The Hunting of the Fox and the Wolf, Title page – Dedication
THE Hunting of the Fox and the Wolfe, because they make hauocke of the sheepe of Christ Iesus.
¶Take heede of false prophetes, which come vntounto you in sheepes clothing, but within are rauening Wolues.
An Admonition to colde preachers.
IF preaching fayle,, as it doeth begin,
The people must quayle,, and die in their sin…
And if it decrease,, Gods curse is at hand
To destroy vsus, our peace,, our soules & our land.
Therfore let's be mending, Gods plag's to preuent
For after our ending,, t'is to late to repent.
Take heed thē to preching,, gods word to imbrace
And larne to take warning,, lest God you deface.
❧To al my faithful Brethren in Chri…t Ie…u, and to all other that labour to weede out the weedes of poperie … the Lord Iesu …e with y…u and make yo… perf… in al good works to do his will working in you that which is pleasant in …is sight through Iesus Ch…ist our Lorde.
DEare brethren, because wee are created for gods glorie, ye edification one of another in Christ, & are bounde to serue therunto by wealth or wo, life or death, and cheefely, they to whom God hath gyuen the greater giftes, & whom he hath called to higher romes, are most bounde to be zealous for Gods glory, with godly zelousie to profit the Church & spouse of Christ vnderunder their charge, and yt by no subt…lty, as the Apostle warneth, they shoulde be corrupted from the simplicity of Christe: Therefore there is no doubte of your good zeale & diligence: My good Fathers and deare Brethren who are first called to ye battel, to striue for gods glory & the edificatiō of his people, againste the Romish reli…s and rags of Antichriste, I doubt not but yt you wil couragieuslye & constātly in Christ, rap at these rages of Gods enemies, and yt you will by this occasiō race vp many as great eno…mities, yt we al know & labour to raccout al the dregs & renmāts of transformed poperie, that are crept into England, by to much lenitie of thē that wi…be named the Lords of the Cl…rgie. What is he that h…th the zeale of Gods glorie before his face, … wil not ioyne both in prayer, and in suffering with you, in so good a cause, that is so much for Gods g…orie & the edification of Gods church, in the pure simplicitie of Chri…t…s word & sacramentes, wherein our enemies and per…ecut…urs are strangly bewitched? I wote not by what Circes …, that they do make such a diuersitie betwixt Christes word and his Sacramentes, that they cannot thinke the worde of God safely ynough preached, and honourably ynough handled, without cap, koape, surplis, But that the Sacraments, the marying, the burying, the churching of women, and other church seruice (as they call it) must needes be decored with crossing, with capping, with surplessing, with kneeling, wt prety wafer cakes, and other knackes of poperie. O Paule that thou were aliue, thou durst tell those politike gentlemen, that there hath bin to much labour bestowed vponupon them in vaine: thou durst saye vntounto them as thou diddest to the Corinthians, That they eate not the Lordes Supper, but play a pagent of their own to blinde ye people▪ and keepe them stil in superstition, farre from the simplicitie of Christes supper: but howe many silie soules is there that doeth beleeue ver…y, that they hauehave an Engli…h masse, and so put no difference betwene trueth and falshod, betwene Christ and antichrist, betwene God & the deuil, they are strangly bewitched. I say yt thus wil b…nde t…eir English priesthode & sacraments, but mu…h more enchaūted that can finde no garments to please them, …ut such as hauehave bin poluted openly with popish superstition and idolatrie: but most of all in this point that their madnes appeare to all posterities, yt they make these Antichristian ragges Causam sine qua non, that is, a cause w…thout which there is no holy ministerie in Christ, so yt this shal make an English priest, be he n…uer such a dolt or vnlearned in the knowledge of the scripture, as we hauehave very …any, and without these Romish reliques not Paule him self shal be admitted (as one of them did blaspheme, & the rest of them in effecte do affirme:) well against such popish chaffer & poperie, hath bin long agone f…ughten withall, when the great captaines of that religion liued, and yet God g…ue the victorie. Therefore let vsus not feare nowe, although it doth begin to sturre againe, for there is no craft, cunning, counsel, wisdom or policie against the Lord. We hauehave Christe and his Apostles and the Prophetes euer striuing