Agayn they obiect and saye: Yf we shuld do as ye wold haue vs to do / then must we eyther flye out of our coũtrithe / or els forthwith shall we suffer death
and so the congregatiõs shalbe left vtterly desolate / ther shall be none lefte to teache and norishe those afflicted mẽbres which shall remayne in our churche: Better it is / that by our bearing and dissemblinge / ther do remayne yet sum leight / then that by doing as ye wold haue vs all together shuld be putt out. 1. Cor. 15. If sum do remayne ther / it wil brust forthe at lẽgthe / and a litill leauẽ will soure the whole lũpe of dowe. &c. Truly for all this goodly clooke / it is easily perceyued that through this dissẽbling the edifying of the churche is hindered and not furthered. These men pretẽde with Athlas to beare vp heauẽ withe their shulders / but they do ouerthrow altogether: Godd doth se more thẽ we / in the thinges which shall happen to the churche: We must obeye hym in seruyng hym ãd his churche with the cõfessiõ of truthe. The issue / and succes / let vs cõmitt vnto hym to whom the churche doth belonge: And let vs do that wherunto we ar called. The churche shall be destroyed thẽ / thow sayest: Let God care for that / he will well prouide for that / let vs not doubt. Wel maye theise mẽ be answered / as the lorde answered Peter / whẽ he called hym / sayinge: Ioan. 21. folowe me: Peter made a staye at it and asked hym what Iohn shuld do. If I will (saith Christ) haue hym to tarye / what is that to the? do thow folowe me. So if thow aske in this case / what shall then be done with the churche? I aunswer / what is that to the? Do thow the thinge wher vnto thow art called. Besids this oftẽ tymes the doctrine of the gospell is more sett furth / and
better receyued / when it is mayntayned by deathe / and fleinge / then when by words only it is propownded and taught: for then men are taught by deedes / as before they wer by wordes: Haste thow confessed the gospell in wordes? This then remayneth for the to do: die / or flye for the gospell so shalt thou cõfesse the same indede. And Let vs not feare the desolatiõ of the churche / for wher one of our brethern dyeth / or flyeth for the doctrine / in his rowm shall rise vp a great sorte. But if we stãd and continue in dissemblinge / thẽ is the light of the truithe put owt / nether is there any cõfession made indede.
They bringe in also the examples of Zacharie / Iohn the Baptist / the virgin Marie / and Ioseph / which in the corupted and infected tymes whẽ they lyued dyd cõme vnto the seruice of God in the Tẽple of the Iues / The same thing maye be permitted to thẽ (they thincke) and that yt is as lawfull for thẽ to partake ãd vse the ceremonies in the popish churche be they neuer so corrupt. True it is that ther were many wicked doctrines and euill opinions at that tyme emongest the scribes and pharisees. But yet the estate of thẽ was far otherwise / thẽ it is in our tyme: They hade corrupted the doctrine of the law and of iustificatiõ. They were couetous / That thing which they dyd / Was done with out fayth / and therfor abhominable before God / yet the rite and maner of sacrificing apointed by Goddes lawe was not chaũged / for the same beastes were offered which the lawe dyd cõmaũde / the same daies were obserued / and ceremonies / and therfore it was lawfull to vse thẽ inasmoche as they hade the worde of Godd for
thẽ. And eiche mã that so vsed thẽ receyued accordĩg to the measure of his faithe. For the corrupte doctrines / sentẽces and manieres of the priestes / Bishoppes and scribes / dyd not hurte at all the prophettes and godlie men which wer thẽ selues cleare frõ thẽ / of a contrarie mynde to thẽ / in all thinges thinking according to Godds worde / yea dyd also reproue and sharplie rebuke those thinges: which thing Augustine dothe witnesse as he is allegded. 23. q. 4. ca. Recedite. and in many other places there. Let our sacrificinge priestes do the same vnto vs at this daie. Let thẽ celebrate the lordes supper and vse other ceremonies / so as by Godds worde they be apointed / thẽ we will not draw backe at all / but vse thẽ / thoughe they thẽ selues thincke corruptlie / and liue more wickedlie / we shall bewaile / we shall admonishe / we shall reproue / we shall accuse thẽ / and they shall beare their owne synne. Their synne shall not hurte vs / nether will we absteyne frome the sacramentes for their nowghtines / but vse thẽ. In which doĩge we shall not cõmunicate with their wickednes / for we shall vse the rite and ceremonie as the [lorde] cõmaũded / and instituted. And this thing mẽt Christ whẽ he saide. Matth. 