Obrazy na stronie
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"Farewell, therefore, Cambridge, my loving mother and tender nurse. If I should not acknowledge thy manifold benefits, yea, if I should not for thy benefits at the least love thee again, truly I were to be accounted too ungrateful and unkind. What benefits hadst thou ever, that thou usest to give and bestow upon thy best beloved children, that thou thoughtest too good for me? Thou didst bestow on me all thy school degrees, the common offices, the chaplainship of the University, the office of the proctorship, and of a common reader; and of thy private commodities and emoluments in colleges, what was it that thou madest me not partner of? First to be scholar, then to be fellow, and after my departure from thee, thou calledst me again to a mastership of a right worshipful college. I thank thee, my loving mother, for all this thy kindness, and I pray God that his laws, and the sincere gospel of Christ, may ever be truly taught and faithfully learned in thee.

"Farewell Pembroke Hall, of late mine own college, my cure and my charge: what case thou art in now, God knoweth, I know not well. Thou wast ever noted since I knew thee, which is not thirty years ago, to be studious, well learned, and a great setter forth of Christ's gospel, and of God's true word; so I found thee, and, blessed be God, so I left thee, indeed. Woe is me for thee, mine own dear college, if ever thou suffer thyself by any means to be brought from that trade. In thy orchard (the walls, buts, and trees, if they could speak would bear me witness), I learned without book almost all St. Paul's epistles, yea, and I ween all the canonical epistles, save only the book of Revelation. Of which study, although in time a great part did depart from me, yet the sweet smell thereof I trust I shall carry with me into heaven; for the profit thereof I think I have felt in all my life time ever after, and I ween of late (whether they abide now or not I cannot tell) there were them that did the like. The Lord grant that this zeal and love towards that part of God's word, which is a key and true commentary to all the holy scriptures, may ever abide in that college so long as the world shall endure.

"From Cambridge I was called into Kent by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, that most reverend father and man of God, and of him by and by sent to be vicar of Herne, in East Kent, Wherefore, farewell, Herne, thou worshipful and wealthy parish, the first cure whereunto I was called to preach God's word. Thou hast heard from my mouth oft-times the word of God preached, not after the popish manner, but after Christ's gospel oh, that the fruit had answered to the seed. And yet I must acknowledge me to be thy debtor for the doctrine of the Lord's Supper, which at that time I acknowledge God had not revealed unto me but I bless God for all that godly virtue and zeal of God's word, which the Lord by preaching of his word did kindle manifestly both in the heart and in the life and works of that godly woman there, my Lady Phines, the Lord grant that his word took like effect there in many others

more.

"Farewell, thou cathedral church of Canterbury, the metropolitan see whereof I once was a member. To speak things pleasant unto thee I dare not for danger of conscience, and displeasure of my Lord God, and to say what lieth in my heart were now too much, and I fear were able to do thee now but little good. Nevertheless, for the friendship I have found in some there, and for charity sake, I wish thee to be washed clean of all worldliness and ungodliness, that thou mayest be found of God after thy name, Christ's Church, in deed and in truth.

"Farewell Rochester, sometime my cathedral see, in whom, to say the truth, I did find much gentleness and obedience, and I trust thou wilt not say the contrary, but I did use it to God's glory, and unto thine own profit in God. O, that thou hadst and mightest have continued and gone forward in the trade of God's law wherein I did leave thee; then thy charge and burden should not have been so terrible and dangerous, as I suppose verily it is like to be, alas! in the latter day.

"To Westminster, other advertisement in God I have not now to say, than I have said before to the cathedral

church of Canterbury, and so God give thee of his grace, that thou mayest learn in deed and in truth to please him after his own laws: and thus fare you well.

"O London, London, to whom now may I speak in thee, or whom shall I bid farewell? Shall I speak to the prebendaries of St. Paul's? Alas, all that loved God's word, and were the true setters forth thereof, are now (as I hear say) some burned and slain, some exiled and banished, and some holden in hard prison, and appointed daily to be put to most cruel death for Christ's gospel sake. As for the rest of them, I know they could never brook me well, nor could I ever delight in them.

