Obrázky na stránke
PDF
ePub

special miracles of God, which now in our days are ceased, we see; and to require them at God's hands, were it not to tempt God?"

Mary.

1555.

racles in

Well beloved brother, I grant such were great wonderful works of God, and A. D. we have not seen many of such miracles in our time, either for that our sight is not clear (for truly God worketh with his, his part in all times); or else because God we have not the like faith of them for whose cause God wrought such things; worketh or because, after that he had set forth the truth of his doctrine by such miracles great mithen sufficiently, the time of so many miracles to be done was expired withal. our time, Which of these is the most special cause of all others, or whether there be although other, God knoweth; I leave that to God. But know thou this, my well be- man doth loved in God, that God's hand is as strong as ever it was; he may do what his not see gracious pleasure is, and he is as good and gracious as ever he was. Man changeth as the garment doth: but God our heavenly Father is even the same now that he was, and shall be for evermore.

any

every

them.

favour no

The world without doubt (this I do believe, and therefore I say) draweth The towards an end, and in all ages God hath had his own manner, after his secret Lord's and unsearchable wisdom, to use his elect, sometimes to deliver them, and to less in keep them safe, and sometimes to suffer them to drink of Christ's cup, that is, adversity, than to feel the smart, and to feel of the whip. And though the flesh smarteth at in prospethe one, and feeleth ease in the other; is glad of the one, and sore vexed in the rity. other: yet the Lord is all one towards them in both, and loveth them no less when he suffereth them to be beaten, yea, and to be put to bodily death, than when he worketh wonders for their marvellous delivery. Nay, rather he doth more for them, when in anguish of the torments he standeth by them, and strengtheneth them in their faith, to suffer in the confession of the truth and his faith the bitter pangs of death, than when he openeth the prison-door and letteth them go loose: for here he doth but respite them to another time, and leaveth them in danger to fall in like peril again; and there he maketh them perfect, to be without danger, pain, or peril, after that for evermore. But this his love towards them, howsoever the world doth judge of it, is all one, both when he delivereth, and when he suffereth them to be put to death. He loved as well Peter and Paul, when (after they had, according to his blessed will, pleasure, and providence, finished their courses, and done their services appointed them by him here in preaching of his gospel) the one was beheaded, and the other was hanged or crucified of the cruel tyrant Nero, as the Ecclesiastical History saith; as when he sent the angel to bring Peter out of prison, and for Paul's delivery he made all the doors of the prison to fly wide open, and the foundation of the same, like an earthquake, to tremble and shake.

[ocr errors]

Thinkest thou, O thou man of God! that Christ our Saviour had less affection to the first martyr Stephen, because he suffered his enemies even at the first conflict to stone him to death? No surely, nor James, John's brother, which was one of the three that Paul calleth primates or principals amongst the apostles of Christ. He loved him never a whit the worse than he did the other, although he suffered Herod the tyrant's sword to cut off his head. Nay, doth not Daniel say, speaking of the cruelty of antichrist's time, " And the learned [he meaneth truly learned in God's law] "shall teach many, and shall fall upon the sword, and in the flame," [that is, shall be burned in the flaming fire] "and in captivity," [that is, shall be in prison]" and be spoiled and robbed of their goods for a long season."1 And after a little in the same place of Daniel it followeth, "And of the learned there be, which shall fall or be overthrown, that they may be known, tried, chosen, and made white" [he meaneth, be burnished and scoured anew, picked and chosen, and made fresh and lusty]. If that then was foreseen to be done to the godly learned, and for so gracious causes, let every one to whom any such thing by the will of God doth chance, be merry in God and rejoice, for it is to God's glory, and to his own everlasting wealth. Wherefore well is he that ever he was born, for whom thus graciously God hath provided, having grace of God, and strength of the Holy Ghost, to stand steadfastly in the height of the storm. Happy is he that ever he was born, whom God his heavenly Father hath vouchsafed to appoint to glorify him, and to edify his church by the effusion of his blood.

(1) "Et docti in populo docebunt plurimos, et ruent in gladio et in flammâ, et in captivitate, et rapinâ dierum, etc. Et de eruditis ruent ut conflentur et eligantur, et dealbentur," etc. Dan. xi. (2) Dan. xi.

Mary.

dom a

high honour.

