Marginalia1556. March.bounden diligently to learne his word, that they may know how to beleue & lyue accordyngly, for that purpose he ordained holydayes, when they ought, leauing apart all other busines, to giue thē selues wholy to know & serue God. MarginaliaWhy Latin seruice ought not to be restored in England.Therfore Gods will and cōmaundement is, that whē the people be gathered together, the Ministers should vse such language as the people may vnderstand and take profite thereby, or els hold their peace. For as an harpe or lute, if it geue no certaine soūde that men may know what is strickē, who can daunce after it? for all the sounde is in vayne: so is it vayne and profiteth nothyng, sayth almightie GOD by the mouth of S. Paule, if the Priest speake to the people in a language which they know not: For els hee may profite hym selfe, but profiteth not the people, sayth S. Paule.
[Back to Top]But herein I was aūswered thus: that S. Paul spake onely of preachyng, that the preacher should speake in a toūg which the people did know, or els his preaching auaileth nothyng. But if the preaching auayleth nothyng, beyng spokē in a lāguage which the people vnderstād not, how should any other seruice auaile thē, being spokē in the same lāguage? And yet that S. Paul mēt not onely of preaching, it appeareth plainly by his owne wordes. For he speaking by name expressely of praying, singyng, & thankyng of God, & of all other thyngs which the priests say in the churches, wherūto the people say Amē, which they vsed not in preachyng, but in other Diuine seruice: that whether the Priests rehearse the wōderfull workes of God, or the great benefites of god vnto mākynd aboue all other creatures, or geue thankes vnto God, or make opē professiō of their fayth, or hūble cōfession of their sinnes, with earnest request of mercy & forgeuenes, or make sute or request vnto God for any thyng: then all the people vnderstādyng what the priestes say, might giue their mynds & voyces with them & say Amē, that is to say, allow what the Priests say, that the rehearsall of Gods vniuersall workes & benefites, the geuyng of thankes, the profession of fayth, the cōfessiō of sinnes, & the requestes & petitiōs of the Priests & of the people, might ascēd vp into the eares of God al together, & be as a sweet sauour, odour, & incēse in his nose: & thus was it vsed many C. yeares after Christes Ascēsiō. But the aforesayd thyngs can not be done whē the Priests speake to the people in a lāguage not knowen and so they (or their Clarke in their name) say Amen, but they can not tell wherūto: Where as s. Paul saith: How cā the people say Amē to thy well saying, whē they vnderstād not what thou sayest? And thus was S. Paul vnderstāden of all interpretors, both the Greekes & Latines, old & new, schole authors & others that I haue read, vntill aboue xxx. yeares past. At which tyme one Eckius, with other of his sort, begā to deuise a new expositiō, vnderstāding s. Paul of preachyng onely. But whē a good number of the best learned mē reputed within this realme, some fauoring þe old, some the new learnyng, as they terme it, where in deede that which they call þe old, is the new, & that which they call the new, is in deede the old) but whē a great nūber of such learned mē of both sortes were gathered together at Winsore, for the reformatiō of the seruice of the Church:MarginaliaThe Papistes and Protestantes both agreed in Windsor, the seruice of the church to be in the mother tounge. Anno. 1549. it was agreed by both without cōtrouersie (not one saying cōtrary) that the seruice of the church ought to be in the mother toung, & that S. Paul in the xiiij. chap. to the Corinth. was so to be vnderstāden.Marginalia1. Cor. 14.And so is S. Paul to be vnderstāden in þe Ciuil law more thē a 1000. yeares past: where Iustinianus a most godly Emperour, in a Synode writeth on this maner: Iubem9 vt oēs Episcopi pariter & presbyteri nō tacito modo, sed clara voce, quæ a fideli populo exaudiatur, sacrā oblationē & preces in sacro Baptismate adhibitas celebrēt, quo maiori exinde deuotione in depromēdis Domini Dei laudibus audiētiū animi afficiantur. Ita enim & Diu9 Paul9 docet in Epistola ad Corinth: Si solūmodo benedicat spiritus, quomodo is qui priuati locū tenet, dicet ad gratiarū actionē tuā, Amē quandoquidē quid dicas nō videt? Tu quidē pulchre gratias agis, alter autē nō ædificatur.
Iubemus vt omnes Episcopi pariter & praesbyteri non tacito modo, sed clara voce, quae a fideli populo exaudiatur, sacram oblationem & preces in sacro Baptismate adhibitas celebrent, quo maiori exinde deuotione in depromendis Domini Dei laudibus audientium animi afficiantur. Ita enim & Diuus Paulus docet in Epistola ad Corinth: Si solummodo benedicat spiritus, quomodo is qui priuati locum tenet, dicet ad gratiarum actionem tuam, Amen quandoquidem quid dicas non videt? Tu quidem pulchre gratias agis, alter autem non aedificatur. We commaunde, that all Byshops and Priestes celebrate the holy oblation and prayers vsed in holy Baptisme, not after a stil close maner, but with a cleare loud voyce, that they may be plainly heard of the faythfull people, so as the hearers myndes may be lifted vp thereby with the greater deuotion, in vttering the prayses of the Lord god. For so Paule teacheth also in the Epistle to the Corinthians: If the spirite do onely blesse (or say well) how shall he that occupieth the place of a priuate person say, Amen, to thy thankes geuyng? for he perceaueth not what thou sayest. Thou doest geue thankes wel, but the other is not edified.