23. The scribes ãd pharisees do syt in Moses chaire / what they byd yow do / that do / but as they do / see that ye do not. So Christe commaunded the leper whom he hade clẽsed to go vnto the priest. Luc. 2. The blessed virgin likwise she might well after the birthe of our sauiour Christ offer the payre of Turtles or too yonge pigeons / because it was so commaunded in the lawe. By this example our men can not heare masse / because it is a thinge contrary
to godds worde: But let these papists giue vnto vs the sacramentes / as Christe dyd institute them / and we shall vse thẽ / and yet neuerthelesse reproue their wickednes. Nowe our men beinge thus at all pointes answered / and ouercommed / do flye to this atlenghth. Thoughe saye they it be a synne to go to Masse and suche popishe pelfe yet it is but a light synne / and not se seuerely to be reproued. What (say they) we do many thinges which we shuld not fo. but God forgyuithe thẽ. &c. To the last I aunswer: The goodnes of Godd which doth forgyue synnes vnto them that be truly penitẽt / doth not diminishe at all the gretnes of the synne. Wherfor I will aunswer only / to that they saye / that it is but a light synne. Which thinge whilest they do saye / they do not thincke this with themselues / that all synnes haue their proper wieght and burthen. For doinges and the nature of thinges done ar not to be considered simplie of themselues, but they ar to be weyed by godds worde and laws / by which they ar forbiddẽ: By it / wicked actes and the [doinge] of them ar to be iudged: And seing that the poure of the lawe and worde of god is all one in all cõmaundmentes / by it / the weighte / burthẽ and greatnes of synne cõmitted / is to be weyed considered and iudged. Iacob. 2. S. Iames therfor in this cause doth saye. He that hathe obserued the whole lawe / and dothe offend in one / is made giltye of all. Which sayinge truly is harde and sharpe / but most true / and teachith all men that they shuld not extenuate synne. But this place
of Iames / is not to be vnderstõded / as thoughe that all synnes wer equall and like. August. Epist. 29. ad Hiero. That doth Augustine truly and playnly denye: He saith that the Stoickes do go about to proue it / when they saye / that all vertues are cõioyned and knitt together / so that he which hathe one of them hath all / and he that wãtith one wãtith all. For wisdome (saye they) is not fearefull / nott intemperate / nut vniuste / therfor it hath ioyned with it the vertues which be contrarie vnto these vices: And likewise iustice / strẽghthe / tẽperaunce and other vertues are not vnwise / but are ioyned with wisdome / wheruppon they do conclude / that all vertues are conioyned and knitt together. Theise thinges / saith Augustine / Iaco. 3. do not agre with the holy scriptures / which do witnes. 1. Ioan. 1. That in many thinges we do all offend / and If we saye that we haue no synne / we do deceyue our selues and ther is no truithe in vs. Wherfor seing that we synne in many thinges / and in synnynge we cã not haue that vertue which is cõtrarie to that synne which we do committ / and yet it may be that he which fallith in one synne / many be cõstaunt in other vertues / the opinion of theis philosophers is fals. As for example: Be it / that one be of an hastye nature / or do exceade measure in eatinge / and yet he gyuith euery man his own / and will gyue his life in Godds cause: though this man be fearce / and intemperate / yet is he called a iust mã / and a stronge man. S. Augustine doth also putt awaye the similitude of the stoicks / whiche is. That the man
