The whore of Babylon. French, English, Venetians and all must upon him. O great whore of Babylon, how abuseth she the princes of the world, how drunk hath she made them with her wine! How shameful licenses doth she give them, to use necromancy, to hold whores, to divorce themselves, to break the Confession. faith and promises that one maketh with another; that the confessors shall deliver unto the king the confession of whom he will, and dispenseth with them even of the very law of God, which Christ himself cannot do. AGAINST THE POPE'S FALSE POWER. Not Peter only, but Christ also was under the temporal sword. The kings sin in giving exceptions, and the prelates in receiving them. CHRIST saith unto Peter, put up thy sword into his sheath. For all that lay hand upon the sword shall perish with the sword, (Matthew xxvi.) That is, whosoeverwithout the commandment of the temporal officer, to whom God hath given the sword, layeth hand on the sword to take vengeance, the same deserveth death in the deed doing. God did not put Peter only under the temporal sword, but also Christ himself. As it appeareth in the fourth chapter to the Galatians. And Christ saith (Mat. iii.) Thus becometh it us to fulfil all righteousness, that is to say, all ordinances of God. If the head be then under the temporal sword, how can the members be excepted? If Peter sinned in defending Christ against the temporal sword (whose authority and ministers the bishops then abused against Christ as ours do now) who can excuse our prelates of sin which will obey no man, neither king nor emperor? Yea, who can excuse from sin, either the kings that give, either the bishops that receive such exemptions contrary to God's ordinances, and Christ's doctrine? And Mat. xviith, both Christ and also Peter pay tribute, where the meaning of Christ's question unto Peter is, if princes take tribute of strangers only and not of their children, then verily ought I to be free which am the Son of God, whose servants and ministers they are, and of whom they have their authority. Yet because they neither knew that, neither Christ came to use that authority, but to be our servant, and to bear our burden, and to obey all ordinances, both in right and wrong for our sakes and to teach us; therefore said he to St. Peter, Pay for thee and me lest we offend them. Moreover though that Christ and Peter (because they were poor) might have escaped, yet would he not for fear of offending other and hurting their consciences. For he might well have given occasion unto the tribute gatherers to have judged amiss both of him and his doctrine; yea, and the Jews might happly have been offended thereby, and have thought that it had not been lawful for them to have paid tribute unto heathen princes and idolaters, seeing that he so great a prophet paid not. Yea, and what other thing causeth the lay so little to regard their princes, as that they see them both despised and disobeyed of the spiritualty? But our prelates which care for none offending of consciences and less for God's ordinances, will pay nought: but when princes must fight in our most holy father's quarrel, and against Christ. Then are they the first. There also is none so poor that then hath not somewhat to give. Mark here, how past all shame our school doctors are, (as Rochester is in his sermon against Martin Luther) which, of this text of Matthew, dispute, that Peter, because Shameless Jugglers. he paid tribute, is greater than the other apostles, and hath more authority and power than they, and was head unto them all contrary unto so many clear texts, where Christ rebuketh them: saying That is an heathenish thing that one should climb above another, or desire to be greater. To be great in the kingdom of heaven is to be a servant, and he that most humbleth himself, and becometh a servant to other (after the ensample of Christ, I mean, and his apostles, and not of the Pope and his apostles, our cardinals and bishops,) the same is greatest in that kingdom. If Peter They make no con in paying tribute became greatest, how cometh it, that they will pay none at all? But to pay tribute is a sign of subjection verily; and the cause why Christ payed was because he had an household, and for the same cause payed Peter also. For he had an house, a ship and nets, as thou readest in the gospel. But let us go to Paul again. Wherefore ye must needs obey, not for fear of veangeance only, but also because of conscience. That is, though thou be so naughty (as now many years our Pope and prelates every where are) that thou needest not to obey the temporal sword for fear of vengeance: yet must thou obey because of conscience. First, because of thine own conscience. For though thou be able to resist, yet shalt thou as the wolf never have a good conscience, as long as God's word, law, science at any evil doing. They care for their neighbour doth for the sheep. The evil ensample of the spiritualty causeth the lay to believe that they are not bound to obey. There is no Christian love in them. and ordinance, are against thee. Secondarily, for thy neighbour's conscience. For though through craft and violence thou mightest escape, and obtain liberty or privilege to be free from all manner [of] duties: yet oughtest thou neither to sue or to seek for any such thing; neither yet admit or accept, if it were proffered, lest thy freedom make thy weak brother to