Against a Rank Papist, To the reader
¶ Iohan Bale to the Reader.
IN the very… time (most gē tyll Reader) that Christ apeared in the fleshe for the restauraciō of man, dyuerse alteraciōs haAlteracions. pened in the worlde, & many straūge wō ders were sene, prenunciate afore by the Prophetes, and afterwards in the chronycles declared to be paste. The hyghe priesthode and sacrifyces of the Iewes, wyth all the temple ceremonies thē ceased. The symulachres or ydols of the gen tyles, fell down to y• ground & wer brokē both at Rome and in Egypt, yea, greate Romulus and all. In token that he wasRomulus come into this earth, whyche shuld both ende that priesthode, and by hys lyuelye doctryne abolishe all supersticions and false relygyon. The ordre appoynted to him alone of hys heauenly father, Christ in that fleshe toke vponupon hym, which was the hygh priesthode of Melchisedech. In that priesthode he vttered the eternal testament, perfourmed the generall sacrificeChriste. ones for all, payed the pryce of a full redempcion for synne, and pacyfied for man his fathers wrath for euer. In that priesthode he arose from death and ascen ded to heauē, he sytteth now on the right hand of his father almighty, cōtinuallye he maketh interpellacion for vsus sinners, and shall come at the latter day to iudge the quicke & the dead. Thys priesthodePriesthod requireth neyther oyle nor shauē crown, neyther chalyce nor aulter, neyther myter nor cope, neither vestiment nor crosse, wyth such lyke toyes of Antichrist.
Of thys priesthode are we priestes, so many as beleue in hym, to offer vp oure selues as a sacryfice to God, to become his fre childrē by adopciō, & to receyue y• Priestes.inheritaūce of immortalite. The priesthode which hath of long tyme bene vsed in the christen churche, is a false and deceytful priesthed, practised of ye Romish popettes & brought into an vse by theyr couetouse cōueyaunces, the obseruaciōs therof borowed of the Iewes shadowesApes. and paganes supersticions. To nothing might ye priests of ye priesthod, be more ap tely cōpared, thā to daūsing apes, whose natural property is, to coūterfet al thinges that they se done afore them, and yet are they neuer that they seme to resemble. For those mockynge masmongers hauehave counterfeted Aaron in theyr apa…aylinges, aulters, and ceremonies, yet …er they neuer as was Aaron, Eleazar,Mockers or Phinees. They hauehave coūterfeted Chri stes sufferinges, in crossinge one hande ouer an other, and in spredinge theyr atmes abrode, Iudas in kyssinge, Cayphas in prelatyng, & Pilate in washinge their handes, with an hundred toyes more, yet were they neuer ryght Christes, but such disgysed monsters with crownes shaue… rounde, as ye neuer sawe the lyke.
And what els hath set foreward thys prestigiouse presthode, but a prodigiouse kynd of vowyng, in leudenesse not vnlikeUowing… to y• same, whych neuer was in full force tyll Sathan was at liberte, Apocali. xx. So long as they were permitted to hauehave wyues in marriage, they were ministers of the churche and no prestes. But nowe sens they hauehave left marriage, by vertu of their vowes, they became prestes and no godly ministers, to serue Antichriste and y• Deuil in all blasphemouse ydolatries. And because men shall not be ignoraunt of theyr vowes, I wyll declare vntounto thē Uowes.what they are and frō whēs they came, ere they shall entre into the readinge of thys boke folowynge. This was their firste originall, as I hauehave gathered of moste learned and auncient wryters. A maner the people among the olde paganes conceyued first of all, to geue gyftes to their superior gouernours, to obtaine therby their beneuolence and fauour, theFor fauer dyspersed commens to their kinges, and the enclosed citiezens to their magistrates. And as they perceyued thys commodiouse in seruing their expectacion, they practysed vpō the same a religiō to their goddes, to please them by y• lyke, hauing it in a continual & dayly exercyse, wherby they obtained in processe of time, bothGaynes. prodigiouse answers of their false goddes, and also myracles of diuerse kindes, as the Deuyll is euer readye where true fayth is wantyng, and his worde neglected, to subuert all ordre of godlinesse.
