Answer to the Devilish Detection of the Bishop of Winchester, Treatise · Part 10
❧ Of the quotidian miracles wherin i… opened Eſcam ſe dedit.
FInally to make an ende of your Chap… which is ſpent in ſettinge forth of co…une and quotidian miracles, as the alteracion and diſſolueinge of ſtones in the earth to noriſhe the corne and ſede and ſuch like, which are compted no miracles be… cauſe thei are ſo common: it maketh cleare agaynſt you. For if theſe thynges be well Nature worketh no miracles ſo longe as ſhe kepeth hir ryght courſe.worthy to be had in admiracion, as they are in dede: yet for their continuall courſe and re courſe, no man compteth thē as miracles or wonders. Howe much more vanitie and fōdneſſe is it to compt thoſe things for miracles, which no man can either ſe, fele, or perceiue: Whyche neyther can be taught by reaſone nor bi ſeriptures, to be miracles or wonders, but are the imaginacions of Idle brayues, whiche by ſuch fai…ed miracles would maintaine their owne holines▪ Hiſtories do witnes that Hildebrande, otherwiſe called Gregorie the. vii. commanded a faſte for. iii. dayes, that thys miracle myght appeare in hys kynde. But the mattier was concluded without anireuelacion.
A lyke tale is ther written in your popeiſh boke Idlay that ſhoulde be done at haye a… …aye in Suſſex. But remēbre alwaies, dear brethren, that Antichriſt ſhall come wyth be…yed myracles and wonders wyth al powre after the workeynge of the deuyll and diſceit fullneſſe of vnryghtfulneſſe
The text that you brynge in (Memoriam …irabilium ſuorum …t eſcam ſe dedit) ſmelleth of the porteous, wher the pſalmes are ſo corrupted, that if dauid that made them were vponupon the earthe, he woulde not▪ acknowledge them to be hys, The lyuely ſpirite of the prophet is ſo far gone frome them, and ſuche aconfuſe barbarouſe ſtainmeringe is almoſt in them all, In the hebrue the wordes ar theſe foreign In englyſhe, he made a memorie of hys maruaylouſe workes. The lord is gracious and mercifull, he dyd gyue a praye to them that feared him, And he wyl remēbre hys couenāt for euer. This pſalme is written of the wonderful worckes of God, whiche he wrought in deſtroieyng the Egiptians, and ſaueyng the Iſraelytes, where in appeareth a perpetual memory to be made of hys powre, iuſtice and merciemercy. As for any fedeing of them carnally and bodily with him ſelfe, neyther the Iſraelites nor yet▪ Dauid knewe any ſuche But onelyonly they all dranke of the ſpiritual… ſtoue that folowed thē, the ſton was Chri… i. Corhi. x.And the worde which is traunſlated in la… eſca, in engliſhe meate: doth ſignifie a ſpoyle or a praye, whych agreeth verie well to the rych ſpoyle that God gaue to the Iſraelyte… at theyr departynge out of Egypt. Thus may eueryevery man (that hath eyes) ſe how they wreaſte all thynges for theyr purpoſe. And thoughe foreign be ſometyme tranſlated eſca becauſe in the olde time they did get their meate by praye: yet do the papiſtes falſely corrupt thys text, For they reade in theyr por… teous Eſcā ſe dedit. He gaue hym ſelfe meat… And you biſhopes allegyng it for your purpoſe, are far deceiued As for the expoſicion of the ſcriptures (though you do accuſe vsus ther in) euen as we wyll anſwer before God at the great and dredful day, we hauehave brought them forth playnly in the ſame wordes and ſens that they were ſpoken, neither by craft wreaſted, nor bi ignoraunce adulterated as many of yours may ſone be proued, and that welmoſt thorowout the whole porteous and maſſe boke, where they be wholly diſfygured. The lyuyng God …e Iudge betwene vsus in thys crime, as he wyll I doubte not.
The vo…iſtes (whō you deride) I do not mayntayne in theyr ſeuſes concernynge the ſpirituall vnderſtandynge of the ſcriptures, not beinge yet clearely opened and exerciſed, but in the hertes and conſciences, whereby they dyd grudge and were offended at the open blaſphemies and Idolatrie that they ſawe maynteyned, and therefore went about (accordynge to the meaſure of theyr knowlege) to reforme errours. Wherfore though they dyd fayle becauſe the tyme of cleare lyghte was not yet come, and God worketh We muſte beare wyth the weake.his worke by certeyne degrees: yet ſo longe as they profeſſe Chriſt to be come in the fleſh and agree wyth vsus in the. xii. articles of oure fayth, we muſte acknowledge them as oure brethren, not deridynge their ſimplicitie, but releauinge their ignoraunce and weakeneſſe, wyth our wyſedome and learnynge, as we our ſelues woulde deſire to be handled. For if we ſhoulde hauehave ben caſt awaye when we were ignoraunt: howe ſhoulde we hauehave come to knowledge? Their mattier I do not defende. But in that you woulde oppreſſe vsus wyth their ignoraunce: it ſemeth rather ſophiſtrie, then any ſubſtantiall argument.
Returne you therefore vntounto our interpretation in the begynnyng, and the declaration of our fayt…, whyche you are not able to cō fute: and lay not other mennes ignoraunce to our charge, And knowe that God (though he hauehave a longe tyme ſuffered your ignoraūce and Idolatrie: yet nowe doeth he ſend… you warnyng to repent, ſhewyng hys light euen vntounto the vnlearned, and to lytle babes. For nowe is the tyme at hand, when Chriſt▪ God and man ſhal come downe from heauē Chriſtes cō myng is at hande.with glorious maieſtie, whom you hang vp in a hand (if it be al true that you ſay) ful vn reuerently. Whom eueryevery whoremonger and ſodomite, feareth not to handle: yea, and to bragge abrode that they make hym, and ſacrifice hym when they luſt. He ſhall come (I ſay) ryght ſhortly, to make the wicked tremble and quake for this contempt, whiche ſhal then be confeſſed.