Answer to Epistle by Renat Benedict, Section 3

Answer to Epistle by Renat Benedict · Section 3

Renats Epistle the Thrid Section.

BEhold I besech you, that ye deceaue not your selues, and namely in these last and moste perrellous dayes, of the which the holy write prophecieth and affirmeth the great dangeres and mischief so that in the dayes, euen the chosen and Elect (if it were possible) therethrough shalbe peruerted. Ye knowe planely if that ye loke ouer the Scripture with humilitie the slight and desait of Sathan (Christes and all Christianes enimies) for to misreule and disturb the trew Kirk and his furious interpryses also to deleit and put away the remembrance of Christ p. 19Iesus ye misknow not. Take head therfore I adiure you welbeloued and Christiane brethren, that ye be not Seduced with his subteltie and craftines, and being Seduced, that ye be not the instruments to peruert others from the faith. …athan can not take Christes name from you but yet be war I pray you, and I warne you of charitie for your weill and Saluation, that he pluk not Christe him self from you. Think I besech you where, and by what maner we hauehave Christ treulie? HaueHave we him not by his trew worde in the trew Sacrament? HaueHave we him …ot ī the trew Kirk by verie faith? HaueHave …e not lightlyed I make your selues iud…es, and contempned the trew Kirk sit…uat vponupon the montane? and this yneugh knowing of all men, Intruse ye not an onelyonly figure for the treuh of Christes liue …y bodie in the Sacramēt and euchariste? They knowe who hath red the Scriptu…es and Doctors writinges, that ye pro…one the wordes of the Law, and not the Law it self, nor the trew worde of God, for probation and setting forthe of your doctrine, therefore ye reteane onelyonly the name of Christe, but be war I pray you that ye put not Christe him selfe frome you, hauehave ye not expelled him first in his Ymages? and thereafter in the euchariste and masse. And last of all in exponing the Scripture otherwise then it behoued, in whose roume what other thīg hauehave ye set out but a Creatur or creatures inuent, that is your doctrine and teachement.

D. Feargussones answer.

IF that we did depend ather on men or mens doctrine, whither it were our owne or other mens, then no dout, we were verie able to be deceaued, and to deceaue others. But forasmuch as the doctrine that we are grounded vpō, come ne uer be the will of man (as sayeth Peter) D…t. 1.but by the wil of God, we are assured not to deceaue our selues, for he is no deceauer in whom we trust, but rather the way the veritie and the life, and him we follow …ohn. 14.certeanely beleuing that then we can not walk in darknes, for we know as sayeth bid. 8.S. Iohn in his first generall Epistle that we are of God, althogh the whole world l…eth in wickednes. we know that the Sonne of God is come, and hath giuen …s a mynde to knowe him that is trew, p. 20and we are in him, that is in his Sonne Iesus Christ, the same is verie God and eternall lyfe. This doctrine we hauehave lear 1. Ihon.…ed of God, in it we trust, being assured that the gates of Hell shall not preuale against vsus.math. 1…

Trew it is, that the Scriptures plain…y affirmeth in diuers and syndrie places, …hat the latter dayes shalbe ful of dāgers, …nd therefore moste carefully doeth the Spirit of our God, not onelyonly warne vsus of the dangers, but also the meane to a…oyde them is manifestly-proponed to vsus …n these wordes. He that ꝑseuereth vntounto math. 2.…he end shal be saued. But as all shall be …ll of perrel euerie where, so shal not the Church lack her part, being assalted with …als Christes and fals Prophetes, who shal shew suche lying wonders, signes, 2. Tess…and myrackles, that if it were possible …he verie chosen should be deceaued. But …lissed be God that hath not left these his moste necessar admonitions in so obscure …arables that hardly may the mater be decerned, no but rather hath by his Apostles and diligent watchmen, painted out moste liuely, the maners and doctrine of these fals ꝓphetes, Peter sayeth. They 2. Petershal deny the Lord that boght them, and through couetousnes make merchandrise of the people. Wes Christ Iesu alōe (i the Popes Church) granted to be the Lorde that boght vsus with his blood? or were we not teached to be boght out of purgatorie by masses, whiche of these gredie beastes wes boght for money, with mony other such dānable wayes, whereby the way of treuth wes euil spoken of, which I omit for tediousnes, this remembring onelie as the fontane whereout of the rest sprāg. These men that thus deminisheth the power of the Sonne of God, to be vterlie ignorant of the Father, and with him to 1. Ioh. ….hauehave no societie. S. Iohn plainely affirmeth. Iudas the seruant of Iesus Christ and brother of Iames, calleth them cloudes Iude. ….without water, and trees without frute, that is such mē as are called Bishopes and Pastors, and when it cometh to the watering of Christes shepe with the water of lyfe, they ather suffer them to die for thrist or els compell them to do two Iere. 2.Jer 2euiles, that is to forsake the eternal who is the onelyonly fontane of lyuing water and drink of rotten pooles made by men that can hold no water, when Christes chosen p. 21are to be fed with the frute of that tre that …andeth in the middest of the Paradise of Apo. 2.God, ather get they no frute, or els sti… …g Dnzeons and Barlyk of Egypt, that … to say massing, …inking, ringing, sing…g, playing, sensing, crossing, …king, …dding, and processions: wherein the …preaching prelat (with his shameles …auelinges, no better preachers then the …m dog their master) he I say (lacking …e misterie of Saluation in his hart, ād …e Sermon of exhortatiō banished from …s mouth) is decked like a player in mi…al aparel with Crose and myter, glo…s and ringes, caip and coule, to the …at contempt and mockage of God, and …ruction of his people, forgetting in …e mean tyme that their triumpth is the …gining of their sorow, hauing the black 2. Pet. 22 Pet 2…rcknes reserued to them for euer.

