Abraham's children." + +Thus with a gay and jolly show deceive they the simple, and seek to choke +us with the very name of the Church. Much like as if a thief, when he +had gotten into another man's house, and by violence either hath thrust +out or slain the owner, should afterward assign the same house to +himself, casting forth of possession the right inheritor; or if +Anti-Christ, when he had once entered into "the temple of God," should +afterward say, "This house is mine own, and Christ hath nothing to do +withal." For these men now, after they have left nothing remaining in +the Church of God that hath any likeness of this Church, yet will they +seem the patrons and valiant maintainers of the Church, very like as +Gracchus amongst the Romans stood in defence of the treasury, +notwithstanding with his prodigality and fond expenses he had utterly +wasted the whole stock of the treasury. And yet was there never anything +so wicked, or so far out of reason, but lightly it might be covered and +defended by the name of the Church. For the wasps also make honey-combs +as well as bees, and wicked men have companies like to the Church of God: +yet, for all that, "they be not straightway the people of God which are +called the people of God; neither be they all Israelites as many as are +come of Israel the father." The Arians, notwithstanding they were +heretics, yet bragged they that they alone were Catholics, calling all +the rest now Ambrosians, now Athanasians, now Johannites. And Nestorius, +as saith Theodoret, for all that he was an heretic, yet covered he +himself [Greek text]: that is, to wit, with a certain cloak and colour of +the true and right faith. Ebion, though he agreed in opinion with the +Samaritans, yet, as saith Epiphanius, he would needs be called a +Christian. The Mahometists at this day, for all that all histories make +plain mention, and themselves also cannot deny, but they took their first +beginning of "Agar the bond-woman," yet for the very name and stock's +sake, chose they rather to be called Saracens, as though they came of +"Sarah the free woman, and Abraham's wife." + +So likewise the false prophets of all ages, which stood up against the +prophets of God, which resisted Esaias, Jeremy, Christ, and the Apostles, +at no time craked of anything so much as they did of the name of the +Church. And for no other cause did they so fiercely vex them, and call +them runaways and apostates, than for that they forsook their fellowship, +and kept not the ordinances of the elders. Wherefore, if we would follow +the judgments of those men only who then governed the Church, and would +respect nothing else, neither God nor His word, it must needs be +confessed, that the Apostles were rightly and by just law condemned of +them to death, because they fell from the bishops and priests, that is, +you must think, from the "Catholic Church:" and because they made many +new alterations in religion, contrary to the bishops' and priests' wills, +yea, and for all their spurning so earnestly against it. Wherefore, like +as it is written that Hercules in old time was forced in striving with +Antaeus, that huge giant, to lift him quite up from the earth that was +his mother, ere he could conquer him, even so must our adversaries be +heaved from their mother, that is, from this vain colour and shadow of +the Church, wherewith they so disguise and defend themselves: otherwise +they cannot be brought to yield unto the word of God. "And therefore," +saith Jeremy the prophet, "make not such great boast that the temple of +the Lord is with you. This is but a vain confidence: these are lies." +The angel also saith in the Apocalypse, "They say they be Jews; but they +be the synagogue of Satan." And Christ said to the Pharisees when they +vaunted themselves of the kindred and blood of Abraham, "Ye are of your +father, the devil;" for you resemble not your father Abraham; as much to +say as ye are not the men ye would so fain be called: ye beguile the +people with vain titles, and abuse the name of the Church to the +overthrowing of the Church. + +So that these men's part had been, first to have clearly and truly proved +that the Romish Church is the true and right instructed Church of God, +and that the same as they do order it at this day doth agree with the +primitive Church of Christ, of the Apostles, and of the holy fathers, +which we doubt not but was indeed the true Catholic Church. For our +parts, if we could have judged ignorance, error, superstition, idolatry, +men's inventions, and the same commonly disagreeing with the Holy +Scriptures, either to please God or to be sufficient for the obtaining +everlasting salvation; or if we could ascertain ourselves, that the word +of God was written but for a time only, and afterward again ought to be +abrogated and put away: or else that the sayings and commandments of God +ought to be subject to man's will, that whatsoever God saith and +commandeth, except the Bishop of Rome willeth and commandeth the same, it +must be taken as void and unspoken: if we could have brought ourselves to +believe these things, we grant there had been no cause at all why we +should have left these men's company. As touching that we have now done +to depart from that Church, whose errors were proved and made manifest to +the world, which Church also had already evidently departed from God's +word: and yet not to depart so much from itself, as from the errors +thereof; and not to do this disorderly or wickedly, but quietly and +soberly; we have done nothing herein against the doctrine either of +Christ or of His Apostles. For neither is the Church of God such as it +may not be dusked with some spot, or asketh not sometime reparation. Else +what needeth there so many assemblies and councils, without the which, as +saith AEgidius, the Christian faith is not able to stand? "For look," +saith he: "how often councils are discontinued, so often is the Church +destitute of Christ." Or if there be no peril that harm may come to the +Church, what need is there to retain to no purpose the names of bishops, +as is now commonly used among them? For if there be no sheep that may +stray, why be they called shepherds? If there be no city that may be +betrayed, why be they called watchmen? If there be nothing that may run +to ruin, why be they called pillars? Anon after the first creation of +the world the Church of God began to spread abroad, and the same was +instructed with the heavenly word which God Himself pronounced with His +own mouth. It was also furnished with Divine ceremonies. It was taught +by the Spirit of God, by the patriarchs and prophets, and continued so +even till the time that Christ showed Himself to us in the flesh. + +This notwithstanding, how often, O good God, in the meanwhile, and how +horribly was the same Church darkened and decayed! Where was that Church +then, when "all flesh upon earth had denied their own way?" Where was +it, when amongst the number of the whole world there were only eight +persons (and they neither all chaste and good) whom God's will was should +be saved alive from that universal destruction and mortality? when Elie +the prophet so lamentably and bitterly made moan, that "only himself was +left" of all the whole world which did truly and duly worship God? and +when Esay said, "The silver of God's people (that is, of the Church) was +become dross: and that the same city, which aforetime had been faithful, +was now become a harlot: and that in the same there was no part sound +throughout the whole body, from the head to the foot?" or else, when +Christ Himself said, "that the house of God was made by the Pharisees and +priests a den of thieves?" Of a truth, the Church, even as a corn-field, +except it be eared, manured, tilled, and trimmed, instead of wheat it +will bring forth thistles, darnel, and nettles. For this cause did God +send ever among both Prophets and Apostles, and last of all His "own +Son," who might bring home the people into the right way, and repair anew +the tottering Church after she had erred. + +But lest some man should say, that the aforesaid things happened in the +time of the law only, of shadows, and of infancy, when truth lay hid +under figures and ceremonies, when nothing as yet was brought to +perfection, when the law was not graven in men's hearts, but in stone: +and yet is that but a foolish saying, for even at those days was there +the very same God that is now, the same Spirit, the same Christ, the same +faith, the same doctrine, the same hope, the same inheritance, the same +league, and the same efficacy and virtue of God's word: Eusebius also +saith: "All the faithful, even from Adam until Christ, were in very deed +Christians" (though they were not so termed), but, as I said, lest men +should thus speak still, Paul the Apostle found the like faults and falls +even then in the prime and chief of the Gospel in chief perfection, and +in the light; so that he was compelled to write in this sort to the +Galatians, whom he had well before that instructed: "I fear me," quoth +he, "lest I have laboured among you in vain, and lest ye have heard the +Gospel in vain." "O my little children, of whom I travail anew till +Christ be fashioned again in you." And as for the Church of the +Corinthians, how foully it was denied, is nothing needful to rehearse. +Now tell me, might the Churches of the Galatians and Corinthians go +amiss, and the Church of Rome alone may not fail, nor go amiss? Surely +Christ prophesied long before of His Church, that the time should come +when desolation should stand in the holy place. And Paul saith, that +Antichrist should once set up his own tabernacle and stately seat in the +temple of God: and that the time should be, "when men should not away +with wholesome doctrine, but be turned back unto fables and lies," and +that within the very Church. Peter likewise telleth, how there should be +teachers of lies in the Church of Christ. Daniel the Prophet, speaking +of the latter times of Antichrist: "Truth," saith he, "in that season +shall be thrown under foot, and trodden upon in the world." And Christ +saith, how the calamity and confusion of things shall be so exceeding +great, "that even the chosen, if it were possible, shall be brought into +error;" and how all these things shall come to pass, not amongst Gentiles +and Turks, but that they should be in the holy place, in the temple of +God, in the Church, and in the company and fellowship of those which +profess the name of Christ. + +Albeit these same warnings alone may suffice a wise man to take heed he +do not suffer himself rashly to be deceived with the name of the Church, +and not to stay to make further inquisition thereof by God's word; yet +beside all this, many fathers also, many learned and godly men, have +often and carefully complained how all these things have chanced in their +lifetime. For even in the midst of that thick mist of darkness, God +would yet there should be some, who, though they gave not a clear and +bright light, yet should they kindle, were it but some spark, which men +might espy, being in the darkness. + +Hilarius, when things as yet were almost uncorrupt, and in good ease too: +"Ye are ill deceived," saith he, "with the love of walls: ye do ill +worship the Church, in that ye worship it in houses and buildings: ye do +ill bring in the name of peace under roofs. Is there any doubt but +Antichrist will have his seat under the same? I rather reckon hills, +woods, pools, marshes, prisons, and quagmires, to be places of more +safety: for in these the prophets, either abiding of their accord or +forced thither by violence, did prophesy by the Spirit of God." + +Gregory, as one which perceived and foresaw in his mind the wrack of all +things, wrote thus to "John, Bishop of Constantinople," the first of all +others that commanded himself to be called by this new name, the +"universal bishop of whole Christ's Church:" "If the Church," saith he, +"shall depend upon one man, it will at once fall down to the ground." Who +is he, that seeth not how this is come to pass long since? For long +agone hath the Bishop of Rome willed to have the "whole Church depend +upon" himself alone. Wherefore it is no marvel though it be clean fallen +down long agone. + +Bernard the abbot, above four hundred years past, writeth thus: "Nothing +is now of sincerity and pureness amongst the clergy: wherefore it +resteth, that the man of sin should be revealed." The same Bernard, in +his work of the conversion of Paul; "It seemeth now," saith he, "that +persecution hath ceased: no, no; persecution seemeth but now to begin, +even from them which have chief pre-eminence in the Church. Thy friends +and neighbours have drawn near, and stood up against thee: from the sole +of thy foot to the crown of thy head there is no part whole. Iniquity is +proceeded from the elders, the judges, and deputies, which pretend to +rule thy people. We cannot say now, Look how the people be, so is the +priest. For the people is not so ill as the priest is. Alas, alas, O +Lord God, the selfsame persons be the chief in persecuting thee, which +seem to love the highest place, and bear most rule in Thy Church!" The +same Bernard again, upon the Canticles, writeth thus: "All they are thy +friends, yet are they all thy foes: all thy kinsfolk, yet are they all +thy adversaries. Being Christ's servants, they serve Antichrist. Behold, +in my rest, my bitterness is most bitter." Roger Bacon, also a man of +great fame, after he had in a vehement oration touched to the quick the +woeful state of his own time: "These so many errors," saith he, "require +and look for Antichrist." Gerson complaineth, that in his days all the +substance and efficacy of sacred divinity was brought unto a glorious +contention and ostentation of wits, and to very sophistry. The friars of +Lyons, men, as touching the manner of their life, not to be misliked, +were wont boldly to affirm, that the Romish Church (from whence alone all +counsel and order was then sought) was the very same "harlot of Babylon +and rout of devils," whereof is prophesied so plainly in the Apocalypse. + +I know well enough the authority of these foresaid persons is but lightly +regarded among these men. How then if I call forth those for witness, +whom they themselves have used to honour? What if I say that Adrian, the +Bishop of Rome, did frankly confess that all these mischiefs brast out +first from the high throne of the Pope? Pighius acknowledgeth herein to +be a fault, that many abuses are brought in, even into the very mass, +which mass otherwise he would have seem to be a reverend matter. Gerson +saith, that through the number of most fond ceremonies, all the virtue of +the Holy Ghost, which ought to have operation in us, and all true +godliness, is utterly quenched and dead. Whole Greece and Asia complain, +how the bishops of Rome, with the marts of their purgatories and pardons, +have both tormented men's consciences and picked their purses. + +As touching the tyranny of the bishops of Rome, and their barbarous +Persian-like pride, to leave out others, whom perchance they reckon for +enemies, because they freely and liberally find fault with their vices, +the same men which have led their life at Rome in the holy city, in the +face of the most holy father, who also were able to see all their secrets +and at no time departed from the Catholic faith: as, for example, +Laurentius Valla, Marsilius Patavinus, Francis Petrarch, Hierom +Savonarola, Abbot Joachim, Baptist of Mantua, and, before all these, +Bernard the abbot, have many a time and much complained of it, giving the +world also sometime to understand that the Bishop of Rome himself (by +your leave) is very Antichrist. Whether they spake it truly or falsely, +let that go. Sure I am they spake it plainly. Neither can any man +allege that those authors were Luther's or Zuinglius' scholars: for they +were not only certain years, but also certain ages ere ever Luther's or +Zuinglius' names were heard of. They well saw that even in their days +errors had crept into the Church, and wished earnestly they might