OWr Lorde / being the autour of peace and vnite & not of stryfe & dissencion / anon from the begininge and from the fyrst calling of his people the Iewes / he most straightly bound them to gither reteyned into the felowship of one bodie bothe with lawes ecclesiastik and politike . Isa. lvij i. Cor. xiiij . For he commanded them to cleaue onely to the one god / him onely to call vpon / him onelye to loue & worship / yea and that with no nother rites nor by nonother wais then himself had prescribed and taught them he prescribed them not aftir their own deuyce / not in euery place thei listed / but in one place / at one altare / and that aftir his own prescript lawes to sacrifice / and not any where els to runforthe to strange gods for helpe / lest thei shuld diuyd their hertis vnto manye with helpinge gods or saintes as thei be nowe called : but as thei were the membres of one body / so to haue respecte onelye to one god / his lawes onely to obserue and fermelye to perseuer & abyde in vnite and concorde of religion . And althoughe this peple then beinge vnder the Iuges did often tymes erre & transgresse yet abode thei in that vnite / namely vnder Samuel and Kinge Dauid and in the fyrst yeres of king Solomon his raigne . But that firste most vngodly and ambicious herety a Hieroboam dissolued and broke this auncient intire vnite of that chirch / for he did fyrste set vp the Calues to be worshiped in Dan and Bersaba / inuenting a newe religion & a newe worship for god / that is / euen a strange worship agenst gods lawe wherby himself with his peple were alienated from God and his trwe worship / he so diuiding the hertis of the peple that thei coude nether depende onely nor wait vpon the onely one God and his lawes / nor yet agree amonge them selues in any ciuile societe . Hieroboam the fyrst heretyke . The .iij of the kinges ca. xi . & xij . For let our faith ☞ and religion be once corrupt diuided & mixt with mens dreamed rites / supersticious ceremonies / troublous tradicions with armed Actis and articles / and anon there must nedis folowe ciuyle sedicions bataill and stryfes as ye may see it this daye begun . And here by the waye / thow shalt knowe that an heretyk is he that by false doctryne or by defendinge the same / diuideth any chirch whiche was / or is lykelye to be / wel instituted . who be heretykes . But in these troublous contencions and sedicious strifes the pore miserable peple were then greuouslye tormoiled and tormented vntil the Lorde with the swerde of the Assirions did kut of and made an ende ( for that tyme ) of their abhominable heresies and scismes / as euen now aftir the thrustinge away of the Gospell graciouslye offced vs / there must nedis folow blody bataill and mutacions of kinges and realmes as the stories & wordes of the Byble playnly declare . For when Princes feare that the worde of peace and obedience frely and purely preached wold make mutacion tumulte and sedicions and so for this cause represse the free course therof ether by puttinge the prechers to silence / by banisshing them or burning them / then ( be thei sewer ) Quod verebantur / hoc accidet illis . Iob. iij. That at thei feared shall come vpon them / the Lord so threatening and adsewering them saing . For as asmich as this people abhorred the swete waters of Silo that flow so still ( Silo is the swete gospel of peace sent vs ) & hath rather pleasure in this king Rezin & in the sone of Romilus / that is in their wont wiked Romisshe rites and tradicions : Isa. viij behold / behold saith the Lord / I shall cause the mighty flowdes to swel vp and to breake in vpon them / euen the kinge of the Assirions / whose parte ( aftir the way be made for him by the ciuyle batalls of the christians emonge them selues ) the greate Turke shall play it . Oh Immanuel .

Let this therfore be a warninge in tyme to all realmes christen / wherin because the very Hieroboams euen the counsails of the Bisshops with their captiued seculare armes haue most heretically & scismatykly with their borowed seclar swerd kut in sondre the most holy vnite and concorde of Christes chirche mangled and hacked into so many decent rites & laudable ( as thei saye ) ceremonies &c / by burning and banisshing the fre trwe prechers / holdinge yet fast in their honowr the Popes thorney tradicions and false religion diuiding the peples hertis from god into a thousande wais / workes / worshipings / merites / saintes to pray with / or for vs ( I can not tell whether ) some sent to the Bisshops boke for their saluacion / some to the Actes of the perlement to seke oute their articles of the Popes faith fathered by these sedicious Hieroboams counsail vpon the Kinge & his Nobles / but none do thei sende to the holye Byble / albeit vnder a colowr it be layd in euery parissh Chirch and the curate which ether with an euill wille or els can skant spel it / commanded to reade it . Because ( I saye ) these faccious bocherely Hieroboams haue made lyke diuision in our chirches / therfore a lyke swerde ( if thei repent not in tyme ) abideth them to diuide thir heads from their bodies and their soules from god . But I returne to where I left of . Then was there yet left in Iudea two trybs whiche worshiped the Lorde at Hierusalem / which peple for al this godly monicion and blody ensample at Israel their neyghbours captyuite / yet dyd theis twe● trybs haunt still their newe gods and a newe wais in worshiping their verye God aftir their owne deuices mixt togither with gods prescripte lawes . Wherfore euen those same two trybs also / it behoued into the vengeance taking of their heresy and diuision ( Heresy ( I saye ) is a scabbe which diuideth christen chirches ) to be kut away withe the swerde of the Caldeis . Heresie For so sayd the Lorde oft before by his ꝓphetis . Thus thou seest ( good reader ) how that stryf and batail ☞ folowe the diuision of the vnite of chirches and the corrupcion of religion : which vngodlines / heresyes / and scismes / the swerde of the Turke at laste must kutte clene awaye / when our vnientle Hieroboams wil not suffer the sweet swerde of gods worde peaceably preched to diuide vs from owr wiked lyuinge into the vnite of one faithe onely therby to be iustified / and into one and the same christen religion to be baptized .