"Shall I speak to the see thereof, wherein of late I was placed, almost, for the space of three years? But what may I say to it, being (as I hear say I am) deposed and expelled by judgment as an unjust usurper of that room. O judgment, judgment! Can this be just judgment to condemn the chief minister of God's word, the pastor and bishop of the diocese, and never bring him into judgment, that he might have heard what crimes were laid to his charge, nor ever suffer him to have any place or time to answer for himself? Thinkest thou that hereafter, when true justice shall have place, this judgment can ever be allowed either of God or man? Well, as for the cause or whole matter of my deposition, and the spoil of my goods which thou possessest yet, I refer it unto God who is a just judge; and I beseech God, if it be his pleasure, that that which is but my personal wrong, be not laid to thy charge in the latter day, this only I can pray for.

"O thou now wicked and bloody see, why dost thou set up again many altars of idolatry, which by the word of God were justly taken away? Why hast thou overthrown the Lord's table? Why dost thou daily delude thy people, masking in thy masses instead of the Lord's holy supper, which ought to be common as well (saith Chrysostom, yea, the Lord himself), to the people as to the priest? How darest thou deny to the people of Christ, contrary to his express commandment in the gospel, his holy cup? Why babblest thou to the people the Common Prayer in a strange tongue, wherein St. Paul commandeth, in the Lord's name, that no man should speak before the congregation, except it should be by and by declared in their common tongue, that all might be edified? Nay, hearken thou whore of Babylon, thou wicked limb of Antichrist, thou bloody wolf, why slayest thou down, and makest havoc of the prophets of God? Why murderest thou so cruelly Christ's poor silly sheep, who will not hear thy voice, because thou art a stranger, and will follow none other but their own pastor, Christ, his voice? Thinkest thou to escape, or that the Lord will not require the blood of his saints at thy hands? Thy God, which is the work of thy hands, and whom thou sayest thou hast power to make, that thy deaf and dumb God (I say) will not indeed, nor can (although thou art not ashamed to call him thy Maker) make thee to escape the revenging hand of the High and Almighty God. But be thou assured, that the living Lord, our Saviour and Redeemer, who sitteth on the right hand of his Father in glory, he seeth all thy wicked ways and cruelty done to his dear members, and he will not forget his holy ones, and his hands shalt thou never escape. Instead of my farewell to thee, now I say, Fie upon thee, fie upon thee, and all thy false prophets.

"Yet thou, O London, I may not leave thee thus. Although thy episcopal see, now being joined in league with the seat of Satan, thus hath now both handled me and the saints of God, yet I do not doubt, but in that great city there are many privy mourners, who do daily mourn for that mischief, who never did nor shall consent to that wickedness, but do detest and abhor it as the ways of Satan. But these privy mourners here I will pass by, and bid them farewell with their fellows hereafter, when the place and occasion shall more conve niently require. Among the worshipful of the city, and especially which were in office of mayoralty, yea, and in other cities also, (whom to name now it shall not be necessary), in the time of my ministry, which was from the latter part of Sir Rowland Hill's year, unto Sir

George Barnes's year, and a great part thereof, I do acknowledge that I found no small humanity and gentleness as I thought: but, to say the truth, that I do esteem above all others for true christian kindness, which is shewed in God's cause, and done for his sake. Wherefore, O Dobs, Dobs, alderman and knight, thou in thy year didst win my heart for evermore, for that honourable act, that most blessed work of God, of the erection and setting up of Christ's holy hospitals, and truly religious houses, which by thee, and through thee were begun. For though, like a man of God, when the matter was moved for the relief of Christ's poor weak members, to be holpen from extreme misery, hunger, and famine, thy heart, I say, was moved with pity, and as Christ's high houourable officer in that cause, thou callest together thy brethren, the aldermen of the city, before whom thou breakest the matter for the poor; thou didst plead their cause, yea, and not only in thine own person thou didst set forth Christ's cause, but to further the matter, thou broughtest me into the council chamber of the city before the aldermen alone, whom thou hadst assembled there together to hear me speak what I could say, as an advocate by office and duty, in the poor man's cause. The Lord wrought with thee, and gave thee the consent of thy brethren; whereby the matter was brought to the common council, and so to the whole body of the city; by whom, with an uniform consent, it was committed to be drawn, ordered, and devised, by a certain number of the most wise, and politic citizens, endued also with godliness, and with ready hearts to set forward such a noble act, as could be chosen in all the whole city; and they, like true and faithful ministers, both to their city and their master Christ, so ordered, devised, and brought forth the matter, that thousands of poor members of Christ, who else for extreme hunger and misery would have famished and perished, shall be relieved, holpen, and brought up, and shall have cause to bless the aldermen of that time, the common council, and the whole body of the city, but especially thee, O Dobs, and those chosen men, by whom this honourable work of God was begun and wrought, and that so long throughout all ages, as that godly work shall endure; which I pray Almighty God may be ever unto the world's end. Amen.

