A Disclosing or Opening of the Man of Sin, Book 2 · Part 6
The manne of ſynne.
¶ 1 A boke of prayer made by Luther / 2 The dore of holye ſcripture / 3 The poſtylles of Coruinus / 4 Tvvo olde vvritten bokes / the one for ſcolers / 5 and the other taken out of frythes bokes.
Hys dyſcloſynge.
NOt yet hauehave we done with theſe bokes,A boke of prayer made by Martin luther. but ſtyll are they a foule blott in my lordes eyes. Now cometh a boke of prayer made by Martyn Luther, yet nothynge ys ſeane but the bagge. Anon my lorde wyll ſaye that heretyques deſpyſe good workes, and write ageynſt faſtyngeBonner wyl proue hymſelf a fowle lyer. ād prayer. But lete hym be ware leaſt thys boke ꝓue hym a lowde lyar in the face of all the worlde. In that ſmall treatyſe (yf yt be hys) ys nothynge els contayned but the lordes prayer, the commaundementes, and crede. It ys moche maruele to me, yf they are now become hereſye, and legenda aurea, with ſancta Maria ora pro nobis outLegenda aurea, ▪ with ora pro nobis. of your ordynarye pye and portas becometh ageyne ſo wholſom lernynge. But parauenture yt ys for Luthers names ſake. If the whole doctrine of the trynyte came in that name, yt ſchuld ſure into the ſachell without lokynge on, and be condempned for hereſye. Ye, yf God came hymfelfe vnderunder hys tyttle, he ſchuld ſurelye ſtāde forthGod and all hys cō maundementes cō dempned here for an heretyque in my lordes great mode He hath alredye cōdempned hys cōmaundementes, hys prayer, and the artycles of hys faythe, for Martyns ſake ōlye. And no maruele. For he ys the father heretyque ād enemye of all holye churche. If God woldGod myght hauehave thankes to take luther awaye. The dore of holye ſcriptur ys Chriſt. Ioan. 10. ones take hym out of the waye, doubtleſſe he ſchuld hane great thankes of my lorde and of the ranke rable of Romyſhe ruffelers.
2 Next cometh forewarde in courſe the dore of holye ſcripture. Vvhether thys be Chriſt or no, I am in moche doubt. For in dede he ſayth vntounto hys dyſcyples in the x. chapter of Iohan. I am the dore into the ſhepe folde. He that entreth in by me ſchal go in and out, and fynde good fedynge. But I fere me that my lorde ys one of thoſeIoan. 10. Treno. 3. Col. 3. 2. Tim. 3. Exod. 7. Pſal. 2. Act. 4. Hier. 26. Math. 26. theues and robbers that Chriſt ſpeaketh of there, for ſtoppynge vp of thys dore. For he in ſo doynge depryueth the peple of that lyfe whych ys in hym, and ſo ſleeth ther ſoules, holdynge them ſtyll captyue in ſynne. Alwayes hath my lordes generacyon bene thus rebellyouſe ageynſt the lorde and hys worde. As we hauehave for example ī the olde lawe, the falſe preſtes whych compaſſed Hieremye the prophete, and in the newe lawe the ſpirituall prelates that ſought Chriſtes deathe. If thys dore of holye ſcripture be a treatyſe, than had yt bene more wyſdome for my lorde to hauehave chriſtenlye reproued the errours therof (in caſeA tyttle offerynge moche godlyneſſe condēpned. ther be anye) and not to condempne ſoche a clere perfyght tyttle as offreth nothynge but godlyneſſe. I thynke eyther hys wyttes are not hys owne or els he ys dronke with exceſſe of the Babylonyſhe cuppe of hys holye mother.
3 The compendyouſe poſtyls of AntoniusPoſtille Antonij▪ Coruini, vtiles & neceſſarie Coruinus vpō the ſondayes ond ſayntes, are iudged of menne that be ſyncerelye lerned, to be faythfull and godlye. And ſo moche the more neceſſarye to a preacher that ys but meanelye lerned, that within a ſmall compaſſe they contayne moche chriſten erudycyon. But my lorde admitteth nothige that perteieth to that office. He carethNo ryght preachynge but ſenſynge of Images. the newe māner of preachynge now a dayes. The auncyēt workes of holy church for nothynge but for holye water ād ſenſynge ꝓceſſyō and maſſynge. He thynketh that .iiij. tymes in the yeare or ones in a quarter ys ynough for preachynge, and therin onlye to declare the kynges actes cō cernynge ceremonyes and tythes in ſtede of the popes ſentence of curſynges whych now is worne out. If they Iyſt to preache anye other thynge els, they hauehave yet ther olde feſtyuall, mammotractus, Geſta roma norum, Sermones diſcipuli, Sermones dormi ſecure, Rationale diuinorum, Manipulus curatorum, poſtilla guilhermi, ād dyuerſe other more, whych are auncyent workes allowed of holye churche. They hauehave alſo a famouſe newe worke called Ioh Eckāius poſtyll, which battelleth forthe newe poſtyl of Iohā. Eckius. the holye fathers primacye harde. Theſe and ſoche other are bokes of catholyk lernynge, and ſchall neuer be condempned, for they make all togyther for holye churche.
