The second parte of the co[n]futacion of Tyndals answere in whyche is also confuted the chyrche that Tyndale deuyseth. And the chyrche also that frere Barns deuyseth. Made by syr Thomas More knyght.

¶The .viii. boke. in whyche is confuted doctour Barons chyrche. (Book 8)

FRere Barons maketh the tytle of hys [ B] processe concernynge the chyrch in thys wyse. What is holy chyrche•• and who be therof, and wherby men maye knowe her.

After this tytle of hys processe, he begyn¦neth to playe Tyndalys parte / fyrste in flyttynge from the poynt, that is to wyt from the whole catholyke chyrche vnto the clergye alone, and after in lyke maner of raylyng. And surely notwithstandynge that a man myghte wen•• •• Tyn¦dale were in suche fonde scoffynge perelesse: yet doth frere Barons as farre outrūne hym in ••••ylynge, as he draggeth behynd hym in reasonyng / wherin wyth Tyndale Barons can hold no fote, as downright as Tindale halteth therin. [ C]

Frere Barons lashethe out agaynste theym, pryde and pompe, and all theyr lyues spent in whoredome / as though there were not a good preste in all the catholyke chyrche, tyll they leue the catholyke fayth and fall to heresyes / for than can they not be but honest though they wold / for than maye freres wedde whores and call them wyue••.

But yet he iesteth on theym ferther, bycause they were crownys and longe gownes, a••d that bysshoppes were whyte rochettes. And whē he hath lykened them to bullys, assys, and apys, and the rochettes to smockes: then he ly∣keth mych hys mery m••ckes, and fa••eth as he were from a frere waxen a fydeler, and wolde at a tauerne go gete hym a peny for a fytte of myrth.

How be it as for crownys, and gownys, and rochettes,

[ A] and vycyouse lyuynge, all these thynges he but playeth & sporteth wyth. But the thynges whyche he layeth ernestly to theyr charge, is that they gyue credence vnto the olde holy doctours of Chrystes chyrche, in the interpretacion of Chrystes worde / and that they medle to se any good rule / and that they vowe chastyte / and for that they teche not the people that fayth alone is suffycyent, but that folke be boū∣den to do good wurkes and penaūce for theyr euyll yf they wyll be saued / and bycause they lette not heretykes alone but persecute them / & bycause they be not persecuted them selfe. For these causes lo he sayth they be as farre vnlyke vnto the chyrche, as god is to the deuyll.

But he forget••th in the meane whyle, how many good vertu•• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 prestes and relygyouse peple be put out of theyr [ B] places and spoyled of theyr lyuyng, and beten and sent out a beggynge, whyle her••tykes and apostatas wyth theyr wedded harlottes in stede of theyr vowed chastyte, kepe theyr open auowde whoredome and maynteyne theyr in∣cestuose lechery, wy••h the lyuynge that holy folke haue de∣dycate vnto god, for sustenaunce of suche as sholde serue god in spyrytuall clennesse & vowed chastyte. He knoweth wel inough I warra••t you that the clergy can neuer lacke persecucyon, where heretykes maye grow / nor soone after the tēporal••••e neyther, as it hath hytherto proued in euery suche countrey yet.

How be it as for hys tauntes, hys mockes, hys mowys, hys iestynge, and hys raylynge / I shall passe ouer & cūber you not mych therwyth, syth y^t suche as delyte therin and [ C] loue to f••de them selfe therupon, be not of so great honesty that I greately longe to content them / and those that are good and vertuouse can take no great pleasure I suppose, to ••e••e a ••••bawdouse raylynge of a lewde sedycyouse here∣tyk••, vp••on all the clergye of chrystendome that wyll be no•••• h••r••tykes, and call them bullys, apys, and assys, and abomynable harlottes and deuyls / namely syth no good man dowteth, but though there be many amonge the cler∣gye full badde, as hard it were to haue it otherwyse amōg so mayne a multytude, whyle Chrystes owne onely twelue were not wythout a traytour / yet are there agayne therin many ryght vertuouse folke, and suche as the whole world bysyde, fareth the better for theyr holy lyuynge and theyr deuoute prayour.

And one thynge am I sure also, that among those with [ A] whom this man is moost angry, and for whom•• the more angry wyth all the remanaunt, that is to wyt ••••••se before whome he was abiured of his heresyes, and is now pe••••••∣red by relapse into them all agayne / whyche 〈…〉〈…〉 here haue defended synnys that tyme, before one of y^• same iudges, hauynge lycence at lybertye wythout pee•••••• to laye what he wolde, was therin confuted so clerely & so playnly, that all hys euangelycall breth••rne of hys hundred 〈◊〉〈◊〉, wolde haue ben ashamed to se it amonge those hys 〈◊〉〈◊〉. I saye that there were some suche, as yf Barns 〈◊〉〈◊〉 in specyall laye to theyr charge, the vi〈…〉〈…〉 he layeth to them in hys blasphemouse 〈◊〉〈◊〉 amonge all the clergye in generall / all honest englishmen, that 〈◊〉〈◊〉 them [ B] wold answere ha••tely for them, and tell hym th〈…〉〈…〉 bylyeth them. And I veryly 〈◊〉〈◊〉, that some 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of them hath more honesty and clennel••s of lyuyng, and more very vertue in hym / then haue all the heretykes from the hy••••er ende of Englande to the ferther ende of ••lma••ne••

And therfore syth it is no ne•• thynge •• madde wylde bull to runne out a•• rouers, and push at euery man ••••ut he meteth / nor a rude asse to make hys ••ude to〈…〉〈…〉 a fond ape to make mockes and mowys / nor an 〈◊〉〈◊〉 hore to brawle, chyde, and scolde / nor no ne••eltye the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 nor the deuyls lymme to be false and lye: I wyll as I say leue of thys felowes folyshe apyshnesse, and all his 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ex¦clamacyons, and all hys bysy ••ullynge, and all hy•• abomi¦nable harlotrye, and all hys deuelysshe ••yes why••h ••e sp••••¦teth [ C] and speweth out vppon honeste men / and I shall g•• to the ma••er selfe / and cōcernynge the purpose, I 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••yrst reherse you good reders hys owne very wordes, ••y whych ye shall se what he calleth the ••hyrche / & after shall I ••••••we you how falsely and how folysshely both he hand••••••h hym selfe therin. Lo good readers these are hys ••••••ne 〈◊〉〈◊〉.

Barons.

Thys worde ecclesia, bothe in the new test••ment and the olde•• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••aken oftentymes for the hole congregacyon, and the hole multytude of the people bothe goood and bad / as it is in the ••o••e of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 why haue you bro••ghte the congregacyon or chyrche of god into 〈◊〉〈◊〉? Also in another place: The kynge turned hys face and b••••ssed the ••ole congregacyon or chy••che of Israell, and all the chyrche of Israell stode. Ly••••••••yse in the new te••tament saynt Paule to the Corint••ians: I haue sente vnto you Tymothe, ••he which

[ A] shall lerne you my wayes that be in Chryste Iesu, as I do lerne euery where in all congregacyon••. Also in a nother place: Do you dyspyse the congrega¦cyon of god, and sha••e theym that h•••••• not? In all these places and in ma¦ny mo, is yt open that this greke worde e••••s••s••a is taken for the hole congre¦g••cyon both of good and bad. wherfore this ys not the chyrche that we wyll greatly speke of.

More.

But this is the chyrche good reders, that he must speke 〈◊〉〈◊〉. For this is in erthe y^• very chyrch of god, though it haue ••ad folke in yt among the good / as testyfye not onely the parab••les of Chryste, where he lykeneth the kyngdome of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 vnto the net, that oute of the see gathereth & bryngeth ••o lande both good fyshe and badde, as the chyrch here out this whole worlde gathered fyr••••e, and yet doth good men [ B] and badde both, and ••hall whyle yt lasteth in erth, but also by the selfe same place that fre••e Barons bryngeth in here hym selfe, in whych the Apostle wr••tyng to the Corinthies, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the chyrche in whyche were in dede and so frere Ba¦rons confesseth both good people and badde, saynte Poule I saye calleth the chyrche of god / sayeng, despyse you the chy••che of god, and make theym ashamed t••at haue not of theyr own•• And therfore then ••hold ••ere Barōs bere hym sel••e so hygh, that ••e shold for them that are badde despyse ••his ch••rche, in whyche therbe bysyde the badde many men ••ery good, and whych chyrche saynt Poule therfore despy¦se•• not, but called yt the chyrche of god, and rebuked such as dyd despyse yt as frere Barons doth here, that setteth it a syde for nought as the chyr••h•• that he wyll not he sayeth [ C] gr••atly vouchsaufe to speke of. And wherefore good syr I pray you. To this questyon Barons answereth and sayth.

Barons.

For in thys chyrche are there Iewes and Sarasenys, mutthere••s and theuys, ba••des and harlottes, though we knowe them not.

More.

As for Iewes and Sarasenys, there in frere Barons ouer seeth hym selfe shamefully / and sheweth hym selfe not to perceyue and vnderstande the selfe same places of scryp∣ture, tha•• hym selfe bryngeth forth for his purpose. For ney¦ther in the place of Numery were the paynyms any parte of the chyrche whyche the kynge there blessed / but as the ve¦ry playne texte there telleth, whyche Barons hath hym self rehersed, onely the chyrche of Is••aell / nor also the chyrche

whyche saynte Poule wrote vnto, amonge the Corynthies [ A] was not the paynyms, wherof was plenty in y^• towne / nor the Iews neyther, wherof there were happely some at that tyme in that cytye / but the Crysten people onely, that were in that parte gathered to ••ether into one chyrch, a m••mber and parte of the whole catholyke chyrche gathered•• in lyke¦wyse in dyuerse other places of the worlde. For ••h••m onely doth saynt Poule there call the chyrch•• For hym selfe sayth, Of those that be out of the chyrch what haue we to do 〈◊〉〈◊〉 therfore the•••• is false, y^• this word ecclesia that is to say ch••••ch in englysh, do••h as frere Barons sayth signifye in th••se ••la¦tes of scrypture whych hym self alledg••th, the congr••••••cy¦on and flokke of as well paynyms as Israelytes, & of Iew¦es and Sarasenes, as crysten folke.

But yet wyll frere Baron•• say•• that though Iewes and [ B] Sarasenis be not of this chyrch / yet in this chirch a•••• there murderers & theues, & whores, and baudes, thou••h they be not knowen. And therfore this is not the chyrch that he wyll greatly vouchesau••e to speke of.

O holy pharasye, in whose proude harte the pore p••bly¦canes be so great abomynacyon, that he not onely ly••••eth not any thynge to re•••••••••• theym, but also for the•••• ••a••es fetteth at nought the whole company where many vertues people are among them / and fareth by the ••hyrche of Cry•••• as dyd hys felowes the olde pharysees wyth our sau••oure hym selfe, whome they blas••hemed and sayde, why eate•••• he wyth publycanes and sy••ners.

But yet muste this great godly man, this hygh and ho¦ly heretyque, holde hym self cōtent to knowledge at length [ C] this same comen knowen catholyque chyrch to be the very chyrch when he hath all done / whyle as hym self hath here rehersed you, this comen chyrche of good and badde is the chyrche that saynte Poule hym selfe calleth the chyrche of god. whyche one place of saynte Poule of Barons owne bryngynge forth, destroyeth vtterly Barons whole pur∣se, but yf the chyrch of god be not the chyrch of Cryste, and excepte Cryste be not god.

It is also to me great meruyle, wherfore frere Barons sholde so hyghly dysdayne the knowen catholyque chyrch, bycause there be murderers and theuys, and whores and baudes therin, whych he sayth men know not / whyle there is neyther Luthers chyrche, nor Huyskyns chyrche, nor

[ A] Swynglius chyrch, but that they haue of all these people plentye, suche as be knowen well inough. And yet those chyrches he neyther iesteth nor rayleth vpon, as he doth vp¦pon the catholyke chyrche / out of whych all these chyrches are departed and caste oute / into some of whyche chyrches Barons is hym selfe come now.

And as for whores and baudes / all the worlde knoweth I suppose that the hed maysters the archeheretykes of all theyr sectes, are the chyefe whore maysters beynge prestes, munkes, and fre••es, that haue professed chastyte / and yet make harlottes of professed ••unnes vnder the name of wy¦ues, and auow theyr le••hery ••oldely•• and haue whole tow∣nes open baudes vnto theyr bestely lechery. And syth frere Barons dysdayneth not those chyrches, but rather dothe [ B] hym selfe alow theyr whoredome and bauderye: I se not why the good man shold so solēnely loke ouer the catholike chyrch, and set yt at so lyghte for any whores and baudes that be therin. Of all whome, but yf they be bysyde theyre whoredome and baudry bycomen euangelycall systers of these heretycall sectys / there is I truste not one, but they knowledge theyre suche ••yuynge for synfull, & often haue ••emorse therof and many of them amende / where as those artheheretyques frere Luther, and frere Huyskyn, wyth whose whoredome & baudry frere Barōs ••yndeth no faute, do not onely nothynge repente yt, but also lyke abomyna∣ble bestes boste yt.

How be yt I am gladde that frere Barons is waxen so holy now, that can not abyde yt to haue the knowen catho¦lyque [ C] chyrche called holy chyrch, bycause there be not only good folke in yt, but also euyll folke to / and that he wyll therfore fynde vs oute a nother chyrche here in erthe, that shall be onely good folke / and proue vs that that is the ve¦ry chyrche, and that the knowen catholyque chyrche is not the very chyrche, nor worthy that he sholde speke of.

Ma••ke well good reders this poynte, that the chyrche whyche Barons ••uste brynge vs, muste be a chyrche that hath there in neyther murderer nor thefe, nor whore, nor baude / and kepe this poynte well in remembraunce for the whyle, and then shall ye se afterwarde at length howe well he wyll kepe his promyse, wherof he wyll for a while make vs a proude face. For lo thus he descrybed his chyrche.

Barns. [ A]

But there is a nother chyrche of the whyche saynte Paule speketh, you men l••••e your wyues as Cryste hath loued the chyrche, and hath gyuen hym self for her that he my••ht santyfye her, and clense her in the founteyne o•• water thor••w the worde of lyfe to make her to hymselfe a gloryouse chyrche wyth out spotte or wrynkyll or any suche thynge, but if at she myght ••e holy•• and wythout blame. Here haue you the very trew chyrche of Cryste, that is so pure and so clene wythout spot. But where by is she pure and clene? not by her owne merytes, nor by her owne myght, not by exteryour araye, not by golde nor ••••luer nor yet by pre••youse stones, neyther by myters nor cros••esta¦ues, nor by pyllers nor pol••xes / but where by them? by ••hry••te onely whych hath geuen hym self ••••r that entent that he wolde make her clene. And ther∣fore sayth saynt Paule: He gaue hym selfe that he myght santyfye her, that he myght clense her and make her to hym selfe •• gloryouse chyrche. Also in a nother place: you are washed, you are s••nc••yfyed, you are iustyfyed in the [ B] name of Iesus Cryste and in the spyryt of god. Se my lordes bow the chyrche is washed by Cryste and by his holy spyryte / and not by your bles••ynges, not by your spyrytuall ornamentes, nor by your spyrytuall holy water / for these thynges can not helpe the holy chyrche / for she is holy in spyryte and not in outwarde hypocrysye / she is also clensed by Crystes blessed blood, and not by out••warde dysgysynges. This doth saynte A••st••yne well pro••e sayenge. Of Cryste is the chyrche made ••ay••e / ••yrste was she fylthy in synnes / after¦warde by pardon and by grace w••s she made fayre &c. Here saynt Austayn sayth that Cryste hath made his chyrch fay••e, and that by his grace an•• his pardon / and not by your pardons, nor by your grace / ••or this chyrche st••n∣deth by Crystes eleccyon and not by youres. And yf Cryste haue not washed you and chosen you, then be you none of this chyrche, th••••gh you ryde wyth a thousande spyrytuall horses, and haue all the spyrytuall t••kens in erth. ••••r and yf the sonne of god haue delyuered you, th••n are you tr••••ly delyuered / [ C] ye can not make by all your powre and holynes, that we shall always ••ynde good ale or wyne where there hangeth out a grene sy••••e. And will you with your spyrytuall syg••es and tokens•• ••ake the chyrch of god to folowe you / or by them assygne oute where the chyrche shal••e? nay nay my lor••••s yt wyll not be: but they that byleue that Cr••••t hath washed them from theyr synnes, and sty•• saste vnto his merytes and to the promyse made to them in hym on∣ly / they be the chyrch of god, and so pure and so cle••e that it shall not be law¦full, no not for Peter to saye that they be vnclene? but where they he Iew or greke, kynge or subiecte, ••ar••e•• or cardynall, buc•••••• or byshoppe, ta••c arberer or cannelraker, fre or bounde, fryer or ••ydler, ••u••ke or myller, yf they by∣leue i•• Crystes worde, and styke faste to hys blessed promyses, and truste on∣ly in the merytes of his blessed bood, they be the holy chyrche of god, ye and the very trew chyrche afore god / and you wyth all your spyrytuall tokens,

[ A] and wyth all your exter your clennesse, remayne in your fylthynes o•• synne / from the whyche all your blessynges, all your holynesse, can not clense you nor brynge you into thys chyrche: boste, crake, blaste, blesse, curse tyll your holy eyes starte out of your hed, it wyll not helpe you / for Chryste ch••useth hys hyrche at ••is iudgement and not at yours. The holy goste is free, and in∣spyreth where he wyll. He wyll neyther be bounden to pope nor cardynall, or 〈◊〉〈◊〉 nor byshoppe, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 no•• pryour, deken nor archdeken, parson nor vye••••t, to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 nor frere. Breuely come all the hole rabbyll of you together that call your self the holy chyrche (and exclude all other) ye and take sonne, mo••••, and starrys to helpe you, wyth all the ••rendes you haue in h••uen and ••rth / and yet shall you not be of holy chyrche, excepte that•• you haue the spy¦ryte of Cryste, and be washed in his blessed blowde. ••or the holy chyrche of Cryste is nothynge ellys, but that congracyon that is sanc••ifyed in spyryte, redemyd with Crystes blo••de, and stycketh faste and sure alone••y to the pro∣mysses that be made therin.

[ B] More.

Lo good chrysten readers, here haue ye redde his whole processe to gether, wherin he dyffyneth and descrybeth hys chyrche, wyth all hys iestynge corolaryes intermedeled by¦twene. I•• whyche when he hath all done, except such thyn∣ges as the doctryne of the catholyke chyr••he teacheth hym, he hath not of hys owne one trewe worde. And the tother are brought in to no purpose, but onely to plante in couer∣tely some heresyes bytwene. And as for the places of scryp¦ture that he bryngeth forthe, and of saynte Austayne also / there is not of them all any one that doth any thyng proue hys purpose, that is to saye that onely suche clene pure peo¦ple as he speketh of be the very chyrche here in erth / but the same places of scrypture and of saynt Austayne as ye shall [ C] se playnely proued, do make playne agaynste hym / and cle¦rely do they declare that the very chyrche of Cryste here in erthe, is the know••n catholyke chyrche of good and badde bothe to gyther.

For fyrste as towchynge hys goodly doctryne interla∣ced here and there by the waye, that all maner of people be he pope or pedeler, kynge or cobler, carter or cardynall, bucher or bysshop, munke or myller, frere or fydeler, or any of the remanaunt that thys fonde frere fydeleth forth here by letters, after the rude rymelesse runnyng of a scottyshe ieste, be wesshed and made clene of theyr synnys by god, & hys grace, & hys perdon, and hys precyouse bloude, and not by theyr owne merytes, nor theyr owne myghte, nor by

exteryour araye, nor by gold and syluer, nor by myters nor [ A] crosse ••••aues, nor by bysshoppes blessynges, nor by theyr spyrytuall ornamentes, nor by theyr spyrituall holy wa••er. to what purpose concernynge the mater serueth all thys processe? but to shewe hys ryall rethoryke / and to contende wyth Tyndale in wytlesse eloquence, that hath a lyke lewd ieste or twayne in hys bokes las••hed out by letter, whyche frere Barons here fondely foloweth and enforceth hym self to excede. For ellys hym selfe knoweth well that the catho∣lyke chyrche whose doctryne he nowe depraueth, taughte hym that lesson as myche as is trewe therof, though they gaue it hym not in a scottyshe ieste by letter.

For that no man can be clensed of hys synnes but by y^• myghty mercy of god, and by the merytes of Crystes bles∣sed passyon: thys poynt thys frere lerned of the knowen ca¦tholyke [ B] chyrche whyche he nowe despyseth. But the here∣syes whyche he couertly ioyneth here therwyth / those lyes ••o hath he lerned of the deuyll synnys he ranne oute of the chyrche. For he wolde make as though the fre wyll of man whyche he meneth here vnder the name of mannes owne myghte, dyd neuer no thynge wurke at all towarde the ob∣taynynge of perdon and remyssyon of synne. And 〈◊〉〈◊〉 he thus meneth / appereth playnely by the heresye of his may∣ster Marten Luther, and by hys owne frantyke processe also made agaynst fre wyll. And that y^• deuyll hath taught hym thys lye appereth playnely by many a playne place of scrypture. As where our lorde sayeth by the mouth of hys holy prophete Esaye:* 1.1 Be ye wesshed, be clene, and take a waye out of my syghte the euyll of your thoughtes. And by [ C] the mouth also of the prophete Ezechyell:* 1.2 Caste of frome you all your synnes in whyche ye haue transgressed, and make you a new harte and a new spyryte / and why wylte thou dye o thou howse of Israell? For I wyll not haue the death of hym that dyeth sayth your lorde god, but returne ye and lyue. Lykewyse sayth the prophete Dauyd in the xxxiii. psalme: Declyne frome euyll and do good. And agayne in the same psalme:* 1.3 Kepe thy tounge frome euyll speche, and lette thy lyppes speke no gy••e. And Sachary the prophete sayeth thus:* 1.4 Turne to me sayth the lord god of hoostes,* 1.5 and I wyll turne to you sayeth the lorde god of hoostes.

It is wryten also in an other place: How great•• is the

[ A] mercy of our lorde, and how great is hys pardon towarde those that turne them ••elfe to hym. More ouer god sayth by the mouth of saynte Peter: God hath fyrste vnto you raysed vp hys sonne,* 1.6 and hath sent hym to blesse you that euery man sholde turne hym selfe backe from his wycked∣nesse. Saynt Poule wryteth also to the Colosseyes in this wyse:* 1.7 Mortefye and slee your membres whych are on the erth. And to the Phylippyans:* 1.8 wyth feare and tremblyng worke your owne saluacyon. And thapostle saynt Iamys sayth:* 1.9 Drawe ye nere to god and he wyll drawne nere to you / make clene your handes o ye synners, & pourge your hartes o ye that are double of mynde.

More ouer where he sayth men be not wesshed by theyr owne merytes / the knowen catholyke chyrche taught hym [ B] all thys tale truely taken and well vnderstāden, that is to saye that no man can meryte the fyrste grace.* 1.10 For towarde heuyn man can do no thynge, but yf he be preuented by grace. For as Chyrste sayeth: no man cometh to me but yf my father drawe hym / nor no meryte of man can be suffy∣cyent to deserue heuen, but the greatenesse of that rewarde cometh of goddes mere lyberall goodnes, that ly••t to gyue so great a pyrce for so symple a thyng.* 1.11 For as saynt Poule sayth, the passyōs of thys lyfe be not wurthy the glory that is to come that shalbe shewed in vs.

And the catholyke chyrche teceth that men sholde ther∣fore putte no proude truste in theyr merytes, but stande in fere of theyr vnperfyte wurkynge, mengled alwaye for the more parte wyth vnperfeccyon and spo••tes / syth that all y^•* 1.12 [ C] iustyce of man is as the scrypture sayth lyke a fowle spot∣ted clowte,* 1.13 and that the sterrys are not clene in the syghte of god. And therfore the chyrche techeth euery man to say as Chryst sayth in the gospell, that do we neuer so well,* 1.14 we haue done but oure dutye / and so gyue the thanke of all the rewarde vnto goddes mere lyberall goodnesse / of whose gyfte & grace we haue taken all the thynges that we wurke any good wythall, myghte, wytte, faculte, fre wyll, body, soule, and all. For as saynt Poule sayth, what haste thou that thou haste not receyued?* 1.15 And then yf thou haste recey¦ued / what gloryest thou as though thou haddeste not re∣ceyued it.

These thynges lo doth the knowen catholyke chyrche teche, and in thys wyse do they interprete and declare the

scryptures. And therfore yf frere Barons hadde here ment [ A] none other thynge / he myghte very well haue spared mych of hys gaye golden processe, beynge as it is impertynente to the pryncypall purpose. But he meneth therin that man maye towarde remyssyon meryte no thynge at all / nor that no merytes of man shall haue any rewarde in heuen, but that all to gether standeth in fayth alone / whyche lyes he hath as I sayed lerned of the deuyll alone.

And that he thus meaneth hym selfe well declareth by his madde poysened processe, that all onely fayth iustifyeth before god.* 1.16 And that the deuyll hath taught it hym appe∣reth playnely,* 1.17 by that the spyryte of god hath inspyred the contrary doctryne into hys holy apostle Paule,* 1.18 whyche wryteth vnto the Romaynes,* 1.19 Not the herers of the lawe are iuste before god, but the doers of the lawe shallbe iusty∣fyed.* 1.20 [ B] And our sauyour hym self sayth in y^e gospell of saynt Luke:* 1.21 Happy be they that here the worde of god and kepe it.* 1.22 And agayne also by the mouth of the holy and blessed apostle saynte Iamys:* 1.23 be ye doers of the worde, and not hearers onely deceauyng your selfe.

Now where he sayth that all the blessynges and all the holy water, can not clense a man nor gyue hym remyssyon: thys lerned he of the knowen catholyke chyrche, as farre forth as it is trewe. For none of all these neyther the men nor the thynges can do any good of them selfe as of them selfe. For so sayth saynt Poule:* 1.24 we be not suffycient of our selfe as of oure selfe. For theffecte and effycacy of all these thynges, cometh of god. But frere Barons meneth that there is in all the blessynges, and all the holy water, & holy [ C] brede, and so forth in all the ceremonyes, and almoste all y^• sacramentes vsed in the knowen catholyke chyrche, none ef¦fycacye at all. whych lye the deuyll and the deuyls lymmes haue taught hym. For that he so meneth we knowe by hys maysters and hys felowes both, the archeretykes and bre∣therne of hys many sundry sectes, whyche call the sacramē¦tes but onely bare sygnes and tokens / and by many places also of hys owne peuysshe processes, in whyche he maketh mockes and mowes at the holy rytes and cerymonies, and many of the sacramētes vsed in the catholyke chyrche. And that the deuyll and the deuyls lymmes haue taught it hym appereth bothe by the catholyke fayth of all chrysten peple thys .xv.C. yere, & by y^e playn wordes of holy scripture also.

[ A] For / that holy brede is farre a nother maner thynge then Barons taketh yt for,* 1.25 appereth very well by the wordes of saynte Paule, where he sayth, euery creature of god is good / and nothynge ought to be reiected and refused, that is receyued wyth thankes geuyn. For yt is sanctyfyed by the worde of god and prayour.

And as concernynge the holy sacramentes / of anelyng thus writeth the blessed apostle saint Iames in his epistle:* 1.26 Is there any man sycke amonge you? let hym sende for the prestes of the chyrche, and let theym pray for hym, and lete them anoynt hym wyth the oyle in the name of our lorde / & the prayour of faith shall saue the syk persō, & our lord shall rayse hym vp / & yf he be in synnys they shall be forgeuen hym. And of confessyon he writeth in the same pystle imme¦diatly [ B] after in this wise: Cōfesse ye your sinnes one to a no¦ther, and pray ye one for a nother that ye may be healed. For myche is th••••feruent prayour worth of a ryghteouse man.* 1.27 For the sacramēt of cōfyrmacyon, yt is wryten in the Actes of thapostles: then they, that is to wyt saynt Peter and saynt Iohn̄, layed theyr handes vppon them, and they receyued the holy goost. Moreouer for the sacramēt of ma¦trymony, we haue the playne and open wordes of saynte Poule to the Ephesies:* 1.28 This is a gre•• sacramēt / but I say in Cryste and in the chyrch. And as for holy orders, that at the geuynge of them grace is infounded into the persones that receyue them / the fyrst pystle to Timothe and y^• second both, do playnely proue. In the fyrste pystle, saynte Poule sayth thus: dyspyse not the grace which is in the, that was [ C] geuen vnto the by prophecye, wyth the layeng of the han∣des of pres••hed vppon the. And in the seconde pystle af∣fyrmynge the same / he sayth in this wyse:* 1.29 I warne the to resuscytate and sterre vppe the grace, that is in the by the laynge of my handes vppon the.

Now that I haue good readers opened vnto you the co¦uert purpose of Barons deuelyshe doctryne, planted in a∣monge his mokkes and his iestes / & that there is nothyng well and trewly sayd in all his processe, but that he hath ler¦ned of the playn comen teachyng of the knowen catholyke chyrche: let vs examyne and cōsydre now the chyrche that he dyffyneth vs / and then se whyther the authoritees that he alledgeth here of saynt Poule and saynte Austaynte do proue vs the chyrche that he promyseth.

The very trew chyrche is sayth he, pure and clene with [ A] out spot or wryncle.

Also the very chyrche is of goddes eleccyon.

Also they that byleue that Chryste hath weshed theym from theyr synnes, and stykke faste vnto his merytes and to the promyses made to theym in hym / onely they be the chyrche of god, and so pure and so clene, that it shall not be lawfull, no not for saynt Peter to say that they be vnclene. Also the holy chyrche of Cryste is nothynge elles, but that congregacyon that is sanctyfyed in spyryte, redemyd with Crystes blood, and stykketh faste and sure all onely to the promyses that be made therin.

Now se ye well good reders, that the chyrch whych Ba¦rons here assygneth, is all pure and clene / and not onely [ B] hath no theues nor murderers, nor whores nor bawdes therin / but is also so pure that not saynte Peter hym selfe may be so bolde to fynde any faute in any man of this con∣gregacyon. But the causes why / be bycause they be all of goddes eleccyon, and all washed and made fayre by god, and sanctyfyed in spyryt, and redemed with Cristes blood, and stykke all faste onely to the promyses.

Remember now good reders, that yf frere Barons a∣byde by his descrypcyon: then is there no man in the very chyrche but onely at suche tyme as he is so clene and pure wythout spot or wrynkell, that saynte Peter may fynde no fa••te in hym. And then be there in dede very few of yt and very seld. And yf any man be of yt / one selfe man is perad∣uenture of the chyrche and not of the chyrche seuen tymes [ C] in a day. For as the scrypture sayth, Seuen tymes falleth the ryghtuouse man and shall aryse agayne. And therfore this chyrche can no man know to lerne any thynge of her whyche he may reken hym selfe the surer of, bycause thys holy chyrche teacheth yt hym.

But therto answereth Barons and sayth, This chyrche is a spyrytuall thynge and no exteryour thynge, but inuysyble fro carnall yi••s 〈◊〉〈◊〉 fayth is / and her clēnesse and purenesse is afore Cry••te onely, and not afore the worlde / for the worlde hath no iudgement nor ••nowledge of her.

This is somwhat straunge, that this chyrche sholde be inuysyble, when yt is made all of men and women, of why¦che euery one is vysyble. But therto answereth also frere Barons and sayth, I say not that they be inuisyble that be of the chyrch, ••ut that holy chyrche is her selfe inuysyble.

[ A] Then aske we hym what is holy chyrche her selfe / and to that answereth he nothynge, but that holy chyrche her selfe is a congregacyon of good crysten men and good cry∣sten women, of whyche euery one is vysyble, but the con∣gregacyon of them is inuysyble.

Uery well declared, as though he wold tell vs that there were a woman that went inuysyble, and that he ment not that her handes, or her fete, or her hed, or any parte of her were inuysyble / but all her partes beynge vysyble, her self were yet inuysyble. And as he myght tell vs, that of Pou∣les chyrch we may well se the stones, but we can not se the chyrce. And then we may well tell hym agayne, that he can not se the wood for the trees.

To say that the whole thynge is inuysyble, wherof he [ B] sayth we may se euery part, is a thyng aboue me pore wyt / and I suppose aboue his to, to make his saynge trew.

But peraduenture he meaneth yf he coulde speke, that though we may se yt, we can not know yt, bycause he sayth yt is spyrytuall. For I may se a man that is spyrytuall, & yet not know hym for spyrytuall, as a man myghte haue sene frere Barons when he came laste into the lande by the kynges lycence, and yet myght happely not haue knowen hym, all though he had knowē hym byfore, but haue taken hym for a monstre / he hadde so monstrousely dressed hym self bycause he wold be wōdred on. And yet when he waxed after a shamed of hī self, bycause he could no better answer for his heresyes, and that his false folyshe hope had fayled hym: he shaved his berd and went lyke a merchaūt of elys [ C] skynnys. And then a man myght haue met hym, and vpon his name rehersed, myght haue knowen hym for Robert Barons, and yet not know hym for a frere. But yf he had ones knowē hym for a frere, he myght then vpon the syght haue knowen hym for an apostata.

But as farre forth as cōcerneth syght / a spyrytuall man is no more inuysyble in this worlde, then is a carnall / and therfore the spyrytuall chyrche may be sene, though the spy¦rytualyte therof be not sene, nor yt vppon the bare syghte perceyued and knowen for suche.

But I wyll not stryue myche wyth frere Barons for a worde. The man is so sore bysyed aboute his rethoryque, that yt is no meruayle though he can not entende to speke reason nor trew english neither / as appereth where he trās¦lateth

lernynge for teachynge, in his fyrste declaracyon of [ A] this worde ecclesia, rehersynge the wordes of saynte Poule to the Corynthies thus: I haue sent vnto you Tymothe, the whych shall lerne you my ways that be in Cryste Iesu, as I do lerne euery where in all cōgregacyōs. As though saynt Poule had lerned in euery congregacyon where he came, and euery man taught hym and not he theym. And though that some vnlerned vse this worde lerne for thys worde teache, wyth his accusatyue case set out, as Rychard lerneth Robert: yet saith no man but Barons, Rychard ler¦neth at Oxforde, for Rycharde teacheth at Oxford.

But this is specyally to be noted that he sayth after, that this chirch / can not erre / she cleueth so fast to y^• word of god that is the veryte. And for this cause he sayeth that saynte Poule calleth her the pyller and ground of trouth / not that [ B] she is so sure of and in her own strenght, but that she styk∣keth so faste to the lyuynge god and to his blessed word.

Now good reder consyder that no man sayeth that the chyrche hath his suerty of yt self / but of god and of his spy¦ryte euer abydyng in yt, accordynge to the manyfolde pro¦myse of Cryste / and therfore we nede not frere Barons to tell vs this tale.

But consyder now well agayn, that B••rns here graun¦tynge that the very chyrche can not erre, but is as saynte Poule sayth the pyler and grounde or fote of the pylare of trouth because it cleueth to god / ought here to ponder that this worde,* 1.30 the pyler, and this worde the grounde, or the fote of the pyler, do not barely signyfye strength in the stan¦dynge by them selfe / but they sygnyfy therwyth the beryng [ C] vppe of some other thynge{is}, and that they be sure thynges for some other thynges to reste and lene vppon / as the ro••e of a chyrche is borne vppe from ruyne and fallynge, by the pylers vppon whych yt resteth. And therfore these wordes of saynt Poule sygnyfye not onely that the chyrche can not in yt selfe fall into the ruyne of dampnable errour, but also that lyke as the pyler is a sure thynge for an house to reste vppon, and the grounde or fote of the pyler called in laten ba••is, whyche is the thynge that Barons mysse translateth here the grounde, is the thynge wheruppon the pyller stan¦deth sure / so is the chyrche the pyller and the fote or groūd of trouth, vppon whose doctryne euery man may reste and stande sure. And for this cause doth the holy doctours vse

[ A] and alledge those wordes, to proue therby not onely that the chyrche can not damnably erre in yt selfe, but also that therfore euery man surely may and of dutye must, geue cre¦dence to the chyrche and byleue yt, and lene therunto as vn¦to a sure pyller, and stande fast theruppon as vppon a sure fote of a pyller that can not fayle.

Now good readers, yf the very chyrche whych can not erre, be a cōgregacyon inuysyble, and a cōpany vnknowē / though euery one of them haue the very treuth in him self: yet yf I can not know that chyrche, I can not lene to that chyrche as to a sure pyller of trouth, syth I can not knowe it for the very chyrche though I sholde happen on it.

And thus ye se good reders that frere Barns vnknowē chyrche, can not be the pyler nor the grounde of trouth for [ B] any man to reste vppon / but that the chyrche whyche saynt Poule as Barns hym selfe reherseth calleth the pyler and grounde of trouth, must be a knowen chyrche. and therfore thys texte of saynt Poule that he bryngeth, playnely pro∣ueth agaynste hym.

Now consyder also good reders, that frere Barns in all thys hys descrypcyon and dyffynycyon of the chyrche of Cristes electes, putteth onely these propretees. Fyrst y^• they be goddes electes / secundely that they be wasshed of god from theyr synnys / and thyrdely that they be redemed by Chrystes bloude / fourthely that they stycke faste vnto hys merytes onely / fyfethly that they stycke onely to goddes promyses made in Chrystes bloude / syrtely that they be sanctyfyed in spyryte / and fynally for the seuenth, that they [ C] be clene and pure wythout spotte or wryncle, so farre forth that saynt Peter hym self may fynde no fawte wyth them.

Now fyrste as for the eleccyon / frere Barns playeth as Tyndale doth, walketh in the darke bycause he wold not ••e caught. For he telleth not whych eleccyon he speketh of / whyther the eternall eleccyō by whyche god in his eternall prouydence foreseynge the ende of euery thynge before the worlde was wroughte, elected theym for suche causes as hys owne in••••nte wysdome sawe conuenyent, vnto fynall saluacyon & endeles felycyte / or els the eleccyon by whyche Cryst elected & chose thē into his chyrch here in this world, into whych he chose & t••ke bothe fynall electes & fynall re∣probates. For yf he had expressed which elecciō he ment / he was aferde of the repr••fe of some false folyes that wolde haue folowed therof.

As for the seconde poynte is veryfyed in euery man of [ A] the comon knowen catholyke chyrche, that came duely to chrystendome. For euery suche man is by the spyryt of god wasshed clene i•• baptysme. And consyderynge that almost all be chrystened shortely vppon theyr byrthe / they be in ef∣fecte all wasshed clene by god wyth the w••ter & the worde.

And as towchynge the thyrde / all we that be of the co∣mon knowen chyrche are redemed in Christes bloude both good and badde.* 1.31 For Cryste hath by hys deth payed euery mannes raūsome, & hath delyuered vs yf we wyll, though many men there be that wyl not take the benefyte therof / but some wyll nedes lye styll in pryson, & some wyll nedes thyder agayne, as no man canne kepe some theuys oute of Newgate / but let them be perdoned, and theyr fees payed, and them selfe sette on free fote and delyuered out: yet wyll [ B] they there for good company tary lose wyth theyr felowes a whyle, and byfore the nexte sessyons come sytte as faste there agayne as euer they sat before.

Nowe where he sayeth fourthely that all that are of the chyrch of Cryste, do put theyr trust in the merytes of Cryste onely: yf he mene that they do reken that all theyr owne merytes can not brynge them to heuyn wyth••ut the mery∣tes of Cryste, nor that they coulde nothynge meryte at all wythout the grace of god, nor do put no bo•••• trust in theyr owne merytes, but of humylyte lytell esteme theyr owne workes that they haue done be they neuer so good: that les¦son hath he lerned of the knowen catholyke chyrche. And yf he mene that no man is of the chyrche nor maye be saued, that hath any truste of rewarde in heuyn for hys owne me∣rytes [ C] and his workes wrought with helpe of goddes grace then meneth he falsely, and putteth saynt Poule out of the chyrche of Cryste. For he sayd: I haue fought a good ba∣tayle,* 1.32 and I haue fulfylled my course, and I haue kept my fayth, and now remayneth there and is layde vp for me a crowne of iustyce, which our lorde y^• is a ryghteouse iudge, shall yelde me in that day. By whych wordys it appereth, that he had good truste in the m••rytes of the batayle that he hadde foughte, and the cours•• that he had ••onne / when he rekened of iustyce to be rewa••ded and crowned there∣fore. Nowe yf he mene ferther as h••s mayster Luther and his felowe Tyndale do, that no man is of the very chyrche of Cryste, that wyll wyth helpe of grace go about to adde

[ A] any merytes of hys owne vnto the merytes of Cryst: then meneth he very myscheuously to the mynysshynge of chry∣sten men••ys myndes, towarde the doyng of good workes / and that lesson hath he lerned of the deuyll contrary to the contynuall techynge of god, exhortyng euery man to good workes wyth promyse of rewarde in heuyn therfore. For Cryste sayth in the gospell of saynt Mathew,* 1.33 If thou wylt entre into the euerlastynge lyfe, kepe the commaundemen∣tes. And agayne in the gospell of saynt Luke:* 1.34 Make you frendes wyth the wycked māmon, that when ye shall haue nede they maye receyue you into the euerlastynge taberna¦cles. Mo••e ouer saynt Poule wryteth vnto the Corinthies in thys wyse:* 1.35 Euery ma•• shall receyue hys rewarde accor¦dynge to hys laboure. And to the Ephesyes thus he sayth:* 1.36 [ B] what good dede so euer any man do, that same shall he re∣ceyue of our lorde be he bounde or free. The same thynge cōfyrmeth he also in an other place in hys epystle to the Ga¦lathyes, thus sayenge:* 1.37 what so euer a man soweth, y^• same shall he rep•••• For he that so weth in hys flesshe, shall of the flesshe repe corrupcyon. But who so soweth in the spyryte, shall of the spyryte repe euerlastynge lyfe. Let vs do good and faynte not / for when the tyme shall be come, we shall repe wythout fayntynge. In the Apocalyps thus sayeth god by the mouth of saynt Iohn̄:* 1.38 I wyll gyue vnto euery one of you accordynge to your dedes. And agayne in the xxii. chapyter:* 1.39 Marke I come shortely, and my rewarde is wyth me to rewarde euery man after hys dedes.

[ C] Now to the fyfthe poynt, where he sayth that they that are of the very chyrch, do stycke to the promyses onely: me thyn••e they that so do be straunge faythfull folke. For yf he wolde saye that euery faythfull person sholde stycke to the promyses of Cryste: I wolde w••ll holde wyth hym / for that l••sson he lerned of the knowen catholyke chyrche. But to saye that y^• no man is of the very chyrch of Chryste, that stycketh faste vnto any thynge•• bysyde the promyses / is a lesson lerned of the deuyll. For so sholde we stycke to pro∣myses ••nely, and not onely fall from all good workes, for whyche many promyses of god are made / but ouer that sholde our ••ayth fayle vs, and fall awaye frome all other poyntes that be no promyses, and yet muste be byleued of them that wyll be saued. For the equalyte & vnyte of god∣hed in the thre eternall and almyghty persons, is no pro∣myse

/ and yet we muste yf we wyll be saued stycke faste vn¦to [ A] the bylyefe therof. ye and hell is also no promyse of sal∣uacyon, and yet muste we stycke fastely to Chryste in the by¦lyefe of hys worde, wherwyth he tolde vs there is one, but yf a man lyste for lacke of byleuynge that there is one, fynd it out by the felynge whan he falleth in it.

Now towchynge the poynt that he sayth euery man of the very chyrche is sanctyfyed in spyryte / that is veryfyed onys in euery man of the knowen catholyke chyrch that is chrystened in hys chyldehed. But Barons semeth to mene that they be no lenger of y^• chyrche, then whyle they be holy in spyryte / and y^t so holy, so clene, & so pure, without spotte or wryncle, as appereth by the laste poynte, that saynt Pe∣ter hym selfe coulde fynde no faute in them.

But truely as all the other poyntes requysyte vnto the [ B] very chyrche, be veryfyed vppon euery man of the knowen catholyke chyrche: so the contynuall beynge sanctyfyed is not veryfyed in euery man. And the precyse clennes and pu¦ryte wythout spotte or wryncle, is here in erthe I wene at full age not fully veryfyed in any man.

