Reproof of Howlets Untimely Shrieking, Colophon – Appendix
Imprinted at London at the three Cranes in the Vintree by Thomas Dawson, for Toby Smyth dwelling in Paules Churchyarde at the signe of the Crane 1581.
An appendix, or addition for aunsweare to the Authors recapitulation in the ende of his Treatise.
BEfore you conclude vp this first parte of your discourse, you gather for … sake to the vnlearned, foure conclusions, takē out of yt you hauehave to fore said: which being falsly supposed, rather then duely proued, might easily hauehave been heere omitted. But it is to the vnlearned. You may not bee gaine standed: You wil hauehave no nay: You wil not nowe dispute of the matter you say, all must be supposed: indeede the vnlearned & vnstable are easeliest seduced and brought to wrest euen the Scriptures to their owne destruction, as blessed Peter reporteth. The godlier learned, & wise, wil cal (you know)2. Pet. 3. 16. for sounde proofe of the matter; you thinke to carrie all afore you, vponupon your owne credite: it is no reason; it may not be.
Going to Hereticall assemblies, we graunt you is prohibited Christians by the lawe of nature, of God, and of his true Church, & not to be dispensed with by any mortall man: but where, when, and how, proue you that our Church assē blies be hereticall; this would hauehave beene proued, which you put off, before you had beene so rash to hauehave without warrāt or ground pronounced it vnlawfull to haunt our Churche assemblies. What it aduauntageth your side to suppose that which you cannot proue; and lieth in controuersie betweene vsus, I wote not, but easily may one perceiue that it sauoureth neyther of trueth, nor of learning, which you so confidently affirme. Till you can conuince vsus therefore of heresie & our assemblies to be hereticall, (which while we may be hearde to make answere will neuer bee) giuegive vsus leaue to turne on your owne heades, that which you charge vsus with. And forasmuch as our men hauehave prooued Papistes Heretikes, and their Idolatrous assemblies heretical; giuegive the Pastors, and other godlie Learned, leaue to admonish all the faithfull to abstayne therefrom, as frō prohibited & vnlawfull things, where you especially hauehave nothing to doe, or not to commād at least.
And seeing the case thus standeth nowe betweene these two religious that of the Protestantes and Papists: In the meane while till you can more sufficiently then hitherto, reproue our Church assemblies, let vsus craue at your hands to shewe, that the whole act of going to Churche, is (as it is of you Papistes sayde to bee) prohibited also Iure diuino & naturali: that is by the Lawe of GOD and nature. For wee holde the contrary; not by Supposition as you doe, but by good warrant of God his woorde, reason, and experience: to witte, that to haunt Churche assemblies, is a thing … on GOD his Lawe: Whether we respect the olde Testament or the newe, and also on the Lawe of nature; as not experience onelye taken from the Heathen, and the example of them that hauehave amongest them any exercise of Religion: but reason also sufficiently teache: and not to haunt Churche meetinges on the other side, or vttetly to abstayne therefrom is a contempt and vtter denying of all Religion. If therfore you will needes busie your selfe, where you hauehave no cause, and little thanke of autoritye for your laboure: shewe eyther your selfe more religious and fauourable, in speaking for Churche meetinges, or prooue more substantially then hitherto, the faultes wherewith you charge the same heere amonge vsus, especially seeing all the worlde maye knowe, and iudge, that our meetinges in the excercise of Religion daylye, are not onelye voyde of Idolatrye, wherewith your meetinges are …: but tende also to the … and comforte of our consciences, vntounto the good example of other, in making publike confession of our sinnes, and the Christian fayth, in hearing GOD his holie woorde, making publike prayers, participating of the holye Sacraments, &c. which we take to be the principall endes, and chiefest vses of Christian assemblies, in steede of gasing, crooching, crossing, pyping, singing, and other ceremoniall fashions in vse among you.
