A Confutation of Standishs Treatise, Confutation · Preface
Here Foloweth the Preface of Iohn Standiſh to the reader.
Standiſh.
TO ſe the moſt victoryous and noble Prynce oure ſoueraigne lorde the kyng / labourynge and watchinge contynually wyth all diligent ſtudye / to expulſe and dryue out / I maye ſaye / to pourge and clenſe this his catholike regyon / etce.
Couerdale
Though ye abuſe youre termes in reporting that the Kyng goeth about to expell and dryue out his catholike region / I will impute thoſe youre wordes to the weakneſſe of youre brayne / and to the ſeaceneſſe of honeſt eloquence therin. But yf the Kynges laboure / watching / and diligent ſtudye in pourging and clenſyng his realme from all hereſies and ſciſmes / be occaſion ſufficient (as it is in dede) to compell eueryevery true ſubiecte to helpe vntounto the ſame / why hauehave ye then bene ſo ſlack therin all this while? Youre owne wordes bring yo in to a ſhrewd ſuſpicion. For ye knowe and hauehave ſene with your eyes / Suſpicion.that the kyng hath theſe many yeares bene labouring and buſie in aboliſhing out of his realme the vſurped power of the. B. of Rome / his manifolde ſectes of falſe religions / his worſhipping of ymages / his diſceatfull pardons / his ydolatrye and pilgremages / etc. Were not all theſe / great hereſies and ſciſmes? Or can ye excuſe your ſelfe of ignoraunce / that ye hauehave not ſene / how the Kyng hath laboured in putting downe the ſame? Yf ye then be a writer againſt hereſies and ſciſmes / why hauehave ye written agaynſt none of theſe all this while? Thus eueryevery man which readeth your wordes / maye ſe / that ye hauehave bewraied your ſelfe to be a fauourer of ſuch thinges.
Standiſh.
Wherfore / maruayll not (gentle reader) etc.
Couerdale.
Contrary now to your requeſt / wil eueryevery man maruail at you / not onelyonly becauſe ye declare your ſelfe to hauehave borne (all this whyle) no ryght louelove toward gods word / to the ſaluacion of mens ſoules / ner to the dewtye that ye owe to your prynce / but alſo becauſe that now thorow the occaſion of a poore mans deeth / ye firſt ſtarte vp to wryte / as though the Kyng had put downe no hereſies afore. D. Barnes dyed. Is this the zele that ye bear toward gods word and towarde his people? Such a zele had they / of whom the Apoſtle ſpeaketh to the Galathians / ſayenge / Gala. …iij.They hauehave no good zele vntounto you / but wolde thruſt you out (namely from the trueth) that ye might be feruent to them ward. Where as ye write the daye and yeare of. D. Barnes death / it increaſeth your owne confuſion / and ſhall be a cleare teſtimonye agaynſt youre ſelfe / for reſiſtinge thoſe good wordes of his proteſtacion / yf ye forſake not youre hereſye in tyme. Yee euen by youre owne penne hauehave ye brought it to pas / that it ſhall not be forgotten till the worldes ende / what a Chriſten teſtament and laſt will. D. Barnes made at his death / and how paciently he forſoke this life.
Standiſh.
FOr in his proteſtacion / is both conteyned hereſye and treaſon.
Couerdale.
For (ſaie ye) in his proteſtaciō / et cet. Is that the cauſe why ye do enterpryſe and take in hande to wryte agaynſt it? Then verely declare ye youre ſelfe not onelyonly to be parcial / but alſo a fauourer of hereſye and treaſon / knowinge ſo many to hauehave bene attaynted therof within theſe ſeuen yeares.
Standiſh.
ALlbeit / do not thynke / that I wryte this thorow anye malyce toward him that is burned etc.
Couerdale.
He that compareth youre wordes to your dede / ſhall ſoone perceaue / that ye hauehave caſt milk in youre owne face / and that (for all youre holy pretence) ſome ſpice of Cainiſh ſtomake hath made you now do more / then all the Kynges noble actes in aboliſhinge the ſaide abuſes / coulde make you do many yeares afore / though the ſame (yf ye were a true ſubiecte) were by youre owne confeſſion / ſufficient cauſe for you ſo to do. Howbeit it is not I that go aboute to laye malice to youre charge / youre awne acte is not your beſt frende / I praye god your conſcience accuſe you not therof.
But why take ye god to recorde in a falſe matter? Do ye not confeſſe yourſelfe / that the Kynges graces laboure / watchinge and diligent ſtudie is the thinge that cauſeth and compelleth you to write againſt. D. Barnes proteſtacion / and that thorow the louelove and feruent zele ye beare towarde gods word and the ſaluacion of mens ſoules? et cete. And now take ye god to recorde / Standiſh is afrayed.that ye do it for feare / leſt the people ſchulde be infecte … the multitude of copies of the ſaide proteſtacion. Againſt the which feare I knowe none other comforte for you (aſ longe as ye will not harken vntounto gods worde) but that wiſdome it ſelfe geueth you in Salomons Prouerbes.Prouer. j. Namely / that the thing which ye feare / ſhal come vponupon you / and euen it that ye are afrayed of / ſhall fall in ſodenly amonge you. This am I certified of / not onelyonly by the ſame place of ſcripture / but euen by this youre preſent acte in putting forth youre treatiſe to be printed with and againſt the ſaide proteſtaciō. For yf ye feare the great infection of the people thorow the multitude of copies therof / why cauſed ye it to be printed / or any man els for you? Is the printing of the ſaide proteſtacion the nexte waie to kepe copies therof from the people? Ye maie well hauehave witte / but ſure ye lacke policie Such a like wiſe waie was takē in England within theſe few yeares by certaine abbottes / which thinkyng therby to vpholde their falſe religions / The enemies … worde … … gainſt them ſelues.wrought / moued / or els conſented to inſurrection within diuerſe parties of the realme / And yet was the ſame their wiſdome / a cauſe that haiſted their owne deſtructiō. And euen ſo now by youre printinge of the ſaide proteſtaciō / ye hauehave brought it ſo to pas / that the thinge whiche ye feared / is come to light. Thus can god pull downe his enemies houſes with their owne hondes. Certainlie like as I neuer heard that ther was any copie therof / till I ſawe it in youre boke / ſo am I credibly enfourmed / that it was neuer in printe afore.
