Marginalia1556. Aprill.riously search out his deedes, marke his wordes, and if he agree not with them in despysing Gods word, then will they spytefully and hatefully rayle agaynst him and it, calling it errour and heresy, and the professours therof heretickes and schismatickes, wyth other odious and despitefull names: as traytours and not the Queenes frendes, not fauourers of the Queenes proceedinges: MarginaliaLouing of Gods word made heresie.as if to loue Gods word were heresy, and as though to talke of CHRIST, were to be schismatickes: as though none could be true to the Queene, that were not false to God: as though none were the Queenes frendes, but such as despitefully rayle on her graces father and brother, and on Gods word that they set foorth: as though none fauoured the Queenes maiesty, but such as hate all godly knowledge.

MarginaliaAll that the Papistes striue for, are but mās mere inuentions beside Gods word.And in very dede these thinges that all this turmoile is made for, are mere inuentions of Popes, brought into the Church, of their own imaginatiōs, wythout commaundement or ensample eyther of CHRIST or of hys Apostels: and there is not one word in the Bible that being truely alleadged, mayntayneth thē, nor any Doctor of antiquity before S. Austines dayes, as it hath bene diuers times sufficiently proued before all the whole Parlament and conuocation of this realme. Yet these being mere traditions of Byshops, are set out for Gods commaundementes: MarginaliaThe Queene, her cōmissioners, & Iustices abused by þ^e Byshops.and the Queenes autority (geuen to her of God to mayntayne his word) must bee abused to put downe Gods worde. And you ryght honourable Iustices and keepers of lawes and ryghteousnes, are also abused and made the Byshops apparatours, to set forth such Romish trash, as is to CHRISTES dishonour, and agaynst the supreme authority of the regall estate of thys Realme. And wee poore subiectes, for speaking of that which is truth, and our bounden allegiance, are dayly punished, rayled vppon, and noted for sedicious, and not the Queenes frendes.

MarginaliaTrue subiectes wrongfully sclaundered.But God (who is blessed for euer) knoweth that they sclaunder vs, and pull the thorne out of their own foote, and put it in ours: for the searcher of hartes knoweth, that we beare a faythfull and true hart vnto her grace, and vnto all her proceedings that are not against God and his holy word. And we dayly pray vnto the heauenly father, to lighten her graces royall hart wyth the glorious lyght of hys Gospell, that shee may establish and confirme that religion, that her graces brother, our most deare king, did set out amongst vs: and so gouerning & ruling this her realme in the feare and true way of God, she may long liue, and with prosperity, peace, and honour raigne ouer vs.

But we cannot thinke that those men do seeke eyther Gods honour, or her graces prosperity, or wealth of the realme, that take from her graces faythfull subiectes Gods woorde, which onely is the roote of all loue and faythful obedience vnto her grace, and of all honesty, good lyfe and vertuous concord among her commons. And thys we feare, lest the roote being taken away, the braunches will soone wither and be fruitles. And when the Philistines haue stopped vp the welspring, the fayre streames that should flow, shall soone be dryed vp. All our watch men, our true preachers haue taught vs, that as lōg as we reteined Gods word, we should haue God our gracious mercifull father, but if wee refused & cast of the Lords yoke of his doctrine, then shall we loke for the Lords wrath and seuere visitation to plage vs, as he did the Iewes for lyke offenses. And Paule sayth: MarginaliaRom. 2.God gaue to them the spirit of vnquietnes or vprore, eyes wherwith they should not see, and eares wherewith they should not heare vntyll this day: and as Dauid sayd: MarginaliaPsal. 69.let their table be made a snare to take them selues wythall, a trap to catch them, and a stumbling blocke to fall at. Let their eyes be blynded, that they see not, and bowe thou downe their backes alwayes.

MarginaliaWhat vnquietnes followeth the lacke of Gods word.O mercifull God, all this is now come vpō vs, & dayly more & more encreaseth, & we feare at last it will so bow down our backes, þ^t we shall vtterly be destroyed. The troublesome spirit of vprores & vnquietnes, dayly troubleth mens hartes, and worketh such vnquietnes in all places, that no man that loueth quyetnes, can tall where to place hym selfe. Men haue eyes and see not how greuous offence it is, to cast of the yoke of Gods doctrine, and to beare the heauy burthen that vnfaithfull hypocrites lay vpon vs. Wee haue eares and heare not the warning of Gods word, calling vs to true repentance, nor his threates agaynst our impiety. Our most swete table of CHRISTES word and most holy communion, is taken away, & turned to a most perilous snare, through the brawling disputations of men. And as the Idoll of abomination, betokeneth finall subuersion vnto the

Iewish nation: so we feare, this setting asyde of the Gospell and holy communion of CHRIST, and the placing in of Romish religion, betokeneth desolation to be at hand of this noble realme of England.