For the rest whether it bee impossible to bee so, that your Pope shoulde offer too her Maiestye to confirme the Englishe seruice vppon condition to recouer his Supremacie heere in Englande, whiche hee is farre from, and GOD so keepe him still: and whether his authoritie be aboue the Scriptures, so as hee may dispense with thinges agaynst GOD his Lawe or no, I leaue to the Authoures, that first inuented such brabbles to occupie mens heades with all. Onelye this in perusing of late, I remember N. Saunders an Archepapiste among you English Romanists, handeling this latter question of the Popes authoritie in dispensing against the woorde of God, disputeth whether the Pope may not dispence agaynst the Apostle, thus mynceth hee thinges, and for his aduantage propoundeth this question, and hee affirmeth as one put to his shiftes therein, that the Pope may doe, or suffer to bee doone, sometime otherwise then the Apostle commaundeth and ordereth. As for example, where the1. Cor. 7. 12. Apostle commaundeth, if any brother hauehave a wife, that beleeueth not, If she be content to dwell with him, let him not forsake her. The Pope may for some respect dispēce & giuegive the man leaue to put a way such a wife cōtent & desirous to dwell with her husband: and further he may giuegive him leaue to marry an other, contrary to the Apostles, doctrine and cō maundement. With which, he hath authoritie to dispense,Saund. de …. monarch. Eccle. though the former wife hauehave committed no fault against herlib. 8. cap. 22. husband after their mariage. And why not, I pray you: when hee hath done, still doth, and can doe greater thinges then this, whereof I enter not now to entr eate vponupon this occasion particularly, nor to examine Saunders, cauilles and meere shifts indeede, and no better. The Learned know this man of sinne well ynough, and the excessiue authoritie he vsurpeth and chalengeth. The vnlearned I thinke are sufficiently warned before. Let all that are Godlie take heede of dealing with Pope or Papistes in mariage, or otherwise.
In the seconde conclusion, you bring no newe matter, but turne vsus ouer to the olde, and therefore I also send the Reader to that I hauehave before particularly answeared.
In the thirde conclusion, it greeueth you her Maiesties Subiectes bee and shoulde bee so obedient to her godlie commaundements, and therefore where obedience for going to Churche is alleadged, you call it a A vayne pretence. As the holie Scriptures, for the grounde of our G O D his seruice, were a greate blocke lying in your way, wherewith you were troubled before, and therevppon trauelled to inuay agaynst the sacred Scriptures: So now heere, her Maiesties authoritie grounded on the Scriptures, and ioyning therein with the Mynisters doctrine and exhortation, to call her Subiectes to holie assemblies, lyeth in your way agayne, and combreth you greately. It wil make you sweate, and your shoulders ake too, before you will be able to remoue these two blockes. If you possible stumble at them, and breake your shinnes; thanke your selfe of your hurt, who are more busie with them then you neede be.
Obedience, yea and protestation of obedience to her Maiestie and her wholesome lawes in this behalfe aggrawateth the sinne, rather then diminisheth it, you say: although I thinke there bee none that hath so little regarde to his Soules health, as to goe to Church ouelie for obedience sake, and not of a religious minde also. He that thinketh it is naught to speake against the Pope at Paules Crosse (which is your example, though you call it rayling) thinketh therein amisse, and therefore being commanded, if occasion serue therto, shall do well to obey and doe it, redressing his former foolish thinking, which too absurdly still you make conscience, when it is indeede but a fancie and a dreame: tel vsus it is Pilats case, as much & as lōg as you wil, we wil … bid you prooue it. Your pope is not Christ (fir) nor the clearing or condemning of him the like doing to Pilats with Christ, there is great oddes in the case.
Of pretended conscience &c. I think I hauehave said enough, and of the foolish and wicked band of a naughtie and erroneous conscience, whereof you talke. Prooue stil I bid you, or hold your peace, that haunting our churches is naught, though you suppose it, that is, imagin and dreame so. We that by experience finde and knowe the contrary, can not graunt it you. Obedience to her maiestie and protestation thereof in haunting holie church assemblies here authorised by law, maketh the sinne greater. Disobedience to her maiestie & her godly lawes herein, disloyalty, rebelliō, treason, &c. not onelyonly diminish the subiectes faulte towardes their prince, but is a vertue with you, it is a confession of your popish catholike faith. Obediēce to your pope & to a prelate in a naughtie thing, & to your church euē against cōscience excuseth. I hauehave giuē exāples & a tast before: this is your religiō & cōscience. After this (fighting as you do stil wt your own shadow) you make an obiection of your owne, and answere it at pleasure. And because you like not to single the matter (it is your own word) you huddle, you shuffle, & double; iūbling vp thinges full euell fauouredly together. For reckoning how manie thinges are conteined in going to Church, you bring us forth some that we acknowledge; but diuers and very manie of your owne deuising which we iustlie reiect and … as our answere before doth sufficiently declare. Single things therfore I pray you, & seuer & distinguish betweene good and bad, one and the other, better then you here doe, or else keepe your annexes as you call them to sporte your selfe withall: defend your obstinacie by word, by writinges, by imprisonment, or as you will make al the world know your sturres, and gaze vponupon you to please your selues therein as much as lyketh you: yet shall it be obstinacie stil, say and doe what you can, the more the matter commeth into trial, the lesse credit, and vauntage hath it of your side.
