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" al cvyl. If God shuld geve thee that which is dew to

" thy works, he shuld surely dampn thee. But he giveth

" not the pain dew, but giveth thee grace, which is not

" dew." And again, " When God crowneth thy meryts, he

" crowneth nothing but his own gifts. For the Psalmist

" saith. He croicneth thee with mercy and loving kindncsP


VOL. I. PART II. H h

466 APPENDIX OF


Good works. But thes texts and sayings of the Doctors sounded so in

the ears of one Hoggard, that, according to his name, he

swynishly hath accused me. This is myne opinion of good

works : Those are good works that the Scripture of God

alloweth for good : that is, al that tend to the glory of God,

and to the profit of our Christen brother. Thes works

ought every Christen man to apply with al his power :

and yet knowledging the imperfectnes of this lyfe to say,


Luc. xvii. as Christ teacheth, We are unprofitable servants. Notwith-

standing ther remayneth much reward to those works ; for-

asmuch as God by Christ accepteth them as perfect, and

crowneth them, not for their awn dignity, but for the dig-

nity of Christ, in whom thei are accepted. And wold to

God al that profess Christ in tonge and word, wold study

to excel in good works in dede and trewth : and then miglit

they assuredly loke for the reward of God, rewarder of al

goodnes. But we cry out, and wil have no less then hevin

for our works; which yet are such, as nether are com-

maunded of God, and nothing at al profit our neibour.

We esteam him an holy one that every day heareth a mas

or twayn : yet wil he not gretly stick to ly, forswere, dis-

teyne and beguyle his neibour. He that eateth no eggs on

the Friday is ownted to fast wel ; but the same shal, with

his virulent and adders tonge, devoure and eat his brother

by backbyting. Another seameth to have perfect holines

for saying over his beads ; yet shal the same be nother af-

fraid, like an Hoggard, to persecute and accuse even of he-

resie his Christen brother, and with his lyes and slanderous

tonge embrew his hands with bloud of innocents. Such was
Mat. xxiii. i\^q holines of the old Pharisees, to tyth mint and annett :

but the weighty matters of the law, judgment, faith, and

mercy, they overpassed.
So our new Pharisees invent every one his awn phantasie

to be good works, but the good works assigned and com-

maunded of God, they not once so much loke for it. And

whensoever this their hypocrisie is a litil towched, then be-

gin thes godly ones to breath out their firy charitie, and

3 18 cannot rest in quiet tyl thei have accomplished their natiu'e,


RECORDS AND ORIGINALS. 4G7


and murdered their pore brother Abel. Oh ! hyiXK-risie ! i "'-e oa

O! devihsh dissimulation! O! fained sanctltie ! Double ini-i.j'li'ji'."^;,",!,

quity! With what face, countenance, and chei'e canst thou ''^""'- "'

lift up thy hands to God, the fowntayn of <>;oodnes, seing

thy mynd overfloweth so with malignity and mischcfe ? IIow

askest thou mercy of God, that nourishest such crueltie

ageynst thy brother ? How darest thou approch to God,

which giveth benefits to the imworthy and unkind, when

thou art so ungentil and ful of wickednes, to work niischefe

and evil to him that studiously seeketli to do al men good

and profit ? How wilt thou drink, nay once come nere to

drink the bloud of the testament, which dost nothing else

but imagyne how to shed the bloud of thy neibour ? Oh !

Pharisee, h\-}iocrite, seak first jugement, faith, and mercy,

and make clean that which is w^ithin, and so shalt thou be

sure to please God. He scketh judgment , that cometh into A|>iacc of

the consideration of his awn conscience, and thcr dcliteth J, ' „u,„jtj^

with the law of God, and tryeth and examineth al his words '^•"'P- '""'•

and dedes. And lie that thus doth shal have smal pleasure

in his awn rightwysnes, nor no gret lust to crake of his awn

deserts or meryts. He shal rather confes the saying of

David to be trew; Lord, no lijving creature shal he ju-sti-Vs. cxiii.

Jied 171 thi sight. And as Job saith. If he roil contend with

vie, I cannot answer one for a tlwusand.


