MarginaliaPurgatory. Doest thou beleue any Purgatorie?

I beleue that Christe with his precious bloud hath made an ende of al Purgatorie and purgation of our sinnes.

And doest thou thinke then there is no place after this life, where soules of mē departed remaine so lōg tyl they haue made satisfaction for their sinnes?

No: but I acknowledge one satisfaction once made for þ^e sinnes of all men, by the bloud & sacrifice of Iesus Christ our Lord, which is the propiciatiō and purgation for the sinnes of the whole worlde.

In the. xviij. chap. of S. Math. Christ speaketh by way of a parable or similitude, of a certaine cruell seruaunt, who because he would not forgeue his felow seruaunt, was cast in prison, and saith: That he shal not come out from thence before he hath payd the vttermost farthyng.MarginaliaMath. 18. By the which similitude is signified vnto vs, a certaine middle place, whiche is leaft for satisfaction to be made after this lyfe, for sinnes.

Marginalia Satisfaction for sinnes.
Math. 11.
Ioh. 10.
Ioh. 13.
Apoc. 13.
Luke. 23. First, the satisfaction for our sinnes by the death of Christ, is plaine and euident in the Scriptures: as in these places: Come to me al you that labour, & be burdened, & I wyl refresh you. Math. 11. I am the doore, he that entreth by me, shalbe saued. Iohn. 10. I am the way, veritie, and life. Ioh. 13. Blessed be they that dye in the Lord, for they rest from their labors. Apocal. 13. Also to the theife which hanged with the Lord it was saide: This day shalt thou be with me in paradise, &c. Secondly, as touching this similitude, it hath no other demōstration, but to admonish vs of our duetie in shewing charitie, and forgeuyng one an other. Which vnles we do, there is no mercye to be looked for at the handes of God.

If this be true that you say, thē it should folow, that MarginaliaLimbus. there is neyther Purgatorie, nor any Lymbus, which wer against our Christiē fayth, & our Crede, which sayth: He descended into Hel, &c.

Doest not thou beleue there is a Lymbus?

Neyther do I beleue to be any suche place, neyther doth þ^e scripture therof make any mention.

Where were the old fathers then before þ^e death of Christe?

In lyfe (I say) eternal, which they looked for, beyng promised before to Adam, Abraham, and the Patriarkes, in the seede to come.

Then the Debitie, what (sayth he) doest thou beleue that the Pope hath any power?

Yea veryly.

MarginaliaThe power of the Pope. Doest thou beleue that the Pope, as the vicar of Iesu Christe can here bynde and loose?

That I do not beleue.

Howe then doest thou vnderstand the power of the Pope?

I vnderstand the power of the Pope so, as saint Paul declareth. ij. Thess. saying: That because the world refused to receiue the loue of the truth, vnto saluatiō, therfore God hath geuen to Satan, & to his ministers, power of illusions and errours, that men should beleue lyes, and set vp to them selues pastors and teachers, such as they deserue.

MarginaliaChristes vicar in earth. Christ gaue to S. Peter power to bynde & loose, whose successor and vicar of Christ is the Pope, for the gouernmēt of þ^e Church, that it might haue one head in the world, as it hath in heauen. And though the Pastors do not lyue according to the word which they preache yet their doctrine is not therefore to be refused, as Christe teacheth, Math. xxiij.MarginaliaMath. 23.

If the Pope & his adherents would preache the word purely & sincerely admixing no other inuētions of their own, nor obtruding lawes of their own diuising, I would thē embrace their doctrine, howsoeuer their life wer to the cōtrary: according as Christ doth tel vs of þ^e scribes & pharasies, admonishing vs to folow their doctrine, & not their liues. Mat. 23. butMarginaliaMath. 23. there is great difference, whether they that take ā gouernance of þ^e church, do sit in Moses chaire, whiche is the seate of trueth, or els do sit in þ^e chayre of abomination, spoken of by Daniel and also by S. Paul where he saith: That the man of perdition shal sit in the Temple of God, vauntyng hym selfe insolently aboue al that is called God. 2. Thess. 2.

MarginaliaThe keyes of binding & loosing. And as touching the keyes of bindyng & loosing, geuen to Peter, Christ therein assigned to Peter & other apostles, the office of preaching þ^e worde of the gospel, which they diyd also wel obserue, in preaching nothing els but only the word: in the which worde is all the power conteyned of bindyng and loosing. Neither is it to be graunted, the church to haue two heades, one in heauen, an other in earth. The head wherof is but one, which is Iesus Christe, whom the father hath appoynted to be head alone, both in heauen and earth: as S. Paul in many places of his Epistles doth teach. Ephes. 1. Colos. 1. &c.Marginalia Ephe. 1.
Colos. 1.

You haue no vnderstanding how to expound the Scriptures. But the olde Doctours haue expounded the scriptures and holy Councels, whose iudgementes are MarginaliaAuricular confession. to be folowed. But what say you to auricular confession?

I knowe no other confession, but that whiche is to be made to God, and reconciliation towarde our neighbour, which Christ and his Apostles haue cōmended to vs.

Haue you not read in the Gospel, howe Christ doth byd vs to confesse to the priest, where he commaunded the leper beyng made whole, to shewe hiym selfe to the priest?

The true Churche of the Lorde Iesus Christ neuer obserued this straunge kinde of confession, to carry our sinnes to the Priestes eare. And though the Churche of Rome haue intruded this maner of confessing, it foloweth not thereby, that it is to be receyued. And as touchyng the leper, whom the Lorde sent to the priest, he was not sent therefore to whisper his sinnes in the Priestes eare, but onely for a testimonie of his health receyued, accordyng to the lawe.

Of the other confession which is to be made to God, we haue both the examples and testimonies of the prophetMarginaliaPsal. 32. 50. 106. Dauid full in the Psalmes. 32. 51. 106. where he saith: That he confessed his sinnes vnto the Lord, and receayued forgeuenesse of the same.

MarginaliaThe Church of Rome & of Geneua, compared. After this the fryer proceedyng further to make comparison betweene the Churche of Rome, and the Churche of Geneua, woulde proue that the Pope hath power to set lawes in the Churche, without any expresse woorde of God. For so it is written (sayde he) That there were many other thynges besides, which are not writtē in this booke. Ioan. 21. Also where Christe promiseth to his Disciples, to sende vnto them the holy Ghost, which shoulde induce them into all truth. Moreouer such decrees & ordinaunces whiche are in the church, were decided (sayde he) and appoynted by the Doctours of the Church, and by al the Councels directed (no doubt) by the holy Ghost. Furthermore he inferred, that the Churche also of Geneua, had their ordinaunces and constitutions made without any worde of God. And for example he brought foorth the order of the Psalmes and seruice publiquely obserued and appoiynted vpon Wedensday in the church of Geneua, as though that day were holyer then an other.

To this the Martyr answered againe, declarying that the ordinaunce of those publique prayers and Psalmes vpon Wedensday, in the Churche of Geneua was not to bynde conscience, or for any superstitions obseruation, or for any necessitie, which ey-