The conscience of the Catholike that thinketh he doth naught, in haunting our Church assemblies, is diuelish and dangerous, as we hauehave seene the explanation of the church as you call it, that is of the popish route and antichristian stuagogue, is like to yt imagined conscience: you labour hard to bring the church assemblies here into discredit: You tel vsus of the holding vp of a finger onelyonly: How vnlawfull it were in this case, you adde (such is your modestie) a similitude of lifting vp but of a straw to the diuell in token of obedience: which you say is as much, as if one did word by word deny his creed: But I weene not, there is a differēce in the greatnes betweene sinne and sinne, all sinnes are not equall.
Afterward of courtesie and grace, you make vsus foure qualificatiōs as you term thē, which may make going to church lawful by the iudgement of your diuines, meere, particular, knowne, temporall busines; How gingerly and nicely you walke in the matter. These conditions added to going to church, make it al one (you say) as not to go to church at al. You so prophane it as it is no better in your opinion, then … of the market, or some like worldly busines: which exercise is good enough for those of your religiō, if you leaue but such a going to church, as is al one with not going at al: then may I shortly answer you, as good neuer a whit as neuer the better. In that which followeth in this third conclusion of Naaman the Sirian: you so handle the matter, as I know not, whether you make his fact sinne or no, if he …: what needed he to seeke pardon at God his hande, purchasing the same frō the prophet to be obtained by his praier; If he sinned: what tolleration could the prophet giuegive him therin; For our case there is no difficultie, & therefore I omit it without further discussion your expositiō of ye whole.
In the fourth and last conclusion, that you gather supposing lalfhood still, you shewe your self very precise against our God his seruice: for you say a man may not yeeld in any one little point therein, which you would further ground vponupon an other conclusion also. If all be not lawfull then no part of it is lawful, which groūd of yours, how you can proue better then yt rest if you be put therto I wote not, but I think hardly enough. Neuerthelesse I now put you not vntounto that labour; you hauehave enough to doe alreadie, and more then will euer be well done or cleared: we must admit supposition, for any thing you hauehave yet sayd, I see not why our exercises in … may not be thought lawful, cōmēdable, & godly also.
For the general doctrine you here deliuer vsus, that God accepteth no particion, no mayme in our seruice, but eyther al or none must be his, that we must walke with an vpright heart before him, in roundnes of conscience without limitation, dissimulatiō, or haulting, sticking precisely … his holy law and commandements, it is most true, and as a heauenlye trueth, so wee receiue it: But the whole is verye badlye applied to your popish diuels seruice. The textes of scripture that you cite, talke of the sinceritie of God his seruice, of his law and of his commandements, &c. Holde you there, keepe to his holy word and we shall agree, but you doe not, you will not, you may not, you can not, your falseProuerb. 16. suppositiō deceiueth you, there is a way saith the wife man, that seemeth right to a man, but the yssues therof are the wayes of death. O yt the word of yt Lord in religion, in life, in gods matters & in ours, eueryevery where & eueryevery way might be a lātern to our feet, to be cōtinually caried before vsus: & a light to our steps to direct vsus in al our waies. O that we could, and wold wholy giuegive ouer our selues to god to be … therby, we shold neuer delite more in popery: nor yet in our own fā cies. Christ, you say, saith; that he wil not hauehave one iot of his law to be passed ouer vnkept, & whosoeuer shal break one of the least of his commandementes, shall hauehave least pare in the kingdome of heauen. The which words of Christ, Saint Iames explicating, sayeth: hee that keepeth all the whole lawe and doth offend but in one thing onelie, yet is he guiltie in all the rest. And againe, to be imperfect is contrarie to the will of Christ which would hauehave vsus perfect. For Christes wordes you quote Matthewe. 5. for the other, Iames. 2. Now let me be bold to stay here a little and common and talke with you. Is it not God his Law I pray you? Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen Image, nor the likenes of any thing that is in heauē aboue. &c. Who breake the same and teach men so to doe? Who strike it out of the number of the tenne commandemēts & keepe it from the knowledge of the lay people? Who but you papistes? Is it not Christ his commandement, in the Supper of the Lord? Drinke you al of this. Who breake and corrupt the same with false gloses? But you Papistes.