against the Hipocrites of their tyme on our side: a straw for popish policie we hauehave the worde or God to warrant vsus, to rote out al monuments of supersticion & Idolatry, and are charged to abhor them, to accoumpt them, accursed, & to dety them, and to d…test thē as menstreous clowts, they hauehave not the word of God for thē. And what wi…edome is in them, saith God by his Prophet Ieremi, they talke of obedi…nce & concord, but there is no obedience against the Lord, no nor cō corde to be desired, but where Gods glory & verity is preserued. Els better to hauehave al the world in hurly burlis, and heauen & earth to shake, thē one iote of gods glory should decay So farre foorth as in vsus lieth, we hauehave their owne lawes & proclamatiōs to roote cut all monuments of supersticiō & idolatri, & their owne words are cōtrary to their doings. It should appeare yt they repēt their reformacion proclaimed, as did ye Isralits, thei build again yt which once they hauehave destroied & this is don openly yt all the world may wonder & behold: but what is don secretly, god wil one day hauehave it declared openly, yea they make the name of god & this doctrine yt we professe▪ to be euell spoken of alreadye. By manye of theyr doinges, theyre iudgemente hasteth that for such causes persecute Godsf…rue Preachers: Wherefore let vsus not eare theyr thretnings, ther can none persecute the godly for this cause & trash, but either suche as are neither hote nor cold, & then they shalbe vomited out vnlesse their zeale encrease, or suche as hauehave no God before their eyes, whose God is their bellye, or else open papists, whō God hath giuen vp to a reprobate sence, wherfore we must thus take it, yt they are gods rods for our sins, because we hauehave not bin more zealous in gods cause, neyther careful to seeke his glory, y• wolfe Winchester & blody bucher Bonar fought once agaīst many godly men for the ground of this gere, and they had all the power of ye Realme seruing their lustes: but behold howe the Lorde in short time ouerthrew them all, to giuegive vsus courage to go forward, the Lord forgiue vsus, we are to slacke and negligent in heauenly thinges: this monster Boner remaineth and is fedde as papistes say, for theyr sakes, & it must be graūted it is for some purpose, although he be a traitor & an enemie to y• crown & realme, and both to God and man, whych burned Gods holy testament, murdered his faintes and his seruātes. But what the Lord requireth to be done wyth false Prophetes, it is manifest: we hauehave both the lawe of God & man for vsus. But we are answered nay you your selues shalbe compelled to turne your coates and cappes, and get you into his liueries, & to be like him in your garmentes. O Elias that thou liued…t, or that thy spirite were amongst vsus, thou w…uldest …aye with the Prophet Sophome, That God will vnite the wearers of this idolatrous garmēts or strāge apparel, thou wouldest say, that thinges dedicated once to idolatrie, is not indifferent: thou wouldest say reuerence to the Sacrament is wrought by doctrine and Discipline, and not by popishe and Idolatou…s garmentes: thou wouldest saye, What decencie can ther… bee gayned to the Sacramentes, by that which hath bene deuised and vsed to deface it: I… the golde ordeyned by God for the reuerence and decencie of the Iewes Temple, is not to bee admitted to beautifie the Churche of Christe, much lesse kopes brought in by Papistes the enemies of God, and alwayes continued in their seruice as ornamentes of their Religion in no wyse ought of vsus Christians to be retayned. But the Papistes triumphe and glorie in their assemblies, that the whote gospelers shalbe driuen to their doltishe attires: for the Lordes sake let vsus neuer giuegive them anie cause of ioye, though we shoulde dye for it. Moses would not yeelde one hoofe of a beast in Gods busines, he would not leaue the loupe v…ade, nor make a button or a claspe more or lesse. Eleazar will not dissemble by eating of vnlawfull meates, the faithfull Israelites woulde not receyue so much as an yuie bushe. Contrarie wi…e Origen carying a braunche, and professing that hee bare it for Christ at the first: But was afterwarde compelled to open idolatrie, so cursed a thing it is to giuegive any place to the wicked: all the papistes that say, they worship Christ in ye crosse, and God in the sacrament, do still vnderunder these wordes continue stil in their idolatrie: beware of deceytful wordes, that couer wicked purposes, to drawe vsus from Christian simplicitie.