Now se ye well good reders, that yf none be of the very chyrche, but they that haue these two latter poyntes / that is to saye y^• he so sanctifyed in spyryte, that they be so •• clene and pure without spotte and wryncle, that saynt Peter can fynde no fawte in them: ••hen is fyrste frere Luther oute of the chyrche / and frere Huyskyn bothe, for brekyng of theyr vowes wyth incestuouse weddynge / and frere Ba••us also for his periury fallynge in relapse of heresye, and now run∣nynge [ C] at rouers in apostasye.

But now good reders let vs resorte vnto the authory∣tees of the scrypture and of saynt Austayne, whyche frere Barns bryngeth forth / and consyder whyther that any of them all proue a••y suche chyrch at all here in erth, as frere Barns appoyn••eth vs, se sanctyfyed in spyryte that it hath neyther spotte nor wryncle.

The fyrste texte is the wordes of saynt Paule in the se∣cūde chapyter of hys pystle to the Ephesyes, where he sayth you men loue your wyues as Cryste hath loued the chyrch, and ••ath gyuen hym selfe for her that he myghte sanc••yfye ••e•• and cle••se her in the so••••teyne of wa∣ter thorow the worde of lyfe, to make her to hy•• selfe a gloryouse chyrche with out spotte or wrycle, or any suche thynge but that she myghte be holy and wyth out blame.

what thynge fyndeth frere Barons for hys purpose in these wordes? saint Poule here exhorteth men to loue theyr wyues, so tenderly that they sholde be of the mynde, that to brynge them to heuyn they coulde fynde in theyr hartes to dye for them, as Cryste hath dyed for the Crysten people to brynge them to heuen / & that men, to that entent that they maye brynge theyr wyues to the gloryouse blysse of heuyn, sholde here brynge theym well vppe in fayth, in hope, and charyte, and in good workes, lyke as god hath washed his chyrche of all chrysten people, and hath clensed theym by the water in the worde of lyfe, that is to wyt by the sacra∣ment of baptysme.

Thus hath god geuen hym self to the deth for his chirch of all Crysten people. to thentent that the sacrament of ba∣ptysme [ B] myght weshe them all and clense thē from all theyr synnes. For wythout his deth the sacramēt shold not haue hadde any effycacye to clense them. But why hath he by the sacrament of baptisme, clensed his chyrch of all cristen peo¦ple / and by the infusion of his grace in fayth, hope, and cha¦ryte, sanctyfyed them in spyryte? surely (as saynte Poule sayth) to thentent that he myghte make her to hym selfe a gloryouse chyrche wythout spot or wryncle / that is to wyt, that they myght and sholde perseuer in vertue, and yf they fall then ryse agayne by penaunce / and thus in good wor∣kes of charyte and worthy frutes of penannce, so lyue here wyth his grace, that he myghte after this worlde brynge them to his glory and there haue them a gloryouse chyrch fyrst in soule and after in body to / where they shall neyther [ C] haue spot nor wryncle neyther of synne gret nor smale, nor spot of corrupcyon in the body, nor wryntle of ••yspleasure in the soule, but the tone incorruptyble, the tother impassy∣ble, bothe twayne in ioy and gloryouse blysse wyth god eternall.

And this ment there sent Poule / not that the chyrch shal here in this worlde endure and contynue wythoute spot or wryncle of synne, so clene and pure that saynt Peter could fynde no faut therin / and that as sone as a man had eyther spot or wryncle, he were by and by none of the chyrche of Cryste in erth. For this I wote well, that saynt Poule hym selfe called the congregacyons to whyche he wrote the chyr¦ches of Cryste, and calleth them sanctyfyed in spyryte / and yet maketh them not sure that they shall cōtynue holy / nor

rekeneth thē not so clene & pure, but that he fereth for them [ A] and byddeth them beware of wa••ynge worse, and teacheth them the wayes wherby they may waxe better / and in ma∣ny of them fyndeth many fautes to, and byddeth theym a∣mende them, and fyndeth spottes and wryncles, and wold haue them wa••hed and smothed oute.

wyll ye se good reders that this is trew. Consyder well the fyrst pystle of saynt Poule vnto the Corynthies, out of the syxte chapyter, of whyche epystle frere Barons alled∣geth here these wordes: ye be washed, ye be sanctyfyed, ye be iustyfyed in the name of our lord sons Iesu Cri••t••, and in the spirite of our god. Doth the a∣postle though he call them washed and sanctyfyed and i••∣styfyed in the spyryte of god, and though he call theym the chyrch of god as he calleth them in the begynnynge of the pystle: doth he meane that by reason of the ablucyon and [ B] iustyfycacyon, wyth whych eche of them was ones washed from his synnes, and iustyfyed in his spyryte by the spyryt of god, infoundy••ge the grace of fay••••, hope, and charyte, wyth the sacrament of baptysme, and where by they were sanctyfyed as persones specyally dedycated vnto goddes holy seruyce, & wyth the indelyble caracter & badge of bap¦tysme receyued ••nto his lyuerey and his holy houshold the chyrche: doth saynte Poule I say meane therfore, that as they were all styll of the chyrche,* 1.40 and by that respecte styll sanctyfyed and by profession dedicate vnto god, as the scry¦pture calleth the preste sanctyfyed vnto god by his dedyca¦cyon and specyall appoyntement vnto his holy mynystra∣cyon in the ••emple wyth the holy oyle vppon hym, though the man were not alwaye holy and vertuouse in hys owne [ C] herte: dyd I say saynt Poule meane therfore that all those whole Crysten people as they were in dede of the chyrche, by theyr conty••ued professyon of the crysten fayth, were al∣so iuste and relygyouse all the whole company in hert, and styll contynued in goddes fer••ner fauour by very trew cry∣sten lyuynge / and that so pure and so clene wythout spotte or wryncle, that saynte Peter myghte fynde no faute a∣monge them?

I can not tell you what saynt Peter myght haue done. But well I wote saynte Poule dyd fynde mo fautes then one amonge theym, and great spottes & wryncles, as hym selfe wryteth at length thorow almost••euery chapyter of that pystle, and the secunde pystle to. In whyche pystles

[ A] as he commendeth them for many thynges / so doth he for many thynges dysprayse them and reproue theym. And as he sayth there to the chyrche of god, that is to wytte to the crysten people of Corynthies: ye be washed, and ye be clensed, and ye be sanctyfyed and holy, and ye be ryche in Iesu Cryste, in all thynges, in eue¦ry worde, and in all knowledge, as the wyttenes of Cryste is confermed in you, so that ye myght lakke nothynge in any grace abydynge or lokynge for the reue¦lacyon of our lorde Iesu Cryste, whyche shall conferme you vnto the ende wyth¦out cryme in the daye of the commynge of our lorde Iesu Cryste: nowe lyke as he sayth there vnto y^e chyrch, ye be such / so sayth he euen there also to the same chyrche: ye be fallen into dyuysyon, and ye be in debate and dyscorde, in stryfe and in contency ••n, and ye do nought and sew one a nother byfore paynym iudges, and ye do one a nother wronge, fraude, and iniu∣ry, and you vse fornycacyon amonge you, and some of you [ B] such as is not herd of amōg y^e paynyms, and other of you re¦garde it not nor nothyng do for the reformacyon and amē∣demēt* 1.41 therof / and when ye come to gether to your housell, ye kepe not a reuerent order, nor abyde tyll you come all to gether, nor the ryche is not content to syt and eate wyth the pore and put theyr disshes to gether in comen, but the rych man wyll eate of his owne / thus ye dyspyse the chyrche of god, and shame the pore folke that haue not of theyr own / and wyth such proude vncharytable maner and suche vn∣reuerēt fashyon, vsyng your selfe at your assembly to god∣des borde, ye shew your self not to regarde the body of our lorde, no more in a maner then ye do the comen materyall meate / for whych cause god taketh vengeaunce vpon you / for many of you fall syke therfore, & many of you dye also.

[ C] Lo good reders these thynges both of the tone sorte and of the tother, dothe saynte Poule wryte vnto the chyrche, in the selfe same pystles out of whych frere Barons here bryn¦geth forth his authorytees. And then when he wryteth vn∣to one selfe chyrche and one selfe congregacyon, ye be very good and ye be very nought: what meaneth he but that of the same one chyrche and one company, some be good and some be nought / thongh the whole chyrche and congrega∣cyon be called good and holy, bycause there is none holy company in e••the but yt, & also for the holynes of the good folke that are there in / though there be badde amōg them / as Chrystes company was a good company, and yet was there a traytour amonge them, and therfore hym selfe sayd

to his apostles: Now be you clene / but yet all you be not [ A] clene / and specyally is yt holy bycause of the holy hed ther∣of our holy sauyour hym selfe, whose mystycall body is the * 1.42whole knowen catholyke chyrche / in whych for all the cure done vppon yt in the baptysme, yet are there many sykke members by many great new synnes and many olde many tymes cured agayne by penaūce in theyr lyues / and of such as eyther perceyuer in the grace of theyr baptisme vndefoy¦led••, and not reiected by any dedely synne, or after dedely synnes commytted, be fynally restored vnto g••ace agayne by the blessed sacrament of penaunce / of those sortes ordy∣naryly doth and shall our sauyour (the sore cancred mem∣bers that wyll not in cōclusyon be cured, left vnto the rotte and shaken into the fyre) brynge forthe and make perfyte his gloryouse chyrche, and present yt to his father bryghte [ B] and smothe, wythoute any spot or wryncle to lyue and en∣dure in heuen / but neuer shall his chyrche be clerely wyth∣out spot or wryncle, whyle yt wandereth in this wreched worlde. And the chyrche in erth here muste frere Barons speke of ye wote well.

And therfore good crysten reders, here may ye playnly se that saynte Poule in the places that frere Barons hath brought vs forthe, meaneth no suche chyrthe as frere Ba∣rons wolde here make vs wene to begyle vs wyth / but cal¦lynge them both good and badde, and meanynge some of them good and some bad, & yet none without spot or wryn¦cle, ment none other chyrche of any other maner, then only the comen knowen cathlyque chyrch / of whych those chyr∣ches [ C] to whome saynt Poule wrote were very trew partes, and of the nature and maner of the whole chyrche. For as those partyculare chyrches were knowen chyrches: euen so is the whole chyrche a knowen chyrche. And as they were congregacyons, not of onely good folke but of bothe good and bad to gether: so is the whole catholyke chyrche a congregacyon, not of onely good but of good and badde to gether / for whyche whole catholyque chyrch god hath & euer shall according to his manyfold promises, so prouyde that the doctryne therof shall neuer be any dampnable er∣rour / but as Cryste came hym selfe to begynne yt,* 1.43 and sent his apostles dyuerse in dyuerse partes to instructe yt, and they set other vnder them, as saynt Poule set Timothe: so god hath from age to age sent into euery good crysten coū¦trey

[ A] good & holy vertuous•• men, as hath appered by theyr godly lyuynge and holy wrytynge and manyfolde myra∣cles•• whyche god hath wrought and wurketh by them / and wyth whiche wonderfull myracles god bereth wytnesse for them / and wyth hys owne grace and assystence whyche he promysed sholde euer abyde,* 1.44 wurketh wyth the towarde wylles of the people of hys knowen catholyke chyrche, to the consentyng and agrement of the same doctryne / so that the catholyke chyrche is the house of god, and the pyller & sure grounde of trouth, that euery syngulare person in the clerynge of all dowtes concernyng the sure auoydynge of all dampnable errours, maye stande and lene vnto.

And yf any person departe from the fayth of thys chyr∣che, or that any pertyculare chyrche fall fro the doctryne of [ B] the whole catholyke chyrche, and so departe therfro: yet re¦mayneth the remanaūt styll the very full catholyke chyrch, and is the same howse of god, the same pyller, and the same grounde of trouth, that it was before whyle the tother was a parte therof / lyke as yf a man dyd cut of a roten ioynt of hys body, ye and many rotten ioyntes, yet were the rama∣naunt the selfe same man styll, and the self same soule shold styll remayns whole in the remanaunt.

Nor not euery man that is in dedely synne is therby forthwyth out of the chyrche of Cryst in erth, tyll he eyther departe out or be put out / no more then a secrete traytoure in a kynges housholde is by hys secrete treason strayghte out of hys checker roule / nor Iudas hym selfe after hys cō¦ceyued treason though he were out of Crystes fauour, was [ C] not yet out of hys housholde, tyll hys mayster checked hym and bode hym walke lyke a traytour about hys treason & so dyd put hym out, as the catholyke chyrche of Criste put∣teth out suche heretykes and suche Iudases now.

And thus good chrysten readers here haue ye playnely sene, that all the scryptures that frere Barons bryngeth, make euyn playne agaynste hym, and playnely proue the knowen catholyke chyrche to be the very ••hyrche of Cryst, and in thys worlde none holy chyrche ••esyde.

Now good chrysten reders, where as frere Barns alled geth vs dyuers places of saynt Austayne and some other doctours for thys purpose: thoughe I lette theym passe by the waye, and answere theym not forthwyth / yet shall they not passe vnanswered ere we parte. But for as mych as he

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laboreth wyth in••erlacynge of hys heresyes and hys ray∣lynge, [ A] to make such confusyon in the mater, that men shold not by hys wyll well perceyue the poynte: I shall therfore soyle you those allegacyons in suche con••enyent place, as maye geue the mater moste lyght.

And fyrste ye shall consyder that he wyll nowe tell you where thys chyrche is that he assygneth, of onely so pure & clene persons wythout spotte or wryncle that saynt Peter maye fynde no faute wyth them. Lo thus he sayth.

Barons.

Thys is the very trewe chyrche that is scatred thorow all the worlde / and is neyther bounde to person by reason of dygnyte nor yet to any place by the reason of fayned holynesse / but she is a fre thynge thorow all the worlde as S. Austayne doth wytnesse in these wordes, The holy chyrche are we but I do not say we as one sholde say we that be here alone that here me nowe but as [ B] many as be here faythfull chrystened men in thys chyrche, that is to saye, in thys ••ytye, as many as be in this regyon, as many as be beyonde the see, as ma¦ny as be in all the hole whorlde (for from the ry••ynge of the sonne tyll the goynge downe is the name of god praysed) so is the holy chirche o••re mo∣ther &c. Here haue you playnely / that the holy chyrche is the congregaciō of faythfull men where so euer they be in the worlde. And neyther the pop•• nor yet his cardynallys be more thys chyrche or of this chyrche than the po∣reste man in erthe / for thys chyrche stondeth alonely in the spyrytuall fayth of Cryste Iesus, and not in dygnytees ner honours of the worlde / as Li••anus doth declare in these wordes. The chyrche doth not stonde in men by reason of the spyrytuall power or secular dygnyte. For many prynces and many popes and other inferyor persons, haue sweruyd from the fayth. Wherfo••e that chir¦che doth stonde in those persons in whome is the trewe knowledge and confes∣syon of fayth and of veryte &c. O my lordes what wyll you say to Lira? I [ C] haue great mervayle that you burne hym not. It is hye tyme to condempne hym for an heretyke / for he speketh agaynst your lawe .xxiiij. q. 1. Quod∣cum{que}. Where as your glose declareth, that god suffered not the rome chyrche for to erre / and Lira sayth playne that many popes haue erred. And also that the chyrche standeth not in dygnyte, but in confessyon of Chryste and of hys blessed veryte.

More.

In all thys lo••ge tale good readers frere Barns telleth vs no more but the chyrche is fre, bycause hym selfe loueth lybertye / and the chyrch is bounde to no man bycause hym selfe wolde be boūde to n•• pryours / nor the chyrch is boūde to no place bycause suche apostatas wolde be bounde to no cloyster but haue all the worlde to royle in.

[ A] Then sayth he by the authoryte of saynt Austayne that the chyrche is not the chrysten people of any one countrey alone and who sayd it was.

Then he sheweth that Liranus sayth the chyrche stan∣deth not in spyrytuall power or secular dygnyte, but in con¦fessyon of Cryste and hys blessed veryte / and no man fyn∣deth fawte wyth Lyre for so sayenge / but we fynde fawte wyth frere Barons for teachynge false heresyes in stede of Chrystes blessed veryte. Now in tellyng vs where the chyr¦che is / he telleth vs it is in the worlde / and trewth it is the very chyrche is in the world but he proueth vs not yet that hys owne chyrche is in the worlde for he proueth no suche chyrche at all.

For consyder good readers, that yet for hys purpose is [ B] there neuer one worde broughte oute. For yet hathe he brought vs no profe of any chyrche here in erthe, wherof the people lyuynge here in erthe and beynge the membres and partes therof, be so pure and so clene without spotte or wryncle, that saynt Peter may fynde no fawte wyth them. For thys poynt hath he yet brought vs no profe / but of all that he hath yet brought, parte proueth nothynge for hym, and the more parte proueth clere agaynste hym.

And now shall ye se by hys owne wordes folowynge, that as gaye a face as he made before wyth the scrypturs that he brought forth: yet hym self perceyued all the whyle well inough, that all that he hath hytherto sayed proueth in that poynte wheruppon all dependeth, no thynge at all for hys purpose. For lo now thus goth he forward and fyn¦deth [ C] that fawte wyth hym false.

Barons.

But now here wylbe obiected, that I fayne suche a chyrche as our Logi∣cyens do intentionem secundam / that is a thynge that is no where. where shall a man fynd a chirch that i•• so pure and so clene, that hath neyther spotte nor wrynkle in her, and that is without all synne, seynge that all men must of trueth saye, forgyue vs our trespas. And yf any man saye (be he neuer so ryghtuouse) that he hath no synne, than is he a lyar and there is no veryte in hym.

More.

Lo good readers, here maye ye clerely se, that hym selfe perceyueth all that he hath sayed hytherto able to serue of nought / but that for all the scryptures that he hath layed .

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to proue that there is suche a chyrche / and for all the wor∣des [ A] of saynt Austayne, by whych he wold haue semed both to proue that there is such a fayre pure chyrch and a clene, and also that saynt Austayne telleth vs where it is / that is to wytte not all in any one place, but spredde abrode in all places of the world, where faythfull people are enhabyted: yet for all thys frere Barns here cōfesseth now that all this serueth of no thynge but hys purpose that there is in erthe any suche chyrche, remayneth styll so farforth vnproued, that he seeth well hym selfe that men may yet obiecte vnto hym that there is no suche pure and clene chyrche in erthe / but that for any thyng that he hath brought forth to proue it•• he semeth of hys owne brayne to fayne it, as logiciens fayne (sayth he) the secunde intencyon. whyche is he sayth no where. [ B]

And therfore good reders, cuttynge of now for nowght all that he hath sayd before, as he taketh it for nought hym selfe: lette vs se what he wyll now saye better vppon thys better auysement. For now wyll he not fayle of lykelyhed to proue vs playnely some people some where so pure and so clene wythout spotte or wryncle of synne, that saynt Pe∣ter can fynde no fawte in them. Lo thus good reders he proueth it.

Barons.

To thys I answere that thys holy chyrche hath synne in her, and yet is she pure and clene. Marke saynt Poulys wordes. Chryste hath gyuen hym selfe for her that he myghte make her gloryouse / so that the clennes••e of this holy chyrch is the mercy of good towarde hyr thorow Chryste, for whose sake he layeth no∣thynge to her charge / ye and yf any other person wolde / he is reddy to gyue [ C] h••r hys clennes, and to let her by fayth clayme of ryghte hys puernesse for hyr owne. For by••wene them all is commen, as bytwene man and wyfe. So that yf the chyrche loke on her owne merytes and of hyr own workes / she is full of synne and must nedes say, dimitte mihi debita. The whiche she nedyd not to saye yf she had none. But yf she referre hyr selfe vnto the merytes of her blessed husbonde Chryste Iesus, and to the clennes that she ha••h in his bloude / than is she wythout spot••e. For by the reason that she stycketh ••y fayth so faste vnto hyr husbande Chryste, and doth abyde in confessyon of hyr synne, and requyreth mercy fo•• theym / therfore is there no thynge layed to hyr charge / but all thynge is for∣gyuen hyr.

And therfore sayth saynt Poule, there is no dam••nacyon vnto them that be in Chryste Iesu. And that thys maye be the playne••: I wyll brynge you saynt Austayns wordes the whyche was vexed of the Donatystes with thys same rea∣son

[ A] that is layde agaynste me. Hys wordes be these. The hole chyrche sayth, for geue vs our synnes, wherfore she hath spottes and wrincles. But by knowledging of theym, her wryncles be extended and stretched oute / by knowledgynge her spottes are washed away. The chyrch abydeth in prayour that she myght be clen¦sed by knowledgynge of her synnes. As longe as we leue her, so standeth yt / and when we shall departe oute of this bodye, all suche thynges be forgeuen to euery man / wherfore by this meane the chyrche of god is in the treasours of god wyth∣out spot and wryncles. And therfore here do we not lyue wythout synne / but we shall passe from hens wythout synne &c. Here haue you clerely that the chyrch of god is clensed and puryfyed by Crist for knowledging of her synnes / and not by her owne purenes. Wherfore suche a chyrche there muste nedes be, though that the carnall yie can not se her, nor fleshely reason can iudge of her. Wherf••re we beleue this artycle by fayth, that holy chyrche is a communyon or felyshyppe of holy men / and know yt not by seyeng or felynge, as we do the fellyshyppe of dra¦pers [ B] or mercers / for then were yt none artycle of the fayth. And yt is play•••• that all your exteryour sygnes, wyth all your holy ornamentes, as your h••••y my¦ters, your holy crosse staues, your holy py••leas and pollaxes, your holy red glo∣ues, your holy ouches, and your holy ringes, your holy anointed fingers, your holy vestimentes, your holy chalices, and your holy goldē shewes, ye take a••so to he••pe you saynte Thomas of Canterberis holy showe, with all the holy b••ty•••••• h••••y munkes / and all these to gether can not make one crumme of holynes in you, nor helpe you one prycke forward, that you may be within this chyrche. For yf 〈◊〉〈◊〉 thynges could helpe, then were yt no mystery to make an asse to be of the chirch of god. But our holy mother the chyrche hath a nother holynes, that commeth from god the fader thorow the sweat blood of his blessed son Iesu Cryste, in whom is all her confydens and truste. Vnto whom she stycketh only by ste••faste fayth / by whose purenes she is also pure, in that that she doth confesse her vnc••enes / for [ C] she byleueth stedfastly that she hath an aduocate for her syn to the father of heuen whyche is Cryste Iesus. And he is the satysfaccyon for her synnes. And he of his mercy and not of her merytes, hath cho••sen her for to be his. And bycause she is hys, therfore must she be clene so longe as she abydeth in hym.

Thys is wyll declared in saynte Iohn̄ where our mayster Cryste is compared to the vyne, and all the members of holy chyrche to the branches / that as the bran¦ches, can brynge forth not frute of them selfe / so can holy chyrche of her selfe brynge forth no goodnes excepte she remayne in Cryste by perfyte fayth. Thys is well proued by your owne law whose wordes be these / therfore ys the chyrche holy / bycause she byleueth ryght wisely in god &c. Here you not the cause wher¦fore the chyrche is holy? bycause she beleueth ryht wysely in god / that is she by¦leueth in nothynge but in hym / and she byleueth nor hereth no worde but his / as our mayster Criste bereth wytnes: my shepe heare my voyce, and another mā∣nys voyce do they not knowe / also in a nother place / he that is of god, hereth the

wordes of god: how commeth thys that the chyrche of god hath so sure a iudge¦ment, [ A] that she knoweth the voyce of Cryste from other voyces? and can not erre in her iudgement? Bycause that Cryste hath chosen her / and bycause she is ser••••ed of god as ••ur mayster Cryste sayth / and by c••use she hath (as saynt Iohn̄ sayth) the inwarde oyntement of god, that teacheth his all maner of veryte so that she cā not erre. But why can she not erre? because she may do what she will? Bycause that all thyng that she doth is well done? bycause she may ma••e n••we ru••es and new lawes at her pleasure? Bycause she may in••ent a newe seruyce o•• god that is not in scrypture at her wyll? Nay nay my lordes. For she is but a woman and muste be ruled by her husbande / ye she is but a sh••pe and m••s••e heare the voyce of her shepe••erd. And so longe as she doth, so longe can she not erre, by¦cause the voyce of her shepeherd can not be false.

This may be proued by your owne lawe, ••h••se wordes be these / the whole chyrc••e can not erre. Also in a nother place / the c••ngregacyon of faythfull men muste nedes be whyche also can not erre &c. These wordes be playne, what [ B] chyrche yt is that can not erre, that is the congregacyon of fayth¦full men that be gadered in Cristes, name which haue Cristis spryt, whyche haue the holy oyntement of god, why••he abyde ••este by Crystes worde, and heare no••e other manny•• voyce but hys.

More.

Here haue I good reders rehersed you the full declara∣cyon of his purpose to gether / whych as yt were well done that no man sholde vouchsaufe to rede ouer ones, so were yt good that who so wolde nedes rede yt ones, sholde indyf¦ferently wythout parcyalyte rede yt and aduyse yt often. For in good fayth I doute yt not but he that so wolde, had [ C] he no lernynge at all, and were wytted but ryght meanly. yet yf he loke not all to the scoffynge and suffer hym self to be caryed awaye wyth the felowes fonde raylyng from the consyderacion of the mater / he could not but perceyue such foly and suche falsehed, and such repugnaunce and contra¦dyccyon in yt selfe, that he sholde neuer after nede any man ellys to answere hym but hym selfe. But then yf the reader be lerned, and loke well farther vppon the authorytees that thys man layeth vs forthe for his purpose: he shall fynde them handeled in such wyse, that he shall thynke y•• more then pyty that eyther holy scripture or any good boke ellys sholde euer come in suche a false folys handes.

For lettyng the authorytees stande for the whyle / what

[ A] hath he tolde vs in all this longe tale? His purpose was ye wo••e well, to proue vs that here in ••rth there is and muste nedes be a chyrche and a congregacyon of people, so clene and so pure wythoute any spotte or wryncle of synne, that saynte Peter may fynde no faute in any of them. And how hath he now proued yt? Take fyrste out of his tale his ple¦saunt scoffynge vppon myters, and crosse staues, pyllers, polla••es, and rede gloues, ouches, and tynges, and then his raylynge vppon the holy oyntement vsed in the conse∣cracyon of anoynted persons, and vpon vestymentes / and chalyces, and mokkynge of saynte Thomas wyth iestynge vppon his showe, whose showe was I am sure neuer halfe so blacke as is frere Barons soule in synne, but yf yt be by penaunce washed any whyter synnes he made his boke: [ B] take oute I saye of his tale all this goodly garnyshynge, and howe he hath proued vs besyde that there is and muste nedes be in erthe a chyrche and congregacyon of people, so pure and so clene wythoute spotte or wryncle of synne, that saynte Peter may fynde no faute in any of theym / dothe he proue yt by any other then by rydeles that he hadde redde in Tyndales boke, of synnynge and yet not synnynge, and errynge and yet no•• errynge. And yet hath he not the wytt•• when he sawe the mater in the tother mannys boke byfore hym / yet hadde he no•• I say the wytte well to perceyue yt, and to do so mych as to put some distinccyon betwene dede¦ly synne and venyall as Tyndale doth, and betwene dam∣nable errour and errour that letteth not from saluacion as Tyndale doth also. In whyche thynges though Tyndale [ C] hath shamefully ouerseen hym self, and dedely synned and damnably erred / albe yt he so farre mysseth the marke that he marreth all his mater: yet at the leste wyse he shewed hym selfe that he saw yt / where as Barons hadde not as it semeth so myche wyt as to perceyue yt, when Tyndale had in his boke shewed yt hym.

How be yt perduenture I blame his with causelesse. For I wene the man perceyued those poyntes well inough. But for bycause he sawe that Tyndale when he broughte them in, dyd therby so intryke hym selfe in the mater, and meshed hym selfe in the net of his owne foly, that he coulde neuer well wynde out: frere Barons thought yt best ther∣fore to take a ••urer way, and rydde hym self with only Tyn¦dales rydelles of synnynge and yet not synnynge, and er∣rynge

and yet not errynge, and leue oute those other poyn¦tes [ A] / and walke so myche more in the darke then Tyndale doth, though Tyndale kepe hym selfe in the darke more then metely well.

For now to proue vs all his whole purpose, that there is in erth here a chyrche and a company that be clene wyth∣out any spot or wryncle of synne, & that so clene that saynte Peter may fynde no faute / obiectynge agaynste hym selfe the thynge that he seeth well euery man wolde, that ys to wyt that both by comen experyence of the peple, and by the playne worde of god the contrary of his posycyon and pur¦pose appereth euidently trew: he answereth in conclusyon therunto, that the cōgregacyon whych he calleth the chyrch euer hath spottes and wryncles of synne, and that yet yt is for all that very pure and clene, bycause that for her aby∣dynge [ B] in the knowledgynge of her spottes and wryncles of her synnes, and askynge mercy for theym, god layeth no∣thynge of them to her charge.

Consyder now for goddes sake good reders, how perfyt¦ly frere Barons hath answered you, and howe perfytely he hath proued his p••rpose. He promysed vs you wote well to proue vs a chyrche pure and clene wythout spot or wryn¦cle / and now he bryngeth vs a chyrch pure and clene as he sayth wyth spottes and wryncles both. Is there any man so bare wytted, that can so be satysfyed and thynke hym selfe suffycyently answered thus?

I hadde as lyue he told vs that yf there were a woman with a croked nose, as longe as no man tell her of it so lōg [ C] her nose stode ryght. For by hym though god lay neuer her spottes nor her wryncles to her charge, but is alway was∣shynge her spottes, and alwaye stretchynge out her wryn∣cle: yet he confesseth that for all the washynge and all the stretchynge, as longe as she lyueth she is neuer wythoute them. And his promyse ye wote well was, to proue vs a chyrche not pure and clene wyth them, but pure and clene wythoute them.

Now where he sayde the chyrche is so wythoute spotte, that saynte Peter myght fynde no faute in her, he begyled me. For I hadde went she sholde haue had none for saynte Peter to spye. And I meruayle what he ment by y^• word, yt shall not be laufull saint Peter to fynd any faut in her. For I thought that yt wold•• ••lway be lawfull for saynt Peter

[ A] to saye trewe, and to call a spotte a spotte, and a wryncle a wryncle in her all the whyle she hadde any / and that is as Barns now confesseth in conclusyon all the whyle she is here. But now ment Barns all thys whyle as it appereth farre of another fasshyon, that is to wyt that she shold euer haue spottes and wryncles whyle she lyueth in erth / but y^t saynt Peter maye not be suffered to tell her so / for yf any man wolde laye her spottes and her wryncles to her charge then is Cryst sayth frere Barns redy to gyue her hys clen∣nesse, and to lette her by fayth clame of ryght hys purynesse for her owne / and whyche fayth meneth he? fayth alone of lykely hed for all onely fayth iustyfyeth he sayth.

But yet good readers ye wote well for all thys tyll she come there as she shall be gloryouse, whyche is in heuyn & [ B] not here / and vnto whyche though the chyrche shall in con¦clusyon come, yet shall not euery man come that is at any tyme parcell, a member of the chyrche, no more then though the chyldren of Israell came in conclusyon to the lande of byhest / and were dyuers tymes delyuer••d agayne oute of thraldome / that it therfore folowed that all came thyder, but many dyed in desert: yet in the meane whyle I say tyll god hath so fully gyuen her his clennesse and his purynes, that he hath fully wesshed out all her spottes and strecched out all her wryncles, & made her gloriouse in heuen / where as saynt Poule sayth,* 1.45 who shall accuse the chosen of god / as who say no man can / ellys whyle she is yet here in erth not gloryfyed, nor her spottes fully wesshed out / but be in [ C] wesshynge, nor her wryncles fully strecched out / but be in strecchynge / and whyle as faste as her husbande wassheth she spotteth, and as faste as he streccheth she wryncleth: I can not in good fayth se why saynt Peter sholde be af••rd / or by what lawe it were vnlawefull for hym to saye for the tyme the thynge that for the tyme is trouth, that is to wyt that she is not yet pure & clene wythout spotte or wryncle.

And thus good reders yet ye se onys agayne that frere Barons proueth nothynge the chyrche that he promysed bnt when in stede of one pure and clene wythoute spotte or wryncle he bryngeth one, not so clene but that she is spot∣ted and wryncled / he wolde wynne the felde wyth a face, & make saynt Peter aferde, to call her spottes spottes, or her wryncles wryncles. But it wyll not be Barns, it wyll not be. For though saynt Peter whyle hym selfe was of y^e very chyrch here in erth / and therfore yet wryncled and spotted,

and so sore fered reprofe, that at the worde of a woman he [ A] was aferd, to loke a gyrle in the face / yet now that he is glo¦ryfyed in the chyrche in heuyn / and all hys spottes wasshed clene out, and all his wryncles clene streched out / he is now so farre out of all fere of reprofe, that the thonder of youre greate worde can not lette hym to saye trewe, for any fere of your gargyle face, that ye came dysguysed wyth, at your laste resortynge hyther.

But now let vs consyder sumwhat of frere Barns holy prechynge by the waye, whyther it be so holy as he wolde haue it seme.

The cause he sayth why thys chyrche is here so holy, pure, and clene, wythout spotte or wryncle / and yet hath he sayth euer spottes and wryncles, whyle it is in this worlde / is he [ B] sayth bycause god hath chosen it wythout any merytes of her, and bycause she knowledgeth her fautes. Here muste we consyder alway good reders, that he putteth the chyrch to be all of good folke and none euyll, nor dedely synners therin / for that is ye remember well the dyfference bytwene the comon knowen catholyke chyrche and hys / that the ca∣tholyke chyrche of Cryste here in erth, hath in it bothe good and bad / and frere Barons chyrche hath none in it, but so good, so clene, and so pure, that there is not an euyll man therin / but though they neuer lacke spottes nor wryncles, yet theyr spottes be no spottes, nor theyr wryncles be no wryncles, or at the leste wyse though they be / yet saynt Pe¦ter maye not be so bolde to call them so / bycause them selfe knowledge them to be so. [ C]

Now as for that he speketh of eleccion and merytes / w•• wyll not mych medle wyth hym. For we agre that god che∣seth by preuencyon of grace, euery man y^t he taketh to hym before the man maye any thynge meryte, whyche can wyth out grace nothynge meryte. But after may man by fre wyll wurke wyth grace and helpe, to meryte rewarde in heuy•• by good wurkes wrought in fayth and cheryte, and not in fayth alone, what so euer frere Barns agaynst fre wyll and good wurkes bable to the contrary.

But now concernynge that he speketh of satysfaccyon, and that Cryste is our satysfaccyon / the wordes are good and trewe: for Chrystes deth is able and suf••ycyent, and so is the leste drope of hys bloude for the satysfaccyon of the synnys of all the whole worlde, and many be wythout any

[ A] other satysfaccyon saued, as be all the chyldren that after baptysme dye in theyr cradels. But god hath not so orde∣red yet / that euery man which hath age & dyscrecyon shold so trust vnto that satysfaccyon by whyche Cryste wyth his passyon satysfyed for all mennes synnes at onys / that he sholde for hys owne synnes by the frutefull wurkes of pe∣naūce make no satysfaccyō hym selfe no more then he wold though Cryst be our aduocate & pray for vs, that we shold therfore be the more slacke & remysse in prayenge also dyly¦gentely for our selfe. For he byddeth &•• teacheth vs also to praye, & that without ceacyng & fayntyng. Nor he taketh it not for foly nor for synne y^• for the honour we bere to god, we honour and praye to the sayntes also that are hys fren∣des, to be intercessours for vs / agaynste whyche frere Ba∣rons [ B] hath made as very a folysshe processe as euer dyd he∣retyke that spake on that parte, syth that heresye fyrste be∣ganne / and no le••se folysshely speketh he in many places a∣gaynst satysfaccyon & agaynst all the sacramēt of penaūce.

And therfore where he sayeth that the chyrche is made clene and pure, by knowledgynge her synnys: it appereth well that though he speke the same wordes, that saynt Au∣stayne spake / yet he meneth not as saynt Austayne ment. For saynt Austayne in dyuerse other places declareth, that a synner sholde knowledge hys dedely synnys, by shryfte and confessyon and do satysfaccion and penaunce / appoyn¦ted hym by the preste, as he doth both in dyuers other pla∣cys / and also at great length in hys boke de vera & falsa peniten¦tia,* 1.46 where he sayth in thys wyse, Therfore he that repenteth [ C] lette hym vtterly repente / lette hym shewe hys sorow wyth tearys / let hym represente and declare his lyfe vnto god by the preste / lette hym preuent the iudgemēt of god, by shryft. For our lorde commaunded those that were made clene of theyr leprosy, that they shold shewe them self to the prestes / therby teachynge that the synys muste be confessed by bo / +dely presence, and not be shewed by a messenger, nor by wri¦tynge. And after in the .xv. chapyter: Lette euery man put hym selfe vtterly in the power of the iudge in the iudgemēt of y^e preste / let hym reserue vnto hym selfe no power of hym selfe, but that he be redy at the prestes cōmaundemēt, to do for the repayrynge of the lyfe of hys soule all thynges that euer he wolde do for to fle the deth of hys body, and y^e wyth desyre to / for bycause he getteth agayne infynite lyfe.

And thus it appereth as ye se good reders, in what wyse [ A] saynt Austayne wolde a synner sholde knowledge hys de∣dely synnys, that is to wytte by shryfte, contrycyon, and sa∣tysfaccyon / not onely voluntary bysyde, but also suche as sholde be enioyned by the preste. And whyle frere Barons doth but mocke the sacrament of penaunce / and bycause Cryste is our satysfaccyon, wyll that men shall do none for them selfe: it appereth well I saye therfore that though he speke in thys place as saynt Austayn doth in one place, yet meneth he not as saynt Austayne ment in that place.

And therfore by frere Barns menynge, a man nedeth no more but knowlege hym self a synner and all is saufe. And then maye the chyrche be sone a greate flocke. For there be folke inough able to make a great flocke, that wylbe co••∣tent to knowlege theyr synne yf that may serue alone, and [ B] they wythout perell suffred to synne on styll.

And yet though there were no more requyred but euyn a bare knowlegyng of theyr synne: yet wolde neyther Ba∣rons, nor Tindale, nor Luther, nor Lambert, nor Huyskyn do so myche for goddes sake as to knowlege theyr synne / but they wyll rather runne to the deuell in hell, then wynne heuen wyth the bare knowlegynge that theyr poysened he resyes and the abomynable sacryledge of freres & nonnes maryage, is any synne at all.

And marke well thys by the waye good reader, that by Barons in suche tymes as men haue bytwene the begyn∣nynge of theyr dedely synnes & the knowledgynge of theyr synnys, whyche tymes be in many one manne many tymes in hys dayes: in all those tymes they be not of the chyrch / [ C] and agayne in all the tymes in whyche they knowledge, they be forthwyth of the chyrche. So that by Barns, one selfe manne is of the chyrche & not of the chyrch, not onely many tymes in his lyfe / but also some one is peraduenture of the chyrche and not of the chyrche dyuers tymes in one daye.

And thys is playne agaynste Tyndals chyrche. For he putteth the chyrche to be a cumpany of onely suche as ne∣uer synne dedely, and therfore be neuer out of the chyrche / how be it he calleth theym all waye repentauntes, and yet sheweth that somtyme they repente not, but be caryed forth in theyr synne long ere they repent / and so neyther agreeth he wyth Barns nor wyth hym selfe neyther.

[ A] But there in doth Baro••s quyte hym as well agayne / for no more doth he neyther. For some tyme he sayth that yt muste nedes be that there muste be suche a chyrche, that by the fayth and the knowlegynge of her synnes, and the herynge of Crystes voyce, and cleuynge to his word / and bycause he hath chosen her, is clensed pure and clene and can not erre. And then agayne he speketh in some place of that fashyon, as though yt myght be that there were some tyme no suche chyrche at all. For he sayth she is clene so longe as she abydeth in hym and no lenger / sygnyfyenge that she myght peraduenture departe oute of hym, & then be no chyrch of his. And therfore he saith y^t she can not erre, bycause she hereth the voyce of her sheppard, and bycause she hath the inward oyntemēt of god / as saynt Iohn̄ sayth [ B] that teacheth her all maner of trouthe, so that she can not erre.

But then to shew vs that we shold not reken our self sure of her doctryne, wenynge that she sholde be at all tymes in suche case and so taughte of god wyth his inwarde oynte∣ment that we might be sure that she wold teche vs nothing but suche as god inwardely taught her: he telleth vs how longe we may truste her, and sayth she is but a woman, and muste be ruled by her husbande / and she is but a shepe, and muste heare the voyce of her ••••epeherd. And so long as she so doth / so longe can she not er••e•• as though he wolde say, some tyme peraduenture she dothe not, and then dothe she erre, and therfore then byleue her not.

[ C] And to proue that she may some tyme leue her husband and go from hym, and not be ruled by hym, and so be ful of synne and erroure: he bryngeth in the parable of Chryste, wher•• ••e sayde,* 1.47 I am the very vyne, and ye be the braun∣ches•• And lyke as the braunches can brynge forth no frute but yf yt abyde in the vyne / no more sayde our sauyour can ye•• do but yf ye abyde in me. And in this meaneth Barons metely well in part, and better then Tyndale. For by these wordes yt well appereth, that those whyche are good folke in dede, and at one tyme very braunches of that very vine / may by the deuyls meanes and theyr owne folyshe negly∣gence and frowardnes, fall of fro the vyne and so brynge forth no good frute, but wyther away and serue but for the fyre / as dyd that scysmatike traytoure Iudas, whych was at the tyme of these worde spoken one of the braunches of

that vyne. [ A]

And thus meaneth Barns, that he whych is at one tyme good, and of yt may be a nother tyme nought and fall from yt, and then is foule a••d vnclene and full of errours. But in this is Tyndale agaynste Barons. For Tyndale sayth he whyche is ones good and a braunche of that vyne, can neuer synne dedely after / bycause he can not come into it to be a lyuely braunche of that very vyne, but by goddes elec¦cyon and a felynge fayth, that can as Tindale sayth neuer fayle nor departe out or fall of.

But therin doth Barons not erre so farre out as Tyn∣dale doth / but taketh yt accordynge to Crystes meanyng, that by this parable geueth euery man warnyng that they may fall of, and byddeth them be ware they do not.

But then in a nother poynt Barons semeth to rūne out [ B] at rouers as farre beyonde Tyndale. For where as Tyn∣dale falsely telleth vs, that neuer one membre of the chyrch may fall fro Cryste at any tyme: frere Barons telleth vs here, that the whole chyrche may fall from hym dyuerse ty∣mes, and that therfore she may diuerse times erre, and that therfore her doctryne is not alwaye sure, nor maye not al∣way be lened vnto nor surely be byleued / but y^• euery man muste nedes vppon parell of his owne soule examyne and iudge her doctryne, and so receyue or reiecte her doctryne by the worde of god. And this muste euery man do vppon the payne of dampnacyon, whyther he haue wyt and ler∣nynge mete therfore or not.

