MarginaliaAn. 1557. Aprill.craftie subteltie of these catholicke champions, who intermitting certayne pointes of fayth, and of the true church, with the idolatrous & supersticious mametrie of theyr Romish Sinagoge, cause the poore and simple people, for lacke of knowledge, often tymes to fall into theyr craftie nettes.

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For after they haue made thē graunt a true church, with the Sacramentes of the same, though not in such number as they would haue them, and also that they were christened into the fayth thereof, that is, in the name of the father, of the sonne, and of the holy Ghost, MarginaliaCraftie dealing in the Papistes.they craftely now in the other theyr obiections, descending as it were from the faith of the trinitie, vnto their idolatrous masse and other supersticious ceremonies, would make them graunt, that now in denying therof, they haue seuered themselues from the faith of the true church, wherunto they were baptised, which is most false. For though the true light of Gods Gospell and holy worde, was marueilously darkened, and in a maner vtterly extinguished: yet the true fayth of the trinitie, by the mercifull prouidence of God, was still preserued, and into the fayth therof were we baptised, and not into the beliefe and profession of their horrible idolatrie and vayne ceremonies.

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These thinges not throughly wayed by these poore, yet faythfull, and true members of Christ, MarginaliaSimple ignorance deceiued.caused some of them ignorauntly to graunt, that when they came to the yeares of discretion, and vnderstoode the light of the Gospell, they did separate thē selues from the faith of þ^e church, meaning none other but only to separate thēselues from the admitting or allowing of such their Popish and erroneous trash,MarginaliaThey which separate them selues frō certayne trashe brought into the Church, do not separate thē selues frō the Church. as they now had defiled the church of Christ withall, and not from theyr fayth receiued in baptisme, which in expresse wordes in their answeres to þ^e other articles they constantly affirmed, declaring the Masse and sacrament of the altar, to be most wicked blasphemy agaynst Christ Iesus, and contrary to the truth of hys Gospell, and therfore vtterly they refused to assent and to be reconciled agayne thereunto.

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These aunsweres in effect, of them thus taken by the sayd Chauncellour, they were for that time dismissed: but the Bishop taking the matter into his owne handes, the sixt day of March, propounded vnto them certayne other newe articles, the copie whereof followeth.

Marginalia1.MarginaliaOther new articles propounded to them by B. Boner.FIrst, that thou hast thought, beleued, & spoken, within some part of the Citie and Dioces of London, that the fayth, religion, and Ecclesiasticall seruice here obserued and kept, as it is in the Realme of England, is not a true and a laudable faith, religion, and seruice, MarginaliaMasse & 7. Sacramētes.especially concerning the Masse, and the seuē Sacramentes, nor is agreable to Gods word and Testamēt, and that thou canst not finde in thy hart without murmuryng, grudgyng, or scruple to receiue and vse it, and to conforme they selfe vnto it, as other subiectes of this Realme customably haue done and do.

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Marginalia2.MarginaliaEnglishe seruice.Item, that thou hast thought &c. that the English seruice set forth in the tyme of kyng Edward the vj. here in this Realme of England, was and is good, godly, and Catholicke in all pointes, and that it alone ought here in this Realme to be receiued, vsed, and practised, and none other.

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3.

Comming to Church.

Item, likewise thou hast thought &c. that thou are not bound to come to thy Parish Church, & there to be present, & heare Mattins, Masse, Euensong, & other diuine seruice, song or sayd there.

Marginalia4.Item, thou hast thought &c. that thou art not bound to come to procession to the Church vppon dayes and tymes appointed, and to go in the same with others of the Parish, singyng or saying then the accustomed prayers vsed in the Church, nor to beare a taper or candel on Candelmas day, nor take Ashes vpon Ashewednisday,

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MarginaliaAshes, Palmes, Creeping to þ^e crosse, Holy bread, Holy water. &c.nor beare Palmes vpon Palme Sonday, not to creepe to the Crosse vpon dayes accustomed, nor to receiue and kysse the paxe at Masse tyme, nor to receiue holy water or holy bread, or to accept and allow the ceremonies and vsages of the Church, after the maner and fashion as they are vsed in this Realme.