MarginaliaThe Pope commaundeth both agaynst God and naturall reason. a contrary cōmaundement, that the people commyng to the church shall heare they wot not what, and shall aunswere they know not whereunto, taketh vpon him to commaund, not onely agaynst reason, but also directly agaynst God.
MarginaliaThe sacrament ought to be receaued in both kyndes of all christians.And agayn I sayd, where as our Sauiour Christ ordayned the sacrament of his most precious body and bloud, to bee receaued of all Christen people vnder the formes of bread and wyne, and sayd of the cup: Drynke ye all of this: the Pope giueth a cleane contrary commandement, that no lay men shall drynke of the cup of theyr saluation: as though the cup of saluation by the bloud of Christ, perteyned not to lay men. And whereas Theophilus Alexandrinus (whose workes S. Hierome dyd translate about 11. hūdred yeares past) sayth: MarginaliaEx Theophilo Alexandrino.that if Christ had bene crucified for the deuils, his cuppe should not be denyed them: yet the Pope denyeth the cup of Christ to Christen people. For whō Christ was crucified. So that if I should obey the pope in these things I must nedes disobey my Sauiour Christ.
[Back to Top]MarginaliaThe excuse of the Papistes why they take away the cup.But I was aunswered hereunto (as commonly the Papistes do aunswere( that vnder the forme of bread is whole Christes flesh and bloud: so that whosoeuer receiueth the forme of bread, receiueth aswell Christes bloud as his flesh. Let it be so: yet in the forme of bread onely, Christes bloude is not drunken, but eaten: nor is receaued in the cuppe in the forme of wyne, as Christ commaunded, but eaten with the flesh vnder the forme of bread. And moreouer, the bread is not the Sacrament of his bloude, but of his flesh onely: nor the cup is not þe Sacrament of his fleshe, but of his bloud onely. And so the Pope keepeth from all lay Persons the Sacrament of their redemption by Christes bloud, whiche Christ commaundeth to be geuen vnto them.
[Back to Top]And furthermore Christ ordeyned the Sacrament in ij. kyndes, the one separated from the other, to be a representation of his death, where his bloude was separated from his flesh, which is not represented in one kynde alone: So that the lay people receiue not the whole Sacrament, whereby Christes death is represented, as he commaunded.
[Back to Top]Moreouer, as the pope taketh vpon him to geue the temporall sworde, by royall and Imperiall Power, to Kynges and Princes, so doth he likewise take vppon him to depose them from their Imperiall states, if they bee disobedient to him, and commaundeth the subiectes to disobey theyr Princes, MarginaliaMisorder in the Pope, in assoyling the disobedience of subiectes toward their Princes.assoilyng the subiectes as well of their obedience, as of theyr lawfull othes made vnto theyr true Kynges & Princes, directly contrary to Gods Commaundemente, who commaundeth all subiectes to obey theyr Kynges, or theyr rulers vnder thē. One Iohn Patriarke of Constantinople in the tyme of S. Gregory claymed superioritie aboue all other Byshops. To whom S. Gregory wryteth, that therin he dyd iniury to his three brethrē, which were equal with him: that is to say, the Byshop of Rome, þe Byshop of Alexandria, and of Antiochia: whiche three were Patriarchall seas, as well as Constantinople, and were brethrē one to an other. But (sayth s. Gregory) MarginaliaNote the saying of Gregory.If any one shal exalt him self aboue al the rest, to be the vniuersal byshop, þe same passeth in pride. But now the Byshop of Rome exalteth himselfe, not onely aboue all Kynges and Emperours, and aboue all the whole world, takyng vpō him to giue & take away, to set vp & put downe, as he shall thinke good. MarginaliaThe deuill and the pope are lyke.And as the Deuill hauyng no such authoritie, yet tooke vppon him to geue vnto Christ all the kingdomes of the world, if he would fal down and worshyp him: in like maner the Pope taketh vpon him to geue Empires & Kyngdomes, beyng none of his, to such as will fall downe and worshyp him, and kisse his feete.
[Back to Top]And moreouer, his lawyers and glosers so flatter him, that they fayne he may commaund Emperours and kynges to hold his stirrop when he lighteth vpō his horse, MarginaliaEmperours and kinges made the Popes foote men.and to be his footemen: and that, if any Emperour and kyng geue him any thyng, they geue him nothyng but that is his owne, and that he may dispense agaynst Gods word, agaynst both the olde and new Testament, agaynst S. Paules Epistles, & agaynst the Gospell. And furthermore what soeuer he doth although he drawe innumerable people by heapes with hym selfe into hell: yet may no mortall man reproue him: because he beyng iudge of all men, may bee iudged of noe man. And thus he sitteth in the Temple of God as he were a God, & nameth him selfe Gods Vicar, & yet he dispenseth agaynst God. MarginaliaThe Pope is Antichrist, that is, Christes enemy.If this be not to play Antichristes part, I cā not tell what is Antichrist, whiche is no more to say but Christes enemy and aduersary: who shall sit in the temple of God, aduauncyng him selfe aboue all other, yet by hypocrisie and fayned religion shall subuert the true Religion of Christ, MarginaliaTrue markes prouing that the Pope is Antichrist.& vnder pretense and colour of Christian Religion, shal worke agaynst Christ, & therfore hath þe name of Antichrist. Nowe if any man lift him self higher then the pope hath done, who lifteth him self aboue all the world, or can be more aduersary to Christ, then to dispense agaynst Gods lawes, and where Christ hath geuen any commaundemēt, to cōmaund direct-
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