A Disclosing or Opening of the Man of Sin, Book 2 · Part 5
The manne of ſynne.
1 D veſtmore vponupon the concylyacyon of fathers. 2 The boke of the counterfayt byſſhopp / 3 The confeſſyon in Englyſhe vvith the Apologye. Poſtylles vponupon the epyſtles ād goſpels.
Hys dyſcloſynge.
STyll ys my lorde buſye with thys bagge or ſachell, declarynge the contentes therof to the great confuſyon of Tolwyn,The wolfe chaſeth the poor lābe … ſtyll. I had almoſt ſayd of hymſelfe but that I ſtopped yt in tyme. For byſſhoppes can ta… no ſcathe here, bnt what ys towardes thē in the next worlde, that ys in the ryghtfull iudges handes. More of theſe erronyouſe bokes muſt be condēpned yet, no remedye. Specyallye one weſtmore vponupon the concylyacyon of fathers. My lorde byBartholomeus weſt hemerus a lerned mā ne. all lykelyhode was here i ſome great agonye or whote paſſyon of prelacye, forgettynge the ryght tyttle of thys boke. In dede he that made yt ys called Bartholomeus Vveſthemerus, whych ys yet a māne of great lytterature and iudgement. The tyttleConciliatio ſacrae ſcripturae. of hys boke ys, The cōcylyacyon of the holye ſcrypturs and moſt aūcyent fathers, And not weſtmore vponupon the concylyacyon of fathers. He compyled the ſelfe treaty ſe, and not wrote vponupon yt as mēne do that gloſe a text. My lorde therfor beynge IgnorauntChriſt ys condempned of my lorde. of the true tyttle, ſchuld ſeme to be ignoraunt alſo in the contentes of that boke, and ſo to condempne he woteth not what. But by hys abſolute power he maye do ſoche actes, and condempne Chryſt to yf he come in hys waye, in ſo haſtye an ouer ſyght. In thys boke as in a clere myrrour, maye mēne beholde wherī the holyeVvhat ys to be ſeane in that godlye volume. doctours, coūſels, canōs, Rome byſſhops, conſtytucyons, cuſtomes, and cronycles dyffereth as concernynge Chriſten relygyon, from the ſacred ſcripturs of both teſtamentes. And thys ys a matter neceſſarye to be knowne of all menne that coueteth to walke ryghtlye, rather than to be condēpned without lokynge on, yf we hauehave eyther conſcyence, wytt, or grace. But allIoan. 5. Eſa. 50. Math. 15. Luc. 6. my lordes labour ys to make hys ghoſtlye chyldren to grope ſtyll in the darke, tyll they droppe into the dytche for all.
2 I moche blame not my lorde for beynge offended with the boke of the counterfett byſſhopp, partlye for that yt was made by Martyn Luther the capytall enemyeMartyn Lutherma de the coū terfett byſſhoppe. of antichriſtes byſſhoppes, and partlye for that my lorde ys therin ſo lyuelye ſett out in hys pontyfycall colours. Yet wondre I ageyne that he ſchuld condempne that pycture whych he beareth out ſo lyuelye in the ſyght of the worlde. Parauenture he ys well contented to playe the proude pagent, but he wolde not hauehave the ſcripturs to buſye to tell hym therof. Nothynge taketh thys treatyſe from a ryght1. Tim. 3. Eſa. 1. Apoc. 18. chriſten byſſhopp, though yt toucheth the tyrauntes of Sodome, and the gloryouſe, glottons of Babylon. Therfor lett thē wexe furyouſe, frātyk, and madde at ther ſpirytuall pleaſure, full lyttle careth Martyn for that thonderynge or earthquake of thers.
3 The godlye confeſſyon of faythe, whych the noble princes of germanye mekelyeThe cōfeſſyō of the Germanes offred to the emproure for the churches reformacyon (whom my lorde calleth here the confeſſyon in Englyſhe full wyſelye) with the lerned Apologye of Phylypp Melāchton, hath he alſo blotted with the blacke tyttle of hereſye. RyghtlyeMath. 7. Eſaye. 50. Phil. 3. Math. 33. compareth Chriſt ſoche ſhameleſle hypocrytes to rauenynge dogges and ſwyne cruellye tearynge hys truthe and treadynge vnderunder ther fylthye fete the precyouſe pearle therof. Full lyttle knoweth thys blynde byſye buſharde what he doth condempne in theſe godlye bokes here reherſed. He dāpneth dyuerſe verytees of GodAll godlyneſſe condempneth Bonner. as our iuſtyfycacyō i Chriſt, the puttynge downe of the pope, the confutynge of the anabaptyſtes, the true obedyence to princes, the abolyſhynge of ſuperſtycyōs, with manye godlye thynges that our kynge hath done ageynſt the falſe kyngedome of antychriſt. Vvhat godlye wyſe manne cā Vvith all that ower kynge hath doneiudge otherwyſe of hym, whan he condē pneth all that ys in them contayned with out reſpect. Certayne I ā that theſe are the pryncypall poyntes therin decyſed.
