The lamentation of a Christian against the City of London, for some certain great vices used therein.  Psal. lxx. 
Let them be abashed aude ashamed, that seek after my soul, let them be put to flight and shame, that will me evil.  
Imprinted in the year of our Lord m.d.xlviii.   

¶ The lamentation of a Christian Against the City of London. &ce.  
OH Lord God Father of mercy and God of all consolation, what heart cannot lament, to see the Testament of thy only Son, our full and only redeemer jesus Christ, thus refused & trodden under foot, yea all though God hath given our most sovereign Lord King Henry the eight such an heart to set it for the with his most gracious Prevyledge. Yet the great part of these inordinate rich stiffnecked citizens, will not have in their houses that lively word of our souls, nor suffer their servants to have it, neither yet gladly read it or hear it red: but abhorreth and disdaineth all those which would live according to the Gospel. And in stead there of they set up and maintain idolatry and other innumerable vices and wickednesses of man's invention, daily committed in the City of London, no reformation or redress once studied for, whereby to expulse vice, & increase virtue: nor no politic invention for the commenwelth. No, no, their heads are so given to seek their own particular wealths only, that they pass not of no honest provision for the poor, which thing above all other infidelities, shall be our damnation. As appeareth Math. xxv. where Christ saith: I was hungry & ye gave me not to eat, I was thirsty and ye gave me not to drink, I was sick and in preson, and ye visited me not etc. For not doing these things shall Christ say, go ye cursed children in to everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his Angels. Read the text and there ye shall see what shallbe laid against you at the great day of the lord. And there ye shall also see, that ye shall not be inquired of many vain foolish & superstitious things of your own inventions, & of your Popish priests of Baal, whether ye have done them or not. No, no, they shallbe greatly to your damnation.  
Oh Lord God, how is it possible for this City to expulse vice and seek after virtue, saying they will not receive thy gospel, which is the word of everlasting life, and that only thing that leadeth us into all truth: No Lord they cannot be contented, not only to deny the receipt thereof, but also the greatest part of the seniors or aldermen, with the multitude of the inordinate rich: even as the jews cried out against Christ taking part with the high priests, saying: Mat. xxvii. Crucify him, even so doth the rich of the City of London take part, and be fully bend with the false prophets the Bishops & other strong, stout & sturdy priests of Baal, to persecute unto death all and every godly person, which either preacheth the word or setteth it forth in writing (if thou deliver them not from their wicked snares) even as ded their fore fathers the most wicked, cruel and stonyherted bishops, Scribes and pharisees, by thy servants the prophets, and also Thapostels. Matth. xxiii.  
Oh Lord God how blind be these citizens, which take so great care to provide for the dead, which thing is not commanded them, nor a availeth the dead, no more than the pissing of a wren helpeth to cause the see to flow at an extreme ebb, but is the work of man's own invention & imagination, according to the saying of the Prophet rehearsed in Math. xiii. In vain worship and serve they me with the inventions and imaginations of men. Thus follow they their own imaginations providing for the dead uncommanded and leave providing for the poor living, which the scripture most earnestly teacheth & commandeth, as appeareth in the Prophet Esay. lviii. Rom. xiii. xv. Luke. xiiii. Deut. xv.ii. Cor. ix. Prou. xxi. And that which shallbe laid to your charges, as is afore said, for not doing. And the reward of everlasting life to them which to their power have provided to do for the widow and fatherless, which is to be understand of all poverty, as prisoners, and those that be abroad.  
Oh Lord GOD, how is it possible for this people to praise the aright, or to seek thy glory, which when they be in trouble or plagued rightfulli of thee, either be drought, moisture, or pestilence, or any such like, which do not as the Children of Israel ded: when they saw their own iniquity, repent and forsook their idolatry with all their false gods, and only called to the Lord God of hosts, and so obtained? As appeareth in judicum. three iiii.vi.x.xi. etc. and in many other places of the Bible. And seeing Chryst our redeemer teacheth us in the vi of Math. where he saith. When ye pray, say O father which art in heaven etc. And further he saith also. Mat. xi. Come unto me all ye that labour and are laden (meaning with sin) and I will refresh you. O what a merciful promise is this, made to us wretches, by him that is all holy, all mighty, all merciful, and will fulfil all his promises, even as he is God alone? How mad, yea how wicked be we then, to go, to seek, call, or to cry, to any other than to him alone? seeing he forbiddeth us in so many places of his holy Testament, saying. I will have none other Gods in my sight, I am a jealous God Exo. xx.  
But alas, these stiff-necked citizens will not come to this only mediator both God & man, but when they feal them selves worthily plagued, which cometh of them only, them will they run a gadding, yea a whore hunting after their false prophets through the streets once or twice in the week, crying and cailing to creatures & not to the creator, with or a pro nobis, and that in a tongue which the greatest part understandeth not, unto Peter, Paul, james and johan, mary, & Martha, &cet. and I think within few years they will (without thy great mercy) call upon Thomas wolsey, late Cardynale, and upon the unholy (I should say) holy maid of kent. Why not well as upon Tho. Becket? what he was I need not write, it is meately well known. The saying of the Prophet Isaiah. xxix. recited by Math. in the xu chapter is verified in this people. With their lips they honourable me, but their hearts are far from me. Yea they beat their Breath against the air, as S. Paul. saith i. Co. xiiii. & that in vain. Oh Lord God confound them with all their false Prophets & superstitiousness, for they minish thy glory as much as in them lieth. What is their gadding with or a pro nobis, unto creatures, of them which should only pray unto thee? is it ought else but abomination? no surely. And the City never speadeth so evil, as when they so run a whore hunting. And no marvel, for they seek a wrong way. Oh wicked peopel do not ye see that both Thappost. & Ang. refused to be worshipped of men, but would have all the glory given to God, as appeareth in the iii of the Acts, also in the xiiii of the Acts, when the priests with the people of Listra would have done sacrifice to Barnabas & Paul. But when Thapostles & Barnabas and Paul hard that, they rend their clothes and ran in among the people, crying and saying, Sirs why do ye this? we are mortal men like unto you, & preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God. These be Thapostles words, read the chapter, and ye shall see. Also S. johan fell down at the feet of the Angel which opened unto him the secrets of God, and would have worshipped the Angel: but the Angel forbade him, saying. See thou do it not, for I am thy fellow servant, Apoc. nineteen. Here ye see that both the Apostles & Angels refused to be worshipped, but would have all the glory given unto God, when they were here upon earth. Whether they do not likewise now seek all the glory to God & not to themselves, judge thou gentel reader. And think ye not that if the blessed virgin Marie were now upon earth, and saw her son and only redeemer thus rob of his glori (which glory ye blind Citizens give unto her) would not she tear her clothes, like as ded the Apostles? Let the godly learned judge it.  
