The Confutation of the 13 Articles, Letter
❧ The true Coipe of a letter which the faithfull in ſuffolke made & gaue it vntounto Nicolas Shaxton when he had recā ted in London and came to Hadley to declare the ſame.
A Wonderfull dreade maie be vntounto the cōſcience, of thoſe which are in daunger of the threateninge that Chriſte ſpeaketh in the Goſpel of Luke the .xvii. chap. that ſayth. It is vnpoſſible that offences ſhould not come, but vntounto hym by whom they come, it were better for hym: that a mylſtone were hāged about his necke, & be caſte into the ſea, thē that he ſhold oſſend one of theſe littleons, Oh Shaxton, ſhaxtō, take hede to your ſelf now, although you hauehave in your recātation ſaied you were not perfectly ſene in the ſcripture. Yet howe can you excuſe your ſelfe but that you be the offêder of many a pore ſoule. But now you ſaye, ye are better learned thê you were before. Well ſeyng that you hauehave bene ſo wel ſcholled ſithence you went to Lōdon, it may be well gathered that you were ſimply learned afore. And yet to ſaye the trueth, youre learninge is not greatly augmented ſithēce. For theſe be the doctrines of men, and not of the holy Goſt that ye hauehave now ſet forth in your recātatiō which ye wold that we ſhold earneſtly beleue and folowe, not one title of the lyuelye worde of God, hauehave ye authoriſed your dreaming articles withal vntounto the whiche bleſſed. S. Paule, woulde that we ſhould gyue no credite althonghe you were an Angell of heauen and had ſpoken them. Oh merciful Lord thou that haſt all grace, it is thou that canſt & maiſt illumine the cō ſcience of all menne. So that they ſhall not deny the trueth. We beſech the, O Lord euē for the trueth ſake, graunte that thys loſte ſhepe may come home agayne to thy graciouſe folde not fearinge the worldly puniſhmentes of princes & rulers, but boldelye to cōfeſſe with al the holy prophetes and Apoſtles thy eternal wyſdome whiche thou haſt cōmaunded thy ſon the biſhop & onelyonly ſauiour of our ſoules Ieſu Chriſt to declare. And that with thy ſernaunte Peter he maye weepe bitterlye for that he hathe denied the, which art our gratiouſe God. Oh Shaxtō Shaxton praye to oure mercifull God that he may geue the hys grace againe. For many by the are offended whoſe cōſcience be ſo aſſured in Gods trueth, that nother fyre, nor h…er can plucke it oute of theyr hertes. Although in ſcilēce they do mourne, yet thinke not but thoſe newe veſſels whiche are fille… with new wine muſt nedes hauehave hys vente. You know that if we ſhould hold our peace the ſtones in the ſtreate, wyl ſpeke to declare the glorye of oure eternal god. Yea ye hauehave brought your ſelf in ſuch caſe, that none wil truſt you, which is illuminate with chriſtes veritie. Oh Shaxton weye in your cōſciēce And marke well to thend what glory to our Lord god thou ſhouldeſt hauehave offred, if thou haddeſt ſtād ſtrong in the vndoubted trueth of God & ended thy life in that thou tokeſte in hāde, thou ſtodeſt manfully to cōdēnatiō. Alas whi dideſt thou not perceiner, thou ſaideſt at thy departing frō vsus, whē thou were ſēt for to London, that either thou wouldeſt burne, or els forſake Gods trueth. In dede thou propheſiedeſt truly, but it was more to preſerue thy fleſhe, thē to honour the eternal god with thy deth, thou fearedeſt thē the vn quēchable fire that iseuerlaſting. Thou ſtō bleiſt at the ſtone, wher other wyth a ſtrōge fayth wēt ouer. Thou forſokeſt this, but we pray God that for it thou findeſt not death euerlaſtinge. Thou laideſte thy hande vntounto Gods plough, but thou lokedeſt backward Thou deniedeſt thy onelye ſauioure before mē, yea thou waſte aſhamed of him & of his word. Thou haſte vtterly forſakē the headcorner ſtone, whiche thy fayeth ſhould hauehave bent coupled wholy to it, it is to be thought that ſit hence your laſte ſcholyng at London thou haſt betrayed the innocent bloud.