Where as ye ſaie / that it is an erroneous and traiterous proteſtaciō / it is ſooner ſaide / then proued / nether maketh it greately for youre honeſtie / to knowe many ſecrete embracers of hereſie and treaſon / and not to utter them. But ye maie twiſe ſaie it / afore ye be ones beleued / onelyonly they that are of god / wil whan thei hauehave tried and examined al thinges / kepe that which is good / and eſchuethe contrary.
Standiſh.
BVt I truſt in allmightie god / yf it pleaſe you to rede this litle treatiſe with a louyng zele toward oure mother the holy church / et cetera.
Couerdale.
Here do ye manifeſtly declare / what zele moued you to write againſt. D. Barnes proteſtacion / Namely / not any iuſt zele or louelove toward gods worde / or his people / but euen becauſe / ye feare / leſt your mother ſhulde come to ſhame / yf the trueth were knowne / therfore to ſhew youre mother a pleaſure / ye thoughte to do youre beſt in defending her. Nether helpeth it your pretēce anie thinge at all / though ye call hir holy / All is not gold that ſhyneth.for eueryevery ſuch ſecte as ye be of / hath a ſundrie holineſſe / which commeth not of the ſprete that ſanctifieth. Now like as your owne acte came of that zele which ye beare toward the church of the wicked / ſo wolde ye hauehave youre treatiſe red with the ſame zele / to the intent that the readers might ſmell hereſie and treaſon / where none is / and be poyſoned with ſuch a corrupte iudgment / as ye be of youre ſelfe.
Agayne / how are ye (or all men lyuinge) able to proue / that this proteſtacion of. D. Barnes doth ſmell and ſauoure nothinge but hereſie and treaſon? Is it hereſie and treaſon to teach no erroneous doctrine / to teach onelyonly thoſe thinges that ſcripture leadeth vntounto / to manteyne no erroure / to moue no inſurrection / to be falſly ſlaundred / to confute the falſe opinion of the Anabaptiſtes / to deteſte and abhorre all ſuch ſectes / Standiſh ſmelleth here nothinge but hereſy and treaſon.to ſet forth the glory of god / obedience to the hyer powers / and the true religion of Chriſt? Doth it ſmell and ſauoure nothinge but hereſie and treaſon to beleue in the holy and bleſſed trenite / to beleue the incarnacion / paſſiō / death and reſurrection of oure lorde and ſauiour Ieſus Chriſt? Is it hereſye and treaſon for a ſynner to deſire god to forgeue him / to truſt onelyonly in the death of Chriſt / to ſet forth good workes / to beleue that ther is a holy church / to beleue a life after this / to ſpeake reuerently of ſaintes / to call oure lady a virgin immaculate and vndefiled / to knowlege a Chriſten beleue concerning the body and bloude of oure lorde / to aſcribe vntounto ſaintes the honoure that ſcripture willeth them to hauehave / to praie for the Kyng and his counſaill / et cete. Do ſuch thinges ſmell and ſauoure nothinge but hereſie and treaſon? Wo vntounto thē that call good euell / Eſa. v.and euell good darkneſſe light / and light darkneſſe / ſwete ſower / and ſower ſwete.
Though ye do alſo eſteme them to be heretikes and traitours / that take parte with. D. Barnes proteſtacion / yet doth not youre eſtimacion or iudgment diſcorage me in this behalfe. Nether is it my minde or will to medle with his offence / (yf he cōmitted anie againſt the Kyng) nether to defende this his proteſtaciō with anie hand or weapen of man / but by the ſcriptures to beare recorde vntounto the trueth / and to reproue youre peruerſe and ſtraunge doctrine / which ye do teach againſt the ſame.
Standiſh.
FOr ſurely ſuch as do improue them et cete.
Couerdale.
This youre ſaienge proueth not the cōtrary / but that ſeinge ye reſiſt the trueth / I maie tell you your faute / ij. Tim. ij.and enfourme you better (acording to the Apoſtles doctrine) yf god at any tyme will graunt you repentaunce for to know the trueth / and to turne from the ſnare of the deuell / et cete. If I can vnderſtonde / that thorow this enfourmacion ye will geue place to the open and manifeſt trueth / godſchall hauehave the praiſe / and I ſhall thincke my laboure well beſtowed. Yf the trueth can hauehave no place in you by faire meanes / but he wil ſtil reſiſte it obſtinately / and belye it / as ye do here in this youre treatiſe / then verely ye maie be ſure to be afterward ſo handled / as the lymites and boundes of gods holy ſcripture wil ſuffre. I beſeche god (acordinge to his good pleaſure) that ye maie hauehave eies to ſe / eares to heare / and an hert to vnderſtonde his holy worde / to conſente vntounto the ſame / and in all pointes to liue therafter. Amen.