From the returne out of the Babilonik captiuite / for a lytle space the Iewes were somwhat more religious / perseuering in the vnite of the trwe doctrine . And then were there Bysshops vnto whose cure the doctryne of the trwthe and vnite of the chirch was committed : but aftir that the bisshops neglected the doctryne and began to studie scolde and stryue who shulde bere most rule making altercacion for crownes / myters / diademes / robes / rochettes / bisshopryks and I can tell for what wother popissh paludaments or rather very nugaments / euen the very badges of their lordly bysshopryks : The heresies & scismes aftir the Babilonyk captiuitie / when bishops ruled . then at laste begane the trwe religion to be shaken in sondrye and scatred / and euil men were sprongen vp / which yet for their shyning hipocrysye semed somwhat pope holy / whiche openly stered vp heresyes / that is to saye / sectes and diuisions from the holy tradicion of the lawe / and in conclusion brought the people into varye and diuerse contrarye faccions & scismes Omnia enim plena fiunt impij 〈◊〉 vanitas exaltatur inter filios hominum . And so by their own tradicions and institucions thei derkened and oppressed the holy sacred religion of god / yea by their hipocrysy and supersticion thei vtterly so deformed it / that thei made it abhominable heresye ( as thei haue now done ) and new lerning to be lothed & detested of all men / Insomiche that Iohn Bapt. and Christe himself now comen / the trwe religion / pure gospell / and the playne doctrine of the trwthe were skant knowne / for that thei were so vtterly deformed & corrupted ( as thei be now I saye ) with mennis vayn tradicions . This corrupte deformite and abhominable corrupcion began aboute the tyme of the Machabeis and so forth encreased the yeres folowinge . For Iosephus verely writing of the Iestes of Ionathas / in the .xiij. boke of his Antiquites / the .viij. chap. saith that in the same tyme there were iij. sectes or heresies emonge the Iewis / whiche sectary or hereticall men beleued contrary and ●●●ersly of owr iustificacion / of mans state and condicion : iij. sects before christes coming of whiche one was the Pharisaikal secte / the tother / the secte of the Saduceis / and the thirde the Essenes . For these sectes preceded the coming of Christe into flesshe not litle lesse then an .c.xlviij. yeres / but in their owne opinions / in their habits / and almoste in all thinges / thei were firste of all amonge themselues / and sone aftir from the wother comen sorte / most diuers and most contrary . And thei drewe aftir them to folowe the same their owne folisshe facions very many / in somich that at laste euen the priests and full many of the greatest lerned descended into their orders and instituts For we haue herdeoute of the testimony of Iohn th euangelist / the Leuites and priestes to haue bene pharisais / yea ond the Apostle Paul said himself to haue had ben the moste straightest folower of the pharisayes secte / so that what soeuer was sene to these men to be ordined enacted and decreed ( as ye see it nowe ) in thinges concerninge the faith and religion of god / it was decreed enacted and made so fast of them that noman might saye agenst it / and it was set forthe and geuen of the priests to all the peple for gods law and for his decrees / and were called the decente rites of their fathers and laudable tradicions of their elders / of which tradicions Paul incidently maketh mencion in the .i. chap. to the Galathians / and Mat. in the .xv. chap. Ioan. i. Gala. i. Philip. iij. The tradicions of the pharises fathers . These pharisais wolde be exalted and excell the more in autorite & glory for that their own tradicions mat . xv Phariseis . rytes and ceremonies aftir their own pleasure inuented semed aftir their own corrupt iugemente to them selues and to other lyke / lesse then other mens institucions to varye from the holy scriptures . Their conuersacion and outward lyuing semed sober abiect / and as though thei wolde be litle set by / geuinge themselues to no excesse nor to no dilicate superfluite nor superfluous daintyes . Thei beleued althingis to be caried of fortune / chaunce / and destiney ( as thei call it ) but yet in the mean ceason free liberty thei toke not fro man . These aknowleged the iugement of god / the paynes of the euil and rewardes of the good / thei confessed the immortalite of soules and the resurreccion of the bodies . Some saye thei had their name of phares which signifieth to seꝑate or diuide for thei shewed themselues in their hole habit and lyuing to be holier then the comon peple / and so for their pure holynes to be diuided from them ( as nowe of late were / & yet be / owr pharisais ) some then into cloisters / and some yet into collegis / wearing distinct aparel and shauen crownes from the layite . Some thinke thei had their names of a nother hebrew worde whiche signifieth to explane and interprete scripturs / for thei were the cheif and moste busyest prechers & techers of the peple / which thing I beleue the more / because the story of the gospell declareth our Lorde often tyme to haue had refuted their false gloses vnwriten verites and vntrwe exposicions / playn examples there ar setforth in Mat. v. and .xv. chapt Forthermore / the Saduceis wold apere to kepe no nother obseruacions besyds the law of Moses / these gaue nothing to fortune and destinye / but to the free lybertye thei attributed althinges . Saduceis . For thei threw althings