…ule the moste vigilant watcheman of …hristes Church, not onelyonly for his owne …me, but also careful for the posteritie, …eth no les diligentlie, not these men …r the rest of his nyghboures in office …moste in all his Episties, but chiefly to …imothie, in these wordes. The Spirit …eaketh euidētly that in the latter tymes some shall depart from the faith, and shal giuegive head vntounto Spirites of erro…, and doctrines of Deuilles whiche speak l…es through Ipocrycie, and hauehave their cons… ence burnt with an ho…e yrne, forbidding 1. Tim. 4.1 Tim 4to marie, ād cōmanding to abst…ane sco… meates which God hath created to be receaued with gi…ig of thākes of thē which bele… and know the t…euth, who doeth not se (out suche as be wilfully blind) the doctrine papistical moste liuely discriued and handsomely set furth in this prophecie, for who in these latter and dangerous dayes hath forbidden Mariage, and hath commanded distinction of meates, persecutig the violaters of these precepts with Fyre and sword, esteaming his own traditions aboue the cōmandements of God who I say hath done this but the Pope math. 15.and his clargie the Antichriste & his mē bers. It wil auale you nothing to ascriue and applye the accōplishing of this prophecie to Montanus, to the …erityques Old … that for…ad ma …ge ercu si… not the new.called Tatiani, and the Encratikes, seing ye are found in the lyke faut, and so gilty of the same damnation, no more then it wil auale a murtherer that now killeth a man, to think that the curse of God pro p. 22nounced against Cain, streacheth not …er him.

Wherefore freind in my iudgdement, it …eth with you as …sope in his Fables, …zeed to hauehave happened to a Paddock, …sope.… gaue her self forth for a Phisition, & … of others, who when she came to … her Counsell and minister her Phi…, wes reiected of the seicke persones …cause she her self appeared to be all o…goine with the gulsogh) with this an…r, …dice cura teipsum. So say I to …, ye giuegive your self forth for a spiritual …tion, a professor of Gods worde, … to be a warner of others, to be ware …rrours, whē as in the meane tyme ye …r self had moste neid of spiritual Phi…k, and holsome Counsell of all others, …d that because I se you …longed in ex…me errore and vehementlie deceaued …th fals doctrine, therefore I say to you … Paule the Apostle said to his brethren …he Pharisies) as concerning the fleshe, …ho were to zeaious for the mantenance Rom. 10.Rom 10their owne ryghteuosnes which they …ght they had by the workes of the law … therefore vtterly spoyled them selues … the ryghteousnes of God, that came by Faith in Iesus Christe. Thou preaches that a man should not steal, and in the Rom. 2.Rom 2meane tyme thou robbist God of his glo rie. If then ye wold that we should admit you to take the mote out of our Eiecast first out the balk that is in your own …t. 7.If ye wold that we should obey your admonitiōs, let them bring forth some frute in your self, or els ye are lyke to be repulsed with this sentence. Pihsition haile thy self. And althogh we do reiect you for iust causes, principally for your intoxicat doc trine, think not therefor that these Scriptures (whereof your admonitions are taken, concerning the latter dayes) are of vsus carelesly passed ouer, no, God forbid, for they be warninges betuix our… eyes. The Apostle Peter hath moste carefully …. 11.warned vsus, of Sathans …yght and fury, not forgetting also to istruct vsus how to withstand him, in these wordes. Be sober and watche for your aduersarie, the Deuil, as a roring lyon, walketh aboute feking whome he may beuore, whome (sayeth the Apostle) ye shall resist, being steadfast in Faith, ye say that Sathan can …. …. 5.not take Christes name from vsus, no, certanely, nor steare a haire of our heades, p. 23forther then God doeth appoint him.