And now syth yt is so that Barons putteth in this case not euery syngular member of the chyrche, of whome some [ C] may fall of at one tyme, some at a nother, and som•• come in agayn, and some peraduenture neuer / and yet all •• ••hyle the body neuer gone, nor the hed lefte wythout me••••ers, nor the vyne left wythoute braunces: syth Barons I saye repugnaunt not onely to Tyndales tale, but also to some other partes of his owne, telleth vs that she that is to saye the whole intier chyrthe, maye so departe and fall of from god, that we can haue no suertye of her perseueraunce, but that she may leue hym and so fall in errour. whych he saith to make vs thynke that we may therfore mysse trust her do ctryne, and truste yt no lenger then as long as she abydeth in god. And bycause we can not well know whē she is with hym and when from hym: therfore he wolde that we shold

[ A] alway mysse trust her, and euer make an assay and a tryall of her, euery man for hys owne parte vppon the parell of his owne soule, examynynge hym selfe her doctryne by the scrypture, as well man as woman, whether he or she can skyll therof or no. Syth frere Barons I saye telleth vs in effecte this tale contrary to some other partes of his owne tale: I well may and wyll cut of all his bybell babyll that he maketh in tellyng vs that the generall counsayles may erre, bycause yt may be he sayth that they haue not the spy∣ryte of god wyth theym. For what wolde yt auayle for me to denfende the credence of the generall counsayles vnto frere Barōs, when he so handeleth mater that wolde make vs wene that not onely the generall counsayles whyche re¦present the whole chyrch may erre, but also that the whole [ B] chyrche whiche he putteth hym selfe, of people so clene and pure wythout spot or wryncle, that saynt Peter may fynde no faute in them / though she can not erre whyle she cleueth to god and heareth his word, and therfore therby is suche, yet she may fall fro god he sayth & leue the lenyng vnto his worde, and so wax foule and fylthy, and so fall in errours. I wyll therefore peraduenture at some other conuenyent tyme, entreate the mater of the generall counsayles wyth frere Barons / in whyche treatye I truste to make almoste euery chylde perceyue, that frere Barons all that he babe∣leth here of the counsayles, yf he hadde asked and folowe¦ed any wyse mannes counsayle, but yf he coulde haue trea¦ted yt more wysely, sholde wysely h••ue left yt out.

And so doth appere all redy. For he hath not in all y^• he [ C] sayth, proued no generall counsayle fallen in any dampna¦ble errour / whyche kynde of errour is the erroure that we speke of.

But now syth he sayth as ye haue herd, and for as myche also as whether a pope or generall counsayle eyther maye dampnable be deceyued and erre, is not nowe oure mater / but whyther the catholyque knowen chyrche be the very chyrche, and then whether the whole chyrch may erre / and syth the poyntes of the catholyque fayth wherin frere Ba∣rons and we vary, and wherin wyllyam Tyndale and we varye, and wherin frere Luther and we vary, and wherin frere Huyskyn and we vary, and wherin we vary wyth all the other hundred sectes of heretyques, and wherin eche of theym varyeth wyth other as well as wyth vs, except only

one thyng the weddynge of frerers and nunnes / for in that [ A] these new heretykes be all most all agreed, whych tyll wyth in this twenty yere neuer one of the olde heretyques wolde for very shame haue graunted / but now syth as I saye the pontes of the fayth that they and we varye for, be for oure parte not onely determyned by counsayles, but also recey∣ued and approued as parte of the comen catholyke fayth, by the faythfull consent and bylyef of all crysten nacyons / and the contrary parte not onely condemned and abhorred by holy generall counsayles, but also by y^• sentēce of all old holy sayntes wrytynges and hy the catholyque consent of all crysten people, byfore that these heretyques that nowe reuyue theym, departed oute of the catholyoue chyrche for them / some secte of whyche, bothe Tyndale and Barons wolde were taken for the chyrche / and neyther of both can [ B] tell whych••, and therfore dare not name whyche, but sayth yt is vnknowen whyche: I shall therfore passe ouer as I sayd for this tyme frere Barons bybyll babyll agaynst the generall counsayles, and shall yet also tyll I come farther in this mater, dyffer the touchynge of the textes y^t he bryn∣geth forth of saynte A••stayne and other holy doctours for the profe of his purpose / and I wyll fyrst touche the poynt by whyche Barons wyll make vs to know his vnknowen chyrche, yf we happen to come where yt is. For where we shold seke her y^• he telleth vs not / as though it made no ma¦ter though we neuer founde her, so that we know her yf we happe to fynde her. And yet yt appereth y^• he thynketh it ne¦cessary to seke her and fynde her / for elles wherfore geueth [ C] he any tokens at all. But this poynt Barons lerned of Lu¦ther / and yet fyndeth he Luther so folyshe, y^• he is ashamed to tell all his tale, as I shall after shew you. But first let vs heare what a wyse tale Barōs wyll in this mater tell vs.

Barns.

Now must we declare by what signes and tokyns that we may know, that in thys place or that place there be certayne membres of thys wholy chirch. For though she be in her selfe spyrytuall, and can not be perfaytly knowen by our exteriour senses: yet neuertheles we may haue certayn tokens of her spiritual presens, wherby we may rekyn that in thys place and in that place be certayn of her membres. As by a naturall exsample, though the soule of man in her selfe be spirytuall and inuysyble, yet may we haue sure tokens of her presence, as hearing mouynge, spekynge, smellynge, wyth such other. So lyke wyse where the word of god is trewly and perfytely preached, wythout the damnable dremes of men,

[ A] and where it is well of the ••earers receyued, and also where we se good workes that do openly agre wyth the doctryne of the gospell / these be good and sure to∣kens wherby that we maye iudge that there be some men of holy chyrche. As to the fyrste, where as the gospell is trewly preached, it muste nedes lyghte in some mennes hartes, as the prophete wytnessyth: My worde shall not re∣turne agayne to me frustrate / but it shall do all thynge that I wyll / and it shall prospere in those thynges vnto whyche I dyd sende it.

Also saynt P••ule sayth, fayth commeth by hearynge, and hearynge com∣meth by the worde of god / and therefore it is open in holy scrypture, that whan Peter spake the wordes of god, the holy goste fell downe on them all. Wherfore it is open that goddes worde can neuer be preached in vayne, but some men must nedes rese••ue it, & therby be made of holy chyrch, though that men do not know thē neyther by theyr names nor yet by theyr faces / for this word is receiued into theyr hartes. The second token is, that the receyuers of this word do worke well [ B] there after, as S. Paule declareth of his hearers, whā you reseued of vs the worde wherwyth god was preached / you reseued yt not as the worde of men, but euyn (as yt was in dede) the worde of god whyche worketh in you that byleue. So that yf men do worke after the worde of god / yt ys a good token that there ••e men of the chyrche, though that we (hypocrysye ys so subtylle and so secrete) maye be oftentymes dysceyued by these outwarde workes. But neuer the lesse cheryte iudgeth well of all thynges that haue a good outwarde sygne, and ••e not openly agaynste the worde of god. But yt ys no ieopardye though chyryte 〈◊〉〈◊〉 dysceyued, for he is open to all ieopardyes / but fayth is ne••er deceyued.

Now to our purpose, that where the worde of god is preached truely, yt y•• a good and a perfyt token that there be some men of Chrystes chyrche / thys may be proued by Chrys••stimus wordes, They that be in Iudea, lette th••m fle vp in to the mountaye••s / that is to saye, they that be in chrystendome, lette theym gyue them selfe to scrypturs. Wherfore commaundeth he that all chrystened men in [ C] that tyme, shulde flye vnto scrypturs. ••or in that tyme in th•• whyche here∣sies haue optayned in to the chyrch / there can be no tr••we probacyon of chrysten¦dome, nor no nother refuge vnto chrysten men, wyllynge to know the veryte of fayth, but the scrypturs of god. Afore by many wayes•• was it shewed which was the chyrche of Cryste, and whiche was the congregacyon of g••ntyles. ••ut now there is none other waye to knowe vnto them that wyll knowe whiche is the very trew chyrche of Chryste, but alonely by scrypture. By workes fyrste wa•• the chyrche of Cryst knowen whan the conuersacyon of chrysten men other of all or of many were holy / the whiche holines ••ad not the wycked men, but n••w chrysten men be as euyll o•• worse than heretykes or gentylys / ye and greater cō¦tinencye is founde amonge them than amonge chrysten men. Wherfore he that wyll knowe whiche is the very chyrch of Cryste / how shall he know but by scrip¦turs onely. Wherfore our lorde consyderynge that so great confusyon of thyn∣ges, shulde come in this latter dayes / therfore commaundeth he that chrysten

men whyche be in chrystendome wyllynge to reserue the stedfastnesse of trewe [ A] fayth shulde flye vnto none other thynge but vnto scryptures / for yf they haue respecte vnto other thynges they shall be slaundered and shall peryshe / not vnder¦stondynge whiche is the trewe chyrche. &c.

These wordes nede no exposycion they be playne inough they do also exclude all maner of lernynge sauynge holy scrypture / wherfore se how you can with ho∣nesty saue your holy lawes / and defende them agaynst Chrysostome. More ouer yf Chrysostom complayne of the incontynency that was in hys dayes / how wold he complayne yf he now lyued, and sawe the boudry and fornycacyon that is in the chyrche. Also he sendyth men to scryptures that wyll know the holy chyrch / & not vnto the holy chyrch for in the chyrch were heresyes but not in scripture.

Also saynt Paule wytnessyth the same sayenge / you are bylte vppon the fun¦dacyon of the apostels and prophetes / here haue you playnely that the very trew chyrche is grounded ye and foundyd of holy scrypture / and therfore where so euer that the worde of god is preched / that is a good token that there be some men of [ B] Christes chyrche. But now as to the frutes and workes of this chyrche / she doth alonely fetche out hyr maner of lyuynge / and all her good workes out of the holy word of god / and she fayneth not nor dremyth any other newe holynesse or newe inuented workes that be not in scrypture, but she is content with Chrystes ler∣nynge and beleueth that Chryst hath suffi••iently taught hyr all maner of good workes that be to the honour of our heuenly father. Therfore inuenteth she none other waye to heuen but folowe••h Chryste onely / in suf••erynge oppressyons and persecucyons, blasphemynges and all other thynges that may be sayde vnto hy•• / whyche as saynt Augustayne sayth she lerned of oure mayster Chryste. Our holy mother the chyrche thorow out all the world scatered far and longe / in hyr trew hed Cryste Iesus taught / hath lerned not to fere the contume••ys of the crosse nor yet of deth, but more and more is she strengthed, not in resystynge but in suffe∣rynge.

More. [ C]

Here haue ye herde good reders a fayre tale wyth a pro∣per ensample of the soule / and then two tokens after / by whyche ye maye knowe in whyche company there be some of the chyrche, though ye can not know whych the persons be that be of the chyrche.

And in both these poyntes ye haue herde hys whole tale no worde in the waye lefte out / nor one worde hath he not after for any forther profe / but spendynge a lefe & an halfe in rayly••ge vppon the clergye, and seremonyes and sacra∣mentes of the chyrch, therewyth he ••ynyssheth and endeth all hys processe.

[ A] And therfore as touchyng the mater, ye haue herde all his whole tale garnysshed and made fayre wyth the sample of the soule, and the two tokens of the chyrche. But now is thys tale fayre as longe as it is in tellynge, and goth fayre and smothe by a mannes eare, as the water goth ouer the goosys backe / for ellys yf it tary styll tyll it we••e well to the skynne, and be well felte and consydered, then it leseth all y^• grace and wyll appere so folysshe, y^• the reader wyll thynke that thys tale hath mo tokens then twayne to make hym knowe that the wryter had almoste no more wyt in his hed then one that had no soule in hys body.

I lette passe that he noteth in the mergyne these wordes how a man maye knowe the chyrch / and then he telleth vs in hys texte not how a man maye knowe it, nor any pyece [ B] of it / but how a man may know in what place it is / and yet not so myche neyther: For he telleth vs not, go to suche a place, and there thou shalt fynde it, or some membres of it / but he byddeth vs go and telleth vs not whyther / and sen∣deth vs to seke, & telleth vs not where / but telleth vs onely by what token we shall knowe whyther in the place where we happen to seke, there be any such person or no.

But now lette vs suppose that he tolde vs the fyrst tale, whyche were yet more to the purpose then the tale that he telleth vs now. And yet bycause he maketh vs hys tale so playne by the sample of the soule / let vs putte hym agayne for our parte some sample of some symple soule / some good merchaunt that were fallen in company wyth frere Barns in the house of hys secret hostes at the sygne of the botell at [ C] Botolfes wharfe, and fyndynge hym walkynge in a mert¦chauntes gowne wyth a redde Myllayne bonet, and not knowyng that he were ronne out of relygyon / but wenyng that he were an honeste man tolde hym that he were goyng toward Excester / and for as mych as he muste cary money wyth hym, he wolde fayne fynde some good company that were goynge thyther / by whome he myghte be bothe con∣uayed the ryght waye & also go the more sure: For he hadde herde that there were in many innes many loyterynge fe∣lowes, that were false shrewes & yet semed as honeste & as trew as he / whych fals shrewes wold fayne them selfe to be merchaūtes & saye they were goynge thyderwarde to / but when they were gotē in credence & taken into cōpany then vsed to lede men out of y^• way & robbe them & kyll them to.

Now yf frere Barns wold say to thys man ye be happy [ A] that ye haue met wyth me / for I wyll sende you to an inne, where ye shall be sure and neuer fayle to fynde some honest trew merchauntes that are thyderwarde / and than wolde sende hym to a certayne place whyche he wolde name hym. If thys merchaunt whan he had hartely thanked Barns and were goyng very glad of hys chaunce in metyng with thys good man, by whose sendynge he sholde now be sure of good companye in hys iourney, sholde happen yet to re∣member hym selfe a lytell ferther as soone as he came oute at dore / and theruppon steppe in agayne & saye. But may∣ster merchaunt I praye you tell me yet one thynge, that I had lyke a fole forgoten before to aske you. In the inn•• y^• ye sende me to where I shall be sure to fynde these honest [ B] trewe men that are goynge towarde Excester, are there not also somtyme some suche false shrewes as I tolde you of / that make as though they were honest trewe merchauntes and goynge thyder / tyll they may make men byleue them / and whan they be onys goten in company then lede theym wronge and robbe them, and kyll them. To thys questyon yf Barns tolde hym there as he telleth vs here, and sayde, yes mary syr that there be, not onely somtyme, but alwaye not a fewe suche loyterynge in the same inne, that lye in a∣wayte to trayne men to them, and after bytraye them and destroye theym / than wolde the man saye mary syr than I praye you tell me how I maye knowe the tone sorte fro the tother. wherunto yf Barns sholde tell hym as he now tel∣leth vs. Nay brother I can tell the no ferther / but thys I [ C] wyll warraunt the, that though there are as alwaye there are in the place that I send the to, many such false theuys / and but very few of those trew men that I tolde the of / yet some such trewe men are there alwaye there / but how thou shalt knowe whych they be, & dyscerne them fro the theuys, that can I not tell the / but that thou mayest as wel be there deceyued in the mysse takynge of them, as thou haste nowe be deceyued in the mysse takynge of me / whome thou ta∣keste for a merchaunt, and yet am I a fr••re. when Barns had onys tolde the man thys tale, wolde not the man tell hym agayne / mary than god amercy for ryghte noughte. For now am I neuer the nere / but thou leue••te me as wyse as thou foundeste me / and so shall I the to. And therupon wold he take his leue honestely & byd Barns fare well fole.

[ A] Now the tale that he telleth vs, is yet myche more false and myche more vncertayne. For he telleth not vs so mych as the name of the place, wherin we shall be sure to fynde any of the chyrch / but byddeth vs go take y^• scrypture wyth vs and therwith wandre about and aduenture, tyll we hap¦pen vppon some place, in whyche we fynde some man tha•• doth preache vs the worde of god / that is to say declare vs that same scrypture trewly, for well ye wote he wyll agree none other thynge to be the worde of god, sauyng•• the scry¦pture onely / and then where so euer we happen to fynde a∣ny man that expowneth it and declareth it trewly wythout any dampnable dremes of men / and where we se that yt ys well of the hearers receyued, & also where we se good wor∣kes that do openly agre wyth the doctryne of the gospell, [ B] these be good and sure tokens, wherby that we may iudge that there be some men of holy chyrche there.

Fyrste wolde I wytte what he meaneth by sure tokens, whether he meane only tokēs & sygnes wherby we may cō¦iecture that some of the chyrche be there though we knowe not whyche they be as we maye by a sygne of a grene gar∣lande, perceyue that there is wyne in the house though we knowe not where aboute the celler is, or ellys that we may so surely knowe yt, that we can not be deceyued therin / as we be sure by the smoke and the sparcles that there is fyre in the chymeney. If he meane of the fyrste fashyon of sure tokenynge, then is yt no sure sygne and token but an an∣swere, gesse, and coniecture, for there is peraduenture no wyne in that house at all / but the wyne dronken vppe, and [ C] the garland hange styll, and then hadde the wine or the ale by the grene garland or an ale pole haue ben frere Barons a better sample and more mete for his mater, then the sam∣ple of the soule knowen to be in the body by the sygnes and tokens of herynge, spekyng, syght, and smellyng, and such thynges as the body can not do but when the soule is in yt And also what am I then the nere yf I may wene there be in that company some of the chyrch, and yet peraduenture there be none, nor myche the nere neyther by Barns chyrch though there be some of theym there in dede as ye shall se sone after.

Now yf he meane on the seconde maner that by these to∣kens that we here the worde of god well and truely taught by the preacher, and se yt well receyued of the hearers,

and good gospell workes wrought among people / we may [ A] be very sure that ••here be some of the chyrche in that com∣pany, why shold Barons say as he sayth here, that we can not be sure whyche the be: For yf yt may be surely knowen by those tokens, that some of theym be there / then muste of reason those tokens make vs moste sure of those persons, in whome we se them. And yf they can not make vs sure of them, in whom we se them, they can not make vs sure as i•• semeth of them in whome we se theym not.

For when oure sauyour sayde of hypocryte heretyques ye shall know them by theyr frutes,* 1.48 he ment that ye sholde perceyue the same persons for heretyques and hypocrytes by the euyll fruts of theyr false doctrine, that vnder a cloke of vertuouse lyuynge and clennesse they shold secretly sow and set forth false heresyes contrary to the knowē doctryne [ B] that hym selfe hadde taught his catholyke chyrch, and that they sholde also be perceyued by the frute of euyll workes, wyth whych he wold,* 1.49 yf men toke hede & wached them well (as he bode them do) cause them to be deprehended and ta¦ken, and theyr maske••s taken of and theyr hypocrisye to be discouered. But Cryste ment not that the tokens founde in one person shold leue vs vnsure of hym, and only make vs sure that some herytyque and hypocryte were there, as Ba¦rons here sayth by his tokēs we shall be sure that some of the chyrche be there, but I can not be sure whyche person is any of them.

Now yf he sayde this onely in whole great regyons his reason myghte haue som place, for of a great multytude se¦mynge [ C] good men, I maye well reken that though some be hypocrytes, all be not so. But whyle Barons sayth where so euer I fynde these tokens, there I maye be sure y^• some of his chyrch wythout spot or wryncle are amonge theym, the place may be so smale, and the companye so few that I cou••d not be sure, but myght well fere y^e though I se suche good tokens in some of theym, yet of that clene and pure chyrch of frere Barons there were neuer one among them.

yet aske I frere Barons farther, howe proueth he that where so euer we fynde these tokens, we shall be sure that though we can not tell whyche they be, yet sure we may be that of his holy chyrche some in that company there be.

In the answere vnto this, he putteth a dyfferēce in dede betwene the token of the good workes, and the tokē of the

[ A] trew preachynge. For as for the workes though they be ve¦ry trew gospell workes, they be he sayth no perfyte sure sy∣gnes but onely tokens wherby we may coniecture & deme well but not be sure, bycause they may be fayned by hypo∣crysye / but the tother token of the preachynge, that to∣ken is he sayeth a perfyte token, so that in that companye where so euer we se that happen, we haue a perfayt token that there be in that company some men of Chrystes holy chyrche.

And this he proueth as ye haue herd by the authoryte of the prophete Esaie and of saynte Poule, and by the sam∣ple of saynte Peter in the tenth of the Actes, where at the preachynge of saynte Peter the holy goost fell downe on them all.

[ B] But as for that ensample proueth not Barns purpose. For yt proueth no farther, but that some tyme yt dothe so, where the hearers be suche as so do receyue yt / but ••arns muste proue vs that yt is euer so.

But this is frere Batons logyque, and Tyndales, and Luthers also, and so is yt of theym all, vppon a particulare they boldely conclude an vnyuersall.

Nowe as touchynge the wordes spoken of god by the mouth of the prophete Esaie, My worde shall not ret••u••ne agayn•• to me frustrate, but yt shall do all thynge that I wyll, and yt shall prosper in those thynges vnto the wyche I dyd send yt:

what do the wordes proue for Barons purpose? If he proue vs his purpose by these wordes, he muste proue vs [ C] fyrst that the word of god, wherof the prophete Esaie there speketh,* 1.50 is none other worde but onely the preachynge of the scrypture. For that is the worde whyche frere Barons here speketh of. And therfore in the prophet Esaie the word may sygnyfye that worde of god, of whyche worde saynte Iohn̄ ••ayth, In the begynnynge was the worde, that is to wyt the onely begoten son of god, as yt there sygnyfyeth in dede, & not the word wryten in scrypture, though y^• of that word be mych wrytē in scrypture. Then se••th euery lerned man that those wordes of Esaie nothynge proue the pur∣pose of frere Barons, though yt myght there sygnyfye al∣so the worde wryten in scrypture. For yt proueth ye wote wyll not for the preachynge of the worde of god wryten in s••rypture, yf yt be doutefull and not euydent, whyther the prophete spake of the scrypture or not.

But now who so euer loke vppon the place in the byble [ A] he shall se that lyre, and the ordynary glose, and the interly¦nyare glose also, do declare that though the wordes maye be expowned of the scrypture: the prophete speketh these wordes properly of the worde of god, that is goddes onely bygoten sone. And the very texte playnely sheweth vppon all the cyrcumstaūces, that the prophete there prophecyeth in the persone of the father after this maner. As though he wolde say, My worde, that is to wyt my son whom I haue sent into the worlde for the redempcyon of man, shall not retourne agayne to me voyde or empty. For he shall bryng wyth hym the fathers oute of Lymbus. But he shall do all thynge that I wyll. For he shall teache both by wordes en∣sample and myracles, both the Iewes and the Paynyms, and make one chyrche of both, and shall in fulfyllynge of [ B] my wyll, humble hym selfe vnto the deth, euen the deth of the crosse. And he shall prosper in those thynges vnto the whyche I sent hym. For hym self shall gloryousely ryse a∣gayne fro deth, and ascende vppe to me, and here sytte in eternall glory on my ryght hande, one egall god wyth the holy goste and me, and shall bryng hyther also a gloryouse chyrche out of erthe, to reygne wyth vs here in heuen.

Of this word therfore spake the prophete, that is to say of the sonne of god, and of his retournynge agayne to hys father / of whose goynge forthe fro the father and retour∣nynge agayne to the father,* 1.51 wryteth the prophete Dauid: His goyng forth is from the hygh heuen, and his meatyng is vnto the height thereof / and is not properly ment by the [ C] preachynge of the worde wryten in scrypture. And therfore as I tolde you yt nothynge proueth the purpose of frere Barons.

And yet ouer all this, yf the prophete spake there of the worde wryten in scrypture, and of none other: yet wolde it not proue that in euery place where yt were preached, yt sholde nedes take suche holde / in some folke, that yt sholde of necessyte make in euery suche place some very members of the chyrch pure and clene wythoute spot or wrincle. For god hath none other wyll for any thynge by Barns proued yet, y^t his word shold take such holde in euery place then in euery mā / but lyke as his word doth his wyll & retourned not agayne to god voyd, yf yt take hold in some men tha•• heare yt, though yt take not hold in euery man that hereth

[ A] yt / so doth yt his wyll and retourneth not to hym voyde, yf yt take holde in some place where yt is preached, though yt take not holde in euery place.

And that it shold not in euery place take hold / appereth by the wordes of our sauyour, where he sayth to hys dyscy∣ples whom he sent to preche, In to what house so euerye entre, fyrste saye ye peace be to thys house.* 1.52 And then yf the sonne of peace be there / your peace shall reste vppon hym, or ellys your peace shall retourne agayne vnto your selfe. In whyche oure sauyour sheweth vs, that yf a good man preche well, though there were not one in all hys audyence that wold be y^e better for it / yet sholde it not be voyde / for the meryte sholde at the leste rebounde backe vppon hym selfe, but not of necessyte take holde in euery audyence, so farre [ B] forth that it myghte be preched vnto an hole cyty, and take none holde but be reiected. For whyche cause our sauyour sayed also to those whome he sent to preche:* 1.53 yf any cytye re¦fuse you and wyll not receyue your doctryne, wype of the duste of your fete at your partynge in wytnesse agaynste them / & I tell you trouth, the cytyes Sodome & Gomorre shal in the day of dome, be more easyly handeled then they.

And thus good readers ye se that these wordes of y^e pro∣phete Esaye wyll in no wyse auayle frere Barns / but vtter¦ly they leue hys purpose all vnproued.

Now hath he than but one ancre more vnto that shippe & that is the wordes of saynt Poule, where he sayth, Fayth cometh by herynge, & herynge cometh by the worde of god. [ C] But surely thys ancre lyeth to farre aloufe fro thys shyppe and hath neuer a cable to fasten her to it. For neuer herd I yet two thynges so losely knyt to gyther.

what maner an argument doth frere Barons call thys? Fayth cometh by herynge, and heryng cometh by the word of god / ergo in euery place where the worde of god is herd, must nedes be some faythfull men.

Though there were neuer man faythfull wythout he∣rynge of the worde of god, as in dede there is not ordyna∣ryly in actuall fayth / maye it not be for all that that there maye be many that here it to gyther in one place, of all whome neuer one wyll be faythfull, but haue the fayth in derysyon. Thys argument is so folysshe that I meruayle frere Barons wolde be so fonde to brynge it forth.

And thus good chrysten reades here ye se now to what [ A] poynt frere Barons is brought, with his sygnes & tokens, wherwyth he promysed vs to make vs knowe where were some membres of hys holy pure clene chyrch, wherin he cō∣fesseth hym selfe that some of his sygnes and tokens be but faynt and vnsuffycyent. And than that one whyche he sayth is perfayth, ye se so vnperfytely proued, that of all the scrip¦turs that he bryngeth, there is not one syllable serueth him

And yet haue I shewed you also, that yf he proued all y^t he sayth / yet were all hys techyng of knowlege where some of the chyrch be, wythout the knowlege who they be, a very frutelesse knowlege, wherof the knower coulde neuer take spyrytuall profyte.

But now good chrysten readers, to the entent that the foly of frere Barons inuēcyon may the more clerely appere [ B] concernyng his tokens with whiche he techeth vs to know his vnknowē chyrch / let vs yet a lytell consyder hys lesson better. Let vs suppose that some good honest merchaū∣tes wyfe, a woman honest of her conuersacyon, beynge by some shrewed gosseppes of hers brought in aquayntaunce wyth some false wyly heretike, had bygonne to fall in some dowte and fere, leste the fayth that she had before lerned of the thyrche, concernyng the seuen sacramentes, & prayeng to sayntes, and prayeng for soules, and many thynges mo, were vntrew and daungerouse to lyue and dye in / and that she were not yet so farre fallen to the wronge syde, but that she stode styll in a dowte and in a mamerynge whyche way she myghte take, and fayne wold take the beste. And beyng thus brought into thys doute, had by some proctour of the [ C] euangelycall fraternyte, secretely broughte vnto her frere Barons boke. After whych secretely redde ouer by her self in a corner, for many thynges that she partely lyked, par∣tely mysse lyked in the redynge, perceyuynge that he was than vppon hys passage ouer these agayne, longed sore to speke wyth hym selfe ere he wente / and theruppon be∣ynge by some good brother and syster broughte to gyther where there were none present but suche as were towarde the fraternyte, after solempne salutacyons and gostely gre¦tynges of the congregacyon in osculo charitatis, she wolde breke her mynde vnto hym, & shew hym that by the good gracy∣ouse mocyone of such a man or suche a woman, she had by∣gonne to entre in to the consyderacyon of her soule helthe /

[ A] and not to be so neglygent as she had before ben, to byleue euery prestes tale that standeth vp in a pulpet, but to seke some sure way how she may surely ••e taught the treuth & not deceiued. And for bycause she had redde his boke, wher in she founde dyuers doutes, of whyche she wolde fayne yf he myght haue taryed be sumwhat ••atisfyed, and also haue vsed hys gostely counsayle for her ferther instruccyon and sure settyng forth in the waye of the treuth / syth god had so dysposed that he sholde so soone depart that she coulde not haue that full frute and comforte of hys persone, she wolde not for the shorte tyme of that theyr present assemble cūber hym wyth her questyons, whyche were lyke to be but fry∣uolouse & womannysshe, nor be a let and impedymēt vnto the feruent desyres of the other bretherne & systers of the cō¦gregacyon, [ B] wherof euery one longed to be comforted with his gostely cōmunycacyon at that tyme specyally, whyche was as it semed the laste in whyche they were lykely to be fedde wyth the plesaūt cōuersacyon of his bodyly presence. And therfore she wold no more desyre of hym for the tyme, but that he wold as our sauyour when hym self wente hys way, dyd sende his holy spyryt to teche his apostles, & hys apostles to teche the wyde wyld ignoraūt world / so maye it please you good father Barns whyle ye depart hense, to as¦sygne some meane & shew me some way, by whych I maye be sure all way to haue some good gracious spyrituall mā, some trew mēber of the very chirch, of whom I may be sure to lerne the very trew fayth, that our sauyour fyrste by hym selfe, & after by his holy spyryt taught his blessed apostles, [ C] & by them the world that wold lerne / & yet by y^e same spyryt techeth his very holy chyrch styll, as ye shew to my symple myndefull well & clerkely in your goodly processe, wherin ye declare whych is the very chyrch. I beseche you therfore do no more for me for thys onys, but leste I be when ye be gone deceyued by some false techer, set me now before your goynge in some way, wherby I may be sure euer of a trew.

To thys wold frere Barns of lykelyhed make her great congratulacyon, & tell all the congregacyon that they haue all greate cause to ioy and reioyce in the lorde / whose hygh mercy hath so goodly bygon to pour in the lyuely lycoure of hys grace into the dyenge harte of that good syster, and hathe thereby so reuyued it wyth the warme breth of hys holy spyryte, that he maketh yt begynne to qnycken & loke

vp, and to longe to byholde and se the bryght sonne of hys [ A] veryre wryten in the holy scryptu••e of god, & to rubbe her eyen and shake of the ••alse ymagynacyons of all the damp¦nable dremys of menne / and that hym self is very sory that he can not accordyng to his hope that brought hym hyther haue hys euangelycall doctryne accepted of the kynge and openly receyued in the realme, whyche he so sore hath tra∣uayled to regender agayne vnto god in the trew fayth / bu•• is by the menes of the false scrybes and pharas••ys reiected and rebuked, and sauynge for the kynges saufe conduc••••, sholde haue standen in parell to be burned and hys bok••s wyth hym, whyche saufe conducte bycause it was graun∣ted but for .vi. weekes now more thenne almost passed, for whyche cause he chaunged hys notable monstrouse appa∣rayle that he came in wyth, and shoue hys berde and wente [ B] lyke a merchaunt, that he myghte be the l••sse me••ked in ta∣ryenge after the saufe conducte and vysytynge the congre∣gacyon, wythout whose lyberall ayde and almo••se he shold ne••ther haue ben able to sustayne and bere, nor to recouer and gete agayne the money that he spent about hys pren∣tynge of hys booke and hys comynge hyther and goynge ouer agayne. wherfore syth he maye not saufely tary here, but muste excepte he wolde be burned go gete hym ouer a∣gayne / both that good syster and all the holy congregacyō, and hym selfe also whyche is as sory to parte from theym as they from hym, muste conforme theyr wylles on all sy∣des vnto the wyll of good / and as for the absence bodyly, he wold recompense vppon hys part, wyth beynge mynde∣full of them in hys prayour to the lorde, and trusted they [ C] wolde in lyke wyse do / and so wolde he praye theym to do, praye to the lorde for hym / & so sholde eyther parte by theyr prayeng eche for other, accordyng to the counsayle of saynt Iamys, myche more eche profyt other, then yf our lady & all the sayntes in h••uyn yf there be any there,* 1.54 wolde praye for them bothe, bycause the sayntes be all departed hense & dede and be no lenger of our funccyon. And yet wolde he for hys parte to theyr ferther consolacyon, make and sende them ouer some new bokes of the euangelycall doctryne in theyr mother tonge, for the better edyfyenge of theyr sely symple soules. And thys wolde he saye for the comforte of the hole fraternyte and sororyte in generall. And then for answere to y^e good syster in specyall, he wold peraduenture

[ A] aduyse her to take the new testament of Tyndales transla¦cyon, and other bokes of his, and of his owne, and of Ge∣orge Iouy / and therin sholde she fynde the trouth. wherun¦to yf she sayde that she might not for fere of her husbandes losse and her own parell, aduenture to kepe these bokes by¦cause of the kynges proclamacyon / he wolde tell her and persuade her playnely, that the bokes of the scrypture she must nedes kepe spyght of all the prynces proclamacion to dye therfore. (For that he wryteth playnely all redy, but as for y^e tother bokes, he layeth not expressely so sore a charge vppon them) wherfore he wold enioyne her at the lest wise to kepe the scrypture in englysh, and tell her that therin she sholde lerne all trouh.

But then is yt lykely that she myght say, that the scryp¦ture [ B] is hard for her to vnderstād / & therfore shew him y^t the thyng whyche she desyreth of hym, is to know of hym (syth hym self goth away) how she myght be sure to haue a good trew teacher, that myght in euery necessarye poynte of by∣lyefe, expowne the scrypture and teache yt her trewly.

Then wolde he peraduenture assygne her some specyall spedde man in the sectes, and tell her she may lerne of hym. But then were she lykely to say that he myght happely be dreuen awaye for fere of persecucyon / ye or peraduenture dye byfore she shold be fully lerned and instructed in the ne¦cessarye trouthes by the scrypture: whyche she coulde not thynke her selfe to be, tyll she dyd in euery suche trouth vn∣derstande all the places of scryptures that eyther made for [ C] yt or semed to saye agaynste. And therfore wolde she fayne know nowe of hym, by what meane she myghte alwaye be sure of a trew teacher.

Then wolde he peraduenture tell her, that who so euer preache truely the worde of god, accordynge to that scry∣pture •• she myght be sure that he were a trew preacher, and of hym she myght surely lerne.

But vnto that she were lykely to say: Father Barons, This same scrypture is very hard / and in the moste neces∣sary poyntes dyuerse preachers expowne yt diuersly, some for the sacramentes, & some agaynste theym, some for the vowe of chastyte and some agaynste yt, some for good wor¦kes, and some for fayth alone, some for purgatorye & some agaynste yt, and so in suche other thynges / so that excepte I may be sure of the trew teacher, vnto whose credence I

may truste in the construccyon, I shall alway remayn styll [ A] in lyke doute, and not vnderstande the scrypture. And ther¦fore shall I not be able by the scrypture to trye the trew pre¦chour, but must by y^e knowledge of the trew preachour trye whyche is the vnderstandynge of the scrypture. And ther∣fore I wolde haue the trew preachour to teache me truely to vnderstande the same scrypture. And for that intente wold I know hym, to thend that I myght by that I know hym for a trew preacher, be sure that by his teachyng I do not damnably mysse vnderstand the scrypture, but am true¦ly taught yt. And now you tell me that who so teche the scri¦pture trewly is a teacher. And then muste I by this tale of yours, brynge wyth me to hym or ellys I can not knowe hym, the thyng y^t I can not gete but yf I know hym fyrst.

what were frere Barns here lykely to say to this womā [ B] that myghte resonably satysfye her. In good fayth I can not say,* 1.55 takyng an vnknowen chyrch as he doth. For yf he wolde saye, good doughter the goodnes of god shall euer suffycyently prouyde you a trewe teacher, as he prouyded saynte Peter for Centurio: she myght tell hym that Centu¦rio was warned by god that he was a trew precher / and yf I hadde suche warnynge of any that shall come, then were I satysfyed.

If Frere Baro••s wolde saye, when so euer the trewe preacher commeth, ye shall knowe hym and perceyue hys doctryne to be trewe, by the inwarde vnccyon of the holy goste,* 1.56 that shall teache you inwardly as sayth saynt Iohn̄ / for as our lorde sayeth: They that are myne heare my [ C] voyce,* 1.57 and heare not the voyce of a straūger / and I knowe myne and myne knowe me / and of this hau•• we a sample of Ennuchus, whyche as he was redynge in the scrypture and coulde not vnderstande yt by hym selfe, god prou••ded that saynte Philyppe shold go by hym and teche hym,* 1.58 and a non Ennuchus byleued hym and was crystened / & howe dyd Enuchus knowe that Philyppe was a trew preacher, but by the inwarde vnccyon and inspyracyon of god? and so good syster shall you be moued inwardely to perceyue the trew scrypture: surely me thynketh that vnto this the woman were well lykely to hym, that one ensample at one tyme of one mānys dede, as Enuchus was, geueth vs not for euery man in euery time a generall rule. For though he were therin not deceyued then / yet some other that wold so

[ A] redly now take for y^e trew preachour, euery man y^t cam fyrst to hand myght be sore deceyued therin, and wene that god gaue hym the mocyon when yt came of the suggestyon of his enymy. For at that tyme yt was vell lykely, that Enu∣chus hadde herd of Cryste, and of his lyuynge, and of his myracles, and of his deth, and of his resurreccyon to lyfe, and such thynges as were then done and passed byfore the metynge hadde betwene saynt Philyp and hym. And then was that prophecye wyth dyuerse other, whych Phylyppe there expowned vnto hym, so playne and open with his do¦ctryne, his deth, his rysyng agayne, and his myracles, and his other conuersacyon in his lyfe, so clere to make yt open that Cryste was he that was comen to saue the worlde and teache the trouth, and sholde and ought to be byleued that [ B] god inwardely workynge wyth those good outwarde occa¦syons he reioyced hyghly the me••ynge wyth Crystes dyscy¦ple that hadde so well knowen hym, and ben so conuersaūt wyth hym.

But nowe hath god establyshed his fayth and his doc∣tryne by the space of .xv. hundred yere, and sendeth not lyghtely any suche one man to preache and teache as was saynte Phylippe, that can in teachyng make the scrypture so playne and open to me, as saynt Philyppe dyd vnto Eu¦nuchus / not that hath lerned yt so fully and so surely, as the postles hadde of the mouth of the great mayster Cryste. And therfore shold I not haue so great occcasion to byleue and to take for the trewe teacher any one man that wolde constre me the scrypture nowe, namely constrewynge yt in [ C] such wyse many of his owne felowes, professyng the fayth of Cryste as he doth, wyll say that he constreweth yt false / whyche happed not in the construccyons that saynte Phy∣lyppe made Enuchus.

And therfore though our sauyour say, that such as are his do heare his voyce, and not the voyce of straungers: he semeth to meane there in to geue vs warnynge do so, that is to wyt, that we shold heare and obay hym, and not other agaynste hym. For who so wyll heare heretyques and not hym, be none of his.

And that the vnccyon and inwarde inspyracion of god, techeth vs and maketh vs perceyue that is very trew. For god inwardly worketh with the will of man walkyng with god, in well vsynge and applyenge conuenyent occasyons

towarde yt outwardely geuen by god. But yt meaneth not [ A] that by and by vppon euery thynge that we heare, we shold wythout consyderacyon geue our selfe to the consent of the tone syde or the toth••r, in mater of eternall deth or euerlas¦tynge lyfe / and thynke that what so euer we forthwyth vn∣aduysely lyste to bylyefe is the vnccyon of the spyryt and in spyracyon of god.* 1.59 For god byddeth vs that we shold not be lyght of bylyefe, nor by and by byleue euery spyryte / but proue the spyrytes whether they be of god. And then yf we be not only symple as douys,* 1.60 but also prudent and wyse as serpentes / his inwarde vnccyon wyll worke wyth our dyly¦gēce / but not yf we be slouthfull, or wyll be willyngely begy¦led, and suffer the deuyll make vs madde folys. And ther∣fore he sayth not byleue at aduenture / but byddeth vs take hede and be well ware, that we be not begyled by false pro∣phetes, [ B] y^• wyll come to vs in such wyse that outwardly they shall seme shepe,* 1.61 and inwardely be rauenouse wolues.

To this wold frere Barns say. For soth dere doughter in the lorde, those wolues be these monkes, and freres, and prestes that be the comen preachers of this carnall chyrch, that they falsely call the catholyque chyrch, whych do tech•• bysyde the scrypture dampuable dremes of men, and make men byleue that dome sacramentes, and ceremonyes, and good workes, sholde do good to the soule: whych false pre¦chers wyth all theyr carnall chyrch that hath now ben this viii. hundred yere ledde out of the ryght way, we new prea¦chers of the very trew chyrche whych is spyrytuall, do now by the worde of god wryten in holy scrypture conuycte and reproue. [ C]

To this were she well lykely to say agayne / veryly fa∣ther Barns here ye bryng me now euen to the very poynt. For syth that the apostles of Cryste begonne that lerned of his owne mouth, & no one man lefte now nor neuer synnes theyr tyme, whome men myght so surely take for an vndou¦ted teacher as them: yt semeth that god hath lefte the sure credēce of doctryne in no one man, but in his whole chyrch. And therfore that man whych agreeth in doctryne with the very chyrche, I maye reken sure that his doctryne is very trew in the necessary exposycyon of scrypture / not for hys owne authoryte of suerty of his person, nor for the suertye that I can haue that his doctryne agreeth well wyth scryp∣ture / for I can not know that but by that I know hym for

[ A] for a trew techer: but for y^• surty that I haue that the doc∣tryne of the hole catholyke very trew chyrch, wyth whiche hys techyng agreeth, can not be false. For yf it myght, then were there no sure trewe chyrch at all / & that must there ne∣des be as all sortes of sectes agre as I here saye. And ther∣fore this trew chyrche beyng knowen, yf you shew me how I may get a techer whose techyng agreeth wyth that / then dare I byleue hym well / & els it wyll be harde for any suche as I am, to thynke with reason that she sholde gyue sure credence to any man, or that she can be by the scripture sure of so many sectes of contrary consterers, which one constre¦weth trewly when all the tother say nay and be all redy to swere that he constreweth false. And therfore good father Barns wyll she say I, lyke it well that ye declare so well at [ B] length which is the very chyrch, bycause we shold not be de¦ceyued with the false prophetes of the fals chyrch, of whom Cryst bode vs take hede & beware. For the very trew chyr∣che onys knowē / we shall as our sauyour sayth yf we take good hede,* 1.62 know these false prophetes by theyr frutes. For loke they n••uer so symplely & speke they neuer so sayntely / yet yf theyr lyuynge or theyr techyng be contrary to the doc¦tryne of the very trew holy chyrch, it is than very trew that theyr frute is rotten & false, and them selfe false prophetes of some false chyrch / & for all theyr shepyshe semblaūce out¦wardly, ryght rauenouse woluys are they within.

And therfore good father Barns I wolde haue wyshed that ye had taken a lytell more payne in declaryng and ma¦kyng open by what meanes the very trew holy chyrch whi¦che [ C] ye do assygne, myghte be perceyued and knowen / to the entent that by the knowlege of her & of her prechers whych must nedes haue credence and be knowen for trew techers, bycause they be membres of her that is trew, and theyr doc¦tryne agr••eth with hers, whom god wyll not suffer to saye dampnably false, we may perceyue & repreue the false pre,+chers o•• all other chyrches. For I am sure good father Ba¦rons, y^• whan ye went about to gyue vs tokens wherby we myght haue some knowledge of this chyrche, ye perceyued well that of necessyte it is a thyng y^• nede were to be knowē for the good that maye folow yf it be knowen, & the harme that wolde ensew yf it remayned vnknowen. For ellys ye wolde haue taken no labour about it, to seke vs out suche tokens by whyche we myghte haue knowledge of it.

And surely me thynketh that the chyefe commodyte

that I can haue of the knowledge of it is thys, that I may [ A] when I knowe her, be lerned and instructed by her, & be su∣rely nuryshed by her in the spyrytuall fode. For holy chyrch is our mother, as ye call her your self / and therfore is it she whych engēdreth vs to god, & which both with mylke and strenger mete, must fede vs & foster vs vp / & none other nu∣ryce is therby whom we can be truely & faythfully brought vp. And therfore yf we myghte not knowe her / we were in daynger eyther to be hūger storuen, or ellys in stede of hol∣some fode to be fed wyth poysen.

But now peraduenture frere Barons wold answere to thys, that it maketh no mater thoughe we knowe not her. It is ••nough that she knowe vs, & come & geue vs good & faythfull fode, and preche truely to vs, though we knowe not that it is she. But vnto this the woman wold I wene [ B] neuer stycke for an answere, but wolde s••ortely tell hym y^t he sayed soth, yf euery man were as a yonge babe y^• lyeth swadeled in a cradle, to whom onely y^• mother myght haue recourse to fede her owne chylde.

