Answer to the Devilish Detection of the Bishop of Winchester, Treatise · Part 1
¶An anſwere cōcerneing the knowledge of The ſēſes, and a declaracion of al the. xii. Articles of the fayth, whyche euerie true Chriſtian man muſte beleue in herte and Confeſſe wyth moUth.
THus far hauehave I brought in mi faith plainely, contrarie to no place of ſcripture (except you call Your gloſes ſcripture) And where I myght hauehave your owne doctours to confirme the ſame, yet wyll I not ſtir contencion ſo farre. Knoweinge that no thynge hath bene ſo popeiſhlie By theſe fruites you maie knowe my Lordes doctours.thaught, neither worſhiping of Images and Idoles, praieing to ſaintes and fond pilgrimages, nor yet monaſteries, monkes, purgatorie and the poppe hym ſelfe, but it hath bene by thē and their ſubtile argumētes diuiſed: and by their writeinges ſet forth and maintained. Wyth dainger therfore, hauehave we folowed them ouer long. But nowe you maye not thyncke, ſtyll to leade vsus captiues from Chriſte, whome we loke for ſpedilye to come into iudgement wyth vsus, when we ſhalbe iudged by his word, and not by their writeinges. We hauehave folowed you to longe (beinge but blynde guides) gropeinge after your blynde wayes, in the darcke, wythout wit, reaſone, or faith, but onelyonly becauſe your holie father of Rome, and that holie mother churche, dyd ſo belieue and teach (and nowe at lengh, as our holy mother church of Englande doeth leade) and therfore maye you worthyly cal vsus (as you do) beaſtely blinde, and therfore far from the knowledge of our religion.
But nowe that your father is fallen and weſeke for our father in heauen deſireinge hys kingedom to come vponupon the erthe, and praieing for the foode of our ſoules (his heauenly breade) whiche you hauehave ſo longe baniſhed, and neither woulde your ſelfe enter into his kingedome, nor ſuffer them that woulde to enter, accordeinge to the ſayeinge Math. xxiii.of Chriſte our ſauioure: we (knoweynge; that what ſo euer is not of fayth is ſinne, and that fayth is of heareynge, not of you Byſhoppes and your doctours, but of the worde of God whyche can deceiue no man nor yet be deceiued, deſire and require you to beate into oure heades no longer (as articles of oure faith) your chaunge of ſu… ſta… your accidentes, qualities and quā tities, in fourme and vnderunder the fourme of dreade, to go awaye from it when the bread muſteth and brenneth you knowe not how. For thys your anſwere is an euident argument: that you knowe as little howe it came ther. And thinke not much (I praie you) that we do (in thys mattier) …ye your crafte …d falſehode, not onelyonly wyth ſcriptures. but alſo wyth oure reaſones and outwar…e ſenſes The whyche three, that is to ſaye, Fayeth grownded vponupon the worde of God, reaſone that ca…e not be reſiſted, and the ſenſes, as ſight, taſteinge, ſmellinge and felinge, which can by no learneinge (but by your ſchole be deceiued. Yet you woulde hauehave vsus wholely captiuated vntounto you in all theſe thinges, that you might leade vsus wher you lyſte, to make vnſēſible chaūg where you blowe and bleſſe croſſe and kiſſe.
No faile, in thynges far diſtant (as is the▪ ſinne, moue and ſterres and diuers other … wherin the ſenſes are deceiued.thynges) he ſenſes maye be deceiued, wythout the helpe of reaſone ſet in man to be their lady and maſters, and wyth hir helpe, they maye iudge of all bodily and ſenſible creatures, muche more are they able to iudge of breade, their continuall obiect dayely offered vntounto them, wherin, not one ſenſe, but the ſigh taſte, ſmelle and feleinge, doe wittneſſe together, reaſone approueth and alloweth theyr iudgment, and faythfully eſtabliſhed in the worde of God: affirmeth the ſame.
Chriſte hym ſelfe (as we hauehave ſayed) calleth it …reade and wynne. Paul to the Corth▪ Math. xxvi. Marke. xiiii. Luke. xxii. i. Corh. x. et. xi.calleth it breade that we breake, and ſayeth that wea…e one bread, and one bodie, ſo many as are pertakers of the ſame breade. Againe in the. xi. So ofte as we …ate th…s br…ode and drinke thys cup: we ſhewe the death of the Lorde vntounto he come. Therfore, who ſo …ateth this bread & drinketh this cup vnworthily: is gilty of the bodye and bloude of the Lorde.
