Answer unto a Crafy and Sophistical Cavillation, To the reader 2 – Poem
A PREFACE TO THE READER.
OVr Sauiour Christ Iesus, according to the will of his eternall Father,The great mercy & benefits of God towards vsus. when the time thereto was fully complished, taking our nature vponupon him came into this world from the high throne of hys Father, to declare vntounto miserable sinners, good newes, to heale them that were sicke, to make the blinde to see, the deafe to heare, and the dumbe to speake, to set prisoners at liberty, to shew that the time of grace and mercy was come, to giuegive light to them that were in darknes and in the shadow of death, and to preach and geue pardon and full remission of sinne to all his elected. And to performe the same he made a sacrifice and oblation of his owne body vponupon the crosse, which was a full redemption, satisfaction and propitiation for the sinnes of the whole world. And to commend this his sacrifice vntounto all his faythfull people, and to confirme their fayth and hope of eternall saluation in the same, he hath ordayned a perpetuall memory of his sayd sacrifice, dayly to be vsed in the Church to his perpetuall laud and prayse, and to our synguler comfort and consolation, That is to say the celebration of his holy supper, wherein he doth not cease to geue himselfe, with all his benefites to all those that duely receiue the same supper, according to his blessed ordinaunce.The erronious doctrine of the papists obscuring the same. But the Romish Antichrist, to deface this great benefite of Christ, hatht that his sacrifice vponupon the crosse is not sufficient hereunto, without any other sacrifice deuised by him, and made by the priest, or els without Indulgences, Beades, Pardons, Pilgrimages, and such other Pelfray, to to supply Christes imperfection. And that Christen people cannot applye to themselues the benefytes of Christes passion, but that the same is in the distribution of the Byshop of Rome, or els that by Christ we hauehave no full remission but be deliuered onelyonly from sinne, and yet remaineth temporall payne in Purgatory due for the same, to be remitted after this life by the Romish Antichrist and his ministers, who take vponupon them to do for vsus that thing, which Christ either would not, or could not do. O haynous blasphemy & most detestable iniury against Christ. O wicked abhomination in the temple of God. O pride intollerable of Antechrist, and most manifest token of the sonne of perdition, extolling himselfe aboue God, and with Lucifer exalting his seat and power aboue the throne of God. For he that taketh vponupon him to supply that thing which he pretendeth to be vnperfect in Christ, must nedes make himself aboue Christ, & so very Antichrist. For what is this els, but to be agaynst Christ, and to bring him in contempt, as one that either for lack of charity would not, or for lack of power he could not, with all his bloudshedding and death, cleerely deliuer his faythfull, and geue them full remission of their sinnes, but that the full perfection thereof must be had at the handes of Antichrist of Rome and his ministers? What man of knowledge and zeale to Gods honour can with dry eyes see this iniury to Christ, and look vponupon the estate of religion brought in by the Papists,The state of religion brought in by ye papists. perceiuing the true sence of Gods wordes subuerted by false gloses of mans deuising, the true christen religion turned into certayne hypocriticall and superstitious sectes, the people praying with their mouthes, and hearing with theyr eares, they wist not what, and so ignoraunt in Gods word, that they could not discerne hypocrisy and superstition from true and sincere religion? This was of late yeares the face of religion within this realme of England, and yet remayneth in diuers realmes. But thankes be to almighty God and to the Kinges Maiesty, with his father a Prince of most famous memory, the superstitious sectes of Monks and fryers (that were in this realme) be cleane taken away, the scripture is restored vntounto the proper and true vnderstanding, the people may daylye read and heare Gods heauenly word, and pray in their owne language which they vnderstand, so that their hartes and mouthes may goe together, and be none of those people whome Christ complayned saying:Math. 15. These people honour me with their lips, but their hartes be farre from me. Thankes be to God, many corrupt weedes be plucked vp, which were wont to rot the flock of Christ, and to let the growing of the Lords haruest.
