MarginaliaAnno. 1555. October.shall be no place to appeale, no witte shall serue to delude, nor no power to withstande or reuoke: when (I saie) I consider all these thynges, and conferre to the same againe and againe, al those waies wherein standeth the substance of the Romishe religion (wherof I spake before) it maie bee euident and easie to perceiue, that these twoo waies, these twoo religions, the one of Christe, the other of the Romishe Sea, in these latter daies, bee as farre distaunte the one from the other, as light and darkenes, good and euill, righteousnesse and vnrighteousnes, Christ and Beliall. MarginaliaNote here that these scriptures were written by M. Ridley in the Margēt. but were not in the copy which we followed.He that is hard of belefe, let hym note & weigh wel with hym self the places of holy scriptures, whiche be appointed in the margent, whereupon this talke is grounded, and by Gods grace he may receiue some light. And vnto the contemner I haue nothyng nowe to saie, but to rehearse the saiyng of the Prophete Esaie, whiche Paule spake to the Iewes in the ende of the Actes of the Apostles. After he had expounded vnto them the truth of Gods woorde, and declared vnto them Christe, out of the Lawe of Moses and the Prophetes, from mornyng to night all the daie long, he saied vnto them that would not beleue: MarginaliaAct. 28.Well (saied he) spake the holie Ghost vnto our fathers saying: go vnto this people and tell them: ye shall heare with your eares, and not vnderstande, and seeyng, you shall beholde, and not see the thyng, for the harte of this people is waxed grosse and dulle, and with their eares thei are harde of hearyng, and they haue shut together their eyes, that they should not see, nor heare with their eares, nor vnderstande with their hartes, that they mighte retourne, and I should heale them, sayth the Lorde God.

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Alas Englande, alas that this heauie plague of god should fall vpō thee. Alas my dearly beloued coūtrey, what thyng is it now that maie do thee good? Vndoubtedly thy plague is so greate that it is vtterly vncurable, but by the bottomlesse mercie, and infinite power of almightie God. Alas my deare countrey, what hast thou doen, that thus hast prouoked the wrathe of God, and caused hym to poure out his vengeaunce vpon thee, for thyne owne desertes? Canst thou be content to heare thy faultes tolde thee? Alas thou haste heard ofte, and wouldest neuer amende. Englande, thy faultes of all degrees and sortes of men, of the Magistrates, of the Ministers, and of the Common people, were neuer more plainly tolde, since thou barest that name, then thou didst heare them of late, euen before the Magistrates in Kyng Edwardes daies, but thou heardest them onely, and didst amende neuer a whitte. For euen of thy greatest Magistrates some (the Kynges highnesse then, that innocente, that godlie harted, and pereles yong christian Prince excepted) euermore vnkindly and vngently against those that went about moste busely, and moste wholsomely to cure their sore backes, spurned priuely, and would not spare to speak euill of them, euen vnto the Prince hym selfe, and yet would they towardes the same preachers, outwardly beare a ioly countenaunce, and a faire face.

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MarginaliaCranmer and Ridley stāding in the Duke of Somersets cause.I haue heard that Crāmer and an other, whom I will not name, were bothe in high displeasure, the one for shewing his conscience secretlye, but plainlye and fully in the Duke of Somersettes cause,  

and bothe of late, but specially Crāmer for repugning,MarginaliaCranmer repugning agaynst the spoyle of the Church goods. as thei might against the late spoyle of the churche goodes, taken awaie onely by commaundement of the higher powers, without any lawe, or order of iustice, and without any request of consent of them, to whom they did belōg. MarginaliaLatimer. Bradford. Leuer. Knoxe.As for Latimer, Leuer, Bradford, and Knoxe, their tonges were so sharpe, they ripped in so deepe in their galled   backes, to haue purged them (no doubt) of that filthy matter, that was festered in their harts, of insaciable coueteousnesse, of filthy carnalitie, and volupteousnesse, of intollerable ambition and pride, of vngodlie lothsomnes, to heare poore mens causes, and to heare Gods woorde, that these men of all other, these Magistrates then could neuer abide. Other there were, very godly menne, and well learned, that went about by the wholsome plasters of Gods woorde, how be it after a more soft maner of handlyng of the matter, but (alas) all sped in like. For all that could be doen of all hāds, their disease did not minishe, but daiely did encrease, whiche (no doubt) is no small occasion in that state, of the heauie plague of GOD, that is poured vpon Englande at this daie. As for the common sorte of other inferior Magistrates, as iudges of the lawes, iustices of peace, sergeantes, common lawiers, it maie be truly