be +amended. + +And what marvel if the Church were then carried away with errors in that +time, specially when neither the Bishop of Rome, who then only ruled the +roost, nor almost any other, either did his duty, or once understood what +was his duty? for it is hard to be believed, while they were idle and +fast asleep, that the devil also all that while either fell asleep or +else continually lay idle. For how they were occupied in the meantime, +and with what faithfulness they took care of God's house, though we hold +our peace, yet I pray you, let them hear Bernard their own friend. "The +bishops," saith he, "who now have the charge of God's Church, are not +teachers, but deceivers: they are not feeders, but beguilers: they are +not prelates, but Pilates." These words spake Bernard of that bishop who +named himself the highest bishop of all, and of the other bishops +likewise which then had the place of government. Bernard was no +Lutheran: Bernard was no heretic. He had not forsaken the Catholic +Church: yet nevertheless he did not let to call the bishops that then +were, deceivers, beguilers, and Pilates. Now when the people was openly +deceived, and Christian men's eyes were craftily bleared, and when Pilate +sat in judgment-place, and condemned Christ and Christ's members to sword +and fire, O good Lord, in what case was Christ's Church then? But yet +tell me, of so many and so gross errors, what one have these men at any +time reformed? or what fault have they once acknowledged and confessed? + +But, forsomuch as these men avouch the universal possession of the +Catholic Church to be their own, and call us heretics, because we agree +not in judgment with them, let us know, I beseech you, what proper mark +and badge hath that Church of theirs, whereby it may be known to be the +Church of God. I wiss it is not so hard a matter to find out God's +Church, if a man will seek it earnestly and diligently. For the Church +of God is set upon a high and glittering place, in the top of a hill, and +built upon the "foundation of the Apostles and Prophets:" "There," saith +Augustine, "let us seek the Church; there let us try our matters." "And," +as he saith again in another place, "the Church must be showed out of the +holy and canonical Scriptures: and that which cannot be showed out of +them is not the Church." Yet, for all this, I wot not how, whether it be +for fear, or for conscience, or despair of victory, these men alway abhor +and fly the Word of God, even as the thief flieth the gallows. And no +wonder truly. For, like as men say, the cantharus by-and-bye perisheth +and dieth as soon as it is laid in balm: notwithstanding balm be +otherwise a most sweet-smelling ointment; even so these men well see +their own matter is damned and destroyed in the Word of God, as if it +were in poison. + +Therefore the Holy Scriptures, which our Saviour Jesus Christ did not +only use for authority in all His speech, but did also at last seal up +the same with His own blood, these men, to the intent they might with +less business drive the people from the same, as from a thing dangerous +and deadly, have used to call them a bare letter, uncertain, +unprofitable, dumb, killing, and dead: which seemeth to us all one as if +they should say, "The Scriptures are to no purpose, or as good as none." +Hereunto they add a similitude not very agreeable, how the Scriptures be +like to a nose of wax, or a shipman's hose: how they may be fashioned and +plied all manner of ways, and serve all men's turns. Woteth not the +Bishop of Rome, that these things are spoken by his own minions? or +understandeth he not he hath such champions to fight for him? Let him +hearken then how holily and how godly one Hosius writeth of this matter, +a bishop in Polonia, as he testifieth of himself; a man doubtless well +spoken and not unlearned, and a very sharp and stout maintainer of that +side. One will marvel, I suppose, how a good man could either conceive +so wickedly or write so despitefully of those words which he knew +proceeded from God's mouth, and specially in such sort as he would not +have it seem his own private opinion alone, but the common opinion of all +that band. He dissembleth, I grant you indeed, and hideth what he is, +and setteth forth the matter so, as though it were not he and his side, +but the Zuenckfeldian heretics that so did speak. "We," saith he, "will +bid away with the same Scriptures, whereof we see brought not only divers +but also contrary interpretations; and we will hear God speak, rather +than we will resort to the naked elements, and appoint our salvation to +rest in them. It behoveth not a man to be expert in the law and +Scripture, but to be taught of God. It is but lost labour that a man +bestoweth in the Scriptures. For the Scripture is a creature, and a +certain bare letter." This is Hosius' saying, uttered altogether with +the same spirit and the same mind wherewith in times past Montane and +Marcion were moved, who, as men report, used to say, when with a contempt +they rejected the Holy Scriptures, that themselves knew many more and +better things than either Christ or the Apostles ever knew. + +What then shall I say here, O ye principal posts of religion, O ye arch- +governors of Christ's Church! Is this that your reverence which ye give +to God's Word? The Holy Scriptures, which, St. Paul saith, came by the +inspiration of God, which God did commend by so many miracles, wherein +are the most perfect prints of Christ's own steps, which all the holy +fathers, Apostles, and Angels, which Christ Himself the Son of God, as +often as was needful, did allege for testimony and proof; will ye, as +though they were unworthy for you to hear, bid them avaunt away? That +is, will ye enjoin God to keep silence, who speaketh to you most clearly +by His own mouth in the Scriptures? or that Word, whereby alone, as Paul +saith, we are reconciled to God, and which the prophet David saith, is +"holy and pure, and shall last for ever;" will ye call that "but a bare +and dead letter?" or will ye say that all our labour is lost which is +bestowed in that thing which Christ hath commanded us diligently to +search, and to have evermore before our eyes? And will ye say that +Christ and the Apostles meant with subtlety to deceive the people when +they exhorted them to read the Holy Scriptures, that thereby they might +flow in all wisdom and knowledge? No marvel at all though these men +despise us and all our doings, which set so little by God Himself and His +infallible sayings. Yet was it but want of wit in them, to the intend +they might hurt us, to do so extreme injury to the Word of God. + +But Hosius will here make exclamation, saying we do him wrong, and that +these be not his own words, but the words of the heretic Zuenckfeldius. +But how then, if Zuenckfeldius make exclamation on the other side, and +say, that the same very words be not his, but Hosius' own words? For +tell me where hath Zuenckfeldius ever written them? or, if he have +written them, and Hosius have judged the same to be wicked, why hath not +Hosius spoken so much as one word to confute them? Howsoever the matter +goeth, although Hosius peradventure will not allow of those words, yet he +doth not disallow the meaning of the words For well near in all +controversies, and namely touching the use of the holy "communion under +both kinds," although the words of Christ be plain and evident, yet doth +Hosius disdainfully reject them, as no better than "cold and dead +elements;" and commandeth us to give faith to certain new lessons, +appointed by the Church, and to I wot not what revelations of the Holy +Ghost. And Pighius saith: "Men ought not to believe, no not the most +clear and manifest words of the Scriptures, unless the same be allowed +for good by the interpretation and authority of the Church." + +And yet, as though this were too little, they also burn the Holy +Scriptures, as in times past wicked King Aza did, or as Antiochus or +Maximinus did, and are wont to name them heretics' books. And out of +doubt, to see too, they would fain do as Herod in old time did in Jewry, +that he might with more surety keep still his dominion: who being an +Idumaean born, and a stranger to the stock and kindred of the Jews, and +yet coveting much to be taken for a Jew, to the end he might establish to +him and his posterity the kingdom of that country, which he had gotten of +Augustus Caesar, he commanded all the genealogies and pedigrees to be +burnt, and made out of the way, so that there should remain no record +whereby he might be known to them that came after that he was an alien in +blood: whereas even from Abraham's time these monuments had been safely +kept amongst the Jews, and laid up in their treasury; because in them it +might easily and most assuredly be found of what lineage everyone did +descend. So (in good faith) do these men, when they would have all their +own doings in estimation, as though they had been delivered to us even +from the Apostles, or from Christ Himself: to the end there might be +found nowhere anything able to convince such their dreams and lies, +either they burn the Holy Scriptures, or else they craftily convey them +from the people surely. + +Very rightly and aptly doth Chrysostom write against these men. +"Heretics," saith he, "shut up the doors against the truth: for they know +full well, if the door were open, the Church should be none of theirs." +Theophylact also: "God's Word," saith he, "is the candle whereby the +thief is espied." And Tertullian saith, "The Holy Scripture manifestly +findeth out the fraud and theft of heretics." For why do they hide, why +do they keep under the Gospel which Christ would have preached aloud from +the housetop? Why whelm they that light under a bushel which ought to +stand on a candlestick? Why trust they more to the blindness of the +unskilful multitude, and to ignorance, than to the goodness of their +cause? Think they their sleights are not already perceived, and that +they can walk now unespied, as though they had Gyges' ring, to go +invisibly by, upon their finger? No, no. All men see now well and well +again, what good stuff is in that chest of the "Bishop of Rome's bosom." +This thing alone of itself may be an argument sufficient that they work +not uprightly and truly. Worthily ought that matter seem suspicious +which flieth trial, and is afraid of the light. "For he that doeth +evil," as Christ saith, "seeketh darkness, and hateth the light." A +conscience that knoweth itself clear cometh willingly into open show, +that the works which proceed of God may be seen. Neither be they so very +blind but they see this well enough, that their own kingdom straightway +is at a point if the Scriptures once have the upper hand: and that, like +as men say, the idols of devils in times past, of whom men in doubtful +matters were then wont to receive answers, were suddenly stricken dumb at +the sight of Christ, when He was born and came into the world: even so +they see that now all their subtle practices will soon fall down headlong +upon the sight of the Gospel. For Antichrist is not overthrown but by +the brightness of Christ's coming. + +As for us, we run not for succour to the fire, as these men's guise is, +but we run to the Scriptures; neither do we reason with the sword, but +with the Word of God: and therewith, as saith Tertullian "do we feed our +faith; by it do we stir up our hope, and strengthen our confidence." For +we know that the "Gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God unto +salvation;" and that therein consisteth eternal life. And as Paul +warneth us, "We do not hear, no, not an Angel of God coming from Heaven, +if he go about to pull us from any part of this doctrine." Yea, more +than this, as the holy martyr Justin speaketh of himself, we would give +no credence to God Himself, if He should teach us any other Gospel. + +For where these men bid the Holy Scriptures away, as dumb and fruitless, +and procure us to come to God Himself rather, who speaketh in the Church +and in councils, which is to say, to believe their fancies and opinions; +this way of finding out the truth is very uncertain and exceeding +dangerous, and in manner a fantastical and mad way, and by no means +allowed of the holy fathers. Chrysostom saith, "There be many oftentimes +which boast themselves of the Holy Ghost; but truly whoso speak of their +own head do falsely boast they have the Spirit of God. For like as +(saith he) Christ denied He spake of Himself, when He spake out of the +law and Prophets, even so now, if anything be pressed upon us in the Name +of the Holy Ghost, save the Gospel, we ought not to believe it. For as +Christ is the fulfilling of the law and Prophets, so is the Holy Ghost +the fulfilling of the Gospel." Thus far goeth Chrysostom. + + + +PART V. + + +But here I look they will say, though they have not the Scriptures, yet +may chance they have the ancient doctors and the holy fathers with them. +For this is a high brag they have ever made, how that all antiquity and a +continual consent of all ages doth make on their side; and that all our +cases be but new, and yesterday's work, and until these few late years +were never heard of. Questionless, there can nothing be more spitefully +spoken against the religion of God than to accuse it of novelty, as a new +come up matter. For as there can be no change in God Himself, so ought +there to be no change in His religion. + +Yet, nevertheless, we wot not by what means, but we have ever seen it +come so to pass from the first beginning of all, that as often as God did +give but some light, and did open His truth unto men, though the truth +were not only of greatest antiquity, but also from everlasting; yet of +wicked men and of the adversaries was it called new-fangled and of late +devised. That ungracious and bloodthirsty Haman, when he sought to +procure the king Assuerus' displeasure against the Jews, this was his +accusation to him: "Thou hast here (saith he) a kind of people that useth +certain new laws of their own, but stiff-necked and rebellious against +all thy laws." When Paul also began first to preach and expound the +Gospel at Athens he was called a tidings-bringer of new gods, as much to +say as of a new religion; "for" (said the Athenians) "may we not know of +thee what new doctrine this is?" Celsus likewise, when he of set purpose +wrote against Christ, to the end he might more scornfully scoff out the +Gospel by the name of novelty: "What!" saith he, "hath God after so many +ages now at last and so late bethought Himself?" Eusebius also writeth +that Christian religion from the beginning for very spite was called +[Greek text], that is to say, new and strange. After like sort, these +men condemn all our matters as strange and new; but they will have their +own, whatsoever they are, to be praised as things of long continuance. +Doing much like to the enchanters and sorcerers now-a-days, which working +with devils, use to say they have their books and all their holy and hid +mysteries from Athanasius, Cyprian, Moses, Abel, Adam, and from the +archangel Raphael; because that their cunning, coming from such patrons +and founders, might be judged the more high and holy. After the same +fashion these men, because they would have their own religion, which they +themselves, and that not long since, have brought forth into the world, +to be the more easily and rather accepted of foolish persons, or of such +as cast little whereabouts they or other do go, they are wont to say they +had it from Augustine, Hierom, Chrysostom, from the Apostles, and from +Christ Himself. + +Full well know they that nothing is more in the people's favour, or +better liketh the common sort, than these names. But how if the things, +which these men are so desirous to have seem new, be found of greatest +antiquity? Contrariwise, how if all the things well-nigh which they so +greatly set out with the name of antiquity, having been well and +thoroughly examined, be at length found to be but new, and devised of +very late? Soothly to say, no man that hath a true and right +consideration would think the Jews' laws and ceremonies to be new, for +all Haman's accusation. For they were graven in very ancient tables of +most antiquity. And although many did take Christ to have swerved from +Abraham and the old fathers, and to have brought in a certain new +religion in His own Name, yet answered He them directly, "If ye believed +Moses, ye would believe Me also," for My doctrine is not so new as you +make it: for Moses, an author of greatest antiquity, and one to whom ye +give all honour, "hath spoken of Me." Paul likewise, though the Gospel +of Jesus Christ be of many counted to be but new, yet hath it (saith he) +the testimony most old both of the law and Prophets. As for our doctrine +which we may rightly call Christ's catholic doctrine, it is so far off +from new that God, who is above all most ancient, and the Father of our +Lord Jesus Christ, hath left the same unto us in the Gospel, in the +Prophets' and Apostles' works, being monuments of greatest age. So that +no man can now think our doctrine to be new, unless the same think either +the Prophets' faith, or the Gospel, or else Christ Himself to be new. + +And as for their religion, if it be of so long continuance as they would +have men ween it is, why do they not prove it so by the examples of the +primitive Church, and by the fathers and councils of old times? Why +lieth so ancient a cause thus long in the dust destitute of an advocate? +Fire and sword they have had always ready at hand, but as for the old +councils and the fathers, all mum--not a word. They did surely against +all reason to begin first with these so bloody and extreme means, if they +could have found other more easy and gentle ways. And if they trust so +fully to antiquity, and use no dissimulation, why did John Clement, a +countryman of ours, but few years past, in the presence of certain honest +men and of good credit, tear and cast into the fire certain leaves of +Theodoret--the most ancient father and a Greek bishop--wherein he plainly +and evidently taught that the nature of bread in the Communion was not +changed, abolished, or brought to nothing? And this did he of purpose, +because he thought there was no other copy thereof to be found. Why +saith Albertus Pighius that the ancient father Augustine had a wrong +opinion of original sin? and that he erred and lied and used false logic, +as touching the case of matrimony concluded after a vow made, which +Augustine affirmeth to be perfect matrimony, indeed, and cannot be undone +again? Also when they did of late put in print the ancient father +Origen's work upon the Gospel of John, why left they quite out the whole +sixth chapter? Wherein it is likely, yea, rather, of very surety, that +the said Origen had written many things concerning the sacrament of the +Holy Communion contrary to these men's minds; and would put forth that +book mangled rather than full and perfect, for fear it should reprove +them and their partners of their error. Call ye this trusting to +antiquity, when ye rent in pieces, keep back, maim, and burn the ancient +fathers' works? + +It is a world to see, how well-favouredly and how towardly touching +religion these men agree with the fathers of whom they use to vaunt that +they be their own good. The old Council Eliberine made a decree that +nothing that is honoured of the people should be painted in the churches. +The old father Epiphanius saith:--"It is a horrible wickedness, and a sin +not to be suffered, for any man to set up any picture in the Church of +the Christians, yea, though it were the picture of Christ Himself." Yet, +these men store all their temples, and each corner of them, with painted +and carved images, as though without them religion were nothing worth. + +The old fathers Origen and Chrysostom exhort the people to read the +Scriptures, to buy them books, to reason at home betwixt themselves of +divine matters--wives with their husbands, and parents with their +children. These men condemn the Scriptures as dead elements, and--as +much as ever they may--bar the people from them. The ancient fathers, +Cyprian, Epiphanius, and Hierom, say, for one who, perchance, hath made a +vow to lead a sole life, and afterwards liveth unchastely, and cannot +quench the flames of lust, "it is better to marry a wife, and to live +honestly in wedlock." And the old father Augustine judgeth the selfsame +marriage to be good and perfect, and that it ought not to be broken +again. These men, if a man have once bound himself by a vow, though +afterwards he burn, keep queans, and defile himself with never so sinful +and desperate a life, yet they suffer not that person to marry a wife; or +if he chance to marry, they allow it not for marriage. And they commonly +teach it is much better and more godly to keep a concubine and harlot, +than to live in that kind of marriage. + +The old father Augustine complained of the multitude of ceremonies, +wherewith he even then saw men's minds and consciences overcharged. These +men, as though God regarded nothing else but their ceremonies, have so +out of measure increased them, that there is now almost none other thing +left in their churches and places of prayer. + +Again, that old father Augustine denieth it to be lawful for a monk to +spend his time slothfully and idly, and, under a pretended and +counterfeit holiness, to live all upon others. And whoso thus liveth, +the old father Apollonius likeneth him to a thief. These men have, I wot +not whether to name them droves or herds of monks, who for all they do +nothing, nor yet once intend to bear any show of holiness, yet live they +not only upon others, but also riot lavishly of other folks' labours. + +The old council of Rome decreed that no man should come to the service +said by a priest well known to keep a concubine. These men let to farm +concubines to their priests, and yet constrain men by force against their +will to hear their cursed paltry service. + +The old canons of the Apostles command that bishop to be removed from his +office, which will both supply the place of a civil magistrate, and also +of an ecclesiastical person. These men, for all that, both do and will +needs serve both places. Nay, rather, the one office which they ought +chiefly to execute, they once touch not, and yet nobody commandeth them +to be displaced. + +The old Council Gangrense commandeth that none should make such +difference between an unmarried priest and a married priest, as he ought +to think the one more holy than the other for single life's sake. These +men put such a difference between them, that they straightway think all +their holy service to be defiled if it be done by a good and honest man +that hath a wife. + +The ancient emperor Justinian commanded that, in the holy administration, +all things should be pronounced with a clear, loud, and treatable voice, +that the people might receive some fruit thereby. These men, lest the +people should understand them, mumble up all their service, not only with +a drowned and hollow voice, but also in a strange and barbarous tongue. + +The old council at Carthage commanded that nothing should be read in +Christ's congregation but the canonical Scriptures. These men read such +things in their churches as themselves know of a truth to be stark lies +and fond fables. + +But if there be any that think these above-rehearsed authorities be but +weak and slender, because they were decreed by emperors and certain petit +bishops, and not by so full and perfect councils, taking pleasure rather +in the authority and name of the Pope, let such a one know that Pope +Julius doth evidently forbid that the priest, in ministering the +Communion, should dip the bread in the cup. These men, contrary to Pope +Julius' decree, divide the bread, and dip it in the wine. + +Pope Clement saith it is not lawful for a bishop to deal with both +swords: "For if thou wilt have both," said he, "thou shalt deceive both +thyself and those that obey thee." Nowadays, the Pope challengeth to +himself both swords, and useth both. Wherefore, it ought to seem less +marvel if that have followed which Clement saith, that is, "that he hath +deceived both his own self and those which have given ear unto him." + +Pope Leo saith, "Upon one day it is lawful to say but one mass in one +church." These men say daily in one church commonly ten masses, twenty, +thirty, yea, oftentimes more. So that the poor gazer on can scant tell +which way he were best to turn him. + +Pope Gelasius saith, "It is a wicked deed and sibb to sacrilege in any +man to divide the Communion, and when he hath received one kind to +abstain from the other." These men, contrary to God's Word, and contrary +to Pope Gelasius, command that one kind only of the Holy Communion be +given to the people, and by so doing they make their priests guilty of +sacrilege. + +But if they will say that all these things are worn out of ure and nigh +dead, and pertain nothing to these present times, yet to the end all folk +may understand what faith is to be given to these men, and upon what hope +they call together their general councils, let us see in few words what +good heed they take to the selfsame thing, which they themselves these +very last years (and the remembrance thereof is yet new and fresh), in +their own general council that they had by order called, have decreed and +commanded to be devoutly kept. In the last council at Trent, scant +fourteen years past, it was ordained by the common consent of all +degrees, "that one man should not have two benefices at one time." What +is become now of that ordinance? Is the same too soon worn out of mind, +and clean consumed? For these men, ye see, give to one man not two +benefices only, but sundry abbeys many times, sometimes also two +bishoprics, sometimes three, sometimes four. And that not only to an +unlearned man, but oftentimes also even to a man of war. + +In the said council a decree was made that all bishops should preach the +Gospel. These men neither preach nor once go up into the pulpit, neither +think they it any part of their office. What great pomp and crake then +is this they make of antiquity? Why brag they so of the names of the +ancient fathers, and of the new and old councils? Why will they seem to +trust to their authority whom when they list they despise at their +pleasure? + +But I have a special fancy to commune a word or two rather with the +Pope's good holiness, and to say these things to his own face. Tell us, +I pray you, good holy father, seeing ye do crake so much of all +antiquity, and boast yourself that all men are bound to you alone, which +of all the fathers hath at any time called you by the name of the +"highest prelate," the "universal bishop," or the "head of the Church"? +Which of them ever said "that both the swords were committed unto you?" +Which of them ever said "that you have authority and right to call +councils?" Which of them ever said "the whole world is but your +diocese?" Which of them "that all bishops have received of your +fulness?" Which of them "that all power is given to you as well in +heaven as in earth?" Which of them "that neither kings, nor the whole +clergy, nor yet all the people together, are able to be judges over you?" +Which of them "that kings and emperors, by Christ's commandment and will, +do receive authority at your hands?" Which of them with so precise and +mathematical limitation hath surveyed and determined you to be "seventy +and seven times greater than the mightiest kings?" Which of them that +more ample authority is given to you than to the residue of the +patriarchs? Which of them that you are the "Lord God"? or that you are +"not a mere natural man, but a certain substance made and grown together +of God and man"? Which of them that you are the only "headspring of all +laws"? Which of them that you have "power over purgatories?" Which of +them that you are able to "command the angels of God" as you list +yourself? Which of them that ever said that you are "lord of lords" and +the "king of kings"? We can also go further with you in like sort. What +one amongst the whole number of the old bishops and fathers ever taught +you either to say private mass while the people stared on, or to "lift up +the Sacrament" over your head (in which point consisteth now all your +religion), or else to "mangle Christ's Sacraments," and to bereave the +people of the one part, contrary to Christ's institution and plain +express words? But that we may once come to an end, what one is there of +all the fathers which hath taught you to distribute Christ's blood and +the holy martyrs' merits, and to sell openly as merchandises your pardons +and all the rooms and lodgings of purgatory? + +These men are wont to speak much of a certain secret doctrine of theirs, +and of their manifold and sundry readings. Then let them bring forth +somewhat now, if they can, that it may appear they have at least read or +do know somewhat. They have often stoutly noised in all corners where +they went how all the parts of their religion be very old, and have been +approved not only of the multitude, but also by the consent and continual +observation of all nations and times. Let them, therefore, once in their +life show this their antiquity. Let them make appear at eye that the +things whereof they make such ado have taken so long and large increase. +Let them declare that all Christian nations have agreed by consent to +this their religion. + +Nay, nay, they turn their backs, as we have said already, and flee from +their own decrees, and have cut off and abolished again within a short +space the same things which, but a few years before, themselves had +established for evermore, forsooth, to continue. How should one, then, +trust them in the fathers, in the old councils, and in the words spoken +by God? They have not, good Lord, they have not, I say, those things +which they boast they have: they have not that antiquity, they have not +that universality, they have not that consent of all places, nor of all +times. And though they have a desire rather to dissemble, yet they +themselves are not ignorant hereof: yea, and sometime also they let not +to confess it openly. And for this cause they say that the ordinances of +the old councils and fathers be such as may now and then be altered, and +that sundry and divers decrees serve for sundry and divers times of the +Church. Thus lurk they under the name of the Church, and beguile silly +creatures with their vain glozing. It is to be marvelled that either men +be so blind that they cannot see this, or if they see it, to be so +patient as they can lightly and quietly bear it. + +But, whereas they have commanded that those decrees should be void, as +things now waxen too old, and that have lost their grace, perhaps they +have provided in their stead certain other better things, and more +profitable for the people. For it is a common saying with them that, "if +Christ Himself or the Apostles were alive again, they could not better +nor godlier govern God's Church than it is at this present governed by +them." They have put in their stead indeed; but it is "chaff instead of +wheat," as Hieremy saith, and such things as, according to Esay's words, +"God never required at their hands." "They have stopped up," saith he, +"all the veins of clear springing water, and have digged up for the +people deceivable and puddle-like pits, full of mire and filth, which +neither have nor are able to hold pure water." They have plucked away +from the people the Holy Communion, the Word of God, from whence all +comfort should be taken; the true worshipping of God also, and the right +use of sacraments and prayer; and have given us of their own to play +withal in the meanwhile, salt, water, oil, boxes, spittle, palms, bulls, +jubilees, pardons, crosses, censings, and an endless rabble of +ceremonies, and, as a man might term with Plautus, "pretty games to make +sport withal." In these things have they set all their religion, +teaching the people that by these God may be duly pacified, spirits be +driven away, and men's consciences well quieted. For these, lo, be the +orient colours and precious savours of Christian religion; these things +doth God look upon and accepteth them thankfully; these must come in +place to be honoured, and put quite away the institutions of Christ and +of His Apostles. And like as in times past, when wicked King Jeroboam +had taken from the people the right serving of God, and brought them to +worship the golden calves, lest perchance they might afterward change +their mind and slip away, getting them again to Jerusalem to the temple +of God, there he exhorted them with a long tale to be steadfast, saying +thus unto them: "O Israel, these calves be thy gods. In this sort +commanded your God you should worship Him, for it should be wearisome and +troublous for you to take upon you a journey so far off, and yearly to go +up to Jerusalem, there to serve and honour your God." Even after the +same sort every whit, when these men had once made the law of God of non- +effect through their own traditions, fearing that the people should +afterward open their eyes and fall another way, and should somewhence +else seek a surer mean of their salvation, Jesu, how often have they +cried out, "This is the same worshipping that pleaseth God, and which He +straitly requireth of us, and wherewith He will be turned from His wrath. +That by these things is conserved the unity of the Church. By these all +sins be cleansed, and consciences quieted, and that whoso departeth from +these hath left unto himself no hope of everlasting salvation." For it +were wearisome and troublous, say they, for the people to resort to +Christ, to the Apostles, and to the ancient fathers, and to observe +continually what their will and commandment should be. This ye may see, +is to "withdraw the people of God from the weak elements of the world, +from the leaven of the Scribes and Pharisees, and from the traditions of +men." It were reason, no doubt, that Christ's commandments and the +Apostles' were removed, that these their devices might come in place. O +just cause, I promise you, why that ancient and so long allowed doctrine +should be now abolished, and a new form of religion be brought into the +Church of God. + +And yet whatever it be, these men cry still that nothing ought to be +changed: that men's minds are well satisfied herewithal: that the Church +of Rome, the Church which cannot err, hath decreed these things. For +Silvester Prierias saith, that the Romish Church is the squire and rule +of truth, and that the Holy Scripture hath received from thence authority +and credit. "The doctrine," saith he, "of the Romish Church is the rule +of most infallible faith, from the which the Holy Scripture taketh his +force. And indulgences and pardons, saith he, are not made known to us +by the authority of the Scriptures, but they are made known to us by the +authority of the Romish Church, and of the Bishops of Rome, which is +greater." Pighius also letteth not to say, that without the license of +the Romish Church, we ought not to believe the very plain Scriptures. +Much like as if any of those that cannot speak pure and clean Latin, and +yet can babble out quickly and readily a little some such law Latin as +serveth the court, would needs hold that all others ought also to speak +after the same way which Mammetrectus and Catholicon spake many years +ago, and which themselves do yet use in pleading in court: for so may it +be understood sufficiently what is said, and men's desires be satisfied: +and that it is a fondness now in the latter end to trouble the world with +a new kind of speaking, and to call again the old finesse and eloquence +that Cicero and Caesar used in their days in the Latin tongue. So much +are these men beholden to the folly and darkness of the former times. +"Many things," as one writeth, "are had in estimation oftentimes, because +they have been once dedicate to the temples of the heathen gods." Even +so we see at this day many things allowed and highly set by of these men, +not because they judge them so much worth, but only because they have +been received into a custom, and after a sort dedicate to the temple of +God. + +"Our Church," say they, "cannot err." They speak that, I think, as the +Lacedaemonians long since used to say, that it was not possible to find +any adulterer in all their commonwealth: whereas indeed they were rather +all adulterers, and had no certainty in their marriages, but had their +wives common amongst them all: or as the canonists at this day, for their +bellies' sake, used to say of the Pope, that forsomuch as he is lord of +all benefices, though he sell for money bishoprics, monasteries, +priesthood, spiritual promotions, and part with nothing freely, yet, +because he counteth all his own, "he cannot commit simony, though he +would never so fain." But how strongly and agreeably to reason these +things be spoken, we are not as yet able to perceive, except perchance +these men have plucked off the wings from the truth; as the Romans in old +time did prune and pinion their goddess Victoria, after they had once +gotten her home, to the end that with the same wings she should never +more be able to flee away from them again. But what if Jeremy tell them, +as is afore rehearsed, that these be lies? What if the same prophet say +in another place that the selfsame men, who ought to be keepers of the +vineyard, have brought to nought and destroyed the Lord's vineyard? How +if Christ say that the same persons, who chiefly ought to have care over +the temple, have made of the Lord's temple a den of thieves? If it be so +that the Church of Rome cannot err, it must needs follow, that the good +luck thereof is far greater than all these men's policy. For such is +their life, their doctrine, and their diligence, that for all them the +Church may not only err, but also utterly be spoiled and perish. No +doubt, if that church may err which hath departed from God's words, from +Christ's commandments, from the Apostles' ordinances, from the primitive +Church's examples, from the old fathers' and councils' orders, and from +their own decrees, and which will be bound within the compass of none, +neither old nor new, nor their own nor other folks', nor man's law nor +God's law, then it is out of all question that the Romish Church hath not +only had power to err, but also that it hath shamefully and most wickedly +erred in very deed. + +But, say they, "ye have been of our fellowship, but now ye are become +forsakers of your profession, and have departed from us." It is true; we +have departed from them, and for so doing we both give thanks to Almighty +God, and greatly rejoice on our own behalf. But yet for all this, from +the primitive Church, from the Apostles, and from Christ we have not +departed. True it is, we were brought up with these men in darkness, and +in the lack of the knowledge of God, as Moses was taught up in the +learning and in the bosom of the Egyptians. "We have been of your +company," saith Tertullian, "I confess it, and no marvel at all; for," +saith he, "men be made and not born Christians." But wherefore, I pray +you, have they themselves, the citizens and dwellers of Rome, removed and +come down from those seven hills, whereupon Rome sometime stood, to dwell +rather in the plain called Mars' field? they will say, peradventure, +because the conduits of water, wherewithout men cannot commodiously live, +have now failed and are dried up in those hills. Well, then, let them +give us like leave in seeking the water of eternal life, that they give +themselves in seeking the water of the well. For the water, verily, +failed amongst them. "The elders of the Jews," saith Jeremy, "sent their +little ones to the waterings; and they finding no water, being in a +miserable case, and utterly marred for thirst, brought home again their +vessels empty." "The needy and poor folk," saith Esay, "sought about for +water, but nowhere found they any; their tongue was even withered for +thirst." Even so these men have broken in pieces all the pipes and +conduits: they have stopped up all the springs, and choked up the +fountain of living water with dirt and mire. And as Caligula many years +past locked up fast all the storehouses of corn in Rome, and thereby +brought a general dearth and famine amongst the people; even so these +men, by damming up all the fountains of God's Word, have brought the +people into a pitiful thirst. They have brought into the world, as saith +the prophet Amos, "a hunger and a thirst: not the hunger of bread, nor +the thirst of water, but of hearing the Word of God." With great +distress went they scattering about, seeking some spark of heavenly life +to refresh their consciences withal: but that light was already +thoroughly quenched out, so that they could find none. This was a rueful +state; this was a lamentable form of God's Church. It was a misery to +live therein, without the Gospel, without light, and without all comfort. + +Wherefore, though our departing were a trouble to them, yet ought they to +consider withal how just cause we had of our departure. For if they will +say, it is in nowise lawful for one to leave the fellowship wherein he +hath been brought up, they may as well in our names, and upon our heads, +condemn both the Prophets, the Apostles, and Christ Himself. For why +complain they not also of this, that Lot went quite his way out of Sodom, +Abraham out of Chaldea, the Israelites out of Egypt, Christ from the +Jews, and Paul from the Pharisees? For except it be possible there may +be a lawful cause of departing, we see no reason why Lot, Abraham, the +Israelites, Christ, and Paul, may not be accused of sects and sedition, +as well as others. And if these men will needs condemn us for heretics, +because we do not all things at their commandment, whom, in God's name, +or what kind of men ought they themselves to be taken for, which despise +the commandment of Christ, and of the Apostles? If we be schismatics +because we have left them, by what name, then, shall they be called +themselves, which have forsaken the Greeks, from whom they first received +their faith, forsaken the primitive Church, forsaken Christ Himself, and +the Apostles, even as if children should forsake their parents? For +though those Greeks, who at this day profess religion, and Christ's Name, +have many things corrupted amongst them, yet hold they still a great +number of those things which they received from the Apostles. They have +neither private masses, nor mangled sacraments, nor purgatories, nor +pardons. And as for the titles of high bishops, and those glorious +names, they esteem them so, as whosoever he were that would take upon him +the same, and would be called either universal bishop, or the head of the +universal Church, they make no doubt to call such a one both a passing +proud man, a man that worketh despite against all the other bishops his +brethren, and a plain heretic. + +Now, then, since it is manifest, and out of all peradventure, that these +men have fallen from the Greeks of whom they received the Gospel, of whom +they received the faith, the true religion and the Church; what is the +matter, why they will not now be called home again to the same men, as it +were to their originals and first founders? And why be they afraid to +take a pattern of the Apostles' and old fathers' times, as though they +all had been void of understanding? Do these men, ween ye, see more, or +set more by the Church of God than they did who first delivered us these +things? + +We truly have renounced that Church, wherein we could neither have the +Word of God sincerely taught, nor the sacraments rightly administered, +nor the Name of God duly called upon: which Church also themselves +confess to be faulty in many points; and wherein was nothing able to stay +any wise man, or one that hath consideration of his own safety. To +conclude, we have forsaken the Church as it is now, not as it was in old +times past, and have so gone from it as Daniel went out of the lions' +den, and the three children out of the furnace: and to say the truth, we +have been cast out by these men (being cursed of them as they used to +say, with book, bell, and candle), rather than have gone away from them +of ourselves. + +And we are come to that Church, wherein they themselves cannot deny (if +they will say truly, and as they think in their own conscience) but all +things be governed purely and reverently, and, as much as we possibly +could, very near to the order used in the old times. + +Let them compare our churches and theirs together, and they shall see +that themselves have most shamefully gone from the Apostles, and we most +justly have gone from them. For we, following the example of Christ, of +the Apostles, and the Holy fathers, give the people the Holy Communion, +whole and perfect; but these men, contrary to all the fathers, to all the +Apostles, and contrary to Christ Himself, do sever the Sacraments, and +pluck away the one part from the people, and that with most notorious +sacrilege, as Gelasius termeth it. + +We have brought again the Lord's Supper unto Christ's institution, and +have made it to be a communion in very deed, common and indifferent to a +great number, according to the name. But these men have changed all +things contrary to Christ's institution, and have made a private mass of +the Holy Communion. And so it cometh to pass that we give the Lord's +Supper unto the people, and they give them a vain pageant to gaze upon. + +We affirm, together with the ancient fathers, that the body of Christ is +not eaten but of the good and faithful, and of those that are endued with +the Spirit of Christ. Their doctrine is, that Christ's very body +effectually, and as they speak really and substantially, may not only be +eaten of the wicked and unfaithful men, but also (which is monstrous to +be spoken) of mice and dogs. + +We use to pray in our churches after that fashion, as, according to +Paul's lesson, the people may know what we pray, and may answer Amen with +a general consent. These men, like sounding metal, yell out in the +churches unknown and strange words without understanding, without +knowledge, and without devotion; yea, and do it of purpose because the +people should understand nothing at all. + +But not to tarry about rehearsing all points wherein we and they +differ--for they have well-nigh no end--we turn the Scriptures into all +tongues; they scant suffer them to be had abroad in any tongue. We +allure the people to read and to hear God's Word: they drive the people +from it. We desire to have our cause known to all the world; they flee +to come to any trial. We lean unto knowledge, they unto ignorance. We +trust unto light, they unto darkness. We reverence, as it becometh us, +the writings of the Apostles and Prophets; and they burnt them. Finally, +we in God's cause desire to stand to God's only judgment; they will stand +only to their own. Wherefore, if they will weigh all these things with a +quiet mind, and fully bent to hear and to learn, they will not only allow +this determination of ours, who have forsaken errors, and followed Christ +and His Apostles, but themselves also will forsake their own selves, and +join of their own accord to our side. + + + +PART VI. + + +But peradventure they will say, it was treason to attempt these matters +without a sacred general council; for in that consisteth the whole force +of the Church; there Christ hath promised He will ever be a present +assistant. Yet they themselves, without tarrying for any general +council, have broken the commandments of God, and the decrees of the +Apostles; and, as we said a little above, they have spoiled and +disannulled almost all, not only ordinances, but even the doctrine of the +primitive Church. And where they say it is not lawful to make a change +without a council, what was he that gave us these laws, or from whence +had they this injunction? + +Truly, King Agesilaus did but fondly, who, when he had a determinate +answer made him of the opinion and will of mighty Jupiter, would +afterward bring the whole matter before Apollo, to know whether he would +allow