The Hebrues though they wer the pe culyar and chosen people of God, contynually exercised in his good doctryne, byTeachers Melchisedech, Abrahā, Isaac, Iacob, Io seph, and other graciouse fathers in that succession, yet were they very flexible and prone to ydolatry, whych laye moche in that practysed kinde of vowynge, or promysinge sumwhat. God therfore of mercye, not wyllynge to lose that people of hys, but fauourably to beare with their babysh weakenes, gaue fourth certen ruRules. les and preceptes by hys seruaunt Moy ses, for sacrifyces, vowes, & ceremonies, not in all poyntes vnlyke to theirs, to serue their tendre infaūcy tyll they came to more years of discressiō. Though these vowes were thus conuerted into a relygion by the set ordynaunce of God, and serued to these. ii. very profytable endes, to kepe the Hebrues from the fylthynesHebrues of ydolatry, and to be specyall types or fygures of Christe in thys fleshe, yet were they in themselues but ceremoniall shadowes. Continual wer they not, bycause they were but tollerate for a tyme for mannys infyrmytees sake, and had not their first institucyon of God. For by his holye prophetes he sumtyme reproued them, and sumtyme forbad them, and by hys sonne Iesus Christe he vtterly abolyshedUowes. them in the ende as vayne worshyppynges, S. Paule allowynge them for none other but very barrayne, weake and beggarly tradycyons, Gala. iiii.
In brent offerynges to the Lord (sayth Dauid) thu hast no delyghte, Psalm. l. I hate youre feastfull dayes and fastynges (saith the Lord) euen from my very hart,Reproued Esay. i. Where as ye sence me whan ye come together, I wyll not accepte it, Amos. v. In vayne ye worshypp me (sayth Christe) teachinge the doctryues & preceptes of men, Mathe. xv. wyth a greate sorte of wytnesses more. To procede furtherUowes. in thys matter, whan vowes are at the best, they are no profytable wurkes of the Gospell, but vnprofytable wurkes of the lawe, whyche iustyfyeth no man, Roman. iii. & Galat. ii. Yea, nowe clerely abolyshed and takē away by Christ, we are compelled by hys lyuely documē tes to iudge them moche wurse. They be nowe no better than mennys fleshelyeWurkes. dreames, voluntary wurkes, monastycal wurkes, hipocritysh wurkes, and in that kynde, synnefull, wycked, blasphemouse, and deuylysh wurkes, proceadynge of a dampnable darke ignoraūce of Christes lyuely doctryne. Of thys am I sure, that vowes maye wele make pharysees, hypocrytes, dyssemblers, ydolatours, and beastly buggerers, as they hauehave done wt outUowes. nombre. They may set forth pagane prestes, maskyng monkes, turkysh nūnes and vestalles, masmongers & ydell prebēdes, wt other disgised apes of antichrist but they can make no godly christianes.
Lete no man then fear to forsake thē, nomore than he shall feare to forsake wic ked sy…. For they ar not only a myserableUowes. captiuite & seruitude of Egipte, but also a clogge, a yoke, a snare of sathā, a cheane of iniquite, and the moste sinnefull character of the great beaste, or a marke to bye and sell by, whyche is to hauehave an occupying in that wycked generactō, Apo. xiii. He that beareth that character or marke in his forehead & hande, that is to saye, he that beleueth that wycked doctrineDoctryne of Antichrist, and foloweth it in his lyfe, shall drynke of the cuppe of Gods heauye wrathe, Apocai. xiiii. A noysome wounde and sore botche falleth vponupon all thē that beareth the marke of that hortible mōstre, Apo. xvi. for so hauehave they their consciēces defyled wyth filthines vnspea kable, & ar geuē vp into their own lustes. They whych beare that character in the beastes obedyence, are stayne by ye swerdCharacter that procedeth from the mouthe of hym which sytteth on the horse. Apo. xix. that is, they be cōdēpned vtterly by the wurd of God writtē, Iohan. iii. & by that whiche shall be pronounced at the lattre day by Christ sytting on the iudgement seate in our humanyte. Math. xxv. Lo, this is the rewarde of ydell vowers, that neglectyng Gods wayes, wyl folow their own inuencyons. Nothyng ought of a christē Rewarde.man to be attēpted, that is not expreslye taught in the testament of Christe. For that whych is not in the scryptures contayned, is fryuolouse, vayn, and wycked.