But that men stick so sore to their awn meryts, it is an

evident token that such never yet knew the law, nor felt

the condempnation of it in their consciences : which whoso

fealeth, shal soon cast down his pecock taile that before he

spred, and so much gloried in. To scale faith is to do al

things after the word of God : which whoso doeth, shal be

assured in his conscience, that his work pleaseth God. Rut

he that goeth about to please God by his awn dreams and

imaginations, without the word, the same can never be sa-

tisfied, nor certainly persuaded, that he pleaseth God, but

stil evermore doubteth and wavereth in mynd, whether lie

pleaseth God, or no. Which, what is it else but unfaithful- Heb. x. xi.


i ' TO 1 Rom. XIV.
nes and sin ? If this faith were sowght for among men, tliey
doubtles would be more ernestly bent to do the works com-
II h 2

468 APPENDIX OF


manded of God, and not so redy to destroy those that godly

rebuketh hypocrisie and wickednes of the world. He seak-

eth mercy, that considereth the gret mercies of God, shewed

hym of God, and studyeth to be merciful, as the hevenly

Luc, vi. Father is merciful. He that doth this, seketh not to murder

his brother, but i-ather to save his life ; not to empoverish

and beggar him, but rather to mayntain his substance and

1 Pet. iv. welth. He that doth thus, seaketh not how to slaundre,

backbvte, betray, and falsely accuse his neiboure, but as

Christ hath covered his faults, so spredeth he furth charitie

to his brother, and covereth his faults with charitie, which

hydeth the multitude of sins. Briefly, the man that seak-

eth this mercy is ful of bowels of pity, gentilnes, mildnes,

patience, and long suffering ; he is even another Christ to

his neibour, doth good to al men, and hurt to no man, and

evermore seaketh not his awn, but that Avhich pleaseth Jesu

Christ. And as for glorying in his aAvn merits and works,

he cannot, but acknowledgeth the saying of the Apostel to

1 Cor. iv. be trew, What hast thou but thou hast received it? Yfthou

receyvedst it, ivhy boostest thou as though thou receyvedst it

1 Cor. i. not ? And ageine, Let him that boosteth, boost in the Lord.

.3 1 9 There was laid ageinst me another article of Hoggard,

^^'- thus. He said, al mens traditions shal be plucked up by the

rote, as Christ saith. Every plant that my hevenly Father

hath not planted, shal be plucked up by the rote. This ar-

ticle, said the Bishop of Sarum, is anabaptistical. Wei, let

it be what ye wil. I nether so spake nor thought ; but

I said thus indede ; Al mens traditions, contrary to the law

of God, and to the doctrine of Christs trewth, shal be

Matt. XV. plucked up by the rote. For so hath Christ said, Every

plant that my hevenly Father planted not, shal be plucked

up by the rotes. And God hath so wrought even before our

eyes, that we may se this every day more and more fulfilled.

The abolishing of the Romain Bishop, the throwing down

of abbays, the destruction of sects, the putting away of

pelting perdons, and the roting out of famous idols, teach

plainly, that hevin and erth may pass, but the word of God

shal not pass.


RECORDS AND ORIGINALS. 469


The residue of al the Romain impostures must neads

fall, though al the Papists wold set to their shuldres, and

lift and undrepi'op til thei burst. And this I say to you in Note tiiis,

the word of the Lord, that the day wil come, when the very Jon,'[!^to

rote of al popery, even your masses, wil be plucked up by I'^^-s. »"
the rote ; and al the world shal know how shamefully ye

abuse the holy Supper of the Lord, and how now like ty-

rants ye be in persecuting and burning pore inen. In that

day wil your shaven crown, the charact and mystery of

iniquity, cease, according to the saying of Daniel, Cum ve-

ncrit Sanctus scmctorum, cessah'it nnctio vcstra. And then

it shal be evangrl'ical to preach. Every plant that the he-

vinly Father hath not planted, shal be plucJced np hij the

rotes : and not, as the Bishop of Sarum saith, anahaptistkal.

For then shal ye no more be called lords; and al your

pomp and power wil have such a fal, as al the world shal

wondre at the sodeyn destructyon of Babylon, and at the

fal of the shameless idol Baal, and his shaven chapleyns.

