holy word punish and condemn all false doctrine and filthiness: therefore God will confound all such filthy mouths, as blaspheme him or his holy word, to be the cause of any kind of naughti

ness.

Justice.

XIII. "All liberty is now used," he says:

where indeed justice was not better ministered these many years, even as the wiser and indifferenter sort of papists do grant. Call to remembrance how sharply unnatural lust', conjuring, witchcrafts, sorcery, &c. were punished with death by law in the gospel time of blessed King Edward. When were these laws repealed, but in the late days of popery? Then judge, whether there was greater liberty to sin under the christian king, or under superstitious popery. But the sodomitical papists think these to be no sins, and therefore beastly do misuse themselves, defiling themselves both with spiritual and sodomitical uncleanness. Whether is there more liberty given to sin, when such sins be made death by order of law, or when the laws appoint no punishment for them? Surely the gospel is unjustly blamed in giving carnal liberty, and popery rightfully condemned in taking away the pain, and opening a door to all mischiefs. Who lives more licentiously than the pope himself, without all fear of God, good order, and God's law, doing what he will? So be all his scholars, following their own father's steps.

In these my sayings I go not about to prove us angels, yet surely not such devils as he would make us, but in comparison of them we be saints. Therefore let us both amend, that God may be merciful to both, and glorified in both. And as the examples in his beginning were good, if they had been well applied, so is his conclusion.

[This expression is altered from the original.-"This offence, being in the times of popery only subject to ecclesiastical censures, was made felony without benefit of clergy by statute 25 Henr. VIII. c. 6. revived and confirmed by 5 Eliz. c. 17." Blackstone's Commentaries, Book iv. chap. 15. Vol. IV. p. 216. Lond. 1791.-It was made felony, punishable with death, loss of lands, &c. by the statute of Henry, which was so far repealed by 2 and 3 Edw. VI. as to remit the forfeiture of lands, &c. and wholly repealed, with several other penal statutes, by 1 Mar. c. 1. ED.]

XIV. I will conclude with him therefore, in the right sense and meaning of it saying with him: "Return to the steps of the good fathers, the prophets and apostles, framing yourselves to follow their doctrine: be not carried away with strange and diverse doctrine of popes, contrary to God's holy word, and invented of late by men. Embrace the religion and faith taught from the beginning, in Christ's church, from time to time continually." Flee this new-fangled popish superstition, which has crept into the church of late years, and believe that only which Christ has taught, and his apostles and martys have confirmed, "and frame your lives accordingly; or else God's vengeance hangs over your heads, ready suddenly to fall upon you: and let this token of brenning of Paul's be an example and token of a greater plague to follow, except ye amend;" which God grant us all to do! Amen.

:

A PRAYER.

Most righteous and wise Judge, eternal God and merciful Father, which of thy secret judgment hast suffered false prophets in all ages to rise for the trial of thine elect, that the world might know who would stedfastly stick unto thy undoubted and infallible truth, and who would be carried away with every vain doctrine; and yet by the might of thy Holy Spirit hast confounded them all, to thy great glory, and comfort of thy people have mercy upon us, we beseech thee, and strengthen our weakness against all assaults of our enemies: confound all popery, as thou did the doctrine of the Pharisees; strengthen the lovers of thy truth, to the confusion of all superstition and hypocrisy: give us due love and reverence of thy holy word; defend us from man's traditions: increase our faith; grant us grace never to fall from thee, but uprightly to walk according as thou hast taught us, swerving neither to the right hand nor the left, neither adding nor

taking any thing away from thy written word; but submitting
ourselves wholly to thy good will and pleasure, may so
pass this transitory life, that through thy goodness
we may live everlastingly with thee in thy
glory, through Christ our Lord, who with

thee and the Holy Ghost lives and
reigns one God and our

Saviour, for ever
and ever.

(*)

Have not I hated them, O Lord, that hate thee, and even pined away because of thine enemies? Psal. cxxxix.

I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your enemies cannot gainsay and withstand. Luke xxi.

FINIS.

HERE FOLOWE

ALSO CERTAINE QUESTIONS PROPOUNDED BY HIM,
WHICHE ARE FULLYE ALTHOUGHE SHORTLY

AUNSWERED.