But now be we (wolde she saye) suche as be thus farre well warned, y^• not onely our mother holy chyrch is onely she that can & wyll fede vs well, & wyll gladly offer to geue vs good holsom fode / but that also there be a great mayny of other wycked women whyche go about to poysen vs / & whych bycause they know that we be well aduertysed that they so entend, & that onely our mother wyll fede vs well, ech of them laboreth by all the meanys that theyr wyly ma¦lyce can deuyse, to make vs mysse take our mother, & ech of them calleth her selfe our mother, and laboreth to be byle∣ued [ C] / & out of one selfe good ground of holy scrypture, both our very mother bryngeth & offreth vs holsome frute, and these false fayned mothers out of the selfe same grounde of scrypture, by theyr false handelynge b••ynge vs & offer vs poysened frute / & yet so subtylly handeled that it is harde for vs to perceyue eyther by syghte or taste whyche is the good fode and whyche is the poysened, tyll he that taketh it come to hys deth by the infeccyon.

But now yf we maye onys knowe whyche of all these is our very mother, then are we saufe and sure. For thanne are we sure that as all the remanaūt wyl gyue vs no meate but nought / so wyll she gyue vs none but good. and ther∣fore who so loue hys lyfe, wyll take all that she offreth vs / all though it be bytter and soure in taste and not very se∣mely

[ A] in syghte / and refuse all that the tother offer vs, be it neuer so pleasaunt to the eye, nor neuer so delycyous to the mouthe.

And I verely thynke that the thynge standynge in such case, our father in heuyn so myghty, so mercyfull, and so wyse as he is, and so tenderly louynge hys chyldren as he doth, perceyuynge the perell that myghte and muste nedys falle vppon them by the mysse takynge of some suche false malycyouse woman in stede of our very mother, wyll not leue vs in suche case, but that he wyll cause oure very mo∣ther to be well knowen frome all the false counterfetes, to suche as lyste to loke and attende well therto, bothe by to∣kens of her and also tokens of them.

And veryly good father Barons, it semeth that ye sawe thys your selfe full well. For it appereth vppon your wor∣des, [ B] that there is no trew prechour but there as is the very chyrche. For ye shew for a perfayt token of the trew chyrch, that there as is the trewe prechynge, there be alwaye some of the trew chyrch. And ye wryte that thys token is perfayt. Now than / yf where so euer is trewe preachynge, there is alwaye some of the very chyrche / it muste nedes folowe to my pore wytte that am but a woman, that where so euer be none of the very chyrche, there is no tr••we prechynge. And then yf there be no trew prechyng but where there are some of the very chyrch / ye se what nede it is that the very chirch be knowen, to the entent we may be sure where to haue the trewe prechynge / wythout whyche we can neuer ye wote well l••rne the trew fayth, nor truely to be taught to vnd••r∣stand [ C] the scrypture. whyche tyll we do / we be neue•• able to iudge whyche precher of so many co••traryouse expowneth and declareth it ryght.

Now wo••d frere Barns peraduenture answere h••r a••d saye: Therfore haue I shewed you lo by what tok••ns ye maye perceyue where some of the very chyrche be.

But vnto that were she lykely to saye agayn••: 〈…〉〈…〉 father Barons well fauoredly, for so fa••••e as ye 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••ut I wolde as I sayde haue wysshed you ••o haue goo•• ther•••• somwhat ferther / whyche I thynke veryly ye ••olde ••••ue done yf your laysoure wolde haue serued you. For now of your two tokens, y^• tone your self confesseth to ••e but f••ynt & insuffycyēt, y^t is to wyt good wurkes y^t ar•• cōmended 〈◊〉〈◊〉 scrypture / bycause y^• though it be well done •• euery dowt to

deme the beste, yet hypocrysye maye deceyue vs, & make vs [ A] take for a good man & a mēber of the very holy chirch, some false faynynge hypochryte that is a very dede member of some false chyrche, and a lymme of the very deuyll in dede.

And yet ouer thys as well that same vnperfyte token wherby I sholde haue knowledge of the very chyrche, that is to wytte wurkes accordynge to scrypture, as also the to∣ther token that ye call the perfayt token, that is to wyt that in what company so euer I here the worde of god truely preched, that is to wytte the scrypture truely declared wyth out any dampnable dremys of men, there I maye be sure that in that congregacyon be some of the very holy chyrch: bothe these tokens s••rue but for cunnynge folke that are su••••ycyently lerned in the vnderstandynge of the scrypture all redy / and these be they that haue lest nede to knowe the [ B] very chyrche. But none of these tokens can serue suche be∣gynners as I am, that haue nede to know the very chyrch, to ler••e of her the ryght vnderstandynge of the scrypture, bycause she is our very mother as your selfe calleth her. And therfore we haue the nede to knowe her, that we may be bolde to take the fode of doctryne at her hande, bycause we wote wel our very moder wyl gyue vs but good / where we stande ellys in perell of poysenynge, yf by mysse takyng our mother we take the meate of doctryne at the hande of any of those venemouse harlottes, that conterfete ther con∣tenaunce and wolde we sholde take one of theym for oure mother.

And also though the tokens bothe twayne were sure & [ C] perfayt for so farre as they go, that is to wytte though that I were sure in dede that in suche a company be some of the very trewe chyrche: yet syth I can not knowe by them whi¦che persons of that company they be as ye confesse I can not / what sholde thys knowledge auayle me? It may per∣aduenture hynder and hurte me. For yf I dowted lest there were happely no suche trewe membres of the very chyrche in that company / I wolde be the more ware of any thynge that they sholde teche me. But now whyle though I know not who, yet I wene my self that I know well some of them be trewe / I maye percase the more boldely and wyth y^• lesse fere, take that the false shall offer me for the hope I maye haue, that I haue peraduenture by happe fortuned vppon that person that is one of the trewe. For why, to vse dyly∣gence

[ A] and forbere haste, and be ware and byleue not tyll I surely fynde and know the trew / that were by your wordes vtterly vayne. For ye say I shall neuer know them, nor ne∣uer know farther, but that there be some of them.

Now good readers what hath Barons holdyng his he¦resy of his vnknowen chyrche, what hath he to say more to this woman? In good fayth nothyng that wyll be worth a flye. But the womā may sone fynd more yet to say to hym. For she may saye to hym ferther: yet I remember me now father Batons a nother thyng. ye wyll that I shall know y^• chyrch by the trew declaracyon of scripture. But how shall I be sure whyche be the very bokes of scrypture? For you say playnely that the pystle of saynt Iames is not holy scry¦pture, and other men say yes. And ye say that ye can proue [ B] that pystle false by wordes of saynt Poule / and ••hen w••re ye lykele to make me to doute as well of saynt Poule as of saynt Iames. For why shold I better byleue the tone then the tother, whyle they were both Crystes approued apost∣les. For though ye saye that yt was of old douted by some folke whyther that pystle were wryten of saynte Iames or not: yet after that doute moued, the whole chyrche hath fermely byleued yt to be his, without any doute of any man in a thousande yere to gether, tyll wythin this .xx. yere.

And then as ye say now by that peyce, so may there a no¦ther come and saye by a nother peyce / and so go aboute ••o proue euery peyce false by other, where so euer any seme to say any thyng which the wordes of some other part semeth contrary. And then when they shall i•• this wyse cōtende & [ C] stryue theruppon / where as ye say I shall by the trew con∣struccyon of the scrypture perceyue where be some of the ve¦ry trew chyrche: how wyll ye fyrste make me know whych of theym all assygneth me the very trew scrypture.

To this when frere Barons wolde answere and falsely bere her in hande that the pystle of saynte Iames hath ben a••way douted of. And that such bokes as haue ben alway by the whole chyrch taken and accepted for holy scrypture, of those may she be sure that they be holy scrypture / for god geueth his chyrche that gyfte, that yt can trewely dyscerne the wordes of god from the wordes of man: this wyll I wote well frere Barons saye. For this sayth not onely hys olde mayster saynte Austayne, oute of whose rule and rely∣gyon frere Barons is ronne away / but his new mayster al¦so

frere Luther, after whom he rūneth out of relygyon and [ A] out of rule now.

But when Barns wolde answere her so: then wold she sone brynge hym to the bay, and tell hym that the chyrche by whyche she knoweth whych is the scrypture, is not any vnknowen chyrch / but the knowen catholyque chyrche of all crysten nacyons remaynyng in the comen well knowen fayth.

And then syth she may boldely byleue that chyrch in y^• gret point, and lerneth that lessen of none other chyrch but that, whyche is the fyrste lesson of all the fayth, and wheruppon as frere Barons agreeth all the whole remanaunt depen∣deth, syth that by hym there is nothynge any sure trewth but yf yt be wryten in scrypture: she maye therfore wolde she saye take that chyrche for the teacher of all the rema∣naūt [ B] / and hym for a trew techer, whose fayth agreeth wyth that chyrche / and those folke whose fayth is cōtrary to that chyrche, whych shall sone be knowen, for they be forthwith accused and reproued vppon theyr false preachinges herd, them she may and wyll take for the false teachers and false expowners of scrypture, tyll father Barons can geue her better knoweledge of his holy trewe chyrche vnknowen, wherof she is neuer the nere yet:

Lo thus myght a wyse woman that coulde no more but rede englyshe, rebuke and confounde frere Barons vppon the syght of his owne ryall processe, in whych he wold now teache vs to know whyche is the very chyrche.

How be yt to confounde hym, we shall not greatly nede to seke one that can rede. For what hath he to say to a pore [ C] woman that coulde not rede?

If his owne secrete hostesse the good wyfe of the botell of Botolphs warfe, that but yf she be better amended hal∣teth both in body and soule, were in the congregacyon pre∣sent at this cōmenyng / and then wold hympe forth among them and say, by saynt Malkyn father Barons all your to¦kens of the very trew chyrch wyll not stand m•• in the stede of a tauern token nor of a mustarde token neyther. For I may for the tone be sure of a new bakē bune, and for the to∣ther I maye be sure of a pot of mustarde / but for your two tokens of youre holy chyrche, I can not be sure of one fer∣thyng worth of trew doctrine for them both. For how shall I perceyue that any trew members of your holy chyrche in

[ A] onely whom ye say is the trew fayth be present in cōpany, when your tokēs be the trew prechyng of scripture, and the good leuyng after the scrypture / how can I gete any good by those two tokēs when I can not rede at all: what could frere Barons say to his hostesse here? Surely nothynge hath he / but sholde in the ende be fayne to fall to the deste∣ny of goddes eleccyon, and say as he sygnyfyeth and som∣what mutereth in his boke / but then sholde he be fayne to speke yt out and say, that when they come to the prechyng, all those that are electe of god shall be secretely moued and taught inwardely, and shall by the instyncte of the spyryt of god though they know not whether the person be good or no that preacheth, perceyue yet the trewe worde of god vppon the herynge / and shall vnderstande yt as Tyndale [ B] sayth that the egle perceyued her pray. And the tother sor••e whome god hath not chosen, though they heare yt shall not vnderstand yt / but whether the preacher be good or badde, they shallbe neuer the better, nor shall not dyscerne the trew preacher fro the false, but be deceyued by the false and not perceyue the trew for any thynge that they can do. And therfore euery man wyll Barons say that shall be saued, shall attayne the saluacion by the only eleccyon of the lord, wythout any parte of theyr owne deuoyre any thynge do∣ynge therto, lyue they neuer so long. For though that all be called / yet onely those that god hath elected shall be saued / and shall as our sauyour sayth be but a very few. And any thynge that the tone sorte or the tother shall or can worke, [ C] shall neyther helpe towarde nor froward / but eleccyon and desteny shall do all to gether. And here this ancre in cōclusy¦on shall he be fayn to caste out / wyth whych when he wold wene to stay the shepe, he draweth it quyte vnder the water.* 1.63 For I wene his hostesse wolde sone haue sayde som••what therto. For I wote well she is nat ••ong ••ayed, I haue herd her talke my selfe. She wolde I wene therfore haue sayde vnto hym thus mych a•• the leste wyse: why father Barns, when god calleth vppon vs all, and we come to gether at his callyn•• •• my neyghbour & I come both to chyrch with one purp•••••• to lerne the right way to heuen / wold ye make me wene ••••at god were so parcyall, that wythout any dyf∣ference of cause bytwene her and me, I beynge as well wyl¦lenge to lerne to please him as she, that when I haue at his callynge folowed hym so farre as well as she, & wyth some

what more payne to, for I halt ye wote ye wote well / he [ A] wyll for all that I halt make her perceyue y^e trouth and go forth farther wyth hym, tyll he brynge her to heuen •• & leue me styll in darkenesse and ignoraunce, and let me fall into hell, for none other cause but onely for he lyste to chose her, and leue me vnchosen.

If he gaue her more then me for his onely pleasure, I could fynde no faut. But mary syr y^• he wold geue her all & me not onely nothynge, but also condempne me to perpe∣tuall fyre bycause hym selfe wold not cause me to perceyue the trouth / and no cause why he wolde not, but bycause he wolde not chose me, and no cause why he wolde not chose me, but onely bycause he wolde not: in good fayth I take god for so good that I can neuer byleue you therin.

* 1.64yet me thynketh that these comen preachers whom you [ B] dysprayse,* 1.65 say better. For they tell vs that it is in scripture, that god wolde all folke sholde be saued and come to the knowledge of the trouh yf they wyll them self / & that ther∣fore by o••e meane or other he calleth all. But he choseth on¦ly those that will come and here and lerne and do therafter / and who wolde so do, he sawe ere he made them, and ther∣fore euen then chose them.

But for bycause they be but few in respecte of them that wyll not, therfore there are few chosen though many be cal¦led / and not bycause god wyll call all, and thē of those that come & are wyllynge to lerne, wyll cause some to be taught and some not,* 1.66 wythoute other cause or dyfference, but by∣cause hym selfe lyste to chese the tone and refuse the tother / as though yt were an euyll mayster that wolde call many [ C] chyldren to scole, and when he hadde them there, then sette diuerse huyshers vnder hym to teche them, and wold make some whome he fauored causeles / to be taught ryghte, and suffer some whom he hated as causeles to be taught wrōg / and after come and here all theyr lessons him self, and those that haue ben taught ryght make myche of theym and che∣ryshe them bycause they say ryght, and those that haue ben wronge taught, all to chyde theym and bete th••ym bycause they say wronge. In good fayth father Barns I take god for so good, that I can not byleue that he wyll ••o do / but ra¦ther as these comen preachers say, that god hath prouyded suffycyent lernynge for all sortes, of whyche they may be sure yf they wyll come to yt / and also that of suche as come

[ A] and lerne well in dede, yet all do not wel in dede / but by the trew techyng byleue and perceyue the thynges that they shold do, and yet do it not, but do many thynges euyn clene the contrary. And therfore I haue herde them preche,* 1.67 that it is in scrypture that the bonde seruaunt whych knoweth not the wyll of hys lord and do it not, shalbe beten bycause of hys neglygence / but excepte he wyll not knowe it of pur¦pose els he shalbe beten but a lytell. But he which knoweth the wyll of hys lorde and than do it not, shalbe sore beten. And when I herde thys preched, me thoughte it went sore agaynst the doctryne of our brother Tyndale, that sayeth as our owne bretherne reporte in hys answere to syr Tho∣mas More / that whan the wytte perceyueth a thynge, the wyll can not chose but folowe. For that is playne false, yf y^e [ B] scrypture be trew that saith that a man may know the wyll of hys lorde and yet leue it vndone.

And me semeth also y^t the same scrypture maketh mych agaynst our brother Tyndale and our brother Fryth, and agaynst the prechynge of all our euangelycall bretherne cō¦cernyng purgatory. For I dowte not but that many which haue knowen the wyll of the lorde and lefte it vndone, and yet were neuer sore beten therfore in thys lyfe / do yet ere they dye so repente that they escape from hell / and therfore do receyue y^• betynge no where but yf there be a purgatory.

Nor it wyll not helpe that I herde onys one of our bre∣therne answere and saye, that whan he repenteth than he doth the wyll of hys lorde / and therfore shall not be beten at all. For yf that scrypture be as they prech it / thā though [ C] he shall not be beten for that tyme whan he dyd hys lo••des wyll / he shall yet be beten for the tother tymes in whych he lefte hys lordes wyll vndone.

But surely father Barns as I tolde you, me thynketh that these comon prechers say well in that poynt•• that they saye that god hath prouyded suretye of doctryne, that is to saye of trew prechynge the worde of god / and makynge it to be so vnderstanden, as men may be sure that they may voide all dampnable errour yf they wyll, or ellys they were not to be blamed for fallynge in therto.

And they that tell vs that we shalbe dampned but yf we byleue ryght, and than tell vs that we can not knowe that but by the scrypture, and than the scrypture can not be so lerned but of a trew techer, and they tell vs we can not be

sure of a trew techer, and so can not be sure to vnderstand•• [ A] it ryght / and yet saye that god wyll dampne vs for vnder∣standynge it wrong or not vnderstandyng at all: they that thus tell vs, put me in mynde of a tale that they tell of M. Henry Patenson, a man of knowen wysdome in London and almost euery where ellys, which when he wayted onys on hys mayster in the emperours courte at Brugges, and was there sone perceyued vppon the syghte for a man of specyall wytte by hym selfe and vnlyke the comon sorte / they caught a sporte in angryng of hym / and out of dyuers corners hurled at hym suche thynges as angred hym, and hurte hym not. Theruppon he gathered vp good stonys / not gunstonys, but as harde as they / and those he putte a pace into hys bosome, and then stode hym vp vpon a bench and made a proclamacyon alowde that euery man myghte [ B] here hym / in whyche he commaunded euery man vppon theyr owne parellys, to departe except onely those that hor¦led at hym, to thentent that he myghte knowe theym and horle at them agayne and hurte none other body but hys enemyes. For who so euer taryed after hys proclamacyon made / he wolde take hym for one of the horlers or ellys for one of theyr consaylers / and than haue at theyr hedes who so euer they were that wolde abyde. Now was hys procla∣macyon in englysshe and the company that herd hym were suche as vnderstode none / but stode styll and gaped vppon hym and lawghed at hym. And by & by one horled at hym agayne. And anone as he saw that / what horsons quod he ye stande styll euerychone I wene, and not one of you wyll remoue a fote for all my proclamacyō / and therby I se well [ C] ye be horlers or of counsayle with the horlers all the whole maynye of you / and therfore haue at you all agayne. And wyth the worde he hurled a great stone oute at aduenture amonge them / he neyther wyste nor rought at whome / but lyghted vppon a burgonyons hed and brake hys pate that the bloude ranne about hys earys, and mayster Henry bad hym stande to hys harmys hardely / for why wolde he not beware than and gete hym thense bytyme, whan he gaue hym before so fayre courteyse warnynge.

Now good father Barns wolde his haltynge hostesse saye, ye seme ••ow by your tale to make as though god al∣myghty wold vse of a straunge affeccyon the same fashyon that M. Henry vsed of foly / that is to wyt to make vs a pro¦clamacyon

[ A] in suche wyse endyghted, as we can not vnder∣stande it wythout we maye be sure of a trew interpretour / and than gyue some of vs suche as hym lysteth, a secrete priuy knowlege of such one / and all the remanaūt y^t fayne wolde and can not fynde out and know the trew expouner of his proclamaciō, for lacke of that token which he kepeth from them, horle stonys at theyr hedes bycause the fulfyll it not. In good fayth father Barns me thynketh therfore y^t this le••sō y^t ye tech vs herin is a very perilouse plasphemy.

And yet abyde I remember me lo father Barns vppon an other thynge wolde she say, that yf ye brynge all to this poynt in conclusyon, that there is no more but euery man go where he wyll, and here whom he lyste / & alwaye he that is electe shall by the inwarde inspyracion happen vpon the [ B] trewe precher, and the trew prechyng, and the trew know∣ledge of the very worde of god, and the trewe vnderstan∣dyng therof, and onely therby gete heuyn / and all the rema¦naunt for the onely lacke of goddys eleccyon to the getyng wherof them selfe ye saye can nothyng do, shall fayle of all these thynges and fall in contynuall errour, out of whyche they can haue no mene possyble to escape, but therby muste nedes fall into eternall fyre: yf it thus be, ye maye put vp agayn both your tokens into your purse, for any nede that any man hath of them. For they that be sure by the secrete in••pyracyon, that they be truely taught, and therby knowe them self for electes, and so be sure they shalbe saued: what nede they to care whyther any of the very chyrch be in that [ C] congregacyon or not: and on the tother syde, those whose desteny shalbe for lacke of eleccyō to be dampned, and ther∣fore shall not lerne the trouth in the congregacyō be there neuer so many of the very chyrche therin / they lo, to knowe whyther there be any therin or no, can stande theym in no stede at all. And thus father Barns takyng your secrete vn¦knowen spyrytuall chyrche / ye myghte spare all the labour that ye haue hytherto taken in gyuyng vs tokens to know it by, for any stede that your tokens can stande vs in. And therfore yf euer any chyrche here in erthe shall stande vs in any stede towarde any suretye of trew doctryne, as in dede it must yf any man may tell an other how he may be surely caught the trouth: it must nedes be in any wyse some such chyrch as nedes must be knowen for such that a man may be sure to lerne therof.

what wold frere Barns haue answered vnto his hostesse, [ A] yf she had tolde hym this / and that he than hadde sene the tother good wyfe her neyghbour begyn to gape agayn, as she that were yet redy to brynge in some other fawte yet founden ferther in hys tale, as there myghte in good fayth me semeth many be founden, not onely by lerned men but euyn by vnlerned women to, suche fawtes as neyther frere Barons nor all the lerned heretykes of all theyr hundred sectys sholde be well able to voyde / so stronge a thynge is trouth, and so feble a thynge is falsshed, and so hard to be borne out and defended.

But than wold frere Barns haue waxed a lytell warme, and byd them syt styll and holde theyr bable, and tell them that saynt Poule wyst full well what he dyd whan he wold not suffer women to take vppon theym to preche and teche [ B] in the chyrche, nor so mych as aske a questyon amonge the congregacyon / but yf they dowted of any thynge that they wolde lerne, lette them aske it of theyr owne husbandes at home. And so wolde frere Barns byd those wyues do wyth sorow. For yf they myghte be suffered to begyn onys in the congregacyon to fall in dysputynge, those aspen leuys of theyrs wolde neuer leue waggynge.

But thenne wolde the wyfe of the botell haue answered hym agayne quyckely, and tell hy•• that she had alwaye ta¦ken hym for wyser, and wolde haue went he coulde haue taught better. And some sorow wolde she saye haue I had for the fauour of the sectes / and so hath my husband hadde to. And my lorde chauncellour tolde me that I was lytell [ C] better than a bawde, bycause I re••cyued two nonnes in by nyght, y^t Iohn̄ Byrt brought me, otherwyse called Adryan specyally bycause I kepte theym close in an hygh garet in myne house, and suffered two men to ••••sorte vp thyther to them. How be it in good fayth I had prouyded, that yf they lyste to slepe / the two men myght yf they woldly to gyther by them selfe, and lette the non••es alone. For there were .ii. beddes in the garet. But yet as folke be redy to deme the worst, I was wyth some folke takē for halfe a bawde there and all for the furtheraunce of loue bytwene the bretherne and the systerne of theuangelycall secte, me thoughte they were in so good a waye. How be it synne I se now that you father Barns that were onys a doctour can saye no better for it / by our lady I bygyn so to mystrust all the mater, that

[ A] saue for sellynge of myn ale and vtterynge of my chafer to gete a peny by them, I rought nere though thete came ne∣uer none of theym any more wythin my dore,

Now wolde wyth this the tother good honest wyfe of ly¦kelyhed haue resorted agayne vnto her ensample of her ve¦ry mother and of these false wyches / of whyche euery one wolde be taken for her mother to grow fyrste in truste wyth her, and then after poysen her. And then wolde she cōclude: yf yt be father Barons suche an vnknowen thynge whych chyrche is my mother holy chyrche, and then one there is with whome I was cristened and hytherto brought vp / and though I se many thynges in her wh••ch I wold wysh were amended: yet for all y^t she counsayleth me to be good, and she telleth what I muste do yf I wyll be good. How be [ B] yt therin of trouthe all you other chyrches vary wyth her, and tell me she teacheth me wronge. But then so do you al¦so eche of you wyth other, and eche of you telleth me that other teacheth wronge. And she telleth me the scripture pro¦ueth for her parte / and eche of you sayth that the scrypture p••oueth for your owne part, and that she lyeth / and eche of you sayth also that other lyeth / and she sayth that ye lye eue¦rychone. And whyche of you delare the scrypture truely & which vntruely, passeth my capacyte to perceyue But then I se that the scrypture whyche eche of you wold seme to cō∣stre truely, & yet eche contrary to other / you do not so mych as know whyche yt is but by the meane of her. And I se al¦so that all you were ones wyth her, and be fallen at vary∣aunce wyth her, and so be comen from her for angre. And [ C] I se that though she be not so good as I wold she were / yet for angre and enuy synnes ye be come from her, ye my••se re¦porte her in many thynges, & wold make her appere myche worse. And I se also that suche vyces as are well kowen for vyce, whyche ye fynde and rebuke in her, be ••yfe & well knowen in you selfes. And I se also that many suche holy men haue ben brought vppe wyth her, as your self confesse for sayntes / and amonge all your chyrches I neuer herde of any one. And I se also y^e some thyng ye teche amōg you, all most euery one, such as all those holy saintes abhorted & had in abominacyon / as for ensample the weddyng of fre¦res & nūnes. And I se also y^t in our chyrch as bad as we be, yet god contynueth his myracles / and amonge all your chyrches that be gone from oures, he worketh neuer one.

And I se also that eche of your chyrches wold fayne seme [ A] to be the trewe chyrches / for eche of youres affermeth that onely it selfe hath the trouth, and the trew chyrch is yt whi∣che onely chyrche hath the trouthe. And then agayne eche of you seeth his owne parte so feble and so farre vna∣ble to be defended in that poynt, that syth no one chyrch of all yours may be matche to our chyrche out of which ye all came, and then that eche chyrche of yours or all your chyr¦ches to geder beynge eche to other so contraryouse and re∣pugnaunt, shold be the trew chirch, were ye wote well your selfe a thynge more then impossyble: ye be fayne for thys cause to sende vs to an vnknowen chyrche. By whych sen∣dynge, whyle ye wolde wythdrawe me from ours / yet ye cō¦fesse the contrary of all that ye go about. For ye wold seme eche of you to haue the very trouth / and then were you the [ B] trew chyrthe and the sure teachers. But nowe syth ye saye the trew chyrche is vnknowen, and eche of your chyrches is knowen / it appereth by your own tale y^t none of all your chyrches is the trew chyrch. And yf it be not the trew chyrch then hath yt not the trew doctryne whych yt pretēdeth / but is one of y^e false chyrches & hath y^e false doctryne. And ther¦fore yf yt so were in dede, that our chyrch were not the trew chyrche, nor were not my ryghte mother in dede / but that the very chyrche and my very mother were onely some one suche as ye wolde sende me to seke, that is to say some vn∣knowen chyrche: yet father Barons by your owne tale yt were none of all your chyrches. And therfore I were but a fole to leue the knowen catholyque chyrche, whom I haue hytherto taken for my very mother, and come from her to [ C] yours, whych as your selfe cōfesseth is not the trew chyrch, and therfore not my very mother / but that my very mother were one whome ye neyther tell me where I may fynd her, sauynge that ye byd me go seke her / and ye say she is some where abrode in the wylde worlde, whych world is a place to wyde ye wote well for a woman to ouer walke well (and at that worde wolde hympe halt his hostes hoppe forth a∣gayne, and say mary syr that yt were in dede for me) and al¦so yf I wolde wander all aboute to loke her, yet yf I hap∣ped to come in her company, ye tell me no sure marke wher¦by I might well know her, but onely that I shold perceyue her to be there / but I sholde not yet wyt whyche were she, and then were she for me / almoste as good by thense. And

[ A] therfore father Barons, in good fayth tyll ye can tell me a wyser tale of my new mother / I myght thynke my selfe a ••ole, yf for suche a tale as you tell I wold leue of myne old.

And thus are we now good reders wyth these onely wo¦man vsynge no reason but suche as a woman myght fynd, and yet suche as no man maye soyle, comen to a poynte of frere Barns vnperfayt tokens, by whych we may so knowe his chyrche, as we be neuer the nerer for the knowledge of yt, for any knowledge that he geueth vs of yt.

But nowe yf he haue not proued vs his chyrche at all / then is he ye wote well myche ferther of from makynge vs haue any knowledge of her. For he muste make vs fyrste know that suche one there is, byfore he make vs know in what company some of her partes be.

[ B] Now wote ye well that the chyrche whyche he toke vp∣pon hym to proue, muste be a chyrche so clene and so pure wythout spotte or wryncle, that saynt Peter may fynde no faute in her. Nowe where as he goth aboute to proue yt by two meanes / one by the scrypture, and a nother by the do∣ctours of the chyrche: I haue all redy proued you that all the places of scripture that he hath brought in for that pur¦pose, he hath in suche wyse handeled, that whyle he lyueth he may be a shamed therof. For they not onely proue no∣thynge for hym / but also p••oue clere agaynste hym.

And all his places of the doctours of the chyrch that he bringeth in for the proue of that purpose, I haue purposely differred, bycause I wold answere thē to gether laste at all. For syth he taketh in y^e poynt another way then Tyndale [ C] doth, or Fryth, or lightly any other heretike of thē all, in lay¦enge forth for his part holy doctours of y^e chyrch, to make it seme that the olde holy sayntes say for hys parte: I haue thought yt therfore good to examyne them orderly eche af∣ter other / wherby ye shall shortely perceyue that the wordis of those holy doctours do no more proue his purpose, then do the textes that he brought of the scryptures, whyche as I haue proued you clerely proue agaynst hym.

His fyrste authoryte be these wordes of sayntt Austayn in his fyftieth sermone, made vpon the wordes of our lord, sayenge, Of Cryste is y^• chyrch made fayre. Fyrste was she fylthy in synnes, afterward by pardon & grace made fayre. Uppon these wordes saynt Austayne none other meaneth, but that all the beauty of any that is in the chyrche and in

any man of the chyrche cōmeth of god / and that euery man [ A] that is of the chyrche was borne in synne / and that all they whyche fro the Iewes or Gentyles turned to god and cam to the chyrche, hadde byfore lyued in synne, and were ther∣fore fylthy, tyll by the sacrament of baptysme at theyr entre into the chyrche they were purged & clensed fro theyr synne by the grace and pardon of god and the sacrament of bap∣tysme, and after when they be defoyled agayne by synne, they be agayne clensed, purged, and made fayre, by grace and perdon of god and the sacrament of penaūce, and other holy sacramentes takynge theyr effecte, strength, and ver∣tue of Crystes passyon. But he fyndeth not in all that ser∣mon any worde, wherin saynt Austayne sayth, that who so euer is onys clensed and made fayre ys neuer after foule / [ B] nor that as sone as he is by any dedely synne foule, he is by and by no parte of holy chyrche. For holy chyrche is not cal¦led holy, because euery peyce therof is holy otherwyse then the holynesse, but bycause of that holynesse that is in yt be∣syde / of theyr professyon, nor is not called fayre bycause euery parte is fayre, but bycause of such fayrenes as is in it besyde / as there may be some weke parte in a strong bodye, and some sore part ••n a hole body, ye & some dede parte in a quicke body, & some foule part in a fayre body, & some whit parte in a blakke body / & in a good cōpany some naughtye folke. And in such maner spake our sauyoure to his apost∣les, where he sayd, you be clene / not y^t they were al clene / for he forth wyth added vnto yt, but ye be not all clene / mea∣nynge by Iudas the traytoure that was one of them / and [ C] though he was a traytour in his herte,* 1.68 was yet a foule vn∣holy member of that fayre holy chyrche. Lyke as yf a good kynge had in his chekker roule attendyng dayly vp¦pon hym in his housholde dyuerse & many false traytours that went about secretly to betraye hym, all the whyle they be suffered there tyll they be taken for ther treason and put out / they be styll of the courte and of the kynges houshold. And the houshold, all be yt that some wyll say there was a shrewed housholde, bycause yt had suche shrewes in yt / yet was yt for all that a good housholde, bycause yt had good besyde.

Aud lykewyse as in the whole world, the varyete of good partes & bad, geueth a beauty to y^e whole / so in the chyrche of Cryste hym selfe seeth how the foule partes do sette oute

[ A] the fayre, & rather bewtyfye then blemmyshe the goodlynes of the whole. And though the chyrche be of some foulke cal¦led fowle,* 1.69 for those persons that are by dedely synne fowle therin / as the euangelyste sayde that the dyscyples murmu¦red at the losse of the oyntement wherat none of them mur∣mured but one: so is she fayre for all that in dede by the fayrenesse that is in her, bothe by reason of Chryst her glo∣ryouse hed, and of many other fayre membres that are euer in her, and by reason of the goodly composycyon and cūly temperature of the whole body. For whyche cause the chyr¦che maye well saye of it selfe, the wordes that she speketh in the cantycles:* 1.70 I am blacke•• but yet am I bewtyfull. ye and though there be mo fowle thā fayre therin, by reason wher∣of after the comon vse it myghte be called fowle and not [ B] fayre / as a man of Inde is called blacke for all hys whyte tethe: yet is it otherwyse here, for the tother special causes. The tone for that be it neuer so vnholy in lyuynge, it is cal¦led holy for that it hath holy professyon, wherby it is dedy∣cated vnto Chryst. The secunde•• that there is in thys world none holy that goth to any other chyrche out of it, or that wyll not be of it. The thyrde cause is, for that the holynesse that is in it be there neuer so few holy therin, is farre fayrer and holyer, and more plesaunt in the syght of god, than the fowlenesse and vnholynesse of all that are fowle & vnholy therin / specyally for the bewtye and holynesse of the very cheyfe & pryncypall hed therof our sauyour Cryst hym self.

And therfore as I saye, these wordes of saynt Austayne [ C] menyng none other wyse by them thā saynt Austayn ment in them, make no thynge in thys worlde for frere Barons chyrch that is as he sayth so fayre that it hath neyther spot therin nor wryncle / for that sayth not saynt Austayne. And therfore thys place of saynte Austayne no thynge helpeth hym / but by other places of saynt Austayne whych I shall brynge you forth after, ye shall se the mynde of saynte Au∣stayne so playnely declared in thys poynt agaynste frere Barns, y^t frere Barns shall be as wery of saynte Austayns wordes, as euer he was wery of saynte Austayns wurkes / for werynes wherof he ronne out of saynte Austayns rule.

But fyrste shall I peruse those other places of saynt Au¦stayne whych frere Barns bryngeth in hym selfe. The next place of saynt Austayne that he bryngeth in is thys.

Barons.

The holy chyrche are we / but I do not saye we as one sholde saye we that

••e here alonely that heare me now, but as many as be here faythfull chryste∣ned [ A] men in thys chyrche, that is to saye in this citye, as many as be in thys regyon, as many as be beyonde the see, as many as be in all the whole worlde (for fr••m the ••ysynge of the sonne tyll the goynge downe is the name of god prayse••) so is the holy chyrche our mother.

More.

Now good readers, thys texte of saynt Austayne hath frere Barns alledged to be in his sermone .99. that he made de t••mpore / in whyche sermon I fynde it not. And leste there myghte haue ben some ouersyghte, eyther in hym self or in the prenter, by mysse wrytynge or by mysse prentyng those fygurs of algorysme, bycause the fygure of .9. & the fygure of .6. be all in maner one yf they be contrary turned: I as∣sayed them therfore euery way / and sought & red ouer not [ B] onely .99. sermon whyche he assygneth, but also .96.69. and 66 / and I fynde his texte in none of all those places / and thā to go seke tohse wordes thorowout all saynt Austayns wurkes, were a great longe besynesse. For surely it semeth that the man hath alledged hys texte in a wronge place, of purpose bycause he wolde not haue it founden, for some thynge that hym self seeth of lykelyhed in the same sermon that wolde marre all hys mater. wherfore tyll it happen me to fynde the place by chaunce in redynge of saynte Au∣stayns wurkes / we wyll take the wordes onely whych hym selfe reherseth / & than proue they no pyece of hys purpose agaynst the knowen catholyke chyrche. For saynt Austayn doth in those wordes no thyng ellys, but shew y^t the chyrch is not restrayned vnto any one coūtre, as those heretykes [ C] held whyche were called the Donatystes, whyche sayde the very chyrche was onely in Affryque, & was by god prouy∣ded to rest there & sprede no ferther abrode / & for the defence of theyr frantyke heresye, dyd as frere Barns & these other heretykes do now, bryng forth certayn wordes of scripture cōstrewed after theyr owne folysh fantasye. But saynt Au∣stayne as I say sheweth in those wordes, that the chyrch is the catholyke chyrch, y^t is to say the vniuersall multytude of all trew chrystē people & all faythfull chrysten nacyons where so euer they be thorow the worlde. Now good reder what maketh thys for frere Barons purpose in profe of hys vnknowen chyrche, agaynste the k••owen catholyque chyrche? well he woteth hym sel••e that the knowen catho∣lyke chyrch, doth not say y^t the chirch is nor can be but ī one cūtrey / but he well knoweth that by the knowen catholyke

[ A] chyrche, that false heresye of the Donatystes is as fully cō∣dempned as are these other false heresyes of hys.

yes sayth Barns / for here ye maye se lo, y^t neyther pope nor cardynall be no more of thys chyrche than the poreste man in erth. why who sayed hym euer naye therof? But what is that to the purpose? for as a pore man is as well of the chyrche as is the pope / so is a cordener as well an en∣glysshe man or a frenche man, as is the kynge of eyther other cuntre. But yet lyke as reason wyl not agre, that the cordener in hys cuntre bere as myche rule as the kynge: so wyll it not agre wyth reason, that euery man in the chyrche bere as mych rule as the pope / whom frere Barons dothe hym self here in this same processe of the chirch knowledge and confesse for Chrystes vicar in the chyrche.

[ B] And therfore it is all besyde the purpose that he runneth forth styll in thys purpose, and alledgeth these wordes of Lyranus. The chyrche doth not stande in men by the reason of spyryt: all power or secular dygnyte / for many prynces and many popys and other inferior persons haue swarued fro the fayth. wherfore that chyrche doth stan••e in th••se persons, in whom is the trewe knowledge and confessy••n of fayth and veryte.

These wordes of Lyre hath Barns alledged to be wry∣ten in his exposycyō vpō y^e .xix. chapiter of saynt Mathew. But I haue loked ouer Lyre vppon all that chapyter / and there fynde I no suche sayenge. And therfore of lykelyhed Barns playeth here wyth Lyre, as he playeth wyth saynte Austayn in the place that he alledged before / that is to wyt alledgeth it in a wronge place, bycause he wolde not haue it founde for fere of some thynge that wolde appere vppon [ C] the place redde and consydered.

But vppon these wordes of Lyre, he maketh a greate exclamacyon and cryeth out. Oh my lordes what wyl•• ye say to Lyr•• I haue great meruayle that you burne hym not. It is hyghe tyme to condem••ne hym for an heretyke. For he speketh agaynste your law. 24. Q••ua s••••n•• prima Quodcun{que}, where as your glose declareth that god suffereth not the Rome c••i••¦che to erre / and Lyra sayth playne that many popys haue erre••, and a••so that the chirch stādeth not in dygnite but in cōsessyō of Cryst & o•• his bles••ed verite.

Barns wold here seme lo to haue foundē a great thyng in Lyre his worde. But in good fayth I fynde nothynge here in Barons owne wordes but hys owne dowble foly. Fyrste he sayeth Lyre condempneth the lawe / and than he sheweth that he speketh not agaynste the lawe but agaynst a glose. Is n••t that worde wysely proued?

Then se yet how wysely he proueth that Lyre reproueth [ A] the glose, he sayth that y^e glose sayth that god suffereth not the chyrche of Rome to erre, and Lyre sayeth playne that many popes haue erred. And what than? Lyre ••ayth not y^t the chyrch of Rome hath erred, nor Lyre sayth not that the pope of Rome is the whole chyrche of Rome / no more than the bysshoppe of London is the whole chyrche of London, or the archebysshoppe of Canterbery the whole chyrche of the prouynce.

Now where Lyra sayth that the chyrche standeth not in the dygnyte, but in the confessyon of Cryste and hys bles¦sed veryte: what sayth he other then all the hole catholyke chyrche agreeth / not onely the good folke but the noughty to as many as any wytte haue to perceyue the thing. Lyke as a cytye and a realme standeth not so mych by the dygny∣tye [ B] of the rulers, as it standeth by wysdome, good order, true dealynge, and iustyce. But yet as these thynges wold fayle in a cytye and in a realm••, yf there were no rulers to se them kepte / ye and the rulers beynge of a ryghte seconde sorte, yet wolde the people be myche worse yf they were all wythout. And the people is therfore boūden to obay them, and not euery lewde felow to ieste and rayle vppon them: so is it in the whole chyrche also. And therfore no man fyn∣deth any fawte wyth Lyra, neyther to burne hym nor to be angry wyth hym / but euery good man hathe good cause bothe to be angry and to burne vppe to, suche pestylent se∣dycyouse persons as not onely by iestynge, raylynge, and bylinge all those that are in dygnyte, prouoke to rebellyon the people that sholde obaye them / but also vnder pretexte [ C] of techynge the trewe fayth, laboure to destroye the trewe fayth, and infecte good chrysten peple wyth false poysened heresyes. And amonge all those, one of the very wurst sort, and wheruppon all the remanaunt are in a maner byelded, wolde vnder colour of berynge fauour to the good vertu∣ouse people that are in the chyrche, make men byleue that the whole chyrche wherof those good men be part, were not the chyrche in dede, bycause they wolde haue it vnknowen that men myghte haue no suretye of any trewe doctryne, but that heresyes myghte passe vncontrolled, whyle euery lewd felow myght constre the scrypture as hym selfe lyste, & no chyrche prouyded of god, to controlle hym and iudge who constrewed wronge, & by whyche chyrche men myghte

[ A] be sure of the necessary trouth.

And yet to make yt the more vncertayne and the more vnsure / Barons bryngeth the chyrch here in erthe to that kynde of goodnes, that except suche as be new crystened or very yonge, and yet scante they eyther, whyche be not yet ye wote well very mete to be made preachers: ellys saynte Austayne whome Barons bryngeth for hym, sayth playne agaynste hym, that there is in erthe no suche / as I shall a none by his playne wordes proue you.

But fyrst for the place of saynte Austayne whych of Ba¦rons bryngyng in I laste rehersed you / ye se that saynt Au¦stayne sayth in them no more, but that the chyrche was not onely the crysten people present at his sermone, nor onely those crysten peple & were in that citye, nor onely those that [ B] were in Afryke, but also all the faythfull crystē people that were in the worlde besyde. In whyche wordes he sayth so litle for frere Barns purpose, that I which dispute agaynst hym, say the same thynge my selfe, that all crysten nacyōs professyng the trew fayth of Cryst, that is to say the comen catholyke fayth wherin the knowen catholyque chyrch a∣greeth, be the very holy chyrche of Cryste here in erth, and make amonge them the comen knowen catholique chyrch / of whyche the very good men are parte, and are all called the faythfull people of Cryste, bycause of the vnyte of the trew fayth of Cryste. In whyche as for the necessary poyn¦tes this whole corps agreeth wythout contradyccyon and repugnaunce bothe good people and badde. And therfo••e [ C] are they called all by that name, to make a distynccyon and seueraunce betwene that one catholyque chyrche of one by¦lyefe and fayth on the tone parte, and all myscreaunt pay∣nyms, all false Iewes, all false heretyques, and all sedy∣cyouse scysmatyques vppon the tother parte: of all whych as no secte agreeth wyth other / so do they all impugne the trew fayth of the knowen catholyque chyrch / in whych and of whyche be also all the vnknowen good vertuouse peo∣ple, that haue trew cheryte with theyr fayth. But saynt Au¦stayne meaneth not, that lyke as all the chyrch be faythfull, that is to say agreynge to gether in the trew bylyef, so they be all the mayny vertuouse in all poyntes bysyde / and spe∣cyally so fully vertuouse and holy•• as holy frere Barons appoynteth pure and clene wythout spot or wryncle.