…e are not affrayed that that Serpent Iob. 1.Job 1…al ather spoyle vsus of thrist or of his na…e, for we know our selues to be Christs …epe, to whom he hath not onelyonly pmised Iob. 10.Job 10…ernal lyfe, but also that they shall neuer …rishe, nor be plucked out of his hand by …y. This certanetie of our Saluation, …ocedeth not of our owne merites and …orthynes (which God did foresie to be … vsus, as ye blasphemous Papistes do …irme) nor yet of the worthynes of the… workes that follow after our externall …ocation, no, but the begining, the mid…est, and the end of our Saluatiō, cometh … the mear mercy of our God alone, in …hriste Iesus his Sonne, to whome he …ly & liberally gaue vsus, before all worl…es, Ephe. 1.Eph 1as that he him self witnesseth in the …uangle of Iohn, saying. My Father …hich gaue them me, is greater then all, …nd none is able to take them out of my …athers hand, I and my Father are one. Iohn. 10.John 10…pon these promises we rest, and shall …od willing vntounto the end, nether feare we …s promises nor the fidelitie of them, for 2 Timo. 2…ppose we be fragel, yet wil he not deny … self, but how cometh it to pas that ye perceaue not the craft of this Serpent your self, whereof ye admonish others so earnestly. For Sathan hath not one…e spoyled you of christ him self (giuen you a whyte tepertane God to play you with) but also hath spoyled a great nomber of your masters men, euen of the verie name of Christe. For they think it to base a name to be called Christians wherewith enerie man is tearmed that is Baptised. And therefore are som of them called Frasiscans, so…e Benedictinis, some Don… nicans & Agustmians, some Car…elites and Cartusians, some Heremites and Iacobins, and some with one name and some with other, whiche I irke to rehers. Hereby plainely witnessing that they are ashamed of the name of Christ before men that he may deny them before his Father math. 10.in any wise to apertean to him, but to be of the nomber of those filthy locustes that Apoca. 9.S. Iohn remembreth in his Reuelation, to hauehave come out of the bottomles pit.

Ye desyre vsus to remember where and by what maner we hauehave Christe treuly, then ye laboure to persuade vsus that he is inclosed in the Sacrament, & knet to the Church, vntounto the which in deid he is cup p. 24led and maried by an euerlasting couenāt …. ….but not to your adulterus Church, which ye wold make men beleue, were the trew Church of God, and so ye conclude that … hauehave dispysed the Church sittuat vpō the montane, and hath intrused a figure for Christes body in the Sacrament.