To die in Christ's cause, is a high honour, to the which no man certainly shall or can aspire, but to whom God vouchsafeth that dignity: for no man is A. D. allowed to presume to take unto himself any office of honour, but he which is 1555. thereunto called of God. Therefore John saith well, speaking of them which Martyr- have obtained the victory by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of his testimony, "that they loved not their lives, even unto death." And our Saviour Christ saith, "He that shall lose his life for my cause, shall find it." And this manner of speech pertaineth not to one kind of Christians (as the worldly do wickedly dream), but to all that do truly pertain unto Christ. For when Christ had called unto him the multitude together with his disciples, he said unto them (mark that he said not this to the disciples and apostles only, but he said it to all), "Whosoever will follow me, let him forsake or deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me for whosoever will save his life, shall lose it;" [he meaneth whosoever will, to save his life, forsake or leave him and his truth]; and whosoever shall lose his life for my cause and the Gospel's sake, shall save it. For what shall it profit a man if he shall win the whole world, and lose his own soul," his own life?" or what shall a man give to recompense that loss of his own life, and of his own soul?"? "Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and my words (that is, to confess me and my Gospel) before this adulterous and sinful generation, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels." Know thou, O man of God, that all things are ordained for thy behoof, and to the furtherance of thee, towards thy salvation. "All things," saith Paul, "work with the good to goodness." Even the enemies of God, and such kind of punishments whereby they go about to destroy them, shall be forced by God's power, might, and fatherly providence, to do them service.

It is not as the wicked thinketh, that poverty, adversity, sickness, tribulation, yea painful death of the godly, be tokens that God doth not love them; but even clean the contrary, as all the whole course of Scripture doth evidently declare : for then he would never have suffered his most dearly beloved the patriarchs to have had such troubles, his prophets, his apostles, his martyrs, and chief champions and maintainers of his truth and Gospel, so cruelly of the wicked to have been murdered and slain. "Of the which some were racked (as the Apostle saith) and would not be delivered, that they might receive a better resurrection; some were tried by mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover by bonds and imprisonment: they were stoned, they were hewn and cut asunder, they were tempted, they were slain with the sword; they wandered up and down in sheep's skins and goats' skins, being forsaken, afflicted, and tormented, such men as the world was not worthy to have, wandering in wildernesses, in mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. All these were approved by the testimony of faith, and received not the promise, because God did provide better for us, that without us they should not be consummated." They tarry for us now undoubtedly, longing for the day: but they are commanded to have patience yet (saith the Lord) a little while, until the number of their fellow-servants be fulfilled, and of their brethren which are yet to be slain, as they were.

Now, thou, O man of God, for our Lord's sake, let us not for the love of this life, tarry then too long, and be occasion of delay of that glorious consummation in hope and expectation whereof they departed in the Lord, and the which also the living, endued with God's Spirit, ought so earnestly to desire and to groan for with all the creatures of God. Let us all, with John the servant of God, cry in our hearts unto our Saviour Christ, "Come, Lord Jesus, come."s For then when Christ, which is our life, shall be made manifest, and appear in glory, then shall the children of God appear what they be, even like unto Christ: for this our weak body shall be transfigured and made like unto Christ's glorious body, and that by the power whereby he is able to subdue unto himself all things. Then, that which is now corruptible shall be made incorruptible; that which now is vile shall be made glorious; that which is now weak shall rise then mighty and strong; that which is gross and carnal shall be made fine and spiritual: for then we shall see and have the unspeakable joy and fruition of the glorious majesty of our Lord, even as he is.

Who, or what then shall let us to jeopard, yea, to spend this life which we

(1) Rev. xii.

(2) Matt. xvi.

(3) Mark viii.

(5) "Veni Domine Jesu." Rev. xxii.

(4) Heb. xi.

Mary.

A. D.

1555.

have here, in Christ's cause? in our Lord God's cause? O thou, therefore, man of God, thou that art loaden, and so letted like unto a woman great with child, that thou canst not fly the plague, yet, if thou lust after such things as I have spoken of, stand fast, whatsoever shall befal, in thy Master's cause; and take this thy letting to fly, for a calling of God to fight in thy Master Christ's cause. Of this be thou certain, they can do nothing unto thee, which thy Father is Nothing not aware of, or hath not foreseen before; they can do no more than it shall happenplease him to suffer them to do for the furtherance of his glory, edifying of his out God's church, and thine own salvation. Let them then do what they shall, seeing to foresight. thee, O man of God, all things shall be forced to serve and to work with thee unto the best, before God. O be not afraid, and remember the end!

All this which I have spoken for the comfort of the lamentable case of the man whom Christ called a woman great with child, I mean to be spoken likewise to the captive and prisoner in God's cause; for such I count to be as it were already summoned and pressed to fight under the banner of the cross of Christ, and as it were soldiers allowed and taken up for the Lord's wars, to do their Lord and Master good and honourable service, and to stick to him, as men of trusty service in his cause, even unto death; and to think their life lost in his cause, is to win it in eternal glory for evermore.