For lettynge other places of saynte Austayne alone for

the whyle / loke but vppon this place onely that we be in [ A] hand wyth all / whyche yf I myghte fynde ones in his pro∣per place, I sholde I wene se farther thynges therin. But now consider no more for our purpose agaynst Barns, but euyn the begynnynge of saynte Austayne wordes as Ba∣rons bryngeth them in hym selfe. Lo thus he begynneth. The holy chyrche are we / but I do not say we as one sholde say we that be here all onely, but as many as be faythfull Chrysten men in this chyrche &c. How thynke you good reders. Dothe saynt Austayne here meane by faythfull Crysten, no mo but onely suche as this faythlesse frere assygneth / that is onely those that are not onely faythfull in the byleuynge the necessarye poyntes of the crysten fayth, but that were in theyr soule also bysyde so thorowly pure and clene, that they hadde not so myche [ B] as eyther spot or wryncle in theym. As though saynte Au∣stayne wolde say to his audiēce in his sermon in this wyse: wyll ye know good crysten people who be trewe members of holy chyrche. That shall I shortely shew you lo. Not euery body that byleueth ryght / but we, that is to say you and I that not onely byleue ryght, but also be holy pure & clene wythoute eyther spot or wryncle.

But yet when I say we be the chyrch: I meane not you & I only, as though there were no mo of the chyrch but my selfe and such other of you, as beynge at my sermon be such holy men as I am / but also all suche other as be so pure and clene wythout spot or wryncle, as you & I be, where so euer they be, eyther in this towne or in this countrey, or el∣les where in all this wyde worlde. [ C]

Lo good reders / yf saynt Austayne ment as Barns ma¦keth, that in this worde faythfull crysten folke makynge the whole chyrche, he ment not all crysten people that agre in professyon of fayth wyth the whole corps of crystendom, but onely suche as besydes the profession of the trew fayth, were also so holy, pure, and clene, that they neyther haue spot nor wryncle: then were this tale in effe••te as I haue rehersed you, that he called hym selfe suche a perfyte holy man / whych worde I wene neuer man herde of his mouth.

For there is no crysten man, but he may and muste pro∣fesse of hym selfe, that he byleueth ryght and hath the trew fayth. But there be not I suppose many good holy men, that wyll say of them selfe, that they be holy, pure, & clene, and specyally wythout spot or wryncle. And therfore yt ap¦pereth

[ A] well, that this worde faythfull crysten folke, is not alway taken and ment by hym that speketh yt, for onely pure and clene holy men. And so those wordes of saynt Au¦stayne nothynge make for frere Barons.

And therfore ye maye se that in lykewyse doth Barons mysse take the glose that he alledgeth dis. 24. A recta / which sayth that the chyrch whych can not erre, is ecclesia omniū fidelium, that is to say the chyrche of all faythfull folke. whyche wordes frere Barons taketh, as though the wry∣ter there by these worde (all faythfull men) hadde ment no mo but all suche as were not onely trew byleuers, but also suche as were so pure and clene that they neyther had spot nor wryncle. But the wryter of that glose meneth nothyng so / but meaneth as saynt Austayne ment in his wordes by¦fore [ B] rehersed, callynge all faythfull folke, all cristen p••ople all the crysten nacyons •• all the whole corps and body of the catholyque chyrche, that agaynste paynyms, Iewes, here∣tyques, and scysmatykes, agree in the professyon of the co∣men crysten fayth, both in the poyntes of bylyef / and in the rules of lyuynge / though theyr lyuyng haue in dede many spottes, and many blottes, and many wrythen wryncles a∣gaynste the rules whyche they professe, and whyche they knowledge and confesse them selfe bounden to kepe. And that the glose there meaneth of our knowē catholike chy••ch as I saye, and not of any vnknowen chyrche as Barons wolde haue yt seme: euery man may perceue that can and wyll consyder well the place. For in that glose his purpose is no more, but to shew that there is more suerty of doctrine [ C] in the consent of the whole chyrch, that is to wyt the whole corps of crystendome to gether, then in the chyrch of Rome alone. And therfore that glose can nothyng serue frere Ba¦rons / but yt vtterly destroyeth frere Barons false glosyng of saynte Austaynes wordes, & openeth well vnto vs what thynge saynte Austayne ment in this worde, all faythfull men. For surely neyther saynte Austayne nor that glose, ment by these wordes omniū fidelium, men clene and pure wythout any spotte or wryncles, no more then doth euery man that prayeth pro omnibus fidelibus, that god maye make theym all good men / or pro animabus omniū fideliū defunctorum, that yt may please god to bryng them to he∣uen all such as are in the paynfull way thether warde / men do not meane in the prayours onely such faytfull folke as

neyther haue spotte nor wryncle of synne. [ A]

Now where that the glose sayth, there muste nedes be suche a chyrch so say I to. For I say playnly that y^e chyrch muste nedes be. For all the deuylles in hell, nor all theyr in¦strumentes vpon erth, shall neuer be able to destroy yt, but pull they neuer so many from yt, & leue they the remanaūt neuer so few: yet shall the remanaunt alway be the chyrch, and a well knowen chyrche, to byelded vppon that hygh mountayne, that is to wyt vppon Cryst, that yt shall alway be syghtely & can not be hydde. For as our sauyour sayth: The cytye that is set vppon a mountayne can not be hyd / meanynge that his chyrche shold be well sene, and his trew fayth well knowen / and not that his chyrche in whych hys fayth sholde contynue, and in whyche & of whyche yt shold be lerned, sholde be suche an vnknowen thynge as they [ B] that wolde lerne: coulde neyther wote where to fynde yt, nor of whome to aske for yt, nor so myche as know yt yf yt fortuned them to fall vppon yt by happe, as frere Barons wolde here brynge yt to.

Also the tother glose that Barons bryngeth forth, De pene dis. 2. Si, that sayth, The whole chyrche can not erre: what maketh that glose for Barons? He speketh agaynste Barons. For Barons sayth that his owne chyrche whyche hym selfe assygneth, though she can not erre whyle she cle∣ueth to her spouse / yet she may leue hym and fall from him, and then erre. And so this glose that Barns bryngeth, saith clere agaynst hym / how be yt no more then he semeth to do hym selfe. For yf yt be trew that he sayth of his chyrch that she may fall from god and not heare her husband, and then [ C] therby erre: then is yt false that he sayth in a nother place, that there muste nedes be suche a chyrche as can not erre / whyche thynge he wolde proue by this glose of the lawe that saith, The whole chyrch can not erre. And yet ye se wel that this glose takyng yt after the beste fashyon for it, saith not as Barons sayeth, that the very chyrche is no mo but that very secrete sorte of faythfull folke that be wythout a∣ny errour, and y^• be pure & clene wythoute spot or wryncle / but he sayth that the whole chyrch that is to wit the knowē catholyque chyrche, can not all erre / but that though that god wold suffer some partis or mēbers of his chyrch to erre, yet he will not suffer the whole corps or body of hys chyrch to erre. This maketh playne agaynste Barons, that bryn∣geth

[ A] it forth. For it affermeth that the trewth alwaye re∣mayneth in the knowen catholyke chyrche / for of y^e knowē chyrche he speketh there.

I can not therfore meruayle inough of Barns in bryn∣gyng forth these gloses for him, that make so clere agaynst hym / and than to se him so boldely say therupon, These wordes be playne what chyrche it is that can not erre. As though these gloses had sayd as he sayth, y^t the chyrch which cā not erre is onely the vnknowē chyrch of folke pure & clene without any spot or wryncle / of which thynges neyther nother glose speketh one worde. And yet where Barns sayth: These wordes of these gloses be playne: as playne as he maketh them of them selfe / yet hath hym selfe made a playne chaūge of one worde in the tone of them, to make it seme the more playne [ B] for hym. For where he reherseth the glose by these wordes: The hole chyrch can not erre / this worde erre is not there / but the very wordes be, The whole chyrche can not fayle. Than be not ye wote well those wordes erre & fayle, precy∣sely & playnely both one, neyther in wrytyng nor in voyce, nor yet in sygnyfycacyon / no more than the two laten wor∣des errat and deficit. For a man may fayle & yet not erre. As he that doth auowtry & woteth wel he doth nought / he fayleth and falleth from god, & yet erreth he not in fayth.

A man maye also erre & yet not fayle nor fall awaye fro god / syth euery errour is not dampnable, As a man myght erre and not fayle nor fall fro god therby nor be dampned therfore / as Iacob dyd in wenyng that Lya had bene Ra∣chell / or as hys father Isaac dyd in wenynge that Iacob [ C] had ben Esau.

But I say not thys, for that I care mych for his chaūge But I mene that I wolde not haue hym come forth and make such great bostes of the playnesse of the wordes, whā he hath hym selfe made a chaunge in them, to make theym seme the more playne for hym / and whan the wordes for all hys playne chaunge, make yet so playne agaynste hym.

But veryly me thynketh that in one thynge he vseth no good honeste fashyon, in that he sayth fyrste: Thys maye be pro¦ued by our owne lawe, whose wordes be these: the whole chyrche can not er••e. Also in an other place. The congregacyon of faythfull folke muste nedes be which also can not erre.

All they that rede these wordes of Barns in englysshe, he maketh th••••m wene that the wordes whyche he reher∣seth

for hys purpose, were the wordes of the very lawe it [ A] selfe, but then are they in dede no wordes of the lawe•• but of certayne gloses that other men haue made vppon the law. And thys hym selfe confesseth in the mergent of hys boke. But that he doth in laten / lettynge them that vnder∣stande no laten wene styll that ••t were the very lawes. why doth he boste that he wyll pr••ue it by the very lawes / & than in stede of the lawes, brynge vs forth but gloses.

Hys quotacyō is in the mergyn in thys maner. De pene. dis. 2. Si in glossa. For these wordes, The whole chyrche can not erre. And than for the tother wordes, that is, The congregacyon of faythfull men must nedes be, whych also can not erre / his quotacyō is in the mer∣gent thus .24. que. 1. A recta et in glossa. So that he wold we sholl wene that at the leste wyse those wordes were bothe in the texte and in the glose. [ B]

But now who so loke vpon these two lawys, shall soone se that the cause why he dyd not, was bycause he durste not. For the law .24. que. 1. A recta, speketh clere agaynste hym. For that law sayth no thynge ellys, but that the very trew fayth wythout errour, hath bene euer preserued in the see apostolyke / and as the lawe calleth it there, the mother of all chyrches the chyrche of Rome. And therfore thys lawe ye se wel was not for hys purpose to brynge in / but in stede of the law he layeth vs forth a pache of the glose.

Now the tother law de pene. dis. 2. Si / that law durst he not brynge forth for fere of angeryng hys euangelycall bro¦ther Tyndale. For that lawe is the wordes of holy saynte Hierom / wherin he confuteth at great length, those herety∣kes that than helde the selfe same heresyes that Tyndale [ C] holdeth now, that they which be onys borne of god can ne∣uer after synne. And the tother, that he which after his bap¦tysme doth onys any dedely synne, shall neuer gete forgy∣uenes after. These two deuelysshe heresyes which Tyn¦dale hath now begon agayn in hys false exposycyon of the fyrst pystle of saynt Iohn̄ which false exposycyon of hys I haue before cōfuted in my fourth boke: holy saynt Hierom doth at good length openly confute, in the wordes whiche are there by Graciane incorporate in the decrees. whiche wordes yf my selfe hadde remembred in tyme / I wolde haue broughte theym in, in the stede of myne owne, and wolde peraduenture haue lefte myne owne out for theym. For there sayeth saynte Hierome the selfe same thynges

[ A] agaynst those other heretykes of old, y^t I say there agaynst thys new / and (as he better coulde) sayth them farre better thā euer I shalbe able / as I wold make you sone perceyue yf I coulde in translatynge hys wordes into our englyshe tong, gyue it the quyknesse and strength that he gyueth it in the laten.

But as I sayd, thys lawe durste not frere Barns bryng in for fere of Tyndale, whyche wolde for hurtynge of hys heresyes haue founden hym braulynge inough for all hys lyfe after. But Barns wyll I warraunt you gyue hym no suche occasyon of dyspleasure.

Now yf Barons answere me, that he hadde no cause to bryng in any of both those lawes, syth they made no thyng for hys purpose but the gloses onely: I shall tell hym a∣gayne, [ B] that than he sholde not haue sayed it that he wolde proue hys purpose by the lawes, but by the gloses onely. And I say also that than he shold haue lefte out the gloses to. For as the lawes proue not hys purpose, no more do the gloses neyther, as I haue clerely declared you.

And yet whan he hath handeled hym self so falsely, and yet so folyshly therwyth in the alledgynge of these lawes, that yf he hadde any sparke of shame lefte in hys body, he myghte not well loke any man in the face for fere that these hys false folyes were espyed: it is now a worlde to se wyth what a corage and boldenesse he bosteth and reioyceth, and what a ioye he maketh, as he were euyn made a kynge by the fyndynge of a bene in a chrystmas cake. For now he cal¦leth hys lordes about hym and sayth, Now my lordes gather you [ C] all to gyther wyth all the lawes that ye can make, and all the holynesse that you can deuyse, and crye, the chyrche, the chyrche, and the counse••s, the coun∣sels that were lawfully gathered in the power of the holy goste (all thys may you saye and yet lye) And yf you haue not in dede the holy goste within you, and yf you do heare any other voyce than Chrystes / than are you not of the chyrche but of the deuyll, and theuys and murtherers as Chryste sayth. For you come afore hym / that is you come into the foulde of Chryst wythout hym you brynge not his voyce / but you come with your owne voyce, with youre owne statutes, wyth your owne worde, and with your owne ••andamus, man¦damus, praecipimus, praecipimus, excommunicamus, excōmunicamus. These be the voyces of murtherers and theuys and not of Chryste. Therfore you can not but erre. For you be not taught of god / you haue not the holy oyntemente, you haue not the worde of god for you / you here not the voyce of the trewe sheaperd. Therfore must you nedes erre in all your counselles.

what grounde or colour of grounde hath he to reigne so [ A] lordely and rayle so ryally vppon all the lawes? May he so boldely sette them all at nought, bycause hym selfe hath so falsely bylyed twayne, and so folyshely handeled theyr glo∣ses. No Sowdan in a stage play may make mo braggyng bostys, nor ronne out in mo frantike ragys, than may frere frātyke Barns yf he take thys for reason. For here speking of lawes, and layeng but the gloses / and the lawes agaynst hym, and hys gloses nothynge for hym: yet as though all the worlde were hys, he falleth forth in a rage agaynste all lawys, and all generall counsayles / and sayth, They haue not the voyce of god with them / but they muste nedes erre in all theyr counsayles, by cause they say mandamus, mandamus, praecipimus, praecipimus, excommunica¦mus, excommunicamus. For he sayth that these wordes be the voy¦ces of murtherers and theuys and not of Cryste. [ B]

Thys felow cometh forth wyth a prowde face vpon all the worlde, whan he wolde by his pryncely authoryte more than an imperyall maiestye, proclayme all men for murde∣rers and theuys, that dare be so bolde as to vse any of these wordes mandamus, precipimus, or excōmunicamus. These wordes I se not sent out by murtherers nor theuys, but by prynces and rulers agaynst murderers and theuys and agaynst all other vycyouse and mysse ruled persons, and amonge other agaynste vngraciouse heretykes, which is all thys mannys gryefe.

And that these wordes of cōmaundynge haue bene vsed by folke somwhat better then theuys and murderers, may appere by the scrypture it selfe. For the holy eu••ngelyste [ C] saynt Marke sayeth of our sauyour thus: He commaun∣ded hys apostles that they sholl cary no thynge wyth them as they went by the waye. And saynt Poule wryteth vnto the Thessalonyes in thys wyse: O my bretherne, I truste in god of yow that ye kepe and wyll kepe all thynges that I haue commaunded you. And agayne to Timothe thus he sayth: I commaunde the before god &c.

And thus frere Barns maye se, that the wordes of com∣maundynge, be not alwaye the voyce of murderers and theuys.

But all the greate gryefe of thys mater is in excommu∣nicamus. For that worde wolde frere Barns haue dāpned. But yet muste he consyder that saynt Poule hym selfe vsed eyther that same worde or some other in the language that

[ A] he spake, when he dyd excommunycate and accurse Hymi∣neus and Alexāder, and bytoke them to the deuyll to teche them to leue theyr blasphemy, suche as these heretyques vse now, and yet peraduenture lesse / for greater yt coulde not be.

Saynte Poule also commaunded the Corynthies, that they shold excōmunicate and accurse oute of theyr cōpany,* 1.71 that incestuouse lecherour that had abused his own faders wyfe. For thus he sayth in the fyrst pystle to the Corynthies Trewly I beynge absent in body but yet present in spyryt, haue all redy determined as though I were present, of him that hath thus done, when you are gathered to gether and my spyryte in the name of our lorde Iesu Cryste, in vertue of oure lorde Iesu, delyuere hym to the deuyll for the pu∣nyshement [ B] of the fleshe, that the spyryt may be saued in the day of our lorde Iesu Cryste.

God also dyd accurse and excommunycate Lucyfer and all his proude felowes out of heuen.* 1.72 But bycause there ne∣ded no voyce in that / therfore wyll frere Barons saye that there was none excōmunicamus. But yet at the daye of iu∣gemēt, our sauyour shall say to them that wyll do no good workes, but wene by frere Barns doctrine that onely fayth sholde saue them / to them shall he say: Go ye cursed wre∣ches into euerlastynge fyre, whyche is prepared for the deuyll and his angelis. Here shall our sauyour hym selfe vse an excomunicamus / from whyche I pray god for hys mercy so mende frere Barons and me bothe, that we fall not in it. For that is a sorer excōmunicamus then any man [ C] vseth now / wherwyth many shalbe murdered in soule, not by any crueltye vpon his parte, but by iustice thorow theyr own dedes. And therfore excōmunicamus is not the voyce of onely murderers and theuys, as frere Barns maketh it.

But surely good reders ye must pardon hym. For yt ap¦reth that the man was in a sore fyt of a fury, when he fell in to this rage / the fumes wherof ascended so hote vp to hys hed, that he raued and wyste nere what he sayde. And in that dysease he can not tell how myche harme he doth hym selfe, wyth lettynge his crowne grow so. For his heere ke∣peth his hed to hote. It were more nede in suche a fyt of fu∣ry, for fete of bredynge some impostume in his brayne, to poll his hed of euery whyt, and let yt lye bare, and lay there to refrigerans Galen••, tende yt well wyth oxirodanon.

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Here ye se that in this hete he sayeth all the counsayles [ A] muste erre. How be yt in a nother place at such tyme as his fyt was not so sore vpon hym, he sayth no more but that all the coūsayles may erre / bycause that though there be some good men in yt, yet the whole assemble doth but represent the chyrche, and all the whole catholyke chyrch is not there in dede. For thus he sayth, ••ather all your c••••••sayles to gether, and yet of them c••n ye not make holy chyrche. But peraduen••ure there may b•• ma∣ny in your c••••••sayles good a••d perfyte men and of holy chyrche. But they and you to gether make us•• the v••yuersall holy chyrche that can not erre. And in a nother place Barns sayth, It can not helpe to say that the counsayll can not erre, bycause that Cryst dyd pray for his chyrch that her fayth shold not fayle. For I answere to 〈◊〉〈◊〉, that though the generall cou••sayle do represent the hole vnyuersall chyrch, ••euerthelesse in very dede there is not the very vnyuer∣sall chyrch but representatiue. ••or the vnyuersall chyrch standeth in the eleccion [ B] of all faithfull men. And all faitfull mē of the world make the vnyuersall chirch, whose hed and spouse is Crys••e Iesus. And the pope i•• but the vycare of Chryste, and not the very hed of the chyrche. Thys is the chyrche that can not erre &c.

By these swordes of his ye maye good reders perceyue two thynges. One that there shall neuer generall coūsayll (be yt neuer so great and be yt neuer full) haue any full cre¦dence or ••ny great authoryte wyth frere Barons, in any thynge that shalbe there concluded, yf any one man, ye or woman eyther, of all the whole catholyque chyrche though the chyrch were now all the whole world, were absent from the treatynge therof.

Now this poynte ye wote well wolde sone be ••ased / no more but the counsayle house yf yt be happely somwhat to lytle, let make yt in goddes name so mych the larger. For [ C] other let I can se none. For as for commynge to gether frō all coūtreys to y^• generall coūsayle, frere Barns seeth well that may be done well inough. For why not as well as fre∣res from all places to a generall chapyter? And as for rob∣bynge of any mānys house whyle he were from home, were a thynge out of fere. For whyle they must come all the may¦ny man, woman, & chyld / who shall tary behynde to robbe his neyghbours house? And to put doutes that some shall peraduenture be syke and may not come / this were but fyn¦dynge of a knotte in a ryshe. For come they muste whyther they may or no. For ellis is there not y^• coūsaile of the whole chyrch, and then may yt err••, and therfore wyll not Barns byleue yt.

[ A] Now as for vyctuales / they may prouyde at home and brynge wyth them in bagges and botelles, euery man for thre dayes at the leste, as the scottes do for a skyrmyshe.

The tother poynt is, that ye may se by these wordis•• that yf all the whole chyrche were at the counsayle / then wolde frere Barons agre that yt coulde not erre / and so wolde he therfore geue vndouted credence therunto, and byleue that suche a generall counsayle coulde not be damnably decey∣ued in the construccyon of scrypture.

Now thynke I that though frere Barons wyll not by∣leue any generall coūsayle, but yf the whole chyrch be there yet he loketh not that in any counsayle euery thynge shold stay, and nothyng passe tyll all the whole assemble were a∣greed so fully vppon one syde, that there were not so mych [ B] as any one man there of the contrary mynde. For though some one mā myght in some one mater be of a better mynd at the fyrste then the multytude / yet in a counsayle of wyse men when it were purposed, yt were lykely to be perceyued and alowed. And in a counsayle of crysten men in spyryt of god inclyneth euery good man to declare hys mynde, and inclyneth the congregacion to consente and agree vppon that that shall be the beste, eyther precysely the beste, or the beste at the leste wyse for the season: whyche when so euer yt shall be better at any other tyme to chaūge the same spyryte of god inclyneth his chyrche eyther at a new coun∣sayle, or by as full and whole consent as any coūsayle can haue, to abrogate the fyrste & turne yt into the better. But when the counsayle and the congregacion agreeth and con¦senteth [ C] vppon a p••ynt / yf a few wylfull folke, farre the lest both in nomber, wyt, lernynge, and honest lyuynge, wolde reclayme and say that them selfe wolde not ••••••e, yet were theyr frowardnes no let vnto the determyn••••yon or to the makyng of the law / but that it must stand t••••l yt be by a no¦ther lyke authoryte chaunged.

But these chaūges that I speke of, I meane in thynges to be done & not in trouthes to be byleued. For in dyuerse tymes, dyuerse thynges may be conuenyent / and dyuerse maners of doynge. But in mate••s of bylyefe & fayth, why∣che be trouehes reueled & declared by god vnto mā / though that in dyuerse times there may be mo thinges farther and farther reueled, and other then were desclosed at the fyrst: yet can there neuer any thynge be by god reueled after, that

can be contrary to any thynge reueled by hym selfe byfore. [ A] And therfore in thynges to be d••ne, frere Barns may fynd that dyuerse cou••sayles ha••e in dyuerse tymes dyuersely determyned. But in arty••les of fayth, as necessary artycles to be byleued / frere Barons shall neuer fynde whyle he ly∣ueth, that any one generall counsayle orderly called to ge∣ther, impugned and reproued a nother / that grace our lord be ••hanked hath he geuen his knowen catholyque chyrche ••uer hyth••rto, what so euer frere Barons bable.

And when god shall geue me a nother leysour after such other thynges done as I haue entended fyrste: I purpose to make this poynte appere well & playne, by the selfe same counsayles that frere Barns hath brought in for the profe of the contrary. And that shall I then make playne & open [ B] to men vnlerned. For as for suche as are lerned in the ma∣ter / may now all redy perceyue that this that I haue euen nowe all redy sayde, soyleth concernynge the counsayles, all that euer frere Barons hath fayde in all hys processe.

But now bycause frere Barns saith y^t the cause why the counsayles may erre, is bycause they be not the whole ca∣tholyque chyrche, but onely by way of representacyon / and sayth that the whole vnyuersall chyrch standeth in the elec∣cyon of all faythfull men / and that all faythfull men of the worlde make the vnyuersall chyrche, whose hed and spouse is Cryste Iesus, and the pope vycare vnder Cryste, and cō¦fesseth and saith that this chyrch can not erre: lettyng now passe therfore for the whyle that he semeth byfore to say the contrary, where he sayth of this same chyrche, that by fal∣lynge [ C] from her spouse she may erre, let vs now for Barons pleasure im••gyne that this same chyrch that he speketh of, that ••s to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 all the faythfull people from all partes of the wo••••de / and ••ycause we wolde be sure there sholde be none of them all th••••se, let vs take it that all the crysten nacyōs were from all ••laces vpon one fayre day comen into some one fayre playne feld, wherof I know none fayrer then the playne of Salysbury / prouydynge that for feare of a rayn the whole playne haue a fayre roufe sette vppon it / for lesse I wene then the whole playne were to lytle / for we muste putte that there were ••ot onely all the men, but also all the women to, for they be parte of this vnyuersall chyrche / a••d we wyll not onely take in here all the crysten nacyons, but also who so euer cry••ten man or woman were in any na¦cyon

[ A] yet vncrystened, or who so euer in any suche place had a chrysten purpose, & fauored the name and fayth of Cryste wyth entent to be chrystened. And yet bycause I wolde be out of all brabelynge wyth Barns, we wolde take in to the nomber, not onely all false secrete heretykes openly profes∣synge the chrysten fayth and secretely muterynge the con∣contrary, of whyche wreches there be some in the knowen catholyke chyrche all waye / but also all false open herety∣kes, and scismatykes, whych by playne professyon on of theyr scismes and heresyes, are gone out or cast out of the knowē catholyke chyrche, & are knowen for her mortall enemyes. Leste Barns wold as I say pretende that all they or some of them, were of the very chyrche / we wyll take in them to. And nowe I trowe we haue a full assembly of the whole chyrche, and rather mo to, than lefte any one out.

[ B] But yet thys generall counsayle wolde I not haue hol¦den at thys daye. For all though•• I mysse truste not, but that god wolde wurke all well inough by the meane of the good menne though there were many badde therin: yet to thentent that frere Barons sholde the more fully be satys∣fyed and put the lesse dowte therin, I wolde the counsayle were in some tyme, before the tyme that these folke saye the chyrche was ledde in to errour. And syth they call that tyme the tyme of thys .viii. hundred yeres last passed: lette vs take the tyme in whyche saynt Gregory was pope / for that is now more than .ix. hundred yere a go. And saynte Gregory was a good man and a good pope, and so good that I thynke none heretyke dare for shame saye the con∣trarye.

[ C] Now let vs than suppose also that there had in the same tyme ben a fonde frantyke frere, and that hys name hadde ben Luther / and that there had than also bene a noughty nonne, and that her name had ben Cate / & that thys fonde frantyke frere hadde wedded thys noughty nonne / and that there hadde ben than one wyllyam Tyndale, that had bene so madde as to saye they dyd well, bycause the frere hym selfe for the defence of hys owne lechery, had told hym that by the scrypture he myghte lawfully do it / and that there had be••e than also an other frere called Robert Ba∣rons, that mysse lyked it not / but was hym selfe also ronne out of relygyon, abiured of heresy, and periured by relapse,

and royled aboute lyke a laye man, raylynge agaynste re∣lygyon [ A] and all the knowen catholyke chyrche, in contempt of hys vowe and hys othe to / and of all good chrysten peo∣ple vppon erth, and wythdrawy••ge theyr honour from all the sayntes in heuyn.

Suppose me now that in thys full generall counsayle of the whole vnyuersall chyrch assembled, thys mater were proponed, and there the same frere Frappe and Kytte Cate hys mate, and those other that wolde allowe theym were brought forth to be herde / beyng at that tyme but these per¦sons that I haue rehersed you, what they wolde say therto. And therupon Luther hym selfe hauyng the wordes wher∣of he wolde neuer lacke plenty (tyll fransye lacke foly) wold there not onely defende, but also boste hys bestely maryage [ B] and saye that vowys of chastyte coude bynde no man, for no man oughte to make theym / but it were synne and pre∣sumpcyon for any man to make them, but yf he hadde that gyfte gyuen hym of god, for it is a thynge whyche euery man can not do, and a gyfte whyche no man can gyue hym selfe, but yf it be gyuen hym of god. And therfore who so maketh any suche vowe, wenynge that he haue the gyfte bycause he feleth no contrary grudge at that tyme / yet whā so euer he feleth after any flessh••ly mocyon in hys frayle membres, he maye thanne perceyue well and be very sure, that he hath not the gyfte / and that therfore he was decey∣ued by the deuyll, whan he made hym self a frere. And that he maye now therfore ronne out of his relygyon, and folow the flesshe. And whan he fyndeth a nonne that feleth the [ C] lyke, and that eche of theym fele other, and lyke well eche other for theyr felynge fayth / than maye they bothe be sure that they maye boldely breke both theyr vowes, and wedde theym selfe to gyther. And therhy shall they fele by theyr flesshely felyng fayth, that they two be two specyall electes predestynate by god byfore the worlde was wrought to go to gether in this world and brynge forth holy frute to serue the deuyll at hys dyner.

what wolde the generall counsayle of the whole chyrch haue sayd vnto that frere, and what vnto flekke hys make, and what vnto that deuely••h doctryne? There wold saynt Gregory haue vsed those wordes that he wryteth of Ana∣nyas and Saphyra, sayenge: Ananias vowed hys money

[ A] vnto god, whyche money afterwarde he beynge ouercome by the perswasyon of the deuyll kepte backe, ye know with what maner deth he was ponysshed. wherfore syth he was deth worthy that wythdrewe from god the money whyche hym selfe had gyuen to god: cōsyder how greate ieopardy thou shalt be worthy at the dyuyne iudgement, that wyth∣drawest not money, but thy selfe from almyghty god / vnto whom thou hast vowed thy self vnder a relygyous habyte.

And I dare boldely say that all that whole generall coū¦sayle of all the whole catholike chyrch of all faythfull folke wyth all the secrete vnfaythfull folke y^• than were lurkynge in it, ••••d all the faythlesse heretykes that were at that tyme gone from it or accursed out of it, excepte the frere and hys nonne and hys few folysshe adherentes / wolde wyth one [ B] voyce, with mandamus, mandamus, precipimus, precipi∣pimus, excōmunicamus, excōmunicamus, haue condemp∣ned that abomynable heresye to the very deuyll of hell.

And I am sure that so wolde it haue ben, yf any man durste there haue holden any one of many other heresyes, that these felowes holde now.

Than what myghte Luther and Barns haue sayed to that generall counsayle. For that were the counsayle that coulde ••ot erre. For there were the whole catholyke chyrch in whyche nomber we••e bothe the chyrch of all electe repen¦taunt synners that Tyndale deuyseth, and the chyrche of all faythfull people that Bar••s deuyseth / sauyng for lacke of all spottes and wryncles, for that la••keth no man in this worlde. How be it yf there were at that tyme any suche as [ C] Barns sayth there must nedes be / than in that counsayle they muste nedes be. For therto haue we brought all both the good and the badde.

How yf frere Barns, & frere Luther, and wyllyam Tin¦dale, wolde than haue sayed that the very chyrche dyd not condempne them / for the very chyrche was not that greate multytude that there condempned them of heresye / but the very chyrche was them selfe that there were condempned and persecuted for the truth, and such other good faythfull folke as were vnknowen amonge that company, and secre¦tely agreed wyth them in faythe, that no vowe of chastyte shold let them, but that freres and nonnes myght lawfully wedde whan they lyste: To thys wold saynt Gregory sone haue answered & sayd syrs they y^t are y^e good faythfull folke

that ye speke of / whych onely folke for fayth and goodnesse [ A] ye call the chyrch, can not be dyssemblers of theyr fayth but professours of theyr fayth. But now excepte your selfe / all thys people condempne your fayth for heresye. wherfore it appereth that eyther they be good men and saye as they thynke, and than be you condempned by good men / or els yf they saye as they thynke, and the thyng that they thynke is nought / than are they euyll men / and than are they not your secrete chyrche of good men. Or ellys they saye one thynge and thynke the contrary / and than are they euyll men also / and so none of your secrete chyrche of good men they neyther. Or fynally they saye trewe and be euy•••• folke for other synnys / and than be they yet none of your secrete chyrche of good men, and also do ryghtfully condempne you in that they saye trewe. And therfore eyther we that [ B] here excommunycate you frome vs de the very chyrche, or some parte of vs is the chyrche / and whyther of the two so euer it be, ye be than condēpned by the whole chyrch which ye confesse can not erre: or ellys is there none other shy••••e, but sith ye haue here no mo felowes, ye must nedes afferme that ye your owne selfe be the very chyrche, and no mo per∣sons but your selfe.

To thys must it nedes haue comen ye se well good rea∣ders, there were none other remedy. And whā it were onys comen vnto that / than were it no dowte but that Luther, Barns, & Tyndale, wolde not haue letted to say / Mary we with Luthers wyfe ••he nonne be the whole chyrche. For we haue the ryght faith, & ye be all in the wronge. For we haue the scrypturs for vs / by whyche we wyll proue the vowe of [ C] chastyte vnlawfull, & our weddynge lawfull / and so forth in suche other artycles, as farre out of colour as that. And syth the scrypture is on our parte / we be the very chyrche.

Saynte Gregory wolde haue lacked none answere to this / but wold haue sayed: whan all we thynke that ye vn∣derstande the scrypture wronge / and not onely we, but all lerned men before vs hytherto: why sholde we byleue that you few se ferther in the scrypturre than all they to whome it belongeth as well as to you fewe, & whyche haue studyed it as well as you, and haue had both as mych wytte as you and also ••yche more grace than you, as appereth well by the wrytynges of holy doctours & say••tes that cons••rewed the scrypture agaynste your heresyes before all our dayes.

[ A] If Barons wolde then haue sayde as sayth here why∣ther you that are this counsayle that here cōdempne vs be the very chyrche or no et muste be tryed by the scripture / for that is the thynge by which we must know the very chyrch, whych may be proued by the wordes of saynt Chrysostome whyche be these.

Barns.

They that ••e in Iudea, lette them fle vp in to the mountaynes / that is to saye, they that be in chrystendome, lette theym gyue them selfe to scryp∣tures. ••herfore commaundeth he that all chrystened men in that tyme, shulde flye vnto scrypturs. For in that tyme in the whyche heresies ••a••e optayned in to the chyrch / there can be no trewe probacyon of chrystendome, nor no nother refuge vnto chrysten men, wyllynge to knowe the ••eryte of fayth, but the scrypturs of god. Af••re by many wayes was it s••••we•• which was the chyrche of Cryste, and whiche was the congregacyon of gentyles. But now [ B] there is none other waye to knowe vnto them that wyll knowe whiche is the very trew chyrche of Chryste, but alonely by scryptures. By workes fyrste was the chyrche of Cryst knowen whan the conuersacyon of chrysten men other of all or of many were h••ly / the whiche holines had not the wycked men, but now chrysten men be as euyll or worse than heretykes or gentylys / ye and gre••ter cō¦tin••n••ye is ••••unde amonge them than amonge chrysten men. Wherfore ••e that wyll knowe whiche is the very chyrch of Cryste / how shall he know but by scrip¦turs onely. Wherfore our lorde consyderynge that so great confusy••n of thyn∣ges, shulde come in the latter dayes / therfore comm••undeth he that chrysten men whyche be in chrystendome wyllynge to reserue the stedfastnes••e of trewe fayth shulde flye vnto none other thynge but vnto scryptures / for yf they haue r••specte vnto other thynges they shall be slaundered and shall peryshe / not vnder¦standynge whyche is the trewe chyrche &c.

[ C] These wordes nede no exposycion, they be playne inough, they do also exclude all maner of lernynge sauy••ge h••ly scrypture / wherfore se how you can wyth ho¦nesty saue your holy lawes / and defende them agaynst Chrysostome. More ouer yf Chrysostome complayne of the incontynency that was in his dayes / how wold he complay••e yf he now lyued, and sawe the boudry and fornycacyon that is in the chyrch. Also he sendeth mē to scriptures th••t will know the holy chyrch / and not vnto the holy chyrch, for in the chyrch were heresyes but not in scrypture.

Also saynt Paule wytnesseth the same sayenge / you are bylte vppon the fo••̄¦dacyon of the apos••les and prophetes / here haue you playnely that the very trew chyrche is grounded ye and ••ounded of holy scrypture / and therfore where so euer that the worde of god is preched / that is a good token that there be some men of Christes chyrche. But now as to the frutes and workes of this chyrche, she dothe alonely fetche out her maner of lyuynge / and all her good workes out of the holy worde of god / ••nd she fayneth not no•• dremeth any other new holynesse or ne••e

in••ented workes that be not in scrypture, ••ut she is ••••••••••nt wyth Chrystes ler∣nynge, [ A] and byleueth that Chryst hath s••f••ycyently taught her all maner of good workes that be to the hon••u•• of our heuenly father. Therfore inuenteth she none ••ther waye to heuen but foloweth Chryste onely / in s••f••erynge oppressy••••s and persecucyōs, blasphemynges, and all other thynges th••t may be layed vnto hy•• / w••yche as saynt A••stayne sayth she le••ned ••f o••r mays••er Crys••. Our holy mo∣t••••r ••he chyrche thorow ••ut all the worlde scatered 〈◊〉〈◊〉 and longe / in her tr••w ••••ade Chryste Iesus t••ught / hath le••ned not to ••ere the con••umelys of the crosse nor yet ••f d••th, but more and more ys she strengthed, not in resystynge but in sufferynge.

Now my lordes compare your selfe to thys rule of saynt Austryne / and let vs se how you can ••rynge your selfe into the chyrche? or••••es to proue yourself to be holy? The chyrche s••f••erth persecucyons (for as saynte Paule sayth / they that wyll lyue deuoutly in Chryste muste suffer persecucyon) and you wythstande all thynges and suffer nothynge / you oppresse euery man, and you wyll be oppressed [ B] of no man / you persecute euery man, and no man may speke a word ••gaynst you, no though yt be neuer so tr••we / you caste euery man in pryson, and no man may touche you but he shall be cursed / you compell euery man to say as you saye, and you wyll not onys say as Cryst sayth / and as for your holynes all the world know¦eth what yt is, for yt standeth in clothynge and in de••kynge, in watchyng and slepynge, in eatynge and in drynkynge this meate or that mea••e; this drynke or that drynke / in pattery••g and mumblyng these psalmis or that psasmis with out deuocyon. Breuely all your holynes is in hokes, belles, candelles, chalyces, oyse, creame water, horses houndes pallycis, and all that is myghty and glory∣ouse in the worlde there on hange you, there in glorye you / there on crake you / there on ••oste you / theruppon byelde you. Is thys the natures of the chyrche? ys this holynes? of ••home haue you lerned this maners?

More.

If frere Barns hadde alledged all this in that generall [ C] counsayle / saynt Gregory coulde not haue tolde hym, that as touchynge saynte Poule, he sp••ke not in that place pre¦cysely of the scrypture, as though he wolde haue sayd that ••he crysten people were edyfyed and byelded onely vppon the wrytynges that the prophetes and apostles hadde wry¦ten. For many thynges haue made and yet make vnto the edyfycacion of Cristen people, that were by the apostles de¦lyuered wythout wrytynge, as is playne by other wordes of saynte Poule hym selfe,* 1.73 where he byddeth the Thessalo∣nyans kepe the tradycyons whyche ye haue lerned, ••yther by preachynge or by our pystle. And in many places edy∣fyed he myche peple, where we fynde not that he gaue them any writyng at all. And the Ephesians them selfe to whom

[ A] in those wordes he writeth that they were edyfyed and byel¦ded vppon the foundacyon of the apostles and prophetes, what prophetes wrytynges that they hadde then redde, I can not tell but as for wrytynges of apostles or euangelys∣tes yt is well lykely that they hadde yet at that tyme redde neuer one.

And saynte Gregory wolde peraduenture haue meruay¦led, yf saynte Poule wolde haue sayde as frere Barons be∣reth vs in hande he sayd, that crystendome were onely byel¦ded vppon the apostles and prophetes / for yt is moste specyally byelded vppon our sauyoure hym selfe, and so myghte saynte Poule in those wordes very well and pro∣perly meane sayeng / ye be byelded vppon the foundacyon of the apostles and prophetes / that is to say, ye be byelded [ B] vppon the same foundacyon that they be byelded on, that is to wyt Cryste, that is and was the very foundacyon as well of them, as of you, though they were layed on byfore and you after / yet the very foundacyon vppon whyche ye be byelded and they bothe, is that corner stone that is layed in the hed of the angle that ioyneth both the sydes in one. And this exposycyon of saynt Poules wordes to the Ephe¦syans,* 1.74 wyll well agree wyth his other wordes writen vnto the Corynthiās,* 1.75 where he sayth, no man can laye any other foundacyon then that that is all redy layed, that is to wyt Iesus Cryste hym selfe•• where as fr••re Barons so taketh saynt Poules wordes there vnto the Ephesyās / as though saynte Poule had sayde vnto them, The foundacyon that ye be byelded vppon, is the wrytynge that the prophetes & [ C] the apostles haue wryten for your edyfycacyon / and ther∣fore must you se that you byleue nothyng, nor do nothyng but suche as you fynd wryten in the wrytynges of the pro∣phetes and the apostles / then yf they had neuer a boke wry¦ten of the apostles that were at that tyme comē to theyr han¦des, as yt was lykely there was not / howe wold then those wordes frame?

And also yf he ment but so / then toke he away the autho¦ryte from all the scrypture besyde / except onely the writyng of the apostles and prophetes, and from all that hym selfe tolde them bysyde by mouth.

But yet yf frere Barons wolde there haue sayde vnto saynte Gregory all those wordes wyth whyche in his boke here he rayleth on by and by agaynste the thynges vsed in

the knowen catholyque chyrch, belles, bokes, candelles, ve¦stymentes, [ A] chalyces, holy crysme, oyle, and holy water, and watchyng, forberynge fleshe, drynkynge of water, fastyng, and prayenge, which Barns calleth paterynge, & mūblyng of these psalmes and those psalmys wythout deuocyon / as though hym selfe hadde an y••e and an eare in euery mānys herte: saynte Gregory wolde sone fynde hym good places inough in scrypture for these kyndes of workes plen••uous¦ly and full. And as for such workis as be vycyouse in dede, whyche Barons planteth in amonge these as though all were of one sort / saynt Gregory wold agre thē for nought / and so do they to that vse them. But yet wolde saynte Gre∣gory tell hym that yf he were honeste or trew, he sholde not lay the fautes of the noughtye partes to the blame of the whole body / in whych be many full good. And specyally yf [ B] he wold dysprayse the euyll workes, he sholde not yet as he doth disprayse & call euyll the thynges that are very good, and whyche deuoutely done (as wyth many they be) are greatly plesaunt to god / and specyally he shold not among other thynges dispyse and reproue belles for callyng folke to goddes seruyce / nor vestymentes, candelles, bokes, and chalyces, wythout which or at the laste wyse wythout some of whyche neyther masse may be sayde, nor the blessed sacra¦ment in the masse consecrated and receyued / but yf he wold haue euery prest haue al by hert, & the blessed blood of Crist wythout chalyce layed and lycked vp vpon the auter cloth.