4 Vvhat the poſtylles are vpō the epyſteles and goſpels, (whych foloweth cōſequentlye vnderunder the ſame condempnacyō)The poſtilles of Richarde taverner. I can not tell, vnleſſe they be Rychard tauerners. Vvhom he compyled together of a good godlye mynde, that yowr aſſeheaded preſtes whych can do no ſoche thynges) ſchuld not be all Idell, but ſhewe ſome godlye inſtruccyons to the peple. By thys furyouſe acte therfor maye all mē neNothynge ſeck the byſſhops but deſtruccyon of ſowle. ſe, that ye mynde no maner of godlyneſſe to the dere flocke of Chriſt, but all deſtruccyon and myſchefe. In the chamber of thys poore manne (whom ye thus proclame for an heretyque) founde ye dyuerſe bokes of papyſtrye and treaſon to your price were they ſo narrowlye loked vpō as theſe are. But them left ye there behynde vntouched, as matters neceſſarye to the vpholdyngeBokes of pyſtryeā … treaſō no… cōdēpned… of your holye churche. Lett Tol wyn hauehave ſo manye of them as he wyll, and he ſchall neuer be blamed, but be your owne whyght ſōne. Ye paſſe not a whytt how moche treaſō be a brode, for by that alwayes hath your ruffelynge relygyon had mayntenaunce. Onlye ys yt hereſyeTreaſo… ys non h… reſye, bu… onlye th… ſcripturs (as ye call yt) that moueth your ſpretes. For by that ys decayed yowr vayne glorye. Ye force not though a hondred thouſande of thoſe bokes were abrode that myght teache menne to be dyſobedyent to God in the matters of faythe, and vntounto your prynce in the cauſes of ther true allegeaunce. The enchyridion of Eckius thatIohan Eckius with hys Enchirydion. impudent proctour of antichriſt offendeth yow nothynge at all. Yet cōtayneth yt all doctryne of deuylyſhneſſe, as the popes auctoryte, power and prymacye, hys coū ſels cōſtytucyons and cuſtomes, hys confirmacyons orders and vnccyons, hys worſhyppynge of Images rodes and rellyques,The ghoſtlye treaſure ther in cōtayned. hys excommunycacyons interdyccyons and curſynges, hys purgatorye pardons and pylgrimages, hys immunytees pluralitees and tot quo…es with the deuyll ād all of ſoche fylthyneſſe. Euerye where ys thys boke ſought and enquyred for ī cyte, markett, and feyer. Euerye ſer Iohan muſt hauehaveTo lerne therwith to make trayters a pace. yt that can rede, to make hym therwith a Chriſten curate, a good ghoſtlye father, and a catholyck member of holye churche Verye fewe popyſhe preſtes with in my lordes dyoceſe are at thysſame houre with out yt, eyther in ther chambers, ſleues, or boſoms. For yt ys a moſt precyouſe treaſure to hym that wyll heare confeſſyonsNeceſſarye doctrine for holye churche. and kepe a cure well to antychriſtes behoue. That embraſe the gentyll menne of the popes lyuerye and marke, that culle they, that kyſſe they, that drawe they to them as a worke of moſt holye wholſom catholyck doctryne. No leſſe myght harrye pep well in Paules churche yearde, hauehave out ofharry pep well ſtokyſlayes prouider. Michael Hillenius howſe, in Anwerpe at one tyme than ā whole complete prynte at the holye requeſt of ſtokyſlaye. In a ſhort ſpace were they dyſpached and a newe prynte in hāde, ſoche tyme as he alſo commaunded Barlowes dyaloges to be preached of the curates through out all hys dyoceſe.The auctor ſuſpended for prechynge the goſpell. I knowe yt the better for that he at the ſame tyme ſuſpended me from preachynge in eſtſexe bycauſe I wold not leaue the goſpell and be ſworne to the obſeruacyon of hys iniunccyons. I hauehave knowne in my tyme more than vi. dyuerſe pryntes of thys erronyouſe and deuylyſhe boke whych ys a manyfeſt token that the vtteraunce therof hath not bene ſmall. DyuerſeOther bokes els of the ſeyd papyſt Eckius. of them hath beſydes thys, hys dronken dyſputacyons ageynſt heretyques, hys apoſtolyck crede, hys cryſopaſſus of dyuyne predeſtynacyon, hys aurycular confeſſyō, hys boke offre wyll, hys primacye of Peter to pope Leo the tent, and hys poſtylles of papyſtrye. Manye other dyrtye dyuynes hauehave they els of the ſame pharyſeycall leuen, to maynteyne the ſame ſelfe doctrine. As Thomas of Aquyne, Bonauenture,More louſye doctors of the ſame leuen. Vvalden, Prierias, Catharinns, Clychtoueus, Radinus, Empſer, Cocleus, Lathomus, Scatzger, Herbron, Hochſtrate, Natalis Beda. Tregarius, Pelargus, Hofmeſter, Alphonſus de Caſtro, Iohan Fyſher, and Thomas More, with canonyſtes and Romyſtes the deuyll and all. But at theſe can my lorde wynke, in hope of, I ſaye noAt theſe canthe byſſhops wike. more. Vvhether theſe wayes be ryght or naye, lete menne of godlye and rype dyſcreſſyon iudge.