A Looking Glass for All Lordly Prelates, Title page – Author to prelates
A LOOKING-GLASSE for all LORDLY PRELATES.
WHEREIN THEY MAY Cleerely behold the true divine Originall and laudable Pedigree, whence they are descended; together with their holy lives and actions laid open in a double Parallell, The first, betweene the Divell; The second, betweene the Iewish HighPriests, and Lordly Prelates; and by their double dissimilitude from Christ, and his Apostles.
ESAY LI. I. Looke unto the Rocke whence yee are hewen, and to the hole of the pit whence yee are digged.
IOHN VIII. XXXXIV. Yee are of your Father the Divell, and the lusts of your Father yee will doe; Hee was a Murtherer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.
MATH VII. XV. XVI. Beware of false Prophets which come unto you in Sheeps cloathing, but inwardly they are ravening Wolves; yee shall know them by their fruits.
Printed Anno M. DC. XXXVI.
To the PONTIFICIALL LORDLY PRELATES of England.
MY LORDS,
Being put by your pieties from my Ministry & function, contrary to the fourth Commandement and Gods sacred Word, To keep my selfe from idlenesse, o… worse imployments, I have adventured to draw up and present this Looking-Glasse, for a New yeares gift, to your Lordships, not to defame you (God is my witnesse) but to informe, and so reforme you (if possible) by the Parallels therein comprised. If any of the comparisons therein specified, seeme odious, (as commonly most doe) to your holynesse, you must blame your selves, not me, who relate only your actions (and compare them with the divells, the Iewish high Priests, Christs and his Apostles) but was not the author, nor occasion of them, And if you amend them and become new men, the Parallels will soone grow out of date: Neither doe I involve you all …, but coniuctim in these Parities and disparities; All of you are not alike culpable, But some more, some lesse, and some of you (perchance) altogether innocent: I desir… therefore every of you, to apply so much of it (and no more) to himselfe as his owne conscience (upon serious examination) shall ascertaine him doth appertaine to him. Sure I am, that the whole concernes you all (as united.) And the greater part, many of you (as divided) God grant you grace to make good use of it. It is the first degree of reformation, to discover your enormities to you; (This is my part, not yours; Loe I have here performed it.) The next degree is, to repent and amend all things amisse; and not to relapse; That is your part (by Gods concurring grace) I trust, you will speedily execute it; If not, As it was no rayling or slander in Christ, to call Iudas a divell Iohn 6. 70. and to tell the Iewes that they wereof their Father the Divel Iohn. 8. 44. So it will be no reviling, or Scandalum magnatum in me, to say as much to your Lordships, If your actions prove you such; or to tell you, that you are none of Christs Disciples, Sonnes; or followers, but the divells; None of the Apostles successors, but the Iewish high Priests, really (though not morally) ceased in Christ, of whom they were a Tipe. Consider therefore seriously what is here written, and view your lives and actions in this impartiall Glasse, and the Lord give you both understanding, and reformation in all things amisse, (which now are many) that so you may be Christs and his Apostles followers and Disciples in verity, as you are now onelyonly in pretence, (as is here in briefe discovered, I hope without offence.
Now least your Lordships should take any just exceptions against any thing I hauehave written: be it knowen to you, and all men, by these ptesents, that I am both able & read… to make good eueryevery particular Parallel against all gainesayers, by Histories, testimonies, and examples of Lord Prelates, in all ages, which for breuity sake, I hauehave omitted; the rather, because your selves, (at leastwise some of your Holinesses) hauehave experimentally ratified all and eueryevery of them past all contradiction. But yet to stop your monthes, I shall only acquaint your Lordships what some of our Martyrs hauehave written of Lord Bishops (a)In his works p. 217. 211.. Dr. Barnes, our Learned Martyr, recites. That their was no great Clarke in the Church of God this 400. yeares, but he complained vehemently against the pride and lewde liuing of the Bishops. &c. They say they be …he successors of Christ and his Apostles, but I can see them follow none but Iudas. For they beare the purse and have all the money. And if they had not so great possessions, I am sure an hundred would speake against them, where now dare not one, for lofse of Promotion. As for this Article, I will overcomme you with the witnesse of all the world, you may well condemne it for herefie, but it is as true, as your Pater noster: Iudas sould our Master but once, and you sell him as often as he commeth in your hands. But I would it were, you could prove me a lyer, and that you followed any of the Apostles saving Iudas only. Yea, I would that you were in certaine points as good as Iudas was, &c. Take it to you and make the best you can of it. Yea hee goeth one straine higher. (b)Page 284. 198.I doe reckon (saith hee) of our English Lord Prelates your Lordships Predecessors) that you are ten times worse then the great Turke: for hee regardeth no more, but rule and dominion in this world? and you are not therewith content, (and I shall say the same to you my Lords) but you will also rule over mens consciences, yea and oppresse Christ and his holy word, and blaspheme and condemne his word. They call themselues in words, the seruants of seruants; but in very deed, they will be Lord ouer all Lords, and desire to be taken as Lords and King ouer al Kings. These truths he sealed with his blood.