subiecte vnder owr own power / aknowleginge owr owne selues to be the autors of good workes . Thei denyed to be any spirits and aungels and the resurreccion of the dead / which thing Luke in the actis of the apostles sheweth / and therfore were thei estiewed of the pharisais as men most vile and vnpure / and thus was there perpetuall stryfe betwixte them both . xxiij . ca Wherof euen the sory miserable vnlerned peple was so wrapped and intricated in their stryffes and diuersite of their inuented dreamis that not onely thei might not vnwrap and lose themselues out of these perplex tryfles / but thei were made ignorant of the very right and trwe way of their iustificacion and of the trwe waye of their saluacion / which rightwyse making onelye by faith and trwe wais of saluacion thorow Christe onely / when Iohn Bapt. and chryst and his apostles wold repare declare & shew them playnly and openly / then thei reputed and toke them for siche haynous heretiques preching agenst them / that there was neuer no kynde of doctryne so bitterly refused / unpugned / thrust from them / and dampned of the pharisais and saduces as was christis holy & trwe prechinge / in this mischeif thei consented / although thei neuer agreed emonge them selues in their doctryn . For neuer had Christe owr Lorde and christis verite more pernicious enymies ( as ye yet see it this day ) then the Pharisais and Saduceis . And as for the Essenes / who so lyste to see them in their owne lyuely colours paynted / let him loke but on a Monke of the charture house / or a fryer obseruant / whom Plinye paynteth very lyuely in his fyrste boke of the natural storyes ca. xvij . and Iosephus in his .xviii. boke of thātiquites ca. ij . and in his .ij. boke of the Iewes batail cap. vij . Essenes . Nowe compare the state of their tyme to owr tyme and to owr pharisais . Of the vnite & Scisme of christen chirches . But yet ( christen reader ) that thou mightest the clearlyer by comparinge togither / vnderstand this hole cause and mater of the sectis of the Iewes / thowe muste know those heresyes to be very lyke the sectis and heresyes whiche in these laste dayes haue ben / and yet ar sprongenvp in the chirche of christe . Christe with his apostles deliuered to vs the doctryne of vnite / that is to weit / onely helthe & saluacion to be setforth in him onely / which alone is owr iustificacion / holymaker / satisfaccion / euen that hoost once alone for all offerd vp for owr synnes / owr mediator / intercessor / and to be shorte / he alone is vnto his faithful chirch althings and in althingis . He commanded his apostles to glewe togither his chirche by this perfit doctrine of vnite into one bodye / and by his Baptisme and Brede brekinge to gather them togither nowe conseigned and sealed vp togither / so to seke allthings in th onely sone of God / that thei emonge themselues thorow loue might consent and godly agree being all one thinge in christe / and that there be no dissencions nor sectis in his chirch / vnto no creatures being addict vnto none but to christe hir spouse dedicatinge hirself / when nether Paul nor Peter was crucified for hir nor she hirselfe baptized into the names of any men . This doctrine of vnite / those same goodmen which in times past professed and taught it / and by the same doctryne conserued the vnite / the christen chirches held them for catholyk and faithfull / but the aduersaries and fyghters agenst this doctryne and vnite thei toke them for heretiques . The catholike and heretyk● . And so for certayne . C. yeres the chirch was conserued in the euangelik vnite by the godlynes erudicion / and diligent watche of the faithfull flockfeders of christe / whom thei called bisshops . But aftirward when these bisshops ( this doctryne of the vnite neglected ) began to scolde and brawle aboute ( I can not tell what ) tryfles questions of naughte / and to bende and applye their ambicious myndes to be lordes and occupy kingdom● / thorow their satanicall altercacions and most pestiferous prophane ambicion / the doctryne of vnite was smiten oute of wynt . For then satisfaccions / wilworks / good deadis / money and mennes merites bought and solde began to be bosted and preched for men to come to heuen by them / wherby the merite of christis passion was blotted out of mennis brestis and mennis hertis were diuided in sondre . Then was it disputed ( as ye haue sene it of late in owr parleaments and conuocacions ) of the intercession and prayinge to saints / and of their worshiping ( god saue it ) and of the veneracion of images and reliques / of purgatory / vnwriten verites / of Kinges autorite and power ouer gods holy euerlasting worde / of gay significacions for decent ceremonies and laudable rytes / of preistis vowes / Sacraments / and I can not tell what : and whether thei might be sewerlyer stablisshed by mortall menis transitory new vayne actes / then by the olde euerlastinge worde of the euer lyuinge god . Here of lo / ar the hertes of the faithfull thus abstracte from the doctryne of vnite / that thei seke not althingis at / and in christe : yea and in those lyke dayes of disceptacion paste / there enfolowed the diuision of the weste empery from the easte / and that euen for the worshipinge of images . Then the Monkes with all the false religious rablement thrusted in them selues whiche with their dirtye doctryne confirmed faste this forsaid defeccion and ●affall / encreasinge the same with newe addicions and toputtings / and odious ordinances