Now shall ye hear what happened unto the people of juda, as appeareth in the xliiii of jeremy, for seeking their own inventions and for offering oblations with their fore father's Kings and heads unto the queen of heaven which was the moan, tempting the Lord so far, that the Lord might no long suffer the wickedness of their inventions. Thus saith the Prophet. Ye have seen the misery that I have brought upon jerusalem and upon all the Cities of juda, so that this day they are desolate, & no man dwelling there in, and that because of the great blasphemies which they committed in that they went back to do sacrifice & worship unto strange Gods, etc. And furthermore the said prophet saith in the same lxiiii Cham Purposely have ye set up your good meaning, and hastily have ye fulfilled your own intent, What followed in the end? verily destruction. Read the end of the same Chapter and thou shalt se.  
O most dear brethren for Christ's sake give credence unto the Prophet, and not to the Prophet only, but also unto the Holy Ghost which spoke in the Prophet, and then look upon yourselves, how jointly ye agree with the said people of juda. They called the moan the queen of Heaven, and ye call the virgin Marie the queen of heaven, even as the one is queen of heaven, so is the other. Yet be ye worse than the people of juda. For their faults wear written for your example. And where as they called upon one queen of heaven, ye call upon many. How many queens of heaven have ye in the litany? Oh dear brethren be no longer deceived with the false prophets your bishops, and their membres, Oh ye citizens be ye so blind that ye see not, that this is and blasphemy to God, & a minishinge of the honour dew to Christ's blood, to call upon the creatures of God created? To patch and peace them with him, as to patch the pot with the potter? And as though he were a merciless God, & would not hear but for their sakes? Yea & yet know not you whether they hear you or not, as the likelihood is they do not. For ye have no promise of them, but of Christ ye have: As appeareth johan. xiiii. Mat. xvii. where he saith. Ask and ye shall have, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you etc. Thus leave ye the way certain, for the uncertain, ye patch him with his creatures because ye believe not in him, nor have that faith in him, which is of valour before God. Yea ye think he seeth not the secrets of your hearts. Oh unwise people, shall not he that made the heart, know the secrets thereof. Psal. xciiii? Well, I exhort you in the name of the living God to repent betime, fall fro your accustomed idolatry, and leave crying to your queens of Heaven, and call only upon the name of the Lord which made all, the God of Abraham Isaac, & jacob, and search the scripture, & ye shall see how often he hath plagued the children of Israel for their idolatry and whoredom, and all for our ensample. Repent I say, one's again, lest the Lord give you wholly up to your own lusts, as he ded the heathen. Rom. i. & visit you with the plagues of Egipte, which ye have already rightfully deserved. He is a merciful God & suffereth long, but when he striketh felleth to the ground.  
Now to lament your blind provision for the dead. Alas it is more than blindness itself, for manifestly ye cast Christ's merits aside, in seeking health for the souls of your friends departed, by providing Turrian idle life for an unlearned priest or two, of Baal, trusting in their prayer, as though these priests had overplus of righteousness more than served them themselves. Ye will say no, we trust to be saved by Christ's passion. I utterly deny your trust, it is vain and false, and without hope, or else ye would not seek so many superstitious ways. For Chryst is the only way to the Father, and is alone sufficient for all. Heb. ix. yea although christ be sufficient, yet ye will have a priest to sige for you also, as it wear for a waretack.  
Oh ye despisers of the bottomless mercy of God, yea whorehounters and robbers of God's glory. Is Chryst a peced God, or a patched redeemer? doth not the scripture say, there is none other name under heaven, where in we may be saved Act. iiii. xiii? How mad be ye then, to seek or call upon any other? The great substance which ye bestow upon chantries, obbites, and such other like dregs of that abominable whore of Rome, which most commonly ye give for iii causes (as ye say) is all lost.  
First, that ye will have the service of god maintained in the church to god's honour, & yet by the same service is god dishonoured, for the supper of lord is perverted, & not used after christes institution Mat. xxvi. Marc xiiii Luke. xxii.i. Corint. xi. and so is that holy institution turned into a vain superstitious Cerymoniall Mass (as they call it) which Mass is become an abominable Idol, and of all Idols the most greatest, & never shall idolatry be quenched, where that idol is used after Anticristes' institution. Daniel ix Mat. xxiiii. Which no doubt, shallbe reform, when the time is come that God hath appointed, even as it is used already in diverse cities of Germany. Yea although all the Antichrist's in the whole world would say the contrary, & all their disciples with them: yea although they study to set all the Princes of the earth together by the ears, to let that and such like godly redress, as it is their old cast, yet he sitteth in Heaven that laugheth them to scorn, and he shall make their wisdom foolishness i Cor. i.  
The second cause is for redeeming your souls and your friends. which is also abominable. For who soever will seek redemption, justification, salvation, or to be made righteous by the law: he is gone quite from Christ, and his merytis' profit him not. Read the third chapter to the Romans and the four to the Hebreus the iii to the Galath. and also Isaiah. liii.i. Cor. i. and there ye shall see. Perchance ye will say, ye seek no such thing thereby. Oh ye unwise and open dissemblers, wherefore then do ye it? ye say like as the Idolatoure now adays doth if he set a candle before an Image and Idolle, he saith, he doth not worship the Image, but God whom it representeth. For (say they) who is so foolish as to worship an Image? As who should say, none. I answer, wherefore doth God in so many places of the Scripture, forbid us to worship Idols or Images, as Exo. xx. Deut. v. Sapi. xiii. xiiii. and throughout all the Prophets, but that he knew that ye would worship them with your forefathers? Even so ye, because ye have not full trust in Christ's merits, ye grope after vain waretackes. If thou wilt set a Candle before the Image of God, thou must be diligent daily to help thine neighbour, according to thine estate, which thing I have touched before.  
The iii cause of your good intent is, that the profits of your goods may come to the priests as though they were the peculiar people of God and only beloved, as indeed to those which preach the Gospel be the people bound to give a sufficient living. For the workman is whorthye of his reward. Mat. x.i. Tim. v. But not that their prayer can help the dead, no more than a man's breath blowing in the sail, can cause a great ship for to sail. So is this also become abomination, for those be not Christ's ministers, but the ministers of a rabble of uncommanded traditions & popish ceremonies. And thus ye be the maintainers of a sort of lusty lubbars, which be well able to labour for their living, and strong enough to get it with the sweat of their faces, as the scripture teacheth them. Genesis. iii.i. Thesalo. iiii And thus be ye maintainers of their idleness and leave the blind, the lame, & the prisoner unholpen, which the scripture commandeth you to help, except it be on the sundays with afewe halfpence, or by pennymeale, which helpeth little or no thing.  
But unto those blind guides. ye will give. vi.vii.viii. yea xii pounds yearly to one of them, to sing in a chauntrie to rob the living God of his honour.  
