be coniurers that they in any wise liue deuoutly (for otherwise as they say the spirites will not obey their cōmaūdements, and coniuratiōs) yet the Romane cōiurers do impute it to the vertue of the holy wordes, because they be they, which worke, and not the holynes of the coniurers. How commeth it to passe that they say, the thinges consecrated of a cursed and vicious Iauell, should haue so great vertue in pronouncing (as they say) the holy and misticall words: as if they were pronoūced of a Priest neuer so holy. MarginaliaThe good lyfe of a priest, a great matter to deale in Gods matters.But I maruell that they say so, reading this saying in the Actes of the Apostles: because the charmers pronouncing the name of Iesus (that is aboue all names) would haue healed those that were possessed with deuils, and sayd. In the name of Iesus whom Paul preacheth, go ye out of the men. And the possessed with deuils aunswered, Iesus we know, and Paule we know, but what are ye: and they all to be beat the coniurers.

And now considering this and many other such like things, I maruell wherfore the vicious Priests, do sell theyr praiers and blessings dearer (as also theyr Masses & Trentals of Masses) then those that be deuout lay mē, and holy women: which with all theyr hart desire do flee from vices, & take hold of vertue. For as much as God in diuers places of the Scripture doth prmise, that he will not heare sinners & wicked persons: Neither should he seme to be iust, if he should sooner heare the praiers of his enemies, then of his faythfull frend. How I pray you shall a sinneful priest deliuer an other man from sinne by his prayers, or els frō the punishment of sinne: whē he is not able to deliuer him selfe by his prayer frō sinne? MarginaliaThe prayer of a vitious priest, little auayleth before God.What then doth God so much accept in the Masse of a vicious Priest: that for his masse, his prayer or oblatiō, he might deliuer any man either frō sinne, or from the payne due for sinne? No, but for that that Christ hath once offered himselfe for our sinnes, & now sitteth on the right hand of God the father, alwayes shewing vnto him what and how great things he hath suffered for vs. And euery priest alwayes maketh mētion in his masse of this oblation: Neither do we this, that we might bring the same oblation into the remembraunce of God: because that he alwayes in his presence seeth the same. But that we should haue in remēbraunce this so great loue of God, that he would geue his own sonne to death for our sinnes, that he might clense & purify vs frō all our sinnes. MarginaliaRemembraunce of Christes passion, needeth not to God, but to man.What doth it please God, that the remembraunce of so great loue is made by a prest, which more loueth sinne then God? Or how can any prayer of such a priest please God, in what holy place soeuer he be, or what holy vestimēts soeuer he put on, or what holy prayers soeuer he maketh? And where as Christ and his Apostles do cōmaund the preaching of the word of God: the Priests be now more bound to celebrate the Masse,MarginaliaPriestes more bound to say Masse cōmāded by man: then to preaching commāded of God. and more straitly bound to say the Canonicall houres: whereat I cannot be greatly maruell. For why, to obey the precepts of men, more then the cōmaūdements of God, is in effect to honor mā as God, and to bestow the sacrifice vpon man, which is due vnto God, and this is also spirituall fornication.MarginaliaSpirituall fornication. How therfore are Priests bound at the commaundement of man to leaue the preaching of þ^e word of God, at whose cōmaundemēt they are not bound to leaue the celebration of the Masse, or singing of Matines? Therefore as it seemeth, Priestes ought not at the commaundement of any man to leaue the preaching of the word of God, vnto the which they are boūd both by diuine and Apostolicall preceptes. With whom agreeth the writing of MarginaliaIeronymus.Hierome vpon the Decretals, saying in this wise: Let none of the Bishops swel with the enuy of deuilishe temptation, let none be angry, if the Priestes do sometime exhort the people, if they preach in theyr Church. &c. for to him that forbiddeth me these thinges I will say, that he is vnwilling that Priestes should do those thinges, which be commaunded of God. What thing is there aboue Christ? or what may be preferred before his body and his bloud. &c.

MarginaliaWhether priests may bargen to sing for soules departed.Do Priestes therfore sinne or not, which bargayne for mony to pray for the soule of any dead man? It is well knowne that Iesus did whip those that were buyers and sellers out of the tēple, saying: My house shalbe called the house of prayer, but you haue made the same a denne of theeues. Truely he cast not out such Marchaunts frō out of the Church, but because of theyr sinnes. Wherupon MarginaliaIeronymus.Hierome vpon this text sayth. Let the Priests be diligent and take good heede in this Churche, that they turne not the house of God into a den of theeues. He doubtles is a theef which seeketh gayne by Religion, & by a shew of holynes studieth to finde occasiou of marchaundise. Hereupon, the holy Canons do make accursed, Symoniacal heresy, & doe commaund that those should be depriued of the priesthood, which for the passing or maruelous spiritual grace, do seek gayne or monye. Peter the Apostle sayde to Symon Ma-gus, Let thy mony and thou go both to the deuill, whiche thinkest that the giftes of God may be bought for money. Therefore, the spirituall gyftes of God ought not to bee solde.