This I trust be your meaning and the …one of your argument, whereunto we …er. That the Lord Iesus being rea… Iohn. 16.John 16to leue the world and go to his Father, seing his Disciples (who at that present were carnall mynded) sorie for …s bodylie departing, made vntounto them … solempned promise, that he wolde not …aue them confortles, but if they wolde Iohn. 14.John 14…pe his commandements and teache his people also to obserue all, & whatsoeuer … had commanded them, that then but …out he wold be present with them vntounto …e end of the world, not catnally nor ma…cally math. 2….inclosed in a bit of coniured bread … which is now and then offered for seicke … wine and Fearsy horses) but by his ho…e Spirit effectually working i their har … that thing which his bodylie presence …uld not do, whose departing from them …es vtterly necessarie and expedient, as he him self doeth witnes, in these wordes I tell you the treuth it is expedient for you that I go away, for if I go not away Iohn. 16.John 16the conforter which is the holy Ghoste, will not come vntounto you, but if I depart I will send him vntounto you. Marck these wordes ye carnal Capernaites (that wold pluck Christes fleshe from the right hand of the Father) that if ye hauehave his flesh yet still with you, ye lack his Spirit, for he affirmeth in plaine wordes that the Spirit will not come except he depart and be absent in bodie. Now chuse yow, whither ye will want his bodie or his Spirit? or rather whither think ye it better to imagine that ye hauehave his bodie? for otherwise ye hauehave it nor, and so for your fals imagi nation, lack his Spirit, or to grant that thing to be absent, which is absent in deid and can not come til the latter day, to the end ye may be participant of that holie Spirit that God poureth in the hartes of his chosen, euē here in this lyfe, whereby we cry Abba, Father. But the questiō is soue answered on your part, I am assured Rom. 8.Rom 8ye had rather play you with your myrrie conceats, contenting your selues with that presence of Christe that you p. 25think ye hauehave, nor to hauehave his Spirit, except that ye might win money thereby, as Symon Magus your predicessoure wold hauehave done. For ye hauehave win more by the Magicall and merualous lying myrackle of transubstantiation, whereby ye wold make men beleue that a peice of bread not worth a quarter of a farthing, were changed in your masses, to the body of Christ God and man, the same lenth & brede that he hang on the crose, by this iugling I say ye hauehave win more then euer ye did by his Spirit. But to the purpose, we conclude that Christ is here present with his Church alwayes (according to his promise) by his holy Ghoste, whiche who so hath not aperteined not to Christ with what giftes soeuer he be indued besyde. Rom…. 8.ye make our selues iudges whither that we hauehave lighlyed the treu Church or not, sittuat vponupon the montane, if ye mean hereby the Church of Rome (as I dout not but ye do) we deny simplie that it is the trew Church, but rather that spirituall Babylone, whereout of the Lord hath commanded his people to come, that they Apoc. 14.Rev 14…e not partaker of her plagues. whither ye meane by this montane, that great hil of ambitiō that Sathan caryed Christ to, when that he promised him the whole Kingdomes of the earth, if he wold worship …ath. 4.hi, which Christ refused, & your Pope Apoca. 17hath receaued, or if ye meane hereby the hilles that are sittuat about Rome (which S. Iohn sayeth. are 7. in nomber, which also Baptista Mantuanus affirmeth, for …. manuen^o libro…. de v…ta …lasu.he calleth your Rome, Se…ollem vrbem) I can not well tell. An other hill or hilles whereon your harlot sitteth, I know none, and thoght your meaning be not hid from me concerning this mater, yet for the vanitie of it, I leaue it to be interpreted by your self.

Ye affirme that we intruse an onelyonly figure for the treuth of Christes body in the Sacrament. They must hauehave leaue to lie that can not speak the treuth. who euer hard any of vsus ather say priuatlie or s…ak openly in our preachings that the Sacramēt is but a bare figure of Christes body. I am assured there is no man able to proue it. But rather this is oure doctrine of that moste sacrete and holie Sacrament, that as we agree not with you Papistes that wold make men beleue that the bread were changed in Christes p. 26carnall and manly fleshe by transubstantiation (which fleshe the heauē must hold vntounto the time that all thinges be restored which God hath spokē by the mouthes of his holy Prophetes since the worlde begouth as witnesseth S. Peter) So do we Act…s. ….not agree with them that iudgeth the Sa cramentall bread and wine to be but bare signes or figures onelyonly, constantlie affirming and vndoutedly beleuing that als verilie as our teith eateth the bread and our mouthes drinketh the wine (whereby our bodyes, as sayeth Dauid, is strē thened, Psal 104.Ps 104and our hartes made glade) so verilie are we partakers of Christes body by Faith, whereby we are nourished to lyfe euerlastinge, and this partaking requireth nether transubstantiation, inpanation, nor carnall presente, but requireth the eleuatiō of our Spirites by faith to heauen, there to be partakers of Christ not with carnal teith, but with faith affectual. This maner of partakig were the people taught in the primatiue Church, as witnesseth this sentence. Sursum cord▪ Sur…. corda. abused … the mas…which wes vsed at the ministration of the Lordes Supper whereby the people wee moued to lift vp their hartes aboue all earthly and sensyble thinges, whose answer wes, habemus ad Dominum we hauehave them lifted vp to the Lord, which wordes moste shamefullie were abused in your mischiuous masse, to your shame and cō fusion.