Euen in this place of the. 5. of Mat. the. 6. &. 7. also. Who but papistes? make of Christ his precise commandementes counsels ouely, so loosing or breaking rather the knot wherby God hath tyed men in dutie towardes him: and all this to bring in workes of supererrogation, merits, the popish perfection of Fryers, & other their religious men. &c. things of their owne deuise. Who at this day but Papists denyeth concupiscence or lust to be sinne, which is forbidden in the tenth and last of God his commandements, to the extollingLook. Rom. 7 from the. 7. verse. of mans nature, and derogating of Gods grace? who to the like effect, set our iustification by workes but they? who is it I pray you tell me if you can, that commeth to that perfection in life by workes that Christ here requireth? who can say that he offendeth not in one thing, which if he doe, he is therby (as you here tell vsus out of S. Iames) guiltie in all the rest. There is no such man I trow. That made the holy prophetPsal. 143. 2. & 130. 3. say, Enter not into iudgement with thy seruant, for in thy sight shall none that liueth be iustifyed. And againe: If thou O Lord, marke iniquities, O Lord who shall stande? But there is merciemercy with thee that thou maiest be feared &c. Thus thinke we, and thus had we rather speake then be deceiued with the papistes, and vse their phrases.
Now then, out of these places. Thus doe I reason against mens being iustified by workes: none that is guiltie in all Gods commandementes, can alledge his workes for his iustice, or can be iustified by workes, but who euer offendeth but in one thing onelyonly, as I thinke you wil graunt eueryevery man doeth, is guiltie in all the rest as you alledge vsus here, out of S. Iames. Wherefore none that offendeth but in one thing onelyonly, or which is all one, no mortall man, can alleadge his workes, for his iustice, or can bee iustified by woorkes. To bee iustified by woorkes and through workes to offende GOD and bee thereby guiltie and that in all his commandements, be two contrary thinges, and will euelly stand together: which maketh vsus I tell you to seeke out of our selues, and to finde our righteousnes in Christ, and to lay holde on him and it by fayth, where alone it is truely and indeede to bee had. And for our selues and our woorkes, though receiued nowe to grace and iustified in Christ by faith, We be continually and diligently occupied in godly & good works cōmanded of God in his law, acknowledging it to be our duetie so to doe, as wherin true christianitie is liuely expressed and shewed foorth: and doe likewise teach other the same, and set them in that course: Yet come we short euer of that Gods Law iustly'requireth therein at our hands, & we our selues would be glad to perfourme. And therfore in the matter of our …, we renounce our owne righteousnes: and cleaue onelyonly to yt righteousnes of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ our Lord: & when we hauehave done all those things that are commandedLuke. 17. 10. vsus, yet say we (as Christ our good maister teacheth vsus.) We are vnprofitable seruants we hauehave done that which was our duetie to doe. &c.
Albeit then, we distinguish & ioyne neuertheles together iustifycation and sanctifycation, faith and good workes, as light & heate, in, & with the fire continuasly: yet set we not vp workes of supererrogation to merit … for our … & other, or vainely vaunt of our meritorious deedes, thinges deuised commonly by men and papists rather then proceeding from the spirit of God. In summe, papists extoll man and his nature, diminishing thereby Gods glory and the riches of his grace, we humble man and his nature, we beate downe his pryde, that looking on his foule feete, hee maye hauehave no cause to bragge of his peacockes tayle, that is by any meanes glory in him selfe; on the other side, we magnifie the great name of the eternall God, and prayse his glorious grace towardes vsus in Jesus Christ: that as it is written. He that glorieth let him glory in the Lord. To whō as the same3. Cor. 1. 31. is due) be all honour, glory, power, dominion, &c. for euer. Now let ye godly reader hardly iudge, whether doctrine, & professiō, the papists or ours, serue more to the setting forth of God his honour and glory, be more godly and sound, groū ded on the sacred scriptures, and sticking precisely to Gods law without breaking any … thereof, bee more necessary also and profitable for vsus in the course of this transitorie life, amids our many and manifold grosse corruptions and imperfections, which we humbly acknowledge to be in our … & in other, yea euen in the best; & yet neither flatter our selues therein, nor teach other so: where the papists set vp merits, workes of supererrogatiō &c. As to geue yet further example, euen in this place of this papists corrupting of the holy scriptures to mans praise and gods and Christes dishonour. Let vsus consider one onelyonly place by him selfe heere alleadged. He pretendeth it to be in the first chapter of S. Pauls epistle to the Collossians, but as he began with forgerie, corrupting the words and sence of the holy ghost in the first text of scripture, that he alledged out of S. Paule in the. 14. to the Romans, as we hauehave seen in ye beginning of this his treatise: So in this place, now which is his last text, concludeth he and bindeth vp the whole with corruption & forgery: stil he hath wanted none in the body & middes of his discourse, he is like him selfe euer. That which S. Paule, and we with S. Paule ascribe vntounto god and Christ that they may hauehave the glory in all, that doeth this forgerer ascribe vntounto man and vsus; corrupting both S. Paules (yea the holy ghosts) wordes & the sence of the sacred scriptures also: for where S. Paule liuely describing the office of the true Christ sheweth what benefite the church Gods people receiue from god by him, thereby discerning and seuering him from all false Christes: there this fellow as though there wanted other false Christs, sets man or our selues in place to take gods, and Christes office, and roome vponupon vsus. Thus S. Paule: And you which were in timee past strangers and enimies: your minds being set in euil works hath hee reconciled in the bodie of his fleshe, thorow death, to present you holy & vnblameable & without fault in his sight. Thus this gentle companion telles vsus, S. Paule saith: yt Christ died for vsus, to the end We should exhibite our selues holie, and vnspotted, and irreprehensible in his sight. And yet he further corrupteth the text with his Commentarie: Let the Reader compare, examine, and iudge indifferently of the whole.