Let a man proue hym ſelfe therfore, and ſo ea…e of this breade and drinke of thys cuppe. Agayne, in the Actes of the Apoſtles. Thei co…ed in the doctrine of thapoſtles. In feloweſhipe and breakynge of breade. Againe Act. ii.he was knowne vntounto them in breakeinge of breade. Luke. xxiiii. dayely continuinge with one accorde in the tēple, and brake bread frō houſe to houſe, oure ſences alſo do (one after other) beare witneſſe hereunto. We heare Chriſt and his apoſtles ſaye. This is bread. We ſmell, taſt, and feale it to be breade. We ſe it is breade, and ſo cōclude …i reaſone, after thys ſor…e. The baker dyd bake it as breade before it was put to thys vſe, and in this vſe it is nothyng chaunged frō the kind of bread (for it muſteth, mouldeth, and wil be eatē of …ſſe as other breade wyl) Wherfore, we be inge enſtructed, firſte by li… fayeth, and thā by our ſenſes ruled by reaſone: dare boldelye conclude thys ſame to be breade. If you myght leade captiue all theſe three▪ then ſhoulde we folowe where you woulde hauehave vsus, as oure fathers hauehave done before. As for the miſteries and principles of our religion (wherof you ſaye we ſtande greate neade) to be taught▪ (you teache f…ll ſlender lie, that is to ſaye, onelyonly wyth a ſentence of doctour, and a verſe ſonge in the churche. But we knowe that ſo many of them as be corporal The ſenſes are witneſſes to the trueth of ſenſible thinges(and therfore ſenſuall) it hath pleaſed God ſo to wrocke them, that the verie ſenſes maie perceiue them, and therfore be as a teſtimonie of our fayeth beareinge witneſſe of their trueth. Nowe, as for the miſterie of the Trinitie and the vnitie of godhed, you do know full well, they are not in the numbre of ſenſible and bodilie thinges, and therfore can in no wyſe be offerred vntounto the ſ…ſes: wherfore it is no good proffe, to iudge them vnable to declare vntounto our reaſone, what is breade and what is wine, becauſe the can not attain to that, wherwyth they maye by no meanes meddle. Or to thynke them not murtified in other thynges, becauſe thei witneſſe heare agaynſte you. But you go aboutte to ſlander vsus as thought we dyd not beleue.
We knowe by our fayeth grounded vponupon the boke of Geneſis, and all other ſcriptures ſettinge forth the almyghtie powre of God, teacheinge vsus to belieue in God the father almyghtie, maker of heauen an erth, and in hys onelyonly begotten ſonne oure Lorde Ieſus Luke. i. Math. i. Marke. i.Chriſte, who was cōcerned by the holy goſt and borne of the virgine Marie, wherin reſteth the chiefe poynte of religion and onelyonly ſaluacion.
So ſone as he came into the worlde, ther were called to witteneſſe three herdemen or Luke. ii. Mar. ii.ſhepeherdes: and three wyſe men out of the eaſte, to ſe wyth theire eyes and teſtifie vntounto other, thys the cheife miſterie of oure religion, that Chriſte was come in the fleſhe: biſides the reſorte of the men of Bethlehem, to ſe theyr ſauioure wyth theyr eyes, and the plaine teſtimonie of Simion ſaieinge. Now Luke. ii.hauehave mine eies ſene thy ſaueing helth. More ouer Chriſt thus comeinge in the fleſhe was bodily preſent in the ſyght and eyes of al the worlde, the ſpace of. xxx. yeres, and what ſo euer miracle he wrought in the dodient appeared to the eyes and outwarde ſenſes. As Iohn. ii.when he chaunged water into wyne: ſtreigh waye it appeared wyne to all the outwarde ſenſes. Inlyke maner, ſuch as Chriſte healed bodeli, were thei lame, blind or lazar: ſtreigth waye they appeared whole. And ſo conſeqētly in all the miracles that Chriſt wrought in ſenſible thinges bodilie: they ſo appeared vntounto oure ſenſes. Whan he rayſed Lazar us frō death to lyffe, it was not countertaite: for he Iohn. xi.dyd eate and drinke in the ſight of all men. So lykewyſe, when Chriſte ſuffered moſte paynefull death in the ſyght of the whole world vnderunder ponce Pilate, he was crucified, deade and buried, that no eie or tonge ſhoud wittneſſe the contrarie. He deſended into hel (as Peter witneſſeth) in ſpirite, which falleth not vnderunder the knowelege of our ſences, becauſe 1. Pet. iii.the ſpirite goeth and cometh, man knoweth not howe. Than hauehave wee wittneſſes Act. x Luke. xxiiii. Math. xxviii. Mare. xvi. Iohn. xx.that God rayſed hym the thirde daye, and ſhewed hym to all the people, but firſte to his wittneſſes appoynted for the ſame purpoſe, whyche dyd eate and drinke with hym after he was riſen from death.