out of their nwne sike heads deuillisshly dreamed . These mōstrese monks and flatering fryers ( with their Poped and Cardinaled holy bisshops and shauelings assisting them ) inuented and caryed into the chirche newe fathers / newe rules / newe vowes / newe felowships and false fraternities / newe wiked worships / newe names / newe Sacraments / newe ceremonies rytes tradicions / yea and a newe god to / and to be breif / all newe and all agenst the olde holye scriptures / so that if thou wolust seke for the olde institucions of God thow shalt nowhere in their new doctrine of diuision fynde their propper names / and yet ( by your leaue ) these Monks with their shauen sorte / as thei differ and discorde in habite / aparell and in their lyuing / so did thei yet neuer agree amonge themselues in their doctryne . For thei fyght one agenste another / thei haat / thei curse and banne eche other / but agenst chryst thei be all one . The peple folow their faccions / doctrynes and actis made as thei lyfte / and is kut and diuided into more then a thousand peeses . These fryerly flyes monkisshe monsters / and busye blynde bysshops ( their counsell gathered ) decree what thei lyste / and defende it with the seculare swerde / then thei cause it to be often in the yere red and preched to all the world and receyued payne of death / and with these their owne dead dreames ar the miserable mortal men implexed and masshed / yea and so madded / that as thei can not vnderstande their newe strange termed scolastik doctryne and vntrwe theologie / so can thei not know the holsome playn doctryn and trwe diuinite of Christe and his apostles . For whyls thei be set of these blynde goydes into a thousande wais / by misses / by vowes / by intercession of saintes / by pardons / satisfaccions / by & thorow purgatory / yeretids / mōthids / by their owne works and other mens merits and all for money / the pore wretches not knowing christe the very waye / nor ones so hardye to open their lippis / to reason agenst them / but secretly lamenting their miserable ignorance ar thruste headlongs into hel with these their beastly blynd leders . In the mean tyme if any man come sente from God and desire the doctryn of vnite to be brought in agene preching the olde and onelye waye by Christe / yea if he in any wyse dissent from their opinions lately receiued of blynde fools ( for agenst the trwe doctryn as sayth the prophet thei haue coniured and sworen ) vpon him anone thei laye busy waite / & for because thei chalenge to themselues the lordly censure & cruell correccion of the doctrine in the chirch anon thei send owt enquirours to fetche them in to be prisoned and brent . By these edders spirituall spume the way of the trwthe and vnite is blasphemed : nether ar ther this day lyuing more pernicious pestilent enymyes to the vnite of the chirche and to the christen doctryne then this serpentyne sead oute of whose mouthes continuallye the spightfull lothely names of heretiks and heresyes and new lerning ar forth vomited and out spewed into euery disshe vpon their tables . Thorow these dronken crownis of Ephraim / by their own pleasante opinions / by their own consaighted doctrine and sworne tradicions the trowth of the gospel and of the apostles is obscured and oppressed daily . Now ( good reader ) thow seest ( I thinke ) how properlye the tymes before christes incarnacion / and now this laste time before his coming to iugement agree to gither and be correspondent for in ether of them / heretyks & sectesowers did runne and preek before him / miserablye kutting into peeses and pituously polluting the chirche of God . But bothe of them / the Lorde at his cominge reueleth openeth and destroyeth / and his own chirche he reduceth into the righte waye defendeth and delyuereth it mightely . Now therfore nedis muste the Turke ( the waye firste prepared for him by yowr owne blody persecucion of the iust and by intestyn batail ) come in and make an ende of these your heresies and scismes . For there is nether Emperowr no● Kinge that will yet suffer them / when good occasyon & oportunite was offerd them / to be reformed in their chirches and vnite and christen religion to be restored in their tyme . Here thou seest ( good reader ) who in the chirche be had for faithfull / and who for heretikis . Who be faithful & who be heretyks . Euery trwe faithfull / is he that professeth trwlye the doctrine of vnite / and in the onely holye chirch grounded vpon chryst he onely aknowlegeth christe the verye flokfeder & sauiour / althings reposing into christe / althinges of christe askinge / and besydes christe he knoweth no parte of saluacion nor helpe or hope of lyfe to be loked for / onely of the voice of his shepherde depending / chosinge nothing oute of himself nor out of any mans inuencion to folow it as a mean to his saluacion . But whoso folowth the contrary / he is an heretike & a scismatyk / namely if he be incurable and pertinate stiffe in his owne false opinion and will not fall from creatures to christe onely / from lyes and vayne fryuole tradicions with their vnsauerye significacions fained of men / vnto the trowth and gospell of Iesu Christe / but entyse and wrap other men withe himself into the same errours . Wherfor●●oh ye popisshe peace ●●eakers & iewisshe I●●oboams with your ●●●lare aakwarde armes euen very Baalis britle buklers ) sith hitherto ye haue ben men most mercyles and very blody bochers conceiued ( as Isaye paynteth you ) betwixt the