doth die in the waters / if they be but half a handfull ouer, his heade / aswell as he ouer whos heade they are / ten / or twentie cubites. This is no apte similitude / saith he / therfor let vs take an other more fitte for our purpose / of light namely and darcknes. Certaynly when one is in darcknes / the more he dothe departe and go out of it and drawith nighe vnto light / he begynnith the better to see sumwhat / and so though that yet he be compassed with darcknes / yet is he sumwhat partaker of the lighte. But he that wull knowe more of this matier / let hym reade that Epistle of Augustyne: Wher he prouith playnly / that all synnes ar not like / as the Stoicks did thincke: Now to return to our place / which we did rehearce. He that offendith in one / is giltie of all. Ther is no obseruacion of Godds Lawe to be receued with an exception / as thoughe we might chose one parte of it to obserue / and separate or sett asyde the other parte at our will and pleasure to neglecte it. The commaundemẽtes of the lawe ar conioyned of the lorde and knitt together / and so gyuen vnto vs: We must not now disseuer / and separate thẽ as we lust / but without exception we must obserue the whole lawe. We must consider and loke vppon the Auctoritie of the lawe gyuer / which is Godd / It is of force aswel in one cõmaundement / as in the rest. This doth Iames seame to meane / when he saith: Iacob. 2. He that hath sayde / Thow shalt not committ adulterie / the same hath sayde / Thow shalt not kill. As if he shuld saye / he is no les contraried in any one
of theise commaundemẽtes / then in an other. And therfor (to adde this by the waye) let them wel consider what they do which do profes to receyue the gospell / and yet they do refuse ecclesiasticall disciplyne: Wheras the lorde / which hath reuealede and opened the gospell vnto vs by Christe / doth appoint discipline to be a parte therof. Theise men do synne against the whole lawe. The papistes do also synne herin / which do preache their parted righteousnes / as meritorius of congruitie. But to returne / this is also manifest / that he that synnith in one / is therfore giltie in all / for that as now by lust and tentacion / he is caried into sum one transgression / and so dothe synne / euen in like manier shuld he offend in an other euill / if he wer assaulted in the same sorte / and whith that same violence of tentacion. And Augustine in the place before alledged. doth saye. That therfore he is made giltie of all / bicause he synneth against charitie / vppon which the obseruacion of the whole lawe is grownded. To be short therfor / when we do thus fall into synne / we must not lightly tryfle it of and excuse it / sayinge that it is but light / and small: for synne is not to be considered of the matier / and manier of the action only / but of the force poure / and dignitie of Godds worde which doth forbidd it. And yet les I shuld seeme to be to rigorus and strayte in this matier of massehauntinge / let ther be hadd a consideracion / or difference of the matier / and doinge.
And truly I can not see / how this kinde of synne and doinge cã be iudged to be light / or small / seing that it is a transgressiõ committed against the furst table of the lawe / in which the worship due vntto Godd is cõmaũded which worshipp being sownde and safe in a mã other vices and synnes ar the more easily corrected: And agayn this being corrupted / all other actes are most vnacceptable vnto Godd. Whordõ by Godds lawe is to be punyshed by deathe / yet is it a synne but against the .ii. table. And what shal we thincke then of spirituall whordome? how seuerely doth Godd iudge it? how sharply ought it to be punished? If therfor thow dost consider the commandement which thou breakest / it is of God: If the matier / it is aganist the furst table and therfore thys synne is the more heynus and weightie. Besids this / our men do counte this Masse hauntinge a fault to be either contemned / or not so depely to be considered in theim bicause they do not synne with mynde will and affection / but as it wer compelled and of necessite. But I aske them / what manier a violence and compulsion this is throughe which that necessite commithe of which they make their excuse? Truly they can not saye that it is ony other / then bicause they wolde not ronne into the daunger of the losse of their Goodes / their estimacion and lyfe. Aristote. Ethi. lib. 3. This is then no absolute necessite but such a one as risith of ther own corrupt affection and will, wich prouith that their action is volũtarie. As Aristotle in his Ethicks doth saye of the