And as ye have brewed to others, so shal the Lord brew to

you a bytter sore cup, and avenge upon you the bloud of

al rightwyse, that ye have shed from the beginning. In that

day the Lord wil shew mercy upon his Church of England,

and wil give them shephards according to his wil, that shal

teach them the Scripture, and not forbid it them. Even

such Bishops as are written of in Pauls Epistles. Then shal i Tim. iii.

your unpure chastity be known to be a filthy, wicked, and

detestable kind of Sodomitical buggerie, and an whole sea

of whoredom and unclennes. Then shal wedlock be ho-

norable among al men, and the bed therof holy, pure, and

undefiled. And shameful whoredom siial be banished owt

of Gods ministers, and owt of al good and honest company,

and not once able to shew her whorish face. Lord Jesu

arise, and accomplish this shortly. Let not Antichrist and

his chapleyns prevail any longer. O Lord, judg thou them,

and destroy thou them ; for their pride is come up to the

hevin.
They have a saying. Malum bene collocatum non est di-

movcnduvi. An evil iccl plaeed is not to be removed. This

]i h

470 APPENDIX OF


appereth to be the saying of some such, as said to Paul,

Rom. iii. Let us do evil that good may come therof. But let al such

take heed what Paul testifieth of such, Their damnation.,

The Papists gaith he, is rigUioyse. But by this it appereth, that they

popJrJ^T themselfes think their popery to be nowght, evil and wicked;

be nowght. y^j. -^ ^^y j^qj. |jg towched, bccause it is wel placed. O

3 20 hypocrites and placers of iniquity! which wil worship, I

think, the devil himself, if he were wel placed. Is this the

cure of a Bishop, to suffre an evil wel placed ? How agreeth

evil with the holy Church of God ? Cal ye that wel placed,

that standeth in the dispite of God, in the blasphemy and

dishonor of his name, in the contempt of his Gospel and

Hior. i. word ? God said to YWevemy , Ihave appointed thee over na-

tions and hingdomes^ that thou shuldest plucJc up by the

rotes, and destroy, and throw dozmi, and build, and plant.

This is the office of a treAv Bishop, to pluck up malum bene

collocatum, and not only to remove it, but utterly to de-

stroy it : and to place instead of yt the holy word of God.

Which, as it is the moost precious treasure that ever was,

so at this day (the more pytie) it is but slenderly placed.

Wel, you wil not dimove that evil wel placed : but the day

Apoc. ii. wil come, that he that holdeth seven Starrs in his right hand,

and walketh among the seven golden candlesticks, wil come

swiftly, and remove your candlestick from his place, except

ye repent. And then yovir evil wel placed shal come to

nowght, and perish with the ^^'orkers of it. Yet when that

day cometh, remembre, that I, whom you murdered, gave

you warning how you might escape that daunger.


There cam in ageinst me one Sir John Massy, and toke

his oth devoutly, that he wold testify but trewth, and al

trewth. What he layd to my charge, I know not. Thes

are al the matters they have ageinst me, save that they

sowght out of the Bishop of Londons register old accusa-

tions layd to my charge two yeres agone, and as truly ga-

thered then ageinst me as thes mine adversaries have ga-

thered now. Notwitlistanding the Bishop of London then

-yetihertieg^Q^g by his baptism I shuld never more here of yt^c
of it now. * ^
D. Roystons. Vicar Gale, of HowstcMl in E

ssex.

RECORDS AND ORIGINALS. 471
The article then ageinst me was oi free wil. That I iv.

shuld then have said, A man hath no free xvil to do good.

This I said, and say again, that a man by the powre and

strength of his awn free wil (mly, is not able ether to do

good or to think good: but that he may do and think,

and long to do ony thing good afore God, the H. Goost

must come and create a new hert, and governe liim into al

trewth. Thou art created, healed, and saved. Which of all

thes hast thou of thy self, O man ? Which of al these ys

not impossible for thy free wil ? Man could not create him-

self before he was made, nor redeme hymself when he was

fallen ; nor yet can he conserve and ke})e himself after he is

redemed. ICepe me, O Lord, saith David, ^7- m^ trust is Vs. xv.

in thee. Ageine, The Lord kepeth thee: the Lord is thy pro- Vs. cxx.