"And thou, O Sir George Barnes, the truth is to be confessed to God's glory, and to the good example of others, thou wast in thy year not only a furtherer and continuer of that which before thee by thy predecessor was well begun; but also didst labour so to have perfected the work, that it should have been an absolute thing and perfect spectacle of true charity and godliness unto all Christendom. Thine endeavour was to have set up a house of occupations, both that all kind of poverty, being able to work, should not have lacked whereupon profitably they might have been occupied to their own relief, and to the profit and commodity of the commonwealth of the city, and also to have retired thither the poor children brought up in the hospitals, when they had come to a certain age and strength, and also all those who, in the hospitals aforesaid, had been cured of their diseases. And to have brought this to pass, thou obtainest, not without great diligence and labour, both of thee and of thy brethren, and of that godly King Edward, that christian and peerless prince's hand, his princely palace of Bridewell, and what other things to the performance of the same, and under what condition it is not unknown. That this thine endeavour hath not had like success, the fault is not in thee, but in the condition and state of the time, which the Lord of his infinite mercy vouchsafe to amend when it shall be his gracious will and pleasure.

"Farewell now, all you citizens that are of God, of what state and condition soever you be. Undoubtedly in London you have heard God's word truly preached. My heart's desire and daily prayer shall be for you, as for whom, for my time, I know to my Lord God I am accountable, that ye never swerve, neither for loss of life nor worldly goods, from God's holy word, and yield unto antichrist: whereupon must needs follow the extreme displeasure of God, and the loss both of your

bodies and souls into perpetual damnation for ever

more.

"Now that I have gone through the places where I have dwelt any space in the time of my pilgrimage here upon earth, remembering that for the space of King Edward's reign, which was for the time of mine office in the sees of London and Rochester, I was a member of the upper house of parliament; therefore, seeing my God hath given me leisure, and the remembrance thereof, I will bid my lords of the temporalty farewell. They shall have no just cause, by God's grace, to take what I intend to say in ill part. As for the spiritual prelacy that now is, I have nothing to say to them, except I should repeat again a great part of what I have said before now already to the see of London. To you, therefore, my lords of the temporalty, will I speak, and this would I have you first to understand, that when I wrote this, I looked daily when I should be called to the change of this life, and thought that this my writing would not come to your knowledge, before the time of the dissolution of my body and soul should be expired; and therefore know ye, that I had before mine eyes only the fear of God, and christian charity toward you, which moved me to write; for of you hereafter I look not in this world either for pleasure or displeasure. If my talk shall do you never so much pleasure or profit, you cannot promote me; nor if I displease you, can you hurt me, or harm me, for I shall be out of your reach. Now therefore, if you fear God, and can be content to hear the talk of him that seeketh nothing at your hands, but to serve God, and to do you good, hearken to what I say. I say unto you, as St. Paul said to the Galatians; I wonder my lords what hath bewitched you, that ye so suddenly are fallen from Christ unto antichrist,-from Christ's gospel unto man's traditions,-from the Lord that bought you, unto the bishop of Rome. I warn you of your peril; be not deceived, except you will be found willingly consenters unto your own death. For if you think thus ;-we are laymen, this is a matter of religion, we follow as we are taught and led; if our teachers and governors teach us and lead us amiss, the fault is in them, they shall bear the blame.-My lords, this is true, I grant you, that both the false teachers, and the corrupt governor, shall be punished for the death of their subjects, whom they have falsely taught and corruptly led; yea, and his blood shall be required at their hands: but yet, nevertheless, shall the subject die the death himself also; that is, he shall also be damned for his own sin; for if the blind lead the blind, Christ saith, not the leader only, but both shall fall into the ditch. Shall the synagogue and the council of the Jews, think you, which forsook Christ, and consented to his death, therefore be excused, because Annas and Caiaphas, with the Sribes and Pharisees and their clergy, did teach them amiss? yea, and also Pilate their governor and the emperor's lieutenant, by his tyranny, did without cause put him to death. Forsooth no, my lords, no. For notwithstanding that corrupt doctrine, or Pilate's washing of his hands, neither or both shall excuse either that synagogue, or council, or Pilate; but at the Lord's hand, for the effusion of that innocent blood, on the latter day all shall drink of the deadly draught. You are wise, and understand what I mean; therefore I will pass over this, and return to tell you how you are fallen from Christ to his adversary the bishop of Rome.