grudge and rebel, in that he seeth thee go empty, and he himself more laden, thy part also laid on his shoulders. Seest thou not if a man favour one son more than another, or one servant more than another, how all the rest grudge, and how love, peace, and unity is broken? What Christianly love is in thee to thy neighbour ward, when thou canst find in thy heart to go up and down empty by him all day long, and see him over charged, yea, to fall under his burden, and yet wilt not once set to thine hand to help him? What good conscience can there be among our spiritualty, to gather so great treasure together, and with hypocrisy of their false learning to rob almost every man of house and lands, and yet not therewith content, but with all craft and wiliness to purchase so great liberties and exemptions from all manner [of] bearing with their brethren, seeking in Christ nothing but lucre? I pass over with silence how they teach princes in every What purpose? even the princes that they may abuse their authority to slay whoso ever be Christ, and to flatter lieveth in to maintain the Pope. land, to lade new exactions and tyranny on their subjects more and more daily, neither for what purpose they do it say I. God I trust shall shortly disclose their juggling, and bring their falsehood to light; and lay a medicine to them, to make their scabs break out. Nevertheless this I say, that they have robbed all realms, not of God's word only; but also of all wealth and prosperity, and have driven peace out of all lands, and withdrawn themselves from all obedience to princes, and have separated themselves from the lay men, counting them viler than dogs; and have set up the whore of Babylon, antichrist of Rome, whom they call Pope, and have conspired against all common-wealths, and have made them a several kingdom, wherein it is lawful, unpunished, to work all abomination. In every parish have they spies, and in every great man's house, and in every tavern and alehouse. And through confessions know they all secrets, so that no man may open his mouth Prelates to rebuke whatsoever they do, but that he shall be shortly made an heretic. In all councils is one of them, yea the crets and most part and chief rulers of the councils are of them: but of their council is no man. Even for this cause pay ye tribute, that is to wit, for conscience' sake to thy neighbour, and for the cause that followeth. For they are God's ministers serving for the same purpose. Because God will so have it, we must obey. We do not look (if we have Christ's Spirit in us) what is good, profitable, glorious and honourable for us, neither on our own will, but on God's will only. Give to every man therefore his duty; tribute to whom tribute belongeth; custom to whom custom is due; fear to whom fear belongeth; honour to whom honour pertaineth. That thou mightest feel the working of the spirit of God in thee, and lest the beauty of the deed should deceive thee, and make thee think that the law of God, which is spiritual, were content and fulfilled with the outward and bodily deed it followeth. Owe nothing to any man, but to love one another: for he that loveth an Confession. know all men's se no man theirs. Love fulfilleth the law before God and not the out ward deed. Against workmen. The deed fulfilleth other fulfilleth the law. For these commandments, Thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness, thou shalt not desire, and so forth, if there be any other commandment, are all comprehended or contained in this saying, Love thy neighbour therefore is love the fulfilling of the law. Here hast thou sufficient against all the sophisters workholy and justifiers in the world, which so magnify their deeds. The law is spiritual, and requireth the heart, and is never fulfilled with the deed in the sight of God. With the deed thou fulfillest the law before the world, and the law be- livest thereby, that is, thou enjoyest this present life, and avoidest the wrath and vengeance, the death and punishment which the law threateneth to them that break it. But before God thou keepest the law if thou love only. Now what shall make us love? Verily that shall faith do. If thou behold how much God loveth thee in Christ, and from what vengeance he hath delivered thee for his sake, and of what kingdom he hath made thee here, then shalt thou see cause enough to love thy very enemy without respect of reward, either in this life or in the life to come; but because that God will so have it, and Christ hath deserved it, yet thou shouldest feel in thine heart that all thy deeds to come are abundantly recompensed already in Christ. fore the world. Faith maketh a man to love. Thou wilt say haply, If love fulfil the law, then it justifieth. I say that that wherewith a man fulfilleth the law declareth him justified; but that which giveth him Justifying. wherewith to fulfil the law justifieth him. By justifying, The office or duty of the law. understand the forgiveness of sins, and the favour of God. Now saith the text, (Rom. x.) the end of the law, or the cause wherefore the law was made, is Christ, to justify all that believe. That is, the law is given to utter sin, to kill the consciences, to damn our deeds, to bring to repentance, and to drive unto Christ: in whom God hath promised his favour and forgiveness of sin unto all that repent and consent to the law that it is good. If thou be |