hoorehunter and harelot euen that same deceitful peruers and aduouterous generacion / whiche so manye yeres haue mustred ( mynistred I shuld saye ) in the chirche so pestelently : Isa. lvij and yet nether for the feare of god nor for dread of your dampnacion nor for shame of men will not repente and amende / I cannot meruell enough at your blynde securite / nothing remembring nor fearing the wrath of god hanging ouer your heades / nothinge entending to auoid it . Oh heretyks / whiche thorowe your hypocrisye fayne in your selues siche holynes / be sewer God loketh openly vpon your mischeif and vngodly lyfe . An exhortacion vnto our bisshops . Repent / repente you / aknowlege openlye your manifest crymes / for though ye beleue it not / yet all the world se them / be ye turned vnto god which for your faith in his sone Iesu wil frely forgeue you / be ye conuerted to him in the holy amendement of your hole lyues at the squyer of gods lawe . Shewe forthe ( I saye ) your trwe penance in your wordis and workes / tell it vs once in all your conuersacion / and not with lying lyppes / and then we shal take you nomore for dissembling hypocryts thus to write agenst you that all the worlde present and to come may see you and bewar of you . Do penaunce for the feare of our lord oute of a syncere herte . Remembre the excellent oracion & sermone that Iohn Bapt. had to your predecssors / saying . Who shall shew you ( oh edders whelpes ) to auoid the wrath of god coming vpon / do therfore the frutes seminge and as it becometh trwe penitente hertes . Lo / Iohn was not affrayd to tell euen the hyghe bysshops in estimacion of all men most holiest / the trwe precher of christe dirst tell king Herode his open crime to his own face / where be now owr flaterers of kinges into the destruccion of their bodies and soules & into the predicion of their realmes ? Iohn called them edders whelpes / Christe called Herode that foxe / we must saye my Lorde & it please your grace / your highe maiesty &c. And Christe inueying agenste them / cryed wo / wo be to you lerned in the lawe ye scribes and pharisais hypocryts whiche buylde the sepulcres of the prophets and so forthe . Math. xiij . And Iohn bapt. told them that the axe was vent to smytdown the tree to be straitewais caste into the fyer . And here incidently shall ye ●ieꝑs . know the nature of viepers / whose whelpes Iohn Bapt. and Christe call these owr pharisaical Hieroboās . Math. iij. & xij . The male of the vieper putteth his head into his mates mouth / which for the swetnes she feleth therin / byteth it of / which head is turned into egges / and the third day oute of these eggis ar hatched hir whelpes yet abidinge in her belye / then eftsone she putteth forth euery day one whelpe till thei come to the nombre of .xx. Plinye in his .x Boke cap. lxij And at last the impacient fierce residew whiche cannot tarye there anye lenger / gnawe themselues oute of the bellye of their owne damme or mother / whom by their birth thei kill . Right worthely / saith Chrisostom / dyd Ioan call the pharisais viepers whelps / for these kynde of serpentes so swiftlye do thei haast themselues to slaye their own mother that the bely in whom thei be borne eaten owt / thei will come forth into lyght by the dethe of their owne damme . Which euen the same do owr pharisais / for their handis dropinge the blode of their parents / yet embrewed with innocent blode / thei slaye them which ar sent of god to lead them into the lighte of the verite . Wherfore well may we laye agenste them their own blody crueltye / rebellion / impiete chorlissh ingratitude / the hatered of gods worde and the murtheringe of the faithfull prechers : as who shulde saye of them : ye be borne out of rebel / ingrate and blodye parentis whose wiked steapes lyke naturall childerne ye iustly folow . And when Ioan and Christe called them edders whelps / thei loked bake to the serpente and his sead bringing Adam and Eue vnto euerlasting dampnacion which shuld euermore fyght agenste the blessed sead and his membres . Gen. iij Wherfore the Lord himself / cryed / wo / wo be to you scribes and pharisais hypocrites that ye be / whiche buylde the sepulcres of the prophetes &c. Math. xxiij . And as for foxes / into whose meate thei shall be kutte / as their selues haue diuided the vnite of Christes Chirches / their owne slye fraudelent theuisshe subtyle shiftes to fede their insaciable mawis and to reateine still their idle bellye lustes / pryde and ambicion / declare themseluis to be euen those wyly foxes whiche haue their deuillissh dennes with somanye stertinge holes to escape buylded so prowdlye with other mens swet to fead and solace in all securite & sinne their own idle heuye dunge sackes / whose apparent grete long puft vp tayls / that is to say their fayned lying long blown vp autorite / ar knit togither of their sathanicall Sampson Psalm. lxij . Foxes . Isaye xxviij . In the boke of Iuges cap. xv . with fyer brandes to burne the good corn of the Philistens euen the chosen innocents of god . Foxes / taile tyed / loke contrary wais with their faces . Owr bisshops howe enuiously soeuer one loketh vpon or turne their faces from wother / yet are their tayles tyed togither with fyer brandes aduersus dnm & christum eius quia conuenerunt in vnum . Psal. ij Be thei neuer so diuided emonge themselues / yet agenst the Lord and his anointed thei agree and runne togither as all one crying Combure combure / crucifige crucifige / burn him burne him / &c.

