Chapter VI: Part 6

maruayle not that ye are proued by fyre / which thynge is to trye yow as though sum straunge thinge happened vnto yow / but reioyce / in as mutch as ye are partakers of Christes passions / that when his glorie appearith / ye maye be mery and gladd. If ye be rayled vpon / for the name of Christe / happie are ye / for the glorie and the sprite of Godd restith vpon you. On ther parte he is euill spoken of / but on your parte he is glorified / and so furthe. And sainct Paule dothe pronounce that it is a most greuus synne of ony man do offend the weake by his euell example. Thy brother doth perish (saithe he) for whom Christe died. When ye synne so against the brethern / and wounde thier weake conscience / ye synne againste Christ. Again we are saied in the scriptures to haue saued hym whom we haue by sounde doctrine and our goode example / either reteyned in the waye of the lorde / or haue brought hym backe that went astraye. But if a greater regarde vs to be had of wife / children and houshold then of pure religion / so that for that regard / religion seeme either to be dissembled or denyed: Yf it be euill for religions sake to dissente from them that be of kindred and alliannce / yea and for religion to depart from a lawfull wyfe / and in sum / for faithe to disagree with all frendes and familiars / shall we saye that the lorde did teach euill / which sayed in the gospell?

[[Mat. 10.]]

Thincke not that I am come to sende peace vnto the earthe. I came not to send paeace but a swearde. For I am come to sett a man at variance against his father / and the doughter against her mother / and the doughter in lawe against her mother in lawe. And a mannes foes shalbe they that are of his own housholde. For from hence forthe ther shalbe fyue in one howse deuyded / thre against two / and two against thre.

[[Luc. 12.]]

The father shalbe deuided against the sonne / and the sonne against the father. This not spoken as though that dissension in itself did pleas Godd the autor of all peace / but bicause he will haue that peace which stondithe vppon euell and wicked thinges broken / and haue vs all conioyned in that which is holy and goode. And therfore we do not allowe when mariages frendshippes and leagues are broken without necessitie / and vnder an vntrue pretence of religion. Agayn we do dissalowe thos which are kept againste the commaundement of Godd with playne hurte of true religion / and open denyinge of the faithe. All persons must bende themselues to peace and concorde so far as they maye / with retayninge of sowndnes in religion: But when it can not be retayned / let none thincke that to keape peace with them he must committ Idolatrie.

[[1. Cor. 7.]]

And therfor the Apostle of Christ saith: If any brother haue a wyfe / whiche beleauith not / if she be content to dwell with hym / let hym not putt her awaye. &c. But if the vnbeleauinge do departe let hym depart. A brother or a Syster is not in subiection to such. But Godd hathe called vs in peace. Euen so truly it is an vnnatural thinge not to norishe the children / or to neglect the aged parentes / or to forsake frendes and familiars. Godds worde doth euery wheare commaunde that we shuld do reuerence and dutie to them to whom by the lawe of Godd / and man / we owe it. In which sense we do willingly admitte that sayinge of the Apostle. That he which doth not prouide for them which be of his howshold / both denieth the faith / and is wors then an infidele. We do acknowledg that they are deuels and not men whosoeuer they be / which do wickedly disturbe wel ordered policies / and howsholdes. But yet in all theis we do also acknowledge this / and we se it taughte in the whole scripture as for an vndoubted truithe / that the lord Godd is better then all theise / that the couenant and bonde of religion doth excede all other bondes in the world. And that the lord doth both so will and commaunde / that we shuld esteame him aboue all thinges / and loue hym aboue al thinges / and that when he speakith we all shuld holde our peace / that there we shuld not thincke at all of coloured expositions and excuses / but only of symple and playne obedience / such / as we reade that Abraham shewed vnto Godd / whom Godd

[[Gen. 12.]]
[[Heb. 11.]]
[[Gen. 22.]]
[[Heb. 11.]]

commaunding hym / did go out of his countrie into a straunge lande / and when he did not refuse to sacrifice vnto the lorde his only Sonne / withough suspicion of crueltie. Truly in the hold gospell the lord dothe saye.

[[Luc. 14.]]