For the plagues of hunger, pestilence, and sword, can not long tary: but except we repent and turne agayne to the Lord, our backes shall bee so bowed, that the lyke horrible plages were neuer seene. And no maruayle: for the lyke offence was neuer cōmitted, as to reiect and cast of CHRIST and his word, and in playne English to say: MarginaliaLuke. 19.we will not haue hym to reigne ouer vs. O Lord, how terrible is it that followeth in the Gospell? Those myne enemies that would not haue me to reigne ouer them, bring them hether, & slay them before me. God be mercifull vnto vs, MarginaliaWarning to Q. Mary, to her Counsaile, and Cōmissioners.and moue the Quenes maiesties hart, and the hartes of her honorable Counsayle, and your hartes (ryght honorable Commissioners) to wey these daungers in due tyme, and to call Gods word vnto your counsayle, and then you shall see, how it agreeth with this Bishoplike commaundement: and to be as ware to auoyde the contempt of the eternall God, & daungers of the same, as you are prudent & wyse in matters of this world: lest if the almighty be contemned, he stretch forth his arme, which no man can turne, and kindle his wrath that no man can quench.

We haue humbly opened vnto you our consciences, doubtles sore wounded and greued by this commaundement: and we meekely pray and besech the Queenes maiesty, for the precious death and bloudshed of IESVS CHRIST our Sauiour, to haue mercy and pity vppon vs her graces poore commons, faithfull and true subiectes, members of the same body polliticke, whereof her grace is supreme head. MarginaliaThe dutie of true subiectes declared, first to Christ, then to þ^e Queene.All our bodies, goodes, landes, and lyues are ready to do her grace faythfull obedience, and true seruice, MarginaliaHow farre a Prince ought to require obedience of his subiectes.in all commaundementes that are not agaynst God and hys word: but in these thinges that import a deniall of CHRIST, and refusall of hys woord and holy communion, we can not consent nor agree vnto it. For we haue bound our selues in baptisme to bee CHRISTES Disciples, and to kepe his holy word and ordinances. And if we deny hym before men, he will deny vs before hys heauenly father and his holy Aungels in the day of iudgement: which we trust her benigne grace will not requyre of vs.

And we humbly besech her maiesty that we be not enforced vnto it: but as we serue her grace wyth body and goods, and due obediēce, according to Gods commaundement: so we may be permitted freely to serue God and CHRIST our Sauiour, and keepe vnto hym our soules, which he hath wyth his precious bloud redeemed: that so (as CHRIST teacheth) we may render to Cæsar that is due to Cæsar, and to God that is due to God.

MarginaliaTrue obedience how farre it stretcheth.For we thinke it not true obedience vnto the Quenes hyghnes, or to any other magistrate ordayned of God vnder her, to obey in thinges contrary to Gods word, although the same bee neuer so straitly charged in her graces name. The Byshop of Winchester hath truely taught in that poynt, in his boke of true obedience, that true obedience is in the Lord, and not agaynst the Lord: as the Apostels aunswered before the counsayle at Ierusalem, cōmaunding thē no more to preach in the name of the Lord IESVS. MarginaliaAct. 4.Iudge you (sayd they) whether it be ryght in the sight of God, to heare you rather then God. And agayne they sayd: we must obey God rather then man. Wherfore we learne that true obedience is to obey God, king of all kinges & Lord of all Lordes: and for him, in him, & not agaynst hym and hys word, to obey the Princes and magistrates of this world, who are not truely obeyed when God is disobeyed, nor yet disobeyed when God is faythfully obeyed.

MarginaliaTrue obedience.Tobias disobeyed not his king, although contrary to hys cammaundement, and contrary to the vsage of all other, when they went to Dan and Bethell, he went vnto Ierusalem, and worshipped in the temple of the Lord. MarginaliaExample of true obedience.The three yong men in Babylon, refusing king Nabuchodonosors commaundement, pleased God more then the whole multitude that obeyed it. And Daniell, that prayed to the God of heauen, contrary to kyng Darius commaundementes, bare a more true and faythfull hart to the kyng, then those wicked counsellours, that procured that wicked law, or those that for feare of flattery obeyed it. Which to pestilences (feare and flatteryMarginaliaFeare and flattery, enemies to true obedience to God and man.) haue euer destroyed true obedience to God and man: when wicked godles mē (that care not if the Deuill were worshipped, so they may get and obtayne riches, promotions, and dignityes and worldly glory) turne to and fro, as euery wynd bloweth: and weake and frayle men fea-