And that Christes body is a trew natu rall body in deid, lyke vntounto oures in all thinges sinne except, & no fantasy which …ebre. 4.may be inclosed in a peice of bread, and so in 10. thousand places at ones, and that the Sacramentall bread is not changed in Christes fleshe and blood, as the Papist dreameth, not onelyonly the whole Scrip ture, but all godly and faithfull writers do testifie. And first S. Augustyne whose moste plaine and euident sentences (for …gustine.the prufe of this purpose) if I should infer this lytie work should grow to a greater volome then ather I am mynded now to write, or yet tyme will permit, being otherwaves occupyed, principally in the fe ding of that flock wherof the holy Ghoste hath made me ouersear. Sum yet I will produce to giuegive the readers a teast of the r…st. In his cōmentary vpō the Psalmes Agustine. v… c…. …ee …8. …sal.he hath these wordes. Non hoc corpu… est t… … quod videtis et bibituri illum p. 27Sanguinem quem fusuri sunt qui me crucifigent. Sed Sacramentum …liquod commendo vobis quod Spiritualiter intellectum viuific… bit vos that is ye shal not eat this body which ye se, nor drink that blood that they shall shed which shall Crucifie me, but I commend vntounto you a certane Sacrament (or mysterie) which being spiritually vnderstāded, shal quickē you. And in an other place. Corpus Christi in quo resurre…it in In …ne … …iscle to Hierom…vno loco esse oportet: veritas autem …us vbique diffusa est. That is the body of Christ wherein he arose muste be, on forse in one place, but his veritie is spred abrode euerie where. His tractat vponupon Iohn is full of suche sentēces, and many other of his workes also, as his Epistle to Dardanꝰ, his boke of Christiane doctrine, the notable worke of the Citie of God, al whiche I omit for lenth. And because that the latine sentences occupyeth roume, and also that euerie man vnderstandeth them not, let it be sufficient to recite them in Inglish, the treuth of the Allegatiōs & translating of them, who so doutes of, let him examine the places alledged.

Tertuliane writing against Martione Tertulis Ubio. 4.hath these wordes. Christ taking bread & distributing it to his Disciples made it his bodie, saying. This is my body, that is to say the figure of my body, but this bread could not hauehave bene a figure of it except Christ hath had a trew body, for a vaine or fātastical thing cā take no figure. Ambrose vponupon the first Epistle of Paule to the Corinthians and 11. chapiter, hath Ambros….these wordes (vponupon this sentence) Shew the Lordes death. Because (sayeth he) that we were deliuered by the death of the Lord, we in eating and drinking of this thing (he meaneth the Sacrament) do signifie the fleshe and blood whiche were offered for vsus. &c.

Origene in his 7. homilie vponupon Leuiticus, Origine.hath these wordes, not onelyonly is there a letter that killeth in the old Testa ment to be found, but also in the new Testament a letter which killeth him that doeth not vnderstand the thinges spiritu ally, for if thou do follow after the letter, this that is spoken. Except ye eat my fleshe, and drink my blood, this letter killeth, therefor it is spiritually to be vnderstand. S. Iohn Chrisostome, in one Chrisosto.of his homilies vponupon the 26, of Mathew p. 28hath these wordes. He also drank of it lest whē they hard his wordes they shuld say,. why do we then drink blood and eat fleshe? And so should be troubled, for whē he spak before of those thinges they were offended with his wordes, and that the same should not now also come to pas, he him self drank first of it, that they also without grudging or trubil might cōmu nicat of the mysteries. These same wordes Cathe… auria. Thom… aquin a… in. ma… 26.in affect shortlyer sumwhat collected hath Thomas Aquino in his book called cathena aurea vponupon the four Euangelists where also he alledges the same Chrisostome vponupon the same place. S. Hierome ī his commentary vponupon mathew the. 26. Hiero…chapiter, hath these wordes. After the mystical Easter Lambe wes fulfilled, and he had eaten the Lambis fleshe with his Apostles, he passeth through vntounto the Sa crament of the trew Easter Lambe that Hiero… cōferēc… tuix c… and … chisede… sum w… obscur…when Melchisedec the priest of the heigh God in prefiguration of him broght forth bread and wine, he might also represent the treuth of his body. Althogh that Hierome hauehave not so clerly, as the mater required, mad the conference betuix Christ and Melchisedec yet hath he treuly iudged in this place of the Sacramēt, if I shuld rehears all suche sentences as maketh for this purpose out of the ancient Doctors writinges (as I hauehave said before) this small treatie wold growe to a great volome, that I be not to tedious, therefore let these inferred serue at this present, rea die hereafter to collect mo, if these endes not the stryfe.