4. In the bottom of the bagge lyeth .ij. olde written bokes, and they hauehave no namesTwo olde written bokes without name. here to fulfyll my lordes promes wyth, But thus moche hath my lorde gathered of them, that the one of them is for ſcolers, ād the other ys takē out of Io. frythes bokes. But wonder yt ys to me what that boke ſchuld offende whych ys onlye for ſcolers, and hath non other tyttle. VvylVertuouſe educacion is become hereſye. my lorde ſtyll deſtroye all godlyneſſe without excepcyon? Non other ys yt to condempne a boke for ſcolers, (hauynge non other addycyon) but to condempne for heretyques doctryne ther vertuouſe bryngynge vpp in good letters and maners, In thys doth my lorde declare hymſelfe an enemye vntounto nature, whych delytethAriſt. 2. de aia. & 1. coeli. in neceſſaryes, beſydes that he hath done vntounto faythe.
That the other treatyſe taken out of Iohan frythes bokes ſchuld be an olde boke, yt ys a fowle lye, though yt be newlyeThe age of Iohan fryth. practyſed of my lorde. For he was not. 27 years olde in the 8. yeare afore thys declaracyon, whan my lordes generacyon Stokyſlaye, Gardyner, and ſoche other, (whō Eſaye calleth the tyrauntes of Sodoma)Eſa. 1. Gen. 9. Iohan. 10. putt hym to moſt cruell deathe in the yeare of owr lorde God. M. D .xxxiij. for Chriſtes congregacyon ſleeth no manne for hys faythe. And therfor it cā not now be olde, and collected of hys bokes. Not all vnlyke ys my lorde here, vntounto the olde4. reg. 23. Hiere. 36 1. math. 1. tyrauntes in the condempnacyon of theſe bokes. Ioachim the kynge of Iuda tare Hie remyes prophecye and conſumed yt in the fyre for vtterynge the truthe. Antiochus cō maunded the bokes of the ſcripturs to be brent alſo, and the readers of them to be putt vntounto deathe. Herodes the Aſcalonyte or Idumyte deſtroyed the monymentes ofIoan bachonis .3. ſentē diſt. 20. the Iewes, and cruellye ſlewe ther notaryes. Beſydes that hath be done by the conſecrate prelates of Conſtantynople and Rome, whych alſo deſtroyed manye workes of Chryſoſtome and Gregorye, as the cronycles mencyoneth. And Tōſtall in owr tyme (whych ys now byſſhop of Durhā)Tonſtall burned the teſtamentes in. englyſhe. whan the teſtamentes came firſt into Englyſhe, bought vpp a greatt nombre of them and brent them in Paules churche yearde, for the great deuocyon he had vntounto them, and bycauſe he wolde ſhewe hys kynde. But what became of the aſore named tyrauntes, for workynge ſoche wyckedneſſe? Trulye Ioachim was ledde captyueHiere. 22. 4. reg. 24 3. para. 36 Math. 1. 1. math. 6 petrus cō meſtor li. 19. cap. 16 into Egypt, and at the laſt dyed there myſerablye, hys name ſecluded frō Chriſtes genealogye. Antiochus departed in a ſtraunge lande, ouerwhelmed with dyſpayre, ād innumerable ſorowes els. Herode was vexed with manye ſore diſſeaſes, as ytche, ſcall, mange, gowte, feuers, collyke, and at the laſt conſumed of wormes, moſt wretchydlye ended hys lyfe. what ſchall become here after of my lorde bonner and Tohſtall for doynge lyke feates IBoner ād Tonſtall vnderunder the lordes vē geaunce. wyll not nor can not dyffyne, for yt ys in the handes of God. But ſure I am that yt wyll be remembred whan blaſphemers ſchall receyue rewardes accordinge to ther dedes. My lorde parauenture thynketh the menne be yll, and therfor he maye iuſtlye condempne ther workes. My lorde muſt conſydre ageyne, that though Balaam, Saul,Num. 24▪ 1. reg. 26. Ioan. 11. Lucae. 6. 1. cor. 12. and Cayphas were wycked perſones, yet doth not the ſcripturs condempne ther true prophecyes. Vvhat theſe mēne are ther frutes ſchall declare. For no manne can ſaye that Ieſus ys the lorde (whych my lorde hath not yet vttred in all hys proceſſe) but in the holye ghoſt. And as for my lordes thynkynge, we remembre in Eſaye thatEſay. 5 & 55. they whych holde darkeneſſe lyght and lyght darkeneſſe, hauehave thoughtes and iudgementes full vnlyke to the thoughtes and iudgementes of God. They ſaye they do well (ſayth Micheas the prophete) whan they labour to ſhede blood and hunte therMich. 7. Zach. 11. Ioan. 16. bretherne to deathe. They ſlee the ſhepe (ſayth Zacharye) and yet they take yt for no ſynne. No, they ſuppoſe they do God good ſeruyce in ſo doynge. But lete them take hede of yt and they lyſt, for Eſaye geuethEſa. 5. Pſal. 54. them warnynge that hell gapeth full wyde and openeth her mouthe at large to rewarde that good ſeruyce of thers.