(c)In his workes p. 116.Iohn Frith our godly Martyr, writes thus: After that the office of a Bishop was made so honorable & profitable, they that were worst both in learning & living, most labored for it: For they that were vertuous would not intangle themselues with the vaine pride of this world. And in conclusion it came so farre, that whosoever would give most mony for it, or best could flatter the Prince (which he knew well all good men to abhor) had the preheminence and got the best Bishopricke: and then insteed of Gods word, they published their owne Commaundments, and made Lawes to hauehave all under them, and made men belieue they could not erre, whatsoeuer they did or said. And euen as in the roomes and steede of Moses, Aaron, Eliazer, Iosua, Calib, & other faithfull folke, came Herode, Annas, Cayphas, Pilate and Iudas, which put Christ to death: So now in steede of Christ, Peter, Paul, Iames and Iohn, and the faithfull followers of Christ: we hauehave the Pope, Cardinals, Arch-Bishops, Bishops, and proude Prelates with their Proctours, the malicious Minister of their Maister the divell; which notwithanding transforme themselues into a likenesse, as though they were the Ministers of righteousnesse, whose end shall be according to their workes. So that the body is cankered long agoe, & now are left but certaine small members which God of his puissant power, hath reserued vncorrupted: and because they see that they cannot be cākered as their owne flesh is, for pure anger they burne them, lest if they continued there might seeme some deformity in there owne cankered carcasse, by the comparing of these whole members to their scabbed body. So he.
Mr. William Tyndall, our must deuout Martyr; as he termes, (d)Practise of Popish Prelates p. 343.the Pope and Lordly Prelates (Especially those who thrust themselues into, or meddle with temporall Offices and affaires,) Wolfes in a Lambes (Sr. Iohn Lambes) skinne; calling themselues in the title of … Cham Seruus Seruorum, seruants of all seruants, and are yet found, tyrannus tyrann…rum, of all tyrants the most cruell. So he determines thus of Lord Bishops. (e)Obedience of a Christian man p. 114. 138. 135.Bishops they only can Minister the temporall sword, their Office the preaching of Gods word layd apart, which they (as your Lordships now) will neither doe, nor suffer any man to doe; but slay with the temporall sword (which they have gotten out of the hand of all Princes) them that would. The preaching of Gods word is hatefull & contrary unto them *Why it is; that B. put downe preaching.why? For it is impossible to preach Christ, except thou preach against Antichrist, that is to say, them which with their false doctrine and violence of sword enforce to quench the true doctrine of Christ. And as thou canst heale no disease except thou beginne at the roote, even so canst thou preach against no mischiefe (marke it) EXCEPT THOV BEGIN AT THE BISHOPS. Kings they are but shadowes, vaine names and things idle, having nothing to doe in the world, but when our holy Father needeth their help. The Emperor and Kings are nothing now adayes but even hangmen unto the Pope and Bishops, to kill whomsoever they condemne, without any more adoe, as Pilate was into the Scribes and Pharisees and the high Bishop to …ange Christ. What Realme can bee in peace for such …urmoilers? Bishops that preach not, or that preach ought save Gods Word, are none of Christs, nor of his annointing; but servants of the Beast, whose marke they beare, whose word they preach, whose Law they maintaine cleane against Gods Law. (f)Acts and Monuments edi. 1610. pag. 462. 463.The Prelates with the rabble and multitude of their ceremonies, have put away preaching: and as ignorance made us servants to ceremonies; so ceremonies are the chiefe cause of ignorance. Thus and much more, Tyndall. Now because I have Paralleld your Lordships and the divell together, least this should seeme harsh, or a great Scandalum magnatum to your Honours.
I shall conclude this my Epistle to your Lordships, with that notable Epistle of Lucifer Prince of darkenes, written to your noble Progenitors, by William Swinderby, or some other Lollard, (as they termed them, and you now call us Puritans in the selfesame malicious scornefull manner,) transcribed by our laborious Mr. Iohn Fox, out of the Bishop of Hereford his Register, into his Acts and Monuments in these very words, which suite as pat with your Lordships as if it had been purposely penned for your selues alone.