"And lest, my lords, you may peradventure think, thus barely to call the bishop of Rome Christ's adversary, or, to speak in plain terms, to call him antichrist, that it is done in mine anguish, and that I do but rage, and as a desperate man, do not care what I say, or upon whom I do rail; therefore that your lordships may perceive my mind, and thereby understand that I speak the words of truth and sobriety (as St. Paul said unto Festus) be it known unto your lordships all, that as concerning the bishop of Rome, I neither hate the person nor the place. For I assure your lordships, the living Lord beareth me witness, before whom I speak, I do think many a good and holy man, many martyrs and saints of God have sat and taught in that place Christ's gospel

truly, which therefore justly may be called apostolical; that is, they were true disciples of the apostles, and also that church and congregation of christians was a right apostolic church: yea, and that certain hundred years after the same was first erected and builded upon Christ, by the true apostolical doctrine taught by the mouths of the apostles themselves. If ye will know how long that was, and how many hundred years, to be curious in pointing the precise number of the years, I will not be too bold, but thus I say; so long and so many hundred years as that see did truly teach and preach that gospel, that religion exercised that power, and ordered every thing by those laws and rules which that see received of the apostles, and (as Tertullian saith) the apostles of Christ, and Christ of God, so long, I say, that see might well have been called St. Peter and St. Paul's chair and see, or rather Christ's chair, and the bishop thereof apostolic, or a true disciple and successor of the apostles, and a minister of Christ.

"But since the time that that see hath degenerated from the rule of truth and true religion, which it received of the apostles at the beginning, and hath preached another gospel; hath set up another religion; hath exercised another power, and hath taken upon it to order and rule the church of Christ by other strange laws, canons, and rules, than ever it received of the apostles, or the apostles of Christ, which things it doth at this day, and hath continued so doing, alas, alas, for too long a time; since the time, I say, that the state and condition of that see hath thus been changed, in truth it ought of duty and of right to have the names changed, both of the see and of the sitter therein. For understand, my lords, it was neither for the privilege of the place or person, that that see and the bishops thereof were called apostolic; but for the true rule of Christ's religion, which was taught and maintained in that see at the first, and of those godly men. And therefore, as truly and justly as that see then, for that true rule of religion, and consanguinity of doctrine with the religion | and doctrine of Christ's apostles, was called apostolic, so as truly and as justly, for the contrariety of religion and diversity of doctrine from Christ and his apostles, that see and bishop thereof, at this day both ought to be called, and are indeed, antichristian.

"The see is the see of Satan, and the bishop of the same, that maintaineth the abominations thereof, is antichrist himself indeed. And for the same causes this see at this day is the same which St. John calleth in his Revelations Babylon, or the whore of Babylon, and spiritual Sodom and Egypt, the mother of fornication, and of the abominations upon the earth. And with this whore doth spiritually commit most abominable adultery before God, all those kings and princes, yea, and all nations of the earth which do consent to her abominations, and use or practise the same; that is (of the innumerable multitude of them, to rehearse some for example's sake) her dispensations, her pardons and pilgrimages, her invocation of saints, her worshipping of images, her false counterfeit religion in her monkery and friarage, and her traditions, whereby God's laws are defiled; as her massing and false ministering of God's word and the sacraments of Christ, clean contrary to Christ's word and the apostles' doctrine, whereof in particular I have touched something before in my talk had with the see of London, and in other treatises more at large wherein (if it shall please God to bring the same to light), it shall appear, I trust, by God's grace, plainly to the man of God, and to him whose rule in judgment of religion is God's word, that that religion, that rule and order, that doctrine and faith which this whore of Babylon, and the beast whereupon she doth sit, maintaineth at this day with all violence of fire and sword, with spoil and banishment (according to Daniel's prophesy), and finally, with all falsehood, death, hypocrisy, and all kind of ungodliness, are as clean contrary to God's word, as darkness is unto light, or light unto darkness; white to black, or black to white; or as Belial unto Christ, or Christ unto antichrist himself.