But then wolde saynte Gregorye haue sayde farther to frere Barons and to frere Luther to / that syth they were so precyse, that they wolde haue no workes wrought, but one¦ly [ C] such as they founde in scrypture he wolde: aske theym why they be runne both oute of relygyon / and the tone wed¦ded a nunne,* 1.76 * 1.77 and both broken theyr holy sacred vowis / and stubernly defende that worke whyche they fynde so fully cō¦dempned and abhorred in scrypture.* 1.78

To the wordes of saynte Chrysostome saynte Gregorye wolde I trow haue answered frere Barns / that they were none of his. For yt is well perceyued and knowen that the worke whych is called Opus imperfectum, the unperfayt worke vppon the gospell of saynte Mathew, whych was fyrste by the erroure and ouersyght of some wryters intyteled vnto saynt Chrysostome, and the same tytle so suffred synnes to stande / was neuer his worke in dede, nor neuer translated

[ A] out of the greke but made by some lat••n man, as frere Ba∣rons hath all redy had suffycyent warnynge by mo thanne one, that can a lytell better skyll therof then I and he both / and I veryly byleue that agaynst hys owne conscyence he ascrybeth that wurke to saynt Chrysostom. For all be it the man was cūnyng, well spoken, & in many thynges wryteth very well / yet yf frere Barns haue redde that worke (except he vnderstand hym not, or els be him selfe bysyde his other heresyes an Arrian to) ellys muste he nedes perceyue that the man was infected with that faute / and therfore was it no meruayle though he wold as fayne brynge the very chyr¦che in questyon, & oute of knowledge as now frere Barns wold hym selfe. But saynt Chrysostom hym self in his own sermon vpō the self same wordes of the gospell, They that be in Iudea let them fle into the mountayns, whych is his [ B] 76. sermon vpon saint Mathew, hath not such a word. But he whom frere Barns here bryngeth, whose wurke was as I haue sayd by errour & ouersyght entiteled in the name of saynt Chrysostom. For as mych as by the authoryte of the chyrche, his heresye agaynst the godhed of Chryst was cō∣dempned, dyd as euer more such men haue done, that is to wytte, labored fyrst to haue yf it could haue ben, theyr own secte taken for the very chyrche. For so wolde the Arryans haue semed to be, & the catholykes they called heretykes. And whan that thyng wold not be obtayned, than labored they that at the lest the very catholyke chyrch myght seme vncertayn, & be taken for a chyrche vnknowen / and hange vpon euery mannes dysputacyō, so that they myght y^e bet∣ter brynge theyr heresye forth styll in questyon, and begyle [ C] here & there some vnlerned & new••angled people wyth the colour of theyr false expownynge of holy scrypture, whyle there shold be no certayn knowē chyrch, by whiche the trew exposycyon and the false sholde be dyscerned & iudged.

And therfore that man albe it he was as it semeth in the tyme whan that heresye of the Arrians was almoste ouer∣whelmed, & therfore durste not playnely speke myche of it / yet coulde he not hold but somwhat shew hym selfe in that worke in his .xix. sermon that he wryteth vpō these wordes, Attendite a falsis prophetis, wherin he not onely laboreth sore to mynyshe as mych as he maye the credence of the catholyke chyrch both cōcerning y^e vertuose workes whych were vsed therin, & the myracles which were dayly done therin, which two thynges he perceyued to stand sore in his lyght for the

knowlege of y^e catholike chyrch / but also inueheth agaynst [ A] it and findeth a specyall hyghe faute with it, for bycause i•• taught to byleue the egall godhed of the .iii. persons of the trinite. And therfore wolde saynt Gregory haue tolde frere Rarns that it was not saynt Chrysostome, but some man that was to be redde warely and wyth good iudgement, & in thys mater hys wordes worthy no credence.

And yet yf frere Barns wold haue styc••en styll as styffely for y^• wurke, as he doth agaynst the pystle of saint Iamys / & wolde nedes haue it taken for saynt Chrysostoms: than wold saynt Gregory haue told hym that the wordes which hym selfe bryngeth out of y^e worke, be playne agaynst frere Barns hym self. For well ye wote that frere Barns techeth that the very catholyke chyrche is in this worlde a chyrche euer vnknowen. And he that wrote the wordes whiche Ba¦rons [ B] bryngeth forth (whom he calleth saynt Chrysostome) sayth no more but that in some tymes the chyrche maye by reason of so great or so many sectes of heretykes arysen & sprongen vp therin, be brought in dowt & questyon whych of so many sectes or of some few so great were the very chyr¦che / & yet in all this meneth he, which knowen chyrch of the great, or of the many were the trew / & not as Barns wolde haue it that it were some few scatered persons vnknowen / here one and theron / eyther of them all or of diuers of them or of none of theym, but peraduenture men of some other kynde of fayth agreynge wyth none of them all.

More ouer these wordes of saynt Chrysostome yf they were his do cōfesse that the very chyrch was onys knowen / and therfore wolde saynt Gregory tell frere Barns, y^t they [ C] do vtterly confounde frere Barns heresye. For hys heresye is, that the thyrche is such a spyrytuall thyng that neyther it self or any mēber or part therof at any tyme cā be knowē.

Forthermore where in those wordes saynt Chrysostome yf those wordes & that worke were hys sayth that to know whych is y^e chyrch we must flye to the scrypture, saynt Gre∣gory wold tell frere Barns that syth saynt Chrysostom sen¦deth vs to the scrypture to know therby whych of all those dyuers chyrches / beyng to gyther all at one tyme / is y^e very chirch / he meneth y^• by the scrypture y^e same chyrche may be knowen: wherof it foloweth agayn agaynste frere Barns that the selfe same wordes by whych he wold proue vs that the chyrch can not be knowen, do playnely confounde frere Barns / and saye that the chyrche may be knowen.

And saynt Gregory could I wote well haue gyuen him

[ A] tokens inough open playne & euydent wryten in the playn scrypture, of whyche I haue my selfe shewed some all redy and mo shall I in the laste boke of thys worke, by whyche euery man may playnely perceyue, that this knowen catho¦lyke chyrche is the very trewe chyrche of Cryste.

Also saynt Gregory wolde haue tolde frere Barns, that whan saynt Chrysostome (yf those wordes were hys) dothe sende vs to seke the chyrche by the scrypture, he thought it necessary that the chyrche were founden. For els he myght haue sent theym onely to the scrypture, to lerne the trewe fayth and good lyuynge euery man by hym selfe, and leue the chyrche vnsought. But it appereth synnys he sendeth them to seke it there / he meaneth not onely that they there maye fynde the meanes to fynde it and know it, as I sayd [ B] before / but also that to fynde it & know it, is a thyng so ne∣cessary that nedys it ought to be had / bycause of the trewe doctryne to be taught them by the same chyrche, as well in any other thyng that god hath by hys holy spyryte taught the same chyrche, as also in thynges necessary to saluacyon the trewe vnderstandynge of the same scrypture / and than syth he wolde that the readers of the scrypture shold fynd out the trew chyrch to lerne of it the trew exposycyon of the scripture, and of an vnknowen chyrch no man can lerne by gyuynge it credence as to the trew chyrch / theruppon wold saynt Gregory yet agayne conclude, that these wordes of saynt Chrysostome yf they were hys / do clerely confounde frere Barns. And therfore wolde he fynally put frere Ba∣rons in choce, whyther he wyl haue those wordes taken for [ C] saynt Chrysostoms or no. If he wold not haue them taken for his / than wolde saynt Gregory byd hym go scrape that authoryte out of his boke agayne, & say no ferther but that one man wryteth thus but I wote nere who, sauynge that an Arrian he was. Now yf he wyll haue theym saynte Chrysostoms wordes, thā appereth it playne wolde saynt Gregory say, by y^• same wordes y^• saynt Chrysostom in the selfe same few wordes whiche Barons bryngeth forth for hym, doth .iiii. or .v. tymes clerely & playnely cōfoūde hym.

Now yf these folke wolde yet haue stycked styll, and say the decre of that coūsayle made agaynst them was nought, for they them selfe onely be the very trewe chyrch of Cryst: than wolde saynte Gregory haue sayed at laste: why syrs how can that be? For ye wote well that of knowen chyrches there was neuer none that durste professe them selfe for the

very chyrche, but euer they founde theym selfe so farre in [ A] that poynt to weyke, that they were fayne in conclusyon to say that the very chyrche was a secrete chyrche vnknowen, wherof some of them selfe myghte at the leste wyse be some parte. And thys do all you your own selfe so fully afferme, that neuer heretykes affermed it more styffely. Go to ther∣fore wolde saynte Gregory saye to some offycer there pre∣sent, and telle these felowes wyth a stycke, and let vs haue the nomber and the names. Now whan thys offycer hadde comen wyth hys stycke and patted them vppon the pates, and the cryour wyth hym / and as he hyt them, reherse them thus: frere Luther one, Cate hys nonne twayne, Tyndale thre, frere Barons foure: when here were all, than wolde saynt Gregory haue sayed / what here be but foure of you, and here be your names rehersed and your persons present [ B] and you be all knowen, and your false fayth and abomyna¦ble bestely sectes by youre owne bestely professyon, all to gyther knowen, and therfore you can not be the chyrche of trewe good men vnknowen. For though an ipocryte maye be vnknowen for naught, yet he that by his open euyll and abomynable dedys doynge, and open professyon of false abomynable heresyes sheweth hym selfe naughte, can not be for that tyme secretely a good man. And so be you whā ye haue all babled, well and iustely condempned by the whole catholyke chyrche / whyche is also well knowen, and why∣che by your owne reasons, and by Barns expresse wordes, is here well proued to be the chyrche that can not erre / and therfore it is well proued that all you do playnely and dāp¦nably erre. [ C]

And ferthermore, syth they were than proued to be not the very chyrche after theyr owne doctryne, bycause they were than made open / syth of trouth they beyng open or se∣crete, is not the thynge that maketh it the trew chyrche, nor is the substaunce of the mater but an accydent therunto / it appereth playne that they whyche by beynge made open, be proued after theyr doctryne not to be the trewe chyrche, were alwaye a false chyrche before they were made open.

But now suppose me farther that forthwyth after this / some man wolde amonge theym say vnto saynt Gregorye and to that whole assemble, that they were comen thyther to gether from all partes of the worlde, wyth theyr meruay¦louse labour and theyr importable payne / and that nowe

[ A] theyr thre days vitayle that they brought frō home is more then halfe spent, & shall be great diffyculty for some of them that dwell farthest of, to gete home agayne wyth the rema∣naunt. And that therfore yf yt myghte so be thought good to the whole counsayle, whyle they were all the whole flok of all crysten people to gether vppon that fayre playne, yt were well done to take an order and make a lawe amonge them there, that for any nede that sholde at any tyme after happen, there sholde neuer more all the whole people be cal¦led agayne to gether / but oute of euery parte some coueny∣ent number cōuenyently called to gether. And that such an assemble so gardered to gether, shold repsent y^• whole peple, and sholde haue the selfe same authoryte full and whole, in all lawes after to be made, and all doutes of scrypture or [ B] questyons of the catholyque fayth to be declared, that the very whole crysten people sholde haue yf they were all pre∣sent there man, woman, and chylde / syth it were very lykely that the necessyte of a generall counsayle sholde often hap∣pen / and not well possyble that all the whole people beyng so mayne a multytude & dwellynge so farre a sonder, shold so often though yt happed so this onys, from all partes of the world come whole alway to gether to the generall coū∣sayle / and syth yt were not to be douted,* 1.79 but that Chryste whyche promysed and performed the sendynge of his owne holy spyryte vnto his chyrche, to teache yt and lede yt into euery trouth, and that he wolde neuer leue them comforte∣lesse, nor lyke chyldren faderlesse,* 1.80 but wolde hym selfe be [ C] wyth yt all the dayes vnto the ende of the wo••••de,* 1.81 so farre forth that where so euer were so mych as two or thre of that chyrche not scatered out therof as saynte Cypryan•• sayeth, but beynge in yt and of yt gathered to gether in his name, he was and wolde be hym selfe in the very myddes among them, wolde fayle to assyste them wyth his holy spy••yt whē they were assembled so many in suche maner, where as ey∣ther theyr dede and declaracyon muste nedes stande and be ••erme, or ellys all runne at rouers and nothyng be certayn or sure: I doute nothynge but that ys this had be thus pro¦poned, yt wolde haue ben there in that full coūsayle agreed and ordered and decreed, that the generall coūsayles shold be after, not of the whole nomber of all crysten people, but of some suche conuenyent nomber as conuenyetly myghte assemble / and the same though yt were not the whole catho¦lyke

chyrch in dede, but as frere Barns saith only represen¦tatyue, [ A] sholde yet haue the same authoryte and the same full credence geuen vnto yt, as though there were a tyt all the whole crysten people.

And thus ye se now that both in Luthers heresyes & Tyn¦dales to & Barns also, touchyng the weddyng of freres & nonnes, and the authoryte of generall counsaylys, and the pro••e of the knowen catholyke chyrche, and the reprofe of theyr catholyke chyrch vnknowen / I haue euyn wyth this one example of all the whole chysten people assembled at a generall counsayle, playnely confuted them all.

But now yf frere Barns wyl here say, that wyth all this ymagynacyon of suche an whole assemble at a generall coūsayle I can nothyng proue, bycause yt is but an imagy¦nacyon [ B] that neuer coulde come to passe: I answere hym that yf he so say, he shall speke very vnlernedly. For be the thynge neuer so false and impossyble to / yet may it be putte and admytted, to consyder therby what wold folow or not folow theruppon, yf yt were both possyble and trew / or els made that great wyse and well lerned man Boetius a very symple and an vnwyse argument, what time to proue that the fredome of mannes wyll is nothing restrayned, nor the fynall effecte of thynges here cōtingent or happenyng, any thynge precysely boūden to y^e tone parte or to the tother by the prescyence and forsyght of god, he dyd put the case that god hadde not of any suche thynge to come any forsyght at all. And then dyd theruppon argue thus in effecte, that all were it so y^• god dyd not foresee whether such a mā shold in [ C] such a momēt or vndyuisyble tyme, syt or not syt / yet shold that man in that moment do but the tone of those twayne, whyther of the twayne hym selfe then wolde, and shold not in that one tyme vndyuysyble do the both twayn both syt & not syt, wherof the tone were contradyctory & playne repu¦gnaūt to the tother. And that therby may euery man playn¦ly perceyue, that the prescyence of god putteth no necessyte in thynges of theyr nature conuenyent vnto fre wyll of man.

who so consyder well this argument of his, and many suche other lyke made by many ryght excellent wyse & well lerned men / shall eyther esteme them all for folys / or ellys confesse that vppon frere Barons reason, groūded vppon the dyfference betwene the whole catholyke chyrch in dede,

[ A] and the generall counsayle that is not the whole chyrche but by way of representacyon, I may well and orderly put the case, and suppose that the whole people were at the ge∣nerall counsayle. And then in cause yt so were / yf then my purpose wolde folowe / and frere Barons purpose fayle as ye se playnely yt wolde: then is my parte as well proued, and his as well confuted, as yf the matter were not onely for argumēt supposed, but were so comen to passe & so done in very dede. And so this ensample of myne may for all the impossybilyte therof, be a good groūde of profe agaynst all these felowes in theyr false and faynt framed maters, cōcer¦nynge the mayntenaunce of theyr false heresyes, agaynste all the knowen catholyke chyrche, by theyr owne ymagyna¦cyon of a secrete scatered vnknowen chyrche, and yet eche [ B] of them a dyuerse chyrche not one agreynge wyth a noth••r.

Now hath frere Barons therfore none other shyft that I can se, but to say that in that generall counsayle whyche I haue put and supposed in saynt Gregoryes dayes, the he¦resyes that I haue spoken of, of Luther, Tyndale, & hym selfe, wolde not haue ben condempned, but rather appro∣ued and allowed for good thynges and trew / nor that gene¦rall counsayle then beynge suche as I haue put, wold•• ne∣uer haue ordeyned that there sholde be any generall coun∣sayle after of any fewer then all the whole chrysten people / or yf there sholde, yet wolde they not haue d••termyned that euer any suche generall counsayle gathered of any fewer then all to gether, shold haue the same authoryte or cr••dēce [ C] that yt sholde haue yf the counsayle were assembled of all.

If frere Barons or any of all his felowes be so bold as to tell vs this / then may they boldely bere vs in hand what so euer they wyll in this worlde. For this maye euery man well wyt, that they wold determine when they were comen to gether, as they all knew to be good and trew whyle they were a sundre. But then are we very sure, wherof I thynke neyther Barns nor, Tyndale nor Luther neyther, can for sham say the cōtrary / but y^• vntyll wythin this twenty yere passed laste, all the worlde good and badde, crysten and he∣then, wol•• haue had in abomynacyon that any man vow¦ynge chastyte sholde haue wedded a nunne when he lyste, & vpon his owne sensuall frantyque fantesy, breke his pro¦myse made vnto god, And therfore I dare be bold / and as I truste with the consent and agrement of euery good mā∣nys

conscyence, to afferme in this mater a great deale far∣ther [ A] agaynste them then I sayde byfore. For I dare well saye, not onely that they shold haue ben condemned by that one generall coūsayle that I haue put, as gethered in some one yere of saynt Gregoryes papacy / but also yf there had b••e the lyke gadered in euery yere of his ye••e, and in euery yere synnes his tyme tyll wythin this twenty tyme last pas¦sed, and in euery yere before vnto the very apostl••s tyme, and euery yere in theyr tyme to, and in euery yere synnes Cryst was borne, and euery yere synne the world was fyrst replenyshed well wyth peple / that same shamefull sensuall bestely secte wolde haue ben condemned for abomynable.

And also that the dew assemble of certayne partes repre¦sentynge the whole body, sholde haue the full authoryte of the whole body / is a thynge by the comen assent and expe∣ryence [ B] of the whole worlde crysten and hethen so fully seen and perceyued, that no mā can doute but that it wold haue be so there determyned, for the power and authoryte of eue¦ry generall counsayle of crystendome lawfully called and assembled to gether, y^t though they were not as they could not well be after crystendome so greatly encreased the con∣gregacyon of all the whole crysten people, yet sholde theyr det••rminacyon and decre be of lyke strength and power as yf they hadde ben all assembled there to gether on a grene.

And well ye wote that in the fyrste counsayle that the a∣postles kepte at Hierusalem, they called not all the whole congregacyon of crysten peple to yt, and yet all crysten peo¦ple obayed yt.

And where frere Barons sayth that the generall coun∣sayles [ C] be but embassyatours & therfore can not do so mych as y^e prynces may them self that send them / I say that pryn¦ces geue theyr embassiatours full authoryte in suche thyn∣ges as they sende them for to do, as myche as they myghte them self, yf they were there present in theyr owne persons / for elles yf they sent them very farre for maters that requy∣red spede, they myght as well kepe them at home.

And where he sayth that men must examine the generall counsayles by the scrypture, ••o se whyther they do w••ll or wronge. I say that the counsayle in the makynge so muste do, and so do in dede, and that the spyryte of god guydeth them therin & ledeth thē into all necessary trouth of fayth. And that when they haue done theyr determinacyon, is not

[ A] than to be examined by frere Barns, or suche other as lyste to mysse constre the scrypture to the cōtrary to defend theyr false heresyes.

Now shall I ferther saye, that what so euer all chrysten people wolde determyne yf they came to one assembly to∣gyther / loke what strength it sholde haue yf they so dyd, the same strēgth hath it yf they be all of y^e same mynde, though they make no decre therof, nor come not togyther therfore. For whan all chrysten people be by the same spyryte of god brought into a full agreement and consent, that the vowe of chastyte may not be by hys pleasure that made it broken and set at nought, but that who so doth breke it cōmytteth an horryble synne / and that who so holdeth the contrary of thys is an heretyke: than is that bylyefe as sure a trouth [ B] as though they had all the whole company comen to a coū¦sayle to gyther to determyne it.

And whan thys is a trewth onys so reueled by god for a perpetuall necessary treuth, and the contrary therof for a peryllouse perpetuall falsshed, and the textys of holy scryp¦ture touchynge that poynte by the holy men so taken and taught, and thorow chrystendome with all men so byleued / than what tyme so euer two or thre begyn vpon theyr own heddys to vary from all the remanaunt, and agaynste all the remanaunt do s••yffely holde the contrary, they holde a playne false heresye, and after that as many as fall to theyr opynyon and take theyr parte, be in the lyke perell and in lyke dāpnable heresy, waxe theyr nōber neuer so great. For euer shall they leue the trew knowen chyrche byhynde / why¦che [ C] wax it neuer so small a flocke shall yet neuer fayle / but contynue, and as it styll contynueth and alwaye contynue shall in the olde approued trouth, so is it alwaye styll, and alwaye styll shall be the very trewe chyrche of Cryste / and where so euer the same knowen chyrch remayne euery per∣son in euery other parte of the worlde that is chrystened or longeth to be chrystened consenteth with that chyrche in fayth is a member of the same / and thys is what so euer Barns bable the very trewe chyrch, wyth whych the spyryt of god is assystent and wyll not suffer it to fall in to damp∣nable errour. And that it so is haue I all redy proued in mo places than one, both of thys wurke and myne other, & by mo places than one of open playne scrypture to.

And thus ye se playnely that frere Barons hath vtterly [ A] fayled of prouynge hys owne secrete chyrche / and therfore he goth about as Tyndale doth / to dysproue the catholyke knowen chyrche to. But of so many meanys as I haue pro¦ued it by / he dyssymuleth all the remanaunt, and bryngeth forth onely this one di•• ecclesi•• / by which our sauyour cōmaū¦deth that who so fynde hym selfe offended, except the party by whom he is offended wyll amende by hys owne secrete monicyon or ellys at hys aduertysement gyuen hym before wytnesses one or two, he shall complayne vppon hym to the chyrche, and the chyrche shall order hym / & than yf he wyll not obaye the chyrche, he shall be taken as a publycane or a very paynym. Thys place frere Barns bryngeth forth and soyleth in thys fasshyon.

Barons. [ B]

But now wyll there be obiected that our mayster Chryste commaundeth yf my brother offende me that I sholde complayne to the chyrche, now is this chyr¦che that I haue sette out spyrytuall, and no man knoweth her but god onely / she is also scatered thor••wout the world / wherfore how can a man complayn to that chyrche? I answere our mayster Cryste doth playnely speke of a man that hath wronge the whyche must nedes be a partyculare and a certayne man. And ther¦for lyke wyse he byddeth hym cōplayne not to the vniuersall chyrch but to the {per}tyculare chirch, now this particular chirch yf she be of god and a trew mēber of the vniuersal chirch she wyll iuge ryghteousely after Christes word & after the {pro}baciōs brought afore her / neuertheles oftētymes cometh it that this partycular chyrche doth fully and holy erre and iudgeth vnryght and excōmunicateth hym that is blessed of god, as it is open in our owne lawe whose wordes be these. Often ten tymes he that is caste cut is within, and he that is without is kepe within &c Here haue ye playnely that the partycular chyrche maye erre / wherfore that [ C] chyrche that can not erre is alonely the vnyuersall chyrche whiche is called the communion and the felowshyppe of sayntes, the whyche addycyon was made by holy father (for in saynt Cypryans tyme was there no mencyon of it) by all ly∣kelyhed to declare the presumpcyon of certayne men and of certayne congrega∣cyons that rekened them selfe to be the holy chyrche.

More.

Here sayth frere Barns .iiii. thynges in thys answere The fyrst is that Cryst doth there playnely speke of a man that hath wronge. The seconde that bycause he that hath wronge muste nedes be a pertycular and a certayne man, therfore god byddeth hym in lyke wyse go complayne not to the vnyuersall chyrche but to the partyculare chyrche.

[ A] The thyrde is that thys partycular chyrch yf she be of god and a trewe member of the vnyuersall chyrch, than she wyll iudge ryghtuousely after Christes worde, and after the pro¦bacyons brought afore her. The fourth is that thys party∣cular chyrche doth somtyme whole erre.

Now as touchynge the fyrste poynt / frere Barons here sayth that Cryst spake there of hym that hath wrong done to hym sylfe, as thoughe Cryste ment of no mo, but wolde onely sende hym that had wronge to complayne to the chyr¦che for his recompense. But me thynketh surely that yf Ba¦rons take it thus, he taketh it wronge. For I say y^t though Cryste doth not so forbyd the man that is wronged to com∣playne, that it were alwaye dedely synne for hym to com∣playne: yet he rather counsayleth hym to bere that wrong [ B] and pacyentely suffer it than to complayne vppon hys bro∣ther for it. And therfore I say that Cryst here playnely spe∣keth of euery man that secretely fyndeth hys brother, that is to wytte any other man in any dedely poynt of false by∣lyefe or synfull lyuyng though the party that fyndeth hym therwyth haue neyther harme therby in body nor goodes nor good name / ye & though he myghte by the man whome he so fyndeth in suche a faute haue great aduauntage tem∣porall, to do no more but wynke therat and fynde no faute therin thys man I say, yf he be good, is for all that offen∣ded by hym that suche euyll dothe or sayth / in that for the vnyte of cheryte bytwene all chrysten brothern he can not but be greued wyth hys chrysten brothers euyll. For as saynt Poule sayth,* 1.82 If one member taketh hurte all the mē∣bers [ C] be greued therwyth. And therfore in euery suche case dothe Cryste there sende hym that wythoute any worldely wronge done to hym selfe is in suche wyse offended by the faute and synne that he seeth in hys neyghbour / hym I say sendeth Cryst vnto the chyrche to complayne, and not hym specyally from whom hys neyghbour hath any thynge ta∣ken, whyche thynge well appereth by the wordes of Cryste where he sayeth,* 1.83 If he here the, than haste thou wonne a∣gayne thy brother, he sayeth not, than haste thou gotten a∣gayne thy good.

Now frere Barns in one of the artycles whych•• was layed agaynste hym at hys abiuracyon, had preched suche wordes, that the thynge whyche he sayeth here that Cryste playnely ment / he semeth there to take for dedely synne not

in hym onely that seweth whan he is wrōged / but ouer that [ A] in the lawyers that were of hys counsayle, and the iudges to, and in the mak••rs of the lawes also. For there as hym selfe reherseth hys artycle, these were hys wordes, All these ••••••es, and all these lawyers, and all these iusticiarys that say a man may law∣fully asks hys owne good ••fore a iudge, and cōtende in iudgement haue destroyed all pacyence, deuocyon, and fayth in chrysten people.

Surely yf Barns wordes were trewe than do all these folke an hygh dedely synne, and such a synne as there can of none other come any more hurte I trow. But I am sure hys artycle as hym self reherseth it wyll neuer be defended wyth all that euer he bryngeth for it, nor all y^t euer he maye brynge forth bysyde. But lettyng the remanaunt passe tyll some other tyme / hym selfe there reherseth amonge other [ B] thynges that mayster doctour wulman layed agaynst hym these wordes that we be in hand wyth here. If thy brother offende the, complayne vnto the chyrche. And therto sayth Barns, I answere that this place made not for s••wynge at the law alledgyng saynt A•• stayne f••r me, for it speketh of the crymes that sholde be reproued by the congregacyon and not of the correccyon of the temporall sworde. For it foloweth yf he here not the chyrche take hym as an hethen or a publycane. This is the vt∣term••st payne that our mayster Cryste assygneth there, the whyche is no payne of the temporall law.

Now good reders consyder well that answere that hym selfe sayth he there made vnto mayster wulman cōcernyng those wordes of the gospell, If thy brother offende the com¦playne vnto the chyrche / and than consyder therwyth thys exposycyon of hys, with whych he wold glose the same wor¦des [ C] here to auoyde that the very catholyke chyrche shollde be no knowen chyrcher

Fyrst it is not vnknowen that frere Barons hath in mo places than one declared hys opynyon playnely ••y whyche he wolde that the chyrche as he meneth here whyle he ma∣keth a dysticcyon bytwene it and the temporall court, shold haue no iurysdyccyon at all. And now h•• is content that they must haue a court for the reprouynge of certayne cry∣mys excepte he be so madde as to mene here that the partye wronged shold no thyng ellys but make some wonderyng vpon hys aduersary in the market place without any court or iudge,

Now in this hys exposycyon here / he restrayneth it onely to the complaynt of hym that is wronged / and so wyll that

[ A] no man shall any thynge complayne vnto the chyrche, but onely of his own wronges done vnto hym selfe / where as the order of charyte wolde rather, that a man shall neglecte his owne wronges in the complaynte wherof may be suspy¦cyon of angre or auaryce / and complayne to the chyrche vppon other mennis wronges, wherunto he were lyke∣ly to be moued onely of charyte.

Also what crymes be there wherewyth a man maye be wronged, that the chyrche of god doth not reproue.

More ouer yf Cryste here speke specyally of hym that is wronged, and specyally byddeth hym go complayne to the chyrche / he semeth to sende hym for the redresse and recom¦pence of his wronges.

And therfore when all his whole tale of his exposycyon [ B] here, and his answere there is set to gether yt amounteth vnto no more, but that who so euer is wronged by a nother he may lawfully complayne to the spyrituall court, but not to the temporall courte / and why so now? mary sayth Ba∣rons bycause that in the spyrytuall courte the partye that offendeth, shall but haue his cryme reproued / but in the temporall courte, he shale fall vnder the temporall sword. Frere Barons meaneth not here I trow, that vppon euery complaynt made and proued in the temporal court, the par¦ty that hath wronged his neyghbuor, shall haue his hedde ••tryken of. Nowe the reprouynge that the chyrche reproueth yf the party that haue done the wronge, when is reproued therof sette not therby, is ye wote well in con¦clusyon to be excommunycate out of ••he chrysten compa∣ny, [ C] and taken as a noughty wreche and a very paynym, whyche payne is amonge good crysten people more daun∣gerouse and ferefull, then t•• be compelled to make the par∣ty greued a ryghte great a••endes / namely syth oure lorde sayth forthwyth theruppon,* 1.84 that the sentence of th••rche in erth shalbe confermed in heuen.

And therfore what so euer Barons say / yf any man sew a nother vppon any gredy couetyce of worldely goodes, though yt be the getynge agayne of his owne / or of any an¦ger, or other corrupt effeccyon, whether he sew in spyrituall courte o•• temporall / in his owne mater, or any mannys el∣les, he dothe offende god and synne more or lesse after the qualytes and cyrcumstaunces of his owne mynde / and of the tyme, and the place, and the mater. And who so euer on

the tother syde complayn and sew of good mynde and effec¦cion [ A] for the amendemēt of his neyghbour, that eyther hath offended and wronged hym selfe. or a nother, or onely done harme to hym selfe, who so as I say of good effeccyon com¦playn and ••ew for his amēdement in any courte of chrysten people, be yt spyrytuall or be yt temporall, competent for the mater accordyng to the lawes and lawfull vsages of the countrey where he complayneth / offendeth not god therin, no not though he consequently recouer his owne good a∣gayne by the mene or his recōpence for his wrong & harme, so that there be none euyll cyrcumstaunces therin, that en∣gender occasyon of slaunder / as was in sewynge openly a∣mong infydeles and specyally byfore paynym iudges, why¦che thynge saynt Poule specyally therfore reproued.* 1.85 And therfore frere Barns in his answere made to mayster wul¦man [ B] auoydyng this place of the gospell with such a distyn••¦cyon betwene the temporall court and the spyrytuall court, made a very sleuelesse answere. And the scoffe wyth the pro¦uerbe of Apelles, Ne sutor vltra crepidam, hadde no very proper place / as though mayster doctour wulman beyng doctour of the law, myght no more medle in that mater and questy¦on of sewyng at the law, then a cordener might in makyng of a hose. was yt not well resembled? And where he writeth of mayster wulmā these wordes: It is not yet and hūdred yere a go, synnes that same mayster doctour was butler in in the same house, whereof I was mayster and pryour: when one of late tolde mayster wolman of those wordes, he sayd yf yt so were as Barns wrote, yet had there ben with in y^e same hūdred yere as great chaūges as that, & not fully [ C] so good in that same mayster doctour Barns as in y^e same mayster doctour wulman. For ••t was he sayde somwhat a better chaunge to se a butler ch••••nged into a doctour, then a pryour into an apostata, and a doctour into an heretyke.

But now to our purpose, yf frere Barns restrayne those wordes of Cry••te: If thy brother offende the and wyll not amende, neyther at thy secrete warnynge nor at thy war∣nynge wyth on•• or two wytnessys, then fynally complayn vnto the chyrche: yf he restrayne theym thus as he se∣meth here to do, to such folke onely as haue wronges done vnto them selfe: he doth expowne the place playn wronge, both for the causes afore remembred, and also for that it ap¦pereth by the texte that Cryste byddeth hym at the seconde

[ A] monycyon yf the fyrste auayle not, he shall take to hym one or two wytnesses / meanynge therby that he sholde take no mo then very necessite requyreth for the profe of the mater, yf the wylfulnesse of the party that offendeth do dreue the mater into the open courte. And than was by the law two competent wytnesses suffycyēt for a profe and no fewer.

Now when Cryste wolde, he sholde take vnto hym as few as he myght, bycause he sholde not vtter his brothers faute vnto any one mo then very nede sholde requyre: yf Cryste hadde spoken those wordis vnto none other but one¦ly hym that were wronged hym selfe, he wolde neuer haue sayde / take vnto the one wytnesse or twayne, but take vnto the twayne alway at the leste. For ellys takyng to hym but one, there sholde haue lakked halfe the profe. For he that dyd the wronge / wold not wytnesse agaynst hym selfe, and [ B] he y^t toke the wrong, could not be taken a wytnes for hym self. And so yf Cryst hadde ment no more then Barns sayth here he dyd / Crystes counsayle hadde ben vnsuffycyent for the mater. For his prouysyon myght haue ben obserued & the mater yet reste reproued. But of trouthe our sauyoure lyke as he spake and ment suffycyentely / so his counsayle prouyded suffycyently. For when he bode hym take one wit¦nesse or twayn, and yet ment that he shold take no mo then there neded: the man y^t wolde obserue yt to the very poynt, yf the wronge were done properly to hym selfe, he sholde take twayne, lest his complaynt shold be frustrate for lacke of suffycyent profe. And y•• the mater pertayned not proper∣ly to hym selfe / he shulde take but one, bycause hym selfe myght in that case be the tother.

[ C] And thus good reders as for the fyrste poynte of frere Barons answere, co••cernynge the vnderstādynge of those wordes of Cryste: If thy brother offende the &c. complayn to the chyrche: ye se that frere Barons hath not handeled yt very well. Let vs now to the seconde.

The seconde poynt is ye wote well, that bycause he that hath wronge muste nedes be a partyculare and a certayne man / therfore god byddeth hym in lyke wyse go and com∣playne not vnto the vnyuersall chyrche, but to the party∣culare chyrche.

By this yt appereth, that Barns meaneth y^t he that is not wronged, is not sent to the partyculare chyrch. Let vs now suppose that a man wolde in a corner go teache a no∣ther

man heresy, and labour to make hym byle••e that ney∣ther [ A] thefte nor aduoutry were any synne at all / and that a thyrde man herynge hym and secretly reprouyng hym, and therby fyndynge none amendement, nor by the wytnesses at second y^• time beyng called therto, wold folow fayn y^e coū¦sayle of Criste, and therfore asketh Barns whyther he shall for his brothers amendement though hym self be not wron¦ged, cōplayne to the chyrch or not: yt wyll be harde to say nay. Then to whyche chyrche wyll Barns bydde hym go•• whyther to the partyculare chyrche or to the vnyuersale. If this man be a partyculare man as well as he that were wronged, and therfore muste complayne to a partyculare chyrche as well as he that were wronged: whereto dothe Barons saye that Cryste speketh playnely of hym that is [ B] wronged / as though he spake of none other, nor as though there were no partyculare man but he that is wronged / but that euery other man not wrōged, were an vnyuersall mā, and must therfore yf he haue any cause of complaynt, go cō¦playne hym selfe to the vnyuersall chyrche that Barns de∣scrybeth vs, and telleth vs that we can neuer know her nor any member of her.

The thyrde poynt is very subtyll / and a thynge that yf frere Barons had not sayd yt, I wold neuer haue thought yt possyble / that is that the partyculare chyrch, yf she be of god and a trew member of the vnyuersall chyrche that Ba¦rons assygneth, y^t is to wyt of onely men pure & clene with out spot or wryncle of synne / she wyll iudge ryghtuousely after the worde of god, and after the probacyons broughte [ C] afore her, who wolde haue went that good men wold haue iudged well and trew men truely?

The fourth poynt is, that thys partyculare chyrch may all wholy erre.

This is lo so lytle meruayle, and ouer that so lytle to the purpose, that I wyll graunte yt frere Barons frely, and a great dele more to. For I wyll gra••̄te hym also the thynge that hym selfe sayeth nay to, and yet is yt trewe / that is to wyt that so may the whole vnyuersall chyrch do to, in s••ch wyse as the law meaneth by whyche Barons proueth that the partyculare chyrche may erre. And I speke her of hys owne vnyuersall chyrche of all holy ve••••uouse men, clene wythout spot or wryncle, if they were all sodaynly knowen by reuelacyon, and were as many of them as euer was a••

[ A] any tyme peple good & bad both lyuynge to gyther in thys world, and all assembled to gyther, yet myght they in iudge¦ment erre and be deceyued all the meyny at onys, byleuing many fals recordys & many fals lykelyheddes, in a priuate mater agaynst a secrete & an vnproued treuth / whych is y^e errour y^t the law meneth, which law frere Barns alledgeth

And therfore ye may se good reders where about Barns goth, whan he putteth you here a dyfference bytwene the partycular chyrche and the vniuersall chyrche, in that the tone maye erre and the tother can not / and than bryngeth vs in those lawes for the profe, whych lawes do speke of that kynde of errour, in whyche kynde of errour they maye erre partycular and vniuersall bothe.

ye may playnely perceyue here y^• Barns doth but tryfle [ B] in thys great erenest mater and goth about to blere the re∣ders eye with errour happenyng in the examynacyon of an outwarde acte / wherin is to hym that erreth no parell of soule / where hym selfe knoweth well that the errour where vpon all this mater goth is dāpnable errour in doctrine of thynges pertaynynge to the necessary poyntes of fayth, or vertuouse lyuynge. Now where Cryste dyd byd hym that was offended by his brother complayne to the chyrch, frere Barns sayth, that was a partyculare chyrche / who wolde haue went that lo? yf Barns had not tolde vs so, we wolde haue went that Cryste had bode hym complayne to no par∣tyculare chyrch / but go seke y^t vnyuersall chyrch whych he could not know though he foūd her / or els tary tyl he could [ C] gete all y^e knowē catholyke chyrch to gether vpon a grene.

But I aske frere Barns whyther Cryste dyd there byd the man so offended complayne to an vnknowen partycu∣lar chyrch or to any other particular chyrch than vnto such a partycular chyrche as were a parte of the whole knowen catholyke chyrch? lette frere Barns answere this. Chryste neyther bode hym seke an vnknowen chyrche, nor an vn∣knowen parte of a chyrche, nor a knowen parte of an vn∣knowen chyrch / but bode hym well and playnely go com∣playne to the chyrch / as a thyng that was ethe to perceyue wythout any sophysme or sotletye / for euery man myghte well knowe that he myghte nother complayne to a chyrche vnknowen, nor to all the whole chyrche at onys. But bycause Chryst wold prouyde that all the hole chyrch shold haue one fayth and one trewth of doctryne in rulys of ly∣uynge & necessary vnderstandyng of the scrypture concer∣nynge

all such poyntes / therfore our sauyour bode hym go [ A] to the chyrche / wherof euery knowē part that he shold so cō¦playne vnto / he shold not fayle to fynd in y^• necessary treuth of doctryne to agre with the hole vniuersall chyrche, both y^t knowen chyrch of good & bad, & with the secrete vnknowen chyrch of onely good men / for in the tone be all the tother / & therfore that chyrch that he shold go to, shold be able after the facte & the dede truely knowē, to iudge, reproue and re∣dresse that wrong & that offence with which ••he cōplaynaūt was wronged or off••nded. And yf one w••re of good zele of∣fended with hym that dyd exhorte hym to heresye tellynge hym that it were trew fayth & doctryne y^• fornycacyon, ad∣uowtry, runnynge out of relygyon in apostacy, brekyng of vowys, & frerys weddyng nōnys, & periury were no synne [ B] at all / a man could not fayle in any partycular chyrch part of the knowen catholyke chyrche to haue all thys doctryne iuged & cōdēpned for heresy. How be it yf he shold cōplayn to some of those knowē particular chyrches that are ī some partes of Almayne sectes dysseuered & departed frome the knowen catholyke chyrch there shold he haue some of these heresyes iudged for trew catholike faith. And therfore is it playn y^• Cryst sendyng hym so planely to cōplayn to y^• chyr¦che, & menyng no false chyrch but his owne trew chyrche / & than makyng no dowtes of the fynding therof entended to make his trewe pertycular chyrches, y^t it to wyt y^• partes of his trew catholyke chyrch well & opēly knowē & perceyu••d, as well from all y^• chyrches of heretykes, as from all y^• chyr¦ches of paynyms. For Cryst wold not sende hym where he [ C] sholde be bygyl••d in doctryne to y^• dāpnacyon of his soule.

And than yf Crystes partycular chyrches to which he sen¦deth the man to cōplayne that is offended by false doctryne be chyrches knowē / thā it foloweth that Crystes hole chyr∣che wherof all the knowen particular chyrches of Cryst be knowen partes, is & must nedes be a knowen chyrch to / bu•• yf Barns be so madde as to say that of an hole tre growing togyther all the pecys of it as it standeth maye be seen and knowen / but the hole tre standeth it selfe inuysyble for all that and can in no wyse be knowen.

And thus good christen reders it is more tha•• shame to se how Barns answereth those wordes of Cry••••••, whyche playnely proue the very chyrche of Cryste to be a knowen chyrche. In auoydynge wherof Barns tryfle•••• in suche

[ A] fasshyon so boldely and so carelesse / that he semeth to reken all that euer shall rede it, no wyser almoste then euyn very wylde geese. For yf euer he thoughte that any man sholde rede it that shold haue any wytte at all in hys hed, the man wolde I wene haue bene full sore ashamed to handle thys mater of Chrystes owne holy wordes in suche a tryflynge maner as he doth.

yet sayth Barns that thys knowen catholyke chyrche can not be the very chyrch bycause it is not persecuted. For the very chyrch (sayth Barns) inuenteth none other way to heuen but folow¦eth Chryste onely / in sufferynge oppressyons and persecucyōs, blasphemynges, and all other thynges that may be layed vnto hyr / whyche as saynte Austayne sayth she lerned of our mayster Cryste. Our holy mother the chyrche thorow out all the worlde scatered farre and longe, in her trew hedde Chryste Iesus taught / hath lerned not to fere the contumelys of the crosse nor yet of deth, but more and [ B] more ys she strengthed, not in resystynge but in sufferynge.

These wordes euery man seeth well touch not the cler∣gye onely, and yet maketh Barns as he ment no mo but them / but he meneth that hym selfe and hys holy felowes be the chyrch bycause they be runne awaye for fere of perse∣cucyon. But saynt Austayne sayth not that the chyrche is strengthed in sufferynge of persecucyon for holdynge fals heresyes, for techynge that men be not bounden to faste the lente / but maye eate flesshe on good frydaye / and that the people be no more bounden to come to goddes seruyce on whytsondaye than vpon shroue tuysdaye / on whyche daye though they be boundeu to leue vndone some thinges that many men vse to do / yet are they not so specyally bounden to spende y^• day in the dyuyne seruyse as they be the tother [ C] for all Barns bablyng vpon his abiuracyon. Nor the chyr∣che dyd not suffer persecucyon for techyng that frerys may wedde nones, and breke theyr vowys, & runne in apostasy∣and set nought by periury, and rayle agaynst all orders of holy relygyouse lyuyng. For in all these thynges is saynte Austayne whom he bryngeth for hym very full and whole agaynste them.

And as for persecucyon to be ••uffered by the catholyke chyrche, it suffyseth that men be of the mynde gladly to suf∣fer whan necessyte of sufferaūce shall happen by paynyms & infydel••s / & not that they ceace to be Crystes chyrche, but yf they suffer heretykes aryse and remayne amonge them selfe, fy••ste wyth false doctryne to contende and inquyete them / and after wyth rebellyon to bete, robbe, spoyle, kyll

them. For saynt Poule sayth, Put away the euyll man frō [ A] amonge your selfe. For saynt Austayne whom he bryngeth for hym dyd after good and longe delyberacyon playnely wryte in thys poynt agaynst hym, as appereth expressely in many of hys pystles wryten bothe vnto the secular powers whom he exhorted agaynste heretykes to represse theym & amende them by force / and also to dyuerse of those herety∣kes them selfe, wherin he declareth wherfore.

