must shew

a reason of

trine.

things in one case the one contrary to the other, in such wise that he cannot deny but the one hath or doth err: the which case I could shew him, if I so were minded. The old popes, cardinals, and bishops, said, Yea, to the The church thing that I mean; whereunto these that now reign, say Nay. Now, sir, if you gather a general council for the their docmatter, the churches of France and Italy will not believe the churches of Spain and Dutchland, because they so say; but will ask how they prove it? Neither will Lovain believe Paris because they say they cannot err, but will hear first their probation. Also how shall we know that the old pope and his prelates erred, because these that are now so say? When the old pope lived we were as much bound to believe he could not err, as we be now that this cannot; wherefore you must grant me, that God must shew a miracle for the one part, or else he must bring authentic Scripture.

Popes may not be bewithout Scripture.

lieved

Councils ought to

conclude

according

Now, sir, God hath made his last and everlasting testament, so that all is open and no more behind than the appearing of Christ again. And because he will not stir up every day a new prophet with a new miracle, to confirm new doctrine, or to call again the old that was forgotten; therefore were all things necessary to salvation comprehended in Scripture ever to endure. By which Scripture the councils general, and not by open miracles, have concluded such things as were in them determined, as stories make mention. And by the same Scripture we know which councils were true, and which false. And by the same Scripture shall we, if any new question arise, determine it also. Abraham answered the rich man, Luke xvi. They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them; and said not, They have the scribes and the pharisees whom they should hear preaching out of the seat of their own doctrine without Scripture.

And when he allegeth, He that heareth you heareth me, and if any man hear not the church, take him for an heathen, concluding that we must believe whosoever is shaven,

to the

Scriptures.

Luke x.

Matt. xviii.

Matt. xxviii.

The cause why the apostles wrote the gospels.

John xx.

1 John ii.

The pope and his cardinals erred in king Henry the eighth's

case.

in all that he affirmeth without Scripture or miracle ; I would fain know in what figure that syllogismus is made. Christ's disciples taught Christ's doctrine, confirming it with miracles, that it might be known for God's, and not theirs. And even so must the church that I will believe shew a miracle, or bring authentic Scripture that is come from the apostles which confirmed it with miracles.

THE TWENTY-NINTH CHAPTER.

In the twenty-ninth he allegeth, that Christ said not the Holy Ghost shall write, but shall teach. It is not the use to say the Holy Ghost writeth, but inspireth the writer. I marvel that he had not brought, as many of his brethren do, Matthew in the last, where Christ commanded the apostles to go and teach all nations, and said not write. I answer, that this precept, Love thy neighbour as thyself, and God above all thing, went with the apostles, and compelled them to seek God's honour in us, and to seek all means to continue the faith unto the world's end. Now the apostles knew before that heresies should come, and therefore wrote, that it might be a remedy against heresies, as it well appeareth (John xx.) where he saith, These are written that ye believe, and through belief have life. And in the second of his first Epistle he saith, These I write because of them that deceive you. And Paul and Peter thereto warn us in many places. Wherefore it is manifest that the same love compelled them to leave nothing unwritten that should be necessarily required, and that, if it were left out, should hurt the soul.

And in the last chapter to make all fast, he bringeth in the king's grace, how he confuted Martin Luther with this conclusion, The church cannot err: whereunto I will make none answer for fear to displease his grace; nevertheless because Martin could not soil it, if his grace look well upon the matter, he shall find that God hath assoiled it for him in a case of his own.

conclusion.

And upon that M. More concludeth his first book, that M. More's whatsoever the church, that is to wit, the pope and his brood, say, it is God's word, though it be not written, nor confirmed with miracle, nor yet good living; yea, and though they say to day this, and tomorrow the contrary, all is good enough and God's word; yea, and though one pope condemn another (nine or ten popes a row) with all their works for heretics, as it is to see in the stories, yet all is right and none error. And thus good night and good rest, Christ is brought asleep, and laid in his grave, and the door sealed to, and the men of arms about the grave to keep him down with poleaxes. For that is the surest argument, to help at need, and to be rid of these babbling heretics, that so bark at the holy spiritualty with the Scripture, being thereto wretches of no reputation, neither cardinals, nor bishops, nor yet great beneficed men; yea, and without tot quots and pluralities, having no hold but the very Scripture, whereunto they cleave as burs, so fast that they cannot be pulled away, save with very singeing

them off.