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said of them, as of the most part of the Clergie, of Curates, Vicares, Parsones, Prebendaries, Doctors of the lawe, Archdeacons, Deanes, yea, and I maie saie, of Bishops also, I feare me, for þ^e most part, although I doubte not but God had and hath euer whom he in euery state knewe, & knoweth to be his, MarginaliaThe corrupt life of gospellers in K. Edwardes time.but for the most part (I saie) thei wer neuer persuaded in their hartes, but from the teeth forwarde, and for the Kynges sake, in the truthe of Gods woorde, and yet all these did dissemble, and bare a copie of a countenaunce, as if they had been sounde within.

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And this dissimulatiō Sathan knewe well inough, and therefore desired, and hath euer gone about, that the high Magistrates by any maner of meanes, might bee deceiued in matters of Religion, for then he beyng of councel with the dissimulation in the worldly, knew well enough that he should bryng to passe, and rule all euen after his owne will.

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MarginaliaHipocrisy a double euill.Hypocrisie and dissimulation s. Hierome doeth call wel a double wickednes, for neither it loueth the truth (whiche is one great euill) and also falsly it pretendeth to deceiue þ^e simple for an other thyng. This hypocrisie and dissimulation with God in matters of religion (no doubte) hath wholy also prouoked the anger of God. And as for þ^e common people, although there were many good, where thei wer well and diligently taught, yet (God knoweth) a greate number receiued Gods true word, & high benefites wyth vnthankfull hartes. For it was great pity, and a lamentable thing to haue seen in many places, þ^e people so lothsomly, & so vnreligiously to come to þ^e holy Cōmunion, & to receiue it accordingly, and to the common praiers, & other Diuine seruice, which wer accordyng to the true vaine of Gods holie woorde, in all pointes so godlie, and wholsomely sette foorthe, in comparison of that blinde zeale, and vndescrete deuotion, whiche they had afore tymes to those thynges, whereof they vnderstoode neuer one whitte, nor could be edified by them any thyng at all.

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MarginaliaThe slacknes that was in the time to good workes.And again, as for almes deedes,  

which are taught in Gods worde (whereby we are certaine that God is pleased with them, and doeth and will require suche at our handes, whiche are a part of true religion, as S. Iames saieth, and suche as he saith him self, he setteth more by, then by sacrifice, as to prouide for þ^e fatherles infantes and orphanes, for the lame, aged, and impotent poore nedy folke, and to make publike prouision, that the pouertie that might labour, should haue wherwith to labor vpon, and so be kept from shamfull beggery & stealing] in these workes I saie, how waiwarde wer many, in comparison (I meane) of that great prodigalitie, whereby in tymes paste they spared not to spende vpon flattering Friers, false Pardoners, painting and gilting of stockes and stones, to be set vp and honored in churches, plainly against gods word. And yet because no place is to be defrauded of their iust cōmendation, London, I muste confesse, for suche godlie workes in sir Richard Dobs knight, then lord Maior his yere, began marueilous well: the lorde graunt the same maie so likewise perseuer, continue, yea, and encrease to the comfort and relief of the nedy and helpelesse, that was so godlie begun, Amen.

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All these thyngs do minister matter of more mournyng, and bewailing the miserable state that nowe is: for by this it maie bee perceiued, MarginaliaGods plague vpon England iustly deserued.how Englande hath deserued this iust plague of God. And also it is greatly to bee feared, that those good thynges, whatsoeuer thei were that had their beginnyng in the tyme when Gods word was freely preached, now with the exile and banishement of the same, will departe againe.

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But to returne againe to the consideration of this miserable state of Christes churche in Englande, and to leaue farther & more exquisite searchyng of the causes thereof, vnto Gods secrete and vnsearcheable iudgementes, let vs see what is beste now to bee doen for Christes little  

flocke. This is one maxime and principle in Christes law: He that denieth Christ before mē, hym shall Christ deny afore his father, and all his Angels of heauen. And therefore euery one that looketh to haue by Christ our Sauior euerlastyng life, let hym prepare him self so, that he deny not his maister Christ or els he is but a caste awaie, and a wretche, how so euer he be counted, or taken here in the worlde.

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MarginaliaHe exhorteth to constant confession of Christ.Now then seing the doctrine of Antichrist is returned again into this realme, and the higher powers (alas) are so deceiued, & bewitched, that they are persuaded it to bee truthe, and Christes true doctrine to bee