A Mystery of Iniquity Disclosed and Confuted, Part 29
A mysterye.
1 On his ryght syde Vvas also tyed.
2 A brother of his One garretyvvys.
3 Vna enim cachena tenebrarum colligati erant. Eccle. 17.
¶The openinge. 1.
Excedinge hote and modye is this mā ne styll in his matters / and wyll not hauehave done with Barnes yet for a lyttle. He now describeth his standinge in the fyre betwixt Garade and Hierom. But he telleth not which of his own generacion hinge that daye in the myddes / of powell / Abell & fetherstō. No / that pleased him not so wele as this. For these were fryndes to his holy father of Rome / where as they were enemies. His eye syght therfor serued him not so wele vponupon this syde as vponupon that syde. The Popes enemies are the onlye heretiques in his Genealogye here / and not the enemyes of Christ and his kynge. Be that farre from him to iudge those good vertuouse fathers of holye churche any heretyques. No / I warande you / Cardinall Pole / fryre Peto / fryre Buckenham / & other ranke papistes abrode / are yet non heretyques with him / but relygiouse vpholders of that holye mother of his the churche of Rome. Truthe it is that Thomas Garade a bachelar of diuinite and person of honye lane / was tyed to that poste vponupon his ryght syde / for preachinge ageynst Antichrist. And that ded Christ afore tyme promise hī in Peter for a rewarde / yf he wolde be a preacher in his kyngedome. Whan thu wert yonge (sayth he) thu gyrdedst thyselfe / & walkedst at thy pleasure. But whan thu art olde / thu shalt streche forth thy handes / and an other shall gyrde the / leadynge the contrarye to thy mynde. And therfore this was vntounto him a promysed rewarde of his master / which had no better of the worlde his selfe.
2 If Garade were a brother of Barnes / of a lykelyhode he was non than of Pantolabꝰ brotherhede / as were Abell & Powell. For yf he were / he wolde nor regestre him for an heretyque. But I putt the case that Garade & Barnes both be now of that bretherhede which God the father hath allowed for his sonne Iesus sake / as it is most lyke to be so. For that heretage in Christ is not promysed vntounto them which lyue here in wanton pleasurs and are murtherers in cō tempt of the Christen veryte / but vntounto those despysed disciples that are persecuted & scorned / and that suffre death for thesame. What shall become than of Pantolabꝰ and soche other disciples of Antichrist / which hath with so villenouse spyght refused that bretherhede / yt is easye to cōiecture / yf they de…olye repent not in tyme. Happye is Thomas Garade that euer he was borne. Not onlye in that he taught Christ here for an onlye sauer without the mangye merytes of menne / but also in that he hath with his owne dere lyfe / sealed as a sure wytnesse vntounto the same agaynst Antichrist. This singular profyght hath he all redye gotten therby That he shall from henceforth neyther honger nor thirst / and that God hath wyped awaye all teares from his eyes. Neuer more shall he tast of death / of losses / nor yet of sorowes / for the first sorowes are past. Now is he sure to be allowed for a fre cytezen in the newe Hierusalem / whan his lorde shall sytt in the regeneracion.
3 Pantolabus yet styll to conferme his doctryne with blasphemyes and lyes / allegeth here the .xvii. chapter of Ecclesiastes / otherwyse called the preacher / and the whole boke hath nomore but .xii. chapters in all. I warande yow the manne meaneth sumwhat by it. In dede this clause: Vna enim cathena tenebrarum colligati erant / is in y• xvii. chapter of Sapience. But I maruele sore where omnes is become. He was surelye layed asyde for some cloynynge purpose. That chapter is all togyther of the sore iudgementes of God / concernynge the Egypcyanes. They were all bounde (sayth the wyse manne) with one cheane of darkenesse. And this was for that they thought styll to hauehave in subieccion his holye people. Saint Iohan sayth in the Apocalyps that youre spirituall cy…e or holye mother churche is now that Egypt and Sodome. I praye God ye do not condempne him for an heretyque. He sayth there also that ye shulde in youre firetes throwe forth the bodyes of the lordes wytnesses / but ye shulde not suffre them to be layed in graues. Me thynketh he is there verye playne with you / and towcheth you sumwhat nyghlye. The wyse manne in the same chapter of yours appoynted oute youre generacion / & gaue ye a lawfull warnynge / sayenge there afore. Propter hoc indisciplinate anime errauerunt / &c. for this cause onlye do menne erre / that they will not be reformed (lorde) by thy wysdome. For that shall they be wrapped in the cheances of longe darkenesse. Their sorceryes and incha…ntmētis shall come to derisyon / & their proude wysdom shall be brought to shame.