And yet besyde all thys the chyrche doth in dede abyde & endure the shamefull contumelyes of these wreched herety¦kes / nor is not ashamed of the contumelyes of the crosse / though these blasphemouse wreches rayle agaynst y^e crosse & call it idolatrye to crepe and kylle the crosse / and in some place forbere not to caste the very fylthy myre vppon the crosse. [ B]

And yet ferther in some partes of Almayne thys knowē chyrche of Cryste hath many tymes suffered and yet suffe∣reth no lytell persecucyon and very martyrdome / bothe in theyr goodes and landes and theyr bodyes to.

But yet sayth Barns that thys knowen chyrche can in no wyse be the very chyrche of Cryste / bycause it persecu∣teth heretykes / & for the profe therof he alledgeth the wor∣des of saynt Hylary wryten agaynst the Arryans, whyche are these

Barons.

The chyrche doth threten wyth banyshementes and presonmentes, and she compelleth men to byleue her whyche was exiled and caste in preson, nowe hangeth she on the dyghyte of her felowshyppe the whyche was consecrated by the thretenynges of persecuters, she causeth prestes to flye that was encrea¦ced [ C] by the chasyng away of prestes, she gloryeth that she is loued of the world the whyche coulde neuer be Chrystes excepte the worlde dyd hate her &c.

How thynke you my lordes? do not you all these thynges that be layed to the Arryans charge / your owne frendes, ye your owne conscyence muste nedes accuse you of all these thynges and yet wyll y••u be called Chrystes chil¦dren / I saye nothynge to you but that holy doctours laye vnto you.

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who so consyder well saynt Hylaryes wordes shall fynd therin the sorest thynge y^• lyghtely could haue ben brought forth agaynst frere Barons. For in these wordes appereth that the catholyke chyrche dyd neuer persecute heretykes by any temporall payne or any secular power vntyll the he¦retykes began suche vyolence them selfe. For yet in saynte Hylaryes dayes the trewe catholyke chyrche dyd it not.

[ A] But the Arrianes that were heretikes as ye perceyue here by saynte Hillaries wordes / when they hadde corrupted & goten into theyr secte great prynces, vsed theyr authoryte agaynst the catholikes in bannishemētes and prysonamēt, and myche other cruell handelynge / all whych the good ca¦tholyque people suffred & vsed none other defence / sauyng the sworde of the word of god, and the cēsuris of the chirch whyche that holy clergy pronoūced and declared agaynste Arrius and all his adherentes in that holy counsayl holdē at Nece.

But afterwarde when that secte was by the goodnes of god abated and the right fayth well and fully restored, and concorde, reste, and quyete, growen amonge chrysten peo∣ple, and that yet agayne after that some heretikes beganne [ B] to rayse a new brabelynge / good prynces remembryng the great harme and vnrestefulnesse that had growne by such heretykes, as had brought vppe sectes and scysmes in the chyrch of Cryste byfore / dyd of theyr own good myndes for the preseruacyon of the peace, prohybyte and forbyd those heresyes vpon certayne paynes and in lyke wyse cōmaun¦ded the bokes of those heretyques to be burned. And all be it that some very good men & holy doctours wold haue ben very gladde to treate and vse those heretyques so tenderly that they sholde haue hadde no bodely harme, in so myche that holy saint Austayne was fyrst of the same mynde hym selfe / yet afterwarde consyderynge the mater betser, he per¦ceyued the cōtrary to be so mych better, and so mych harme [ C] growynge to good men & dyspleasure to god, yf yt so shold contynue, that he letted not in writyng to confesse his own ouersyght, and reuoke his fyrst opynyon, and was not one¦ly cōtente that suche obstynate heretykes as to the trouble of good quyete people / and dysturbynge of the catholyque fayth wyth the parell of many pore symple soules, wolde styrre suche scysmes and heresyes, sholde be by fere refray∣ned, & byforce repressed, and by payne punyshed: but al∣so requyred by his owne wrytyng the seculare powers ther to / and he thought it a benefyt to the heretyques them selfs to be reduced from theyr errours into the ryght fayth / ra∣ther for fayre and payn here temporall, then to perseuere in theyr heresies & fall into y^e fyre perpetuall. For many which by fere & force begynne a good thynge in trouble and aduer¦syte, fall after by grace encreased, into the loue of y^e good∣nes

whyche in theyr wanton welth they hated / for vexacy∣on [ A] geueth vnderstandynge / and the begynnynge of wyse∣dome is the feare of god:* 1.86 * 1.87 for whyche he bode his apostles fere hym, that myght not onely kyll y^e bodye, but caste also the soule into hell.

* 1.88Saynte Austayne in this poynte declareth his mynde playnly concernynge the repressynge of heretyques by tem¦porall punisheme••t, both by his pystles adressed vnto such noble seculare men as he requyred therto / & also by his wry¦tynges wherin he playnely declareth vnto the heretyques thē selfes, the causes wherfore yt is well done: whych saue for the length I wolde here set you in.

But saynte Austayne was not in this mynde alone, but so was saynt Hierome and many other holy men also. And vnto the same haue by the spyryte of god, for the weale of [ B] crystēdome, all crysten nacyons full and whole agreed / and haue ben by the importune malyce of heretyques raysynge rebellyons in dyuerse regyons dreuen of necessyte to set in sundry tymes, sorer and sorer punyshement therunto. And yet as ye se so strong is the deuyll in theyr obstynate hartes that scantely can all suffyse.

But yet layeth Barns a nother reason, to proue that the very chyrche of Cryste can not be a knowen chyrche in no wyse. For he sayth that we byleue the very chyrch of Cryst by fayth, and yt is an artycle of oure fayth / and therfore yt is no knowen chyrche, nor can be no knowen chyrche. But that yt muste nedes be a chyrche vnknowen of onely holy people, pure and clene wythout spotte or wryncle / and that the very chyrche muste nedes be suche an holy company so [ C] pure and so clene without spot or wrincle: he proueth thus.

Barns.

Marke saynt Paules wordes. Crist hath geuē hym self for her, that he might make her gloryouse. So that the clennesse of thys holy chyrche is the mercy o•• god towarde her thorow Chryste, for whose sake he layeth nothynge to her charge. Ye and yf any other person wold, he is redy to geue her his clennesse, and to lette her by fayth clayme of ryght hys purenesse for her owne / for be∣tweyne theym all is comen as betweyne man and wyfe. So that yf the chyrche loke on her owne merytes of her own workes, she is full of synne, and muste nedes saye, Dimitte mihi debita, the whyche she neded not to saye yf she hadde none. But yf she referre her selfe vnto the merytes of her blessed hus¦bande Cryste Iesus, and to the clennesse that she hath in his blood / then is she wythout spot. ••or by the reason that she stycketh by fayth so faste vnto her

[ A] husbande Chryste, and doth abyde in confessyon of her synne, and requyreth mercy for theym / therfore is there nothynge layed to her charge, but all thynge ys for geuen her. And therfore sayeth saynt Paule, there ys no dam∣nacyon vnto them that be in Cryste Iesu.

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I haue good reders somwhat touched the wordes by∣fore. But now ye se that he sayth that this chyrche hath al¦way synne in her, and so alway spottes and wryncles. But yet bycause she stykketh faste vnto her husbande Chryste in fayth, and abydeth in confessyon of her synne, and requy¦reth mercy for them / therfore is there nothynge layed vnto her charge, but all that thynge is forgeuen her, & that ther∣fore she hath neyther spot no wryncle lefte in her. And this he proueth as ye se by saynte Paule sayenge, There is no [ B] dampnacyon vnto them that be in Cryste Iesu.

I haue sayde vnto Barns byfore and yet I say agayn, y^t though Crist hath as saynt Paule saith vnto the Ephesies, gyuen hym self for ••er, that he myght make her gloryouse: yet ment not saynt ••oule that euery man for whom Criste hath geuen hym selfe to make hym gloryouse, shall in dede be gloryouse: for some wyll forwardely refuse to be made gloryouse. And that company y^t shalbe gloryouse, shall yet not be gloryouse here in this world / but shall be here in this world gracyouse, that they may in a nother worlde be glo∣ryouse. And yet not at euery tyme gracyouse in this world neyther / but some tyme fall frowardely or neglygētly from grace, and so stande longe in suche vngracyouse state / and yet thorow goddes callyng on them, tourne agayne wyl∣lyngly [ C] by grace vnto grace / at so passe at the laste thorowe grace into glory. But he may be of Crystes chyrch here ma¦ny yeres in erth, and happely neyther gracyouse nor glory∣ouse / and yet he may knowledge his synyes and aske mer∣cy, and byleue euery artycle of the ryght fayth, and trust to be saued to / and yet by wylfull purpose of cōtynuynge in some horrible synnes, stand styll in a dampnable state. And as yt may be that some shall amende and be saued / so may yt be that some wyll neuer amende, but shall therfore be fy∣nally dampned. And yet though he was not one of Cristes electes / yet was he a member of his mystycall body, his ca∣tholyque chyrche here in erth, and may byleue in hym, and truste in hym, and knowledge his synne, and aske mercye, and for lacke of good purpose may mysse of mercy to.

But Barons to make men wene that onely fayth were [ A] suffycyent for saluacyon, accordynge to his pestylent here∣sy, whych he dyd ones forswere / and now forsweryng hym selfe, holdeth and defendeth agayne: telleth vs a gay tale of a gloryouse chyrch that hath all her synnes forgeuē her, by styckynge to her spouse by onely fayth, wyth knowled∣gynge her synnes aud askynge mercy for them / and that a man may be bolde yf he thus do, synne he neuer so fast, nor purpose he neuer so litle to amende. He layeth vs false¦ly forth saynt Poule and telleth vs that saynt Poule sayth there is no damnacy•••• to them that be in Criste Iesu. But by holy saynt Paule and holy Chryste Iesu to, yt is good crysten reders a ryght heuy herynge, that euer suche a man as this is, shold be herde speke among crysten peple / when he so holyly bryngeth in the wordes of the blessed apostle, [ B] as though he ment to make men loue Cryst Iesu, and then malycyousely pulleth away the very wordis wherin all the weyght hangeth, to make men wene that to stycke to god by fayth alone wyth a false hope of saluacyon, for onely knowledgyng of theyr synne and askynge of mercye, were su••••ycyent to saue theyr soules / so that so doyng, they could neuer be dampned though they dyd no more, howe so euer they purpose to perseuer in theyr synne besyde.

But saynte Poule to reproue Barons false doctryne, sayth not as he reherseth hym, that there is no damnacyon to them that are in Cryste Iesu / but he sayth there is no dā∣nacyon to them that are in Cryste Iesu, that walke not af∣ter the fleshe / declarynge playnely that though they be in Cryste Iesu, after suche a maner of beynge in hym as Ba∣rons [ C] descrybeth vs, yet yf he walke after the fleshe he shall be damned. For saynt Poule sayth playnly yf ye lyue after the fleshe, ye shall dye. And after the fleshe may a mā walke, & after the fleshe may he lyue, & yet do all that frere Barns here sayth in these wordes that the chyrche doth. For he spe¦keth in all these holy wordes of his, nothynge of leuynge the synnefull wayes of the fleshe, or of any such purpose ey¦ther / but to make men wene that no suche thynge neded, but onely byleue, and trust, and knowledge our synne, and a••ke mercy, and byleue onely, and truste surely, & lyue styll as we lyste. For by faith alone we sticke to Crist, as Barns wold haue it seme. And then how synfull so euer we be / yet be we wythout synne clene and pure / for then Cristes pure∣nesse

[ A] is ours he sayth, as all thynges be cōmune he sayth among frendes / and therfore no dāpnacyon can there be to them that are in such wyse in Cryst Iesu, how so euer they lyue or what so euer they do. And thus may ye se good chry¦sten people how shamefully thys euyll chrysten man false∣••yeth saynt Poules wordes, to y^e deceyte of vnlerned folke, and dampnacyon of good symple soulys.

But now is it a worlde to se how he laboreth to cary the reder away from the perceyuynge therof. And yet hath god made Barns hym self so blynd, that y^e more blynd he goth about to make the reder, the more he stumbleth vnware vp¦pon the trouth, and taketh it vp & bryngeth it so forth, and also sheweth it to hys owne shame, the most folysshely that I neuer saw the lyke in all my lyfe. For lo these are his wor¦des forth wyth vppon the tother.

Barns.

[ B] And that thys may be the playner, I wyll brynge you saynt Austayns wor∣des, the whych was vexed of the Donatystes wyth this same reason that is layd agaynst me. His wordes be these. The whole chirch sayth forgyue vs our synnes / wherfore she hath spottes and wryncles. But by knowledgynge, her spottes are weshed awaye. The chyrche abydeth in prayour, that she myghte be clensed by knowledgynge of her synnes. As longe as we lyue here, so standeth it / and when we shall departe out of this body, all such thynges be forgyuen to euery man. wherfore by thys meane, the chyrche of god is in the treasurers of god withoute spotte and wryncles / and therfore here do we not lyue without synne, but we shal ••asse from hence without synne. &c.

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Now good chrysten readers, here haue you herde frere Barns saye that he wolde reherse you saynt Austayns wor¦des, to thentent that he wold make you the mater the more playne for hys purpose. But of trouth he hath played in [ C] the rehersyng of theym, as he played in the rehersynge of saynte Poules wordes / that is as ye haue herde, rehersed them falsely wyth pullyng the chyefe parte away, to make them seme the playner for hys purpose. And therfore to the entent that I may make hys false handelyng of saynt Au∣stayn & his fals entent therin appere, as playnely vnto you as I haue all redy made appere vnto you, his lyke hande∣lynge & hys lyke entent in handelynge of saynte Poule: I shall reherse you saint Austayns wordes a lytell more fully & truely than frere Barons hath done / begynnynge where Barns begynneth, but not endyng where he endeth. For he endeth I wote nere where / but maketh two lynys of hys owne, and than endeth wyth &c. as though hys owne wor∣des were saint Austayns. But thus saith saint Austayn lo.

The whole chyrche lo sayeth, Forgyue vs out synnes / [ A] ergo she hath spottes and wryncles:* 1.89 but by confessyon of them the wryncle is streched out, & by confessyon the spotte is wyshed out. The chyrch cōtynueth in prayour to be clen∣sed thorow confessyon / and as longe as we here lyue so she contynueth styll, and euery man when he departeth out of hys body, is forgeuen of hys synnys / euery man. I saye of suche maner of synnys as he than had that were venyall. For they be forgyuen also by dayly prayours / and he depar¦teth hense clensed, and the chyrche is layd vp pure golde in to the treasurers of our lorde. And by thys meane the chyr∣che is in the treasures of our lorde wythout spot and wryn∣cle. And than yf the place where she is without spot or wryn¦cle be there / what thyng shall we pray for whyle we be here? That we may obtayne perdon of our synnys. what good [ B] doth the perdon it taketh out y^e spot, and he that forgiueth stretcheth out the wryncle. And where is our wryncle stret∣ched out as it were in the presse or tenter hokes of a stronge fullar? vpon the crosse of Cryst. For euyn vpon the crosse, y^t is to wytte vpon that streccher or tenter hokys, he shed out hys bloud for vs. And ye o faythfull people, knowe what wytnesse ye beare vnto the bloud whych ye haue receyued. For of a trueth ye saye Amen. ye knowe what thynge the bloud is which was ••hed out for many ī remissiō of synnys.

Marke lo how the chyrche is made wythout spotte or wryncle. She is streched out in the strecher or tenter hokys of the crosse, as a chyrch well wesshed & clensed. Now here may euer thys thynge be in doynge. But our lorde doth ex∣hybyte and present vnto hym selfe, a gloryouse chyrch with [ C] out spotte or wryncle there. He goth aboute thys thynge and is in doyng of it euyn here, but he exhybyteth her such there. For man sayth, let vs haue neyther spot nor wryncle. Great is he that goth about it / and he goth aboute it well, and is the cunnyngest wurke man that can be. He strecheth vs out vpon the crosse, and maketh vs smoth wythout any wryncle, whom he had weshed & made clene without spotte He y^t came wythout spot & wrincle, was stretched out vpon the strecher or y^e tenter hokys. But y^t was for our sakes not for hym self, but to make vs wythout any spot or wryncle. Let vs therfore pray him to make vs such / & whē he hath so done, thā to bryng vs to y^e shoppys & there lay vs vp where shalbe no pressyng nor strecchyng. Now thou that spakest thus, art thou without spot or wrīcle? what dost thou then

[ A] here in the chyrche, whyche sayth, Forgyue vs our synnys. She confesseth that she hath styll synnys to be forgyuen. They that confesse not the same, it foloweth not therfore that they haue no synnes. But bycause they confesse them not / theyr synnys therfore shall not be forgyu•• them. Confessyon healeth vs, and a well ware lyuyng, & an hum∣ble lyfe, and prayour also wyth fayth & contrycyon of hart, and vnfayned tearys flowyng out of the harte veyne, that the synnys wythout whych we can not be, maye be forgy∣uen vs. Confessyon I saye maketh vs hole, as the apostle Iohn̄ sayth: yf we confesse our synnys, god is faythfull & iuste, and wyll perdon vs our synnys, and clense vs frome all wyckednesse. But now though I saye we can not here be wythout synne / we may not commytte manslaughter or [ B] do adultery therfore, or such other dedely synnes as at one stroke sle the soule. For such deades doth not a chrystē man y^t hath a good fayth & a good hope / but those synnys onely whych are wyth y^e pencell of dayly prayour ouerwyped.

Now good chrysten readers ye shall fyrste vnderstande, y^t where as frere Barns maketh as though saynt Austayn had spoken those wordes agaynst the Donatystys, whych vexed (sayth he) saynt Austayne wyth the same reason that is now layd agaynst hym: he maketh vs two lyes at onys. For neyther dyd the Donatystes vexe saynt Austayn with that reason that is layed agaynst hym, nor saynt Austayne made not that sermō agaynst them. Fyrst as for them, they vexed saynt Austayn wyth this heresy, that they affermed y^• very chyrche to be onely in Affryque / and none to be of the [ C] very chyrch but yf he were of the secte of the Donatystes. And now ye wote well no man vexeth frere Barons wyth that heresye. For we saye that the chyrch is the whole nom¦bre of all chrysten nacyons, not beynge by newe heresyes dyuyded from the olde stocke, in what places of the world so euer those people be, and be they neuer so many cūtreys, or be they neuer so few that remayne in the same knowen chyrche, that hath ben by a well knowen successyon preser∣serued and contynued from Chrystes dayes vnto our own, and in the profession of the same fayth whyche is called the catholyke fayth, bycause it is the faith of the same whole ca¦tholyke chyrche. And therfore thys thynge wyth whyche frere Barons is vexed now is not the same wyth whych the Donatystes dyd vexe saynt Austayne.

Now yf Barns wyll say, that though it be not the same / [ A] it is yet lyke the same, bycause we assygne the chyrche to be in these onely cuntreys in whych it now remayneth / what can we other saye than that for the tyme in whyche it stre∣cheth no ferther, it is but in these cūtreys. But we deny not but yf there be dwellynge amonge Turkes or Sarasyns any chrysten, or men than longe to be chrysten, whych agre with the knowen chyrche of these chrysten contynued na∣cyons in fayth / all those folke are of thys knowen chyrche also.

And ouer that whan so euer the same contreys that are vnchrystened nowe, shall here after as I truste onys they shall, bycome chrystened agayne, and be byleuers of the comon catholyke fayth, and so become membres of the co∣mon knowen catholyke chyrch / than say we that there shall [ B] the chyrche be to. But the Donatystes sayd and wold haue semed to proue it by the very scrypture to, that the chyrche sholde not remayne but in Affryque. And therfore the Do∣natystes vexed not saynte Austayne wyth the same thynge wyth whyche we vexe frere Barns.

yet yf frere Barns wyll saye that it is lyke, in that that lyke as those heretykes were called Donatystes, so these heretykes call the catholyke chrysten people papystes: yet can it not be lyke for that. For saynt Austayn called the suc¦cessoure of saynt Peter the chyefe hed in erth of the hole ca∣tholyke chyrche, as well as any man doth now. And also frere Barns can not alledge that poynt agaynste vs. For hym selfe ye wote well confesseth that the pope is the vicare of Cryste here vppon erth. [ C]

Fynally the questyon that is bytwene frere Barns and vs, is not the same that was bytwene the Donatystes and saynt Austayn. For bytwene Barns and vs, the questyon is whyther the very chyrch be a knowen chyrch of chrysten people good and badde bothe, or an vnknowen chyrche of onely good holy vertuouse people, pure and clene wythout eyther spot or wryncle. And in thys poynt were both saynte Austayne and the Donatystys agreed, that the very chyr∣che was a chyrche knowen.

And thus good reders ye may se that frere Barns sayth vntrewe in thys poynt, where he sayth that saynt Austayn was vexed by the Donatystes, wyth the selfe same reason that hym selfe is now vexed wyth vs. But thys he fayneth,

[ A] make it seme that the knowen catholyque chyrch were now of the same opynyon that those heretyques the Donatistes were then / and that saynt Austayne were of the mynde that hym selfe is now, that the very catholyque chyrche were an vnknowen chyrch, of onely good folke pure and clene with out eyther spotte or wryncle of any maner synne. And he wolde make vs wene, that saynte Austayne therfore wrote those word{is} agaynst y^e Donatistes, to proue agaynst them that the very chyrche here in erth were an vnknowen chyrche of onely suche holy sayntes as were wythoute any synne.

But now to proue you that frere Barns maketh vs a ly in that poynt, ye shall vnderstande good reders, that saynt Austayne spake those wordes not agaynst the Donatistes, but agaynste other sectes of heretyques called the Pelagy∣anys [ B] and the Celestyans.

And to proue you farther, that frere Barns maketh you therin not onely a lye, but also a very folyshe lye / ye shall se hym conuycted in this poynte, by the very wordes of saynt Austayne hym selfe in the selfe same sermon. For in all that whole sermon is there not onely no worde spoken of Dona¦tystes / but that also he declareth hym selfe by playne and open wordes, to speke those wordes agaynst Pelagyans & the Celestyans, as I sayde byfore. For lo in the very wor∣des next byfore those, wyth whych frere Barns begynneth / saynt Austayne sayth thus: Vbi es tu heretice Pelograne uel C••••••••∣stiane, where arte thou heretyque pelagyane or celestyane?

And thus ye se clerely, that saynte Austayne wrote not those wordes agaynste the Donatistes as Barons belyeth [ C] hym / bnt agaynst the Pelagyans and the celestians, as his owne expresse wordes do declare you.

But now ye wyll peraduēture meruayle, for what entēt frere Barons hath made this false folyshe chaung, in why¦che he may be so playnely reproued. ye shall vnderstande good readers, that he dyd yt not for nought, but of a great wylynesse wyth a very lytle wyt. For ye shall vnderstande that those two sectes, betwene them brough vppe and h••••o the same heresye that Barons bryngeth forth now / that ys to say that the chyrche in this world is a company of onely good folke, and so good that none of them haue either spot or wryncle of synne. Fyrste Pelagyans sayde, that euery man myght by his onely naturall strength make hym selfe

suche one yf he wyll. And then Celestius added vnto yt, [ A] that there is no mā a good man but he that so doth in dede / and that the very chyrche hath none but onely suche good men in yt, whych muste nedes ye wote well be an vnknowē chyrche. And that theyr heresye was this / appereth playne both in the begynnyng of this sermon, and also in the ende of saynte Austayne worke wryten to Quod vult deus. And thrfore agayn••••e that heresy of theyres whyche heresy now frere Barns holdeth styffely for a very trewth / doth saynte Austayne wryte those wordes, whych Barns hym selfe here bryngeth for hym selfe, labourynge to proue hys heresye trew by the authoryte of saynt Austayne, with the self same wordes by which saynt Austayne playnly proueth yt false. I can not in good fayth well deuyse whyther this pagea••̄t be played by frere Barns, more falsely or more folyshely. [ B]

For where as those heretykes sayd, that the very chyrch hadde none in yt but such as were so clene and so pure that they neyther had spot nor wryncle / saynt Austayne sayeth as ye haue herde, that not onely the meane sorte of the very chyrche, but also all the whole chyrch no nomber therof ex∣cept, no not the very beste, prayeth in the Pater noster god, to forgeue theym theyr synnes. And therfore sayth he that those heretyques lye, that saye the whole very chyrche here in erthe hath none therof, but onely suche as haue neyther spot nor wryncle of synne.

And then goeth saynt Austayne farther and sayth that suche as be in the chyrche, and therfore lyue not wyhoute synne, gete forgeuenes by knoweledgynge of theyr synne, and askynge mercy, and by prayour, and with fayth and cō¦trycyon [ C] of hert, and vnfayned terys flowynge frō the vayn of the herte•• and wyth a ware lyuynge / wyth all these ways he sayth that the synnes be forgeuē, to hym that vseth these ways to gete forg••uenes wyth. For then he sayeth that as god hath washed away our spottes wyth the water of bap¦tysme / so he stretcheth out our wryncles vppon his owne crosse.

And yet he sayth for all this, that no man lyueth here so clene, but that as long as he lyueth here, he so spotteth hym selfe agayn, and so caccheth euer some wryncles, that he ly¦ueth neuer wythout, nor longe can not, not for necessyte of our nature peraduenture, but thorow our wylfull fraylty and neglygence. And then sheweth he farther yet, that in

[ A] those synnes wythout whyche no man lyueth / he meaneth not abomynable dedely synnes, as māslaughter, or aduou¦try, or suche other horryble dedely synnes, as sle the soule at one stroke. For suche synnes crysten men, he sayth, that haue a good fayth and a good hope, wyll not commytte. wherby saynte Austayne teacheth vs agaynst the doctryne of those heretyques and these to, that a man may be a cry∣sten man, and of the very same chyrche to, whyche Cryste hath geuen hym self for to make her fayre & gloryouse / and may haue also a trew fayth, that is to wyt a full bylyefe of euery uecessarye trouth, and a full hope, that is to wytte, a great stronge truste in Cryste to be saued by Criste / and yet not a good fayth able to make the man good, bycause yt is but Barns fayth, that is to witte onely fayth without well [ B] workynge charyte / nor a good hope, bycause it is a presum¦ptuouse hope, lokynge to be saued wyth dampnable deue∣lyshe leuyuge. And for these causes may the member of the very chyrche here, when he dyeth in such mynde, for all his knowledgynge and askynge mercy to, go from Crystes ve¦ry chyrche in erthe to the deuyls very chyrche in hell.

For saynt Austayn sayth here as ye haue herd, that they whyche haue suche synnes as at the tyme of deth sholde be remytted / that is to say that hath not then such as be at his dyenge dedely both for theyr owne nature and for lacke of trew repentaūce, wyth purpose of amendemēt & well vsyng of the sacramentes, shall be fully forgeuen / that is to wyt yf he haue for attaynynge therof, vsed hym selfe suf••ycyent¦ly in suche wyse as saynt Austayne here declareth / that ys [ C] to say in confessyon & knowledgyng of his synnes, wyth cō¦trycyon and prayour, with good fayth, and good hope, ••nd a ware lyuynge, vsynge dylygence to wythstande synne / then he shall be sayth saynt Austayne forgyuen. And wh••n he is so at his deth fully forgeuen / then shall he be layed vp for pure golde in the treasurs of god.

But saynt Austayne meaneth not, that eue••y man that is of the very chyrche, nor that euery man that dyeth out of dedely synne, and knowledgeth his synne when he dyeth, & asketh mercy, shall be forthwyth so fully forgeuen, that he shall go hense so clene and so pure wythout spotte or wryn∣cle, that h•• shall be by and by layed vppe for pure golde in the treasours of god / but yf he long byfore with such other cyrcumstaunces as I haue byfore of saynt Austaynes own

wordes rehersed you, well and dewly ben accustumed long [ A] tyme to pray byfore, that god wolde make hym wythoute sp••t or wryncle, by weshynge his spottes wyth the blessed sacramentes, and stretchynge out his wryncles wyth the stretchynge them vppon the stretcher or tenter hokes of the crosse. And then when god hath in suche wyse washed oute his spottes / and in suche wyse washed out his wryncles at the very laste ende, after whyche he can neyther gether spot nor wryncle more / that then yt may please god to brynge hym into the shoppes, and there lay hym where shall neuer be pressynge nor stretchynge more. But yf he by long tym•• byfore his deth pray duely thus / ellys shall he not at hys deth be by and by layed vppe for pure gold in goddes trea∣sours, as frere Barons maketh yt•• here seme, by mysse reher¦syng of saint Austayns wordes / but he shal fyrst be wel pur¦ged [ B] / and all the spottes & wryncles that then remayn, shall be clene burned oute by the hote fyre of purgatorye / or by other mennes prayours and almoise dede, and other suffra¦ges of the chyrche done for hym, be depured and clensed by¦fore that he shall be layed vppe for pure golde in the trea∣sours of god.

And that saynt Austayne meaneth here none otherwyse then I do declare hym: ye may well perceyue yf ye well ad¦uyse his wordes whych I haue truely trāslated. And yet by¦cause ye shall the lesse doute therof / saint Austayn shall him self declare y^• I truely declare you this place, by his own ve¦ry playn wordes in a nother place. For in y^• .xxxii. sermon of the wordes of y^• apostle,* 1.90 lo thus he sayth. No man ought to doute, but that wyth prayours of the chyrch and wyth the [ C] holsome sacryfyce, and wyth almoyse that is geuen for the soules of them that are departed, they are holpē to be more mercyfully delt wyth of our lorde, then theyr synnes haue deserued. For this thynge by the tradycyon of the olde fa∣thers, the whole catholyque chyrche obserueth / that ys to wyt, that what tyme they that deceaced in the communyon and blood of Cryste, at the tyme of the sacryfyce in theyre place and order, remēbraunce made of them, pray••ur shold be made for them / and not that onely, but also that specyall rehersall shold then be made, that the same sacryfyce is of∣ferd vp for them to. Now when workes of mercy are done in commendacyon and fauoure of theym / who can doute, but that they are holpen therwyth, syth prayour made for

[ A] them vnto god is not frutelesse? It is not in any wyse to be dowted, but that these thynges succour & releue them that are deceaced. How be it onely suche men I saye as haue so lyued before theyr deth, that these thynges maye do theym good after theyr deth. For in relyefe of them that be depar∣ted out of the body wythout fayth workynge wyth cheryte, ••nd wythout the sacramentes of the same / suche deades of deuocyon are in vayne vsed, the pledge or erneste peny of whyche deuocyon they lacked whyle they lyued here, ether bycause they wold not receyue the grace of god, or bycause they receyued it in vayne, treasurynge and layenge vp for them selues not mercy but wrath. wherfore whē any good worke is done for them that are deceaced by theyr louers and frendes, they meryte not of newe / but these thynges [ B] are gyuen in rewarde, as thynges consequent and well fo∣lowynge vppon theyr merytes whyche they deserued be∣fore whyle they lyued. For it is not sayd that these thynges shold helpe them onely whyle they here lyue, and not when they are deade.

And therfore euery man when he endeth thys lyfe, can no thynge receyue, but that onely whyche he hath deser∣ued beynge here a lyue.

And in another place he sayth thus. what thyng so euer of venyall synnys is not redemed of vs / it must be purged wyth that fyre,* 1.91 of whyche the apostle sayth, that the worke shall appere by the fyre / and yf any mannes wurke burne, he shall suffer the losse. For eyther whyle we lyue in thys worlde, we labour our selfe wyth penaunce / or ellys truely [ C] bycause god so wyll or suffereth it, we are punysshed wyth many trybulacyons for these synnys. And then yf we gyue thankes vnto god, we be delyuered. whyche thynge is a thys wyse / yf oure husbande, or oure wyfe, or oure sonne dye, or yf our substaūce whyche we loue more then we shold do, be taken from vs. For though we loue Chryste aboue that substaunce, so that yf nede were, we wolde rather l••se that substaunce than denye Chryste: yet bycause as I haue afore sayd, yf we loue that substaunce more than we shold, and can not whyle we lyue or when we dye lese it wythout greate sorowe, and yet for all that yf when we lese it, we gyue thankes as good chyldren vnto god, whych as a mer¦cyfull father suffereth our substaūce to be taken frō vs / & yf

we wyth very humylyte confesse that we suffer lesse punysh¦ment [ A] than we haue deserued: the synnys be in suche wyse purged in thys worlde, that in the worlde to come the fyre of purgatory can fynde eyther no thynge or ryght lytell to burn••. But then yf we neyther thanke god in our trybula∣cyon, nor bye out our synnys with good workes / we shal so longe abyde in that fyre of purgatory, tyll the venyall syn∣nys aboue named be consumed vp as wode, hey, and stub∣blys. But some man wyll saye, I force not how longe I there abyde, so that I maye at the last go to the euerlastyng lyfe. Let no man say thus my moste welbeloued bretherne / for the fyre of purgatory is more sharpe then any payne y^t in thys worlde can be sene, or thought or felt. &c.

Lo good chrysten reders ye maye clerely se by saynt Au¦stayns [ B] wordes here, that he mente not to deny purgatory there / but affermeth it playnely, syth he sayeth there is no dowt but that prayour and almoyse dede, and the oblacyon of that holy sacryfyce offred for them in the masse, maketh the soulys that are departed to be the more mercyfully delt wythall, and theyr paynes to be releued. In whyche fewe wordes, saynt Austayn wytnesseth agaynst mo of theyr he∣••esyes than one. For he not onely affermeth purgatory a∣gaynst yong father Fryth, and affermeth also that almoyse dede and prayour maye releue the soulys therin / but ouer that he techeth vs agaynst all these newe sectes, that good wurkes be merytoryouse, not onely for hym selfe that doth them, but also to other folke. And yet ouer that he techeth vs, that we maye here meryte & deserue in thys lyfe y^t other folkes good dedes may meryte for vs and serue vs whan [ C] we be dede. It foloweth also y^• syth we maye praye for the soules that haue nede, they maye also praye for vs whyche haue yet more nede than they / not for our present peyne tē∣porall, but for auoydynge of perpetuall syth soynt Iamys sayth,* 1.92 Orate pro inuicem vt sal••emini.

Saynte Austayne affermeth here also, that the blessed body and bloude of Cryste in the masse, is a sacryfyce and an oblacyon to god agaynst Luther & all hys adherentes.

Fynally he techth vs here, that the tradycyon of the fa∣thers, and the comune obseruaunce and custume of the ca∣tholyke chyrche, is for the certyfycacyon of a trouth a sure vndowted authoryte.

Now good chrysten reders, yf ye lyke to take so myche

[ A] labour, as to rede saynt Austayns wordes agayne, in such wyse as Barns reherseth them in hys boke / and than to cō¦pare them wyth hys very wordes in dede as I haue trewly translated them: ye shall merueyle mych to se what wyly∣nesse he hath vsed therin, & yet what lacke of wyt therwith••

For Barns hath as ye maye se, taken pecys of saynt Au¦stayne, & pached theym to gyther wyth a worde or twayne of hys owne, some where bytwene as thoughe the wordes laye so to gyther in the text as he reherseth them / where as he leueth out by the waye the very chyefe poynte of all, by whyche saynt Austayne excepteth them from forgyuenesse at theyr deth that than haue ded••ly synne / that is to saye them y^t do dye therin. And Barns leueth of before he come to the poynt, le••t we sholde se that they whyche be forgyuen [ B] so clene at theyr deth, muste vse suche wayes therto, as not euery man so suffycyently vseth to be so soone so clene for∣gyuen, that yet dyeth in the state of grace, and shall be layd vp at last for pure gold in the treasures of god, but he shall in the furnace of the fyre of purgatory be purely fyned fyrst

Also where as saynt Austayne hauynge hys whole wor∣des well vnderstanden, sayth no more but that euery suche man of the chyrche as dyeth out of dedely synne, and wyth helpe of god in the vertue of Crystes passyon, by faythfull prayour cont••ycyon and great heuynesse of harte, wyth dy∣lygence vsed in auoydynge synne and doynge good ver∣tuouse workes in hys lyfe before, shall at hys deth be fully forgyuen and layed vp pure golde in the treasures of god. [ C] Frere Barns reherseth his wordes in such wise, as though saynt Austayne had sayed that euery man of the very chyr∣che wythout any excepcyon, sholde passe hense pure & clene and forthwyth go to god as though no man of thys chyrch coulde dye in dedely synne / wherof saynt Austayne in these wordes, quae talia habebat vt dimiterentur, declareth playnely the contrary.

Barns also concludeth, wherfore by thys meane the chyrche of god is in the treasures of god without spotte or wryncle. whyche wordes whā I redde sowned vnto myne vnderstandyng, & so haue they to many that I know haue redde them, that the chyrche is in the treasures of goddes foreknowledge and predesty∣nacyon alwaye pure and clene, where as saynte Austayne sayth nor meneth no more, but that as many of the chyrch as be forgyuen, thoughe many be not forgyuen bycause

they be the lette of theyr forgyuenesse them self for lacke of [ A] dew desyrynge, yet they that be, shall whan the be, be layed vp pure golde in goddes treasory in one or other of those good shoppys, where shall neuer be more tryall, pressynge, nor strechynge put vnto them.

Barns leueth out also these wordes of saynte Austayne, that god is the moste cunnynge wu••keman, & goth aboute the clensynge of our spottes, & stretchyng out of our wryn∣cles dylygently / but yet in thys world in the course of oure lyfe, he is alwaye in doynge of it, and hath not fully done it tyll we parte hense by deth.

These wordes of saynt Austayne whyche Barons here leueth out, or purposely leueth of ere he come at theym / do playne & full agre wyth that exposycyon that I gaue you [ B] here in thys boke agaynst Barns of saynt Po••lys wordes that Barns brought in for hym: you men loue your wiues as Cryste loued the chyrche, and hath gyuen hym selfe for her that he myghte sanctyfye her and clense her in the foū∣tayne of water thorow the word of lyfe, to make her to hym selfe wythout spotte or wryncle, or any such thyng but that she myghte be holy and wythout blame. Uppon whyche wordes Barns there sayth, here haue you lo the very trewe chyrche of Cryst that is so pure and clene that she neyther hath spotte nor wryncle. which wordes of saynt Poule as I partely told hym there, proue no thynge hys purpose, For saynt Poule sayeth there, but that Cryste gaue hym selfe to make her such / and sayth not that he shall make euery parte of her such, nor saue in heuē all that he hath sanctyfyed in baptysme. But lyke wyse as [ C] though god wolde euery man were saued, whych is to wyt yf euery man / so wolde hym selfe•• yet bycause many men of theyr owne frowardnesse wyll walke to dāpnacyon, whom god wyll not wrestle wyth to saue them spyght of theyr teth bycause he consydereth that he is of hym selfe able to lyue wythout them / so though he haue gyuen hym selfe for hys chyrch to make her gloryouse wythout spotte or wryncle, & wolde haue euery man come and be part of hys chyrch and in her to be saued•• and of her by hym to lerne the trouth / for he wolde sayth thapostle euery man sholde be saued & come to the knowledge of the trouth:* 1.93 yet as many men wyll ne∣uer come into her, as Iewys, Turkes, and Sarasyns, and many y^• haue comē in to her haue agayne gone frō her, as haue Luther, Huyskyn, & Suinglius, Lamkert, Huchyn,

[ A] and Barons, and many great herety••ues mo / so many a man that abydeth in her tyll his dyenge day, and byleueth her trewe doctryne: yet bycause he wyll but byleue yt, and not in well workynge folowe yt, but wyll wythout dew re∣pentaunce dye in dedely synne, he departeth from her•• at his deth as an vncurable roten member easte out in conclu¦syon vppon the dyuyls dounghyll in hell. And those members of the chyrche that wyll worke well and not re∣mayne wyth frere Barons in fayth alone / god shall make theym gloryouse wythoute spot or wryncle. But as saynte Austayne sayth here, though at theyr instante prayour he goth styll aboute yt here / & alway when they pray therfore he is in doyng of yt alway washyng and alway stretchyng: yet parte for intermyssyon of theyr prayeng, part for theyre [ B] contynuall new bespottynge and wrynclynge, he neuer en∣deth yt here byfore theyr dyeng day / so that the very chyrch is here in erth, not euen in the very beste men therof, pure & clene alway wythout eyther spotte or wryncle / as agaynste say••te Austaynes wordes here Barns bosteth hym selfe, to proue by those wordes of the apostle, and as though he had clerely proued yt, ••ayth, Here haue you lo the very trew chyrch of Crist, that is so pure and so clene that yt neyther hath spot nor wryncle.

But now is yt a world to se how Barns after this boste in that place, endeth now saynte Anstaynes wordes wyth the clene contrary sentence / agaynste his owne parte / and concludeth all the whole mater quyte agaynst hym selfe•• & vtterly destroyeth his owne chyrche / and wenynge that pul¦lynge downe were settynge vp, bosteth as myche therof to.

[ C] For in the ende lo thus he sayth, And therfore here d••••••e not lyue wythout synne / but we shall passe from hense wythout synne &c. Lo these wordes are Barons owne, so wryten as thought they were saynt Austaynes own wyth &c. And then he bryngeth in vppon them after his owne &c. these wordes folowyng, Here haue you clerely that the chyrche o•• god is clensed and puryfyed by Cryste for knowledgyng of her synnes. But lettynge passe that saynte Au∣stayne sayth not that the whole chyrche of Cryste here pas∣seth he••se withoute synne, nor that euery man that ones is of his chyrch here, shall after be of his chyrche in heuen: let vs take frere Barons owne wordes, as though they were as he wolde haue them seme, the very wordes of saynt Au∣stayne hym selfe / and that they were none other wyse ment neyther by saynt Austayne, then Barns wolde haue theym

taken, let vs now se then fyrste, what sayth here frere Ba∣rons, [ A] and then what sayth saynt frere Austayne Barns.

Fyrst frere Barons bosteth and sayth, Here haue you clerely that the chyrche of god is clen••ed and puryfyed by Cryste, for knowledgynge of his synnes. But then aske we frere Barns, of whych chyrch is our questyon? Of the chyrch of Cryst here in erth, or of the chyrche of Cryste in heuen. To this frere Barns muste ne∣des graunte, that all our mater of the chyrch betwene hym and vs, is of the chyrche of Criste here in erthe. Then wyll we aske hym, whyther our mater be of men lyuynge or of men dyenge. And syth we speke of the chyrch for the doctry¦ne of the chyrche / I suppose that frere Barns wyll graunt that he speketh of the chyrch as the men be lyuyng, quycke and quethynge, whyle they may speke and talke, and con∣fesse what they byleue / and meaneth not to speke of theym, [ B] onely whyle they lye a dyenge spechelesse, and geuynge vp the goost. well then ye perceyue nowe what frere Barons sayth and of whyche chyrche he bos••eth when he sayth, Here you se clerely that god clenseth and purifyeth his chyrch for knowledging of her synnes. And whyche chyrche yt is that he sayth is clene and pure wythout spot or wryncle / you se that he meaneth the very chyrch here in erth lyuynge and in good helth, of why¦che men haue the trew doctryne, bycause that y^e very chyrch is yt he sayth that can not erre. Now syth we se what sayth frere Barns: let vs now se what sayth frere saynt Austayne Barns. He sayth ye wote wel, that y^e chyrch shal passe hense wythout synne, and that yt is in the treasours of god wyth¦out spot or wryncle / but he sayth y^• yt lyueth not here wyth¦oute synne. [ C]

Lo good crysten reders, where sawe you euer any man geue him self so fowle a fal as frere Barns hath here done / whyche goynge about to proue vs that the chyrch of Cryst lyuynge here in erth, is a company all holy, pure, and clene without spot or wryncle of synne, bryngeth in for him saint Austayne / whose wordes altered and framed by frere Ba∣rons after his owne fashyon, playnely declare & shew that the chyrch of Cryst whyle yt lyueth in erth, lyueth not with¦oute synne, and therfore is neuer pure and clene wythoute spottes or wryncles of synne.