Therefore, now to conclude and make an end of this treatise, I say unto all that love God our heavenly Father, that love Christ Jesus our Redeemer and Saviour, that love to follow the ways of the Holy Ghost which is our comforter and sanctifier of all, unto all that love Christ's spouse and body, the true catholic church of Christ, yea, that love life and their own soul's health; I say unto all these, hearken, my dear brethren and sisters, all you that be of God, of all sorts, ages, dignities, or degrees; hearken to the word of our Saviour Jesus Christ spoken to his apostles, and meant to all his, in St. Matthew's Gospel, "Fear not them which kill the body, for they cannot kill the soul; but fear him more which may destroy and cast both body and soul into hell fire. Are not two small sparrows sold for a mite, and one of them shall not fall or light upon the ground without your Father? All the hairs of your head be numbered. Fear them not, you are much more worth than are the little sparrows. Every one that confesseth me before men, him shall I likewise confess before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, I shall deny him likewise before my Father which is in heaven."

The Lord grant us therefore of his heavenly grace and strength, that here we may so confess him in this world amongst this adulterous and sinful generation, that he may confess us again at the latter day, before his Father which is in heaven, to our glory, and everlasting comfort, joy, and salvation. To our heavenly Father, to our Saviour and Redeemer Jesus Christ, and to the Holy Ghost, be all glory and honour now and for ever. Amen.

Thus with the death and martyrdom of these two learned pastors and constant soldiers of Christ, master Latimer and bishop Ridley, you have divers of their letters and other writings of theirs expressed, with the farewells also of bishop Ridley, wherein he took his leave of the world, taking his journey to the kingdom of heaven. Divers and sundry other treatises of his remain also in my hand both in Latin and English, to be remembered by the leave of the Lord in time. and place convenient.

*About this time suffered William Dighel, most constantly offering his body a burnt-sacrifice unto God, forsaking the world, life and all, for the love of his holy truth. This holy martyr suffered at Banbury in the county of Oxford.

(1) This passage, and the following Profession of Faith, are only extant in the First Edition of the Acts and Monuments; respecting the latter, Foxe gives no authority from whence he derived it. It is called, "Brevis Descriptio Professionis Fidei Christianæ in comitiis Petruotitæ, vulgo Pret-kan Plegatos, regni Poloniæ; facta tertio die Maii, 1555. Omnes in peccato orti et nati sumus, et omnes intelligentiæ humanæ sicut tenebræ ; ita ut nedum Dei tantum, sed ne nostri cogitationem habere possimus. Proinde dedit Deus decem precepta legis, ut ex eis veluti caligantes oculi nostri aperiantur et illustrentur, ex illisque humanam infirmitatem agnoscamus," etc. See Edition 1563, pp. 1238, 1239.-Ed.

eth with

Mary.

1555.

A. D. A brief Description of the Profession of the Christian Faith, agreed upon and made at Peternot,' commonly called Pretkan Plegatose, of the Kingdom of Poland; the third of May, A.D. 1555: translated out of Latin into English.

See

Appendix.

All men have their beginning and be born in sin, and all men's understandings be as darkness, so that we cannot have a thought, not only of God, but neither of ourselves; wherefore God gave the Ten Commandments of the Law, that, by them, our blind eyes, as it were, might be opened and made bright, and by the same we might know man's infirmity.2

Therefore Christ came that he might manifest God unto us, and his will: wherefore Christ is the light of this world, whom whoso followeth, and swerveth not from his word, he walketh in the eternal light.

This only Doctor and Schoolmaster, that eternal God of the world, commanded us to hear and follow, forasmuch as that Son of God cannot lie; and whosoever follow not his word, although they be most mighty and wise, they all be liars.

He hath manifested unto us all things that seem to pertain unto eternal salvation; without him, no man may be acceptable before God.

Unto him all the prophets do ascribe and bear witness that such as believe in the Son are blessed: he alone hath made us free from the wrath of God, because, by our works, we deserve not the same, neither is there any thing under heaven that may save us besides him.

Therefore whosoever doth attribute salvation and due praises to any other, but only to Christ, is guilty of blasphemy against God.

This the Son of God doth attribute to the merit of his passion by the gospel (which ought to be preached unto every person in his own mother tongue), and, by the sacraments, unto the believers of his word: that is, by baptism, and by the use of his body and blood which was shed for the remission of our sins. In these sacraments the covenant of the Lord is sealed up unto us, which, whosoever will change, is accursed.3

In none other place verily we find a sacrament, but where it is tied to the word of God: for the traditions of men not agreeing to the word, be idolatries; specially when they be set in God's place.