If a man come to me / and hate not his father / and mother / and wyfe / and children / and brethern / and systers / yea and his own lyfe also / he can not be my disciple. And whosoeuer doth not beare his crosse and comme after me / can not be my disciple. They truly which haue beene content to beare this ioke of the lords / haue neither lost themselues / yea thoughe they haue beene slayne of persequatours / nor yet their familie / which they dyd leaue in trobles and penurie of thinges. For by teachinge of experience and witnessing of histories / we haue lerned / that Godd by such miracles as haue beene done at the graues of martirs hathe witnessed / that they which wer killed / wer not loste but saued, that they wer not deade but lyuing. Furthermore we can not say nay but that Godd hathe blessed the families of such slayne martirs / and that he hath moued the hartes of goode men which haue receyued thos abiects and miserable persons into their custodie / so that they wanted nothinge. Besids this the godly do knowe that in this world they must honger / and that they must be exercised with diuers aduersities / that they may be made like vnto the image of Christ who was himself in all pointes tempted for vs /

[[Heb. 4.]]

lyke as we are / but yet without synne. But now this remaynith as yet to be discussed / which theis men do take as for an oracle / and most euident truithe.

[[Wether it sufficith to kepe faith in the harte, and not
confesse it with mouthe.]]

That it is sufficient if a man do keape the true faithe in his harte / and that ther is no farther neade of outward confession / through which thow shuldest be drowned in the deape of afflictions. Yf it doth suffice to beleaue in harte / and the confession with the mowthe seme not necessarie / wherfor I praye you Hath the lorde sayed? Euery one which confessithe me before Men. &c. Beholde he saythe before Men. But faith which stickith still in the harte is not brought forth before men. Yea it is not to be called a confession / when faith doth lurcke in the hart. For Confession doth properly bringe forth that which dyd lye hidden wythin. The Apostle therfor taking from vs all doubt in this controuersie.

[[Rom. 10.]]

The worde (sayth he) is nyghe the / euen in thy mouthe / and in thy harte. This same is the worde of faythe / whiche we preache. For if thow knowledg with thy mouth that Iesus is the lorde / and beleaue in thy harte that God raysed hym vpp from deathe thow shalt be safe. For to beleaue with the harte iustifieth / and to knowledge with the mowthe maketh a man safe. what canst thow desire to be more playnly and euidently spoken in this matier? Thow dost clearely heare that thow takest awaye saluacion if thow dost cut of the confession of the mouthe from the beleif of the hart. Yea and the beleif of the harte is that nature that it can not lye hydd / but must of necessite breake forth to be confessed with the mouthe. Yf the confession of the mouthe neadith not / neyther then shall ther neade ony preachinge of the truithe. But the Apostles / bushopps and faithfull martirs of Christ / when they preached euen amonge the wicked / haue most bitterly condemned Idolatrie / and all doctrine and worshipp which doth not agre with the holy gospell / and affirmed that the gospell only dothe teache the true worshipp of Godd. By that confession of mouthe they did glorifie Godd / they did disanull Iudaisme and paganisme / and did erecte many holy congregracions throughe the worlde / which by holdinge their peace and keapinge the true faith within their harte they shuld neuer haue edified. Wherof euery man seith that the confession of the mouthe is allwayes necessarie / and that it is required of euery one of vs. The notable examples also of the excellent seruauntes of Godd contayned in the scriptures do teache the same.

[[1. Reg. 19.]]

That same gret prophet of Godd Helias was ones of that mynde that he only of all the true worshippers of Godd was lefte alyue vppon the earthe. But he hearith euen of the lord hymself / which sayeth / I haue lefte me seuen thousand in Israel / of which neuer man bowed his knee vnto Baal nor Kyssed hym with his mouthe. Heere is nothinge spoken of the secret faithe of the harte / but of the outward fruites of true faithe. For theis wer outward thinges / to bowe the knees vnto Baal / and to kisse his Image with their mouth. It is saied that they did not theis thinges / and therfor are they taken for true and veray worshippers of Godd. The lorde / if he hadd thoughte that which theise our men do thincke / he might haue made mencion of the faithe of the harte without the outward confession / especially seing thos tymes wer so daungerous that Helias himself did flie into the wildernes. But the lord doth praise in his faithfull the outwarde confession / which was made in worcke / rather then in wordes. Wherfor we must shew forthe the faith of the harte both by deedes and wordes / after the exeample of theise seuen thowsande confessors whom God doth praise. We must not goo vnto vnholy assemblees / we must not bowe our knees nor vncouer our heades before Idolls / we must not kisse thos thinges / which are contrarie to the gospell.

[[Dan. 3.]]

Yf ony other in the whole world / thos the princes (of whom mencion is made in Daniell) might haue coloured ther Idolatrie / but they chose rather to submitt themselues to cruel punishment / then to bowe their knee before that Image which the kinge did sett vpp to be worshipped. Their men of ours wold haue sayed. It shalbe better to kepe faithe in the harte for the profitinge of many / then rashly to poore it furthe to the hurte of an infinite number. For so longe as we are safe / the miserable captiues shall receyue gret and many benefites: Yea and also we priuely may promote the truithe in the princes courte. But by this same vnceasonable confession / confusion of all thinges shall euen at ons ouerwhelme all theise thinges. And with out doubt they wold haue added that the Image which the kyng hadd sett vp was not altogether to be deputed among prophane thinges / forbicause that the true God had shewed the kinge a vision or an Image / which did conteyn great misteries of the kingdome of Godd / after the forme of which Image / Nabugodonozor hadd caused this Image to be made and graued / which Image the faithfull for the cause might beholde and reuerence as the worke of Godd. But thos valieant / and glorious Martirs do make mention of no suche thinge /

[[Dan. 3.]]

and though they did knowe the kinges mynd well inough in this matier / yet they do playnly saye to the kinge. Be this known vnto the (o kynge) that we wil not serue they goddes / nor do reuerence vnto that Image which thow hast sett vpp. Neither did they only vse this libertie of speache before the kyng / but willingly they offered ther bodies to all daungers / yea euen to most fearfull fires.

[[Dan. 6.]]

Daniel also did not thincke that Godd was religiusly inough worshipped and serued with the inwarde faithe of the harte / except he had added the outward confession also. For when thos hethen princes did laye snares for hym / of which he was not ignorant / and therfor might peaceably haue prayed to the lorde within his walles at home / yet wold he not dissemble in this matier. For what doth the scripture saye? This / that when Daniel perceyued what the kinge hadd commaunded / he wente into his howse / and the windows of his wall towardes Hierusalen stode open. There kneled he down vpon his knees thre times a daye / he made his petition and praised his Godd / and so opened he his confession to Godd. This same most holy prophet of Godd mighte seme to be beside hymself thus willingly to procure euill to hymself / and as it wer without neade to prouoke the enemies of Religion against hym: but the scripture doth not settfurth vnto vs ony error / no vnconsideratnes or rashe boldnes in this matier / but doth teache vs playnly to yelde vnto Godd confession in deedes and in wordes. Vnto theis examples of the holy scripture we will now adde other thinges which do agre with them (for thos thinges which do diagre from the scriptures we passe litill or nothing at all / what autoritie so euer they haue amonge men)

[[Ecclesiast. hist. lib. 6. cap. 28.]]

This we will do out of the Ecclesiasticall historie. Eusebius entreating of such things as Origen did / makith mencion that Origen did mightily oppugn a new heresie which did springe vpp in his tyme / it was called the heresie of Helchesaites / and at lenghth he did happily extinguishe it. He shewith that they among many other things did holde this heresie / that if a man did denie in persequution he synned not at all / forbicause that he which is stable and confirmed in his harte / although he doth denie with the mouthe for necessitie / yet as touching the harte he abidith in faithe. By which wordes truly euery man may perceyue that the same pestilent errour is brought agayn as it wer out of hell / in our age / and se that he ought cheifly to beware of it as of an heresie condemned. The same Eusebius in the viij. booke doth sett furth notable examples of many martirs of Christe which did frely confes the truith / out of whom I will recite vnto your godlynes theise few thinges / wich without doubt will be acceptable vnto all. They whos mynd (saithe he) was more readie and their faithe more stronge / suffered torments. Sum wer beaten with whippes / other were tormented with iron houes / sum other wer burned with fierye plates / of whom many indeed being weried did gyue ouer. But other did abide paciently euen to the end. Sum of the persequutours them selues verely / as thoughe they hadd vsed pitie / did bringe many of our men to the wicked sacrifices / and made a noise as though thay hadd sacrificed / when indeede they hadd not sacrificed. Of sum other when they hadd not so mutch as come nighe the vncleane sacrifices / they did crye out / that they had already sacrificed and did now depart. Which wer only faultie (I praye you marcke theise wordes) in this / that they did with silence beare the fault which was obiected against them. Sum being taken vpp half alyue were thrown awaye as thoughe they hadd beene deade. Sum beinge drawn out by the feate / were accompted amonge them which hadd sacrificed. Other cryed out that they were Christians / and dyd glorie in the confessinge of that healthfull name. Many also with a greater confidence did testifie that they neither hadd / neither wold sacrifice euer. Whos mouthes and eyes the tormentours did forthewith beate / to cause them to holde ther peace / and they wer with violence thrust forthe as though they hadd done the thinge. For so the enemies of godlynes did mutch esteame it / if at least wise they did but seeme to bring to pas that which they wolde. Many other thinges like vnto this / might I add / partly out of the Tripartita historia / partly out of Eutropius. But theis are sufficient: And theis do plainly and euidently inough proue / that the lord doth require of true Christians / a true and playne confession of the mouthe / yea euen in the gretest daungers and furies of the persequutors and therfor that theise tenderlinges do most manifestly err / which do thincke otherwise / only to saue their filthie paunche.