The chiefe rootes of all errours.But what auayleth it to take away beades, pardons, pilgremages, and such other like Popery, so long as two chiefe rootes remayne vnpulled vp? whereof so long as they remayne, will spring agayne all former impediments of the Lords haruest, and corruption of his flocke. The rest is but braunches and leaues, the cutting away wherof, is but like topping & loppyng of a tree, or cutting downe of weedes, leauing the body standing, and the rootes in the ground, but the very body of the tree, or rather the rootes of the weedes, is the Popish doctrine of Transubstātiation, of the reall presence of Christes flesh and bloud in the sacrament of the aulter, (as they call it) and of the sacrifice and oblation of Chryste made by the priest, for the saluation of the quicke and the dead. Which rootes if they be suffered to grow in the Lordes vineyard, they will ouerspread all the ground agayne, with the old errors and superstitions.What moued the author to write. These iniuries to Chryst be so intollerable, that no christen hart can willingly beare them. Wherfore seing that many hauehave set to their hands, & whetted their tooles, to plucke vp the weedes, and to cut down the tree of error, I not knowing otherwise how to excuse my selfe at the last day, hauehave in this booke set to my hand and axe with the rest, to cut downe this tree, and to pluck vp the weedes and plants by the roots which our heauenly father neuer planted, but were grafted and sowen in his vineyard by his aduersary the deuil, & Antichrist his minister. The lord graūt, that this my trauaile and labour in his vineyard be not in vayn, but that it may prosper and bring forth good fruites to his honor and glory. For when I see his vineyard ouergrowen with thornes, brambles aud weedes, I know that euerlasting woe appertayneth vntounto me, if I hold my peace, and put not to my handes and tounge, to labour in purging his vineyard. God I take to witnes (who seeth the hartes of all men thorowly vntounto the bottome) that I take this labour for none other consideration, but for the glory of hys name, and the discharge of my duty, and the zeale that I beare toward the flocke of Christ. I know in what office God hath placed me, and to what purpose, that is to say, to set forth hys word truely vntounto his people, to the vttermost of my power, without respect of person, or regard of thing in the world, but of him alone. I know what account I shall make to him here of at the last day, when eueryevery man shall aunswere for his vocation, and receiue for the same good or ill, according as he hath done. I know how Antichrist hath obscured the glory of god, & the true knowledge of his word, ouercasting the same with mistes and cloudes of errour and ignoraunce, through false gloses and interpretations. It pittieth me to see the simple and hungry flock of Christ led into corrupt pastures, to be caried blindfield they know not whether, & to be fed with poisō in the stead of holesome meats. And moued by the duty, office and place,A warnyng geuen by the Authour. whereunto it hath pleased God to call me, I geue warning in his name vntounto all that professe Christ, that they flee far from Babilon, if they will saue their soules, and to beware of that great harlot, that is to say,Ierem. 51. the pestiferous sea of Rome, Apoc. 14. 17. 18.that she make you not drunke with her pleasaunt wine. Trust not her sweet promises, nor banket not with her for in stead of wine she wilgeue you sower dregs, and for meat she wil feed you with ranke poyson: But come to our redeemer and Sauiour Christ,Math. 11. who refresheth all that truely come vntounto him, be their anguish and heauinesse neuer so great. Geue credite vntounto him,1. Pet. 2. Esay. 53. in whose mouth was neuer found guile, nor vntruth. By him you shall be clearely deliuered from all your diseases, of him you shall hauehave full remission A poena & a culpa. He it is that feedeth continually all that belong vntounto him, with his owne flesh that hanged vponupon the Crosse, and geueth them drinke of the bloud, flowing out of his owne side, and maketh to spring within them,Iohn. 4. water that floweth vntounto euerlasting life. Listen not to the false incantatiōs, sweet whisperinges, and crafty iugling of the subtle Papistes, wherwith they hauehave this many yeares deluded and bewitched the world, but harken to Christ, geue eare vntounto his wordes, which leade you the right way vntounto euerlasting life, there with him to liue euer as heires of his kyngdome. AMEN.
IOHN. VI. It is the spirite that giueth lyfe, the fleshe profiteth nothyng.
I. Parkhursti.
Accipe praeclarum Lector studiose libellum,
Quem tibi Cranmerus scripserat ante rogos.
Hic docta sanctam tractat ratione synaxin,
Insistens, Patres quas docuere, vijs.
Hic Gardnere tuas Phaleratas detegit artes,
Detrabit & laruam sine tyranne tuam.
A t que tuo ipsius iugulum transuerberat ense,
Vt iaceas veluti sensibus abs que fera.
Deni que rixosis hic obstruit ora Papistis,
Rixandi posset si tamen esse modus.
Soluitur in cineres corpus, mens scandit ad astra,
Fama superstes erit tempus in omne memor.