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And upon that M. More concludeth his first book, that M. More's whatsoever the church, that is to wit, the pope and his conclusion. brood, say, it is God's word, though it be not written, nor confirmed with miracle, nor yet good living; yea, and though they say to day this, and tomorrow the contrary, all is good enough and God's word; yea, and though one pope condemn another (nine or ten popes a row) with all their works for heretics, as it is to see in the stories, yet all is right and none error. And thus good night and good rest, Christ is brought asleep, and laid in his grave, and the door sealed to, and the men of arms about the grave to keep him down with poleaxes. For that is the surest argument, to help at need, and to be rid of these babbling heretics, that so bark at the holy spiritualty with the Scripture, being thereto wretches of no reputation, neither cardinals, nor bishops, nor yet great beneficed men; yea, and without tot quots and pluralities, having no hold but the very Scripture, whereunto they cleave as burs, so fast that they cannot be pulled away, save with very singeing them off.

The surest way to oppress true to lay the preachers

doctrine is

fast.

A SURE TOKEN THAT THE POPE IS ANTICHRIST.

pope

is antichrist.

AND though unto all the arguments and persuasions The pope which he would blind us with, to believe that the with his sect were the right church, and that God for the multitude will not suffer them err, we were so simple that we saw not the subtilty of the arguments nor had words to solve them with, but our bare faith in our hearts; yet we be sure and so sure that we can therein not be deceived, and do both, feel and see that the conclusion is false, and the contrary true.

For first Peter saith (2 Pet. ii.) There shall be false 2 Pet. ii.

Rom iii.

A swarm of sects set up by the

pope.

teachers among you which shall secretly bring in damnable sects, denying the Lord that bought them, and many shall follow their damnable ways, by whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of, and with feigned words they shall make merchandise over you. Now, saith Paul, (Rom iii.) The law speaketh unto them that are under the law. And even so, this is spoken of them that profess the name of Christ. Now the pope hath ten thousand sects cropen in, as pied in their consciences as in their coats, setting up a thousand manner of works to be saved by, which is the denying of Christ. And we see many, and almost all together follow their damnable ways. And in that Peter said that they shall rail and blaspheme the truth, it followeth that there shall be a little flock reserved by the hand. of God to testify the truth unto them, or else how could they rail on it? and it followeth that those railers shall be the mightier part in the world, or else they durst not do it. Now what truth in Christ doth not the pope rebuke, and by setting in setting up false works deny altogether? And as for their feigned words, where findest thou in all the Scripture, purgatory, shrift, penance, pardon, pæna culpa, hyGod's word. perdoulia, and a thousand feigned terms more? And as for their merchandise, look whether they sell not all God's laws and also their own, and all sin, and all Christ's merits, and all that a man can think. To one he selleth the fault only, and to another the fault and the pain too; and purgeth his purse of his money and his brains of his wits, and maketh him so beastly, that he can understand no godly thing.

The pope

up of false

works de

nieth the truth of

The pope selleth sin and pain,

and all that

can be sold,

Matt. xxiv.

And Christ saith, (Matt. xxiv.) There shall false anointed arise and shew signs and wonders: that is, they shall shew miracles, and so prevail that if it were possible, the elect should be brought out of the true way. And these false anointed, by the same rule of Paul, and in that Christ saith also, that they shall come in his name, must be in the church of Christ, and of them that shall call themselves Christian, and shall shew their wonders before

the élect and be a sore temptation unto them, to bring them out of the way. And the elect which are few in comparison of them that be called and come feignedly, shall, among that great multitude, be kept by the mighty hand of God against all natural possibility. So that the church and very elect shall never be such a multitude together by themselves without persecution and temptation of their faith, as the great multitude under the pope is, which persecute and suffer not. And these which the

pope calleth heretics, shew no miracles, by their own confession, neither ought they, inasmuch as they bring no new learning, nor aught save the Scripture which is already received and confirmed with miracles. Christ also promiseth us nought in this world, save persecution for our faith. And the stories of the Old Testament are

also by Paul, 1 Cor. x. our ensamples. And there, though God at a time called with miracles a great multitude, yet the very chosen that received the faith in their hearts, to put their trust in God alone, and which endureth in temptations, were but few and ever oppressed of their false brethren, and persecuted unto the death, and driven

unto corners.