Ye will say unto me, what art thou, that callest these things uncommanded traditions and popish ceremonies, saying the Kings Grace forbiddeth them not, & useth part of them himself? I answer that ye use many things contrary to the kings injunctions. And if it be that God through the king hath cast out the devil out of this realm, and yet both he and we sup of the broth in which the devil was sudden, and that God hath yet not opened the eyes of the king to set all things in right frame, & utterly to break down the serpent, as Ezechias the king did four Reg. ix. & as king Asa did ii Chro. xiiii take it thus, that even your iniquity with calling upon vain Gods, & seeking salvation by a wrong way, is the veri cause that God closeth up the eyes of the king, as of one that heareth and understandeth not, and seeth & perceiveth not.  
But for the reverence of Christ's merits, where as ye have walked some in very simple ignorance, and some in obstinate or wilful ignorance, & groped in times passed after a wrong way, dark, crooked, hard and endless: now seek the right true and only way which is light, straight, and easy to find, that is to say, Christ the only Messiah: and redress these things, easy to be done. Turn your chantries & your Obbites from the profit of these bearewolues' whelps, which can neither help the souls of your friends departed, nor yet yours, after God hath taken you from this life, & scripture ye have none to encourage you, but only your own inventions: & against you are places innumerable, & specially. Rom. xiiii. Where the Apostle saith, what soever is not of faith is sin, your chantries & ceremonies are without Gods word, and so must they be without faith, ergo they be sin. Bestow them therefore from hence forward upon the true Image of Christ which is upon the poor, the sick, the blind, the lame, the prisoner, etce. Oh ye citizens if ye would turn but even the profits of your chantries and your obbittes to the finding of the poor, with a politic & godly provision, where as now London being one of the flowers of the world, as touchige worldly riches, hath so many, yea innumerable of poor people forced to go from door to door, and to sit openly in the streets a begging, and many not able to do for other, but lie in their houses in most grievous pains, and die for lack of aid of the rich, to the great shame of thee, Oh london, I say, if ye would redress these things as ye be bound, and sorrow for the poor, so should ye be without the clamour of them, which also crieth unto God against you, and which he well heareth, and then where as now ye have Turrian houndreth extreme poor people, shall not be one, & in so doing your own goods shall not▪ be a witness against you at the great day of the Lord, as it willbe against your forefathers for not providing for the poor? Besides that, what a joy shall it be, to see your brethren well provided for?  
ye abuse your riches, specially you that come to th'office of the City, for ye spend unmeasurably. Upon whom? even upon them that have no need, as upon the Nobles and gentlemen of the court, upon the aldermen and other rich commoners which have as great nead of your feasts, as hath the see at the highest of the springe tide, of the pissing of the wren, the poor forgotten, except it be with a few scraps and bones sent to newgate for a face. Alas alas, how little it is the Lord knoweth, I think in my judgement under heaven is not so little provision made for the poor as is in London of so rich a City, Well, the poor well feeleth the burning of Doctor Barnes and his fellows, which laboured in the Lord. For according to there office they barked upon you to look upon the poor, so that then some relief they had, but now alas they be cold, yea even those which say they be the favorrers of the gospel. It is a token that your foundation was builded upon the sand, for that GOD hath suffered your Prophets to be brent. Though they be gone consider it was not their commandment, but gods, whose Testament ye have even now in your very Mother tongue, thanks be to the Lord therefore. In the same ye may perceive that their absence should not quench nor mollify your love towards your brethren. And doubt not but God shall raise other, that shall speak with the same spirit that they ded, & with no less love & vehemency: if inyquytie be not cause to the contrary. There is a custom in the city, ones a year to have a quest called the warnmall quest, to redress vices, but alas, to what purpose cometh it, as it is used? If a poor man keep a whore besides his wife, & a poor man's wife play the harlot, they are punished, as well worthy. But let an alderman, a gentleman, or a rich man keep whore or whores, what punishment is there? Alas this matter is to bad. I say some of your aldermen keep whores to the great shame of all the rest. It wear no shame to name them. Wherefore repent & amend, or sureli I will if God lend me life, in an other work name you, and other of your affinity which be openly known to be common adulterers: which is no little shame to the heads and other rulers of the City to suffer such abomination. But no marvel though ye suffer bodily adulterers, seeing ye yourselves are spiritual adulterers, calling upon vain gods. Ye will say I slander you & bring up false lies upon you. Some of you know whether I slander you or not I would it were a slander. But I sclandre you so, that except ye repent & amend your living, as well ye that be sufferers of such vices as the committers, except ye amend I say & seek redress of this and such like, the vengeance of God will light upon the city for your sins. For how can ye do justice upon another and ye offend in the same yourself? yea & how partial be ye that punish the poor, and leave unpunished those heads that should give good example to the rest? A wake awake for the Lord sleepeth not, although ye think that he wincketh at this gear. I exhort you in gods name, look better in choosing of your head officers. Let not riches only cause men to rule, and specially irk better to the choosing of your officers of the law. How can Dronkandes, whoremongers and covetous Parsons give right judgement? do briars bring forth figs & thorns grapes? And I say unto you the partiality of judges suppressing the poor, and aiding the rich for lucre, and in codempning the innocentes & letting the wicked go free: bringeth the vengeance of GOD upon all places, as appeareth in Esay. iii. Here I could say somewhat more than I now will, I mean in condemning the Innocentes.  
Think ye that God hath not as much to lay to the charges of London for killing his servants, as he had against jerusalem for killing his Prophets? Yes yes: For God's sake ye that be elders repent & give yourselves to reading the law of the lord, that ye may be an example to the commons in Godly conversation: And in the Scripture ye shall learn what to do, and what to leave undone, & how to know false Prophets, and how to cast them out of your conscyens, where they have sitten a long time, even in the stead of God: I mean not the bishop of Rome alone, but he & all his mark with him, and specially his own generation, which are all in forked Caps.  
What a plague is this, that in no man's time alive, was ever any Christian bishop raining over the City of London, but every one worse than other? I think their can now come no worse, except the same Lucyfer that fell from heaven, come himself, which is the very father of all popish bishops. Consyore this is for your inyquitie. Yet let the little flock rejoice & give God only thanks that he hath raised other meaner membres In the sight of the world than Bishops, to preach the gospel, and to set it forth in writing.  