Ye say that they which hauehave red Scriptures and Doctors writinges, knoweth that we propone but the wordes of the Law, and not the Law it self, nor yet hauehave we (say ye) Gods worde for vsus, & so ye cōclude, verie magistraliter, as your maner is, that we reteane onelyonly Christes Name and not him self. There is no mā I am assured that hath red the Scriptures and Doctors writinges with iudgement, which doeth not knowe this affirmatiue of yours to be rashe rayling, lincked full of lies. &c.

And then ye laboure to shew how we hauehave expelled Christe, firste ye say in his ymages, and Secōdly in the Euchariste and masse, and Thridly in exponing the Scripture according to mans inuention. Hitherto it might hauehave appeared to men p. 29of sklender iudgement (as I hauehave said in the begining of this answer) that the louelove of God had moued you to this mater, but blissed be God, euē the Father of our lord Iesus Christ, that now ye hauehave detected your self, bewraying that which before ye couered with an exceading wyde cloke of Hipocrisie disclosed.Hipocrycie. Let an Asse be als well decked as may be with a Lyons skin and yet will his long eares declare what he is. Let a Uoulfe be neuer so well …led with a …hepes skin, yet occasion being offered, he wil shew hi self to be a rauening & blood …hristie deuorer of those poore beastes, whose skin he wes clothed with. So al…hogh that hitherto ye hauehave most craftely …ouered your self with Christes name, yet …ow thou doest shew thy self to be a filthy …dolater, and fals worshipper of God, …nd that the louelove to thy Idoles and Ido…atrous masse (which thou cōplanes that …e hauehave expelled) hath moued thee to …rite, and not the louelove of God and Sal…ation of thy brethrē as thou pretendeth. …hou fayest that we hauehave expelled Christ … his ymages, it became thee firste to …ue prouen that he wes present in yma…s, and then thy argument had bene the strōger. But that ymages are forbidden of God, & that his people shal abhor them and flee from them, as from snares that catcheth the soules of ignorants in the miserable captiuitie of Idolatrie, and deuorcement frō God, the whole Scriptures do testifie. First the Lorde our God expresly forbiddeth in the Second cōmandement Exod. 20.Exod 20of the Decaloge, that we shall make any ymages, similitudes or lycknesses of any kynde of thing in the heauē aboue, the earth beneth, or in the water vnderunder the earth. Secondly that if it shall come to pas that Sathan shall fill any mās hart with vanitie to make ymages, then are we forbidden to rēder any kinde of reuerence ather in outward gestur or in inuard mynde. In these wordes thou shalt not bowe doune to them, nor worshep them. Thridly he promiseth to punish the transgressors of this commandement, vntounto the thrid & fourt Generatiō. This is the immutable decrie of the most hiest, cōcerning ymages, whereupon we rest, not caring what men of how great authoritie, nor the wicked world, be cankered custome hath ather done or vsed to the contrarie. How greuously Idolaters p. 30are punished, the seuere and rigorus executiō vsed by Moyses against them (who yet wes the meakest man on earth) euidently witnesseth, read the 32. of Exodus Nume. 12. Erod. 32.The intysers to Idolatrie must be killed althogh they appeare to be holy, how neir so euer they be of kin, freindship or allyance. Deuter. 15Deut 15The miserable (and vntounto this hour endles) captiuitie of the whole 10. Tribes 1. Reg. 12.1 Kgs 12of Israel (whom Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat caused to sinne) sufficientlie doeth declare vntounto vsus, bothe how sore God hateth 2. Reg. 17.2 Kgs 17Idolatrie and punisheth Idolaters, how detestable they hauehave alwayes bene in the syght of all Gods Prophetes, Dauid Psalm. 115Ps 115in his Psalmes, Esayas in his Prophecie, and the wise man in his wisdome Esay. 40. and 41.Isa 40testifieth, Ieremie calleth them the doctrine of vanitie, and yet ye are not affray Sapie. 13.ed by your Theologie to affirme that they ar lay mēs bokes, whereby Christ presē teth Ieremi. 10him self to his people, as if he delited to teache his people with vanitie, God send you better knowledge, if that of ignorance and not of malice ye write.

Seing therefore that as the wise man sayeth, they were not from the begining, nether shall continue for euer, with him Saple. 14I conclude that they are miserable, and among the dead is their ho…e that worshippeth and calleth them Gods, that are the workes of mens handes. Fynally whither we that dependeth vpō God allone to receaue our doctrine of his mouth or ye that stablisheth your doctrine by the authoritie of the Church, of Coūsels and Doctors, which of vsus exponeth the Scrip tuce according to mans inuention. Let all mē iudge as they wil answer to God.