so Catholike, & seruice so acceptable to God, let them ioyne this withal, & tel vs, how commeth then their proceedings to be so accursed of God, & their end so miserably plagued, as by these examples aboue specified, is here notoriously to be seene?
Agayne, if the doctrine of them be such heresie, whom they haue hytherto persecuted for heretiks vnto death, how then is almighty God become a maynteyner of heretikes, who hath reuenged their bloud so greeuously vpon their enemies and persecuters?
MarginaliaHenry. 2. the French King, and king Fraunces his sonne, stricken, the one in the eyes, the other with an imposteme in the eare.The puttyng out of the French Kynges eyes, which promised before with his eyes to see one of Gods true seruants burned, who seeth not with his eyes to be þe stroke of Gods hand vpon hym? Then his sonne Fraunces after hym, not regardyng his fathers stripe, would needes yet proceede in burnyng the same man: & dyd not the same God which put out his fathers eyes, geue him such a blow on the eare, that it cost hym his lyfe? MarginaliaSteuen Gardiner.if the platforme of Ste. Gardyner had ben a thyng so necessary for the church, & so gratefull vnto God, why then dyd it not prosper with hym, nor he with it: but both he & his platforme lay in the dust, & none leaft behynd hym to build vpon it? After the tyme of Ste. Gardiner, & at the Councel of Trent, what conspiracies and policies were deuised? what practises & traynes were layd through the secret confederacie of princes and prelates, for the vtter subuersion of the Gospell & all Gospellers, which if God had seene to haue bene for his glory, why then came they to none effect? yea, howe or by whom were they disclosed and foreprised, but by the Lord hym selfe, which would not haue them come forward?
[Back to Top]MarginaliaQ. Mary.The vehement zeale of Queene Mary, which was like to haue set vp the Pope here againe in England for euer, if it had so much pleased the Lord God as it pleased her self: or if it had ben so godly as it was bloudy, no doubt but Gods blessing would haue gone withall. But when was the realme of England more barren of al Gods blessings? what prince euer raigned here more shorter tyme, or lesse to his owne hartes ease then dyd Queene Mary?
[Back to Top]MarginaliaConstable of France.The Constable of Fraunce when he conuented with God, that if he had victory at S. Quintyns, he would set vpō Geneua, thought (no doubt) that he had made a great good bargayne with God: Much like to Iulian the Emperor, who going against the Persians, made his vow that if he sped wel, he would offer the bloud of Christiās. But what dyd God? came not both their vowes to like effect?
[Back to Top]The examples of such as reuolted from the Gospell to Papistry, be not many: but as fewe as they were, scarse can any be found which began to turne to the Pope, but the Lord began to turne from them, and to leaue them to their ghostly enemie: MarginaliaFranciscus de Spiera. MarginaliaKing of Nauarre. Henry Smyth. D. Shaxton. MarginaliaThe end of Gardiner. Iohn de Roma. Twyford. Balyfe of Crowland. Suffragan of Douer. D. Dunning. D. Geffray. Berry. Poncher Archb. Crescentius. Card. Rockwod. Latomus. Guarlacus. Eccius. Thornton. Pauyer. Longe. Bomelius, all professors of Popery.As we haue heard of Franciscus Spiera, a Lawyer in Italie, of the Kyng of Nauarre in Fraunce, of Henry Smyth and Doctor Shaxton in England, with other in other Countreys moe, of whom some dyed in great sorow of conscience, some in miserable doubt of their saluation, some striken by Gods hand, some driuen to hang or drowne them selues.
[Back to Top]The stinkyng death of Steuen Gardyner, of Iohn de Roma, of Twyford, of the Bayliffe of Crowland: The suddayne death of the Suffragane of Douer, of Doctour Dunnyng, of Doctour Geffray, of Berry the Promoter: The miserable and wretched ende of Poncher Archbishop of Towers, of Cardinall Crescētius, Castellanus: The desperate decease of Rockwoode, of Latomus, of Guarlacus: The earthly endyng of Henry Beauforde Cardinall of Winchester, of Eckius, of Thornton called Dicke of Douer: The wylfull and selfe murder, of Pauyer, of Richard Long, of Bomelius, besides infinite other: The dreadful takyng away and murren of so many persecutyng Bishops, so many bloudy Promoters, and malicious aduersaryes, in such a short tyme together with Queene Mary, and that without any mans hande, but onely by the secret working of Gods iust iudgement.