This also we have learned out of the commandments of Christ, that only God is to be worshipped,' who alone is the searcher of the hearts; which is proper to no creature; and we have a commandment in the old law: He that worshippeth another God besides this, let him suffer death. Unto this God we have none other Mediator and Intercessor, besides Jesus Christ. It is evident therefore that God is not bound by the word unto images and figures. The sacrament of baptism and of the Lord's supper do offer unto the believers the remission of sins; besides these the Christians use none other."

Other godly ordinances, as matrimony, the confirmation of the ministers of the church [etc.], do not bring unto us the remission of sins, which be inferior dignities; albeit we do not despise them. We deny that oblation should be made for the dead; for if, when they were alive, they knew and praised God, where they ought, they are saved; otherwise, contrary, the masses and diriges, and such other trifles, can do them no good. Of this the word of God testifieth: "He that believeth in the Son of God shall not be damned." "10

Paul forbiddeth us to be careful for them that be dead.11 While we are in this world it is certain we may help one another as well with prayers as with counsels, but when we shall come before the throne of God, neither Job, neither Daniel, neither Noah, shall pray for any person, but every man shall bear his own burden. Here life is either lost or gotten; here provision is made for us of eternal salvation, by the worship of God, and by faith: after this life there is no place of repentance, neither of any satisfaction. There is none other place but in this life to correct our affections and manners, for after

(1) Petricow, Petercaw, or Piotrkow, a small commercial town in Poland, where the kings were elected and the diets held.

(2) Psalm 1. Tobit i. Rom. iii. Gal. iii. Matt. ii. 1 Cor. x.

(6) Jer. xvii.

(4) Matt. xxv.

(5) 2 Kings viii.

(8) John xiv. 1 Tim. ii.

(9) Bernardus "De Cœnâ Domini." (10) John iii.

(3) Gal. i.

(7) Exod. xxii. (11) 1 Thess. iv,

this life every person shall have that, which, in the same, he hath purchased Mary. to himself.

A. D.

All the catholic faith, by the authority of Scripture, believeth the kingdom of heaven to be the first place from whence he that is not baptized is to be 1555. excluded utterly: we acknowledge no third place, yea, neither do we find it to be in the holy Scriptures.

We hold God's most holy word and commandment; but of the traditions of men, this God speaketh: "They worship me in vain, teaching the doctrines and commandments of men.' Also, "Every plantation which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted out."

"

The Death and End of Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester,

THE ENEMY OF GOD'S WORD.

The next month after the burning of Dr. Ridley and master Latimer, which was the month of November, Stephen Gardiner, bishop and chancellor, a man hated of God and all good men, ended his wretched life: concerning the qualities, nature, and disposition of which man, forsomuch as somewhat hath been declared before in the story of king Edward's reign, I shall need therefore the less now to stand greatly upon the same. First, this viper's bird, crept out of the town of Bury in Suffolk, was brought up most part of his youth in Cambridge; his wit, capacity, memory, and other endowments of nature were not to be complained of, if he had well used and rightly applied the same; wherein there was no great want of God's part in him, if he had not rather himself wanted to the goodness of his gifts. Through this promptness, activity, and towardness of his, he profited not a little in such studies as he gave his head unto, as first in the civil law, then in languages and such other like, especially in those arts and faculties which had any prospect to dignity and preferment to be hoped for. Besides other ornaments or helps of nature, memory chiefly seemed in him very beneficial, rather than diligence of study.

chester

To these gifts and qualities were joined again as great or greater The vices vices, which not so much followed him, as overtook him; not so much of Winburdened him, as made him burdenous to the whole realm. He was described. of a proud stomach, and high-minded, in his own opinion and conceit flattering himself too much; in wit, crafty and subtle; toward his superiors flattering and fair spoken; to his inferiors fierce; against his equal stout and envious, namely, if in judgment and sentence he any thing withstood him, as appeared between the good lord Cromwell and him in the reign of king Henry, being of like haughtiness of stomach as the poets write of Pelides, cedere nescius:" who, although he would give no place to men, yet notwithstanding I wish he would have given place to truth, according as he seemed not altogether ignorant of that truth. What his knowledge was therein, it is evident partly to understand as well by his book "De verâ Obedientiâ ; "2 as also by his sermon before king Edward. Also by his answers to the council the same time, and moreover by his own words

(1) Hor. Od. lib. i. Ode vi.-ED.

[ocr errors]

(2) Stephani Winton. Episc. De Verâ Obedientiâ Oratio; 1535. An edition appeared, also bearing the imprint of Hamburg in 4to, and another in 8vo. at Strasburg, both in 1536. See Dibdin's Typogr. Ant. III. 292; Panzer's Annales Typogr. VII. 118; Schelhorn's Amænit. Eccles. I. 837; and Mr. Stevens' Memoirs of Bradford for a translation, Append. LXIV. &c.-ED.

« PredošláPokračovať »