:

"I know, my lords, and foresaw when I wrote this,

that so many of you as should see this my writing, not being before endued with the spirit of grace, and the light of God's word, so many, I say, would at these my words lord-like stamp and spurn, and spit thereat. But sober yourselves with patience, an be still, and know ye that in my writing of this, my mind was none other, but in God, as the living God doth bear me witness, both to do you profit and pleasure. And otherwise, as for your displeasure, by that time this shall come to your knowledge, I trust, by God's grace, to be in the hands and protection of the Almighty, my heavenly Father, and the living Lord, which is, as St. John saith, the greatest of all, and then I shall not need, I trow, to fear what any lord, no, nor what king or prince can do unto me.

"My lords, if in times past you have been contented to hear me, sometimes in matters of religion before the prince in the pulpit, and in the parliament-house, and have not seemed to have despised what I have said (when as else if ye had perceived just occasion, ye might then have suspected me in my talk, though it had been reasonable, either from desire of worldly gain, or fear of displeasure,) how hath then your lordships more cause to hearken to my word, and to hear me patiently, seeing now ye cannot justly think of me, being in this case ap pointed to die, and looking daily when I shall be called to come before the Eternal Judge, otherwise but that I only study to serve my Lord God, and to say that thing which I am persuaded assuredly by God's word shall and doth please him, and profit all them to whom God shall give grace to hear and believe what I do say? And I do say, even that I have said heretofore, both of the see of Rome and of the bishop thereof, I mean after this their present state at this day, wherein if ye will not believe the minis ters of God, and true preachers of his word, verily I denounce unto you in the word of the Lord, except ye do repent betime, it shall turn to your confusion, and to your grief on the latter day. Forget not what I say, my lords, for God's sake, forget not, but remember it upen your bed. For I tell you, moreover, as I know I must be accountable of this my talk, and of my speaking thus, to the eternal Judge, who will judge nothing amiss, so shall you be accountable of your duty in hearing, and you shall be charged, if ye will not hearken to God's word, for not obeying the truth. Alas! my lords, how chanceth this, that this matter is now anew again to be persuaded unto you? Who would have thought of late, but your lordships had been persuaded indeed sufficiently, or that you could ever have agreed so uniformly with one consent to the overthrow of the usurpation of the bishop of Rome? If that matter were then but a matter of policy wherein the prince must be obeyed; how is it now made a matter wherein, as your clergy saith now, and so saith the pope's laws indeed, standeth the unity of the catholic church, and a matter of necessity of our salvation? Hath the time, being so short since the death of the two last kings, Henry VIII. and Edward his son, altered the nature of the matter? If it have not, but was of the same nature and danger before God then, as it is now, and be now (as it is said by the pope's laws, and the instructions set forth in English to the curates of the diocese of York) indeed a matter of necessity to salvation; how then chanced it that ye were all, O my lords so light and so little fixed upon the catholic faith, and the unity thereof, without which no man can be saved, as for your princes' pleasures, which were but mortal men, to forsake the unity of your catholic faith; that is, to forsake Christ and his gospel? And furthermore, if it were both then, and now is so necessary to salvation, how chanced it also that ye, all the whole body of the parliament agreeing with you, did not only abolish and expel the bishop of Rome, but also did abjure him in your own persons, and did decree in your acts great oaths to be taken of both the spiritualty and temporalty, whosoever should enter into any weighty and chargeable office in the commonwealth? But on the other side, if the law and decree which maketh the supremacy of the see and bishop of Rome over the universal church of Christ, be a thing of necessity required unto salvation by an antichristian law as it is indeed, and such