thereof, as his father Jupiter did, or no. But yet should we do +much more fondly, when we hear God Himself plainly speak to us in His +most Holy Scriptures, and may understand by them His will and meaning, if +we would afterward (as though this were of none effect) bring our whole +cause to be tried by a council; which were nothing else but to ask +whether men would allow as God did, and whether men would confirm God's +commandment by their authority. + +Why, I beseech you, except a council will and command, shall not truth be +truth, and God be God? If Christ had meant to do so from the beginning, +as that He would preach or teach nothing without the bishop's consent, +but refer all His doctrine over to Annas and Caiaphas, where should now +have been the Christian faith? or, who at any time should have heard the +Gospel taught? Peter verily, whom the Pope hath oftener in his mouth, +and more reverently useth to speak of than he doth of Jesus Christ, did +boldly stand against the holy council, saying, "It is better to obey God +than men." And after Paul had once entirely embraced the Gospel, and had +received it, "not from men, nor by man, but by the only will of God, he +did not take advice therein of flesh and blood," nor brought the case +before his kinsmen and brethren, but went forthwith into Arabia, to +preach God's Divine mysteries by God's only authority. + +Yet truly, we do not despise councils, assemblies, and conference of +bishops and learned men; neither have we done that we have done +altogether without bishops or without a council. The matter hath been +treated in open Parliament with long consultation, and before a notable +synod and convocation. But touching this council which is now summoned +by the Pope Pius, wherein men so lightly are condemned, which have been +neither called, heard, nor seen, it is easy to guess what we may look for +or hope of it. + +In times past, when Nazianzen saw in his days how men in such assemblies +were so blind and wilful that they were carried with affections, and +laboured more to get the victory than the truth, he pronounced openly +that he never had seen any good end of any council. What would he say +now, if he were alive at this day, and understood the heaving and shoving +of these men? For at that time, though the matter were laboured on all +sides, yet the controversies were well heard, and open error was put +clean away by the general voice of all parts. But these men will neither +have the case to be freely disputed, nor yet, how many errors soever +there be, suffer they any to be changed. For it is a common custom of +theirs often and shamelessly to boast that "their Church cannot err; that +in it there is no fault; and that they must give place to us in nothing." +Or if there be any fault, yet must it be tried by bishops and abbots +only, because they be the directors and rulers of matters; and they be +the Church of God. Aristotle saith that a "city cannot consist of +bastards;" but whether the Church of God may consist of these men, let +their own selves consider. For doubtless neither be the abbots +legitimate abbots, nor the bishops natural right bishops. But grant they +be the Church: let them be heard speak in councils; let them alone have +authority to give assent: yet in old time, when the Church of God (if ye +will compare it with their Church) was very well governed, both elders +and deacons, as saith Cyprian, and certain also of the common people, +were called thereunto, and made acquainted with ecclesiastical matters. + +But I put case, these abbots [and bishops] have no knowledge: what if +they understand nothing what religion is, nor how we ought to think of +God? I put case, the pronouncing and ministering of the law be decayed +in priests, and good counsel fail in the elders, and, as the prophet +Micah saith, "The night be unto them instead of a vision, and darkness +instead of prophesying:" or, as Esaias saith, "What if all the watchmen +of the city are become blind?" "What if the salt have lost his proper +strength and savoriness," and, as Christ saith, "be good for no use, +scant worth the casting on the dunghill?" + +Well, yet then they will bring all matters before the Pope, who cannot +err. To this I say, first, it is a madness to think that the Holy Ghost +taketh His flight from a general council to run to Rome, to the end if He +doubt or stick in any matter, and cannot expound it of Himself, He may +take counsel of some other spirit, I wot not what, that is better learned +than Himself. For if this be true, what needed so many bishops, with so +great charges and so far journeys, have assembled their convocation at +this present at Trident? It had been more wisdom and better, at least it +had been a much nearer way and handsomer, to have brought all things +rather before the Pope, and to have come straight forth, and have asked +counsel at his divine breast. Secondly, it is also an unlawful dealing +to toss our matter from so many bishops and abbots, and to bring it at +last to the trial of one only man, specially of him who himself is +appeached by us of heinous and foul enormities, and hath not yet put in +his answer; who hath also aforehand condemned us without judgment by +order pronounced, and ere ever we were called to be judged. + +How say ye, do we devise these tales? Is not this the course of the +councils in these days? Are not all things removed from the whole holy +council, and brought before the Pope alone? that, as though nothing had +been done to purpose by the judgments and consents of such a number, he +alone may add, alter, diminish, disannul, allow, remit, and qualify +whatsoever he list? Whose words be these, then? and why have the bishops +and abbots, in the last council of Trident, but of late concluded with +saying thus in the end: "Saving always the authority of the see apostolic +in all things?" or why doth Pope Paschal write so proudly of himself? "As +though," saith he, "there were any general council able to prescribe a +law to the Church of Rome: whereas all councils both have been made and +have received their force and strength by the Church of Rome's authority; +and in ordinances made by councils, is ever plainly excepted the +authority of the Bishop of Rome." If they will have these things allowed +for good, why be councils called? But if they command them to be void, +why are they left in their books as things allowable? + +But be it so: let the Bishop of Rome alone be above all councils, that is +to say, let some one part be greater than the whole; let him be of +greater power, let him be of more wisdom than all his; and, in spite of +Hierom's head, let the authority "of one city be greater than the +authority of the whole world." How, then, if the Pope have seen none of +these things, and have never read either the Scriptures, or the old +Fathers, or yet his own councils? How if he favour the Arians, as once +Pope Liberius did? or have a wicked and a detestable opinion of the life +to come, and of the immortality of the soul, as Pope John had but few +years since? or, to increase his own dignity, do corrupt other councils, +as Pope Zosimus corrupted the council holden at Nice in times past; and +do say that those things were devised and appointed by the holy Fathers +which never once came into their thought; and, to have the full sway of +authority, do wrest the Scriptures, which, as Camotensis saith, is an +usual custom with the Popes? How if he have renounced the faith of +Christ, and become an apostate, as Lyranus saith many Popes have been? +And, yet for all this, shall the Holy Ghost, with turning of a hand, +knock at his breast, and even whether he will or no, yea, and wholly +against his will, kindle him a light so as he may not err? Shall he +straightway be the head-spring of all right; and shall all treasure of +wisdom and understanding be found in him, as it were laid up in store? +or, if these things be not in him, can he give a right and apt judgment +of so weighty matters? or, if he be not able to judge, would he have that +all those matters should be brought before him alone? + +What will ye say if the Pope's advocates, abbots and bishops, dissemble +not the matter, but show themselves open enemies to the Gospel, and +though they see, yet they will not see; but wry the Scriptures, and +wittingly and knowingly corrupt and counterfeit the Word of God, and +foully and wickedly apply to the Pope all the same things, which +evidently and properly be spoken of the Person of Christ only, nor by no +means can be applied to any other? And what though they say, "The Pope +is all and above all?" or, "that he can do as much as Christ can?" and +"that one judgment-place and one council-house serve for the Pope and for +Christ both together;" or, "that the Pope is the same light which should +come into the world;" which words Christ spake of Himself alone: and +"that whoso is an evil-doer hateth and flieth from that light;" or that +all the other bishops have received of the Pope's fulness? Shortly, what +though they make decrees expressly against God's Word, and that not in +hucker-mucker or covertly, but openly, and in the face of the world, must +it needs yet be Gospel straight whatsoever these men say? Shall these be +God's holy army? or will Christ be at hand among them there? Shall the +Holy Ghost flow in their tongues; or can they with truth say, "We and the +Holy Ghost have thought good so?" Indeed, Peter Asotus and his companion +Hosius stick not to affirm, that the same council wherein our Saviour +Jesus Christ was condemned to die had both the Spirit of Prophesying, and +the Holy Ghost, and the Spirit of Truth in it; and that it was neither a +false nor a trifling saying when those bishops said, "We have a law, and +by our law He ought to die:" and that they, so saying, did light upon the +very truth of judgment (for so be Hosius' words); and that the same +plainly was a just decree whereby they pronounced that Christ was worthy +to die. This, methinketh, is strange, that these men are not able to +speak for themselves, and to defend their own cause, but they must also +take part with Annas and Caiaphas. For if they will call that a lawful +and a good council wherein the Son of God was most shamefully condemned +to die, what council will they then allow for false and naught? And yet +(as all their councils, to say truth, commonly be) necessity compelled +them to pronounce these things of the council holden by Annas and +Caiaphas. + +But will these men (I say) reform us the Church, being themselves both +the persons guilty and the judges too? Will they abate their own +ambition and pride? Will they overthrow their own matter, and give +sentence against themselves that they must leave off to be unlearned +bishops, slow bellies, heapers together of benefices, takers upon them as +princes and men of war? Will the abbots, the Pope's dear darlings, judge +that monk for a thief which laboureth not for his living? and that it is +against all law to suffer such a one to live and to be found either in +city or in country, or yet of other men's charges? or else that a monk +ought to lie on the ground, to live hardly with herbs and pease, to study +earnestly, to argue, to pray, to work with hand, and fully to bend +himself to come to the ministry of the Church? In faith, as soon will +the Pharisees and Scribes repair again the temple of God, and restore it +unto us a house of prayer instead of a thievish den. + +There have been, I know, certain of their own selves which have found +fault with many errors in the Church, as Pope Adrian, AEneas Sylvius, +Cardinal Pole, Pighius, and others, as is aforesaid: they held afterwards +their council at Trident in the selfsame place where it is now appointed. +There assembled many bishops, and abbots, and others whom it behoved for +that matter. They were alone by themselves; whatsoever they did, nobody +gainsaid it; for they had quite shut out and barred our side from all +manner of assemblies: and there they sat six years, feeding folks with a +marvellous expectation of their doings. The first six months, as though +it were greatly needful, they made many determinations of the Holy +Trinity, of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which were +godly things indeed, but not so necessary for that time. Let us see, in +all that while, of so many, so manifest, so often confessed by them, and +so evident errors, what one error have they amended? from what kind of +idolatry have they reclaimed the people? What superstition have they +taken away? What piece of their tyranny and pomp have they diminished? +As though all the world may not now see that this is a conspiracy and not +a council; and that those bishops whom the Pope hath now called together +be wholly sworn and become bound to bear him their faithful allegiance, +and will do no manner of thing but that they perceive pleaseth him, and +helpeth to advance his power, and as he will have it; or that they reckon +not of the number of men's voices rather than have weight and +consideration of the same; or that might doth not oftentimes overcome +right. + +And therefore we know that divers times many good men and Catholic +bishops did tarry at home, and would not come when such councils were +called, wherein men so apparently laboured to serve factions and to take +parts, because they knew they should but lose their travail, and do no +good, seeing whereunto their enemies' minds were so wholly bent. +Athanasius denied to come, when he was called by the emperor to his +council at Caesarea, perceiving plain he should but come among his +enemies, which deadly hated him. The same Athanasius, when he came +afterward to the council at Syrmium, and foresaw what would be the end by +reason of the outrage and malice of his enemies, he packed up his +carriage and went away immediately. John Chrysostom, although the +Emperor Constantius commanded him by four sundry letters to come to the +Arians' council, yet kept he himself at home still. When Maximus, the +Bishop of Jerusalem, sat in the council at Palestine, the old Father +Paphnutius took him by the hand, and led him out at the doors, saying, +"It is not lawful for us to confer of these matters with wicked men." The +bishops of the East would not come to the Syrmian council after they knew +Athanasius had gotten himself thence again. Cyril called men back by +letters from the council of them which were named Patropassians. +Paulinus, Bishop of Triers, and many others more, refused to come to the +council at Milan when they understood what a stir and rule Auxentius kept +there: for they saw it was in vain to go thither, where not reason, but +faction, should prevail, and where folk contended not for the truth and +right judgment of the matter, but for partiality and favour. + +And yet, for all those Fathers had such malicious and stiff-necked +enemies, yet if they had come they should have had free speech at least +in the councils. But now, sithence, none of us may be suffered so much +as to sit, or once to be seen in these men's meetings, much less suffered +to speak freely our mind; and seeing the Pope's legates, patriarchs, +archbishops, bishops, and abbots--all being conspired together, all +linked together in one kind of fault, and all bound by one oath--sit +alone by themselves, and have power alone to give their consent: and, at +last, when they have all done--as though they had done nothing--bring all +their opinions to be judged at the will and pleasure of the Pope, being +but one man, to the end he may pronounce his own sentence of himself, who +ought rather to have answered to his complaint; sithence, also, the same +ancient and Christian liberty, which of all right should specially be in +Christian councils, is now utterly taken away from the council--for these +causes, I say, wise and good men ought not to marvel at this day, though +we do the like now, that they see was done in times past in like case of +so many Fathers and Catholic bishops: which is, though we choose rather +to sit at home, and leave our whole cause to God, than to journey +thither, whereas