Let vsus stand constantly against all abuses, & repent for our former coldnes in religion, and our sinnes, and cal for helpe frō aboue, for the hand of the Lord is not shortened: we are assured that we seeke Gods glory, and our aduersaries may see, if they can see any thing, that this thing that they seke is not for Gods glory, seeing the papistes the enemies of God do so desire it and glorie in it. And reioyce, yt we, whom they most hate, cannot be safe but vnderunder their garments: we are assured that we seeke Gods glorie in folowing Christe his Apostles and Prophets: who euer despised these pharisaical outward faces and visures, Christ findeth faulte with the garmentes of the Pharisees. Paule counteth all his Pharisaicall shewe to be dunge. Zachari saith, that the false Prophet shalbe ashamed of his prophecye, and forsake his garments wherin he deceiued, & shal ye true Prophetes be faine to creepe into their cou…es▪ for by the same autority may be cōmanded any peace of popery, so y• it be nam…d policye. Ezechias & Iosias knew no such autority, but they say: It is for policie. For it plainly appeareth that there is lesse care for religion then for policie. But beware yt the exāple of Ieroboham be not folowed, that made such like preistes for policye, as would do as he commaunded them. Achaz of policie broughte y• fashion of an altar into Ierusalē, as he saw at Damascus, where he had ouercome the Idolatours and their idoles, but cursed was his policie, and so are all they yt wil retaine any thing of their idolatry. Nabuchodonosors Idoll was for vnity & policie, but without ye warrant of gods word, ther is neither good vnity nor policy. The godly father Bucer called ye tenths and the first fruites sacriledge & robery, they be kept stil for policy, crosse & candelstickes are supersticious, thoughe they bee kepte, I wot not for what policie, the adoration of the Sacrament in the countries where they knocke and kneele for a wafer cake is a popish policy. That women baptise, that pluralities, to…, quots, impropriacions, non residēce dispensations, suspencions, excōmunicaciōs, and absolucions for mony … graunted, … is euel like as are mani other … b…r…wed from Rome, which remaine … of policy. Al these things were abhorred as popish …upersticions & Idolatries, am…ng our gospellers both bishops and others, when they were vnderunder gods roddes in p…ue…y…. But how they now hauehave learned c…urtle …iuin…ty to ground all vponupon policy. Humble them again, O Lord, that they do not f…get thee, and thy great kindnes, and mercy … vponupon them, and sturre vppe their heartes and mindes, that they may be carefu…l …uer thy poore flocke. O Christ whom thou haste dearely bought, by this their policie are blinded, and careth for no more, …ut y they may hauehave this supersticious sh…w which is … maintained. … him mumble as he list if he be thus apparelled, al his seruice is wel inough, otherwise it is nothing worth. Thus cause you thē to perish by y…ur policyes, for whom Christ hath dyed. Furthermore, if popery be supersticious & idolatrous, euel and wicked, as yet ther was neuer a worse thing in the world, thē ar we cōmanded to abst…ine frō al participatiō therof, & frō all the shew therof ab omnistecie mali, yt is from all shew of wickednes. These garmēts were the shew of their blasphemous priesthod, herein they did sing and say their …uper…icious …atrous seru…ce they dyd c…nce their Idoles and helpe forward their idolatrous masses: What policie can it be then to weare this gea…e? …ut a superstitious, w…cked and popish policie: they do it for policie (they say) that their Priestes may be knowen and magnified of men. Did not the Pharisees vse the same policie, to doe al their workes and make all their garmentes both Philacteries vponupon their heads, and their wyde and syde robes and borders, that they might be more expectable & notorious to the people? but their wo is threatened aboue al other sinners. To such hypocrites, as being voyde of all true holines, delite in all outward shewes, their curse is most inculcate, their policie is that the Priestes shall weare white in the churches to signifie their vertue, their purenes and holines: and when they go foorth of the Church they must weare blacke gownes and blacke hornes for contrarie policies & for diuers significations. Our master Christes policie was expressed in one word, fede, feede, feede: and the Prophetes before, and the Apostles