Now to all you though ye be few in number which favour Gods holy word unfeignedly and not in word only, but in works also, showing the fruits of your faith, say I thus: exhorting you for Christ's blood sake, to be diligent in prayer, only to the everliving God, that he of his own mere mercy, give grace to the rulers of this City, that from henceforth they may seek God's glory only, the commonwealth and provision for the poor: and then doubt ye not but God shall give our noble King such Turrian heart that he shall know, and such eyes that he shall plainly see, and such ears that he shall understand in dead. For why? it is the Lord that hath the heart of all princes in his hand Pro. xxi. So that I say, where as he hath now banished out of his realm but the veri bear wolf the whore of Babylon only: shall now also bamnysh with her all her foolish traditions and beggarly ceremonies, against which S. Pau. wrote ad Gal. iiii. & in many other places more. Now shall your papistical sort despise this my lamentation, & laugh me to scorn. Although I know there is no christian heart in this realm, no nor in the whole world, which knoweth the vices used in the city, and how little God's glory is sought, how little the commonewelth is set by, how barely the poor are provided for, but he will lament with me. And as for the contrary part: I wish with all my heart repentance, & will continually my life during pray unto the everlining God, to draw them to the Gospel of his son jesus christ, and that they may come to the father by the only way and door christ, and that they may also forsake their bydores & climbing in at the windows wherbi they shall never attain to any saving health. O Lord God I beseech thee, call them from that number whom the almighty sitting in Heaven laugheth to scorn Psal. xxi. The only cause that I write this, is to exhort all men as well readers as hearers, to repent betimes, and to fall diligently to prayer, asking mercy, that we may avoid the plagues which we rightfully have deserved, & no doubt we shall not escape them all, unless we repent the sooner, Remember how he warned the city of Jerusalem xl years long: & because they repented not, but slew the Prophets by who God warned them, he kept promise with them, & scourged them according to their deservings. And he that spoke the same to jerusalem speaketh it to you, and to all Cities, that commit like iniquity as ye do. And whether ye have served the Disciples of the Lord, like as ded the citizens of Jerusalem their Prophets, judge your seifes, and ye shall see that ye have shed more blood, than ever ded that most sinful jerusalem, even of them that taught you God's truth. Well, I can no more, but beseech the Lord God, that he will give such grace to some, that in the time of his wrath, he may find ten righteous persons in this City, whereby the wrath and vengeance of God may be turned from it, which is like to come shortly upon us or upon our children, for our sins & our forefathers. For we have deserved a. M. times more plagues, than ever ded Tire & Sidon, or Sodoma & Gomorrah, beware it not for the great mercy of God I think, we had found it so or this tyme. For we have an example of these Cities & they be written for our learning to avoid such vices. Yea no doubt the vices committed in thee, oh London, are as evil as ever aware in any of the four Cities afore named. And surely I think, if they had herd the preaching that hath been in London this xiiii or xvi years past, that they had repent and forsaken their Iniquity. For I say unto you that the gospel was never more sincerely preached in the time of the Apostles, than it hath been of late in London: Nor never more Godly expositions upon the scripture and that a great number whereby to draw us to Christ jesus. For why? the same spirit even the very holy Ghost which spoke in the Apostles, hath spoken in men now to us.  
But alas, as the Prophet saith. Esay. xxix. we have ears & hear not, eyes & see not.  
See ye not nor yet perceive ye how the blind Prophets have led you, even now in our time? Have ye not slain the servants of the Lord, only for speaking against the authority of the false bishops of Rome that monstrous beast, whom now ye yourselves do or should abhor? I mean all his laws being contrary to Christ, & not his body, & yet ye see that a few years past ye brent them for heretics abominable which preatched or wrote against his usurped power, & now it is treason to uphold or maintain any part of his usurped power, and he shall die as a traitor that so doth, & well worthy. So say I unto you there shallbe yet things preached unto you, and ye shall be instructed by writers of things which ye be not yet able to bear, and whosoever preacheth or writeth it (if the Lord defend him not out of your hands) he shall die for it: and yet out it will at the length, though all the devils in hell say nay to it, and so shallbe reform. And even this following is one of the chiefest things.  
Oh ye citizens, will ye never give yourselves to the reading pf the scripture whereby ye may know the law of the Lord, to avoid the everlasting damnation, which is ordained for the devil and his angels? Will ye ever be ignorant of Gods commandment? Exodi. xx. saying.  
I will have none other Gods in my sight, and that ye neither bow yourself, nor serve any thing as God, that is in earth beneath or in heaven above, or in the water under the earth. And do ye not yet see how this whore of Babylon hath altered the supper of the Lord, which was instituted to have the blessed passion in continual remembrance, & for a perpetual memory of thanks giving: which we should receive with all reverence and meekness of heart giving thanks unto God only for that benefit which we have received & obtained through Christ's death, which this supper signifieth, and that we believe as verily as we eat the bread & drink the wine, which nourisheth the body & is scene with our corporal eye, & spiritually representeth the very body of Christ, even so verily as we have tasted, eaten & seen this holy supper or Sacrament of thanks giving: even so verily to believe that Christ died for our sins, and that his blood only hath pacified the father's wrath, and so hath set us at peace with, God For he hath paid that which lay not in me nor in no man, but only in him that was both God & man, and by none other means might man be redeemed, and so to aknoweledge that he is dead & hath shed his blood for our sins, & is risen for our rightwiseness.  
Thus I saying my sins buried in Christ's wounds, must ever more be thankful to the everliving God only. And thus to eat his blessed body and to drink his blood spiritually in faith, is God's institution. Math. xxvi. Marc. xiiii. Luc. xxii.i. Corinth. xi. Where he saith, as oft as ye shall eat of this bread & drink of this cup ye shall show the Lords death till he come.  
And saint Austyn saith, what preparest thou thy teeth & thy belly? believe & thou hast eaten. Which agreeth with the words of our saviour Christ saying. The flesh profiteth nothing, it is the sprite that quickeneth. johan in the vi chapter. But the institution of Antichrist is clean contrary to this. For by his institution thou must fall down upon thy knees, holding up thy hands as to God, In deed it is the bishop of Rome's God which they must see with their corporal eye, because they have no hope in the living God through the spiritual eye.  
And thus hath he changed the holy memory of Christ's death, in to the worshipping of his God made of fine flower, and all to bring him self and his membres aloft, and in the reputation of the world above all degrees of men, yea above King and Emperor, and thereby to sit in the consciences of men, above God and his word, even in the very temple of God, where God alone should fit. And by his institution of this his God, is he crept up in to this usurped power.  
