The pope thinks his than Christ's. "is pure, turning souls: the witness of the Lord is true, and gives wisdom to little ones," &c. And again: "The words of the Lord are pure as silver, which is tried seven times." But how many ways hath the pope devised to build his house and authority, that a man may choose which him lust to follow, so that he follow not Christ! For (saith he in his heart) every one is as good or better than that which Christ ordained. This to be true a man may easily prove laws better him to think; because he persuades men to follow his devices, and persecutes them that love Christ and his word, or will not believe him and his doings to be above the scripture all these things he would not do, except he thought his ways the better. How many orders of monks, friars, nuns, canons, hermits, pilgrimages, pardons, relics, saints, masses, holy water, hath he set in his church (which all the scripture casts away as nought, because they be not taught us by God, but invented by the pope) for his vantage and vain Papists dif- glory! What diversity is among them (although they charge themselves the gospellers with that falsely), when they put their holiness in their coats; and some say a white cowl is more holy, some say a black, another sort a grey! Some say mass of requiem is best; other say, of scala cœli: some, of the five wounds; some, of our Lady. Some pray to one saint, as more in God's favour, and some to other. Some use Trinity knots, and other St Katharine's. Some have St Tronion's fast, other our Lady's, and many the golden Fridays. In the schools some hold of St Thomas, some of Duns, and other of Gabriel, or Bacon'. Some hold of Francis in religion; some of Dominick, some of Augustine; but the holiest was St Benet; for, as Fasciculus temporum says, he was so holy that he brought to heaven friars 5555, popes 24, cardinals 2000, archbishops 7000, bishops 15000, deans 5000, abbots 74, beside many nuns and holy sisters and priests. O holy St fer among in opinions of holiest things. [Of these distinguished leaders in scholastic theology the first, Thomas Aquinas (of Aquino) flourished about 1260; John Duns Scotus, 1300; Gabriel Biel, 1480; and Roger Bacon, 1270. ED.] [ St Benet: or Benedict, founder of the order of Benedictine monks, as the three immediately preceding were respectively of the Franciscan, Dominican, and Augustine religious orders. ED.] Benet, that was more holy than so many popes, friars, car- only school his scho the papists themselves. Matt. xvii. They have made them schoolmasters, whom they will Christ is the follow, of their own devising; whereas God the Father hath master of appointed his Son Christ, and said, "This is my well beloved lars, and Son, in whom I am well delighted; hear him." And he is agree not in that prophet of whom Moses wrote, saying: “The Lord your Deut. xviii. God will raise a prophet from among your brethren, like unto me: him shall ye hear; and that soul which will not hear Acts iii. him, shall perish." He is the wisdom of God the Father, 1 Cor. i. by whom he hath shewed his mercy and power to the whole world, and by whom he hath confounded the mighty and wise of the world; and he is God without beginning. These other which they call saints, or rather make them their gods, are found of late, and it is not many years since they lived. It is not since Francis, Augustine, and Dominick lived, much Francis. above 300 years: and if those be the pillars of God's church now, how did it stand afore their days? If these be the means to bring us to heaven now, how do they that died before that these men were born and known? God witnesses of Rev. xiii. his Son Christ, that he is the Lamb which was slain from the beginning of the world, and that by his death the sins of the whole world are forgiven, and that whatsoever we ask John xvi. him in his name he will give us. Dominick. only by We have no such promise made us in any other crea- Salvation ture: and therefore, if we ask any thing in their names, God Christ. needs not to give it us; for he hath not bound himself by any promise, as he hath to his Son Christ. God hath not found a new way of late for us to be saved by, but hath appointed one means for all ages, by which only we shall please him: that is, the merits and death of his dear Son, [The second edition reads, mass, and after—in the first the passage is wanting. The &c. may easily have been mistaken for & (and).— The sentence refers to the different forms of service used in different cathedrals. ED.] [PILKINGTON.] 6 England, repent. Christ Jesus our Lord. He is the strong rock, upon whom what house soever is builded, shall stand: all other be builded on the sand, and therefore shall fall. Therefore, England, how canst thou escape the great plagues written in this book, that had banished the word of God, that the people might not have it nor read it? The sheep heard not the voice of the true Shepherd, but the strange language of wolves, hirelings and thieves: yea, thou wast come to such a shamelessness and hatred of God's word, that thou could not suffer the clear light of the gospel to shine, nor the shrill trumpet of God's most holy word to sound in thine ears, which would confound all such enemies of God to have any place at all in thee. Mark well, England, in how miserable an estate thou wast, that thou mightest not hear God speak to thee by his word, nor believe what he teaches thee, but whatsoever pleases the pope to command thee, or the parliament to decree. What are those bishops worthy to have, which in one year space confirmed the preaching