afterwarde: if Christe be the wisdome of the Father, the true Ministers shalbe well ynough knowen, by that one marke which hee giueth: And if that he hauehave not that marke, better vnknowen then knowen, both for him se…e and others: Therefore let them not saye, for shame, that they seke Gods glory, Christes will, or the edification of his Church by their policie. Whyles they threaten and stoppe the spreading of Gods woorde and feeding of Christes flocke, commanded by writing to excommunicate the moste faithfull lab…urers in the planting of the Gospell, because they will not weare the ragges of poperie, to expulse ye most valiant Souldiers against the Romishe Antichriste, the most earnest ouerthrowers of the kingdome of Satan, which standeth in sin & blindnes. O beware you, that wil be Lordes ouer the flockes, that you be not sore punished for your pryde towardes your brethren, and your cowardlines in Goddes cause, that for Princes pleasures and pompouse liuings, do turne poperie into policie, and to become our persecutours vnderunder the cloke of policie: it were better to lose your liuings, then to displease God in persecuting of your brethren, and hinder the course of the word. But as our du…tie is, we will praye for you, and for al our brethren in the ministerie, that GOD of his grace would graūt vsus more zeale for his glorie, than any of vsus hath had heretofore, more desire to edifie Christes people in pure simplicitie, to present them a chaste virgin vntounto Christ, then hetherto hath appeared, that when the …ead shepheard shall cal to accoute we be not ashamed. But being found per…te in all good workes, may receiue the crowne prepared: as for you deare brethren whom God hath called into the brunte of the battel, the Lorde kepe you constant, that ye yeelde neither to to…eration, neither to anye other … perswasions or dispensacions, or licē ces, which were to fortify their Romish pract…ses, but as you fight y Lords fight, be valiant. God will not leaue you, neither forsake you, as you seeke Gods glory, god will glorify you, & as by you Christs church is edified, comforted & conformed in Christian simplicity, so shal you receaue comfort by Christ your head captaine, whē you shalbe called to giuegive accompts of your stewardships, & to be rewarded for your fidelity: ye matter is not so smal as ye world do take it, it wil appeare before al be ended, what an hard thing it is to cut of the ragges of the Hidra of Rome, it is beautiful, but poysonful, ther is no dealing with such a monster, beware of loking backe to Sodo… or delight any witte in the garmentes of Babylon, neyther once touche the poysoned cup, though it bee of golde or glittering. Let vsus repent of our former sins vnfaynedlye, and then shall we abhorre and stampe vnderunder our feete these rags, that were appointed to supersticion and idolatry. Let vsus hate the blasphemous priesthode, so iniurious to Christes priesthode, yt eueryevery patche and token of it be in execration, detestation, and accursed, and take no parte of it vponupon our heads nor backes, least wee be accursed as it is. Let vsus not make the heritage of god as a byrd of manye coloures, holdinge of diuers religions, Let vsus not mixte the Iewes with the gentils, let vsus not in no wise mixte this our religion with any thinge of Antichrist, let vsus not confirme the blinde in their blindnes, neither the weake in their supersticion: But rather let vsus take away, if wee can, the names, memories, & all monuments of poperie, and that Antichristes priesthode: Let vsus open our windowes with Daniel, & professe what we are: their cruelty shalbe our glory. Let vsus follow Paule, that knewe that the truth, gospel could not be retained, if any Iewishe cer…monies were maintained. Let vsus rather neuer weare any garmente, then we should weare those, wherby our brethren should be weakened, offēded or bouldened to take part with the idolatrous, & so through our hautines in knowledge, our weake brethren perishe, for whom Christ dyed. Behold and marke well, howe they fall backwarde that yeelde in any iote, and see howe they are edified, and increase in godlines, which holde that right way that you goe in, the which the Lorde increase you, and vsus all, and strenghthen vsus with his holy Spirit, that we may cō tinue to our liues ende, alwayes both by our thoughtes, words & works, to aduance his glorie and honour dayly more & more, now and for euer, AMEN.