Master Bezaes sermons upon the three chapters of the canticle of canticlesMaster Bezaes sermons vpon the three chapters of the canticle of canticles

8 Now our adversaries hereupon will say, that this gear toucheth us near, who hold with, say they, and maintain the broad way, seeking after nothing else but our carnal liberty, having taken away the time of Lent, & finding fault with fastings and pilgrimages: and what else? Promising salvation unto all the world without any good works. And they, what do they? They eat no flesh a great part of the year, they fast, they labour and take pains without ceasing to win paradise: all their clergy voweth virginity: so many good men of theirs have as strait rules of life, as none can be more. Some of them never eat any flesh: others go woolward and in hair: ⟨p. 315⟩others whip themselves a-vie who shall whip most. Ye hypocrites, ye whited walls and painted sepulchres, ye meal-mouthed counterfeits, ye devourers of widows, and eaters up of orphans, ye vowers of poverty to nestle and dwell in palaces, and there to live and feed your selves fat at the costs & charges of others, seek you your answer in the 53. Chap. of Isaiah, and in the 23. Chapter of Saint Matthew. As for those who are wretchedly bewitched and seek to win paradise by their own travail, to them I say, how long will you seek the kingdom of God in meat and drink? How long will you continue to seek paradise in the broken and stinking cisterns of your own imaginations and traditions? How long will you be ignorant, that it is the blood of Jesus christ which hath saved the true martyrs themselves, and not their own blood? Now is this I pray you to set a cheap price upon paradise, to call and settle the consciences of men upon him who hath redeemed them with so great a price, as Saint Peter saith, 1. Pet. 1.18. and not on charmed water, or the pardons of his false successors? Do we sever and disjoin true amendment of life from remission and forgiveness of sin? Cry we not out daily against all manner excess, riot and dissolution? Do we not commend and recommend unto all men, all inward integrity and uprightness? Al sobriety? Al kind of mutual edification? But it would be too long to make a particular reply unto every point. Let it be answered them in a word, that touching their doctrine compared with ours, we have always made, & still will make him the Judge, who shall judge us all by his holy word:

8 Now our aduersaries hereupon will saie, that this geare toucheth vs near, who hold with, saie they, and maintaine the broad waie, seeking after nothing else but our carnall liberty, hauing taken away the time of Lent, & finding fault with fastinges and pilgrimages: and what else? Promising saluation vnto al the world without anie good workes. And they, what doe they? They eate no flesh a great part of the year, they fast, they labour and take paines without ceasing to winne paradise: all their clergy voweth virginity: so many good men of theirs haue as streit rules of life, as none can be more. Some of them neuer eate anie flesh: others go wolward and in hair: