A Disclosing or Opening of the Man of Sin, Book 2 · Part 4
¶ The manne of ſynne.
¶ 1 Denatorius vponupon Timothe / 2 & v vyna…iu… of Gods prouydence 3 The cathecyſme of Melanchton / 4 The cathecyſme of Dr…anus / 5 The catheciſme of pacimontanus / 6 The cathecyſme of Sarce…us.
Hys dyſcloſynge.
MOche a do hauehave we ſtyll with theſe bokes. Not yet ys my lordes myndeMore bokes ſpott'd with hereſye. Thomas Venatorius i Pau lum ad Ti motheum ſatyſfyed with them, but more of ther names muſt be blowen abrode to proue Tolwyn a ranke heretyque. Now cometh forth Thomas venatorius, whych with great grace, lernynge, and eloquence hath wrytten an excellent worke vponupon the .ii. epyſtles of ſaynt Paule to Timothe. Thys boke maye not come a brode to be tryed by the ſcrypturs and moſt auctentyue doctours, but yt muſt in a bagge be cōdempned at Paules croſſe for hereſye, non artycles named. And what ys the cauſe thynke yow? For yt ſheweth the ryght offyce of a Chriſten byſſhopp, how he ſchuld teathe and gouerne, whych my lorde cā notThe principall con tentes of that godlye worke. awaye with. It commaūdeth to reſyſt falſe preachers, whom my lorde doth daylye maiteyne. It deſcribeth ſoche wycked pre lates as teacheth the doctryne of deuyls with lyes … hypocreſye forbyddynge mar ryage and meates, of whoſe nombre hys lordſhypp ys one. It exhorteth all ſpirituall gydes of the peple to be vertuouſe andThe ryght office of a chriſtēbyſ hoppe charytable, to cleaue to Chryſtes goſpell, and to ſhurne ſuperfluouſe argumentes, and not to deceyue the worlde with hypo creſye, ſufferynge all abhomynacyons vn der the ſhaddowe of outwarde holyneſſe to hauehave ther fre courſe, but my lorde wyll non of that.
2 The compendyouſe treatyſe of Gods prouydēce, whych that moſt notable clar ke Huldricus Zuinglius wrote at the inſtan̄tHuldricus Zuinglius de prouidentia Dei. requeſt of the ryght worſhypfull lor de Phylypp the Lādgraue of Heſſe, onlye comprehendeth the matters here folowyn ge. That God neceſſarylye dyſpoſeth all creaturs accordynge to hys inſcrutable wyſdome. That the prouydence of GodThe contē tes of that famouſe and excol lent worke. ys hys perpetuall and vnchangeable admynyſtracyō of all thiges. That the ryght conſyder acyon of the creaturs byneth yt a playne waye to deduce vsus into knowle… ge therof. That manne ys not onlye a terreſtryall but a celeſtyall creatur alſo. Vvhat the lawe of God ys, and vntounto what ende yt was geuen vntounto manne. That the eternall wyſdome of God knowynge mannysMarke what my lordehath here condemned. dyuerſe fall afore hande, coude in no caſe erre, ouerſhote her compaſſe, nor yet be deceyued, neyther in creatynge nor yet in geuynge the lawe. That Gods eleccyon or predeſtynacyon (as the doctours doth call yt) taketh grounde of hys goodneſſe and wyſdome, and ys immutable. And that hys eternall decrees or ſett purpoſes are alwayes as he ys, vnchangeable, ſtronge, and ſure, with ſoche other lyke. AndAll condemneth he with outreſpect all theſe hath my lorde of hys pontyfycall dyſcreſſyon cōdempned here for hereſye, with all that was ſpoken of afore. Vvherin I ſtāde i moche doubt whether he hath condempned hys prynce for an heretyque or no. I wyll not ſaye that my lorde ys an aſſehead without true knowlege, nor yetThe report of dyuerſe lerned mēn … a beaſt without godlye iudgement, yet here I dyuerſe lerned menne ſo daylye report hym, for condempnynge thys boke, and ſoche other, One thynge I wolde deſyre the dylygent reader to marke here, whych I hauehave oft reherſed a fore. In the fyrſt of my lordes declaracyon was neyther God nor Chriſt ones named, neytherGod foū de amonge heretyques ys cōdēpned. yet in thys latter fytt tyll we come to the reherſall of heretyques bokes, ād that doth …he all of ſpyght. But bleſſed be that lorde that he wyll be foūde there yet. I thought ſo moche all thys tyme, that came we ones amonge them, we coude not be lōge with out hym. In the verye tyttles of ther bokes doth he apere, moch more in the proceſſeGod beareth no rewle amō ge byſhops. within. Vvhere as in the whole matter of an holye ſpirituall, gloryouſe, glytterynge prelate he can not ones be ſeane. True ys that lorde of hys worde and iuſt of hys promyſe, that he wyll be with the pore contemned dyſcyples to the ende of the worlde.
3 Next foloweth. 4. dyuerſe bokes ofPſal. 118. Mat. 28. 4. cathechyſmes of faythe. one tyttle, called all catechyſmes, or inſtytucyons of the true Chriſten relygyon. Vvhom my lordes holye fatherhode in the zele of a contrarye or popyſhe relygy on, condēpneth here for hereſye. The fyrſt ys the catechyſme of Phylypp Melanchtō,Philippus Melanchton compyled the fyrſt. whoſe manyfolde erudycyon the beſt lerned of chryſtendome greatlye cōmendeth. Thys treatyſe of hys, ys an onlye chryſten inſtytucyō for the bryngynge vp of yow the, teachynge thē the cōmaūdementes of God, the artycles of the Chryſten faythe, the lordes prayer, and the ryght vſe of the ſacramentes. I wonder what my lorde me aneth to condempne theſe for hereſyes.
4 The ſeconde ys the catechyſme ofVrbanus Regiꝰ made the ſeconde. Vrbanus Regius, a manne alſo Chryſtenlye lerned and of a ſyncere lyuynge? Thys worke contayneth the neceſſarye pryncyples of the chryſten relygyon afore reherſed, whoſe knowlege ys lyfe, and whoſe ignoraunce ys dampnacyon. Thys coude not my lorde reprehēde had he not an eye geuen to wyckedneſſe.
5 Of Balthaſar Hiebmeir PacimontanusBalthaſar Pacimontanus made the iij. ys the thyrde catechyſme, whom in dede I knowe not but by name, as I hauehave redde yt in other mennys writynges. But I cō ceyue here the better o pynyon of hym, for that my lorde hath condempned hym amō ge theſe menne, whoſe doctryne I knowe to be pure and perfyght.
6 Eraſmus Sarcerius AnemontanusEraſmus Sarcerins cōpyled the forth. (whoſe name ys alſo notable and hys lernynge famouſe) made the fort catechyſme, whom he elegantlye dyffyneth to be an in ſtytncyon or teachynge by mouthe, comprehendynge the neceſſarye poyntes of the Chriſten faythe and relygyon. Nothynge ys more bewtyfull in a Chriſten manne, than purelye to worſhypp God, ād ryghtRebukes geueth the byſſhops for godlyneſſe. lye to exercyſe the wurkes of faythe, whych theſe bokes throughlye teacheth. Rather were ſoch menne worthye thākes than rebukes, for ſo regardynge the Chriſten common welthe, yf byſſhoppes not doynge ſoche thynges were as they ſchuld be, regardynge the peples helthe. But ſoche are euermore the vnworthye wayes of thys worlde, malygnelye to blame men ne for ther wele doynge, ād flatterynglye to holde the other ſort vp in all kyndes of wyckydneſſe. As my lorde doth here fullHier. 10. Math. 23 fatherlye, whych wyll neyther enter into the kyngedome of God hys ſelfe nor yet ſuffre anye other that wolde gladlye do yt