Moreouer, that we ſhould nothinge doubt of this miſterie, ſo darcke vntounto reaſone: chriſt appered vntounto them agayne, and commaunded. Thomas Didimus (who was before in doubte to put hys fynger in hys ſyde, to ſee Iohn. xx.h…s handes and the woundes of the nayles, that thei al might knowe it to be his natural bodye thus riſen frome death, yea a bodye whyche hath fleſhe and bones, contrarie to Luke. xxiiii.your doctrine, whyche wyll hauehave ve belieue in a bodie, that hath neither fleſhe nor …, quantitie nor qualitie, that is as much to …aie as no propretie of a bodie, excepte it be borowed of the bread, But we beieue according to the …e ſpirite, that Iohn deſcribeth: that Ieſu Chriſte is comen in the fleſhe, and hath died in the ſame (accordinge to the ſaieinge of Mar. vi. Act vii. Act. x.Paule and teſtimonies of al ſcripture) in the which he is alſo raiſed againe, and …owe ſitteth at the right hand of God the father, frō whence he ſhal come to iudge the▪ quicke and the deade. VntoUnto whom al the propheres geue wittneſſe, that who ſo euer beleueth in hym: Gen. ii. Eſai. liiiiſhall hauehave remiſſion of …ynnes by hys name.
We beleue in the holy goſt one God with the father and the ſonne euen from the beginninge, as appea…eth by the firſte creacion of the worlde. Now that the euerlaſteing Lord and euer liueinge God, hath created al thinges by his worde, oure Chriſte and ſauiour, wyth ſo vniforme powre of thys holie goſte that nothinge coulde come forth to any ſhap or forme, vntyll this ſpirite procedeing from them boeth, dyd mone vponupon the walte depe or vnformed waters.
Wherfore, thys almyghtie powre, of the Gen. i.tr… and euer laſting God is in Hebrue called foreign (plurallye for the diuerſitie of perſōes) throughout the olde teſtamēt, where the Idoles of the heathē ar named in the ſingular foreign And foreign and yet for to ſett… forth the vnitie of the godhead: alwaie with this worde foreign of the plural nūbre, is adioined a verbe of the ſinguler as foreign. And alſo in the hygh name of God which the Iewes had in ſo high eſtimaciō foreign? which doth ſig…ifie vntounto vsus that onelyonly euerlaſteing powre, wherbi al thinges hauehave their being: is manifeſtli opēed the vnitie indi…ſible. Of this ſpirit is it writē thus Rom. viii.He that hath not the ſpirite of Chriſte, is none of hys, And agayne. Who ſo ener are led by the ſpirit of God, they are▪ the childrē Iohn. iii. Iohn, ii.of God. So▪ that as we can not be wythout God or Chriſte: ſu can we not be wythout this ſpirite proceadeinge from them boeth, as Chriſt him ſelfe witneſſeth, ſaieinge, The conforter, euen the holye goſte, whome my Iohn. xiiii.father ſhal ſende in my name. Againe. Whā the holy▪ goſte ſhall come, whom I ſhal ſend from my father. Of this ſpirite dyd the prophetes Eſai. xliiiiſpeake muche vnderunder the name of water and fire, as Eſaie. I ſhall poure forth my ſpirit vpō the thirſtie, & mi…floudes vponupon the drie land, I ſhal poure forth my ſpirit vponupon thy ſede and my bleſſeing vponupon thy buddes, and the ſame ſhal ſaye. I am the lordes Lyke vntounto theſe are there other places as in Eſaie xii. Eze. xxxvi. Pſal. C. xlvi. lxiii. This ſpirit together wyth the father and the ſonne, this Trinitie and Vnitie that can not be diuided: do we belieue and teach, not by a blynde ſaiynge of any doctoure (as you do) but by the worde of God and the worke of his ſpirite, whiche is able to leade vsus into all truth, & neuer faileth his church builded vponupon the rock Chriſte, agaynſte the which the gates of hel can not preuaile, For by this ſpirit, thus workyng Math. xvi.faieth in Chriſt, and louelove to God and ma…: is knowne the true church, as Iohn ſayeth. By thys do we knowe that we dwell in hym and he in vsus: becauſe he hath geuen vsus Iohn. iiii.of hys ſpirite. And Paule ſaieth generally to al… the faithful. Do you not knowe that you are the church of God and the ſpirit of God dwelleth in you. If any man do defile the tē ple i. Corh. iii.of God: him wyl God deſtroye. Thys church of God