Here perauenture it wyl be reasoned. How can I be Gods, vnlesse I do vowe my selfe vntounto hym? Thus I answere thy vnlearned and foly she question. In the olde law, the first borne were the lordes,Answere Leuit. xxvii. yet they neuer vowed them selues vntounto hym. In the newe lawe are we the firste borne so manye as beleue in Christe, and are regenerate, Iohan. i. thā are we his by fayth and baptysme, & not by vowes. Gods creaturs we are by creacion,Of God. his seruaunts by redempcion, his children & heyres by adopcion, by vowes are we in no poynte hys, but our owne. Uowes beynge wurkes of our synneful wyll, may adde vntounto hys wurkes greate imperfeccion and weakenesse, but no per feccyon and strength can they adde. We may do as deo the sonnes of Aarō, ministreAaron. a straunge fyre in the sacryfyce, & be consumed of the same, Leuitic. x. We maye putte to hys wurde, and be founde reprouable lyars. Prouerbio. xxx. We maye adde to hys boke of prophecy, and hauehave added vntounto vsus the plages therin wrytten, Apoca. xxii. Oh tempte not the lord to moch, least in his high displeasure for thy wylfull rebellion, be destroye theRebellion for euer with Core, Dathau, and Abiron, Nume. xvi. None of vsus lyueth hys owne seruaunte (sayth S. Paule) neither doth anye of vsus dye his owne seruaunte. But whether we lyue or dye, we are ye Lords, Roma. xiiii.
A promise or vowe, is alwayes of this nature, it dyspossesseth the first owner, & maketh the thynge promysed, to be his, whose it was not afore. See than whatA vowe, thou doest, whan thou bryngest thy selfe vudre a vowe. Where as thu werte the Lordes afore, thu becomest thyne owne by a newe creacion, as the tree that is …ewen downe and made an ymage, becometh of Gods, the caruers. A myserable mutacion is this, if thu marke it. For by thy vowe, thu thus becomeste of Gods creature, an ydol of thyne own. But this thu wylt offre to God? This sacrifyce is vnsauery. Thu cannist not herein pleaseAn ydoll hym, but most wyckedly blaspheme him. Whan thu arte hys creature, it standeth wele wyth ye to be saued by Christes merytes. But whan thu art thine owne, thu wylte make clayme to thyne owne deseruynges, whiche can not further the to saluacyon. Thu wylte paraduēture say, that thou art styll Gods, notwythstandynge thy vowe, though thou in that pelNot gods trye be nothynge lesse. For thus is a vow dyffyned of Lyra. Uotum est, cum aliquid de nostris offerimus deo. We calit a vow whan we offer anye thynge of our owne to God. But standynge the case, that thu werte hys in dede, thu doeste but mocke hym, yf thu offre hym hys owne, for thu cannyst not do it wythoute a thefte. Remembre howe dysdaynouslye and lothesomly they are pleased wyth gyftes, thatA thefte. hauehave thys homelye adage in their mouthes, he geuethe me a pygge of myne owne sowe, and thu shalte wele perceiue howe muche God is pleased wyth thy fo lyshe and ydell vowes.
O bruty she fole and beastlye ydyote, thu sekest and procurest by thyne own de uyses to make Gods commaundements of none affecte for Antichristes wycked tradycyons, Mathe. xv. Thy laboure in this worke is none other, but as the enemyes was, whyche sowed the vnhappye tares amonge the good wheate, whyls y• Wickedlityllers were a slepe, Mathe. xiii. In the ydell slouthfulnesse of the churche, whan the profytable tylthe of Christe was not regarded, the wylye olde serpente sent fourth hys wycked massengers, to plant in the ignoraunt hartes that moste execrable superstycyon of vowynge. ThuTares. blyude and wytlesse asse, doest take it for an hyghe relygyon, but in the laste iudgement daye, it shall be reckened to the amonge ydell wordes, in parell equall wyth the blasphemynge of Gods holye name. Repent it therfor, as thu woldeste repent synne, and forsake it vtterlye as thu wylte forsake thy dampnacyon. ConCouert. uert thyselfe agayne into the fredome of Gods chyldren, & be not a captyue slaue in the lothesome kyngdom of Antichrist. Tarry not vponupon the vnlearned and wytlesse persuasyons, of suche bablynge papystes, as is he that is here confuted, for their wayes and doctrynes leadeth clerelye to perdicion. They vnprofytablye crye, doctours, doctours, as the IewesThe Iewes. sumtyme cryed, the temple, the temple, Hier. vii. but trust not thou in their false lyeng wurdes. We can neuer hauehave a better doctour than was Christe, whome God the father commaunded vsus to hear, Mathe. iii. for other doctours we hauehave no commaundement.