[[Of ceremonies.]]

It remaynith now right Reuerend fathers / and most deare brethern in Christe that I shuld breifly touche also theis mens reasoninges of popishe Ceremonies / which I said at the begynning they do wittyly handle to persuade themselues / and others / that no man by the partakinge of them doth either defile himself / or by it denie the religion of the gospell. And surly it is well known that the name of Ceremonies not being narowly weyed / hath bewitched the eyes of many / not only in this but in other controuersies of religion. It is therfor to be known that Ceremonies are nothinge els but holy rites. And of Ceremonies sum are called diuine which are instituted (I saye) of Godd himself / sum other are called humayne / such as are inuented by mans will.

[[Diuine ceremonies.]]

But of the dyuine or ceremonies of God / sum belonged to the olde poeple / of which the writinges of the prophetes and apostles do beare witnes that they wer abrogate in Christe. Sum do belonge to the new poeple that is to Christians / which were delyuered vnto them of Christe by the Apostles / and thos truly very fewe / as of holy assemblees / of sacramentes / and certayn ecclesiasticall obseruacions / which are declared in the writinges of the Apostles.

[[Humaine ceremonies.]]

Of ceremonies enuented by man ther is almost neither measure nor end. For they wer enuented and established at dyuerse tymes / and that by diuers and sundry autors / and they were so delyuered and instituted of them / that they do not only not consent with the holy scriptures but they be contrary to them / insomutch that they do deface and corrupt the ordinaunces which Godd hath instituted / and do put them out of place. Of this kinde is that churche deckinge and dressinge / in which Images haue the cheif place. Of the same sorte also is Massinge / straunge apparell / synging / and feastes appointed to saintes which be in heauen / and other innumerable of this sorte. All which truly the papistes do adorne with the title of ceremonies / which when the simple and such as haue litill knowledge do heare / they do Imagine sum holy thinge as thoughe that all theis thinges were sent down out of heauen from the lord Godd hymself to be kept. But heere we do admonishe men that they must stey sumwhat / and must sumwhat more diligently make difference betwene ceremonies / and must more narowly loke / whether that theis ceremonies (of which we do contend) be of Godd or of man. Euery man knowith that none in defiled by such ceremonies as are of Godd. And he which denieth that a man is defiled by humayn ceremonies / he seith nothing at all. For though I do not again vrge that which I saied euen nowe / that thos humayn ceremonies are contrary to Goddes worde / and do defile Godds ordinaunces / corrupt them and hyde them / can that be obscure or vnknown to ony man which our lord Iesus Christe doth playnly with expressed wordes bringe out of Esaye?

[[Mat. 15.]]

They do serue me in vaine / teachinge the doctrines and preceptes of men.

[[Tit. 1.]]

Again that which Paule doth affirme that they be commaundements of men that tourn awaye the truthe? And that the holy Martir of Christe propownced?

[[Cypriani epist. lib. 1. epist. 8.]]

It is adulterus / it is wicked / it is sacrilegus / whatsoeuer is instituted by mans furie to violate the ordinance of Godd. And for this cause the godly will not call theis ordinances ony longer / ceremonies / simply / but rather mans institutions / and supersticions / which are reiected and forbidden of Godd. Wherfor howsoeuer theis men do beautifully set furth and adorn theise thinges / yet shall they neuer bringe this to passe / that the goddly will beleaue that it is lawful for them to communicate with supersticions / and such institucions as are forbidden of God: Neither will the godly beleaue but that theis thinges are forbidden / except the papistes shall proue by playne testimonies of the scripture that they are so instituted of Godd as they do vse them. Which thinge when it can not be proued of them / nor yet at all of ony other of the papistes / sum of our false gospellers do turn them selues hither / that they saye that Paule also did vse forbidden ceremonies /

[[Paul circumcised Timothee.]]

and that the prophetes of Godd did reproue the sacrifices / which they neuertheles did partake without synne. And if we do graunte them this altogether / how can they (I praye yow) helpe or sett furth their cause? We reade that Paule vsed ceremonies instituted of Godd / circumcision and sacrifices / but theis men do contend for ceremonies instituted by men. Paul did ons circumcise his Timothie /

[[Actu. 16. 18. 21.]]

and did ons ore twis take on him a vowe / and that for certayn and weightie causes. But theise men couet to waxe old in their supersticions / and haue no lawfull causes to do so / except thow wilt call that lawfull which commith of the affections of the fleshe. Without doubt Paule wold not haue one ore two of his actes to be sett against his whole doctrine. But whi do they not rather folow Paule in that /

[[Gal. 2.]]

when he refused to circumcise Titus? seing like causes are ministred vnto them by thos which go about to spoile them of their libertie / and bring them into bondage.