Oh Antichrist the beginner of this Idol which is head of all Idols after thine institution. Doth not God say, as afore is said Exo. xx? Thou shalt not worship any similitude that his in heaven, earth or in the waters under the earth. And thou contrari to the everliving God's commandment, hast seduced the people to honore thy God. I tell the gentle reader ones again, it is the greatest Idol under heaven as it is used in his mass, and a God of the making of Antichrist as is said, which mass is after his institution an heap of foolish ceremonies without significations, to advance and set out his God, to the blearing of the eyes of the simple. And thou shalt see if thou wilt read the xviii chapter: of the Apocal. calling to God only to open thine eyes, all the trishtrashe that antichrist hath sold us which be the only implements of the mass of Antichrist, I mean not the Antichrist of Rome only, but also of all other popish bishops, with all their brethren in Antichrist. And in the said xviii chapter thou shalt see the fall not only of the whore alone, but also of her merchandise the same tryshtrash with her. For even as the whore is fallen in England already, thanks only be given to God therefore, and yet her trish-trash remaining for our iniquities sake, even so I say in the said xviii. chapter thou shalt see that her merchandise must follow, when the time is come that God hath appointed. No doubt our unthankfulness sake, and the giving of glory unto men which should be given only unto God, is the cause of the long remaining of the premises. The words of the xviii. chapter be these. Alas alas the great City Babylon that mighty City, for at one hour is her judgement come, and the Merchants of the Earth shall weep and wail in themselves, for no man will buy their ware any more, the ware of gold and silver, and precious stones, nether of pearls, and reins, and purple, and scarlet, and all thin woods, and brass, and iron, and cinnamon, & odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flower, and souls of men. This fine flower have they made the chief of all their tryshtrashe, and a cloak or a cloud to shadow all the rest. Rede the chapter and thou shalt perceive more.  
I pray the jentle reder judge, wear not the pardoners Merchants to them? Ye it is well known that their pardons & other of their tromperye, hath been bought and sold in Lombardstrete, and in other places as thou wilt buy and sell an horse in smithfield. Yea and at easter when thou shouldest come to the supper of the lord to receive the Sacrament of thanks giving, there must thou receive the God of antichrist without signification or Godly instruction, yea and thou must buy it and pay for it, as men sometime bought Pies in Soper Lane. yea and thou must pay for his God or thou have it: yea I have hard of poor men for lack of two pens been put from receiving of their God, and for lack of paying the parson or vicar his duty many have been put from it.  
And more I tell the reader that the body of our saviour jesus Chryst can not be eaten with teeth, it must be eaten with faith as is a foresaid.  
And further mark this well, that thing that hath beginning or ending can not be God, nor aught to be worshipped as God. So can this sacrament no more be God then was the paschal lamb. For God is without beginning and ending, and so is not the God of Antichrist, for he is made many times be a sinful Ipocryte.  
Well, than it hath a beginning and may perish and mould a way, and the little mouse will eat it, if he may come by it. And the wine will wax sour and stink as doth their holy water in the fount by long keeping, which hath been the destruction and death of iunumerable children: where as two or three drops of water taken out of it by the priests hands and cast upon the child wear sufficient, and the child never need to be taken out of his clouts. Now to my purpose again.  
OH thou blind man, can the body of Chryst perish by any manner of means? As to wax sour, or that any manner of beasts may eat the body of christ? No surely, God forbid. For he (as concerning his godhead) was from the beginning, and shall be without ending. As manifestly it appeareth in johan the first chapter. The word was in the beginning with GOD &ce. But this mark well, that even as the passover lamb was a Sign, a Token and a remembrance to put the children of ISRAEL in memory of their corporalye or bodily deliverance, and also that Messiah should come to be slain for their sins, paying their ransom, and delivering them from everlasting death: which moved the faithful of them to be thankful to God, for that they believed as verily as they deed eat of the lamb which they had slain, even so verily had God delivered their forefathers from the plagues which fell upon the wicked unbelievers: And also that a Redeemer should come which God the Father had promised, by the mouth of his Prophets. And thus deed they both eat Christ's body and drink Christ's blood in faith spiritually many years afore christ was borne: Even so the Sacrament of thanks giving, is to us a sign, a token, a spiritual memory of our spiritual deliverance. For the faithful believed even as verily as they see and eat it, so do they acknowledge the benefit which they receive in and through the immortal God, & which the same holy Sacrament representeth, and no doubt the very body of jesus Chryst is spiritually in and with us in the receiving of the sacrament, if it be resayved with the faith aforesaid. Even like as he is among two or three which be gathered together in his name, as it is his godly promise Ma. xviii. Thus ye may see that the same faith which saveth us, saved the old fathers: for they believed through that outward sign that a redeemer should come, and we through the memory of this holy Sacrament of thanks giving believe that he is come, and hath fulfilled all that was of him prophesied. And thus both they & we eat the holy body of Christ spiritually in one faith.  
And farther understand reader, that unto all believers the ceremony of eating the pashcale lamb ceased immediately when Chryst had changed it in to a maundy of thanks giving. For why? the next day was fulfilled by the death of Chryst that thing which the Pascal lamb to them ded represent.  
Thou sayest it is a sacrament, which I both grant & writ. If it be a Sacrament as it is in deed, them it is a sign of some holier thing than itself is. And being a sign of a holier thing than itself is, so can it not be God, for what sign or token wilt thou have holier y eme God? None. Ergo then it is not God himself, but some sign token or remembrance of some benefit which we have through him, and this holy sign putteth us in remembrance for the same to be thankful to the Lord.  
Thou wilt say it is God himself even flesh, blood and bones, yea and sinews thereto, as master Standys one of your wise false Prophets preached of late among you, but yet deny I that, for all his ungodly learning. For how can it be a Sacrament of God and God himself also, saying there can be nothing holier than God? And again if it be GOD that is present, thou fool, what needeth the of any Sacrament or sign of that thing which is present itself?  
AS touching this matter, JOHAN Frith the servant of the LORD whom ye and your False Prophets have burned, whose blood with others crieth vengeance against your bishops. He (I say) hath written Inuyncibly in this matter, whose work I exhort all those which favour the free passage of the gospel unfeignedly, to read and to study. For it is agreeing to the touchstone of God's word, and to the old ancient doctors. As appeareth by the same book of his. And I exhort you in God's name if there be any Chistian printer in London, to print moo of those works, for there can never be to many of them  
Fear not man although death follow, seeing Christ saith, he that loseth his life for my words sake shall save it. Mathewe in the twenty chapter. And consider that neither, Winchester nor London, nor the rest of the bishops the vessels of God's justice without repentance, have no power to destroy but the body only, wherefore fear them not: But fear him only that can kill both body and soul as appeareth in the same twenty chap. For if thou wilt live godly in Christ, thou must needs suffer persecution. And truly he is not worthy to be a member of the body, that will suffer no displeasure with the head. Therefore blessed are they that suffer persecution or any trouble for righteousness sake: that is for Christ's sake.  
And in this matter I say with the said johan Frith, that it is no point of our damnation nor salvation. If I believe it not it damneth me not: But to have the absence of the benefits of his death and passion in my heart, may be cause of my damnation: and in believing of the said benefits of and through his death shallbe my salvation, being repentant for my sins.  