He y• voweth to lyue wythout a wyfe, or any other kynd of papystry, is nomore boūd to performe y• vngodly vowe, thā heNot bosid that hath professed the faythe of a Iewe or the religiō of a Turke, is bounde to ob serue it to hys lyues ende. If an English vower in the time of peace, shuld promise by othe to serue the Frenche kynge of a thousande vowes at a certayne day, and warre betwyxt Englande and Fraunce were proclamed in the meane tyme, heBreake it. shulde better please God to breake hys othe, than to kepe it. Lyke consyderacion is to be hadde of the vnaduysed vowe of prestes chastite. If a man professing that lyfe, shulde afterwarde fele hymselfe not able to perfourme it, but were lyke to fal into greater mischeues than is the breakynge therof, he may breake it wythout daunger, as a thinge begon of rashenes.Submit. For no man ought to preferre his owne acte to ye ordinaūce of God. And againe, the chaunge of thynges by hys secrete prouidence, dyschargeth the necessitye of the othe or promyse. How folyshe, vnaduysed, and presumptuouse is the vowe, whan promyse is made to lyue all the yeare of an other mannys purse wythout hys graunte or consent? Howe frantyckeA vowe. and parelouse, whan that is behested wherein standeth the daunger of lyfe, as to geue a sharpe knyfe to a chyld? How doubtfull and wycked, whan that thynge is professed whiche is impossible, as that the heare and nayles shall not growe.
Sucht are the rashe vowes of the ydolatrouse and mockynge papystes. They professe to be chaste, the gyfte remayningMockers in the handes of God, and not promysed to that kynde of vowers. They feare not the parell of yt which is most daūgerouse, as to geue to a mad man a weapon, that maye stee therewyth. Neyther doubte they the impossibilite of that whyche is to nature vnpossible, as to lyue wythout sustenaunce of meate and of drynke, or whan they hauehave eaten, neuer to auoyde the superfluouse matter. I wold wysh yt al rashe vowers wolde layserly consydreDewers the rashe vowe of Peter the Apostle, to what conclusion it broughte hym, and so wyth hym to repente it at the lattre. He vowed to goo wyth Christe into pryson, and to stande by hym to the verye death. But what folowed of that rashenes? He was neuer able to perfourme hys vowe, bycause God had not promysed to assiste it. But in the ende he fled from it, shamefully forsakynge hym, leauynge him, and deuyenge hym vtterlye. If repentauncePeter. had not gracyouslye folowed therupon, he had withoute question bene dampned as was Iudas that betrayed him. Such are the frutes of all rashe vowers, they denye their Lorde God in the ende, for want of perfourmaunce. Lete them therfore repent, and folowe hys commen ordynaunce. Marryage is the instytucion of God, and vyrgynyte hys noble gyfte. Why these. ii. vertues shuld fall at varyaūceii. vertues or cōtend for the highar place, I can not by the scryptures cōceyue. They wer in Mary Christes mother at a peaceable agrement, and the one serued at hys incarnacyon so wele as the other. Neither was the one more praysed for her seruice there, than was the other.