[[Hovv the prophetes reproued Sacrifices and vver also
partakers of them.]]

We do saye that ther were two sortes of the Sacrifices among the old poeple of Israel. Sum of them are redd to be instituted of Godd / which the poeple sum tyme abused / or els did not vse them with true faithe / which thing the prophetes did reproue / and not the Sacrifices themselues / of which they did partake religiusly and without synne: Euen as we reade that Paule did worthely partake the supper of the lorde / although he doth reproue the abuse of the supper in the Corinthinians. Other sacrifices ther were enuented by man / such were the sacrifices of Baal / and of Ieroboam / and thos which were done in the hilles. Theis truly the prophetes did reproue / but it is not redde that they did communicate with the same. This example therfor is of force against them which will excuse themselues by the example of the prophetes / in that they do partake such sacrifices as are instituted of man.

[[Hovv sum do thincke that they may be at Masses, and hovv thei
vnderstond the masse.]]

Forthewith then they saye / what is it to me though papistes do abuse the Masse? In their abuse I do call to mynd the true vse / and I comme vnto it with an other mynde and vnderstondinge then they do saye it. For when I see the breade and cupp / I do not thincke vppon the transubstanciation which the pope hath fayned / but on the sacrament of Christe. And therfor when I am at masse I do not regarde what ceremonies be ther / ore what the minister is / but I do remember the very institution of Christe and I do spitiually receyue that / wich he doth saye that he doth corporally offer and receyue / for the lyuinge and the deade. and seinge I know that the vertue of the sacrament is not of les force for the varietie of ceremonies / ore the vnworthines of the ministers / I do suppose that I / which do well vse an euell thinge / am neither defiled / nor yet that by this my spirituall communicating I do denie the gospell. By theise wordes a man wold iudge theis men to be madd / except he do consider that it is not they which do thus speake / but feare / and desire / which are affections playnly most trobled. They do simply acknowledge that papistes do abuse the supper of the lorde / but yet (they saye) that they themselues do wel vse their abuse / forbicause they do come enstructed with an other meaninge then the papistes do it / not to heare a popishe masse which the papistes saye / but to receyue the supper of the lorde / the self same which they in their masse do thincke abhominable. I do not know whether ther can be ony greter absurditie spoken. Thow maiste saye that theis men haue learned an arte which hetherto no man coulde attayne / to robb a naked man of clothes / to wringe water out of a pumeise stone / and to bidde a man to get fishe in the aire / that is / at a table wher no meate is sett furth at all / to fare delicatly and to be filled. But go to / let them frely profes before them with whom they do thus communicate / that they be of that mynd which they speake of / that is / that in cumminge to Masse they will not comme to Masse / but that in it they will vnderstond and consider breade / yea and that they will sett before their myndes the supper of the lorde / that they wil not confes the popishe transubstantiation / but that they do here in acknowledge Christes Sacrament / and that they do well receyue that spiritually in the Masse / which the prest doth offer / and receyue bodily for the lyuing and the deade / which thinge he beleauith not. Will not all they forthewithe crye out / that ther holy Masse is vnhalowed / and that they which thinke so are heretikes / and that they which do communicate with them are excommunicated? Truly they wold so behaue themselues / that euery man might vnderstond / that ther is a grete difference betwene the Masse and the supper of the lorde / and that they do embrace the Masse / but the supper of the lord they do all wayes hate and reiect. With such a kinde of men yet do theis men communicate / which wold thincke it a hurtefull and damnable thinge / if they shuld admitte vnto their diuine seruice / the companions of the religion of the gospell with their faithe. For they do take the approuinge of their doctrine / to be the condemnynge of the religion of the gospell: And they do take the communion in the Masse to be a certayn confession and approbation of their religion. Who is it then which doth not se / that theis men do receyue no part of the lordes supper at all in the masse / but also that by comminge to the masse they do deny the supper of the lorde and the whole faithe of the gospell? Theis men saye that they passe nothing what the ceremonies be / what the ministers / for that the vertue of the Sacrament is not the wors for them. But the cheif question heer is not of the worthines of the ceremonies or ministers / but of the true vse and institucion of the supper of the lorde / and whither that the Masse as it is this daye vsed (I do not now speake ony thinge at all of that which was vsed aboue a thowsand yeares passed) wer so instituted of Christe / and be indeede the very supper of the lorde? Yf the Masse be that misticall supper of the lorde / it must needes be allowed of the lorde / and thow (if so be thow dost come to it in faithe) canst not but receyue therof the foode of lyfe / forsomutch as the vnworthnes of the mynister doth not hinder the. But if the Masse be not the supper of the lorde / if the supper of the lord be defaced corrupted and troden vnder fote by the Masse / truly thow shalt receyue no fruite therof / but shalt rather purchase to thy self greate gilte of synne / for that the gaye glosse of the ceremonies or ony worthines of the ministers shall not helpe the at all. Euen Ieroboam himself wold haue beene counted to haue sacrificed to the Godd of Israel: but yet bicause he did not sacrifice after the same manier which God had commaunded / but rather after that sorte which he himself hadd inuented amd instituted / godd did not accept his sacrifices / and thos did synne against godd and against true religion / yea and against the lawfull Sacrifices of godd / as many as did communicate with the sacrifices of Ieroboam. For both that Ieroboam synned / and that he did leade Israel to synne / the scripture doth repeate very ofte / to beate in to the heade of the whole worlde / that simple obedience doth pleas the lorde / in which we keape his ordinaunces after that manier only which he hath instituted / addynge nothinge / dyminishing nothing / and chaunging nothing in them.