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Marginalia5.
Cōfession.Item, thou hast thought &c. that thou art not bound at any tyme to confesse thy sinnes to any Priest, and to receiue absolution at his handes, as Gods minister, nor to receiue at any tyme the blessed Sacrament of the altar, especially as it is vsed in the Church of England.

Marginalia6.Item, thou hast thought &c. that in matters of Religion and fayth, thou must follow and beleue thine owne conscience onely, and not geue credite to the determination and common order of the Catholicke Church, and the Sea of Rome, nor to any member therof.

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7.

Absolute necessitie.

Itē, thou hast thought &c. that all thinges do chaunce of an absolute and precise mere necessity, so that whether man do well or euill, he could not choose but do so, and that therfore no man hath any free will at all.

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8.

Christening of Infantes.

Item, thou hast thought &c. that the fashion and maner of Christenyng of infantes, is not agreable to Gods word, and that none cā be effectually Baptised, and therby saued, except he haue yeares of discretiō to beleue him selfe, and so willyngly accept or refuse Baptisme at hys pleasure.

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9.

Praying for þ^e dead.

Item, thou hast thought &c. that prayers to Saintes, or prayers for the dead, are not auailable and not allowable by Gods word, or profitable in any wise, and that the soules departed do straightwayes go to heauen or hell, or els do sleepe till the day of dome, so that there is no place of purgation at all.

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Marginalia10.Itē, thou hast thought &c. that all such as in the tyme of kyng Henry the viij. or in tyme of Queene Mary Q. of England, haue bene burned as heretickes, were no heretickes at all, but faithfull and good Christen people, especially MarginaliaMartyrs þ^t suffred.Barnes, Garret, Ierome, Frith, Rogers, Hoper, Cardemaker, Latimer, Taylor, Bradford, Philpot, Cranmer, Ridley, and such like, and that thou diddest and doest allow, like, and approue all their opinions, and doest mislike their condemnations and burnynges.

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11.

Fasting dayes.

Item, thou hast thought &c. that fastyng and prayers vsed in this Church of England, and the appointyng of dayes for fasting, and the abstainyng from flesh vpon fastyng dayes, and especially in the tyme of Lent, is not laudable or allowable by Gods word, but is hypocrisie and foolishnes: and that men ought to haue libertie to eate at all tymes all kyndes of meate.

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12.

Sacramēt of þ^e altar.

Item, thou hast thought &c. that the Sacrament of the altar, is an idoll, and to reserue and keepe it, or to honor it, is playne idolatrie and superstition: and likewise of the Masse and the eleuation of the Sacrament.

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13.

Taking of an oth.

Item, thou hast thought &c. that thou or any els, conuented before an Ecclesiasticall Iudge concernyng matters of belief and faith, art not nor is bound to make aūswere at all, especially vnder an othe vpon a booke.

MarginaliaTheir answeres to the articles before obiected.THeir aunsweres to these obiections were, that as touching the first, second, third, fourth, fift, ninth, tenth, and twelfth, they generally graunted vnto, sauing that they denied the soules of the departed to sleepe till the day of iudgement, as is mentioned in the ninth article. And as concerning the sixt obiection, they thought themselues bound to beleue þ^e true catholicke church, so farre forth as the same doth instructe them according to Gods holy word, but not to follow the determinations of the erroneous & Babilonicall church of Rome. As for the seuenth, eight, and thirtenth, they vtterly denied, that euer they were of any such absurde opinions as are contained therin, but they graunted that man of himselfe without the helpe and assistaunce of Gods spirite, hath no power to do any good thyng acceptable in Gods sight. To the eleuenth they sayd, MarginaliaTrue fasting.that true fasting and prayer, vsed accordyng to Gods word, are allowable and auailable in his sight, and that by the same worde euery faithful man may eate all meates at all tymes, with thankesgeuing to God for the same.

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After this, þ^e first day of Aprill, were they agayne cōuented before þ^e Bishop in his palace at Londō, where litle appeareth to be done, except it were to know whe-