But in thys ydell presthode, the one could neuer abyde the name of the other, by reason of the vowe that antichrist had placed therin. Whych in processe of timeThe vow. exyled thē both, & nourished for thē. ii. vn happy gestes, called whoredom and buggery. Away with that wycked vow, that setteth varyaūce among vertues, & that placeth in their rowmes most execrable vyces. That vowe is not all vnlyke to yt Angell of myschefe, whiche set the firste stryfe among Angels in heauen, & amongestDoctors. men here in earthe. I maruele what hath moued the fyckle heades of our doctours, so earnestly to mayntayne a matter by their doctrin, of so moch mischefe. It is in my opiniō a great madnes, to at tende so moch to the voyces of Hierome, Ambrose, & Gregory, dyssuading frō marApostle. riage, & so lytle to regard hym which cre ated mā to lyue honestly therin, cōmaundyng by hys Apostle, that men shulde rather marry thā burne, rather to hauehave wy ues of their owne, thā inordynatly to affecte the wyues, doughters or mayde seruaūtsHierome of others. i. Cor. vii. Though Hierome wer a great prater & boaster of virginite, yet was he no virgine, but may be suspected of yl rule wt yōge womē, for his to moche familiarite wt thē, as apeareth by his epistles. Ambrose & Gregori, shuld seme by some of their writinges, to be as chaste as errour in hypocrysy wolde permyt thē. Augustyne which is brought inAugustine: in y• inuectiue here folowynge for a strōg witnesse for the vowe of prestes chastite, had for hys tyme & occupyeng thre concu bynes, & by one of thē a bastarde called Theodatus, as his wrytten lyfe manifesteth. The other scrupulouse fathers and scolding scole doctours, whiche cryed wt wyde throtes both in chaires & in pulpetes chastite, chastite, ded after many prodi giouse sortes, moste shamefully slyde frō their vowed professiōs. If this kind of docDoctryne trin had not bene first practysed, more for y• insaciable belly, than for y• right honor of god, it had neuer obtained so strong & strought mayntenaūce. I omit to declare for lengthe of the matter, what mischefe and confusion, vowes broughte to thys realme by the Danes and Normannes, whan the lyues of the vowers in their monasteries were more beastlye thanBeastly. eyther amonge paganes or Turkes. All pratlynges of folysh papystes set apart, that ye must fulfyll youre promyse ones made, though it were most presūptuouse and wicked. Consydre thys question that God ones axed of the Iewes by hys holy prophete. Quis ista quesiuit de manibus vestris? vt ambularetis in atriis meis? Esai. l. Whoe hath requyred theseIn vapne. thynges at your handes? to trauayle wt them in my porches? Who set ye a wurk, or who shall regarde them? And it maye in conscience be your dyscharge, hauing repeutaunce for your rashenesse.
I exhort the (gentyl reader) to accept al thynges here, as I do meane them. If thu be of God, to the glory of God, for to that ende hauehave I proponed them. If thuThe ende. be of Antichrist & wyl not chāge, I leaue the at thy lyberte, to wexe angrye, hote, furyouse, and mad at thy pleasure, for I knowe thy frantik heade. Turmoyle in the sprete of thy beastly father, for y• wicked vowe and the presthode that I disalowe here, and hardely spare not. As the Angell sayde to S. Iohan the Apostle of suche wrangelyng hypocrites. Apo. xxii.Fylthie Qui nocet, noceat adhuc, et qui sordidus est, sordescat adhuc. He that doeth euyll, lete him styll do euyll, and he that is fylthy, lete hym styll be fylthy. I wyll not seke to call the back, nomore than the holy Ghost doth in that place, for y• laboure were all in vayne, thu beinge a vessell of reprobacion. The wurde of the Lorde is able to turne thy contrary and froward buyldynges to duste, and to blowe them away wyth the wynde. Psalm. i. In shar pely rebukyng y• supersticions, me think,Rebukes. I shuld not offende the ryghteouse, but the spyghtfull rebellers and obstinates only. Therfore I humbly requyre the inhabitauntes of this realme, as they louelove God and the christen commen wealthe therof, no longar to be led by the wycked sprete of errour. But in the mekenes and true fear of hys myghty maiestie, to obey their most lawfull kynge, gracyously geuen them of the lorde as a godly, fauourable, and learned Iosias. Also to obeyeIosias, hys most noble counsell, as the chefe vndre hym in the publique authoryte. And in the ende, to folowe their godly procedynges, to the glory of God, honour of the kynge, welthe of thys realme, & confort of the commens.
☞So be it.