is holy which you are, wher he doeth not meane of the Popes Churche though it wer builded of v. M. proude cardinales and biſhopeſſe, much les of our engliſh church built vpō the blind ignorāce & ſinful lyueing but of. x. o… xi. horned. Miters (for three or foure of you woulde all were well, ſo it were not longe of the…) but of that onelyonly Churche whyche doeth alwayes knowe heare, and folowe the voice of Chriſte the… heade and ſhepeherde, and wyll not harke… to the voyce of any ſtra…nger. Who though they be but. ii. or. iii. gathered together in the name of Chriſte (beinge alwayes diſperſed abrode, by the Idole ſhepherde) yet is Chriſt in the middes of them, and ſhal at the length gather them all in one that ther maye be one ſhepherde and one folde. Thys church is waſhed, this church is ſanctified and made holie Iohn. x.This churche is iuſtified by the name of the Lorde Ieſu and by the ſpirite of oure God, ſayeth Paule. Chriſte ſo loued thys churche that he ſpent him ſelfe for hyr to make hyr holye, i. Corh. vi.clen…ed throughe the fountaine of water by hys worde, that he myght make hir vntounto hym ſelfe, a gloriouſe churche haueinge no ſpot, blemiſh or wrinckle or any ſuch thynge Ephe. v.But you wyl doubt ſtill (O byſhopes) whether of vsus be thys church. Whether you gloriouſe in the worlde: or we deſpiced. Firſte therfore, marke the foūdaciōs of this church for ther can no man laie anye other then that is al redye layed, the Lorde Ieſu Chriſte.…. Corh. iii. Eſai. xxviii▪ i. Petr. ii.
❧ The fyrſt foundacion.
Whome the fayeth hath ſet as the choſen ſto…, for the foūdaciō of the tru church Sion
❧ The ſeconde foundacion.
Chriſte is the heade of thys churche.Ephe. i.
❧ The threde foundacion.i. Peter. v.
And heade ſhepeherde of thys folde.
For the fyrſte, all men iudge that you (al: ledgeinge ſo muche mans lawa…es, eſtabliſinge and buildinge your fayeth wyth mans …ra…y, ſettinge your couſciences vponupon your doctours, who are but fleſhe and bloude) do not ſo greately regarde Chriſte as we do whyche wyl hauehave hym oure onelyonly foundacion, and wyll admitte nothinge, but that is ſpoken by hys ſpirite in his ſcriptures. This fayle you in your fyrſt foundacion.
Secondelye, if Chriſte be heade and maiſter, who dyd come humble, meke and pore, rideinge vponupon an aſſe, not hauinge an houſe …ach. ix.where to …aye hys heade, diſpiſinge al worldly an outwarde glorie, when the people would hauehave made him a kinge: why do you ride on mules trapped wyth goulde? Why Iohn. vi.hauehave you ſuche caſtelles, holdes, parckes and palaices? Why wyll you be Lordes worldelie, and take to you ſuche outwarde glorie?
Chriſte ſayed that hys kyngedome was Ihon. i. viii.not of thys worlde, and why wyl you beare ſuche rule heare: Yea Chriſte forbade you to be called maiſter: and why wyll you be called Math. xxiii.Lorde: On the contrarie parte, we hauehave the worde of Chriſt (our heade) for vsus. Who ſayeth. Ther is no ſeruaunt greater then his Lorde and maiſter. If they hauehave perſecuted me: they wil perſecute you. If they hauehave kept Iohn. xv.my word: they wil kepe yours. If the world do hate you: knowe that it dyd hate me before it dyd heate you. If you were of the worlde the worlde woulde louelove that which is his owne. But becauſe you are not of the worlde, but I hauehave choſen you forthe of the worlde: therfore the worlde hateth you. Yet do I leue you peace, and my peace do I geue vntounto you, but not as the worlde geueth do I geue it vntounto you▪ Yea more ouer they ſhall curſe and excommunicate you (whyche was your olde practiſe o prealates) and not onelyonly Iohn. xiiii.that but the time ſhal come, that who ſo euer ſleath you: ſhall thincke that he doeth high ſacrifice vntounto God. And thys ſhall they do becauſe they neither knowe my father, nor pe… Iohn. xvi.me. Tyrdlye, If Chriſte be the heade ſhepeherde, and dyd (for your exemple) ſaye, that the learneynge whyche he taught, was not Iohn. xiiii.hys but his fathers that ſent him: howe da…e you be ſo boulde to grownde ſo many