I will not now reason how that the Masse doth agre nothing at all with the lordes supper / for this is euen to the eyes of all men often tymes shewed in many bookes of most lerned and godly seruantes of Godd. Yea euen children which are but instructed in the principles of faith / do know that Christe did institute a comon partaking / ore communion / in which all the faithfull which are one bodie in Christe are knitt together into one bodie / and that the Masse is a dissipacion of vnitie and a priuate deuowring of one lurching sacrificer. They knowe that Christ commaunded: Take / eate / diuide it amonge you / and drincke ye all of this. And that the Masse doth sett furth theis thinges to be gazed vppon / to be worshipped / to be caried about / and to be shutt vpp / to be handeled and also receyued of preistes only: They know that Christe sayd: Do this in the rememberaunce of me. And that the priestes do saye Masse in the rememberaunce of sayntes / that they do sacrifice for the synnes of the quicke and the deade / and to be short that they do say masse for euery thinge / for filthie lucres sake.

Ther were in the tyme of the Apostles certayn witty disputars which reasoned that it was lawful for Christians to eate meates offered vnto Idols. Meates offered to Idolls / were sacrifices vsed in the temples of Idolls / to be offered vnto Idols. Therfor thos faithfull men did contend / that it was lauful indifferently to communicate with the holy seruice of the Christians / and also to sytte down in the Idols feaste. They did add plausible expositions / that an Idoll was nothinge / bycause Godd was not represented by the Idoll / that ther is but one Godd / the same our true and euerlastinge Godd: Wherof it folowed that the Idoll was nothinge / that is to say a thinge of no valure or a very vanitie / that it could hurt no bodie / and that the very meate offered vnto the Idoll was a thinge of nothinge / that it did defile no man. But Paule with many wordes doth confute that folery. 1. Cor. cap. 8. 9. and 10. In this tenth chapter amonge other thinges he gatherith of the nature of the supper of the lord that a man maye not bothe be partaker of the supper of the lorde and of the table of Idols / and saith: Ye can not drincke of the cup of the lorde / and of the cup of deuils. Ye can not be partakers of the lordes table / and of the table of deuiles. Either do we prouoke the lorde? Are we stronger then he? Also the Apostles of Christe and elders of the churche of Hierusalem in that same greate and notable councell of Hierusalem / which of all that euer were was most holy and of most auctoritie / did playnly forbidd the Gentils / which were conuerted to Christe / thos meates offered to Idols. Yea and the lord Iesus hymself in the boke of the Reuelacion doth greuusly accuse and condemne them which do eate meate offered vnto Idols. This may ye se in the epistles of the churche of Pergamos and Thiatira.

[[Apocal. 2.]]

In the furst he saithe: But I haue a few thinges againste the / bicause thow hast there them that maintaine the doctrine of Balaam which taughte in balacke to put occacion of synne before the children of Israel / that they shuld eate of meates dedicate vnto Idolls and committ fornication / and so furth. I thincke here neadith not many wordes to shew wherfor I haue alledged thies sayinges of meates offered vnto Idolls: for all the godly do plainly see / that by like reason all diuine seruice that is vnholy / or contrary to Godds worde / with what colour so euer they be stayned / are forbidden and condemned. They see that all such expositions are put awaye / by which theise fearefull men / and such as do loue the worlde and worldly pompe to mutch / do leade themselues away from the right tracke / that they shuld not sincerely confes Christe.