we neither shall have place nor be able to do any good; +whereas we can obtain no audience; whereas princes' ambassadors be but +used as mocking-stocks; and whereas, also, we be condemned already, +before trial, as though the matter were aforehand despatched and agreed +upon. Nevertheless, we can bear patiently and quietly our own private +wrongs. But wherefore do they shut out Christian kings and good princes +from their convocation? Why do they so uncourteously, or with such +spite, leave them out, and--as though they were not either Christian men, +or else could not judge--will not have them made acquainted with the +cause of Christian religion, nor understand the state of their own +Churches? + +Or if the said kings and princes happen to intermeddle in such matters, +and take upon them to do that they may do, that they be commanded to do, +and ought of duty to do, and the same things that we know both David and +Solomon and other good princes have done, that is, if they--whilst the +Pope and his prelates slug and sleep, or else mischievously withstand +them--do bridle the priests' sensuality, and drive them to do their duty, +and keep them still to it; if they do overthrow idols, if they take away +superstition, and set up again the true worshipping of God--why do they +by-and-by make an outcry upon them, that such princes trouble all, and +press by violence into another body's office, and do thereby wickedly and +malapertly? What Scripture hath at any time forbidden a Christian prince +to be made privy to such causes? Who but themselves alone made ever any +such law? + +They will say to this, I guess: "Civil princes have learned to govern a +commonwealth, and to order matters of war, but they understand not the +secret mysteries of religion." If that be so, what is the Pope, I pray +you, at this day other than a monarch or a prince? Or what be the +cardinals, who must be none other nowadays, but princes and kings' sons? +What else be the patriarchs, and, for the most part, the archbishops, the +bishops, the abbots? What be they else at this present in the Pope's +kingdom but worldly princes, but dukes and earls, gorgeously accompanied +with bands of men whithersoever they go; oftentimes also gaily arrayed +with chains and collars of gold? They have at times, too, certain +ornaments by themselves, as crosses, pillars, hats, mitres, and +palls--which pomp the ancient bishops Chrysostom, Augustine, and Ambrose +never had. Setting these things aside, what teach they? What say they? +What do they? How live they? I say, not as may become a bishop, but as +may become even a Christian man? Is it so great a matter to have a vain +title, and, by changing a garment only, to have the name of a bishop? + +Surely to have the principal stay and effect of all matters committed +wholly to these men's hands, who neither know nor will know these things, +nor yet set a jot by any point of religion, save that which concerneth +their belly and riot; and to have them alone sit as judges, and to be set +up as overseers in the watch-tower, being no better than blind spies; of +the other side, to have a Christian prince of good understanding and of a +right judgment to stand still like a block or a stake, not to be suffered +neither to give his voice nor to show his judgment, but only to wait what +these men shall will and command, as one which had neither ears, nor +eyes, nor wit, nor heart; and whatsoever they give in charge, to allow it +without exception, blindly fulfilling their commandments, be they never +so blasphemous and wicked, yea, although they command him quite to +destroy all religion, and to crucify again Christ Himself: this surely, +besides that it is proud and spiteful, is also beyond all right and +reason, and not to be endured of Christian and wise princes. Why, I pray +you, may Caiaphas and Annas understand these matters, and may not David +and Ezechias do the same? Is it lawful for a cardinal, being a man of +war, and delighting in blood, to have place in a council? and is it not +lawful for a Christian emperor or a king? We truly grant no further +liberty to our magistrates than that we know hath both been given them by +the Word of God, and also been confirmed by the examples of the very best +governed commonwealths. For besides that a Christian prince hath the +charge of both tables committed to him by God, to the end he may +understand that not temporal matters only, but also religious and +ecclesiastical causes, pertain to his office: besides also that God by +His prophets often and earnestly commandeth the king to cut down the +groves, to break down the images and altars of idols, and to write out +the book of the law for himself: and besides that the prophet Isaiah +saith, "A king ought to be a patron and a nurse of the Church:" I say, +besides all these things, we see by histories and by examples of the best +times that good princes ever took the administration of ecclesiastical +matters to pertain to their duty. + +Moses, a civil magistrate, and chief guide of the people, both received +from God, and delivered to the people, all the order for religion and +sacrifices, and gave Aaron the bishop a vehement and sore rebuke for +making the golden calf, and for suffering the corruption of religion. +Joshua also, though he were none other than a civil magistrate, yet as +soon as he was chosen by God, and set as a ruler over the people, he +received commandments specially touching religion and the service of God. +King David, when the whole religion was altogether brought out of frame +by wicked king Saul, brought home again the Ark of God; that is to say, +he restored religion again; and was not only amongst them himself as a +counsellor and furtherer of the work, but he appointed also hymns and +psalms, put in order the companies, and was the only doer in setting +forth that whole solemn show, and in effect ruled the priests. King +Solomon built unto the Lord the Temple which his father David had but +purposed in his mind to do: and after the finishing thereof, he made a +goodly oration to the people concerning religion and the service of God: +he afterward displaced Abiathar the priest, and set Sadok in his place. +After this, when the Temple of God was in shameful wise polluted through +the naughtiness and negligence of the priests, King Hezekiah commanded +the same to be cleansed from the rubble and filth, the priests to light +up candles, to burn incense, and to do their Divine service according to +the old and allowed custom; the same king also commanded the brazen +serpent, which then the people wickedly worshipped, to be taken, down and +beaten to powder. King Jehoshaphat overthrew and utterly made away the +hill altars and groves; whereby he saw God's honour hindered and the +people holden back with a private superstition from the ordinary Temple, +which was at Jerusalem, whereto they should by order have resorted yearly +from every part of the realm. King Josiah with great diligence put the +priests and bishops in mind of their duties; King Joash bridled the riot +and arrogancy of the priests; Jehu put to death the wicked prophets. + +And to rehearse no more examples out of the old law, let us rather +consider, since the birth of Christ, how the Church hath been governed in +the Gospel's time. The Christian emperors in the old time appointed the +councils of the bishops. Constantine called the council at Nice; +Theodosius the First called the council at Constantinople; Theodosius the +Second, the council at Ephesus; Martian, the council at Chalcedon; and +when Ruffine the heretic had alleged for authority a council which, as he +thought, should make for him, St. Hierom his adversary, to confute him, +"Tell us," quod he, "what emperor commanded that council to be called." +The same St. Hierom again, in his epitaph upon Paula, maketh mention of +the emperor's letters which gave commandment to call the "bishops of +Italy and Greece to Rome to a council." Continually for the space of +five hundred years, the emperor alone appointed the ecclesiastical +assemblies, and called the councils of the bishops together. + +We now therefore marvel the more at the unreasonable dealing of the +Bishop of Rome, who, knowing what was the emperor's right when the Church +was well ordered, knowing also that it is now a common right to all +princes, for so much as the kings are now fully possessed in the several +parts of the whole empire, doth so without consideration assign that +office alone to himself, and taketh it sufficient, in summoning a general +council, to make that man that is prince of the whole world no otherwise +partaker thereof than he would make his own servant. And although the +modesty and mildness of the Emperor Ferdinand be so great that he can +bear this wrong, because, peradventure, he understandeth not well the +Pope's packing, yet ought not the Pope of his holiness to offer him that +wrong, nor to claim as his own another man's right. + +But hereto some will reply: The emperor, indeed, called councils at that +time ye speak of, because the Bishop of Rome was not yet grown so great +as he is now, but yet the emperor did not then sit together with the +bishops in council, or once bare any stroke with his authority in their +consultation. I answer, Nay, that it is not so; for, as witnesseth +Theodoret, the Emperor Constantine sat not only together with them in the +Council of Nice, but gave also advice to the bishops how it was best to +try out the matter by the Apostles' and Prophets' writings, as appeareth +by these his own words: "In disputation," saith he, "of matters of +divinity, we have set before us to follow the doctrine of the Holy Ghost. +For the Evangelists' and the Apostles' works, and the Prophets' sayings, +show us sufficiently what opinion we ought to have of the will of God." +The Emperor Theodosius, as saith Socrates, did not only sit amongst the +bishops, but also ordered the whole arguing of the cause, and tare in +pieces the heretics' books, and allowed for good the judgment of the +Catholics. In the council at Chalcedon a civil magistrate condemned for +heretics, by the sentence of his own mouth, the bishops Dioscorus, +Juvenalis, and Thalassius, and gave judgment to put them down from their +dignities in the Church. In the third council at Constantinople, +Constantine, a civil magistrate, did not only sit amongst the bishops, +but did also subscribe with them. "For," saith he, "we have both read +and subscribed." In the second council called Arausicanum, the prince's +ambassadors, being noble men born, not only spake their mind touching +religion, but set to their hands also, as well as the bishops. For thus +it is written in the latter end of that council: "Petrus, Marcellinus, +Felix, and Liberius, being most noble men, and famous lieutenants, and +captains of France, and also peers of the realm, have given their +consent, and set to their hands." Further: "Syagrius, Opilio, +Pantagathus, Deodatus, Cariattho, and Marcellus, men of very great +honour, have subscribed." If it be so, then, that lieutenants, captains, +and peers have had authority to subscribe in council, have not emperors +and kings the like authority? + +Truly there had been no need to handle so plain a matter as this is with +so many words, and so at length, if we had not to do with those men who, +for a desire they have to strive and to win the mastery, use of course to +deny all things, be they never so clear--yea, the very same which they +presently see and behold with their own eyes. The Emperor Justinian made +a law to correct the behaviour of the clergy, and to cut short the +insolency of the priests. And albeit he were a Christian and a Catholic +prince, yet put he down from their papal throne two Popes, Sylverius and +Vigilius, notwithstanding they were Peter's successors and Christ's +vicars. + +Let us see, then, such men as have authority over the bishops, such men +as receive from God commandments concerning religion, such as bring home +again the Ark of God, make holy hymns, oversee the priests, build the +Temple, make orations touching Divine service, cleanse the temples, +destroy the hill altars, burn the idols' groves, teach the priests their +duties, write them out precepts how they should live, kill the wicked +prophets, displace the high priests, call together the councils of +bishops, sit together with the bishops, instructing them what they ought +to do, condemn and punish an heretical bishop, be made acquainted with +matters of religion, which subscribe and give sentence; and do all these +things, not by any other man's commission, but in their own name, and +that both uprightly and godly: shall we say it pertaineth not to such men +to have to do with religion? or shall we say a Christian magistrate, +which dealeth amongst others in these matters, doth either naughtily, or +presumptuously, or wickedly? The most ancient and Christian emperors and +kings that ever were, did busy themselves with these matters, and yet +were they never for this cause noted either of wickedness or of +presumption. And what is he that can find out either more Catholic +princes or more notable examples? + +Wherefore, if it were lawful for them to do thus, being but civil +magistrates, and having the chief rule of commonweals, what offence have +our princes at this day made, which may not have leave to do the like, +being in the like degree? or what especial gift of learning, or of +judgment, or of holiness have these men now, that, contrary to the custom +of all the ancient and Catholic bishops, who used to confer with princes +and peers concerning religion, they do now thus reject and cast off +Christian princes from knowing of the cause, and from their meetings? +Well, thus doing, they wisely and warily provide for themselves and for +their kingdom, which otherwise they see is like shortly to come to +nought. For if so be they whom God hath placed in greatest dignity did +see and perceive these men's practices, how Christ's commandments be +despised by them, how the light of the Gospel is darkened and quenched +out by them, and how themselves also be subtly beguiled and mocked, and +unawares be deluded by them, and the way to the kingdom of heaven stopped +up before them: no doubt they would never so quietly suffer themselves +neither to be disdained after such a proud sort, nor so despitefully to +be scorned and abused by them. But now, through their own lack of +understanding, and through their own blindness, these men have them fast +yoked, and in their danger. + +We truly for our parts, as we have said, have done nothing in altering +religion either upon rashness or arrogancy; nor nothing but with good +leisure and great consideration. Neither had we ever intended to do it, +except both the manifest and most assured will of God, opened to us in +His Holy Scriptures, and the regard of our own salvation, had even +constrained us thereunto. For though we have departed from that Church +which these men call Catholic, and by that means get us envy amongst them +that want skill to judge, yet is this enough for us, and ought to be +enough for every wise and good man, and one that maketh account of +everlasting life, that we have gone from that Church which had power to +err: which Christ, who cannot err, told so long before it should err; and +which we ourselves did evidently see with our eyes to have gone both from +the holy fathers, and from the Apostles, and from Christ His own self, +and from the primitive and Catholic Church; and we are come as near as we +possibly could to the Church of the Apostles and of the old Catholic +bishops and fathers; which Church we know hath hereunto been sound and +perfect, and, as Tertullian termeth it, a pure virgin, spotted as yet +with no idolatry, nor with any foul or shameful fault: and have directed, +according to their customs and ordinances, not only our doctrine, but +also the Sacraments and the form of common prayer. + +And, as we know both Christ Himself and all good men heretofore have +done, we have called home again to the original and first foundation that +religion which hath been