thynges on your doctours. Chriſte cōmaundeth you to feade hys flocke, but you …ea them. ii. Corh. x.Chriſt cōmaundeth you to edifie but you diſtroye. Chriſte byddeth you go into all the world, & to preach his word to al the worlde, and to preach hys worde to al creatures: but you ſaie naye, none ſhal hauehave it but gētlemē the other pore knaues, ſhal hauehave a ſophiſtrie boke of your gloſes. I praie you, whōe make you the heade ſhepeherde in this and al your doeinges? Not Chriſte, but your doctours and Idle braines. To be ſhorte, let any indifferent perſone take in hande, to iudge the life, trade, and learneinge of you byſhopes, and compare it wyth the doeinge of Chriſte: and he ſhall fynde ſo muche diuerſitie, as betwen Chriſte and Antichriſt. To compare them alſo to Peter an Paule and other of the Apoſtles, woulde ſ…ne declare the one parte to be naught, they are ſo cōtrarie, but they ſhalbe founde the folowers of Chriſte, and therfore of the trwe churche, and you the▪ contrefaites, The folowers of Chriſt are the trwe churche.yea the verie folowers of the Romeiſh Antichriſt, and therfore the ſinnagoge of Sathā. As for vsus, we wyll heare the voice of oure ſhepeherd onelie. We will heare▪ no ſtraunger, and therfore we hauehave no nede of any teſtimonie of man: For the verie anointe inge teacheth vsus to call Father, father. And the ſame ſpirite, witneſſeth vntounto our ſpirit: that wee are the chyldren of God. For he that confirmeth vsus to gether in Chriſte, is God who hath alſo ſealed vsus, and geuē the erneſte of hys ſpirite in oure hertes.
And as Paule ſayeth, in the fyrſte to the Epheſians (to ſo manie as do beleue in the worde of truethe and the goſpell of health) Epheſ. i.you are ſealed vp by the holy ſpirite a fore promiſed, whyche is the erneſt of oure heritage. Therfore ſayeth he aga…ne, drawe no p…cke wyth the vnfayethful. For what companye can ther be, betwene the ryghteouſe and the vnrigh…ouſe, or wha… par…etakeing of the lyghte wyth darckeneſſe: What concorde wyth Chriſte and Belial? Or what parte can the fayethfull hauehave wyth the vnfathfull, or howe can …he churche of God agree wyth Idoles. For you are the …emple of the liueynge God as God ſayede I wyll dwel in thē and walke in them, and I wil be their God and they ſhall be my people. &c.ii. Corh vi.
And thys is the vniuerſall churche ſcatered thorough out the worlde, whiche we beleue (not the churche of Rome, Fraunce and Act. x.Englande) as Peter confeſſethe ſayeinge I perſei…e in deed that wyth God there is no regarde of perſones: but in euerie nacion, he th…t feareth hym and worketh ryghtuouſeneſſe: he is acceptable… vntounto him This church ſufferreth alwaye wyth hir heade Chriſte, wherefore ſhe ſhall alſo reigne wyth hym alwayes and be glorified.Rom. v…iii.
This is euē the felowſhip of ſainctes, that we do ſuffer together wyth oure heade, and make perfite the afflictions whyche lacked vntounto his bodye, which is the church, haueing Coloſſ. i. Eph, iiii.one onli father in heauen, one onelyonly ſauiour on erth, one fayeth grounded on hys onelyonly worde, one baptiſme of the ſpirite, one hope of our calleing, one heritage commune from Chriſte to all the whole feloſhipe of ſayntes and member… of hys bodie. Haueinge the remiſſion and forgeueneſſe of oure ſinnes, as Luk. xiiii.the whole ſcripture witneſſeth & be leueinge ſtydfaſtely the riſeinge agayne of the fleſhe i. Corh. iii. i. Theſſ. iiii. i. Iohn. v.as is moſte playnely taught, and euerlaſte…nge lyfe, as Iohn witneſſeth, that God hath geuen euerlaſteinge lyfe. And thys lyfe is in his ſonne. He that hath the ſonne: hath lyfe. The ſpirit is it that witneſſeth theſe thinges for the ſpirite is trueth, and he that beleueth in the ſonne of God hath this teſtimonie wit in hym ſelfe: and he that doeth not beleue maketh God a liar.
Theſe thinges hauehave I written that al men myght knowe our fayth not to be grounded on man, but on goddes holy worde, and that we doubt in noparte of the olde fayeth, but onelyonly vponupon your newe articles and gloſes