instructions as are given to the diocese of York, be indeed a setting forth of the power of the beast of Babylon, by the craft and falsehood of his false prophets (as by truth, compared to God's word, and truly judged by the same, it shall plainly appear that they are), then, my lords, never think otherwise, but the day shall come when you shall be charged with this your undoing of that which once ye had well done, and with this your perjury and breach of your oath, which oath was done in judgment, justice, and truth, agreeable to God's law. The whore of Babylon may well for a time dally with you, and make you so drunken with the wine of her dispensations and promises of pardon, that for drunkenness and blindness ye may think yourselves safe. But be you assured, when the living Lord shall try the matter by the fire, and judge it according to his word, then all her abominations shall appear what they are, then my lords (I give your lordships warning in time), repent ye if ye will be happy, and love your own souls' health; repent, I say, or else without all doubt, ye shall never escape the hands of the living Lord, for the guilt of your perjury, and breach of your oath. As ye have banquetted with the harlot in the fornication of her dispensations, pardons, idolatry, and such like abominations; so shall ye drink with her (except ye repent betimes) of the cup of the Lord's indignation and everlasting wrath, which is prepared for the beast, his false prophets, and all their partakers. For he that is partner with them in their abominations, must also be partner with them in their plagues, and in the latter day shall be thrown with them into the lake burning with brimstone and unquenchable fire. Thus fare ye well, my lords all. I pray God give you understanding of his blessed will and pleasure, and make you to believe and embrace the truth, Amen."

A lamentation of Bishop Ridley for the change of religion in England.

"Alas, what misery is thy church brought unto, O Lord, at this day! Where of late the word of the Lord was truly preached, was read and heard in every town, in every church, in every village, yea, and almost in every honest man's house, alas, now it is banished out of the whole realm. Of late, who was not taken for a lover of God's word, for a reader, for a ready hearer, and for a learner of the same? And now, alas, who dare bear any open countenance towards it, but such as are content in Christ's cause, and for his word's sake to stand to the danger and loss of all they have?

Of late there was to be found, many of every age, of every degree and kind of people, that gave their diligence to learn, as they could, out of God's word, the articles of the Christian faith, the commandments of God, and the Lord's prayer: the babes and young children were taught these things of their parents, of their masters, and weekly of their curates in every church: and the aged folk, who had been brought up in blindness, and in ignorance of those things, which every Christian is bound to know, when otherwise they could not, yet they learned the same by often hearing the children and servants repeating the same but now, alas, and alas again, the false prophets of Antichrist, which are past all shame, do openly preach in pulpits unto the people of God, that the catechism is to be counted heresy; whereby their old blindness is brought home again: for the aged are afraid of the higher powers, and the youth is abashed and ashamed, even of that which they have learned, though it be God's word, and dare no more meddle.

"Of late in every congregation throughout all England prayer and petition was made unto God, to be delivered from the tyranny of the Bishop of Rome, and all his detestable enormities; from all false doctrine and heresy ; and now, alas, Satan hath persuaded England by his falsehood and craft, to revoke her old godly prayer, to recant the same, and provoke the fearful wrath and indignation of God upon her own head.

"Of late by straight laws and ordinances, with the consent of the nobles and commonalty, and full agreement and counsel of the prelates and clergy, was banished hence the beast of Babylon; with laws, I say, and with

oaths and all means that then could be devised for so godly a purpose: but now, alas, all these laws are trodden under foot; the nobles, the commonalty, the prelates and clergy, are quite changed, and all those oaths, though they were made in judgment, justice, and truth, and the matter never so good, doth no more hold than a bond of rushes or of barley straw; nor public perjury no more feareth them than a shadow upon the wall.

"Of late it was agreed in England on all hands, according to St. Paul's doctrine, and Christ's commandment, as St. Paul saith plainly, that nothing ought to be done in the church, in the public congregation, but in that tongue which the congregation can understand, that all might be edified thereby, whether it were common prayer, administration of the sacrament, or any other thing belonging to the public ministry of God's holy and wholesome word: but, alas, all is turned upside down, St. Paul's doctrine is put apart, Christ's commandment is not regarded: for nothing is heard commonly in the church but a strange tongue, that the people doth not understand.

"Of late all men and women were taught after Christ's doctrine, to pray in that tongue which they could understand, that they might pray with their heart that which they should speak with their tongue: now, alas, the unlearned people is brought into that blindness again, to think that they pray, when they speak with their tongue they cannot tell what, nor whereof their hearts is nothing mindful at all, for that it can understand never a whit thereof.