tection, better than thy rig-ht hand.
Another article. That I spake ageinst the invoeat'ion and v.

inaying to saints. As for invocatyon, which is to desire

some good thing that we have nede of to be given us, or

that some evil thing, that greveth us, to be taken awey

from us ; this is the work of the third conmiandment, and

so pertayneth to God, that it is not to be given to ony crea-

ture in hevin and erth. Saynts of God are right hyly to

be praysed, and their lyvings to be followed : which the

hypocrits litel regarde. And to desire them to pray with us

and for us, I think it after a maner tolerable. But he that Joh

never prayeth to them is never the farther from God, so lie^hrys

lean and pray to Christ, in whose name, and not in the'^'''"-

saints, we are commanded to make our prayers. But what qoj

a preposterous hypocrisy of holines is this, to make so much

prating of worshipping saints, and to despise the holines

that the saints had in their lyving ! To magnify the pro-

phets that are dead, and to persecute the prophets that are

alyve ! To laud and extol the Apostels, and to condempn

them for heretiques that teach the Apostels doctrine ! Cal

ye this worshipping of saynts .? Wo to you. Scribes and Pha-

risees, hypocrites, that gilde the sepultures and monuments

of' saints, saying, Yf' we had bene in our fathers dayes, tee

xvold not have bene their fehwes in the bloudshcde of the

Hh 4

XIV. XV.
xvi.

Lev. xix.

1 Pet. i.

472 APPENDIX OF


prophets. Thus ye taitnes, that ye are their children that

slew the prophets. Fulfill you also the measure of your


fathers. You serpents., adders-fry., Iwxv zvil ye escape the
Judgment of God ?

Col. iii. I besech thee, gen til reader, cloth thyself, as an elect of


God, a saint and beloved, with bowels of pity e, and hind

hert, gentilnes, modesty, and humilitie, patience, long-sif-


fring, and charitie, peace, goodly joy, lib eralite, faith, meak-

ness, and temperancy. As for praying to the dead saints,

thou art not commanded nor counseled in the Scripture.

But to have thes vertues God commanded, saying. Be ye

holy, as I am holy. The unction of God, which teacheth al

things, shal also teach you what is best, according to the

wil of God : to whom I commend thee.

^^' Item, Another article. He spake against censing in the


church, and other ceremonies, and against organs, calling

them poping ; wherfore xvhat should ye do xoith them f


Al the care is to maynte3^n and uphold ceremonies,

images, and singing, and playing on organs. But as for

Gods word preaching or reding, they care not at al. Thei

are like to a nurse, that taketh awey an apple from a child,

and eateth it herself; and because the child shuld not cry,

she giveth it a puppet of clowts to dandle with. Even so

thei have taken awey the word of God; and because the

people shuld not require it agein, they have such stuff in

the place of it as is agreable for such pastours. But let al

hypocrites know, that like as no Christen man but alloweth

al goodly ceremonies, and that are done in an ordre to

edifying, having thes significations declared owt of Gods

word ; so nether I, nor none that love God, can allow

that the people of God shuld be blindly and ignorantly

noseled in ceremonious superstition, without their dew in-

struction to godlynes. And as psalmes, hymnes, and spi-

ritual songs owght to be songe to the Lord in our herts,

and all spirits must prayse God ; so dowbtles it is nothing

commendable, but utterly to be reproved, that the people

shal come to the churches, and tary there three or four

hours, and have nothing tawght them of God, or of his word,

RECORDS AND ORIGINALS. 473


but only here a noise in a forayne tonge, that unneth the

singers themselves understand. Thus did I speak ageynst

your singing, piping, censing, and al other your popery

don without fruit, to the dishonor of God, to the hindrance

of his word, to the mayntenance of al hypocritical supersti-

tion and papistry.


Another article. Item, He spake ageinst trental masses, vi:

saying, thei profit not sowles departed. This article, I

think, thei take for my greatest heresie. For indedc this

wringeth their god-belly, that his eyes water for pain. Yt

is now tyme to loke about, when that golden trental is 322

towched. This trental is the main post that upholdeth al

the house. Wei, I wil deal gently with you, because when

this were gone, a gret many of you might begg. For ye

can nether preach nor teach, nor do ony other good work

to get your living. And when ye have proved the history

of S. Gregoi-ies mother to be trew, then wil I allow you S.