But one thing I will tell the and mark it well, for it is true. Though thou believe he is there like as Antichrist and like his petty member standish saith, and so worship it as God, I tell the that it is damnable. For thou art commanded in the first Table of the commandments, that thou shalt not worship any thing that is made after any similitude or likeness that is in heaven or earth as I have afore said. God is asprete and willbe honoured in spirit and verity. I say your blind & bloody bishops or rather butchers, dishonour not only the Sacrament, but the God of all Gods also, in ministering the same. And so do all priests that other sing or say the popish mass which they call a sacrifice, and thereby would have Christ's body daily crucified, where as he offered up his holy body upon the cross for our sins once for ever, and never shallbe offered again, while the world endureth, but hath instituted the holy supper or Sacrament of thanksgiving as afore is said: to put us in continual memory of that oblation and sacrifice, that we should believe our sins to be forgiven only for Christ's sake through his death, and so to be thankful, which holy thing as ye see is turned into a popish mass, and is to the people a dumb, yea no thing else but a dead ceremony.  
Wherefore I will exhort all priests that willbe of Christ's congregation, to i'll and give over that abominable massing, which is a blasphemy to Christ's blood, in that they make of it a sacrifice. What sacrifice can that be where no blood is shed? Wherefore in Christ's name all you (I say) that would be of Christ's church, forsake this whore with all her abominable rabbles, and rather beg with Christ, then welthelye to live with the priests of her God Beell, and fear not, but God shall provide both clothing and food sufficient for the body.  
Considre the lily doth not spin, yet was Solomon never so gorgeously appareled. Mat. vi. Who clothed the lily, ded not our heavenly father cloth it? And be not ye worth many sparrows? Well then we see that pure heavenvly father both clothed & fed all creatures: and shall not he also cloth and feed you which seek his glory & trust only in him? Yes, yes doubt not. And surely ye can not remain as ye do, but ye must be partakers of their idolatry.  
Perchance thou wilt say, I could be contented to live poorly to follow Christ, but I fear the bishops blessing which is a fair fire. Set afore the the death of Christ for preaching his father's will, and before him the Prophets, and after him his Apostles, and at this day his chosen servants, and consider as afore is said that the devilish bishops, the vesseiles of Gods justice: can but destroy the body only, & that God will raise it up again at the great day of the Lord, even as he is risen. And consider that always it was the bishops and the high priests that put Christ and his Apostles and his chosen servants to death. And by their devilish sedusing, ever blinded the Princes and other head rulers to give their consent there unto. Math. in the xxi and in the xxvi chapter.  
O ye Babylonyshe bishops and generation of Uipers, where have ye your authority? or how dare ye be so bold to kill a man for his faith which Christ never ded nor his apostles? For it is a gift which no man can either give an other or yet himself. No no, it is the gift of God only. And that must be given a man before he can either do or think good. For all that is done without faith is sin. Roma in the xxiiii. and Hebre. xi.  
No, nor ye put no man to death for Christ's sake, but for y● that no man should either preach teach or writ Chryst aright, which he can not do, but he shall by force be constrained of the holy Ghost to write against your pomp, pride, vile living, and against your abominable sedusing of the people, leading them in an endless maze of dirty traditions and foolish ceremonies.  
And why cannot a man set for the Christ but he must write against you? Even because ye be the very Antichrist's. No I say it is not possible for any man sent of God, either to preach or write, but he must open his mouth against that most wicked abominable, and detestable antichrist, of ROME, as against the enemy of Chryst, which be you false bishops, false Prophets, that bear the false sign of the new law & the old law, with stout strong and sturdy archdeacons, Deans, and Canons of Cathedral churches, and other your pity membres priests of Baal. And he that openeth not his mouth against you, can not truly set out Christ and that is the cause why ye seek their deaths.  
Ye bewytch Kings & other rulers, and turn their labours. I mean the labours of the servants of God, which cry against your iniquity, saying they teach sedition, and cause rebellion against the higher powers  
Oh ye children of Satan all that read their works may bear record with them against your lies. Who teacheth so much the obedience towards the higher powers, as God only in them doth, which preach or write the gospel? yea hath not GOD through their preachings brought your kingdom under the temporal powers, which many years hath usurped over them? And because ye would not be under the obedience which the scripture teached, hath cost many a thousand men's lives, and some priests among. And this point I wish unto all kings that will not wilfully be blind, to beware of you crafty and wily Bishops. Although they will not consider the injuries that they have done to Christ's church or congregation, in persecuting them unto death, for truly preaching and writing Gods glory, and minyshing the glory of antichrist, although I say, that the Kings of the earth and other high powers will not consider Christ's cause, yet let them consider their own, what & how tiramnously the bishops Kingdom hath used their progenitors Kings of england? Against whom they were ever the heads and the beginners, the foundation and the very original of all mischief. Read the story of William Rufus and of King Henry the seconnde, how he was used by Thomas Becket, King johan how he was used of and by Stephen Lanckton bishop of Cantorbury, which will pity any christian heart to hear, aswell for the wicked using of the good King anointed of GOD, as of the bondage and thrauldome that he brought the whole realm in. But such is the charity of bishops as well in all other realms where they may bear rule, as In Englond.  
And though it appear that some of the troubles which chanced to the Kings of England in times past came by Abbots of these fyllthye monasteries rightfully deposed now of late, yet came the ground from the forked merchants. For be thou sure, never came any displeasure to any Prince in England or else where for seeking any Godly redress and God's glory: but the original & maintainers of the same ware these forked caps. Above all the membres of antichrist, I say, beware of them, all you that will not wilfully be blind. They be the very right & chief wolves that Chryst speaketh of Mat. seven. calling them wolves in sheeps clothing. What is that, sheeps clothing? No doubt the word of God, under the pretence of the which word they come to confound the word, as much as lieth in them. Their acts appear to them that will not will fully be blinded. Full well know they if they should not come under a pretence of holiness, and specially with a pretence of the word of God, of the church of GOD, of the doctrine of Christ, of the old true learning, of seven or eight hundreth years old &ce. That no man would believe them. Yet for all their outward meekness and holiness, they be within ravening wolves, according to Christ's sainge in the place above rehearsed: as their acts and charity hath appeared of late years upon the servants of GOD. And Christ here showeth us how we should know them. Read the places, and ye shall see them describe as appeareth i Timon i and ii and ii Timot. iii. and i joan. two. and four And if ye will give no credit to it, your own blood upon your heads, according to the saying of the Prophet ezechiel in the iii Chapter.  
How is this to be lamented saying the Kings grace hath set out Injunctions, that all Uycars, Persons, & Curates, shall purely, and sincerely preach the Gospel, and leave their own dreams, and yet not with stonding these Injunctions, whosoever preacheth the Gospel aright, but even the very Text which the Holy Ghost wrote, and crieth against the calling upon any saving health through the ways and works of man's inventions, against the which all the Prophets cry, as is afore said, he I say that so truly laboureth in the vinyeard of the Lord: ye bishops will either hang him or bourn him or pryvelie murder him. And upon the contrary part, let them never so openly preach their own dreams, yet may no man trouble them, nor say black is their eye. And no marvel, for christ had promised them no trouble or cross in this world, which preach not, but persecute his word.  