of the gospel of Christ and pure ministring of God's sacraments; and the same men within the same year, with the same impudent mouths and blasphemous tongues, brought in the pope, set up idols, banished Christ and his holy supper appointed for all men that will to receive it together, took away his holy gospel and sacraments; and placed by their authority the mass for one shaveling to eat up all, and bless the people with the empty chalice, and burned his preachers to fill their bellies? Moses commanded such blasphemers of God's name to be stoned: and yet they bear the name and title of ministers in Christ's church! If the Jews deserved all these vengeances, because they did not build God's house, what had thou, O England, deserved in this defacing and pulling it down; and hast thus changed God's house into a den of thieves, and made it the pope's market place, to buy and sell heaven, hell, and purgatory, to deceive christian souls, and deface the death and passion of our Saviour Christ? Thou didst set up idols to be worshipped, and sought help at stocks and stones. Therefore how much need hast thou to pray unto God, that he would give thee good rulers! for thou must believe as they do and if they love not God, thou shalt not' hear him speak unto thee by his word; and if they will not worship God aright, thou shalt not be suffered to do it, if thou would. Can any people escape unpunished, that thus mocks God? Or if God's mercy were not unspeakable, could he have holden his hands thus long, but have poured out his vengeance, and thrown his thunderbolts in every corner of thee, to destroy thee before these days? If thou wilt not glorify God in repenting, he will glorify himself in destroying thee. Mark how many days God hath forborne to punish thee; and so many days hast thou had, of his endless mercy, granted thee to repent in and if thou do it not by times, look not for the contrary, but thou shalt be made an example to the whole world, a laughing stock to thy enemies, a prey and slave to all countries round about thee. their own own houses rather than What can be thought of those, which will ever follow that which the prince desires, but that they seek their own pleasure and profit with all diligence, which the prophet calls here to run to their own houses? that is as much to say All build as, With all their wit and power they do satisfy their lusts, seek their pleasures, hunt and gape for their own God's. profit, to enrich themselves, build costly houses, and lay land to land, and never think they have enough. Would to God they which preach Christ were not guilty in not building God's house as they should, as well as others be! If it be taught of contention, ambition or vain-glory, Paul saith he is glad Phil. i. that Christ is preached; but woe, be to him that teaches for such causes, and preaches not for pure love and duty to his Lord God, seeking his own glory! All preachers must say (be their gifts never so great), "Not unto us, Lord, not Psal. cxv. unto us, but to thy name give all praise and glory." And The praise all the hearers must say, "We do not believe the word, because such a man teaches it, but because God spake it:" for the authority of the gospel hangs not on the messenger which brings it, but on God's majesty which sends it. For as Peter and John, when they had healed the blind beggar, and the people marvelled, said, "Why do ye wonder, as though Acts ii. [Not and and are wanting in the second edition: they are here inserted from the first. ED.] is God's. The Text. It is profitable to repeat one thing oft. Phil. iii. we had done this by our own power and holiness?"—so must all preachers say, Wonder not at us, but praise God whose messengers we be, and him whose Spirit he hath given to speak in us. For it is not we that speak, when we speak any truth: but it is the Holy Spirit of God that speaks in us, whose instruments we be. Thus have all parts been guilty of not building God's house the Lord for his mercies' sake forgive us all that which is past, and stir up our minds to do our duties more diligently from henceforth, that we may escape the plagues which follow! v. 10. Therefore the heavens are shut up from giving their dew upon you, and the earth is closed from yielding their fruit. 11. And I will call a drought upon the earth, and upon the hills, upon the wheat and upon the new wine, upon the oil, and upon whatsoever the earth bringeth forth, upon man, and upon beast, and upon all the labour of your hands. Now follows the other kind of persuading, which the prophet uses that is, of the great plagues that hang over their heads, if they did continue in this stubbornness, and would not build God's house. For although they had suffered great things, yet these were much greater which were to come; and God would not hold his hand, until they went earnestly about to build his house, as they were commanded. In the further verse he repeats the plagues in other words, which he spake of before; and doth more plainly tell' the cause of all the scarceness that was among them, and why of so great labour they had so little fruit and increase. Here we may see how necessary it is often to repeat and beat in one lesson, because we be so dull to learn. And although many be weary to hear one thing often, yet St Paul saith to the Philippians: "I am not weary, and it is profitable for [This is the reading of the first edition: the second, which was revised by the author himself, and which is generally followed in this reprint, except in typographical errors, has: and more plainly took the cause. ED.] |