Gregories trental. In the mean season I wil exhort al that

profes the name of Jesu Christ, that they so lyve in this

lyfe in the fear of God, and works of his commandments,

that at their deth thei neade not your trental. For sure if

thei do, I am afraid they shal purge a good while in hel, or

your trental wil help them.
There was sent for into Essex one Mr. Leswel, who herd vii

me preach upon Ester Tuesday was two yere. This man

brought in a byl of report upon my sermon, as here fol-

oweth : " Syr Robert Wisdome exhorteth his parishners

" to take the Scripture in their hands, when thei met toge-

" ther on the Sondayes and holydayes at the alehouse, and

" to talk, and commune, and reason of yt."' This article I

preached and so tawght indede. This is no heresy. Yea,

but said my Lord of London, when thei are drunken thei

shal unreverendly handle the Scripture, and much miscliief

may come by yt. I answer, I therfore exhorted them to

have the Scripture in their hands, that, remembring the

fear of God, thei might abstain from excess and dronken-

ship. Nether is it the talking of the Scripture that bredeth

ony evil, but the mischevous and malicious herts of Papists

474 APPENDIX OF


and hypocrites, that cannot abide the Scripture. Their

Joii. iii. owlish eyes wil not suffer them to abide the Hght. Their

works are evil, and they wil not come to the light, lest theyr

works shuld be rebuked. But if sometime perchance evil

happen among them that have the word of God present,

These are what mischef, abhomination, blasphemies, detractions, slan-

the frutes ^j.^^^ backbytiug, rybaldry, filthy communication, unclean

hate God's gesturcs, uucheritablc rayling, horrible othes, and such

^°'^^' other mischef wil be among them that have not Gods words
among them ? What is the cause of so many dronkards, so

much pride, that men set so much by themself, and so litil

by God, that they are so covetous, so puft up, such shame-

ful hypocrites, such horrible swerers, so cursed tonged, so

disobedient to their parents, so unthankful, so ungodly, and

unnatural, such brekers of promise and covenaunts, - such

raylers, so intemperate, so cruel, so neglecting al goodnes,

such traitors and so falseherted to their prince, so heady in

al mischef, so blowen up, such flatterers and lyars, such fol-

owers of beastly lusts, rather than the love of God ? Surely

nothing else, but that thei have throwen from them the

word of God, and there is no wisdome in them.


It is seditious to rede the Scripture, but to talk of whor-

dom, of filthines, of craft, mischef, and al ungodlines, doth

no hurt at al, say our hypocrites. But I must neads be an

heretick for exhorting them to the reading of the Scripture,

and thei Catholicks that condempn the Scripture. To talk

of Christs deth, cros, passion, resurrection, is seditious : to

talk of unclennes, and such filthines as infecteth the very

air, is not only tolerable, but also laudable. I preached it

even so, and I repent it not : make on it what yee please.

QQQ Another. Item, he said, / trust to God to se the day,

IX. that maydes wil sing the Scripture at their wheles, and

plowmen at their plow. I thank God, thorow my Lord

Jesu Christ, I have sene that day, and I know husbandmen

and men of occupation at this day, as wel seen or better in

the Scriptures then a gret many of priests, yea then some

that were heads, and are called rahhi and master doctor

at every word. The name of God be blessed for it.

RECORDS AND ORIGINALS. 475


Item, he said, We have a lyv'xng Christ, and not a Christ x.

of clowts. This I said, say, and wil say; my Lord Jesii Rom. vi.

Christ is risen from the death, and lyveth and reygneth i''"'- •'•

Lord and King- in the glory of his Fatlier, world without '' '" '"

end ; able to save, kepe, maintayne, and defend al his ser-

vants from sin, detli, devil, despair, he), and damnatyon, and

from al evils bodily and gostly ; and he is al good, and wil i^"'"- ^''"•

work al things to their salvatyon that trust in him. And

he is able to destroy and punish al his adversaries with al

maner of plages in their bodies, and with everlasting dam-


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