Here may ye see by christis & Ioans ensamples to be lawfull for prechers sharply to rebuke grete mens open crymes : Greate mennis crymes must be openly rebuked . but to flater and dissemble with them it is not lawefull . Awaye therfore with these flateringe ypocrites which cry oute saing . The crymes and synnes of great men & noble prelates muste be kouered with Noes cloke Gene● . ix . For in the scriptures it is inueyed of gods owne spirit more vehemenly and sharplier agenst the euil prelates and worse heades ouer the peple than agenst the sely subiectes . For these simpilons erre not vtterlye of their owne faute / but by the euill ensamples and synful techinge of their prelates & naughty liuing of their rulers & magistrates whiche seduce the laye people of the Lorde . Wherfore the more sinne steketh in them the more greuously to be tormented / as ye may see it in the .vi. chapter of the boke of Wysedome / whiche wold god the Magistratis wold with feare laye before their eyes . Ye see now in this tyme verely how that by the beastlye idlenes / malice and vngodlines of the bisshops preistes and seclare monkes with the negligence of their captiued seclare sorte / the chirche of Christe erreth and strayethe farre from the waye of the trwthe greuously labouring in heuye paynes oppressed of tyranous persecutors : and thorowe the faute of these men cheifly / Peters pore lytle fysshinge bote is almoste ouerwhelmed with the terrible tempestuous soden sourges . Right well therfor do thei which plucking the visar from their faces / shew their abhominacion to the peple sharplye rebukinge their vngodlines / that these ypocrits once known / men may be war of them and their doctryne . Howe the prelates & Magistrates shulde be rebuked . Rebuke them therfore for the zele thou hast to the trwth to the glory of god and to thy brothers saluacion . And let thy libertye in speking be the libertye of the free benigne spirit / & rebuke not of malice aftir the fleshly licence of thy nown affected mynde . Lette the wordis and wrytingis of the ministers of the trwthe be prudent rather then bolde / graue and not lyght ardent not in yre and wrath but in the vehemence of the spirit of god / let them be shamfaste modeste in a iust seuerite tempred with holy deuocion and deuoute holines so longe as thou seest them not in a desperat state obstinatly and openly stifnecked agenste gods worde fyghting / wetingly to synne agenst the holy goste . But yet be thou ( as Christe ordined the ) the salte of the erthe / that is / let thy wordes be quik liuely and sharpe in thy sermons and ernest in thy rebukis / be salte sauory and no waterisshe beet . Mat. v For constancy and liberty in speking conciliateth & ioyneth autorite to the minister / be feruente as Isaye and Paul bid the / although some cold softlings and menpleasars earetulers synistrely interprete thy zelous constant feruency to be folissh rasshnes . Isaye . lviij . ij . timo iiij . Tell them that god is no slowe auenger of euill / he is no insensible stock but as full of eyes as Argos and as clere eyed as the lysarde or slowe worme presentlye and thorowlye beholding them . Pharisais Hypocrits and Epicures promes thēseues securite and long lyf / but tell thou them with Ioan bapt. that the axe is nowe laid to the tree root . Which presente wrathe the Lorde in Luke expresseth sainge . Wo be to women with childe and to the soukgeuers with their nieples in these dayes / for there shal be great affliccion vpon the erthe & wrath vpon this peple . For thei shal be smitēdown with the edge of the swerde / and shall be led captiue into among all the strange nacions . And Ierusalem / that is thei that ar now named christians shal be trodēdown of the heithen Turkes . Let vs nowe therfore in tyme ( christen bretherne ) fere the lord and walke in his precepts / not promising ourselues any securite or longe life in this our corrupcion and synnes / for God owr iuste iuge is awake . This therfore is my cownsell / euen to do penance / that is turne quiklye and ernestly vnto owr Lord God / and to confesse our synnes to him / amend owr liues and to serue him in holines & rightwisnes / for these ar the frutes of a repentant herte / whiche herte thorow faith hathe now trwly consecrated and geuen herself ouer wholl to god . The way instituted of God to moue vs to repentance .

