An answer to a certain godly manes letters/ desiring his friends judgement/ whether it be lawful for a christian man to be present at the popish Mass/ and other superstitious church service.  
1557.  
3. Re. 18.  
Wherefore halt ye on both sides? If the Lord be God/ follow him/ and if Baal be/ than follow him.   

Almighty God lighten our hearts with the knowledge of his word/ and give us grace to express our duties in our deeds  
THough I well know not what ye be that wrote unto me/ yet it seemeth/ that the reverent fear of God resteth in your heart/ and that ye have a good opinion of me. And forasmuch as ye so earnestly require mi judgement whether ye may lawfully in outward deeds and words resemble the papists in committing Idolatry at the presence of the Mass and other superstitious church service/ so that ye retain the true profession of Christ inwardly in your heart: albeit this matter hath been and is already sufficiently answered and plainly determined of late by S. Petre martyr in the treatise of Cohabitation/ and in an other work (as I hear say) of S. Ponet late Bishop of wynchestre/ wherein he reproveth Hill and Petresone with other such like dissemblers and halting heretics of thes later days/ proving that no christian man may or can at all one time serve God truly with the heart/ and the devil with tongue and body/ seeing there is no drawing of cuts nor parting of stakes between Christ and Belial: yet will I (at your earnest request) open unto you also my faith and mind therein. For nature willeth/ that a man should gently show him the right way that is out of it: and God's word commandeth every man to love his neighbour/ and (as much as in him lieth) to procure and further his wealth and salvation. And in deed (for mine own part) I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ/ which I profess▪ For (as S. Paul sayeth) it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. And to th'intent ye shall perceive my judgement herein not to be rash/ I bring with me (for a champion) the most excellent doctor S. Austen/ who if he made as much against us/ as he doth for us/ should be rolled up/ that all pulpits/ schools/ barber's shops taverns and warehouses should ring of him. Such is the practice of the Devil and his worldings/ to dissemble and hide all things that make against them/ and falsely to allege and rack pieces of scripture and good men's minds/ to seem as though they had some show of truth for them. This erroneous opinion and very heresy of dissimulation is not new/ nor yester day sprongen out of the Hill and stone: but the papists have of long time embraced it/ and in king Edward's days practised it/ having this general rule/ which I would not that ye or any honest man should follow. jura periura/ secretum pandere noli. That is in English thus. 
So thou dost not thy secrets utter,  
Swear, and forswear, it maketh no matter.  But this is an old heresy (new scoured) at least of a thousand year old brought in/ in. S. Austin's time by a certain sort of heretics called Priscillianistes/ who taught that it was no sin to lie with the lips to on that was not of their own religion/ so they kept the truth in their heart/ alleging this saying of David in the psal. lord who shall dwell in thy tabernacle etc. He that speaketh truth in his heart: as though it were enough unto salvation to speak the truth in the heart/ though he lied never so oft with the lips before him that were not/ or at least he took not for his neighbour/ and therefore shike these heretics: when S. Paul said/ Laying apart lying/ speak the truth/ he added these words: every one with his neighbour/ to this purpose/ that it might he lawful to speak a lie to any other that is not our neighbour/ that is/ which doth not profess that religion that we do.  
S. Austen briefly answereth to these and all such like obiectiones what so ever may be made. If this opinion and doctrine (saith S. Austen) were found catholic and to be allowed/ it disgraceth and dishonoureth all the martyrs/ and wipeth away all persecution and martyrdom. For by their opinion the martyrs had done more godly and more wisely/ if they had not confessed themselves to be Christian before the tyrants and persecutors/ neither hade they made them to be murtherours/ but with lying and denying the truth/ they should have saved their own bodies/ and not have suffered them to have executed the mischief they had conceived in their minds. For the tyrants and persecutors were not the martyrs neighbours by profession of Christ's faith/ so that they were not bounden to speak to them the truth with their lips/ which they spoke with the heart: but they were the utter enemies of God and the truth. If this were tolerable and good doctrine (saith S. Austen) what needed Petre to lament his sine so bitterly after he had denied Christ with his mouth? Think ye he did before deny him with his heart? No/ no (sayeth S. Austen) he denied not his master Christ with his heart but he lamented for the punishment that was toward him/ that he had not professed with his mouth to salvation/ that he believed with the heart to justification. therefore the words of the prophet David are not so to be taken/ that a man may lawfully lie with the mouth/ keeping the truth in his heart. But it is therefore spoken/ because it may be/ that a man may speak that truth with the mouth/ which can do him no good/ unless it proceed from the bottom of the heart: that is/ if he believe not that he speaketh: as the ancient heretics the priscillianists and papists did (for they spoke the truth with the mouth/ as others did/ but they believed it not/ nor professed it in heart) and as our hillistes/ petresonistes and other new heretics do at this present dissemble/ lying with lips/ and professing outwardly thatuhich in their hearts they know to be false and clean contrary to god's word/ because they would preserve their substance. And therefore neither of them may be accounted of the number of those that the prophet sayeth/ speak the truth in their heart. A true christian man as he professeth the truth in his heart/ because he so believeth/ so will he do with the mouthspeake it to declare it. Against this truth there may be no deceit in mouth nor heart/ but he must believe with the heart to justification/ and make confession with the mouth to salvation. For in the same Psal. after these words/ He that speaketh the truth with his heart/ immediately it followeth. He that hath not done deceat in or with his tongue. These words the heretics (because they make against them) utterly leave out. And the other words of th'apostle/ laying apart lying/ speak the truth every man with his neighbour/ they expound as the jews do their law/ where because they be commanded only to deal plainly/ and use mercy with their brethren and neighbours/ they not only think they may/ but also do use with the christians all subtlety/ deceat/ guile/ and cruelty. But those words are not so to be take/ as though there were none other our neighbours/ but such as be presently membres of the body of Christ/ and profess one religion and faith with us: but that we should take every man to be our neighbour/ whom we would have hereafter to be our neighbour/ albeit he be not presently our neighbour: as Christ did declare the samaritan to be neighbour to the stranger with whom he used mercy/ and the stranger to the Samaritane.  