I. Which is the catholic church?

Hiero. con

St Augustine and St Jerome do say: "The church is a visible company August.cap. 4. Epist. of people gathered of Christ our Lord and the apostles, and continued Fund. unto this day by a perpetual succession, living in one faith apostolical, tra Lucifer. under Christ the head, and his vicar in earth, being the pastor and high bishop. Out of this catholic and apostolical church is no trust of salvation1."

St Augustine says: "Whosoever shall be out of this church, although August, Epist. 1512. his life be esteemed to be very good and laudable, by this only fault, that he is disjoined and separated from the unity of Christ and his church, he can have no life, but the wrath of God hangs over him."

St Cyprian says: "He separates himself from Christ, that does against Cyprianus de Simplici. the consent of the bishop and clergy3."

St Jerome does say: "We must remain in that church which is Hiero. con

[In catholica ecclesia * tenet me consensio populorum atque gentium: tenet auctoritas miraculis inchoata, spe nutrita, caritate aucta, vetustate firmata: tenet ab ipsa sede Petri apostoli, cui pascendas oves suas post resurrectionem Dominus commendavit, usque ad præsentem episcopatum successio sacerdotum. Augustin. contra Epist. Manich.

cap. 5. (Iv.) Tom. v. p. 269. ed. Paris. 1837.

Super illam petram ædificatam ecclesiam scio. Quicunque extra hanc domum agnum comederit, profanus est: si quis in arca Noe non fuerit, peribit regnante diluvio. Hieron. Epist. xiv. ad Damasum. Tom. iv. Pars i. p. 19. ed. Paris. 1706. If the reference in the margin to the treatise "contra Lucifer." be correct, the passage intended must be that quoted below in note 1. p. 618. ED.]

[2 Ab ea vero separati, quamdiu contra illam sentiunt, boni esse non possunt: quia etsi aliquos eorum bonos videtur ostendere quasi laudabilis conversatio, malos eos facit ipsa divisio. August. Epist. CCVIII. (al. ccx.) Tom. II. p. 1177. ED.]

[An esse sibi cum Christo videtur, qui adversus sacerdotes Christi facit; qui se a cleri ejus et plebis societate secernit? De Unitate Ecclesiæ: (vulgo De Simplicitate Prælatorum:) p. 83. Ed. Fell. Oxon. 1700. ED.]

tra Lucifer.

founded of the apostles, and does endure unto this day by a succession of bishops, to whom the Holy Ghost has appointed the rule and government of this church, sanctified by Christ's blood-shedding. Nor let heretics take any comfort to themselves, if they can frame out of the chapters of the scripture for their purpose that which they say, seeing the devil has alleged some things of scripture: for the scriptures consist not in reading, but true understanding." If we will be members of Christ's church, we must continue firmly in that faith and religion, that was sent from the apostolical see of Rome, by St Gregory, into England: which faith and religion was planted and stablished by St Augustine in this realm." St Augustine stablished mass and seven sacraments to be used in the Latin tongue, as Gildas does witness, and such manner of divine service as is now used.

The Answer to the First Question.

St Austin, in the first place alleged, has no such definition, although the most part of the words which he puts there are true: and would to God he considered how much he speaks against himself herein! This is that which we defend, that the church is gathered by Christ and the apostles first, and continues, not in the papistical but in the apostolical faith, under Christ our head, who rules his church still by his Holy Spirit and word, and has not put it into the hands of any one only general vicar in the earth, as he untruly says: whereas their church is builded not on Christ, but on the pope's decrees, which the apostles never knew, and were unwritten many years after the death of the apostles, and are always uncertain, changing ever, as it pleases the pope for his time to determine: and their church has had at one time three or four popes for their heads, like a monster with many heads; some country following one pope, some another, as their head. We say also, that the papists have divided themselves from this church of Christ, making themselves synagogues and chapels, gods, and religion of their own devising, Judg. xvii. as Micha did, contrary to God's word: and therefore the wrath of God hangs over them, except they return, how holy soever they pretend to be.

[1 In illa esse ecclesia permanendum, quæ ab apostolis fundata usque ad diem hanc durat. * * Nec sibi blandiantur, si de scripturarum capitulis videntur sibi affirmare quod dicunt, quum et diabolus de scripturis aliqua sit locutus, et scripturæ non in legendo consistant, sed in intelligendo. Adv. Lucifer. Tom. iv. Pars ii. p. 306. Paris. 1699. ED.]