But firste let vs take away the impediments of trwe repentance / as ar securite of longe life the opinion of owr owne ryghtwysnes by good workis / faith and truste in vayne lies &c. And then teche nothing els to be in owr selues but poison synne and corrupcion / and that in god onely we haue lyfe and saluacion which is not apeaced with externe worshipings and workes dreamed oute of owr own headis . Then thonderforthe the feare of the terrible iugemente of god at hande and his present wrath and indignacion redye to be powred down from heuen vpon all vnrightwysnes . If these things be taught and receiued and the wother impediments remoued / we be sone conuerted to god onely / working the very godly repentance in the fere of god / or els is the axe layid to the root of the tree / that is to saye / destruccion and dethe daunse present before thy dore / so that now ther is no hope to the of any lenger life . For as longe as there is anye hope of frute in trees / thei dunge the roots / rubof the mosse / kut of the sere branches / but it is the token of the laste desperacion of any frute when the axe is laid to the root / to the root he saithe & not to the body or branches / signifying a soden remediles downfall . For the root kutt in sondre / the tree is dead . Repent ye therfore and receiue the gospell / or els stretcheforthe your neckis vnto the axe bent ouer your heades . For this is sewer that the wrath of the lord which shall smite you down by the rootis hangeth ouer your shauen crownes . For euery tree that bringethe not forthe good frute is kut downe . He saith not / shal be kut downe / for his iugement and dampnacion to present . We be trees planted of the Lorde into this ende / euen to beare and bringforth good frute / that is good workis / yea and that by the heuenly iewce & moister of owr Lord Christe . These ar the frutes of the spirit / as faith and trwth &c / of the whiche aftir Isaye had writen / Paul often times repete the same namely to the Galathens to the Ephe. &c. Isay. v. Gala. v. Ephe. iiij . Vnto this place laye the .xiij. of Luke and .xv. of Ioan and thou haste a playn exposicion therof . Of all these wordis may we lerne the very trwe good workis to be requyred of euery of vs / and not figge leaues of our owne patching togither to kouer our shamful nakednes as did Adam and Eue / not the glittering shewe of godlines / but euen godlines innocency and christen religion inded . Agen we lerne herof the heuye vengeance of god to be redy prepared for all sinfull vngodlye men / yea and that the most certayn vengeance and wrath / left any man dirst promise himself to escape vnpunisshed for the contempt of the most highe God . Longsuffering douteles is the lord / but yet in the mean ceason he is rightwyse and an aduenger not ouerflowe nor to slak . And nowe to warne the in tyme / here haste thou which is trwe repentance and which is false : and how we may auoid the imminente plages to be caste vpon vs by the incursions of the Turks with wother plages imminent / that is if from the botome of our hertie we be conuerted vnto the Lorde amending owr corrupte maners / nothing douting of the mercy of our god . For this is once full of counforte / that christe came to call sinners to repentance and not them that semed iuste in their own eyes . The pharisais / scrybes / and saduceis as ar now owr antichristen spiritualte with their captiued seculare / were the most desperate vngodly as Christe and Ioan bapt. well knew them / & yet thei both / exhorted them to repentance / Christe called them to him promising them forgeuenes if their penance were trwe . Let vs not therfore despeire of forgeuenes / nor cast awaye and condempne a man neuer so synfull and cryminous except his synne be vnto death . i Ioan in the last chapt . For God our father is Ientle & of an infinite mercye constante and trwe of his promises as ye see in Iere. and Ezechie . xviij . chap. At laste that thou maiste knowe what is trwe repentance and to stere the ther vnto / let this be the diffinicion therof . Repentance or penance is a turning or conuersion vnto the Lorde god / wherby we / of the syncere feare of god humbled / aknowelege our synnes / and all our whole life we make newe . Penance what it is . This diffinicion hath certain cheif principals / oute of the which / the hole nature of penance shal be fullier expressed and known . Fyrst thou hearest it called a turninge / and because it is not a turninge to what soeuer dead satisfaccion or creature thou lyftest / therfore is it added vnto the lorde god / for so redest thou it in Ieremye . Israel / if thou wilte be returned / be returned vnto me / saithe the Lorde . The turning to God . Here is excluded all turnings to saintis and to any wother creature / agene / here is included the turning away from lyes from the deuill & the turning to the trwth . Where it is playne that here it behoueth to haue the doctryne of trwth which must shewe vs who is god to whom we must be conuerted / what is good & trwe / to the which we must be turned / and what is euill and false from whiche we oughte to be auerted / and to be breif what must be amended and howe . For this cause the prophetis and apostles exhortinge men to penance / longe and miche do cleaue / tarye / and labour in the descripcion of the nature of god / in his goodnes rightwysnes verite & mercy / in describinge the lawes to liue wel and in the offices of men / and also in the sinnes of men to be accused opened and exaggered or throne vpon heaps as thus to be shewed many and greuous / then thei throwto threateninge & menacings laid before their eyes with the terrible and horrible syght of the iugement of god to be at hande : in whiche all / the syncere fear of god ( the spirit of god workinge togither in owr hertes ) is stered vp / so that nowe with reuerence we fear god iustly being angry with vs / whiche ar verely alto corrupted / yea we be not els then the stinking canell and sinfull sinke of all synne and mischeif . the fear of god . But this feare of god wherof we here speake is called syncere into the difference of that fear which casteth downe into desperacion . For syncere feare / out of herself bringeth forth euen the verye trew offices and dedis of repentance / namely the confession and aknowleginge of