And therefore he ought to be taken for our neighbour and no stranger/ whom we desire (as we ought to desire all men) to profess Christ as we do. And if because he is not yet of our faith/ some mysteries ought to be kept from such a stranger/ yet we ought not therefore to speak unto him that which is false. For there were in th'apostles time/ that preached Christ and the truth not truly: that is/ not with a true mind and sincere conscience/ but of envy/ contention/ and with a corrupt mind: and yet they were suffered and allowed/ but non commended for speaking of an untruth with a safe conscience. And th'apostle saith: Let Christ be preached/ whether it be by occasion/ or by truth: but he said not let Christ be first denied/ that after he may be preached. We may not do evil/ that good may follow: for if we do/ our damnation is just and certain. But let us turn the words/ because we have followed evil/ let us repent and do good/ that we may come to salvation. These heretics allege for them examples out of scripture.  
As of the midwives of the Egipcianes/ who made a lie to Pharaoh to save the male children of the Hebrews/ and therefore God blessed them. Of Rahab/ that made a lie/ to save the two Israelites. Of jehu/ who feigned himself the Servant of Baal/ because he would destroy the priests of Baal. And of Naaman/ that said to Eliseus the Prophet. But herein the lord be merciful to thy servant.  
For when my master goeth in to the house of Remmon to worship theridamas/ he layneth on my hand/ and I must bow when he boweth. And so many others. But these heretics are like Spiders/ that suck poison out of sweet flowers/ not like bees/ that suck out the sweet and profitable honey.  
For the midwives and Rahab were not rewarded of God for their lying/ but for the mercy they used toward the people of God. As for jehu/ he is not in all scripture commended: no/ scripture saith of him/ that his heart was not right before the Lord. And the scripture saith not/ that Naaman had a dispensation of the prophet. For if the prophet would have consented to his request/ he hade had non authority to dispense with God's word. The deeds of ancient fathers and others in scripture are not written/ to th'intent we should follow them in every thing/ but many evil things be declared of them/ to let us know/ that were they never so holy/ yet they were men/ and might and did fall: that knowing their and our weakness/ we should not trust in our own selves/ or in our own works/ but confessing ourselves to be sinners/ we should call to God for mercy. To be short/ S. Austen concludeth/ that for no cause men may lie or dissemble: and specially in matters of religion they may in no wise do it. And that that is thus spoken against liars and dissemblers/ maketh asmuch against Idolatry and wicked doers. For in both of them the heart and the outward senses do not agree. And this is a general sentence in scripture without exception: Thou hatest (O God) all those that work iniquity/ and shalt destroy all those that speak lies. And Christ also saith: He that confesseth me before men/ I will confess him before my father which is in heaven: and he that denieth me before men/ I will deny him before my father in heaven. And again. Woe be to him by whom slander cometh. And again, who so ever offendeth one of these little ones which believe in me/ it were better for him/ that a millstone were hanged about his neck/ and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.  
Thus ye have the judgement of Saint Austen in your question that ye moved: with whom I agree and consent/ because I am sure/ that this doctrine doth agree in every part with the word of God.  
And therefore unless ye think yourself so sure/ that ye are able to abide what so ever cross shallbe laid upon you for Christ's sake/ temper not God in lyngring in that land of the lords wrath/ but in time come out of Egipte/ least with your overlong lyngring and tempting of God/ he pull away his grace from you/ as a ussel not meet to keep it/ and so leave you to yourself to your final destruction and eternal undoing.  
Be not careful for to morrow/ make not your good your God/ as they say: let your worldly substance be your servant and not your master/ and put your hole trust in God.  
I have not seen the just forsaken (saith the Prophet) nor his seed lack sustenance.  
Do ye not see the fowls of the air (saith Christ) who albeit they sow not/ nor reap/ neither carry into Barnes/ yet lack they not: for your heavenly father feedeth them: how much more shall be provide for you/ O ye of little faith? Remember also that comfortable saying of Christ: Who so ever shall forsake houses or brethren or sisters/ or father or mother/ or wife or children/ or lands for my name's sake/ the same shall receive an hundred fold in this life/ and after this life/ life ever lasting. God is no liar/ ne yet dissembler. Of his mercy we have the promise: of his verity/ the hope of inheritance: of his justice/ the assurance: and of his power/ the full performance. We have a plain experienced example of the holy man job/ to whom albeit God suffered Satan to plague him/ yet did he make a full restitution and recompense for all. And therefore leave those flesh pots/ come out of Egipte/ and serve God both with tongue and heart/ with saying and doing/ with the outward man and inward man/ that your spirit and your soul and your body may be in every part perfectly sound (as th'apostle sayeth) and that ye may with joy look for thappearing of the great God and our savour jesus Christ. For he having made the hole man/ body and soul/ to serve him/ will not be content to be served with the one part/ and the Devil with the other. Thou shalt worship the lord thy God/ and serve him alone/ saith Christ. He will have all or none. Therefore seeing all commodity must be had at his hands both for body and soul/ let him have all the use of both as his own/ and despere not of his providence/ which is the almighty eternal God/ blessed for evermore: In whom far ye as heartily well/ as I would myself