The popish church are persecutors ferers.

but no suf

1 Cor. x. The church

of Christ is

ever perse

cuted.

The church ofantichrist church, and ever the

is the false

And when Paul (2 Thess. ii.) saith that antichrist's Thess. ii. coming shall be by the working of Satan with all power, signs and wonders of falsehood, and all deceiveableness for them that perish, because they conceived not love unto the truth, to be saved by: and therefore shall God send them strong delusion or guile, to believe lies; the text must also pertain unto a multitude gathered together in Christ's name, of which one part, and no doubt the greater, for lack of love unto the truth that is in Christ, to live thereafter, shall fall into sects, and a false faith under the name of Christ, and shall be indurate and stablished therein with false miracles to perish for their unkindness. The pope first hath no Scripture that he dare The pope is abide by in the light, neither careth, but blasphemeth that his word is truer than the Scripture. He hath mira- of God.

greater number.

a devilish blasphemer

The pope is above king and emperor.

The pope persecuteth the word of God.

St. Paul describeth

the pope and his in their colours.

cles without God's word, as all false prophets had. He hath lies in all his legends, in all preachings, and in all books. They have no love unto the truth, which appeareth by their great sins that they have set up above all the abomination of all the heathen that ever were, and by their long continuance therein not of frailty; but of malice unto the truth, and of obstinate lust and self will to sin. Which appeareth in two things: the one, that they have gotten them with wiles and falsehood from under all laws of man, and even above king and emperor, that no man should constrain their bodies and bring them unto better order, that they may sin freely without fear of man. And on the other side, they have brought God's word asleep, that it should not unquiet their consciences, insomuch that if any man rebuke them with that, they persecute him immediately and pose him in their false doctrine and make him an heretic, and burn him and quench it.

And Paul saith (2 Tim. iii.) In the latter days there shall be perilous times. For there shall be men that love themselves, covetous, high-minded, proud, railers, disobedient to father and mother, unthankful, ungodly, churlish, promise-breakers, accusers or pick quarrels, unloving, despisers of the good, traitors, heady, puffed up, and that love lusts more than God, having an appearance of godliness, but denying the power thereof. And by God's word power I understand the pure faith in God's word which is is the pow- the power and pith of all godliness, and whence all that er and pith pleaseth God springeth. And this text pertaineth unto them that profess Christ. And in that he saith, having an appearance of godliness, and of that followeth in the text, of this sort are they that enter into men's houses and lead women captive laden with sin, ever asking and never able to attain unto the truth (as our hearers of confessions do) it appeareth that they be such as will be holier than other, and teachers and leaders of the rest. And look whether there be here any syllable that agrecth not unto our

of all goodness.

Confession.

themselves.

spiritualty in the highest degree. Love they not them- Love is of selves their own decrees, and ordinances, their own lies and dreams, and despise all laws of God and man, regard no man but them only that be disguised as they be? And

as for their covetousness which all the world is not able to Covetous. satisfy, tell me what it is that they make not serve it: insomuch that if God punish the world with an evil pock, they immediately paint a block and call it Job, to heal the disease, instead of warning the people to mend their High living. And as for their high mind and pride, see minded. whether they be not above kings and emperor and all Proud. names of God, and whether any man may come to bear rule in this world except he be sworn to them and come up under them.

Disobedi.

ent.

ful.

And as for their railing, look in their excommunication, Raiiers. and see whether they spare king or emperor or the Testament of God. And as for obedience to father and mother, nay, they be immediately under God and his holy vicar the pope, he is their father, and on his ceremonies they must wait. And as for unthankful, they be so Unthankkind, that if they have received a thousand pound land of a man, yet for all that they would not receive one of his offspring unto a night's harbour at his need, for their founder's sake. And whether they be ungodly or no, I Ungodly. report me unto the parchment. And as for churlishness, Churlish. see whether they will not have their causes venged, though

breakers.

it should cost whole regions, yea, and all christendom, as ye shall see, and as it hath cost half christendom already. And as for their promise or truce breaking, see whether Promise any appointment may endure for their dispensations, be it never so lawful, though the sacrament were received for confirmation. And see whether they have not broken all the appointments made between them and their founders. And see whether they be not accusers and Accusers. traitors, also, of all men, and that secretly, and of their very own kings, and of their own nation. And as for their headiness, see whether they be not prone, bold, and run Heady.

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