The surest way to op

press true

doctrine is

to lay the preachers

fast.

A SURE TOKEN THAT THE POPE IS ANTICHRIST.

AND though unto all the arguments and persuasions The pope

pope

which he would blind us with, to believe that the with his sect were the right church, and that God for the multitude will not suffer them err, we were so simple that we saw not the subtilty of the arguments nor had words to solve them with, but our bare faith in our hearts; yet we be sure and so sure that we can therein not be deceived, and do both feel and see that the conclusion is false, and the contrary true.

is anti

christ.

For first Peter saith (2 Pet. ii.) There shall be false 2 Pet. ii.

Rom iii.

A swarm of sects set up by the

pope.

teachers among you which shall secretly bring in damnable sects, denying the Lord that bought them, and many shall follow their damnable ways, by whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of, and with feigned words they shall make merchandise over you. Now, saith Paul, (Rom iii.) The law speaketh unto them that are under the law. And even so, this is spoken of them that profess the name of Christ. Now the pope hath ten thousand sects cropen in, as pied in their consciences as in their coats, setting up a thousand manner of works to be saved by, which is the denying of Christ. And we see many, and almost all together follow their damnable ways. And in that Peter said that they shall rail and blaspheme the truth, it followeth that there shall be a little flock reserved by the hand of God to testify the truth unto them, or else how could they rail on it? and it followeth that those railers shall be the mightier part in the world, or else they durst not do it. Now what truth in Christ doth not the pope rebuke, and by setting in setting up false works deny altogether? And as for their feigned words, where findest thou in all the Scripture, purgatory, shrift, penance, pardon, pæna culpa, hyGod's word. perdoulia, and a thousand feigned terms more? And as for their merchandise, look whether they sell not all God's laws and also their own, and all sin, and all Christ's merits, and all that a man can think. To one he selleth the fault only, and to another the fault and the pain too; and purgeth his purse of his money and his brains of his wits, and maketh him so beastly, that he can understand no godly thing.

The pope

up of false

works de

nieth the truth of

The pope selleth sin and pain,

and all that

can be sold.

Matt. xxiv.

And Christ saith, (Matt. xxiv.) There shall false anointed arise and shew signs and wonders: that is, they shall shew miracles, and so prevail that if it were possible, the elect should be brought out of the true way. And these false anointed, by the same rule of Paul, and in that Christ saith also, that they shall come in his name, must be in the church of Christ, and of them that shall call themselves Christian, and shall shew their wonders before

the elect and be a sore temptation unto them, to bring them out of the way. And the elect which are few in comparison of them that be called and come feignedly, shall, among that great multitude, be kept by the mighty hand of God against all natural possibility. So that the church and very elect shall never be such a multitude together by themselves without persecution and temptation of their faith, as the great multitude under the pope is, which persecute and suffer not. And these which the

pope calleth heretics, shew no miracles, by their own confession, neither ought they, inasmuch as they bring no new learning, nor aught save the Scripture which is already received and confirmed with miracles. Christ also promiseth us nought in this world, save persecution for our faith. And the stories of the Old Testament are

also by Paul, 1 Cor. x. our ensamples. And there, though God at a time called with miracles a great multitude, yet the very chosen that received the faith in their hearts, to put their trust in God alone, and which endureth in temptations, were but few and ever oppressed of their false brethren, and persecuted unto the death, and driven

unto corners.

The popish persecutors ferers.

church are

but no suf

1 Cor. x. The church

of Christ is

ever persecuted.

The church

is the false

And when Paul (2 Thess. ii.) saith that antichrist's 2 Thess. ii. coming shall be by the working of Satan with all power, signs and wonders of falsehood, and all deceiveableness for them that perish, because they conceived not love unto the truth, to be saved by: and therefore shall God send them strong delusion or guile, to believe lies; the text must also pertain unto a multitude gathered together in Christ's name, of which one part, and no doubt the greater, for lack of love unto the truth that is in Christ, to live thereafter, shall fall into sects, and a false faith under the name of Christ, and shall be indurate and stablished therein with false miracles to perish for their unkindness. The pope first hath no Scripture that he dare abide by in the light, neither careth, but blasphemeth that his word is truer than the Scripture. He hath mira

of antichrist church, and ever the greater number.

The pope is blasphemer of God.

a devilish