Alas Shaxton remembre that our ſauioure Chriſt in al the holy ſcriptures, nor yet none of hys Apoſtles hathe promiſed vsus in thys life to lyue wythoute anye trouble in thys worlde, but for his wordes ſake to be called a reprobat, a ſeditious perſō, an heritike one that goeth aboute to make inſurrection theſe with ſuch other names muſt hys elect ſuffer, ſo to be called of the worlde for the ſettinge forth of Chriſtes doctrine, you knowe what S. Paul ſayth. Al that is writtē is writtē for our learnyng & cōfort. The wyſe man commaundeth his ſonne, to prepare him ſelfe vn to tribulatiō when he ſhoulde enter into the waie of the Lord, you ſhold hauehave ſate downe as Chriſte geueth coūſaile and hauehave caſt the accomptes what the buildinge woulde hauehave coſt. But Oh Shaxton thon walkeſt on the water wyth Peter a little tyme, truſtynge to much to thine owne ſtrengthe, ye had forgottē the counſaile of. S. Iames. which ſayeth. Who that lacketh wiſdome let him axe it of God. The thinge that was not in you that ye thought that ye had had. But bleſſed is our mercifull God that hath euidētly declared his manifeſte trueth of his worde geuinge the knoweledge of it to the vnlearned and very babes, & hath hid theſe thinges frō the prudent & wiſe of this world, yea youre doctors, biſhops or what name ſo euer they hauehave, are manie tymes wythout this knowledge. Euē as thoſe doctors, lawiers, which diſputed with Chriſt, not knowyng what to ſay to him, ſo far were they of frō his knowledge. So do ye whiche are of that religion tomble & toſſe the ſcriptures, loking to your liyng prophetes, fātaſies & dreames, & what ye imagin in your deuilliſh braynes cōtrary to Gods holy worde, that ſame are we pore ſubiectes cōpelled to beleue in paine of halter & fyre. But as the true prophete of God ſayeth. Ye grope in the daye & will fynde no light, ye walke not circūſpectly as mē wiſe. Ye wāder after vanities to put Gods word to ſilence. Ye compaſſe with your flatteryng kynges & gouernours to your diabolical luſtes, ye are thoſe that cri peace, peace, & make al the ſtrife, & with your ſubtil inuentiōs ye do aſmuche as lyeth in you to fruſtrate the glory of God. But this we ſay: do make, cō paſſe what ye can: yet is Gods trueth grafted in our hertes, & faythfully we do beleue it that the Lorde whiche onelye hath died for our ſinnes, & as touching his māhode ſitteth on the right hād of God our father in he auen, this Lord we ſay, is able to defende hys owne cauſe, whoe wyl at his pleaſure beate you to powder, & in the meane time we ſhall be cōtent to beare the words of the holy Apoſtle in our hertes. Nos autem gloriari oportet in cruce domini noſtri Ieſu Chriſti.
And we remēbre his godly leſſōs, that thoſe which wil liue deuoutly in Ieſu Chriſt, muſt ſuffer perſecutiō. Well Shaxton the liuinge God that ſitteth in heauē geue the hys holy ſpirite in the knowledge of hys worde, and ſtrōglye as a champiō of Chriſte to come againe vntounto the battaile fyghtyng vnderunder hys baner. If thou loſe this temporal life (which is but vaine pleaſures) yet a better is promiſed the which neuer ſhall faile. Oh Shaxtō, lette theſe ſayinges of Chriſt perſe into thy conſcience, and doubte not but that erroure which is in the brought in by the deuyll and his miniſters ſhall be to quietnes & reſte.
Take hede that thy houſſe be cleane ſwepte Thy own cōſcience ſhal beare the recorde.
Thus art thou writtē vntounto, for great care is taken for thy fall, yet riſe vp againe & be of good confort there is mercy with the Lorde. The game ſhal go on thy ſide, Chriſt hathe promiſed he is true therfore beleue him. We beſech the Oh Shaxtō, do this much for vsus euē for Chriſtes ſake: Let it be knowē to the mageſtrates & to al thoſe that be in authoritie vnderunder the kynges mageſtie hauing ſuche vrgēt matters cōmitted vntounto theyr wiſdome how the cōſciēces of manie as yet be vnſtaied, ſeynge the commaundemētes, Articles, & actes be void of gods holy word. We ſe my Lord of Wincheſters boke very feble & yōg to cōfute Gods trueth withal. It is no fyne threde of holy ſcripture, but rather bo…ble twine in make torches to honoure his Images or idols withal. We do not doubt but it is thought (amōg ſuch as he is) that with other hauehave brought to pas a pleaſan̄t ſacrifice to God the burning of Chriſtes teſtamētes with other Godly new bokes whiche as yet they were neuer able to anſwer by the ſcripture. This O Shaxtō thou knoweſt aſwell as we. But after this & ſuche other meanes they ſtop ye ſwet ſpringes that lead vsus to the head foūtaine Ieſu Chriſt. In this they play the Philiſtiās parte that ſtopt vp Abrahams wels. But we pray daily vntounto our merctfull God which hath al mens hertes in his handes, to reueile to the kinges mageſtie more of their ſubtile inuētiōs that he mai perceiue theyr crafty iuglinges. As king Darius did thorow the worckynge of God by hys prophete Daniell. Thus the lyuynge Lorde by whom all mercy cometh ſende hys maieſtye longe lyfe and quietnes boeth of bodye and ſoule.
Finis,