[[The Conclusion and adhortation to fre confession.]]

All they which be godly do both see and perceyue that they which do desire to lyue euerlastingly haue neade to make a simple cleare and playne confession / they see that Christes name must be confessed / and that no man must communicate with Antichriste / how great so euer daungers do hange ouer them / and how gret so euer the aduauntages be which are offered vnto them. They see that they must treade down the feare and desire of the fleshe. The most holy Apostle of Christe writith of Moses.

[[Heb. 11.]]

By faith Moses when he was greate / refused to be called the sonne of Pharaos daughter / and chose rather to suffer aduersitie with the people of Godd / then to enioye the pleasures of synne for a ceason / and esteamed the rebuke of Christ greater riches / then the treasures of Egypt. For he hadd respect vnto the rewarde. Whos example (most goodely indeede) that we may folowe / we must alwais haue before our eyes and (as I iudge) we must neuer lett slypp out of our myndes thos most holy most true and healthefull wordes of our lord Christe / which I see neade often tymes to be repeated and inculcate:

[[Mat. 10.]]

Euery one that shall knowledge me before men / hym wyll I knowledge also before my father which is in heauen. But whosoeuer shall denie me before men / hym will I also denie before my father which is in heauen.

[[Luc. 9.]]

For who so is ashamed of me and my wordes / of hym shall the sonne of man be ashamed when he commith in his maiestie / and in the maiestie of his father / and of the holy Aungels. And therfor ther are in all places of the scripture most large promises sett furthe to them which do fely confes Christe / and deny Antichriste with a goode corage. Iohn in the boke of the Reuelacion /

[[Apocal. 6.]]

I sawe (saithe he) the sowles of them which wer filled for the name of Iesu and the word of God. And wher as in this furst place he hadd writon / them which wer filled / he added.

[[Apoc. 13. 19. 20.]]

And as many as worshipped not the image of the beast / nor did take the marcke in their foreheade / or in their hande / all which / whom he did se in the very same place / he couplith together and saythe. And they lyued and reigned with Christe. He saith that they lyued and reigned with Christe / not only they which were filled / but they which abiding in the constauntnes and confession of true faithe / did not worshipp the image of the beaste / nor receyued ony markes of it. The blessed Apostle Paule doth proue that we do receyue more in the rewarde of sufferinge / then it is that we do heere suffer in the affliction it self /

[[Rom. 8.]]

saying: for I suppose that the afflictions of this lyfe / are not worthie of the glorie which shal be shewed vpon vs. Who is it then that will not labor with all his poure to come vnto so greate an excellencie / that he may become the frend of Godd / and forthwith ioye with Christ? that after famin and banishement or tormentes and punishementes / which are but earthely / he may attayn vnto heauenly rewardes? Yf it be a glorius thinge for worldly souldiours to returne in to ther countrie triumphing after they haue vanquished their enemie / how mutch more worthi a thing is it for vs / after our fleshe the world and deuell beinge ouercomme / to go again with triumphe into paradise? And to offer vnto Godd a gifte most acceptable / faith incorrupte / the sownd vertue of mynd / and sincere confession of faithe / a notable praise of deuotion. To comme in his companye when he commith to take vengeaunce of his enemies / To stond by his syde when he shall sytte down to iudge / to be made the felow heire of Christe / to be made equall with the angels / to reioyce in the possession of the heauenly kingdom with the patriarches / with thapostles / with the prophetes / and all confessours and martirs. What persequution can vanquishe theis thoughtes / which are not uain / but of force / and of poure / in the holy ghoste? what tormentes can ouercome them? The mynd ons grownded in theis godly meditacions doth endure stronge and stable / and that mynd abydeth immutable against all the terrors of the deuell / and the threttes of the world / and of Antichriste / that mynd I say which the certayn and sure faith of thinges to come doth strenghthen. The eyes be shutt vpp in theis persequutions of the earthe / but heauen is open. Antichriste threatneth / but the lord Christe defendith. The world is taken from him that is killed / but paradise is gyuen to him being therunto restored. Temporall lyfe is taken awaye / but the euerlastinge lyfe is repayred. What a dignitie (o brethern) is it / how great a safetie / for a man to depart myrily from hens / to depart so through oppressions and trobles? It is a glorius thinge to shutt vpp the eyes in a moment / with which men and the world wer seene / and forthewith to open the same to se Godd and Christe. But that we maye behold theis thinges in mynde and thought / that we may (I saye) night and daye meditate theis thinges / and sincely confes the holy name of Christ / and escape and treade down all thinges which are contrary to pure confession / we must diligentlly praye vnto that same our heauenly father through Iesus Christe our lorde.