MarginaliaSelling of prayer abhominable.Verely prayer is the spirituall gift of God, as is also þ^e preaching of þ^e word of God, or the laying on of handes, or the administration of other Sacramentes. Christ sending forth his Disciples to preach, sayd vnto them: Heale ye the sicke, cast out deuils, rayse the dead, freely haue ye receiued freely geue ye agayne. If the Priestes haue power by theyr prayers to deliuer soules being in Purgatory, from greeuous paynes: without doubt, he hath receiued that power freely from God. How therefore can he sell his act, vnlesse he resist the commaundementes of God, of whom he hath receiued that authoritye? This truly cannot be done without sinne, which is agaynst the commaundement of God.

How playnly spake Christ to the Pharisies, & Priests saying, wo be vnto you Scribes & Pharisies hypocrites, because ye haue eaten the whole houses, of such as be wydowes, by making long praiers, and thefore haue you receiued greater dānation. Wherin I pray you do our Pharisies and Priestes differ from them? MarginaliaReligious men and women, deuourers of wydowes houses.Do not our Priestes deuour widowes houses and possessions, that by their lōg prayers they might deliuer the soules of their husbāds frō the greuous paynes of purgatory? How many Lordships I pray you, haue bene bestowed vpon the religious mē & womē to pray for the dead, that they by their prayer might deliuer those dead men from the payne (as they sayd) that they suffer in purgatory, greuously tormented and vexed?MarginaliaPraying for soules in Purgatoty. If theyr prayers and speaking of holy words, shall not be able to deliuer themselues frō payn, vnlesse they haue good works: How shall other men be deliuered from payne, by their praiers, which whilest they liued here, they gaue ouer themselues to sinne? MarginaliaEuil gotten lādes as euil bestowed, for praying for soules in Purgatory,Yea peraduēture those Lordships or landes which they gaue vnto the priestes to pray for them, they themselues haue gotten by might from other faythful men, uniust, and violently. And the Canous doe say, that sinne is not forgeuē, till þ^e thing taken away wrōgfully, be restored. How thē shall they be able (which do vniustly possesse such Lordshippes or landes) to deliuer them by theyr prayers from payne, which haue geuen to them these lordships or landes, seing God from the beginning hath hated all extortion in his burnt sacrifices? Not euerye one that sayth vnto me Lord, Lord, shal enter into the kingdome of heauen: but he which doth the will of my father which is in heauē. And agayne, not the hearers of the law, but the doers of the law shall be iustified.

If therefore the words of him that prayth, do not deliuer himselfe from sinne, nor frō the payne of sinne: how do they deliuer other men from sinne or frō the payne of sinne when no man prayth more earnestly for an other man thē for himselfe? MarginaliaBying and sellyng of prayers in the Popes Church.Therfore many are deceiued in buying or selling of prayers, as in þ^e buying of pardons, that they might be deliuered from payne:MarginaliaBying and sellyng of pardons. whē as commonly they pay dearer for the prayers of the proud & vicious prelates, thē for the prayers of deuout women and deuout men of the laye people. MarginaliaParsō, place, apparell, curiositie or eloquence of prayer not regarded of God.But out of doubt, God doth not regard the person of him that prayth, neither the place in which he praith, nor his apparell, nor the curiousnes of his prayer, but þ^e humility and godlye affection of him that prayeth. MarginaliaThe prayer of the pharisie and of the Publicāe cōpared.Did not the Pharisy and the Publican goe vp into the temple to pray? The Publicans prayer for his humility and godly affection is heard. But the Pharisies prayer for his pride & arrogancy is contempned. Cōsider that neither the person, nor the place, nor þ^e state, nor the curiousnes of his prayer doth helpe the Pharisye: Because the Publicane not thinking himselfe worthy to lift vp his eies vnto heauen, for þ^e multitude of his sinnes, saying (O God be mercifull vnto me a sinner) is iustified dy his humility, and his praier is heard. But the Pharisy boasting in his righteousnes is despised, because God thrusteth downe the proude, and exalteth the humble and those that be meek. The rich glotton also, that was clothed with purple and silke, & fared euery day daintely, prayd vnto Abraham, and is not heard, but is buryed in paynes and torments of hell fire. But Lazarus whiche lay begging at his gate (being full of sores) is placed in the bosome of Abraham. Behold þ^t neither the riches of his apparell, nor the deliciousnesse of his banquets, or the gorgiousnes of his estate, neither the aboundance of his riches, doth helpe any thing to prefer the prayers or petitiōs of the rich glotten, nor yet diminishe his tormentes, because that mighty men in their mightines shal suffer torments mightely. How dare any man by cōposition demaund or receiue any thing of an other man for his prayers? MarginaliaPrayer that doth more for money then for charitie disproued.If he beleue þ^t he can by his praier deliuer his brother frō greuous paine, he is boūd by charity to relieue his brother with his prayers although he be not hired thereunto, but and if he will