Thus be ye thieves and robbers of all Christianity, stealing from us the spiritual food of our souls. Yea, a thousand times worse be ye, than the thief that rob the upon the high way for need. And yet so bewitch you the higher powers and the rich of the world, that they can not escape your robbery, and no marvel, for the world will love his own, as Christ saith johan. xv.  
O ye devels ye blind guides and seducers of the people, how of late bewitched you the Parliament house? Even by your inventions and devilish study have ye caused acts & decrees to be made, so clean contrary to the laws of the living God, that I say unto you, the very bearewolfe, that abominable whore of Rome never made so cruel acts. He never made it death for a pressed to mary a wife: But ye shame not only to separate them that be married, so contrary to GOD'S word, which saith, let no man separate that which GOD hath coupled. Mathewe xix but have also made it death.  
Oh generation worse than the Uyper. Doth not saint Paul say, let every man that hath not the gift of chastity take his wife i Cor. seven. Here is no parson excepted. And that the apostles had wives the scripture is plain. As saint Peter with other, Mat. viiii. Ye will say, ye have the gift of chastity. Well the chastity of the most part of you that procured those wicked acts is meately well known, and therefore make ye it no abomination to keep whores. Ye abhor the remedy ordained of God, and maintain the remedy of sathan, as appeareth by winchesters garden. Well ye bishops and ye Canons of the church of beell, ye shutters up of Gods word, according to his own prophety. Mat. xxiii. Luc. xi. To you I can say no more, but though the world or worldly people laugh upon you, yet will the vengeance of God light upon your forked caps and cathedral churches of Beel one day, and that shortly, except ye amend betimes. Is not your auricular confession also abominable? Yes, and that one of the most filthiest things used upon earth, as hath plainly appeared by the feats of your chaplains in diverse places of England of late, and some within this two years. I could name the priests and the places also: but I will pass it over with silence, trusting in the Lord, the higher powers shall once see the mischief that cometh thereof and redress it. What an abomination is it that I should go pour out my vices in the ear of an unlearned buzarde, and specially for a woman, whereby Sir johan knoweth where to be sped. Yea if she will not grant to him, he will not shame to threaten her to open her vice, and so for fear she must agree to his abominable desire.  
What a blindness is it to think my sins forgiven me, when a Priest of antichrist (as the most part be) hath wagged two or three Fingers over my head? David saith. I confessed my sin unto the Lord, and he hard me and forgave me. Psal. xxii. The Israelites when they had offended the lord God, and after earnestly repent, calling to the Lord only formercy, bringing forth the fruits of Repentance: Ware in continent delivered from their Adversaries, as appeareth judicum. viii.ix. and in many other places of the Bible,  
This was before any auricular confe●●ion was known. For that no doubt was the invention of antichrist of Ro. And one chief cause was to betray princes, and other great men. For what noble man was it in Christendom that spoke against forked caps many years long but the bishop of Rome had his confession with all speed, and suddenly they would bewitch the Prince of the Realm, and forge some Matter against him, and so of force he should be made a traitor, and so suffer death. I think this matter be manifest enough to many men, as well in England as else where. Well, this vile thing was not from the beginning, neither shall it continue to the end. Even as your inordinate possessions were not of your heavenvly father's planting, nor sowing, and therefore must be plucked up by the roots with your companions & brethren in antichrist abbots, as is afore said.  
Some will say it may be well used, which I utterly deny. It shall nor can never be well used, so long as priests may keep whores without danger of death, which burden may ryghtfullye be laid upon them, saying thy abhor matrimony instituted of God: against which sin was no remedy but death in the old law, where as theft was but rendering double. For this and such like things, be ye learned ye rulers, lest the Lord be angry. Psal. secundo.  
Again I say it shall never be well used of all priests, as long as they shall grope our particular sins which is not necessary. For why? if I be repentant, and ernestelye minded never to fall to mine accustomed sins again, I doubt not but I am forgiven, without the pressed for Christ's sake only. And if I have not that repentance, even from the bottom of my heart, and believe not that I am forgiven for Christ's sake, as is afore said: all the priests in Engelonde say I, nor yet the bear wolf of ROME can forgive me. Thus ye may see where in consist the confession for the offence to God ward.  
And as touching thy neighbour thou must reconcile thyself to him whom thou hast offended, and make restitution to thy power: and if thou be not able to make recompense with goods, thou oughtest to offer him thy body. And even as thou art bound so to do, so is he bound to show the mercy But thou thy duty, and thus every neighbour to reconcile each to other, is the right confession chancing between brethren or neighbours, as appeareth in johan the vii chapter. and in Matthew. the vii chapter.  
Thou bishop, and thou false Prophet wilt say that it is ordained of GOD, and wilt bring in chiefly for thee, that christ sent the ten Lepers to the priests: Which serveth asmuch for confession, which we make to a pressed, as to lay an onion to my little finger for the totheache. To you blind guides that be ignorantly blind speak I, and not to these that be wilfully blind: Let them be still blind: yet I exhort all christians to pray for them that they may see. But wilt thou know the true causes why Chryst sent those Lepers above all other which he healed, and none other to the priests? read the xiii and the xiiii chapter of Levi. and there shalt thou see that it was appointed of GOD, that no parson once having the lepprie, should come among the congregation of the whole, till he was cleansed. And for a certainte that he should be first whole, the priest had the oversight, and kept him certain days for a trial, to be sure that he was whole, before he would so admit him. And when the priests found him whole in deed, than deed they admit him, after he had offered the oblation commanded in Moses law, to go abroad among the whole: and for because Chryst would not break the law, but was the fulfiller of the law, sent he them to the priests, not to show their sins (for they showed none during the hole time of Moses' law) but for the cause afore said. another cause that he sent than was, that the priests slandered Christ, saying that he Blasphemed. Math. ix. Luc. v. johan. v. Therefore Christ bade them offer the oblation commanded in Moses' law, for a witness against their infidelity. For they of force must confess that Chryst healed them. For why? they admitted them for clean and received the Oblation, and yet slandered they Chryst, so setting themselves without all Excuse of their most worthy and wilful damnation.  
christ ded not only send the ten Lepres, but also other lepers that he healed. But let them find that ever Chyriste sent any other that he healed to the priests, as the sick of the palsy, the diseased of the bloody flix, the possessed with devils and such other like, which notwithstanding aware sinners as well as the lepers and had need of remission of their sin as well as they: Then let me die for it.  