And thus were as Barns sayd in y^e begynnyng, that he wold bryng in saynt Austayne to proue his purpose playn: he semeth rather to brynge saynte Austayne in / wyth playn

[ A] wordes to proue frere Barns a fole / specyally syth he seeth not yet, what a fowle fall he hath / but whyle he lyeth in the myre all to tumbled in dyrte, holdeth vppe his fowle sleue and bosteth what a clenly cote he hath, so pure and so clene wythout spot or wryncle, that saynte Peter could not fynd one droppe of durte theron.

But now that he hath so shamfully loste his own chyrch of onely good holy people vnknowen, clene and pure wyth out spot or wryncle: yet that the very chyrche muste nedes be an vnknowen chyrche of onely good holy men at the leste, though somwhat wryncled and not all vtterly spotte∣lesse, and that it can in no wyse be any knowen chyrch / this wyll frere Barns as he weneth well & substancially proue, so that though he proue not his owne that he promyseth, yet wyll he proue that yt can not be oures, but some other [ B] that neyther he nor we be ware of. And therfore he sayth.

Barns.

Suche a chyrch muste there nedes be, though that the carnall yie can not se her, nor the fleshely reason can iudge of her. Wherfore we byleue this ar∣tycle by fayth, that holy chyrche is a communyon or felyshyppe of holy men. And we knowe yt not by seynge or felynge, as we do the felyshyppe of dra∣pers or mercers / for then were yt none artycle of the fayth.

More.

Nowe let vs argue lyke. A false Iew myght haue sayd in Crystes dayes whyle he preached in Hierusalem: To by¦leue Cryste must be a artycle of the fayth / ergo Cryste must be a person vnknowen, and not be perceyued by the carnall yie, but onely byleued by fayth, and not by seyng or felyng, as men know a draper or a mercer. Thus myghte in those [ C] dayes a false Iew haue argued, that Cryste hadde not ben very Cryste, bycause he was a knowen person.

And this argument in a maner made the false Iewes in dede, when they sayde:* 1.94 we knowe this man whense he is / but when Cryste cometh no man shall know whense he is.

But as yt myght haue be answered them, that as Criste was both by fayth byleued, and yet was also by syght and felyng knowē, as well as was in such wyse knowē any dra¦per or mercer eyther / for the false Iewes knew hym by the tone meane onely, & his trew discyples knew hym by both / and saynt Thomas of Inde after he hadde both sene hym and felt hym, dyd by syght and felynge know his manhed,* 1.95 and therewyth by fayth byleued his godhed: euen so we

know the chyrche by syghte, herynge, and felynge, as we [ A] know drapers & mercers. And we byleue the spyryt of god abydynge therwyth and ledynge yt into all trouthe,* 1.96 and Cryste the chyefe hedde therof assystyng yt and preseruyng yt from faylynge agaynste all the gates of hell.* 1.97 And we by¦leue that yt is but one chyrche by professyon of baptysme, holyly dedecated vnto god, and seuered and openly knowē from all the manyfold open sectes of heretyques / as the co¦men crede sayth that is dayly songē at the masse, we byleue one holy & apostolyke chyrche. whyche worde apostolyque wherfore yt was putte in, frere Barons wyll hym selfe as yt semeth not lette to confesse, though Tyndale wyll not agree yt.

And we byleue that the communyon and felyshyp of all [ B] suche folke, so halowed and dedycated vnto god, where so euer they be in the worlde, agreynge to gether in the knowē catholyque bylyefe / is the bothe knowen and beleued holy catholyque chyrche of Cryste.

Also we byleue the communyon of sayntes in a nother maner besydes that / that is to wyt, we byleue that such as lyue here in this chyrche, and in this chyrch also dye in the catholyque fayth and in the state of grace, shall after thys lyfe haue the communyon and felyshyp of the sayntes that are byfore departed into heuen, and that lyued some tyme in this same knowen catholyque chyrche, and dyed in the same knowen catholyque fayth.

Now yf frere Barons aske me how I proue that these wordes of the crede, sanctam ecclesiam catholicam, be vnderstan∣den [ C] of the knowen catholyque chyrche: I wyll proue yt by the wordes of saynt Austayne hym selfe, bycause frere Ba∣rons beynge professed frere of saint Austaynes order, wold seme to sette mych by hym. Lo these be therfore the wordes of saynte Austayne.

* 1.98ye must knowe that we ought to byleue the chyrch, and not byleue in the chyrche / for the chyrche is not god, but the house of god. The catholyque chyrch he calleth the chyrch that is spred abrode thorowe out the hole worlde. For the chyrches of heretyques whych be dyuerse, are not called ca¦tholyke or vnyuersall chyrches. For they be conteyned eue¦ry secte in some proper place, & in his owne prouynce. But this catholyque chyrche is spred abrode wyth the shynyng lyght of one fayth, from the rysyuge vppe of the sonne to

[ A] the goyng downe. There is no greater rychesse, no greater treasures, no greater honours, nor no greater substaūce of thys world, than is the catholyke fayth, whych saueth syn∣full men, and gyueth to the blynde theyr syght agayne, and healeth the syke, whych also chrysteneth those that are new come to chrysten relygyon and iustyfyeth the faythfull, re∣payreth penitentes, increaceth the ryghteouse folke, crow∣neth martyrs, giueth orders to y^e clergy, cōsecrateth prestes prepareth vs to the kyngdome of heuyn, & maketh vs fe∣lowes & coparteners with the holy angels in the euerla∣stynge inherytaunce. who so euer he be, & what maner of man so euer he be / he is no chrysten man y^t is not in the chyr¦che of Cryst. For truely she is that onely chyrch, of whyche our lord gladly receyueth sacryfyce / and which onely maye [ B] wythout any dystrust to be herd, make intercessyō for those that are wandered out of the way. For whyche cause also our lorde cōmaunded of the sacryfyce of the pascall lambe sayeng, ye shall eate it in one house onely, and ye shall beare no part of that flesshe forth a dores.* 1.99 The lambe is eaten in in one house bycause the very trew hoost of our redemar is offred vp in the one catholyke chyrch onely. Of whose flesh god cōmaunded & forbade, that no part shold be borne out of y^e dores. For he forbydeth vs to gyue any holy thyng to dogges. In thys chyrch onely is a good worke frutefully done / & therfore none receyued the reward of the peny, but they onely y^t labored within the vyne yerde.* 1.100 It is she onely that kepeth them with a strong bonde of cheryte, that kepe [ C] them selfe within her. And for thys cause truely the water of Noyes flode caryed the arke vp to y^e hyghar places / but she destroyed as many as she foūd wythout the arke. She is onely that chyrch, in whych we maye veryly byholde the heuenly mysteryes. And therfore sayth our lord to Moyses I haue a place & thou shalt stand vpon a rocke.* 1.101 And soone after I shall take away my hand, & then thou shalt se me on the backe halfe. For bycause the trewth is perceyued & sene onely out of the catholyke chyrch / therfore sayth our lorde that he hath a place from which he may be sene. Moyses is set vpō a rocke to byholde goddes fygure. For except a mā holde & kepe the sure faste grounde of the fayth / he can not dyscerne and knowe the dyuyne presence.

Dysseuer sayth saynt Cypryan the sonne beame frome the whole body of the sonne / the vnyte of the lyghte recey∣ueth no dyuysyon. Breke of a braunche from a tree / and as

soone as it is ones brokē of, it can not any more budde. Cut [ A] awaye a ryuer from the heed and anone it dryeth vp.

By these wordes of Cypryan we perceyue, that y^• lyght receyueth no dyuisyō in the holy men that are predestynate vnto the kyngdome of god, whyche can in no maner wyse be dyuyded from the chyrch. And ••hat the braunche broken of from the tree can no lenger budde / we vnderstande it of the buddyng of the euerlastynge lyfe. And the dryeng vp of the ryuer that is cut of from the cundytte heed, in this wyse vnderstand we, that they are voyde and empty of the holy goste that are deuyded from the vnyte.

The felowshyp of the sayntes, that is to say let vs holde our selfe in the cōmunyon & felowshyp of hope, wyth those sayntes whych are deceaced in thys fayth whyche we haue [ B] receyued. Therfore yf we wyll haue felowshyppe wyth the sayntes in the euerlastyng lyfe / let vs thynke vpon the fo∣lowyng of them. For they must recognyse & fynde ī vs some what of theyr vertues, to thentent they may voucesaufe to pray for vs vnto our lord. For yf we can not beare the tor∣mentes whyche the sayntes suffred euyn to the death: yet at the leste wyse lette vs by theyr prayour and interce••syōs fyghte agaynst concupyscences. For neyther Abraam, nor Isaac, nor Iacob, were put to death / and yet by the merites of fayth and iustyce, they deserued to be chy••fly honoured amonge the patryarkes. To whose feast is gathered euery man that is founde faythfull, ryghteouse, & laudable. And therfore my derest bretherne, all though we suffer no suche thynge, no bondes, no strypes, no presonment, none other [ C] bodyly tormētes, nor no persecucyon of men for ryghteous¦nes sake: yet we maye be able to obteyne the felowshyp of the sayntes, yf we labour to chastyce our body & make it sub¦iect, yf we accustome our seluys to pray vnto our lord with an humble spyryte and a cōtryte soule, yf we endeuour our selfe to take wyth a peaceable mynde the spyghtes that are done vnto vs by our neyghbour, yf we cōtende and stryue wyth our selfe to loue those that hate vs and do vs wrong, & to do them good and to pray gladly for theyr lyfe & well fare, and to be wyth the vertue of pacyence, and the frutes of good workes, garnysshed & made gaye. For yf our con∣uersacyō be such / & yf we also accordyng to the sayeng of y^• apostle, exhibyte our bodyes a lyuely hoost, holy & pleasaū•• vnto god / we shal be gyfted wyth y^• heuēly honour that we

[ A] may be in one glory rewarded wyth them, y^t for our lordes sake gaue theyr mēbres to the deth. For lyke wyse as theyr deth is precyouse in the syghte of our lorde, so let our lyfe be to / & than shall we be worthy also to entre into the. place of the cytye aboue / and amonge the companyes of the bles∣sed martyrs, to render vnto oure redemer the vowys of thankes.

Lo here haue ye herde good chrysten reders how saynte Austayn vnderstandeth and expowneth both sanctam ecclaesiā catholicam the holy catholyke chyrche, and also sanct••rum commu¦nionem the cōmunyon or felesshyppe of sayntes. wherby frere Barns maye se, that yf he byleue saynt Austayn as he wold seme to do, thā is his owne fonde imagynacyō quayled, by whyche he divyneth after hys dyuynite, that these wordes sanctorum communionē do sharpely prycke y^e clergye, as he sayth [ B] after in an other place in thys maner.

Barns.

That chyrche that can not erre, is all onely the vniuersall chyrche, whych is called the communyon and felyshyppe of sayntes / the whyche addycyon was made by holy fathers (for in saynt Cyprianes tyme was there no mencyō of it) by all lykelyhed to declare the presumpcyon of certayne men and of cer¦tayne congregacyons, that rekened them selfe to be holy chyrch. wherfore my lordes se well to, leste the holy goste haue prycked you with thys addycyon For you haue alwayes made your selfe the holy chyrche, ye and that without any holynesse.

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If there hath neuer bene any holynesse at all in all the whole spyrytualtye / than were those holy fathers y^• Barns sayth added in the crede sanctorum cōmunionē, some holy carnall fathers. well be it so than for Barons sake. But I [ C] dare saye they were none suche fathers as father frere Lu∣ther is, & as father frere Huyskyn is, that byget chyldren by nonnes. But thys suffyseth here agaynst frere Barns, that ye perceyue by saynt Austayn here, that frere Barns fonde inuencyon is fayled.

By these wordes of saynt Austayne, ye se also that frere Barns in hys gay bable, wherwyth he wolde make men by leue that the chyrche can not be the chyrche but yf it suffre persecucyon, and that no man myghte come to heuen nor be a trewe chrysten man, but yf he were persecuted: here lo good reders, besydes that it is a greate persecucyon vnto the chyrche, and a ryghte greate gryefe and heuynesse, to se so many of her membres waxe so roten and fall away from

her body, by the incurable canker of these false fe••tered he∣resyes [ A] / and that it is also sore persecuted bothe in body and goodes by these false heretyques, in dyuers partes of Al∣mayne / yet se you ferther here in the fore rehersed wordes, the thynge that I tolde you before / that as for persecucyon it suffyseth to suffre it whā it is of necessyte put vnto them / and men neyther bounden to go seke it, nor so to suffer euyl folke amonge them selfe, that the contagyon of a few maye corrupte a great many. whyche growen onys in great nom¦ber, may fall vnto rebellyon and persecute all the cuntrey. For saynt Austayn sheweth here well and clerely, that with out persecucyon, yf we haue as wolde god we had, so plen∣tuousely as our parte were to haue, such good cherytable wurkes wyth the catholyke fayth, as hym selfe reherseth / we may be good chrysten men and membres / not onely of [ B] the very chyrche here in erth (whyche we maye be by com∣munyon of fayth though good wurkes want) but also of y^e very chyrche in heuen.

More ouer good chrysten readers, ye se that saynt Au∣stayne in these wordes, doth playnely shew that the sayntes whyche are all redy in heuen, do praye for vs that are here in erthe / whyche thynge these heretyques wyll in no wyse agre.

Here se you also that these wordes sanctam ecclaesiam catholicā, by whyche frere Barns wolde make vs wene that the holy catholyke chyrche were a secrete vnknowen chyrche scate∣red about the worlde / sayn•• Austayn well and playnely de∣clareth yf we consyder well hys wordes, that it must nedes be thys comune knowen catholyke chyrche. [ C]

But now that I haue playnely confuted frere Barons by saynte Austayne hym selfe, whose order and rule frere Barns professed, and whose wordes he so often alledgeth for hys purpose alwaye prouynge agaynste hys purpose: I wyll now for frere Barns ferther wurshyp, confute hym by the selfe same place of saynt Austayne, whyche hym selfe bryngeth here forth for hys specyall profe of hys vnknowē holy chyrch, to proue it a company of vnknowen faythfull folke beynge holy by theyr onely fayth / wherof these ar•• frere Barns wordes.

Barns.

Thys is well preued by your owne law De con. di. 4. c. prima igitur whose wordes be these. Therfore is the chyrche holy, bycause she byleueth ryghtuousely

[ A] in god. And thē frere Barns goth forth with his own glose vpon these wordes and sayth / Heare you not the cause wherfore the chyrche is holy? bycause she byleueth ryghtuousely in god / that is, she by¦leueth nothynge but in hym, and she byleueth nor heareth no worde but hys / as our mayster Cryste bereth wytnesse: My shepe heare my voyce, and a no¦ther mannys voyce do they not knowe.

More.

Barons here holdeth on his olde crafte, in furnyshyng his owne gloses wyth falsefyenge the scrypture of god. For ye shall vnderstande good crysten reders, that saynt Iohn̄ the euangelyste,* 1.102 oute of whose gospell Barons hath taken the wordes of our sauyoure Cryste, reherseth theym not in suche wyse as Barns doth / that is to wyt, that the shepe of Cryste do not know the voyce of any other man. But he [ B] sayth that y^e shepe of Cryst do not folow any straunger, but do fle from hym, bycause they know not the voyce of straū∣gers. And now cometh Barons and telleth vs, that Cryst sayde that his shepe do not knowe the voyce of any other man / as though the chyrch sholde refuse all other wordes then onely those that Criste spake in his owne person. But Cryste sayde not they sholde here none other, but that they sholde not heare straungers. For by other men whome he sendeth, his flocke hereth his own wordes. And therfore he sayth hym selfe to his trewe catholyque preachers / he that heareth you heareth me. But by straungers,* 1.103 that is to wyt by heretyques, whyche be straungers from the housholde of Crystes catholyque chyrche, and whyche do straungely [ C] reherse and straungly declare Crystes catholyke scripture, agaynste the knowen catholyke doctryne of Crystes know¦en catholyque chyrche, by the voyce of such straūgers, that is to wyt by the voyce of suche heretyques, Chrystes shepe can not heare theyre owne shepeherde Cryste. And therfore they fle from euery suche straunger, accordynge as saynte Poule whose voyce Cristes shepe do heare, bycause he was a nother and not a straūger, sayth vn Crystes flocke,* 1.104 That man that is a heretyque after the fyrste or the seconde war∣nynge estewe and fle from.

And thus ye se good readers, how fere Barns here false fyeth and wronge interpreteth the wordes of Cryste in the gospell of saynte Iohn̄.

But now let vs retourne to consyder the wordes of that lawe that Barons hath here rehersed you / from whyche I

haue ben as ye se a lytle letted by this other false poynte of [ A] his in false rehersynge the scrypture.

But now concernynge that law good reders / you shall vnderstande that the wordes of that law be taken out of a sermone of saynte Austayne, whyche he made vnto certayn persons forthwyth vppon theyr baptysme. In whyche ser∣mone amonge many other thynges that he preached vnto them, both in the same and other two sermons that he had made them byfore / he sayth vnto them thus: where as we haue asked eche of you, Byleuest thou in holy chyrche, re∣myssyon of synnes, and resurreccyon of the flesh: we asked you not after that maner, that you sholde euen in the same maner as you byleue in god, byleue in the catholyque holy chyrche / whyche chyrche is therfore holy and catholyque, [ B] bycause yt byleueth ryght in god. And therfore we sayde it not, to thentent that ye sholde byleue in the chyrche as ye sholde byleue in god / but vnderstand you that we byd you and dyd bydde you, that beynge conuersaunt in the holy ca¦tholyque chyrche, you sholde byleue in god, and that you sholde byleue also the resurreccyon of the fleshe that ys to come.

Lo good crysten reders, here haue you herde that in the selfe place where as saynt Austayne sayth that the chyrche is holy and catholyque, bycause yt byleueth ryghte in god, bycause none of all the sectes of heretyques can be holy nor catholyque, that is to saye vnyuersall / syth very holynesse can none be out of the ryght chyrch, nor god shall suffer no secte of heresye to sprede ouer all the worlde so as he sprede [ C] the vnyuersall chyrche: in the selfe same place I say saynte Austayne declareth, that by these wordes, I byleue in the holy catholyque chyrche, is not ment that we shall byleue therin as we byleue in god / but that that we must byleuing one holy catholyque chyrche, abyde and be conuersaunt in the same one holy catholyque chyrche / and byleuynge in god, contynue in that one holy catholyque chyrche, and not go out therof into any of so many folde dyuerse sectes of he retyques. By whyche ye may playnely perceyue that saynt Austayn ther declareth the holy catholyque chyrche of the ryght bylyefe, to be y^• comen one vnyuersall knowen chyrch dystyncte and dyuyded from all the knowen chyrches of he¦retyques. For yf yt were vnknowē, how shold he byd them by that exposycion of that artycle, abyde and be conuersaūt

[ A] in yt? or how could he as he sayth a litle also byfore in same sermon, as is also rehersed in the same law, say that the ce¦remonyes vsed in the baptisme were instituted by the same catholyque chyrche? For yf yt were vnknowen, how could yt any thyng instytute or ordayne?

And fynally to put out of all doute & question, that saynt Austayn obhorreth from frere Barns heresy, that argueth vppon that artycle of the crede, that the chyrche sholde be an vnknowen chyrche / saynte Austayne sayeth playne¦ly as I shewed you byfore agaynst Tyndale, that lykewise as he were accursed that wolde saye that Cryste was not a man knowen, so accursed be he that sayeth the chyrche of Cryste is not a chyrche knowen.

Lo thus are we now good cristen reders comen vnto an [ B] ende of frere Barons chyrche, in whych ye playnely se that he can neyther agre wyth Tyndales vnknowen chyrche of repentaunte synners, nor impugne the comen knowen ca∣tholyke chyrch of Cryste, nor proue his own secrete chyrch of onely sayntes vnknowen. Nor he hath not alledged as ye se well also, neyther any one texte of holy scrypture, nor any sentence of holy doctour / but falsefyenge them and fra¦mynge them a freshe after his owne fashyon / yet haue they not onely nothynge proued for hym, but in conclusyon cle¦rely proued agaynst hym.

And therfore wyll I (to ende where Barns endeth hym selfe) let you somwhat se how he handeleth saynt Bernard, and there wythall fynyshe this boke.

Barns.

[ C] But let vs se what saynte Bernarde sayth on you. They call theym selfe the mynysters of Cryste, but they serue Antechryste / they go gorgyousely a rayed of our lordes goodes, vnto whome they geue none honoure. And of those goodes cometh the harlottes deckyng that thou seest dayly, the game players dysgysynge, and kynges apperrell. Of this cometh golde in theyr brydelles, in their sadelles, and in theyr spurres / so that theyr spurres be brighter thē the aulters. Of this commeth theyr plentuous wyne presses and then full sellers, blolkynge from this vnto that. Of this cōmeth theyr tonnes of swete wynes. Of this be theyr b••ggys so fylled / for suche thynges as these be, wyll they be rulers of the chyrch / as dekens, archdekens, byshoppes and archbishoppes &c,

My lordes, I hadde thoughte to baue added cardynalles and legates, abbottes and pryours, to haue made the company more holy. But I durst not. How thynke you? Of whom doth he speke when he sayth byshoppes and arch¦byshoppes? What holynes doth he reproue, when he speketh of gorgyouse aray

〈…〉〈…〉 [ A]

More. [ B]

Now good reders here is an ende of frere Barons pro∣•••••••• concernynge the chyrche•• whyche processe he hath ••n∣•••••• w••th saynt Berna••de. By whose wordes Barns wold ••t s••olde s••••e that sa••nt Berna••de w••re of his opynyon / th••t is to wyt that suche as a••e euyll a••e not of the chyrch. ••nd th••n were the chyrche and vnknowen chyrch of onely good ••olke alone / how be yt not yet precysely his chyrche / for his chyrche is y•• wote well a chyrche of folke not meane¦ly good but of folke so good so pure and so clene that ther be not among them all so myche as eyther spot or wryncle.

••ow be yt though saynt Bernarde shold not proue Ba¦••ons chyrche / yet wolde frere Barons ••hat saynt Bernard s••old s••me to proue the chyrch to be at the lest an vnknowē chyrch of onely good folke / and so to proue that the knowē [ C] catholyque chyrche were not the chyrch. For as for ••arns o•• trouthe and all his felowes to•• so they myghte dysproue and destroy this chyrche that is they care not greatly for the ••akynge of a nother.

yet wolde frere Barons farther•• that saynte Bernarde sholde seme to dyspyse and set at nought all holy ornamen¦••••s ••nd call them harlottes deckyng / and then by the same ••eanes dyspyse all other holy ceremon••es of the chyrche.

••ut •• shall shew you good reders•• ••yrst that saynt Ber¦•••••••••• proueth nothynge for frere Barns no•• agaynste the ••••owen cathol••••u•• chyrche though his wo••des ••ere but 〈…〉〈…〉 ••arns reherseth them.

〈…〉〈…〉 s••all I shew you that 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Ba••ns playth with

[ A] saynt Bernard here•• as ye haue sene hym before play wyth saynt Austayn•• & wyth saynt Poule•• & with saynt Iohn̄ the euangelyst / that is to wytte reherse hym false and chaun••e some wordes, & kepe some wordes away to make his mate•• s••me swete. Fynally shall I shew you y^e saynt Bernarde not in thys heresy onely cōcernynge the quest••on whych is the chyrche, but also in all frere Barns other heresyes was his very specyall enemy and then wyll I make ••n ende.

For the fyrste poynt, yf saynt Bernarde sa••d here all as frere Barns reherseth hym / yet what had he ••ayde for frere Barns concernynge the chyrch•• do all those wo••des amo••••t to any more•• then that there are in euery kynd of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of the chyrch, some that are nought. And who den••eth tha•• And then sayth also that all suche as so be / do serue An••i••chryste [ B] and not Chryste. And who sayth nay? who s••••th t•••• euyll folke s••rue god well / dothe not euery man agre•• th•••• euyll chrysten peple do by theyr dedely synnes ser•••• th•• de∣uyll. If frere Barons wyll any thynge proue vs by 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Bernarde, he muste shewe where saynte Berna••de ••••••th that suche as are euyll are not of the chyrche.

He sheweth vs no suche worde. And ••••t myghte 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Bernarde•• and many an other holy man ••aye such a word•• and yet meane no suche thynge th••rby. For he that 〈◊〉〈◊〉 saye in a sermon•• that a monke that b••eketh ••ys 〈◊〉〈◊〉 or any of hys other vowes is neyther monk•• nor 〈…〉〈…〉 man•• but mych wurse than a Iew / mean••th 〈…〉〈…〉 he is no lenger a monke in dede nor a member 〈…〉〈…〉 [ C] monastery. Nor he that wolde saye that a wo••••n t••at ••••••keth her obedy••ce to her husband were not a wyf•• / 〈◊〉〈◊〉 not that her husband were therfore dyscharged of her a•••• may take an other wyfe. Nor he that sayth a dronk••n 〈◊〉〈◊〉 is no woman but a sowe / meaneth not therby perd•• 〈…〉〈…〉 her chyldren shalbe pyggys.

The prophete speketh in the person of our 〈…〉〈…〉 selfe: I am a wurme and not a man, & yet ment 〈…〉〈…〉 to deny that he was a very mā in dede but 〈…〉〈…〉 in so vyle maner hādeled at his passyon as thou•••• 〈…〉〈…〉 no man but a very vile wurme. A man 〈…〉〈…〉 whom he giueth meate drynke & w〈…〉〈…〉stelth do to some other more seruyc•• th〈…〉〈…〉ster / ye and secretely somtyme agayns〈…〉〈…〉

And therfore ou•• sauy••ur sayd not 〈…〉〈…〉 maysters but he ••ayd no man can 〈…〉〈…〉

yf he haue twayne, whyle he serueth the tone, he shall leue [ A] the tother vnserued. And therfore though saynt Bernarde saye that they serue Antechryste, and that they serue the de∣uyll yf he had sayed also, and therfore they be no seruaūtes of Cryste, nor be no chrysten menne but Chrystes enemyes & very antechrystes: yet had he not ment in all thys, y^t they were for all thys oute of the chyrche, and none of it whyle they were such, and than of it agayn whan they were amē∣ded, and out of it agayn as soone as they synned agayne / & thus playe in and out, lyke in docke, out netle, that no man sholde wyt whan they were in and whan they were out, nor knowe whych were the chyrche.

Thus haue I shewed you good reders, that all though saynt Bernard had sayd in dede as Barns falsely reherseth [ B] him, ye & somwhat more to / yet had it not {pro}ued for Barns.

Now for the secunde poynt, ye shall vnderstand that Ba¦rons hath vntruely translated you saynt Bernardes wor∣des. For lettynge passe some peces that he hath lefte out in the myddes, for no cause that I cā se but yf it were for lacke of lernynge, and lettynge passe some suche also as he hath mysse translated of ignoraunce: I wyll shewe you but one place or twayne, whyche he hath wyth one word or twayne so chaunged of malyce, that he hath turned the sentence for hys purpose clene agaynste the mynde of saynte Bernarde that wrote it. For euyn in the very fyrst begynnynge where saynt Bernarde sayth thus: Ministri Christi sunt & seruiunt Anti∣christo / that is, They be the mynystres of Cryste & they serue Antichryst: Barns hath translated it thus, They call them selfe [ C] the mynistres of Cryst, but they serue Antichrist. So that where saynte Bernard sayth, that though they serue Antichryste yet they be the mynystres of Cryst in hys chyrche here / frere Barns turneth that an other way, & maketh as though saynt Ber¦narde sayd not that they be so, but sayd onely that they call them selfe so. And in lyke wyse after in the ende, where as saint Bernard sayth, pro huiusmodi volūt esse, & sunt ecclesiarū ppositi / that is, For such thynges as these be wyll they be rulers of chyrches, and so they be, as deanys, archdekyns &c. Barns hath translated it thus, For such thinges as these be, wyll they be rulers of the chyrch, dekyns, archdekyns &c. And these wordes, so they be / he leueth out, as though saīt Bernard sayd not y^• they were any rulers in the chyrch, but onely sayth y^t they wold be so.

And than whan he hath in suche wyse falsely translated saynt Bernarde to make hym seme to saye so / than he lyeth

[ A] out alowd, & sayth vnto them hym selfe, Lo saynt Bernarde saith that you be neyther the chyrche nor of the chyrch. wherof as ye se saynt Bernarde sayeth by playne wordes the contrary / whych playne wordes of saynt Berua••de frere Barns hath as ye playnely se, of playne & pure malyce manyfestely & falsely chaūged. And who so euer y^t is lerned & rede y^e same sermō of saynt Bernard, shall there euydentely se that saynt Ber∣narde calleth the very chyrche of Cryst, the comune knowē catholyke chyrche, and none vnknowen chyrche. For he la∣menteth there the estate of the chyrche, whyche he calleth also there the body of Cryste / wherby ye maye se that he spe¦keth of the very chyrche of Cryste in erthe.

Now than sheweth he there that thys chyrche hath bene in dyuerse tymes dyuersely vexed / fyrste by paynyms that [ B] were neuer of it / secundely by heretykes whyche were of it and went out of it / and thyrdely by noughty folke and euyl rulers that be of it styll and go not out, of whome he sayth those wordes that Barons hathe falsely translated / and fourthly by very good men therof also, whyche abydynge therin and beynge also styll therof, be yet somtyme begyled by the subtyll slayght of y^e most wyly deuyll, vnder colour of goynge about some farre better thynge. And thys pro∣cesse of those .iiii. vexacyons of the chyrche, saynt Bernarde there bryngeth in vppon these wordes of the prophete. A ti∣m••re n••c••urno, a sagitte volantis in die, a negocio perambulantis in tenebris, ab incursu et demonio meridiano / assygnynge to euery one of those .iiii. vexacyons one of those foure kyndes of deuyls. By all whyche whole processe together, who so be lerned and rede [ C] it shall se Barns heresye concernynge the very chyrch, very full and playne ouerthrowen. For there shall he playnely se, that saynt Bernarde whom Barns here bryngeth in to proue that euyll folke be none of the very chyrche of Cryst, but onely good holy folke / declare there expressely, that the very chyrche of Cryste whyche he calleth there the body of Cryste / is the whole nomber of both good and bad, dyuers of lyuynge and yet one in bylyefe / out of whych one chyrch all the chyrches of heretykes be departed.

Now where as Barns also sayth, that saynt Bernarde calleth all the holy ornamentes harlattes deckyng, & game players dysguysynge, as though saynt Barnarde dyd as hym selfe doth, ••ocke and scorne all halowynge of copys, vestymentes and chalyces, and such other ornamentes as are vsed in y^e chyrch about the dyuyne seruyce / whych kynd

of halowed thynges frere Barns in mockage and scorne [ A] accompteth amonge other prophane thynges, and ioyneth to gyther in the lefe of hys boke nexte before, bokes, bellys, candels, chalyces, oyle, crysme, and holy water, wyth hor∣ses, howndes, and such other goodly ge••e, to here hym now make as though saynt Bernarde sayd y^e same, it is a thyng to abomynable. For whych cause to thentent ye maye the more clerely know how farre saynt Bernard was from the fauorynge of frere Barons heresyes, I shall gyue you a playne sample or twayne.

Saynt Bernard lykeneth apostatas vnto the traytour Iudas.* 1.105 I wolde frere Barons had spyed and brought vs forthe that / for in that place he lykeneth vnto Iudas, not onely those apostatas that cast of theyr habytes and ronne out at rouers, as frere Barns doth, & as Iudas dyd after [ B] y^e maūdy / but also those relygiouse folke y^t are apostatas in theyr mynde, and yet byde styll in theyr habyte and in theyr cloyster, bycause they can not runne out of theyr cloyster & cast of theyr habyte for fere of worldly shame. By whyche wordes of saynt Bernard ye maye good reders perceyue, that suche apostasy as is in our wrechyd dayes wyth mych people lytell estemed, was had in saynt Bernardes tyme a∣monge all chrysten people for a thynge so shamefull, and abomynable, that those whyche els wolde fayne haue rūne out of relygyon, and thought them selfe in the fyre almoste all y^e whyle they were therin, yet durste not for all that rūne out for the very shame that they sholde haue hadde to loke any man in the face.

Sa••nt Bernarde also detestynge suche apostasy, and [ C] the pestylent heresyes into whyche such•• apostatas comēly do falle,* 1.106 wryteth vnto Hildefonsus the erle of Tolowse a∣gaynste one Henry an apostata, runne out of relygyon, and corruptynge the cuntrey wyth many suche poysened here∣syes as these apostatas do now. And to thentēt that ye may the better and the more fully perceyue the goodnes of saint Bernarde in thys mater, and hys frutefull labour & payne taken to the honour of god and profyte of chrysten people, and by god agaynewarde wyth many great open myracles alowed and approued agaynst the sayd Henry frere Barns double brother, that is to wytte as well in heresye as in apo¦stasy: I shall reherse you somwhat of the mater out of the story, that was by a very vertuouse holy man, in the same tyme that the thynge was done, wryten in the lyfe of saynt

[ A] Bernard. In the partes of Tolouse, one whose name was Henry, some tyme a mōke, and after that a lewd apostata, of a very vngracious lyuynge, and pernycyouse doctryne, by his persuasyble wordes hadde tourned the wauerynge people of that countrey / and as thapostell foresayde of cer∣tayne folke, he lyued in hypocrysye, and lyed, and made merchaundyse of them by false fayned wordes. For he was a manyfeste enymy of the chyrche, derogatynge vnreuerēt¦ly bothe the holy sacramentes and mynysters of the same. And he hadde now preuayled very myche in his malyce. For as our reuerent father saint Bernard wrytyng of hym to the prynce of Tolouse, amonges other thynges sayeth: euery where almoste where he went, men myght fynde the chyrches wythout people, people wythout prestes, prestes wythoute dewe reuerence, & fynally chrysten men wythout [ B] Cryste.

The lyfe of Cryst was shyt frō the babys of crystē folke, whyle the grace of baptysme was denyed. Prayours were mocke at, and the oblacyons for mennys soules, prayenge to sayntes, the sentēce of excōmunycacyon, the pylgrimage of faythfull folke, the byeldynge of chyrches, the sparynge from bodely worke on the holy dayes, the consecratynge of the holy creme & oyle, and fynally all maner ordinaunces of the chyrche, were set at nought. In this necessyte this holy man often therunto instantely requyred by the crystē folke of that countrey, at the laste toke his iournay / persuaded and brought therunto, by the most reuerente father in god Albericus byshoppe of Hostyens, and legate of the see apo¦stolyque. And when he came thyther, he was receyued of [ C] the people there wyth an incredyble deuocyon, as though an angell had comen downe vnto theym from heuen. Nor longe myght he not tary wyth them, for that no man was able to kepe bakke the thronge of the people from hym / so great was the multytude of theym that came to hym dayly and nyghtly, callyng vppon hym for his blessynge and his helpe. yet preached he certayne dayes in the cytye of To∣louse, and in all suche other places as that wreche most had haunted and moste greuousely hadde infected many a sym¦ple soule in the fayth, in those places saynte Bernarde in∣structed and strengthed them that were wauerynge•• reuo∣kynge theym that erred, settynge vppe agayne those that were ouerthrowen ouer throwynge and kepynge vnder by

his anthoryte, the subuerters, and all those that were ob∣stynate [ A] / all whome he ouerthrewe and repressed in suche wyse, that they neyther durste resyste, nor so myche as ap∣pere and shewe them selfe. How be yt though that heretyke was then fled, and hadde hyd hym selfe / yet were his ways in suche wyse stopped, and his patthes so byset, that scant•• he coulde after lurke sure in any place / and was at the last taken and faste bounde and brought to the byshoppe.

In this iourney of saynt Bernarde, god was in his said seruaūt gloryfyed by many myracles, whyle he called bak the hartes of some from theyr wycked errours, and some al¦so cured from dyuerse diseases of theyr bodyes.

There is a place in the same countrey, called Sarlate, where after his sermon fynyshed, they brought many louis [ B] of brede to the seruaunt of god (as the custome was euery where) to be halowed / whyche louys of brede he lyft vppe his hande, and in the name of god blessed theym wyth the sygne of the crosse, and sayde vnto the people: by this shall ye knowe that the thynges whych we tell you be trew, and the thynges whyche these heretyques tell you be false / yf ye se that your syke folke after that y^• haue tasted of this brede be cured. Then the reuerent father the byshoppe of Car¦notenses, that great famouse man byshoppe Galfryde (for he was ther present and nexte the man of god) somwhat fe¦renge leste that myracle of curynge shold not fall vpon eue¦ry syke man that sholde eate of that brede, sayde vnto the peple: Those syke folke shall fynde helpe that eate of this brede with a good fayth. But then saint Bernard nothyng [ C] doutynge of the powre of our lorde answered, That is not the thynge that I wolde haue sayde / but that veryly who so euer taste therof shall be cured, to thentent they may ther¦by know that we be trewe, and the very trewe messangers of god.

So great a nomber of syke people, by the tastynge of that same brede recouered, that the tydynges thereof was publyshed through out all the prouynce / so that that holy man retournynge by the places nere there aboute, was for the intolerable concurse of people fayne to turne out of his waye, and tered to go thyther.

Now good crysten reders, here may ye perceue that holy saynte Bernard••, wyth whose wordes frere Barons as though saynt Bernard were his specyall patrone, so proud¦ly

[ A] maketh an ende of all his peuyshe processe, is so full, so open and so playne agaynst hym in all his whole heresyes, that a man wolde meruayle where frere Barns wytte was when he brought hym in. For fyrste we haue sene that the very wordes of saynt Bernarde whyche Barns bryngeth, newe framed by hym selfe, and falsely forged for his owne auauntage, do playnly make agaynst his purpose that he bryngeth them for. And now ye se farther here, that saynt Bernarde also was very enymy to Barons all other here∣syes / and not onely dyd preache agaynst the selfe same he∣resyes that Barons nowe setteth forth, but dyd also proue them false, and the fayth of the catholyque chyrch trew, by manyfolde open myracles. And fynally where Barons re∣proueth the chyrch for persecutyng of heretykes: ye se that [ B] holy saynt Bernarde whome Barns so specyally bryngeth in for his parte, dyd playnely pursew theym, and laboured for theyr punyshement hym selfe.

And farther haue I shewed you, that saynt Bernard in the selfe same processe out of whych frere Barns hath pyc∣ked and falsefyeth those few wordes that he bryngeth / doth playnely to frere Barons confusyon in his pryncypall pur¦pose of the chyrche, declare & make open that the very trew chyrche of Cryste his mystycall bodye here in erth, is no se∣crete vnknowen chyrche, as frere Barons goth aboute to make yt seme / but is oute of all questyon, this one comen well knowen catholyke chyrche of all crysten nacyons, as I byfore haue specyfyed, left to gether in the stocke of vnite of the knowen catholyque fayth, dystyncte and dyuyded [ C] from all the manyfolde wythered braunches of so many soundry scysmys and sectes, as from the begynnyng vnto these wreched dayes haue wyth obstynate malyce wylfully fallen therfro.

And in this wyse good crysten reders here ende I thys boke agaynste frere Barons euyll and vncrysten processe / wherwyth agaynste the promyse of Cryste,* 1.107 the deuyll and he labour in vayne to pull downe Crystes chyrche.

Thus endeth the .viii. boke.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Esaic. 1.
• * 1.2

  Ezechi. 18.
• * 1.3

  Psal. 33.
• * 1.4

  zac••ar. 1.
• * 1.5

  Ecclesiastici. 17
• * 1.6

  〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.7

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 3.
• * 1.8

  〈◊〉〈◊〉. 2
• * 1.9

  〈◊〉〈◊〉. 4.
• * 1.10

  〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.11

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• * 1.12

  〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.13

  〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.14

  Lu•••••• 17
• * 1.15

  1. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 4.
• * 1.16

  2. Corinth. 5
• * 1.17

  Hebrae. 6. &. 13.
• * 1.18

  Ephesi. 6.
• * 1.19

  2 Pet••i. 1.
• * 1.20

  Apoca. 2.14.22
• * 1.21

  Danie••is. 4.
• * 1.22

  Luce. 11.
• * 1.23

  Iaco. 1.
• * 1.24

  2. Corinth. 3.
• * 1.25

  1. Th••s•• 4.
• * 1.26

  Iac••••i. 5.
• * 1.27

  〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.28

  〈◊〉〈◊〉. 5.
• * 1.29

  2. Ti••••••••. 1.
• * 1.30

  1. Thes. 4.
• * 1.31

  ••••••an. 2
• * 1.32

  2. Timoth. 4.
• * 1.33

  Ma••••. 19.
• * 1.34

  Lu••••. 16
• * 1.35

  1 Corint••. ••.
• * 1.36

  〈◊〉〈◊〉. 6.
• * 1.37

  ••a••a. ••••
• * 1.38

  Ap••••. 2.
• * 1.39

  Apoca. 22.
• * 1.40

  Exodi. 24.
• * 1.41

  1. C••••n••••. 5
• * 1.42

  Iob. 13.
• * 1.43

  Iohan. 16
• * 1.44

  Matth. 28
• * 1.45

  〈1 paragraph〉〈1 paragraph〉
• * 1.46

  Augusti. de vera & fa••sa penitentia cap. 1••. & .15.
• * 1.47

  Iohn̄. 15••
• * 1.48

  Matth. 7.
• * 1.49

  Matth. 7.
• * 1.50

  〈◊〉〈◊〉. 1
• * 1.51

  Psal. 18.
• * 1.52

  Luce. 10.
• * 1.53

  Lu••ae. 1••
• * 1.54

  Iacobi. 5.
• * 1.55

  Ac••••r. 10.
• * 1.56

  Iohan 2.
• * 1.57

  Iohan. 10
• * 1.58

  Act. 8.
• * 1.59

  Iohn̄. 4.
• * 1.60

  Matth. 1••
• * 1.61

  Matth. ••.
• * 1.62

  〈1 paragraph〉〈1 paragraph〉
• * 1.63

  Mat••. ••.
• * 1.64

  1. Timot••. 2.
• * 1.65

  ••••••ch. 18. &. 33
• * 1.66

  Matth. 22.
• * 1.67

  〈◊〉〈◊〉. 12
• * 1.68

  Iohan. 13
• * 1.69

  Matt••. 26.
• * 1.70

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• * 1.71

  1. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 5.
• * 1.72

  〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.73

  2. Th••s. 2.
• * 1.74

  Eph••s••. 2.
• * 1.75

  〈1 paragraph〉〈1 paragraph〉
• * 1.76

  Psal. ••5.
• * 1.77

  De••tero. 23
• * 1.78

  Ecc••esiaste. 5••
• * 1.79

  Ioh••̄. 16. & A••••. 2.
• * 1.80

  I••ha••̄. 14
• * 1.81

  Ma••t••. 23. Matt••. 1••.
• * 1.82

  1. Corinth. 12.
• * 1.83

  Matth. 13.
• * 1.84

  Matth. 1••.
• * 1.85

  1. Corinth. 6
• * 1.86

  〈◊〉〈◊〉. 1.
• * 1.87

  Matth. 1••.
• * 1.88

  S. A••stayne
• * 1.89

  August. de ve••bis 〈◊〉〈◊〉 se••m. 29.
• * 1.90

  Augustinus de ver¦bis Apost serm. 32
• * 1.91

  August. serm. 41•• de aīa••us de••u•• ••••••rum.
• * 1.92

  Iac••bi. 5.
• * 1.93

  1. Thimot. 2.
• * 1.94

  Iohn̄. 7.
• * 1.95

  Iohan̄. 20
• * 1.96

  I••han. 16
• * 1.97

  Matth. 16.
• * 1.98

  Augus••. sermone 181. in vigilia Penthecostes
• * 1.99

  Matth. ••.
• * 1.100

  Matth. 2••••
• * 1.101

  Exodi. 33.
• * 1.102

  Io••••̄. 1••.
• * 1.103

  Lucae. 1••••
• * 1.104

  Titum. 3.
• * 1.105

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 serm. ••••super ••ersū ter¦••••••m Psalm••. 90.
• * 1.106

  〈…〉〈…〉. 241
• * 1.107

  Matth. 1••.