[Back to Top]To adde to these also the stinkyng death of Edmund Boner, commonly named the bloudy Bishop of London: who not many yeares ago, in the tyme & raigne of Queene Elizabeth, after he had long feasted and banketted in Durance at the Marshalsee, as he wretchedly dyed in his blind Popery, so as stinkyngly, and as blyndly at mydnyght was he brought out and buryed in the outside of al the Citie, amonges theeues and murderers, a place right conuenient for such a murderer: with confusion and derision both of men and chyldren, who tramplyng vpon his graue, wel declared how he was hated both of God and man. What els be al these (I say) but playne visible arguments, testimonies, and demonstrations euen from heauen againste the Pope, his murderyng Religion, and his bloudy doctrine? For who can deny their doinges not to be good, whose end is so euil? If Christ byd vs to know men by their fruits,
[Back to Top]and especially seeing by the end al thynges are to be tryed, how can the profession of that doctrine please God, which endeth so vngodly? Esaias chap. 50. prophesying of the ende of Gods enemies, which would needes walke in the light of their owne settyng vp, and not in the light of the Lords kindlyng, threatneth to them this final malediction: MarginaliaEsay. 50.In doloribus
In Doloribus dormietis.
In sorowe shall you sleepe.
[de manu mea factum est hoc vobis] in doloribus dormietis.
In Doloribus dormietis.
In sorowe shall you sleepe.
[de manu mea factum est hoc vobis] in doloribus dormietis.
MarginaliaComparison betweene the end of Popish persecutors and the Gospellers.And thus hauyng hitherto recited so many shamefull lyues and desperate endes of so many popishe persecutours striken by Gods hand: now let vs consider agayne on the contrary side the blessed endes geuen of almighty God vnto them, which haue stand so manfully in the defense of Christes Gospel, and the reformation of his Religion, and let the papistes them selues here be Iudges. First what a peaceable and heauenly end made the worthy seruant and singular Organe of God M. Luther?
[Back to Top]To speake likewise of the famous Iohn Duke of Saxonie and Prince Electour, of the good Palsgraue, of Philip Melancthon, of Pomeranus, Vrbanus Rhegius, Berengarius, of Vlricus Zuinglius, Oecolampadius, Pellicanus, Capito, Munsterus, Ioannes Caluinus, Petrus Martyr, Martin Bucer, Paulus Phagius, Ioan. Musculus, Bibliander, Gesnerus, Hofman, Augustinus Marloratus, Lewes of Bourbon Prince of Condy, and his godly wyfe before hym, with many moe, whiche were knowen to be learned men, and chiefe standerdes of þe Gospel side agaynst the Pope, MarginaliaThe godly end of the Gospellers to be noted.& yet no man able to bring forth any one example eyther of these, or of anye other true Gospeller, that eyther kylled hym selfe, or shewed forth any signification or appearaunce of despayre, but full of hope and constant in fayth, and replenished with the fruite of righteousnes in Christ Iesu, so yeelded they their lyues in quiet peace vnto the Lord.
[Back to Top]From these Forrerners, let vs come nowe to the Martyrs of Englande, and marke likewise the ende both of them, and semblably of all other of the same profession. MarginaliaThe blessed end of K. Edward vj.And firste to begynne with the blessed and heauenly departure of Kyng Edwarde the sixte, that firste put downe the Masse in Englande, MarginaliaThe pacient end of the Duke of Somerset the kynges vncle.and also of the lyke godly ende of his good Vncle the Duke of Somerset, whiche dyed before hym, with an infinite number of other priuate persons besides of the like Religion, in whose finall departyng, no suche blemishe is to be noted lyke to the desperate examples of them aboue recited: Let vs nowe enter the consideration of the blessed Martyrs, who although they suffered in their bodyes, yet reioyced they in theyr spirites, and albeit they were persecuted of men, yet were they comforted of þe Lord with such inward ioy and peace of conscience, that some writyng to their frendes, professed they were neuer so meerye before in all their lyues, some leapt for ioye, some for triumphe woulde put on their Scarfe, some their weddyng garment goyng to the fire, other kissed þe stake, some embraced þe fagots, some clapt their handes, some song Psalmes, MarginaliaThe quyet and ioyfull end of the Martyrs.vniuersally they all forgaue, & praied for their enimies, no murmuring, no repining was euer heard amongest thē, so that most truly might be
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