Confutation of the Popes Bull, Part 19
¶That the Queene of England hath not chosen mens opinions for herself, and hir realme to follow, but Gods pure word, hertofore sought out, and receyued by King Edward the sixth: nor yet sette foorth bookes of heresie, or forced her realme to receiue them.
THe goodly Bull (a Gods name) proceedeth on still to lay together the rest of the articles of his accusation, against the Quéenes Maiestie in these wordes. She hath (sayth he) commaunded hir subiectes to obserue the wicked misteries and ordinaunces which she hir selfe hath taken vp and obserued according to Caluins setting forth. Also she hath set out bookes to hir whole Realme, contayning manifest heresie. But the lying and slaunderous Bull shooteth wide al the féeld ouer. Perchance the Romish sort measure al men by themselues,True Christians entitle not thēselues after any men. and because they them selues hang wholy vponupon men, in so much as there be many thousandes to be found among them, which both will be called, & hauehave a plesure to be called Benedictines of Benet, Franciscanes of Frauncis, and diuersly and sunderly after many others: and will both séeme, to séeme to liue, and glorie to liue according to these mens ordinances rules, or appointmentes: therefore they imagine that we also woulde be called Lutherans of Luther, Zuinglians of Zuinglius, and Caluinistes of Caluine, and that we hang wholy vponupon these mens ordinaunces: but it is not so. Paule the Apostle of Christ hath forbidden any such thing to be done in the Church,1. Cor. 1. saying to the Corrinthians. EueryEvery of you sayth, I hold of Apollo, I of Cephas, and I of Christ. Is Christ deuided? was Paule crucifyed for you?1. Cor. 3. or were you baptized in Paules name? And againe, when one sayth, I hold of Paule, and an other, I holde of Apollo, are ye not fleshly? Therefore the true Christians will be named but onelyonly after Christ. As for the names of men, be they neuer so excellent, we acknowledge them not in this case, neither do we regard or receyue theyr ordinances furtherfoorth, then they agree in all poyntes with Gods woorde: and when we receiue them, we receiue thē not for their sakes, but for Gods wordes sake. And the Quéene of Englands Maiestie neuer receiued of Caluin, or of any other excellent and well learned men any ordinaunces to follow, nor neuer regarded them: and yet by the way, if any of them hauehave taught any thing out of Gods pure woord, no godly man can take scorn of: for the Quéene in that reformation of hirs, had an eye onelyonly to the liuely woord of God, deliuered vntounto vsus by the holy scriptures, and so she setled all matters of religion vppon the very woord of God, and not vponupon any men. Dauid speaking of Gods woord sayth in the 119. Psalme:The maiestie of Gods worde. Thy woord O Lord endureth for euer in heauen. Thy woord is a lanterne to my féet, and a light vntounto my paths. Lord thou art righteous, and thy iudgement is rightfull. Princes sit together and rayle vponupon me, because thy seruaunt talketh of thy statutes, and because thy testimonies are my delight and my counsellors. Princes hauehave persecuted me without cause, but my hart standeth in awe of thy woord. And Lord, seing I stick to thy testimonies, bring me not to shame. &c. That godly prince of blessed memorie and woorthy of immortall glorie King Edward the sixth,What order K. Edward ye vi. folowed in reforming the church of England▪ folowing the examples of Iosias, and Constantine the great, two of the excellentest princes that euer were in the world, began the reformation of the English church. For like as Iosias calling a parlament or Couusell of his noble men, Priestes, and Commons, did first cause the law of God to be read openly before them, and then obediently refourmed hys whole realme, woord for word according to the law that was read: And like as Constantine summoned a generall counsell of the teachers and Ministers of the Churches through the whole worlde, and sitting downe among them sayd, The bookes of the Gospelles, and the Apostles together with the oracles of the auncient Prophets, do plainly entruct vsus of Gods meaning and will: and therefore laying aside all enemylike discord, let vsus take the exposition of our questions out of the sayinges of the Holie Ghost: Euen so King Edward summoning a parlament at London of all the Nobilitie, Bishoppes, and notablest learned men through hys whole realme, admitting also the famousest clarkes of other realmes being Gods seruauntes, commaunded them to shew by the holy scriptures, what was to be followed of him and his realme, in so great diuersity of opinions. And they executing faythfully the charge which the King had enioyned them, did the same time with one consent, and according to Gods woord, agrée vponupon certaine articles, which the King did both receiue and publish without delay, wyth this title set afore them: Articles agréeed vponupon by the Bishops and other learned men in the Parlament holden at London in the yeare of our Lord 1552. for the taking away of the diuersitie of opinions, and the stablishing of consente in the true religion, published by authoritie of the Kinges maiestie. Therefore by the labour and endeuor of that godly prince King Edward, the English Church was refourmed according to the rule and appointment of the holy scriptures. After King Edwardes decease, Quéene Marie repealing the same reformation, abrogated it for a time.What our souereigne Ladie Queene Elizabeth hath setfoorth to her whole Realme, to be folowed. And Queene Elizabeth, hauing receiued it againe by Gods grace, hath eftsoones set it vp in perfect estate. And therefore nothing els hath she receiued and deliuered to be kept of hir whole Realme, then that hir brother of blessed memorie King Edward, héertofore most godlily and wisely thought méet to be receiued and beleued of himself, and to be conueighed ouer to his subiectes, out of the liuely woord of God, as hath bene sayd already: whereby it appeareth now most manifestly, that the thinges are false and forged which the lying Bull hath bruted concerning wicked misteries (with spightfull interlacing the name of Caluine) receyued by the Quéenes Maiestie, and enioyned to the Realme of England.
The Queenes Maiestie hath setfoorth no bookes of heresy to hir realmeWith like vanitie, lightnes, and malice, the Bull is not ashamed to geue foorth, that the Quéene setteth foorth, or enforceth to hir whole realme, bookes contayning manifest heresie: for the Quéene hath authorized no bookes to be set foorth to hir realme, but such as hir Maiesties brother King Edward willed to be set foorth afore, specially the volume of the holy Bible. Now to say, that this contayneth manifest heresies, it is an horrible and blasphemous wickednes, and the greatest treason to God that may be. Howbeit, by the way there be many maintayners of the Pope, and his sea, which make neyther shame nor conscience to put openly in writing and to teach, that heresies are learned out of the Bible, and that he which hath the Bible, and readeth it without the interpretatiō of the church of Rome hath nothing. But I will speake no more at this time of the blasphemies of these wicked men. Peraduenture the Bull meaneth the booke of common prayers and ceremo, nies of the church of England. But so ought it also to hauehave bene shewed, which be heresies that are contayned in that booke. The soresayd parlament of London, maketh honorable mention of that booke. And there shall be enow that will annswer, if there be heresies in that booke, (at least wise if the bull meane that booke) shew them expresly: vnlesse peraduenture according to the maner of these stately sires, eueryevery thing must beare the blame of heresy, which hath not the sent and tast of the stinch of the pope, or of the sea of Rome, which thing deserueth no aunswering at all.
Truely the Quéenes Maiestie hath prohibited all vngodly bokes to be dispersed, yea or read in hir realme, which are hereticall indéed, and repugnant to the sinceritie of our Christian religion. Neither may any man spread abroad any wicked or blasphemous booke or opinion in hir realme without punishment.