Christs Victory over Satans Tyranny, Book 12 · Part 24 – Part 25
Another Examination before the Bishop.
Bishop.
SIrre, dost thou not beleeue▪ that the Pope is supreme head of the Catholike Church: I said▪ I do not beleeue that he is aboue the Apostles, they disputing which of them should bee greatest when their M. Christ was gone, Christ answered their thou…hts, saying; The Kings of the earth beare dominion aboue others, but you shall not doe so, for he that is greatest amongst you, shall be Seruant vntounto you all. How is it then that the Pope will climbe so high aboue his fellowes? you cannot proue by the Scripture… that he is head of the Church.
Bishop.
As the Bell-wether is head of the sh…epe, so is the Pope head of the Chu…ch, and as the Bees hauehave a master Bee to …ring them home to the Hiue when they be abroad, so the Pope is ordained by succession of Peter to bring vsus home againe vntounto the …rue Church when we are gone astray: as thou good Fellow, hast wandred long out of the way …li…e a scattered Sheepe, heare therefore the Bell-wether, and now come home with vsus vntounto thy Mother the Church againe.
I answered, all this is but naturall reason; and no Scripture: he said, you are stout and will not …e answered, you shall bee compelled by Law whether you will or no.
Spurdance.
So your forefathers intreated Christ and his Apostles, they had a Law, and by that Law they put him vntounto death: so you hauehave a Law, which is tyranny, whereby you would inforce me to beleeue as you doe, but I trust the Lord will assist mee against all your beggerly Ceremonies, and make your foolishnesse knowne to the world o…e day.
He told the Bishop, he neuer vsed the Ceremonies of the Church since he was borne, at the last he interpreted it, since, hee was new borne, as Christ said to Nichodemus; Except you bee new borne you cannot enter into the Kingdome of Heauen: Then a Doctor said I was an Anabaptist, for that was their opinion: I said, I was no Anabaptist▪ for they deny Children to bee baptized, and so doe not I.
Bishop.
Why doe not you goe vntounto the Church and Cer…monies: I said; Because they are contrary to Gods word; as you your selfe hauehave taught, but now you say it is go…d againe: and I thinke if there were a returne to morrow, you would say it were false againe which you hold now; therefore I may well say, there is no truth in you: Then he said, I was a stubborne fellow, an Heretick, and a Traytor.
Spurdance.
There is no man I thanke God to accuse me iustly, that euer I was disobedient to any Ciuill Lawes, but I hauehave a Soule and a Bodie, and my Soule is none of the Queenes, but my body one goods are the Queens, and I must giuegive God my soule, and all that belongeth vntounto it, and in lawes contrarie to Gods lawes, I must rather obey God then man: you cannot proue by the word of God, that you should not hauehave any grauen Images in your Churches, for laymens bookes, or to worship God by them, or that you should hauehave any ceremonies in the Church as you hauehave.
Bish.
It is a decent order to furnish the Church, as when you goe to dinner, you hauehave a cloth vponupon the table to furnish it, so at these ceremonies, a decent order amongst Christians, and if you will not doe them, seeing they are the lawes of the Realme you are an heretick, and disobedient, therefore confesse with vsus that you hauehave been in errour, and come home.
Spurd.
The spirituall lawes were neuer truelier set forth, then in my Master King Edwards daies, and I trust in God that I shall neuer forsake them whilest so I liue: He was sent to Bury, where he remained in prison.
Iohn Hallingsdale, William Sparrow, Richard Gibson.
THese three were produced before Bonner Bishop of London: Iohn Halingsdale said, that neither in the time of King Edward the sixt, nor at that present he did beleeue that in the Sacrament is really the body and bloud of Christ, and he would not receiue the same, because he did beleeue that the body of Christ was onelyonly in heauen: and he said that Cranmer, Latimer, Ridley, Hooper, and generally all that of late hauehave beene burned for hereticks, did preach truly the Gospel, and vponupon their preaching he grounded his faith, and he said that the saying of Saint Iohn in the eighteenth chapter of the Reuelation, That the bloud of the Prophets and Saints and of all that were slaine vponupon the earth was found in the Babylonicall Church, is vnderstood of the Church whereof the Pope is head: where upon hee was condemned.
William Sparrow was charged with a submission made the year before vntounto the Bishop: he said he was sorie that euer he made it, and it was the worst deed he euer did: and being charged that he went to the Church and heard Masse; he confessed he did so, but it was with a troubled conscience. He tolde the Bishop, that which you call truth I beleeue to be heresie: he confessed that since his submission he had preached against the Sacrament of the Altar, against auricular confession, and other Sacraments, and he said, If eueryevery haire of his head were a man, hee would burne them all rather then goe from the truth: and he said, that the Ecclesiasticall Lawes and the Masse were naught and abhominable, whereupon hee was condemned.
Richard Gibson was condemned for not comming vntounto confession, and for not receiuing the Sacraments of the Popish Masse, and for that he would not sweare to answere vntounto their intergatories laid against him: When sentence was read against him, he boldly affirmed, that he was an enemy vntounto them all in his minde, though hee had kept it secret for feare of the Law, and hee said hee was blessed in that he was cursed of them: so these three were burned in Smithfield, where they yeelded gloriously and ioyfully their soules into the hands of God.