For the rest either it needeth no answere, or is alreadie answeared before. Wherefore I will here ende: wishing vsus onelie, that at this day professe the Gospel, and Christes true religion, to apply to the confirming of vsus in the trueth, those testimonies and places: which this man (abusing the …) applyeth to Poperie and falshood. Let his and his fellowes blynde zeale, and feruentnesse in lyes awake vsus that sleepe in securitie. Let it serue to condemne our kay coldnesse in ye matters of God, and our saluation, which is I weene if not all: yet as the common, so the greatest fault of vsus … professours of the Gospel at this day.
We heare what he saith, and saith truely: If errour finde such zeale, what zeale ought trueth to hauehave; If they be stout in fancies, and sticke so harde to their pretended consciēces, how should we sticke and stande to conscience … on Gods holie worde without … betweene two opinions;1. Kin. 16. … If the Lorde be God, followe him: if Baal be …, then goe after him. Let vsus heare for shame, and apply to our selues (at least, at this mans admonition and calling) the … of the Ephesians, taken out of the beginning of the second Chapter of S. JOhn his reuelation: let vsus not be betweene…. 3. 14. …. 16 &c. both, luke warme, neither colde nor hot, as the same S. Iohn telleth vsus the Laodicians were. Looke the place to the end of the Chapter. Let vsus be zealous therefore, and amend &c. For God is a ielous God. Separate your selues… 2. Cor. … the 14 verse to the end of the Chapter. layth the Lord, & touch no uncleane thing. &c.
Lastly, with our knowledge, ioyning zeale, let vsus remē ber & apply to our selues in the trueth of God his holie religion, that, which he euen here in the end of his work truelie telleth vsus: that God accepteth no partition, no limitatiō, no mayme in our seruice: But either al or none must be his.
Let vsus follow herein the example of S. Basile, Gods resolute …, that this man reciteth vsus out of Theodoret, and retayne and beare in mynde the most worthy and excellent…. lib. 4. cap. 17. saying also, as he calleth it of Christes holy Martyr S. Cyprian: rather (that in steede of his Father, wherewith heIn Epist. 1. Cler. Roman: apud …. …. 31. concludeth his booke: I may conclude with holy Scriptures) let vsus (high and …, one & other) well marke, beare in … and execute, (& God giuegive grace we may so doe) as Gods cause and glory shall require, amongest other that most worthy and excellent speech and counsell (may I bee bold to say) of the holy Ghost, vttered by Iosue in the last…. 24. Chapter of that booke: reade and peruse it, I heartily pray thee Gentle Reader, for thine owne profite, at the least, from the xiiii. verse of that Chapter onwarde to the ende, make thy profite of all: and so farewell hartely in Christ.
I beseech thee in thy prayers, remember to pray among yt rest) for the aduancemēt, & cōtmuance of Gods holie Gospell in sinceritie … vsus: free frō all dregges of Poperie. also for the prosperitie of the Queenes most excellent Maiestie, our dread … in all thinges: and for the preseruation and blessing eueryevery way of this whole Church, and Land, our deare Countrie, and that thou in heart prayest, procure indeede, that is, by all meanes endeuour in thy … effectually to …, and to put the same in practise.
… glory and his Churches benefite.
Amen.
P. W.
End of the text · Perceval Wiburn, Reproof of Howlets Untimely Shrieking (1581)