"Of late the Lord's supper was duly administered and taught to be made common to all that are true Christians with thanksgiving and setting forth of the Lord's death and passion until his returning again to judge both quick and dead: but now, alas, the Lord's table is quite overthrown, and that which ought to be common to all godly, is made private to a few ungodly, without any kind of thanksgiving, or any setting forth of the Lord's death at all, that the people is able to understand.

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"Of late all that were endued with the light of grace, of understanding of God's holy mysteries, did bless God who had brought them out of that horrible blindness and ignorance, whereby in times past being seduced by Satan's subtleties, they believed that the sacrament was not the sacrament, but the thing itself whereof it is a sacrament, that the creature was the creator, and that the thing which hath neither life nor sense (alas, such was the horrible blindness) was the Lord himself, which made the eye to see, and hath given all senses and understanding unto man: but now, alas, England is returned again like a dog to her own vomit, and is in a worse case than ever she was: for it had been better never to have known the truth, than to forsake the truth once received and known; and now, not only that light is turned into darkness, and God's grace is received in vain, but also laws of death are made by high court of Parliament, masterfully to maintain by sword, fire, and all kind of violence that heinous idolatry, wherein that adoration is given unto the lifeless and dumb creature, which is only due unto the everlasting God: yea, they say they can, and do make of bread both man and God, by their transubstantiation, O wicked men, and Satan's own brood.

"Of late was the Lord's cup at his table distributed according to his own commandment, by his express words in the gospel, as well to the laity as to the clergy, which order Christ's church observed so many hundred years after, as all the ancient ecclesiastical writers do testify, without contradiction of any one of them, that can be shewed unto this day; but now, alas, not only the Lord's commandment is broken, his cup is denied to his servants, to whom he commandeth it should be distributed, but also with the same is set up a new blasphemous kind of sacrifice to satisfy and pay the price of sins both of the living and of the dead, to the great and intolerable contumely of Christ our Saviour, his death and passion, which was and is the one only sufficient and everlasting available sacrifice, satisfactory for all the elect

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of God, from Adam the first, to the last that shall be | John likewise in his Revelation, after he hath reckoned born in the end of the world. up a long catalogue of this mystical merchandise, at the "Of late the commandment of God, 'Thou shalt not last (as though he would knit up all his plain words, make thee any graven image, nor any likeness of any without any mystery at all, setting out the whore's merthing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth be-chandise), reckon up amongst the rest, and concludeth, neath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth; thou saying, and the souls of men too?' Whereupon, I pray shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them:' you else rose this true proverb in Latin, all things for (Deut. v. 8, 9.) This commandment of God, I say, was money are set to sale at Rome.' Was not that a worthy graven almost every where in churches, and learned of commendation of Christ's vicar in earth, that was written every body both young and old; whereupon images that of our holy father, one of the Alexanders, a Bishop of provoked the simple and ignorant people unto idolatry, Rome, in Latin ? as the wise man saith, were taken out of the churches, and straightly forbidden that any should any where either bow down to them or worship them; but now, alas, God's holy word is blotted and rased out of churches, and stocks and stones are set up in the place thereof. God commanded his word so to be ordered, that it might be had in continual remembrance at all times, and in every place; and on the other side he forbade images and idols so to be either made or set in any place, where any should bow down or worship them; but now, alas, that which God commandeth is not looked upon, and that which he forbiddeth, is masterfully maintained by falsehood and craft, and wickedly upholden.

"Of late all ministers that were admitted to the public office and ministry of God's holy word, in their admis. sion made a solemn profession before the congregation, that they should teach the people nothing, as doctrine, necessary to attain eternal salvation, but that which is God's own holy word, or may be thereon grounded without any doubt; whereby vanished and melted away of themselves many vain, yea, wicked traditions of man, as wax before the fire; but now, at one brunt, they are revived, and are in full hope also to return again in as great strength as ever they have been. And how can any man look for any other thing, but when you have received the head, you must also receive the whole body withall, or else how can the head abide? The head, under Satan, of all mischief, is Antichrist and his brood, the same is he which is the Babylonish beast. The beast is he whereupon the whore sitteth. The whore is that city, saith St. John, in plain words, which hath empire over the kings of the earth. This whore hath a golden cup of abomination in her hand, whereof she maketh to drink the kings of the earth; and of the wine of this harlot have all nations drunk, yea, and kings of the earth have committed fornication with her; and merchants of the earth, by virtue of her pleasant merchandise, have been made rich.