foully foreslowed, and utterly corrupted by +these men. For we thought it meet thence to take the pattern of +reforming religion from whence the ground of religion was first taken: +because this one reason, as saith the most ancient father Tertullian, +hath great force against all heresies, "Look, whatsoever was first, that +is true; and whatsoever is latter, that is corrupt." Irenaeus oftentimes +appealed to the oldest churches, which had been nearest to Christ's time, +and which it was hard to believe had erred. But why at this day is not +the same respect and consideration had? Why return we not to the pattern +of the old churches? Why may not we hear at this time amongst us the +same saying, which was openly pronounced in times past in the council at +Nice by so many bishops and Catholic fathers, and nobody once speaking +against it [Greek text]: that is to say, "hold still the old customs!" +When Esdras went about to repair the ruins of the Temple of God, he sent +not to Ephesus, although the most beautiful and gorgeous temple of Diana +was there; and when he purposed to restore the sacrifices and ceremonies +of God, he sent not to Rome, although peradventure he had heard in that +place were the solemn sacrifices called Hecatombae, and other called +Solitaurilia, Lectisternia, and Supplicationes, and Numa Pompilius' +ceremonial books. He thought it enough for him to set before his eyes, +and follow the pattern of the old Temple, which Solomon at the beginning +builded according as God had appointed him, and also those old customs +and ceremonies which God Himself had written out by special words for +Moses. + +The prophet Aggaeus, after the temple was repaired again by Esdras, and +the people might think they had a very just cause to rejoice on their own +behalf for so great a benefit received of Almighty God, yet made he them +all burst out into tears, because that they which were yet alive and had +seen the former building of the Temple, before the Babylonians destroyed +it, called to mind how far off it was yet from that beauty and excellency +which it had in the old times past before. For then, indeed, would they +have thought the Temple worthily repaired if it had answered to the +ancient pattern and to the majesty of the first Temple. Paul, because he +would amend the abuse of the Lord's Supper, which the Corinthians even +then began to corrupt, he set before them Christ's institution to follow, +saying: "I have delivered unto you that which I first received of the +Lord." And when Christ did confute the error of the Pharisees, "Ye +must," saith He, "return to the first beginning; for from the beginning +it was not thus." And when He found great fault with the priests for +their uncleanness of life and covetousness, and would cleanse the Temple +from all evil abuses, "This house," saith He, "at the first beginning it +was a house of prayer," wherein all the people might devoutly and +sincerely pray together. And so it were your part to use it now also at +this day, for it was not builded to the end it should be a "den of +thieves." Likewise all the good and commendable princes mentioned of in +the Scriptures were praised specially by these words, that they had +walked in the ways of their father David: that is, because they had +returned to the first and original foundation, and had restored religion +even to the perfection wherein David left it. And therefore, when we +likewise saw all things were quite trodden under foot of these men, and +that nothing remained in the temple of God but pitiful spoils and decays, +we reckoned it the wisest and the safest way to set before our eyes those +churches which we know for a surety that they never had erred, nor never +had private mass, nor prayers in a strange and barbarous language, nor +this corrupting of sacraments, and other toys. + +And forsomuch as our desire was to have the Temple of the Lord restored +anew, we would seek none other foundation than the same which we know was +long ago laid by the Apostles, that is to wit, "Our Saviour, Jesus +Christ." And forasmuch as we heard God Himself speaking unto us in His +word, and saw also the notable examples of the old and primitive Church; +again, how uncertain a matter it was to wait for a general council, and +that the success thereof would be much more uncertain, but specially +forsomuch as we were most ascertained of God's will, and counted it a +wickedness to be too careful and overcumbered about the judgments of +mortal men: we could no longer stand taking advice with flesh and blood, +but rather thought good to do the same thing, that both might rightly be +done, and hath also many a time been done, as well of good men as of many +Catholic bishops--that is, to remedy our own churches by a provincial +synod. For thus know we the old fathers used to put in experience before +they came to the public universal council. There remain yet at this day +canons written in councils of free cities, as of Carthage under Cyprian, +as of Ancyra, Neocaesarea, and Gangra, which is in Paphlagonia, as some +think, before that the name of the general council at Nice was ever heard +of. After this fashion in old time did they speedily meet with and cut +short those heretics, the Pelagians and the Donatists at home, by private +disputation, without any general council. Thus, also, when the Emperor +Constantine evidently and earnestly took part with Auxentius, the bishop +of the Arians' faction, Ambrose, the bishop of the Christians, appealed +not unto a general council, where he saw no good could be done, by reason +of the emperor's might and great labour, but appealed to his own clergy +and people, that is to say, to a provincial synod. And thus it was +decreed in the council at Nice that the bishops should assemble twice +every year. And in the council at Carthage it was decreed that the +bishops should meet together in each of their provinces at least once in +the year, which was done, as saith the council of Chalcedon, of purpose +that if any errors and abuses had happened to spring up anywhere, they +might immediately at the first entry be destroyed where they first began. +So likewise when Secundus and Palladius rejected the council at Aquileia, +because it was not a general and a common council, Ambrose, bishop of +Milan, made answer that no man ought to take it for a new or strange +matter that the bishops of the west part of the world did call together +synods, and make private assemblies in their provinces, for that it was a +thing before then used by the west bishops no few times, and by the +bishops of Greece used oftentimes and commonly to be done. And so +Charles the Great, being emperor, held a provincial council in Germany +for putting away images, contrary to the second council at Nice. Neither, +pardy, even amongst us is this so very a strange and new a trade. For we +have had ere now in England provincial synods, and governed our churches +by home-made laws. What should one say more? Of a truth, even those +greatest councils, and where most assembly of people ever was (whereof +these men use to make such an exceeding reckoning), compare them with all +the churches which throughout the world acknowledge and profess the name +of Christ, and what else, I pray you, can they seem to be but certain +private councils of bishops and provincial synods? For admit, +peradventure, Italy, France, Spain, England, Germany, Denmark, and +Scotland meet together, if there want Asia, Greece, Armenia, Persia, +Media, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, and Mauritania, in all which +places there be both many Christian men and also bishops, how can any +man, being in his right mind, think such a council to be a general +council? or where so many parts of the world do lack how can they truly +say they have the consent of the whole world? Or what manner of council, +ween you, was the same last at Trident? Or how might it be termed a +general council, when out of all Christian kingdoms and nations there +came unto it but only forty bishops, and of the same some so cunning that +they might be thought meet to be sent home again to learn their grammar, +and so well learned that they had never studied divinity. + +Whatsoever it be, the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ dependeth not +upon councils, nor, as St. Paul saith, upon mortal creature's judgment. +And if they which ought to be careful for God's Church will not be wise, +but slack their duty, and harden their hearts against God and His Christ, +going on still to pervert the right ways of the Lord, God will stir up +the very stones, and make children and babes cunning, whereby there may +ever be some to confute these men's lies. For God is able (not only +without councils), but also, will the councils, nill the councils, to +maintain and advance His own kingdom. "Full many be the thoughts of +man's heart" (saith Solomon); "but the counsel of the Lord abideth +steadfast:" "There is no wisdom, there is no knowledge, there is no +counsel against the Lord." "Things endure not" (saith Hilarius), "that +be set up with men's workmanship: by another manner of means must the +Church of God be builded and preserved: for that Church is grounded upon +the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, and is holden fast together +by one corner stone, which is Christ Jesu." + +But marvellous notable, and to very good purpose for these days, be +Hierom's words: "Whosoever" (saith he) "the devil hath deceived, and +enticed to fall asleep, as it were with the sweet and deathly +enchantments of the mermaids the Syrens, those persons doth God's word +awake up, saying unto them, Arise, thou that sleepest; lift up thyself, +and Christ shall give thee light. Therefore, at the coming of Christ, of +God's word, of the ecclesiastical doctrine, and of the full destruction +of Nineveh, and of that most beautiful harlot, then, then shall the +people, which heretofore had been cast in a trance under their masters, +be raised up, and shall make haste to go to the mountains of the +Scripture; and there shall they find hills, Moses verily, and Joshua the +son of Nun, other hills also, which are the Prophets; and hills of the +New Testament, which are the Apostles and the Evangelists. And when the +people shall flee for succour to such hills, and shall be exercised in +the reading of those kind of mountains, though they find not one to teach +them (for the harvest shall be great, but the labourers few), yet shall +the good desire of the people be well accepted, in that they have gotten +them to such hills; and the negligence of their masters shall be openly +reproved." These be Hierom's sayings, and that so plain, as there +needeth no interpreter. For they agree so just with the things we now +see with our eyes have already come to pass, that we may verily think +that he meant to foretell, as it were, by the spirit of prophecy, and to +paint before our face the universal state of our time; the fall of the +most gorgeous harlot Babylon; the repairing again of God's Church; the +blindness and sloth of the bishops, and the good will and forwardness of +the people. For who is so blind, that he seeth not these men be the +masters, by whom the people, as saith Hierom, hath been led into error +and lulled asleep? Or who sooth not Rome, that is their Nineveh, which +sometime was painted with fairest colours, but now, her vizard being +palled off, is both better seen and less set by? Or who seeth not that +good men, being awaked, as it were, out of their dead sleep at the light +of the Gospel and at the voice of God, have resorted to the hills of the +Scriptures, waiting not at all for the councils of such masters? + +But, by your favour, some will say, these things ought not to have been +attempted without the Bishop of Rome's commandment, forsomuch as he only +is the knot and band of Christian society. He only is that priest of +Levi's order whom God signified in the Deuteronomy, from whom counsel in +matters of weight and true judgment ought to be fetched; and whoso +obeyeth not his judgment, the same man ought to be killed in the sight of +his brethren; and that no mortal creature hath authority to be judge over +him, whatsoever he do: that Christ reigneth in heaven, and he in earth; +that he alone can do as much as Christ or God Himself can do, because +Christ and he have but one council-house; that without him is no faith, +no hope, no Church; and whoso goeth from him quite casteth away and +renounceth his own salvation. Such talk have the canonists, the Pope's +parasites, surely, but with small discretion or soberness. For they +could scant say more, at least they could not speak more highly of Christ +Himself. + +As for us, truly we have fallen from the Bishop of Rome upon no manner of +worldly respect or commodity. And would to Christ he so behaved himself +as this falling away needed not; but so the case stood, that unless we +left him we could not come to Christ. Neither will he now make any other +league with us than such a one as Nahas the king of the Ammonites would +have made in times past with them of the city of Jabez, which was to put +out the right eye of each one of the inhabitants. Even so will the Pope +pluck from us the holy Scripture, the Gospel of our salvation, and all +the confidence which we have in Christ Jesu. And upon other condition +can he not agree upon peace with us. + +For whereas some use to make so great a vaunt, that the Pope is only +Peter's successor, as though thereby he carried the Holy Ghost in his +bosom, and cannot err, this is but a matter of nothing, and a very +trifling tale. God's grace is promised to a good mind, and to one that +feareth God, not unto sees and successions. "Riches," saith Hierom, "may +make a bishop to be of more might than the rest: but all the bishops," +whosoever they be, "are the successors of the Apostles." If so be the +place and consecrating only be sufficient, why then Manasses succeeded +David, and Caiaphas succeeded Aaron. And it hath been often seen, that +an idol hath stand in the temple of God. In old time Archidamus the +Lacedaemonian boasted much of himself, how he came of the blood of +Hercules. But one Nicostratus in this wise abated his pride: "Nay," +quoth he, "thou seemest not to descend from Hercules. For Hercules +destroyed ill men, but thou makest good men evil." And when the +Pharisees bragged of their lineage, how they were of the kindred and +blood of Abraham: "Ye," saith Christ, "seek to kill me, a man which have +told you the truth, as I heard it from God. Thus Abraham never did. Ye +are of your father the devil, and will needs obey his will." + +Yet notwithstanding, because we will grant somewhat to succession, tell +us, hath the Pope alone succeeded Peter? And wherein, I pray you? In +what religion? in what office? in what piece of his life hath he +succeeded him? What one thing (tell me) had Peter ever like unto the +Pope, or the Pope like unto Peter? Except peradventure they will say +thus: that Peter, when he was at Rome, never taught the Gospel, never fed +the flock, took away the keys of the kingdom of heaven, hid the treasures +of his Lord, sat him down only in his castle in S. John Lateran, and +pointed out with his finger all the places of purgatory, and kinds of +punishments, committing some poor souls to be tormented, and other some +again suddenly releasing thence at his own pleasure, taking money for so +doing: or that he gave order to say private masses in every corner: or +that he mumbled up the holy service with a low voice, and in an unknown +language: or that he hanged up the Sacrament in every temple, and on +every altar, and carried the same about before him whithersoever he went, +upon an ambling jannet, with lights and bells; or that he consecrated +with his holy breath, oil, wax, wool, bells, chalices, churches, and +altars, or that he sold jubilees, graces, liberties, advowsons, +preventions, first fruits, palls, the wearing of palls, bulls, +indulgences, and pardons; or that he called himself by the name of the +head of the Church, the highest bishop, bishop of bishops, alone