* * * * *
* * * *
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Errors and Inconsistencies

Frequent Variant Spellings: lenghth, poeple, satisficed; pix (pyx) Spacing in terms such as "whatsoeuer", "whosoeuer" is variable

Errors involving overline/tilde are shown here in {braces}.

Corrected Errors:
3 to maynteyne their false opinion [falfe]
4.v Rule which they must obserue is this [obseru{n}e]
" conuerting them to the gospell of christe [the{m} gospell]
22.v As is writen of Christe [it writen]
27 that thinges shuld not be doone [not not]
31 whearby eich man may easily iudge [indge]
34.v They were thinges indifferent
[_body text has "thin-" with "ges" only in catchword_]
38.v But let these papists giue [ginue]
41.v for the which they thinke that man to be ther own [whith]
[_spelling "whith" is a variant of "with" in this text_]
57 +hairein+ [+aireim+, printed without breathing]
58.v and do obstinatly defend it [a{n}nd]
60.v [Sidenote: Luc. 23.] [Lnc.]
67 and beloued Brethern in Christ [in in]
72 depart out of this lyfe in true faithe do not
[faithe-do _at line break_]

Unchanged Text, with possible correction in brackets:
8 or to make an acte prefect [perfect]
13 our weaklinges do not slyppe and foile them selues [soile]
15.v and be partakers withe Idolatrors [Idolators]
24.v thos deulishe dragges which ar in the Masse [drugges]
37 it wil brust forthe at lengthe [burst]
[_spelling "length(e)" is also unusual for this text_]
40.v it is aganist the furst table [against]
62.v [Sidenote: Dotor VVeston.] [Doctor]

Pre-existing Corrections:
In most cases it is impossible to tell whether these corrections
were made by the printer or by a later reader. Unless otherwise noted,
text in brackets represents conjectural words or letters, blacked out.

9.v The phisicions / do cowncell [that] when a contagius disease
17.v the begynynge of Christes ordinaunce and institution,
[_comma may be hand-written_]
38 vse the rite and ceremonie as the lord[r]e commaunded
38.v wicked actes and the do[y]inge of them
45 the corrupt blindnes of the vnbel[ea]uers
[_letter "e" printed above "a"_]
54 [Psal. 59]
[_printed text reads "95." with initial "9" crossed out and
following "9" added by hand, overwriting period_]
55 Augustine speaketh of. Many might[h]e
59 to [to] the glorie of his name
66.v By H.B.
[_name "Henry Bullinger" hand-written, possibly by librarian_]
75.v to keape peace with them [wit] he must
80.v ther is [[is]] almost neither measure nor end.
[_two-letter word could be "is", but there is no dot_]

Reconstructions and printing problems:
Unless otherwise noted, text in brackets is reconstructed from
visible parts of letters. Single letters are invisible.

3 [Sidenote: The furst Diui[s]ion]
9.v our naturall and [birthe] syn
12 thincke hymself greatlye gyltie of ony notable [cryme] or fault
12 being corrupted he did [allow]
[_word fits visible text, but is spelled "allowe" elsewhere_]
32 when they ar present at Idolatries /
[_page ends at mid-line, with sentence continued on next page_]
48.v for his plea[s]ure did chaunge Godds Religion
62.v [Sidenote: Lyberall [t]o Women]
79 if a man did denie in persequut[ion he] synned not

Page numbering
The printed book numbered folios (leaves); the back (left, verso)
side of each page was blank.
13: misprinted as 15
22-32: misprinted in sequence as 23-33, with correct 33 duplicated
27: misprinted as 82 (for "28" in incorrect sequence)
53: misprinted as 93

Misplaced u/v:
The printed book ordinarily used "v" initially, "u" later in the
word. Sidenotes used "vv" for "w". Exceptions are listed:

2.v But nowe I haue written unto you
4 frendlie / gentill / and louinge unto the vnbeleauers
5 and to obey them in thinges lawfvll
5.v [Sidenote: Conuersation vuith men excommunicate.]
9 euell ioyned vnto us?
" To the same pupose he usith the vearse of the poete Menander.
14 the lorde hadd gyuen them uictorie
20.v as the popishe brood haue and do sett upp,
86 which are not uain