such as have martyred the servants of Christ, such as would seem Gods friends, and yet are his enemies: such as would be Christs kinsmen, and yet are his adversaries: such as would be servants to Christ, and yet do serve Antichrist: such as Isaiah speaketh of, saying, They have broken down my vine, and destroyed ⟨image 81⟩my wine press: such as Christ himself speaketh of, and saith,1 They have made my Church a den of thieves. Therefore (good Brethren) let not us deceive our selves, let us not say all things were well in the Church, there needed no reformation, all things were as they should be, there needed nothing to be amended. For, alas, all things were out of order, all things out of square, all things so confounded, that all things needed to be amended. I speak herein only generally, I speak not here of the particular things amiss in Gods Church, for then should time fail me, if I should recount them unto you particularly. In time past, if any one man would have sought comfort for his afflicted conscience, where should he have sought it? whether should he have gone for comfort? where should he have craved consolation? what comfort could we have of our own merits, what help by our own deserts, and good deeds? what consolation of the Popes Bulls and Pardons? Alas, no comfort, no consolation, no help at all. And yet unto those were we taught ⟨image 82⟩to run, in those were we taught to seek comfort, and at them to crave consolation. In the Church, before time, it hath been both said & sung unto the people, Tu per Thomae sauguinem, fac nos ascendere ubi Thomas nunc est, Thou Christ, by the blood of thy Martyr S. Thomas, make us worthy to ascend thither, where Thomas now is. This, I say, as a prayer hath been used and sung in the Church of God. The Mother also, that blessed Mother of our Saviour Christ, hath bin openly blasphemed in the Church: she was called, Spes, vita, dulcedo, Our hope, our life, and our sweetness; and further, Salua omnes sperantes in te, Save all them that trust in thee. Thus have men openly prayed unto her, to the great blaspheming of her holy name. But O Christ, O thou that sufferedst for the whole world, where was then thy Passion, where was then that precious blood of thine that washed away the sins of Man, where was then the Lamb of God that redeemed all mankind?
such as haue martyrd the seruants of Christ, such as would séeme Gods friends, and yet are his enemies: such as would be Christs kynsmen, and yet are his aduersaries: such as would be seruants to Christ, and yet doe serue Antechrist: such as Esaie speaketh of, saying, They haue broken downe my vine, and destroyed ⟨image 81⟩my wine presse: such as Christ himselfe speaketh of, and saith,1 They haue made my Church a den of theeues. Therefore (good Bretheren) let not vs deceiue our selues, let vs not say all things were wel in the Church, there needed no reformation, all things were as they should be, there néeded nothing to be amended. For, alas, all things were out of order, all things out of square, all things so confounded, that all things néeded to be amended. I speake herein only generally, I speake not here of the particular things amisse in Gods Church, for then should time faile mée, if I should recount them vnto you particularly. In time past, if any one man would haue sought comfort for his afflicted conscience, where should he haue sought it? whether should he haue gon for comfort? where should he haue craued consolation? what comfort could we haue of our owne merits, what help by our owne deserts, and good déeds? what consolation of the Popes Bulls and Pardons? Alas, no comfort, no consolation, no helpe at all. And yet vnto those were wée taught ⟨image 82⟩to run, in those were we taught to séeke comfort, and at them to craue consolation. In the Church, before time, it hath béen both said & sung vnto the people, Tu per Thomae sauguinem, fac nos ascendere vbi Thomas nunc est, Thou Christ, by the blood of thy Martyr S. Thomas, make vs worthie to ascend thither, where Thomas now is. This, I say, as a praier hath béen vsed and sung in the Church of God. The Mother also, that blessed Mother of our Sauior Christ, hath bin openly blasphemed in the Church: shée was called, Spes, vita, dulcedo, Our hope, our life, and our sweetnesse; and further, Salua omnes sperantes in te, Saue all them that trust in thee. Thus haue men openly prayed vnto her, to the great blaspheming of her holie name. But O Christ, O thou that suffredst for the whole world, where was then thy Passion, where was then that precious blood of thine that washed awaie the sinnes of Man, where was then the Lambe of God that redéemed all mankind?
- 1Math. 21.