most +holy: or that by usurping he took upon himself the right and authority +over other folk's churches; or that he exempted himself from the power of +any civil government; or that he maintained wars, and set princes +together at variance: or that he sitting in his chair, with his triple +crown full of labels, with sumptuous and Persian-like gorgeousness, with +his royal sceptre, with his diadem of gold, and glittering with stones, +was carried about, not upon palfrey, but upon the shoulders of noble men. +These things, no doubt, did Peter at Rome in times past, and left them in +charge to his successors, as you would say, from hand to hand; for these +things be now-a-days done at Rome by the popes, and be so done, as though +nothing else ought to be done. Or contrariwise, peradventure they had +rather say thus, that the Pope doth now all the same things, which we +know Peter did many a day ago: that is, that he runneth up and down into +every country to preach the gospel, not only openly abroad, but also +privately from house to house: that he is diligent, and applieth that +business in season and out of season, in due time and out of due time: +that he doth the part of an evangelist, that he fulfilleth the work and +ministry of Christ, that he is the watchman of the House of Israel, +receiveth answers and words at God's mouth; and even as he receiveth +them, so delivereth them over to the people: that he is the salt of the +earth: that he is the light of the world: that he doth not feed his own +self, but his flock: that he doth not entangle himself with the worldly +cares of this life: that he doth not use a sovereignty over the Lord's +people: that he seeketh not to have other men minister to him, but +himself rather to minister unto others: that he taketh all bishops as his +fellows and equals; that he is subject to princes, as to persons sent +from God: that he giveth to Caesar that which is Caesar's: and that he, +as the old bishops of Rome did without any question, calleth the emperor +his lord. Unless, therefore, the popes do the like now-a-days, and Peter +did the things aforesaid, there is no cause at all why they should glory +so of Peter's name, and of his succession. + +Much less cause have they to complain of our departing, and to call us +again to be fellows and friends with them, and to believe as they +believe. Men say, that one Cobilon, a Lacedaemonian, when he was sent +ambassador to the king of the Persians to treat of a league, and found by +chance them of the court playing at dice, he returned straightway home +again, leaving his message undone. And when he was asked why he did +slack to do the things which he had received by public commission to do, +he made answer, he thought it should be a great reproach to his +commonwealth to make a league with dicers. But if we should content +ourselves to return to the Pope, and to his popish errors, and to make a +covenant not only with dicers, but also with men far more ungracious and +wicked than any dicers be; besides that this should be a great blot to +our good name, it should also be a very dangerous matter, both to kindle +God's wrath against us, and to clog and condemn our own souls for ever. +For of very truth we have departed from him, who we saw had blinded the +whole world this many a hundred year: from him, who too far +presumptuously was wont to say, "he could not err," and whatsoever he did +"no mortal man had power to condemn him, neither kings, nor emperors, nor +the whole clergy," nor yet all the people in the world together; no, and +though he should carry away with him to hell a thousand souls from him +who took upon him power to command, not only men, but even God's angels, +to go, to return, to lead souls into purgatory, and to bring them back +again when he list himself: whom Gregory said, without all doubt, is the +very forerunner and standard-bearer of Antichrist, and hath utterly +forsaken the Catholic faith, from whom also these ringleaders of ours, +who now with might and main resist the gospel, and the truth, which they +know to be the truth, have ere this departed every one of their own +accord and goodwill, and would even now also gladly depart from him, if +the note of inconstancy and shame, and their own estimation among the +people, were not a let unto them. In conclusion, we have departed from +him, to whom we were not bound, and who had nothing to say for himself, +but only I know not what virtue or power of the place where he dwelleth, +and a continuance of succession. + +And as for us, we of all others most justly have left him. For our +kings, yea, even they which with greatest reverence did follow and obey +the authority and faith of the bishops of Rome, have long since found and +felt well enough the yoke and tyranny of the Pope's kingdom. For the +bishops of Rome took the crown off from the head of our King Henry the +Second, and compelled him to put aside all majesty, and like a mere +private man to come unto their legate with great submission and humility, +so as all his subjects might laugh him to scorn. More than this, they +caused bishops and monks, and some part of the nobility, to be in the +field against our King John, and set all the people at liberty from their +oaths, whereby they ought allegiance to their king; and at last, wickedly +and most abominably they bereaved the king, not only of his kingdom, but +also of his life. Besides this, they excommunicated and cursed king +Henry the Eighth, that most famous prince, and stirred up against him, +sometime the Emperor, sometime the French king: and as much as in them +was, put in adventure our realm to have been a very prey and spoil. Yet +were they but fools and mad, to think that either so mighty a prince +could be scared with bugs and rattles; or else, that so noble and great a +kingdom might so easily, even at one morsel, be devoured and swallowed +up. + +And yet, as though all this were too little, they would needs make all +the realm tributary to them, and exacted thence yearly most unjust and +wrongful taxes. So dear cost us the friendship of the city of Rome. +Wherefore, if they have gotten these things of us by extortion, through +their fraud and subtle sleights, we see no reason why we may not pluck +away the same from them again by lawful ways and just means. And if our +kings in that darkness and blindness of former times, gave them these +things of their own accord and liberality for religion's sake, being +moved with a certain opinion of their feigned holiness; now when +ignorance and error is espied out, may the kings, their successors, take +them away again, seeing they have the same authority the kings their +ancestors had before. For the gift is void, except it be hallowed by the +will of the giver, and that cannot seem a perfect will, which is dimmed +and hindered by error. + + + + +THE RECAPITULATION OF THE APOLOGY. + + +Thus, good Christian reader, ye see how it is no new thing, though at +this day the religion of Christ be entertained with despites and checks, +being but lately restored, and as it were, coming up again anew; +forsomuch as the like hath chanced both to Christ Himself and to His +Apostles: yet nevertheless, for fear ye may suffer yourself to be led +amiss and seduced with these exclamations of our adversaries, we have +declared at large unto you the very whole manner of our religion, what +our opinion is of God the Father, of His only Son Jesus Christ, of the +Holy Ghost, of the Church, of the Sacraments, of the ministry, of the +Scriptures, of ceremonies, and of every part of Christian belief. We +have said, that we abandon and detest, as plagues and poisons, all those +old heresies which either the sacred Scriptures, or the ancient councils +have utterly condemned: that we call home again, as much as ever we can, +the right discipline of the Church, which our adversaries have quite +brought into a poor and weak case. That we punish all licentiousness of +life, and unruliness of manners, by the old and long-continued laws, and +with as much sharpness as is convenient, and lieth in our power. That we +maintain still the state of kingdoms, in the same condition and plight +wherein we have found them, without any diminishing or alteration, +reserving unto our princes their majesties and worldly pre-eminence, safe +and without impairing, to our possible power. That we have so gotten +ourselves away from that Church, which they had made a den of thieves, +and wherein nothing was in good frame, or once like to the Church of God, +and which, themselves confessed, had erred many ways, even as Lot in +times past gat him out of Sodom, or Abraham out of Chaldea, not upon a +desire of contention, but by the warning of God Himself. And that we +have searched out of the Holy Bible, which we are sure cannot deceive, +one sure form of religion, and have returned again unto the primitive +Church of the ancient fathers and Apostles; that is to say, to the first +ground and beginning of things, as unto the very foundations and +headsprings of Christ's Church. And in very truth we have not tarried +for in this matter the authority or consent of the Tridentine council, +wherein we saw nothing done uprightly, nor by good order; where also +everybody was sworn to the maintenance of one man; where our prince's +ambassadors were contemned; where not one of our divines could be heard, +and where parts-taking and ambition was openly and earnestly procured and +wrought; but, as the holy fathers in former time, and as our predecessors +have commonly done, we have restored our churches by a provincial +convocation, and have clean shaken off, as our duty was, the yoke and +tyranny of the bishop of Rome, to whom we were not bound; who also had no +manner of thing like, neither to Christ, nor to Peter, nor to an Apostle, +nor yet like to any bishop at all. Finally, we say, that we agree +amongst ourselves touching the whole judgment and chief substance of +Christian religion, and with one mouth, and with one spirit, do worship +God, and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. + +Wherefore, O Christian and godly reader, forasmuch as thou seest the +reasons and causes, both why we have restored religion, and why we have +forsaken these men, thou oughtest not to marvel, though we have chosen to +obey our Master Christ, rather than men. Paul hath given us warning how +we should not suffer ourselves to be carried away with such sundry +learnings, and to fly their companies, in especial, which would sow +debate and variances, clean contrary to the doctrine which they had +received of Christ and the Apostles. Long since have these men's crafts +and treacheries decayed, and vanished, and fled away at the sight and +light of the Gospel, even as the owl doth at the sun-rising. And albeit +their trumpery be built up, and reared as high as the sky, yea even, in a +moment, and as it were of the own self, falleth it down again to the +ground and cometh to nought. For you must not think that all these +things have come to pass rashly, or at adventure; it hath been God's +pleasure, that, against all men's wills well nigh, the Gospel of Jesu +Christ should be spread abroad throughout the whole world at these days. +And, therefore, men, following God's biddings, have of their own free +will resorted unto the doctrine of Jesus Christ. And for our parts, +truly we have sought hereby, neither glory, nor wealth, nor pleasure, nor +ease. For there is plenty of all these things with our adversaries. And +when we were of their side, we enjoyed such worldly commodities much more +liberally and bountifully than we do now. Neither do we eschew concord +and peace, but to have peace with man we will not be at war with God. The +name of peace is a sweet and pleasant thing, saith Hilarius; but yet +beware, saith he, "peace is one thing, and bondage is another." For if +it should so be, as they seek to have it, that Christ should be commanded +to keep silence, that the truth of the Gospel should be betrayed, that +horrible errors should be cloaked, that Christian men's eyes should be +bleared, and that they might be suffered to conspire openly against God; +this were not a peace, but a most ungodly covenant of servitude. There +is a peace, saith Nazianzen, that is unprofitable; again, there is a +discord, saith he, that is profitable. For we must conditionally desire +peace, so far as is lawful before God, and so far as we may conveniently. +For otherwise Christ Himself brought not peace into the world, but a +sword. Wherefore, if the pope will have us be reconciled to him, his +duty is first to be reconciled to God. For from thence, saith Cyprian, +spring schisms and sects, because men seek not the Head, and have not +their recourse to the fountain (of the Scriptures), and keep not the +rules given by the heavenly Teacher. For, saith he, that is not peace, +but war; neither is he joined unto the Church, which is severed from the +Gospel. As for these men, they used to make a merchandise of the name of +peace. For that peace which they so fain would have, is only a rest of +idle bellies. They and we might easily be brought to atonement; touching +all these matters, were it not that ambition, gluttony, and excess did +let it. Hence cometh their whining, their heart is on their halfpenny. +Out of doubt their clamours and stirs be to none other end, but to +maintain more shamefully and naughtily ill-gotten things. + +Nowadays the pardoners complain of us, the dataries, the pope's +collectors, the bawds, and others which take gain to be godliness, and +serve not Jesus Christ but their own bellies. Many a day ago, and in the +old world, a wonderful great advantage grew hereby to these kinds of +people. But now they reckon, all is lost unto them, that Christ gaineth. +The pope himself maketh a great complaint at this present, that charity +in people is waxen cold. And why so, trow ye? Forsooth, because his +profits decay more and more. And for this cause doth he hale us into +hatred, all that ever he may, laying load upon us with despiteful +railings, and condemning us for heretics, to the end, they that +understand not the matter may think there be no worse men upon earth than +we be. Notwithstanding, we in the mean season are never the more ashamed +for all this; neither ought we to be ashamed of the gospel. For we set +more by the glory of God, than we do by the estimation of men. We are +sure all is true that we teach, and we may not either go against our own +conscience, or bear any witness against God. For if we deny any part of +the Gospel of Jesus Christ before men, He on the other side will deny us +before His Father. And if there be any that will still be offended, and +cannot endure Christ's doctrine, such, say we, be blind, and leaders of +the blind; the truth, nevertheless, must be preached and preferred above +all, and we must with patience wait for God's judgment. Let these folk, +in the meantime, take good heed what they do, and let them be well +advised of their own salvation, and cease to hate and persecute the +Gospel of the Son of God, for fear lest they feel Him once a redresser +and revenger of His own cause. God will not suffer Himself to be made a +mocking stock. The world espieth a good while agone what there is a +doing abroad. This flame, the more it is kept down, so much the more +with greater force and strength doth it break out and fly abroad. Their +unfaithfulness shall not disappoint God's faithful promise. And if they +shall refuse to lay away this their hardness of heart, and to receive the +Gospel of Christ, then shall publicans and sinners go before them into +the kingdom of Heaven. + +God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ open the eyes of them all, +that they may be able to see that blessed hope, whereunto they have been +called; so as we may altogether in one glorify Him alone, who is the true +God, and also that same Jesus Christ, whom He sent down to us from +Heaven, unto whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, be given all +honour and glory everlastingly. 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