synnes . Nether is it enoughe to haue herde thy self to be a synner and god to be angry with the / onlesse thow confessest thyself to be euen siche one and offcest vp thy self standing before god in iugement / that is to saye onlesse thyself now humbled before god in his pre●●nce diffidest & distrustest thy nown rightwysnes The confession of synnes & humiliacion . whiche thou seest to be the most corrupt / and aknowlegest thyself to be euen the very most bonde man of sinne & dethe . This confession of synnes and humbling of thyself Ieremy requiring / in his .viij. chap. saithe . There was not one that repented him of his euill doing saing . What haue I done ? But this aknowleging of thy synnes hathe a sorowe and heuines annexed / for the trwe repenters sorow and lament that euer thei haue offended so benigne and ientle a father / and that thei haue committed so greuous synnes which could not be forgeuen but by the bloudsheding of his 〈◊〉 sone so innocente a lombe . Heuynes . Nowe may thy herte bl●●d for thy synnes beholden in the deathe and bloudye woundis of christe . Here here dothe this sorowfull heuines / this aknowleging / & humbled herte / expresse the fre● confession of thy synnes and the humble askinge forgeu●nes of thy trespassis . And now forber●●se Repentance is the conuersion vnto god and not the turning away from him / therfore hath this humiliacion and confession now a great manly faith & a large hope . The confession of sin with faithe & hope . For this sinner thu● confessing casteth and geueth himselfe ouer into the mercy of god / and downe vpon his knees he asketh mekely forgeuenes of him whom he now accouraged and enstruct with the promises of god / dowteth not to be mercyfull to all siche confessours . On this maner euery where in the Psalmes the penitentes so praye that euery man might see bothe to confesse and expresse their faith & to trust also in the trowth and rightwysmakinge of god thorow christe . For penance with owte faith firste beholdinge christes passion is of none effecte / but pernicious and deadlye / as it apereth in the penance of Iudas / wherof Paul speaketh thus . False penance The heuines whiche is godly aftir gods will / that bringeth forthe holsom repentance neuer to be repented : ij . Cor. vij . but contrary / the worldly heuines bringeth deth : and thus therfore we conclude . Penance to be the conuersion vnto god / wherby we out of the syncere feare of god humkled / a knowlege and confesse owr synnes neuer to be committed agen . Now there folowth the tother cheif principall belonging to penance / which is the innouacion of thy wholl lyfe . The innouacion of thy life . Thei verely which feare god and haue felt his iugements and mercye / maye not make a lyghte thing nor litle regard their synnes vnto the which thei haue hitherto maried themselues but thei know that thei must vtterly abhorre and deteste them / occupyinge themselues moste holely in godly thoughtis words and works / before althings fighting all their liues kinge agenst the world the deuil & their fles●he For penance is not the worke of a few dayes / but the perpetuall custody of the life and the euerlasting study to liue innocently . Also the works done of the penitent & of the new lyuers ar called the frutes of penance / and works worthei penance / of which / cheifly ar the mortyfying of the flesshe & the study to lyue vertuouslye / the batail with synnes / watche / fasting / prayer / alms / pacience / abstinence with like frutes of the spirit . The frutes of penance . Paul nowmbrīg like work● of trew penance saith . ij . Cor. vij . This worke euen to be heuey & sorowfull as god asketh it how great care hath it brought forth ? yea what a satisfaccion ? indignacion & displeasure ? what zele ? what feare ? desier ? & vengeance ? Firste lo penance or the heuines conceiued of the holy goste begetteth in you ( saithe he ) care / that is the study & most careful cure and diligent hede taking lest ye be polluted agen with those filthinesses from which by the grace of god ye be pourged / then he addeth / that this godly heuines begetteth Satisfaccion / that is the excusacion or clensing from syn : Godly heuynes what frute it bringeth forthe . for so mich signifieth the greke worde Apologia / which Paul there vseth / adding therto . Euery where ye haue goten yourselues praise because ye be pure in this behalf . Then there folowth Indignacion / that is the verye vehement wrath & displeasure to yourselues for your cryme committed and for your moste shamelesse filthines / for with repentance / owr own shame begineth : vnto the which / feare is ioined / euen the continual feare of god . For the neglecting and litle regarding of god is the cause of miche abhominacion . Also there folowth desier / which conteineth louing promisessis to do good / & an erneste feruour to godward / wherof Dauid speking saith . As the hunted hert desyereth the fresshe waters so desyereth my soul my liuing god . There is added / zele / that is an ardent study & imitacion to attayn and set hold vpon the most honest wais of liuing . At last the●e standeth vengeance / for he that thus is displesed with himself & punissheth his body mortifying it for his sinnes / that man verely scourgeth his body being auenged therof for so boldly & prowdely resisting the spirit of god fyghtinge agenst his flesshe . Thismiche hast thou of the nature of Repentance / which thou maist well diuyde into open and priuate penance / . Open penance is openly receiued for open sinnes / as to be smiten openly with manifest famin / pestelence or batail / of which thou hast an elegant example Ionas .iij. & Ioele .ij. and in diuers other places of the holy scripturs . Priuate penance is that at euerye man receiueth of his own mynde the holy gost so / to do / excitinge him wherby the worde of trweth herde / the herte is pricked with remorse for his secrete and open synnes to / which he lamenting cōuertethe vnto God : of this penance / manye right fayer and holye ensamples ye haue in the olde and newe Testamente / but cheiflye of Dauid .ij. Reg. xij . of Achab. iij. of Kingis xxi . of Manasses .ij. para . xxxiij . of Mathew Mat. ix . of the synfull woman Luke .vij. of Zachey Luke .xix. of Peter Mat. xxvi . and Ioan .xxi. and of the Iewes Act. ij .