O ye antichrist's ye yourselves may see how little this text of the Lepers serveth for auricular confession. Woe be to you ye wresters and wrythers of Gods holy word. I could bring in as good authority against the rest of your wicked decrees, but I will defer it to the making of an other work which shallbe shortly if the lord lend me life. If not, I doubt not but he shall raise other that shall accomplish that which I have begun. For doubt not but Gods choose will with the scripture fight against your wicked decrees, yea although their blood be shed therefore. Yea asmuch Joy have they to set forth the glory of God, and to bring their brethren to the knowledge of your blind errors, and to teach them the way to avoid them, calling them to Chryst: Even asmuch joy, I say, and with as free a heart, as ye have to rob Chryst of his honour, giving part to him, part to the creatures by him created: yea and much more than ye have in maintaining of your kingdom in pomp and pride, & in shedding of the blood of innocentes. For we know that the Lord hath promised us none other reward in this life. And ye have made wondrous good provision for the same. FOR who soever shall preach Chryst or writ Christ aright, he is incontinent in the net either of felony, treason, or hearesye, or in all three. But at the great day of the Lord, at the rising of all flesh, ye generation of Uipars, shall see that those shallbe found faithful both to the King of the body only, and also to the King of both body and soul. And then ye shall be found in dead, felons, Traitors, and Heretyques, both Against GOD and man, and such will ye be so long as ye possess your inordinate RICHES that wicked Mammon.  
GOD give the KING an heart to take that wicked Mammone from you, as he may rightfully do with the Consent of the commons, by act of Parliament, so that it may be disposed to GODS Glory, and the commone wealth. As to take him self a portion for a knowledge of obeisance, and for the maintaining of his estate. The rest pollityquely to be put unto a common wealth. first distributed among all the towns in england in sums according to the quantity & number of the occupyars, where most nead is. And all the towns to be bound to the King, that his grace may have the money at his need to serve him. And also a politic way taken for provision for the poor in every town, with some part to the marriages of young parsons that lack friends. Ways there are enough, who so lusteth to study for them.  
Yet one thing would I wish that all men would take you even as ye are, that is even like as the Uipar above all other beasts worms or serpents is most fullest of poison for certain qualities in him: even so ye above all the membres of Antichrist, be the moste fullest of poison, swiftest to shed blood, the greatest persecutors of Christ's congregation, yea, & ye have ever done most mischief in shutting up of Gods word from the people, above all other knights of the romish church. Well your wicked Mammon, your in ordinate riches was not of our heavenly father's planting, therefore it must up by the roots, with the riches of your other brethren of the romish churches or church malignant, which of late ware rightfully plucked up.  
If thou wilt read the stories of the three kings afore said, thou wilt say it is high time to pull from them that wicked Mammon. In the same stories ye shall see what knavery hath ever been practised of the bishops, above all other Imps of antichrist, as well against the Kings as Against the preachers, teachers, & writers of Christ's gospel, most like unto the Uypar, as afore is said. understand also what the property of a Uipar is: she destroyeth her make or male in the conception, & the thing conceived (I mean the young in the lyttiring or forth bringing) destroyeth the dam. So bishops who-kings make Lords of beggars: be commonly the first that procure them displeasure, as appeareth by the stories of these Kings aforesaid. Yea they have put more Kings to trouble then ever came to light. For why it must needs be true the Christ saith of them. The children of this world be wiser in their generation, them the children of light be in theirs.  
What think ye of the north? Surely in my judgement (I will speak no farther) but it was their own invention, and the bishops ware the very original, ground and foundation of the same Insurectyon, uproar and tumult. Well although christ doth say, ye be so wife in your generation, yet maketh not it against these words, that your wisdom will prove foolishness i Cor. i. Which GOD grant may be shortly, that the poor silly lambs may preach and teach the gospel, and that the rest which yet be without, may espy your deceit, and i'll from your dirty traditions, and follow their own shepherd, which so lovingly gave his life for them.  
I know the papists & their flock shall slanderously report that I am against the Sacrament, which am directly with it after Christ's institution, and full against the institution of the Rome bishops, as ye shall perceive if ye mark & ponder my sentence aright. Or else they will say I am Turrian anabaptist which opinions of them that are against the scripture (as they have diverse) I utterly abhor, which opinions nead not her to be touched  
Your old craft is also to slander us saying we be causers of insurrection: in which point even as I therein now shall show my mind, so have all those done which laboured in the vineyard, of whom ye have borned a great number. I acknowledge & give to understand to all that shall either read this my work or hear it red, that all kings & rulers have their authority & powers of God, and they that resist them or those which of them be sent, resist God Rom. xiii. & so seeketh his own damnation. Yea although a King be a tyrant, we may not resist him. Yea, and although a king should be so wicked to make acts or laws even directly against God's laws as deed king Darius, Daniel. vi. And also the high priests & Pharisees forbidding Peter & johan to preach christ Act. iiii. Yet may we not with fist & sword. etc. resist them nor be avenged of them, no more than deed Daniel & the other children resist darius: or johan and Peter the priests & pharisees: or christ pilate. Mathe. xvi.  
But gentle Reader mark, that even as we may not resist them with fist sword or weapon etc. but to our damnation, even like wise may we not observe their wicked laws, nor consent or agree unto them with heart or mouth, under pain of that self same damnation: but rather suffer death, then either to resist them bodily with strength of hand or consent & agree unto their wicked laws and acts in heart or mouth, after the example of Daniel, CHRIST, the Apostles, Prophets, Martyrs et cetr. And after the example of the mother with her seven sons. Mach vi. Which example is written for our learning with many such like.  
And mark this, that even as all subjects be bound to the higher powers and to be ruled by them in all things, as laws decrees and such other grounded upon scripture, and not to resist in pain of damnation: So must the hyg●er powers be ruled by the scripture and make no laws contrary to the scripture, in pain of like damnation unto them. For that is the only touchstone, which trieth all things, and which must govern all things.  
Thus I end my Lamentation, beseacking God through his son jesus Christ, to draw you from all your old idolatry, fornication, and adultery: from persecuting Christ in his saints, from your inordinate covetousness, and from your evil suppressing of the poor. And give you grace, that now at the last ye may repent and believe the gospel in embracing the same, seeking GODS glory only and the common wealth, as in times passed ye have done your own: and diligently to provide for the poor, which above all other things shallbe demanded of you, at the great day of the Lord, as afore is said.  
And thus doing doubt not, but the plagues which ye have right fully deserved, God of his bottomless mercy will turn than from you, as he ded by the ninivites, which repented when they were warned by jonas the Prophet. If not look for no less plagues than Jerusalem & other Cities had for their inyquitie.  
Awake therefore and repent, and turn to the Lord yet in time, and he will turn to you. That grant the Lord of all Lords and father of mercy. Amen.  
The grace of God (through our Lord jesus Chryst) be with you all.