"Now, what city is there in all the whole world that, when St. John wrote, ruled over the kings of the earth? or what city can be read of in any time that, of the city itself, challenged the empire over the kings of the earth, but only the city of Rome, and that since the usurpation of that see hath grown to her full strength? And is it not read, that the old and ancient writers understand St. Peter's former Epistle to be written at Rome, and it to be called of him in the same epistle in plain terms Babylon? By the abomination thereof I understand all the whole trade of the Romish religion, under the name and title of Christ, which is contrary to the only rule of all true religion, that is, God's word. What word of God hath that wicked woman for the maintenance of her manifold abominations, and to set to sale such merchandise, wherewith (alas) the madness of man the wicked harlot hath bewitched almost the whole world? Did not St. Peter, the very true apostle of Christ (of whom this vile harlot beareth herself so high, but falsely and without all just cause) did not he, I say, give all the world warning of her pelf and trash, of her false doctors and apostles, after this manner in his latter epistle? But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you:' (2 Pet. ii. 1-3.) And doth not St.

"Vendit Alexander cruces, altaria, Christum : Vendere jure potest; emerat ille prius.'

"These two verses in Latin I have read thus translated into English rhyme :

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"Alexander our holy father the Pope of Rome,
Selleth for money both right and doom:
And all kind of holiness the holy father doth not stick,
To set to sale, ready money for to get.
And eke Christ himself he dare be bold,
To chop and change for silver and gold.
And why should any think this to be sore?

For what doth he sell but that he bought before.'
"I grant these verses to be light gear; and the verse
is but rude; but, alas! such conditions were more
wicked and lewd than any wit could express. If these
had been but the faults of one or a few in number, they
had been less pernicious, and might have been taken for
personal crimes, and not to be imputed unto that see;
but now, alas! the matter is more than evident to all
that have godly understanding, that these crimes are
grounded upon laws, are established by custom, and set
forth by all kind of wicked doctrine, falsehood, and
craft; and therefore now are not to be esteemed for any
one man's, or a few men's personal crimes, but are now
by laws, custom, and doctrine incorporated into that
wicked see, and maketh indeed the body of the beast
whereupon the abominable whore doth sit.

"But you would know which are those merchandises which I said this whore setteth for to sell, for which all her false prophets, with all their jugglings and crafty glosses, cannot bring one jot of God's word. Surely, surely, they are not only all these abominations which are come into the church of England already (whereof I have spoken somewhat before), but also an innumer. able rabblement of abominations and wicked abuses, which now must needs follow; as popish pardons, pilgrimages, Romish purgatory, Romish masses, Placebo and Dirige, with trentals and Scala Cæli, dispensations and immunities from all godly discipline, laws, and good order, pluralities, unions, and toties quoties, with a thousand more. Now shall come in the flattering friars, and the false pardoners, and play their old pranks and knavery as they were wont to do. Now shall you have (but of the see of Rome only, and that for money), canonizing of such saints as have stood stout in the pope's cause, shrining of relics, and from any kind of wickedness (if you will pay well for it), clear absolution a pœna et culpa, for thousands of years, yea, and at every poor bishop's hand and suffragan, ye shall have hallowing of churches, chapels, altars, super-altars, chalices, and of all the whole household stuff and adornment which shall be used in the church after the Romish manner, for all these things they must be esteemed of such high price, that they may not be done but by a consecrated bishop only. O Lord, all these things are such as thy apostles never knew. As for conjuring (they call it hallowing, but it is conjuring indeed) of water and salt, of christening of bells, and such like things, what need I to speak? for every priest that can but read, hath power, they say, not only to do that, but also hath such power over Christ's body, as to make both God and man, once at least every day, of a wafer cake.

"After the rehearsal of the said abominations, and remembrance of a number of many more, which, the Lord knoweth, grieveth me to think upon, and were too long to describe; when I consider on the other side the eternal word of God that abideth for ever, and the undefiled

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